Written questions by Rosindell.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70345 on Buildings: Safety, what his Department's timetable is for publishing the building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025).

As of 16th October 2025, a total of 69 members of staff were working on building control within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), including heads of unit. Excluding heads of unit, the total number of staff is 64 (principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers) who all work directly on applications. The BSR has seven teams currently working on new builds, external remediation, internal remediation and refurbishment. These teams are made up of approximately ten full-time equivalent members of staff per team, including principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers. Building control approval application data is published monthly, with the most recent publication on 16th October 2025. Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2025 - GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has held with the Governor of St Helena on his signification of the Saint Helena Civil Litigation (Costs) Ordinance 2025.

This legislation is currently subject to an ongoing judicial review. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. The role of the Governor of St Helena in relation to legislation is set out in the St Helena Constitution.

Whether his Department plans to take steps to promote the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of UK medical graduates over international applicants.

British doctors who obtained their medical degree abroad need to meet the requirements of the General Medical Council, the independent regulator of the medical profession, to practise medicine in the United Kingdom. These doctors are then able to apply for jobs in the National Health Service on the same basis as UK medical graduates.As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across the Government to prioritise UK medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out further details in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help improve air quality in major cities.

The Government has provided £576 million to support local authorities to improve air quality. The Government is supporting 64 local authorities through the NO2 programme specifically to develop and implement measures to address their Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) exceedances in the shortest possible time. For example, between 2019-2023, in the areas of cities that have a Clean Air Zone, NO2 concentrations have reduced by between 15% and 42% on average.

Whether his Department plans to create a memorial to the British Liberation Task Force 135 that freed the Channel Islands in 1945.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) deeply values the contribution of Liberation Task Force 135 in ending the occupation of the Channel Islands. While there are currently no plans to create a dedicated memorial, it remains longstanding Government policy that the MOD does not typically establish or fund memorials. These are usually supported through private donations and public subscription, and placed with the agreement of the relevant local authority.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding her Department has allocated for advertising public schemes for recycling water.

We continue to work closely with regulators to support progress in this area to reduce water demand. Ofwat are on track to launch the Water Efficiency Campaign (WEC) in spring 2026 and continue to engage closely with Defra, the Welsh Government, NRW, the Environment Agency, and water companies on the campaign’s governance, structure, and strategy.

What steps he is taking to help reduce infant mortality rates at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has taken a number of steps to improve their maternity services and help reduce infant mortality rates. This includes:- implementing pre-term screening for pre-eclampsia;- recruiting 164 more midwives since 2021, with seven more due to join soon, reducing the vacancy rate to 3.64% compared to 16% in January 2023;- investing in additional clinical posts, including the recruitment of 12 additional obstetrics and gynaecology consultants since 2022, with two more joining soon, and increasing resident doctor numbers;- introducing bilingual volunteers to support women throughout pregnancy, including attending appointments with them, and during labour;- offering enhanced ‘continuity of carer’ in areas where health inequalities have been identified;- increasing triage space and staffing to speed up initial assessment and creating a new discharge lounge to improve flow through the unit;- increasing obstetric theatre capacity and staffing; and- launching a new diabetes pre-conception clinic this year for women who are trying to conceive, and a new hybrid closed-loop insulin pump service for type 1 diabetics who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

Whether his Department plans to take steps to make it easier for people in the British Overseas Territories to enter army officer training in the UK.

British Overseas Territory Citizens (BOTC) are already eligible to apply to join the British Army and there are no restrictions on the numbers who can serve as Officers or Other Ranks. However, a UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) footprint is an integral part of the national security vetting process for joining the Armed Forces, and clearance levels vary depending on the rank and role applied for. Where an applicant, regardless of nationality, has not resided in the UK continuously for the required period prior to their application, additional checks may be needed.For BOTC, the lack of UK residency can be managed through a residency waiver, which would include additional documentation being provided by individuals. Each case will be risk-assessed on a case-by-case basis, and successful BOTC applicants would be eligible for clearance but for a shorter period of time in the first instance. Once the individual is in the Armed Forces, they will build up a UK footprint which will then allow the necessary checks to take place should their clearance need to be extended, or they wish to be considered for further roles where a higher clearance level is required.The British Army recruitment page sets out the eligibility criteria, including for those not resident in the UK that will require more checks.Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Overseas Territory, British Antartic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, Ascension & Tristan De Cunha, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri, Dhekelia and Episkopi in Cyprus and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

What recent steps she has taken through the tax system to support small to medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality industry.

The Government recognises the vital role that small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality sector play in supporting the UK’s economy and high streets. At the Autumn Budget, a range of measures were announced to support these businesses. The Employment Allowance was more than doubled to £10,500, meaning that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities will either gain or see no change this year. The business rates small business multiplier has been frozen for 2025-26, protecting SMEs from inflationary increases in business rates. Retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief has also been extended for one year at 40 per cent, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. In addition, the Small Profits Rate of Corporation Tax and marginal relief have been maintained at their current rates and thresholds. The £1 million Annual Investment Allowance has also been retained to support investment in plant and machinery. Duty on qualifying draught products has been reduced, supporting pubs and small brewers. Over a third of properties pay no business rates due to Small Business Rate Relief, with thousands more benefiting from tapered relief. The Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review and changes to the tax system are made at fiscal events, in line with usual practice.

What steps he is taking to help tackle health tourism.

In relation to United Kingdom nationals travelling abroad for treatment, the Department has recently updated guidance that advises anyone considering a procedure abroad to carefully research the treatment in question, the qualifications of their clinician, and the regulations that apply in any specific country.We also recently launched a communications campaign, in collaboration with TikTok, to encourage people to review the Government’s travel advice alongside relevant guidance from the National Health Service and other relevant professional bodies. By taking such steps before treatment, patients make are able to make more informed decisions about treatments abroad, to help protect themselves and the NHS from any potential negative consequences of medical tourism.

What steps she is taking to help tackle (a) untaxed and (b) abandoned vehicles on public roads.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle untaxed vehicles. These range from the use of automatic number plate recognition cameras, the wheelclamping and the removal and impounding of untaxed vehicles and court prosecutions. The DVLA works closely with the police and local authorities to address untaxed vehicles at local levels and to share intelligence to target untaxed vehicles. The latest information available, published in December 2023, showed that 98.7 per cent of vehicles across the UK were correctly licensed, an evasion rate of just 1.3%. More information is available at Vehicle excise duty evasion statistics: 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The removal of abandoned vehicles is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. The police also have the powers to remove immediately any vehicle that is causing an obstruction, is likely to cause danger or is broken down or abandoned without lawful authority.

Innovation and Technology, if she will bring forward legislative proposals for a mandatory 14-day cooling off period for telecom contracts.

The existing Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 provide a requirement for a 14-day cooling off period, subject to some exclusions, and this applies to telecoms contracts. Generally, if a consumer enters a contract with a trader, at a distance (for example, online or over the phone) or off the trader’s premises, the trader must provide the consumer a 14-day cooling off period after the contract is entered. During this period, the consumer can cancel the contract without needing to provide a reason.

What her Department’s policy is on housing of asylum seekers in houses of multiple occupancy.

The government is committed to reducing reliance on hotels by expanding the overall supply of dispersal and temporary accommodation, including through the private sector. Local authorities are consulted on all dispersed accommodation before it is procured, including for HMOs. This is a necessary step to meet our legal obligations while being cognisant of local pressures.

What steps she has taken to reduce the number of asylum seekers living in houses of multiple occupancy.

We’re taking decisive action to reduce the asylum backlog, close hotels, and return control of sites to local areas. Our strategy is focused on restoring order and fairness to the system while protecting public safety. The Immigration White Paper sets our measures to reduce inflow to the asylum system, ultimately reducing reliance on accommodation.

Whether he plans to increase the number of prison officers recruited from overseas.

His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) does not actively recruit foreign nationals from overseas.HMPPS publishes vacancies across formal UK advertising boards and welcomes applications from people wishing to work in prisons in England and Wales. The hiring process is the same for both UK and non-UK nationals. Selection is on the basis of fair and open competition, in accordance with the legal requirement set out in the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.The Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) govern eligibility for employment in the Civil Service on the grounds of nationality. All applicants applying to work in the Department must meet the CSNRs and other eligibility criterion published in job adverts.The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service.

What recent steps she has taken to prevent people that illegally enter the UK from being able to work.

The Government is leading a UK-wide crackdown on illegal working as part of a whole system approach to tackle illegal migration from every angle.The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill introduces tough new laws to clamp down on illegal working.  This means that for the very first time, right to work checks will be extended to cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons, courier services and warehousing.Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams are intensifying operational activity across the UK to stop businesses hiring people to work illegally.  Since this government came into power, there have been 10,031 illegal working visits to premises and 7,130 arrests have been made, an increase of 48% and 51% compared to the year before (5 July 2023 to 28 June 2024).  In that time, 2,105 civil penalty notices have been issued.Alongside the Department for Business and Trade, the Home Office is working closely with the major food delivery platforms, including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, to ensure they understand their responsibilities in using riders who have the right to work in the UK.Last month the Home Office commenced data sharing with leading food delivery firms. The agreement enables the Home Office to share sensitive location data of the locations of asylum hotels with the firms helping the companies detect and suspend accounts suspected of illegal working, particularly where delivery riders may be sharing accounts with individuals who do not have the legal right to work in the UK.Finally, the Government has announced the introduction of digital ID this parliament. It is clear that offering access to the UK labour market is part of the approach taken by unscrupulous criminals to profit from facilitating illegal migration. Providing a single system to prove a right to work, will simplify the process and drive-up compliance.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce levels of homelessness among children.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.

What steps he is taking to help increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of prison officers.

We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prisons. We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain and build levels of experience.Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all prisons where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need. We closely monitor staffing levels across the estate and look to provide short-term support where needed.  All prison expansion projects, whether new prisons or smaller builds, are factored into our staffing forecasts to ensure we recruit on time and build up the experience needed to continue to deliver safe and secure regimes.To help increase retention, HMPPS has a retention strategy in place which is linked to wider activities around employee experience, employee lifecycle and staff engagement at work. Alongside the strategy a retention toolkit has been introduced which identifies local, regional and national interventions against the drivers of attrition, which are utilised by establishments to ensure that they are embedding individual Retention Plans.As part of our efforts to grow our new generation of leaders, and transform HMPPS into a world class organisation, we launched the Future Prison Leaders Programme on 4 April 2025. This competitive programme is recruiting around 30 talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, including successful graduates, and offers a clear career pathway to a senior leadership position in prisons.

If he will make it her policy to make 12 July 2027 a public holiday to mark the 1100th anniversary of the unification of England under King Athelstan.

The current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established and the Government has no plans to create a one-off bank holiday to mark the 1100th anniversary of the unification of England under King Athelstan.While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy is considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2 billion.The National Lottery Heritage Fund has recently funded two projects that explore Athelstan and his history in Kingston and Malmesbury.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce levels of homelessness among women.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.