Written questions by Rosindell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support lower-income countries in tackling health risks posed by inadequate public housing.

We can work with a range of partners to support lower-income countries in tackling wider health risks by working on the broader determinants of health including inadequate public housing. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has for example supported research programmes such as Community-led Responsive and Effective Urban Health Systems (CHORUS) and the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) to strengthen urban health systems and promote rights-based, evidence-led housing solutions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support access to education for children fleeing Gaza.

On 21 July, the former Foreign Secretary announced £20 million of support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to carry out essential services for Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. This funding will provide emergency food, shelter and other support for over 2 million people, as well as support UNRWA's wider work across the region, enabling the Agency to restore some education services for hundreds of thousands of children and expand psychosocial support for traumatised families. The vital work of UNRWA in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education must also be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We call on Israel to work urgently with international partners, including the UN, so there is no disruption to this vital work. UK support has meant that to date, at least 14,000 children have been given access to education materials and welfare support. We have provided £5.6 million to the Global Partnership for Education to support the educational needs of children and young people in Gaza and the West Bank. Our support to Education Cannot Wait is also supporting children's education via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Iran on the safe return of dual British nationals imprisoned in Iran.

The former Foreign Secretary spoke with his Iranian counterpart on 22 August. They discussed a broad range of issues, including consular matters. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to advise against all travel to Iran where British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention and UK government support is extremely limited. We remain constrained by Iran's refusal to recognise dual nationality, which often means that those with links to the UK are not in a position, although they should be, to receive consular assistance from the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel, (b) Lebanon, (c) Jordan and (d) Egypt on access to education for children fleeing Gaza.

On 21 July, the former Foreign Secretary announced £20 million of support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to carry out essential services for Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. This funding will provide emergency food, shelter and other support for over 2 million people, as well as support UNRWA's wider work across the region, enabling the Agency to restore some education services for hundreds of thousands of children and expand psychosocial support for traumatised families. The vital work of UNRWA in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education must also be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We call on Israel to work urgently with international partners, including the UN, so there is no disruption to this vital work. UK support has meant that to date, at least 14,000 children have been given access to education materials and welfare support. We have provided £5.6 million to the Global Partnership for Education to support the educational needs of children and young people in Gaza and the West Bank. Our support to Education Cannot Wait is also supporting children's education via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners.

What steps her Department is taking to support young Ukrainians commencing their (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) tertiary education in the UK.

Since its launch, 750 schools across Ukraine and the UK have applied to take part in the 100 Year Partnership Programme. This unique initiative between the UK and Ukraine will support schools to build lasting international partnerships through shared projects on reading for pleasure, that will support pupils, expand horizons, build confidence and boost mental wellbeing.Schools are responsible for ensuring that all their pupils, including those classed as having English as an additional language (EAL), can access the full curriculum and have opportunity to achieve and thrive, building the knowledge and skills for life, no matter their background or circumstance.In the 2024/25 academic year, £484 million was allocated to schools via the EAL factor in the national funding formula. Schools also have flexibility over how they use their overall budget to support EAL pupils.Most young people legally residing in England will be eligible for a funded 16-19 study programme at a college, school or other 16-19 provider. Study programmes should be tailored to the needs of young people and include appropriate support.

Media and Sport, whether Ofcom has reviewed the compliance of Nation Broadcasting with the original licence conditions of Time 107.5 FM following its (a) rebranding and (b) programming changes.

Local radio is an integral part of the communities it exists within, and local commercial and community radio services can bring localities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information. Changes made by the Media Act 2024 remove some regulatory burdens on commercial radio operating on FM licenses, including requirements for commercial stations to deliver particular types of content or to target specific groups. This gives commercial radio stations the freedom to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences, particularly as listening increasingly shifts to digital. At the same time, Part 5 of the Media Act now strengthens protections for the regular broadcast of local news and local information. For example stations will be specifically required to provide news which has been gathered within the locality and the area to which they broadcast. The detailed requirements have been set out in new guidance that Ofcom has published on 1 July. Ofcom is currently running a consultation on the implementation of these changes to local news provision (closed 22 September), and will in due course publish a new Code of Practice that will set out the detailed requirements for commercial radio stations in delivering local news relevant to their local communities. Any assessment of compliance with licensing requirements, including the requirements to provide local news, and in light of the changes proposed by Nation Radio following its acquisition of Time 107.5, is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator.

Representing the Church Commissioners, how many rural parishes have a vacancy for (a) an incumbency and (b) a priest-in-charge; and how many (i) incumbent and (ii) priest-in-charge vacancies there have been in each of the last five years.

The National Church Institutions do not hold information centrally about the number of vacancies in urban or rural parishes; the deployment of clergy to benefices is a matter for diocesan bishops and their leadership teams.Data on benefice vacancies are only available at a diocesan level. However work is underway to update the national modelling of projected clergy populations, and the National Church Institutions are considering how they might gather and monitor data on vacancies.To understand the local context in Romford or in the wider Chelmsford Diocese, it would be best to contact the Bishop of Barking, or the Archdeacon of West Ham. Contact details are available on the diocesan website.

Representing the Church Commissioners, how many Christians have been received from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of England in each year since 1993.

The National Church Institutions do not hold this data centrally.The NCIs collect more general information about baptism, confirmation and attendance and these figures can be found in the Statistics for Mission documents: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/data-services/key-areas-research

Representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches have closed in each year since 1997.

Starting at 1990, the figures per decade are as follows:1990–1999: 274 2000–2009: 243 2010–2019: 210In the current decade:2020: 15 2021: 26 2022: 11 2023: 17 2024: 15Over this period the Pastoral and Closed Churches Committee of the Church Commissioners has received formal closure schemes for 811 churches in total.To put this in context, the Church of England has stewardship of approximately 15,700 consecrated buildings. Church closures are occurring at their lowest rate since the 1970s, when 760 closures took place across the decade. The figure for the 1980s was 485. Since the 1990s annual closures have remained steady at approximately 20–25 per year, with no increase following the pandemic.The Church also opens around 10 new churches annually, and has seen significant growth in worshipping communities in homes, schools, cafés, and digital spaces. Since 2020, dioceses have launched or are developing 3,500 new worshipping communities, contributing to the Church’s goal of 10,000 by 2030 under its Vision and Strategy.Closure does not mean withdrawal. Every community remains covered by a Church of England parish, with continued access to worship, baptisms, marriages, and funerals. In many cases, ministry is reconfigured locally to maintain pastoral care.The Church operates under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, which allows buildings no longer needed for pastoral use to be closed and repurposed. Closures are typically initiated by local parishes, often due to demographic shifts or challenges in sustaining leadership.Further information can be found in the Church Commissioners’ annual reports, which are available on the Church of England website or in the House of Commons Library.

Representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy of incumbent status have been dispossessed by diocese in each of the last five years; and how many (a) dispossession of office and (b) other schemes are being prepared.

In the period 2020-2025 there have been 11 dispossession cases under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. There are 7,340 stipendiary clergy, meaning dispossession cases represent a very small (less than 1%) proportion of overall clergy numbers.By diocese these break down as follows:• Portsmouth – 6 cases • St Albans – 2 cases (plus one in process)• Southwark – 1 case• York – 1 case• Leeds – 1 case

Representing the Church Commissioners, how many parishes have a vacancy for (a) an incumbency and (b) a priest-in-charge; and how many (i) incumbent and (ii) priest-in-charge vacancies there have been in each of the last five years.

The National Church Institutions do not hold information centrally about the number of vacancies in urban or rural parishes; the deployment of clergy to benefices is a matter for diocesan bishops and their leadership teams.Data on benefice vacancies are only available at a diocesan level. However work is underway to update the national modelling of projected clergy populations, and the National Church Institutions are considering how they might gather and monitor data on vacancies.To understand the local context in Romford or in the wider Chelmsford Diocese, it would be best to contact the Bishop of Barking, or the Archdeacon of West Ham. Contact details are available on the diocesan website.

Representing the Church Commissioners, representing the Church Commissioners, what financial support is available to retired clergy.

Church of England stipendiary clergy are members of the Church of England defined benefit pension scheme, which provides a guaranteed income for the whole of their retirement, plus an at-retirement lump sum and benefits for surviving spouses or civil partners. In July 2025, the General Synod voted to increase the pension scheme's benefits.In addition, stipendiary clergy households that do not own their own home have access to the Church’s retirement housing scheme, which provides a secure lifetime tenancy of a rental property, subsidised to circa 60% of equivalent market rent.The Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners have committed £95.7m over the period 2026-28 to support and subsidise the retirement housing scheme and provide new services to clergy to assist them in making provision for their retirement.In-retirement support includes access to specialist advice services and a charitable grant scheme to support those on the lowest incomes.All the foregoing are provided by the Church’s national bodies. Additionally, support is available from other bodies, including the Churches Mutual Credit Union, the Clergy Support Trust, and other clergy charities.

What his planned timeframe is for the establishment of the first Staff Treatment Hubs.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review, which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.

What estimate he has made of the number of NHS staff that will be treated at the Staff Treatment Hubs within the first five years of their establishment.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review, which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.

How many Staff Treatment Hubs will be established as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review, which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.

Representing the Church Commissioners, whether the National Church Institutions have issued guidance on the use of sacred places of worship for secular purposes.

Church of England parish churches are public spaces. Their primary use is for worship, but for centuries the church has welcomed appropriate use, alongside worship, for the benefit of the community and the church.Currently the Church is the largest provider of space in local communities where amateur and professional art, culture, and music can be enjoyed. In addition churches run coffee mornings, warm spaces, food banks and credit unions. They are also used for election hustings, planning enquiries, emergency relief in floods or natural disasters, public community meetings, and official announcements such as the proclamations made at the Demise of the Crown.Churches respond to local need, and other creative ideas include village shops, community banks, children’s social and holiday clubs, wellbeing and mental health support, libraries, nursery and play spaces, and flexible office space. In rural parts of the country, churches are also supporting their communities by using their buildings to broadcast internet and wifi to support and retain the viability of local businesses and schools.The Church publishes case studies to share examples that inspire others, along with guidance and policies for initiatives such as ‘Support for struggling churches’ (found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/church-buildings-council/how-we-manage-our-buildings/struggling-churches ) which recognises broader use alongside worship as part of a sustainable future for church buildings.There is extensive guidance, including videos, about making changes to churches (which can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/making-changes-your-building-and-churchyard/develop-your-vision ) and this guidance covers many non-worship uses of the space.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of establishment of the Staff Treatment Hubs announced in the 10 Year Health Plan.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review, which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.

What criteria his Department plans to use to determine where to locate the Staff Treatment Hubs announced as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review, which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to support women from minority faith communities in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The government recognises the central role that women play in all faith communities across the country and the Minister for Faith is committed to championing spaces for women to help foster cohesion and resilience within their communities. The government supports a variety of initiatives in this regard. This includes Near Neighbours whose work to strengthen social cohesion includes empowering women, particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds, as leaders in their local communities. Near Neighbours operates in several parts of England, including a local hub in East London. We also recognise that Muslim women face specific challenges as a result of discrimination and intolerance often being directed at them. The government has announced a new fund to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims.

Media and Sport, how many times she has met with representatives of (a) the Church of England, (b) mainstream Islamic denominations and (c) mainstream Jewish denominations in the last calendar year.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.