Written questions by Mitchell.

How many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female ex-offenders found employment within six months of release in the West Midlands in the latest period for which data is available.

The latest data available (April 2023-March 2024) shows that 13.0% of females and 21.8% of males in the West Midlands region were employed six months after release from custody, a gap of 8.8 percentage points. This represents 30 females and 715 males from sample sizes of 230 and 3,280 respectively. We know that women face additional barriers to employment, including greater prevalence of trauma, substance misuse issues and being more likely to be a primary carer for children. In recognition of these additional challenges, New Futures Network, the prison service’s specialist employment team, has a dedicated employment broker for the women’s prison estate. In addition, an expert in education and employment for women with convictions has been appointed to the cross-government Partnership Delivery Group, which supports our recently established Women’s Justice Board. The Board will set the vision for and deliver on our ambition to have fewer women in custody.

How many people were waiting for treatment from community mental health services in the West Midlands in the latest period for which data is available.

Since July 2023, NHS England has included waiting time metrics for referrals to community-based mental health services in its monthly mental health statistics publication, to help services target the longest waits. Data in the Mental Health Services Dataset is known to be incomplete and these figures may be an undercount. Information on patients waiting to access NHS Talking Therapies services is not included. The latest information on wait times for NHS Talking Therapies is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors

What assessment she has made of effectiveness of her Department's programmes for supporting offenders in returning to employment in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why the Government’s manifesto commits to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers to get more people with convictions into work.We have launched regional Employment Councils, including for the region East, North & West Midlands. For the first time, they bring businesses together with probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders leaving prison.In addition, Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards are in every resettlement prison, including at HMP’s Birmingham, Oakwood and Featherstone in the West Midlands region. They play a key role in getting offenders work-ready, matching them to jobs on release and linking prisons with local businesses.The proportion of ex-offenders in employment within six months of release in the West Midlands was 25.7% in the year to March 2024, an increase of 5.7 percentage points from the previous reporting year to March 2023.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of Foreign Direct Investment projects in the West Midlands.

The Office for Investment (OfI) collaborates with stakeholders across the West Midlands to promote strategic foreign investment opportunities and to drive high-quality jobs growth in the region. Through a strategic initiative, the OfI provides funding to enable stakeholders to offer direct support to foreign investors looking to establish and expand their operations in the West Midlands.The Regional Investment Summit 2025, will be held in the Autumn in the West Midlands, reinforcing the government’s priorities to drive sustainable economic growth, unlocking opportunity, creating high-quality jobs, and supporting innovation, across the West Midlands and all regions of the UK.

What steps his Department is taking to support self-employed people in the West Midlands.

Last year, the Business Secretary announced a new Business Growth Service, which will make it easier for entrepreneurs and businesses across the West Midlands to get support and advice to grow, export and thrive.The West Midlands Growth Hub is where entrepreneurs and SMEs across the West Midlands can obtain specialist advice, including on scaling up and accessing new markets.Businesses can also access other Government programmes such as the Business Support Service, Help to Grow: Management, the UK Export Academy, International Trade Advisors, the Export Support Service and financial help via the British Business Bank.

What steps she is taking to reduce the backlog of crown court cases in the West Midlands.

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. For this financial year (2025/26), this Government is funding a record allocation of Crown Court sitting days to deliver swifter justice for victims – 110,000 sitting days this year, 4,000 higher than the last Government funded. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days can achieve. That is why we have commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review of efficiency that will propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims.In the West Midlands:Over the past three years, the West Midlands Crown Court centres have experienced a significant increase in receipts, rising by 40%, a figure that surpasses the national average of 30%. This growth reflects the increasing demand on the judicial system in the region.In response to this rising caseload, the Crown Court centres in the West Midlands (Birmingham Crown Court and Wolverhampton Crown Court) have proactively increased their operational capacity, sitting a total of 5655 days in 2024/25 (an increase of 3.8% from 5450 days in 2023/24).Wolverhampton Crown Court has expanded its capacity from seven to eight courtrooms, with the addition of an extra courtroom at Telford Annex. Furthermore, in 2023 Wolverhampton welcomed an increase in circuit judges, and Birmingham saw an extra circuit judge last year, thus strengthening the judiciary to manage the rising volume of cases. Efforts are also underway to bolster judicial resources further, with plans for additional judicial recruitment in an upcoming campaign.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Birmingham City Council’s ability to provide a (a) comprehensive and (b) efficient library service in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires the Secretary of State to “superintend and promote the improvement of the public library service provided by local authorities in England”. To assist this function the department regularly engages with local authorities to discuss issues related to their respective library service. The Department has met with Birmingham City Council officers regularly in the last 20 months, the most recent of which was 7 May, to discuss changes to their library service provision.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support (a) free and (b) fair presidential elections in the Ivory Coast in October 2025.

The UK is committed to promoting good governance and democracy in Côte d'Ivoire, including transparent and inclusive elections.On 25-28 May, the Minister for Africa visited Côte d'Ivoire, and discussed with the President and his government the importance of open civic space, democratic debate, and strong electoral institutions.Our Embassy in Abidjan is engaging with relevant state institutions and all political parties, emphasising the importance of peaceful and fair elections, whilst coordinating their efforts with international partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help support a wide selection of candidates being available to eligible voters in the Ivory Coast for elections in October 2025.

Matters of electoral practices are a matter for the Government of Côte d'Ivoire. Candidates for the presidential election are selected by political parties and must comply with provisions set out in Côte d'Ivoire's constitution and related laws.The UK, along with likeminded partners, is monitoring the electoral developments in Côte d'Ivoire closely, through regular engagement with government officials, civil society actors and opposition figures. Beyond this, the UK has, through diplomatic engagements, consistently emphasised the importance of elections being free and fair as well as the need for voters to be presented with meaningful choice.These issues were raised by the Minister for Africa, during his recent visit to Côte d'Ivoire on 25-28 May, where he discussed with the President and his government the importance of open civic space, democratic debate, and strong electoral institutions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to sanction the Burmese (a) officials and (b) entities involved in conducting or planning the bombing against their own citizens.

In October 2024, the UK issued its nineteenth round of sanctions, targeting companies involved in the procurement of aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military. In total we have imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and 39 entities under the Myanmar Sanctions regime and designated the military regime's two key conglomerates and their 111 subsidiaries under the Global Human Rights regime. The UK is committed to targeted sanctions, which directly impact the military without harming the wider population.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to urge the Government of Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi from solitary confinement and prison on grounds of clemency ahead of her 80th birthday on 19 June 2025.

We condemn the arbitrary detention of Aung San Suu Kyi. The charges against her are politically motivated. On 31 January, to mark the fourth anniversary since the coup, the Foreign Secretary called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, and all those arbitrarily detained. We will continue to call for her release, and the release of all those arbitrarily detained.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the decision of the Government of Zimbabwe to secure a service level agreement with the IMF.

A Staff-Monitored Programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an important step for Zimbabwe to take in order to make progress towards a Staff-Level Agreement and clearing its foreign debt arrears. The UK is an active participant in the Structured Dialogue on Arrears Clearance, a multilateral platform for Zimbabwe to discuss arrears with its creditors and other development partners. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials participated in a roundtable side event on Zimbabwe's arrears at both the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in April and the African Development Bank Annual Meetings in May. The FCDO is also regularly in contact with the IMF to discuss Zimbabwe's economic reforms, both at headquarters and in-country.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department supports the return of Zimbabwe to full membership of the Commonwealth.

The Government has always been clear that we want to see Zimbabwe return to the Commonwealth when the time is right. We recognise there has been progress, but further steps are needed on democracy, governance and human rights. Decisions on Commonwealth membership are for all member states. The UK has expressed support for a further Commonwealth assessment mission.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recent decision by the Zimbabwean government to pay compensation to farmers whose land was confiscated.

We welcome Zimbabwe's recent payments to farmers whose land was confiscated. We understand that 379 farmers covered by the 2020 Global Compensation Deed, which includes some British nationals, have been compensated. There have also been initial payments to farmers covered by Bilateral Investment Protection & Promotion Agreements, such as Germany, Dutch and Swiss nationals. This is in line with commitments made by the Government of Zimbabwe in the Structured Dialogue on Arrears Clearance.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for ambulances in the West Midlands.

The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service and the impact this is having on ambulance response times, including in the West Midlands.We are determined to turn things around, our 10-Year Health Plan will be published in summer 2025, setting out major NHS reforms to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention.The NHS Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26, published on 6 June 2025, requires health systems to focus on those areas likely to have the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care services this year. The plan includes actions that will reduce category 2 ambulance response times to 30 minutes and reduce ambulance handovers to 45 minutes, helping to get 550,000 more ambulances back on the road.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to help support the regeneration of town centres in the West Midlands.

In December 2024, the government announced that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will receive £46,463,600 in UKSPF funding for the 2025/26 financial year. This includes £13,727,835 in capital funding and £32,735,765 in revenue funding. The UKSPF funding will be part of the WMCA's broader Integrated Settlement award. Additionally, six areas in the West Midlands will receive £120 million towards regeneration and community support. Bedworth in Warwickshire, Bilston, Darlaston, Dudley, and Smethwick in the Black Country, and Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham will each receive £20 million over the next 10 years. The funding, available since April, comes from the government's Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, which is releasing £1.5 billion to 75 areas in the UK based on criteria such as deprivation, life expectancy, and investment needs.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to tackle rough sleeping in the Birmingham City Council area.

For 2025/26, the department has allocated over £3.6 million to Birmingham City Council across rough sleeping grants. The Government will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

What recent steps he has taken to help reduce waiting times for cancer screening and testing in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

The Government understands that more needs to be done to reduce waiting times for cancer patients. To achieve this, we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.We will support the National Health Service to transform diagnostic services by spending £1.65 billion on additional capacity, including new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, to support the delivery of over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.In bowel cancer screening services across Birmingham and Solihull, the integrated care board (ICB) has successfully implemented the age-extension so all people aged 50 years old or over are now eligible for a screening test and the service is meeting targets.Delays in breast cancer screening in this region have caught up from the backlogs seen during the pandemic and are now in line with national requirements. The symptomatic service for breast screening is also meeting the faster diagnosis standard.NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB is also running a cancer bus tour, stopping off at locations across Birmingham and Solihull, including two stops in the Sutton Coldfield constituency at Princess Alice Retail Park, across 18 dates throughout April, June and September 2025. Local citizens can talk to health professionals about the importance of cancer screening, learn how to check themselves for different cancers and find support to help them live the healthiest possible life.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of expenditure by his Department on businesses in the West Midlands.

The Ministry of Defence spent £1.6 billion in the West Midlands in 2023-24, which equates to £260 per person in the region and directly supported 7,100 jobs. This includes £137 million spent directly with SMEs in the same period. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy, we will continue to engage with industry, devolved governments and local authorities to better understand the regional opportunities and barriers for growth in the defence sector.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce youth-related violence in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and we are determined to tackle the scourge of serious youth violence on our streets.To date, we have implemented a ban on the sale and possession of zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes and a ban on ninja swords will come into effect from 1 August. We are planning an expanded surrender scheme in July to allow those who currently own dangerous weapons to hand them in safely and securely. Limiting the availability and accessibility of lethal blades is a central part of our work.To that end, we have also announced “Ronan’s Law”, following an independent review into online knife sales by Commander Stephen Clayman, which sets out a range of measures including strengthening age verification and delivery checks and reporting bulk sales to the police. These vital changes are included in the Crime and Policing Bill currently making its way through Parliament.We are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and are giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.The Young Futures Programme is another key part of the Safer Streets Mission and the Government’s ambition to halve knife crime over the next decade. Through this programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, including in the West Midlands, to intervene earlier and ensure that Children and Young People who are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As we continue to design the Young Futures Programme, we want to ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in this regard. In 2025/26 we are investing £47m via the Home Office in core grant funding to VRUs, including making over £4.3m available to the West Midlands VRU this year.This funding will support the delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes such as youth workers in hospital settings (A&E Navigators), social skills training, and tailored support to individuals at risk of involvement in gangs and county lines to divert young people away from crime.A further £14.3m in grant funding has been made available across all 43 local policing body areas to deliver the Serious Violence Duty with £254k available to the West Midlands.Additionally, we have launched the Knife Enabled Robbery (‘KER’) Taskforce, focusing on reducing KER in the highest volume police force areas, including the West Midlands. The Taskforce identified school-age KER as a specific operational challenge and has worked with the Department for Education and school leaders to tackle it by developing bespoke “KER school action plans”.