Written questions by Slaughter.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to answer given to Question UIN 97116 on 5 December 2025, what discussions her officials have had with their Saudi counterparts regarding (a) the execution of another individual, Ali al-Subaiti, for offences allegedly committed while he was a minor and (b) other juvenile defendants currently on death row at imminent risk of execution.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December 2025 in response to Question 97116. The UK continues to oppose the use of capital punishment in all circumstances.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed UK–Gulf Cooperation Council trade agreement on (a) labour standards in partner countries and (b) what steps were taken to ensure that the agreement does not undermine UK employment protections or make UK companies at risk of being complicit in labour rights abuses.

The Government is a staunch defender of worker protections and has made clear that we will not compromise on these through our FTA programme.As part of the UK-GCC FTA, we are seeking commitments which reaffirm our international obligations at the International Labour Organisation, including a safe and healthy working environment, freedom of association and the elimination of forced labour.Nothing in the potential agreement will supersede or undermine UK domestic legislation or employment protections. Additionally, UK companies operating in the GCC are bound by UK legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act, which has extraterritorial reach.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March to Question UIN 113475 on Western Sahara: Self Determination of States, if will she raise with the UN Security Council that any autonomy plan must respect international law and the principle of self-determination.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided on 2 April to Question 121704, and on 4 March to his own Question 113475.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March to Question UIN 113475 on Western Sahara: Self Determination of States, whether she has received information on the expanded autonomy proposal that Morocco has now presented.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided on 2 April to Question 121704, and on 4 March to his own Question 113475.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the joint letter by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and 25 partner organisations in May 2025 for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals detained in Bahrain for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including Abduljalil al-Singace and Hassan Mushaima.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to Question 100851 on 6 January 2026.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department uses when determining whether to call for the release of individuals detained overseas for activities related to the exercise of their human rights.

Each case reported to the UK Government is assessed on its own merits, and there are no fixed criteria of the type the Hon Member describes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September to Question UIN 74747 on Western Sahara: Visits Abroad, whether the blocking of visits by (a) parliamentarians, (b) researchers, (c) journalists and (d) lawyers to occupied Western Sahara was discussed in the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue with Morocco in December 2025.

The UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in Morocco and Western Sahara.In the joint UK-Morocco strategic dialogue communiqué of 1 June 2025, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on human rights issues. The third iteration of the UK-Morocco Human Rights Dialogue took place on 24 November 2025 in London, where senior officials discussed areas including freedom of expression, rights of minorities, and judicial reforms.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September to Question UIN 74744 on Western Sahara: Self Determination of States, whether she has received any information from Morocco on the details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail.

No. We continue to engage with all relevant parties in support of the UN-led process to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office continues to engage extensively with the Moroccan government to request expanded details on its 2007 autonomy proposal.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of Critical Time Intervention programmes for local authorities on preventing homelessness amongst people leaving prison.

We recognise the importance of public sector organisations working closely together to support people during key transition points. Within the National Plan to End Homelessness, we have worked collaboratively across Government to set ambitious targets to reduce the number of people leaving institutions into homelessness, enabling local authorities and local partners to deliver better support at transition points. This includes a commitment to a 50% reduction in the proportion of people who become homeless on their first night out of prison and are subject to probation supervision by the end of this parliament. To deliver on this commitment, we want to ensure the right support is available as people transition out of prison. This includes continued investing in Community Accommodation Service models and embedding as standard practice local partnerships, co-location and pre-release planning.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart to Bahrain on (a) the protection of the rights of and (b) access to medical treatment for (i) Ebrahim Sharif, (ii) Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace and (iii) Hassan Mushaima and his family.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided to questions 100851 on 6 January 2026, and HL12137 on 2 December 2025.

If he will take legislative steps to reverse the effects of R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) v Competition Appeal Tribunal and provide for the changes to apply retrospectively.

We intend to introduce legislation to clarify that Litigation Funding Agreements (LFAs) are not Damages-Based Agreements when Parliamentary time allows. This will mitigate the effect of the PACCAR judgment and improve access to justice by reassuring funders that LFAs can be used to fund cases. We intend to make this change with prospective effect.The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

Whether he has set a timeline for publication of legislation to reverse the effects of R (on the application of PACCAR Inc and others) v Competition Appeal Tribunal.

We intend to introduce legislation to clarify that Litigation Funding Agreements (LFAs) are not Damages-Based Agreements when Parliamentary time allows. This will mitigate the effect of the PACCAR judgment and improve access to justice by reassuring funders that LFAs can be used to fund cases. We intend to make this change with prospective effect.The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

Whether he plans to implement proportionate regulation of third-party litigation funding agreements in this parliament.

We have carefully considered the recommendations from the Civil Justice Council's review and, as well as seeking to mitigate the effects of the PACCAR judgment, we wanted to tighten up regulation of third-party litigation funding.We intend to introduce legislation to implement proportionate regulation of Litigation Funding Agreements when Parliamentary time allows. The new regulatory framework will aim to enhance claimant protection, transparency and the effectiveness of the litigation funding market. The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

What assurances the UK has received from the US authorities that CMCC drone surveillance monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza will identify and record potential violations whether by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, other militias or Israel.

The small team of UK personnel embedded in US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) engages continually with their US counterparts to ensure a sustainable ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian aid and progress in building Gaza's stability. Drone surveillance is one of a range of US capabilities used for ceasefire monitoring. The UK contribution to the CMCC does not include monitoring the ceasefire.

What assurances the UK has received from the US authorities that UK personnel at the Civil Military Co-ordination Centre will not be assisting or participating in actions that could breach International Law or International Humanitarian Law.

The Civil Military Co-ordination Centre (CMCC) is a US-led body supporting the humanitarian response to Gaza and delivery of the 20-point plan. The UK team engage routinely with their US and other international counterparts to understand and monitor the work of the CMCC and can raise concerns if required. UK personnel are briefed on their responsibilities under International Law and International Humanitarian Law. The UK is fully committed to upholding our responsibilities under domestic and international law and we act at all times in a manner consistent with our legal obligations.

What steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed expansion of electronic monitoring of offenders in helping to (a) reduce reoffending and (b) support rehabilitation.

In support of the Sentencing Bill, the Ministry of Justice will significantly expand the use of electronic monitoring as a vital tool for probation to ensure offenders are managed safely in the community.This expansion builds on the Department’s long-standing commitment to building the evidence base for electronic monitoring. Our evaluations, alongside external research commissioned by the Department, have provided clear evidence that targeted electronic monitoring conditions can reduce reoffending and support reintegration by providing an effective alternative to custody. A recent study has found that curfew tags reduce reoffending by 20% when used as part of a community sentence. Further to this, our Acquisitive Crime pilot evaluation shows that burglars, robbers, and thieves given a constant whereabouts monitoring condition with a GPS tag were around 20% less likely to reoffend while on the tag.

Whether his department is taking steps to deliver the recommendation from the Independent Sentencing Review of increased funding for the voluntary sector to support the Probation Service.

I recognise the valuable role of the thousands of Voluntary Sector organisations that work in partnership with Prisons and Probation to provide vital support to people serving their sentence in prison and returning to the community. We welcome the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendation to explore how we can better harness the value of the Third Sector and build even stronger partnerships to enable better targeting of probation resource and improve outcomes for offenders. We are currently in the process of re-procuring our commissioned rehabilitative services (CRS) contracts. 76% of current CRS contracts are led by the Third Sector. Our new contracts will improve on our current offering with expanded and improved consistency of service available in both custody and community. We will continue to work with the Voluntary Sector as implementation of the Independent Sentencing Review progresses.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to release the White Paper on water reform in January 2026.

The Government will respond to the Independent Water Commission’s final recommendations in full via a White Paper shortly and a new water reform bill, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment and restore trust and accountability. Together with the building blocks the Government has already put in place, this will mark the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation. A new partnership between Government, the sector, investors and communities will deliver the change the public expects.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timelines are for considering the introduction of a national social tariff for water bills; and whether she is taking steps to ensure that the potential design for a national social tariff reaches those most in need.

This Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable and is working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. As such, we have carried out a consultation on reforms to WaterSure - the statutory scheme which caps water bills for low-income customers with higher water usage due to medical conditions or large households, including whether additional customers should be brought into scope of the scheme. The Government also expects all water companies to put appropriate support in place for customers struggling to pay their bills and to proactively engage with their customers to ensure they know what support schemes are available and how to use them if they need help. All companies have measures in place such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to include measures to help tackle the resale of live event tickets in the forthcoming King’s Speech.

This Government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of live events and we recently announced a series of measures to end the scourge of ticket touting and protect consumers on the ticket resale market. We will legislate to introduce these measures when parliamentary time allows.