Written questions by Rosindell.

When the first Type 32 frigate will be commissioned.

The Ministry of Defence is continuously evaluating its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy's fleet. As stated in the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy is transitioning towards a Hybrid Navy, delivering a mixed fleet of crewed and uncrewed vessels. These will be delivered through faster, smarter procurement and enabled by modular, reconfigurable technology and scalable platforms to increase mass and effect. Future capability plans for the Royal Navy are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP). It would be inappropriate to provide further detail at this time.

What recent steps she has taken to improve special educational needs support services for dyslexia in English schools.

As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.The department know that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with SEND. In an inclusive education system, settings should be confident in accurately assessing children and young people’s learning and development and meeting any educational needs with evidence-based responses.A range of measures have been introduced, which aim to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those with SEND or at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, publication of the reading framework and writing frameworks and the publication of an updated list of high quality phonics programmes which have been validated by the department.The department also launched ‘Reading Ambition for All’, a new continuous professional development programme for primary school teachers. Following this pilot year, we are working with the British Dyslexia Association to refine the programme to further support children with dyslexia.

What recent steps he has taken to help improve dyslexia screening of adults.

Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments can be found on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/

What steps she has taken to help increase the regularity of police patrols in (a) England and (b) Romford.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee (NPG) is now being delivered across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing.As a result of the NPG, communities are now benefitting from more visible patrols, and stronger engagement. Officers are working closely with residents and businesses to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, shop theft, vandalism.Neighbourhood policing teams are spending the majority of their time within their communities, delivering visible patrols and actively engaging with residents and businesses.As part of the NPG the Government has made £200 million available in FY 25/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament, including up to 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by March 2026.As a result of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant the Metropolitan Police Service are projected to grow by 470 neighbourhood officers in 2025-26.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current ship-to-ship lethality capabilities of the Royal Navy surface fleet.

The Royal Navy is undertaking a significant programme to modernise and increase the lethality of the Fleet. The introduction of Sea Venom and the Naval Strike Missile are key aspects of this programme which will be followed by further capability upgrades over the next few years.

How many people have died as a result of misuse of prescription medication in England in each year since 2020.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 30th October is attached.

How many domestic abortions using (a) mifepristone and (b) misoprostol have occurred in England in each year since 2020.

The Department cannot separate out which of mifepristone or misoprostol were administered at home, only whether one or both abortion medications were administered at home.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the medivac provision on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve primary healthcare provision on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will provide support to the provision of a new hospital facility on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential merits of exempting (a) category C and (b) category D gaming machines in pubs from any increase in the Machine Games Duty.

The Chancellor discusses a variety of issues with Ministers from other government departments throughout the year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of healthcare provision on Montserrat.

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of Montserrat. Much of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding allocated to the Government of Montserrat (£62 million in this financial year alone) is used to support the provision of primary healthcare on island. This includes the construction of Montserrat's new national hospital, as well as delivery of Montserrat's Health Transformation Strategy and when necessary medical evacuations off island.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of a 20p reduction in the business rates multipliers on trends in the level of pub closures over the next five years.

The Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that pubs benefit from much-needed certainty and support. These new multipliers cannot be lower than 20p less than the small business multiplier. These legislative minimum rates should not be taken as the intended rates for the new multipliers. Rather, they provide flexibility to adapt to the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation. The Government is carefully considering the impact of the new business rates multipliers on different RHL businesses. The rates will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take the revaluation into account, as well as the economic and fiscal context.

What assessment he has made of the potential role of UK's coal resources in his future energy policy.

The last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, closed on 30 September 2024. The Government has also announced it will introduce new legislation as soon as possible to restrict the future licensing of new coal mines.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of gaming machines to the level of pubs’ supplementary income.

The Government recognises the contribution of pubs to the nighttime economy in the UK, as well as the commercial pressures they face.Although the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Gambling Commission do not hold official statistics on the contribution of gaming machines to the level of pubs’ supplementary income, we recognise that gaming machines are an important source of revenue to many pubs across the country.Trade associations representing the pub sector, including the British Beer and Pub Association, UK Hospitality and the British Institute of Innkeeping, recently emphasised the importance of gaming machines in pubs, estimating that 48% of pubs have at least one gaming machine, with the total income from these machines equating to £622m per year.

What steps his Department is taking to allow businesses to (a) engage with and (b) support the process of drafting a free trade agreement with Canada.

Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement underpinning around £28 billion worth of bilateral trade last year. There are currently no plans to resume FTA negotiations. However, growing bilateral trade remains a shared priority and we have established the UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group with the objective of growing bilateral trade, addressing existing market access barriers and building on existing arrangements.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in Vietnam on the arrest of Montagnard Pastor Y Nuen Ayun on 8 October 2025; and whether she is taking diplomatic steps to ensure his release.

We raise human rights concerns with the Vietnamese Government, including freedom of religion and belief bilaterally and multilaterally. The Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of protecting religious freedom with Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung on 30 October, following my own discussions with the Vice Foreign Minister on 13 October. Our new UK-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership includes cooperation on human rights, particularly it notes that the 'UK and Vietnam will cooperate to foster inclusive societies that embrace and provide equal opportunities and respect for the human rights of all people, without discrimination of any kind.' Through the UN Human Rights Council we regularly raise specific cases of concern.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with allies in Latin America to support (a) regional stability and (b) democratic outcomes.

The UK has worked closely with many Latin American partners over recent years to promote shared interests and values, including strong commitments to democracy and the rule of law. We will continue to work closely with allies across the region and promote stability and defend robust democratic outcomes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the US has had decisions with her Department on US strategic objectives in tackling drug smuggling in (a) Venezuela and (b) the wider Caribbean.

We have extensive discussions with the US on a wide range of shared security objectives, including on counter narcotics but specific operational activities undertaken by the US military in the Caribbean and the Pacific are a matter for the US.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her (a) Indian and (b) Chinese counterparts on comments by the representatives of Mauritius on the lease of land in the Chagos Archipelago upon the ratification of the 2025 treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The treaty contains robust provisions to protect the base, including a 24 nautical mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia and a ban on foreign security forces anywhere in the archipelago. Any suggestions that Mauritius has been negotiating a lease on Peros Banhos are false. This was confirmed by the Mauritian Attorney General in a public statement on 20 October 2025.