Written questions by Cooper.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help facilitate independent scrutiny of Official Development Assistance across Government departments.

In relation to all the questions raised by the Hon Member on 28 January, I refer her to Baroness Chapman's appearance before the International Development Committee on 20 January, where she addressed these issues at length. We will set out any further plans in this area in the context of Official Development Assistance funding allocations up to 2028-29, decisions on which will be announced in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the independent scrutiny of Official Development Assistance.

In relation to all the questions raised by the Hon Member on 28 January, I refer her to Baroness Chapman's appearance before the International Development Committee on 20 January, where she addressed these issues at length. We will set out any further plans in this area in the context of Official Development Assistance funding allocations up to 2028-29, decisions on which will be announced in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to maintain public confidence in the value for money and accountability of UK aid spending.

In relation to all the questions raised by the Hon Member on 28 January, I refer her to Baroness Chapman's appearance before the International Development Committee on 20 January, where she addressed these issues at length. We will set out any further plans in this area in the context of Official Development Assistance funding allocations up to 2028-29, decisions on which will be announced in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her long-term plans are for the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, particularly in relation to its mandate and resourcing.

In relation to all the questions raised by the Hon Member on 28 January, I refer her to Baroness Chapman's appearance before the International Development Committee on 20 January, where she addressed these issues at length. We will set out any further plans in this area in the context of Official Development Assistance funding allocations up to 2028-29, decisions on which will be announced in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of independent scrutiny on value for money across the aid programme.

In relation to all the questions raised by the Hon Member on 28 January, I refer her to Baroness Chapman's appearance before the International Development Committee on 20 January, where she addressed these issues at length. We will set out any further plans in this area in the context of Official Development Assistance funding allocations up to 2028-29, decisions on which will be announced in the coming months.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the research report by the Irish Economic and Social Research Institute entitled Childhood gambling experiences and adult problem gambling, published in June 2024.

The Government recognises the importance of using impartial, accurate and up-to-date research on gambling behaviour and harms, including relevant evidence from jurisdictions similar to Great Britain. We are committed to ensuring that policy decisions are guided by the best available evidence from a broad range of reliable sources.We note the findings of the report titled ‘Childhood gambling experiences and adult problem gambling’.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to safeguard children and young people from gambling, including in later life, through the regulation of advertising, marketing and product design.

There are already a wide variety of measures in place to protect children and young people from being exposed to gambling advertising, marketing and products.For example, gambling advertising must not be targeted at children, through ensuring that it does not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience. In May last year, we introduced a £2 maximum stake limit on online slots for 18-24 year olds, who can be particularly vulnerable to harms associated with high stakes play. We also welcome the commencement of the Premier League’s ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms by the end of the 2025/26 season.However, we recognise that children and young people’s exposure to gambling is an important issue. We remain committed to strengthening measures to protect those at risk of gambling harm and will continue to work with industry and gambling harm campaigners. We will also redouble our efforts to work across government and with tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising, which poses the most risk for children and young people.

How his Department plans to work with the NHS and other public health bodies to improve support and treatment for those affected by gambling harm.

In April 2025, the statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm across Great Britain. In its first year, the levy has raised nearly £120 million, with 50% allocated to gambling harms treatment and support services, and 30% allocated to gambling harms prevention activity.Commissioners under the levy, including NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) within the Department, and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, are working collaboratively on the development of their treatment and prevention programmes, drawing on expertise from across the system.NHS England continues to work at pace to take on commissioning responsibility for the full treatment pathway in England, from referral and triage through to aftercare, from 1 April 2026. NHS England intends to launch a grant scheme for voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) treatment and support services to access 2026/27 funding in February, ensuring that those affected by gambling-related harms can continue to access services whilst integrated care boards look to implement longer-term commissioning arrangements. The shift to a shared commissioner for National Health Service and VCSE-led services will allow for improved service integration, data sharing, and patient outcomes.OHID will employ a ‘test and learn’ approach during the transition to the new levy system, to better-understand what interventions are most effective in preventing gambling harms at a local, regional, and national level.

What steps her Department is taking ensure education on gambling harm is provided by organisations independent of the gambling industry; and whether targeted interventions are planned to educate children on gambling harms.

The updated Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education (RSHE) guidance is clear that children and young people should be taught about the risks associated with gambling, including the accumulation of debt. This guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.Content is taught at both primary and secondary education and in reviewing the guidance, the department worked with ‘Gambling With Lives’ as part of the stakeholder engagement process.Schools have flexibility over how they teach issues and the materials they use, however the guidance is clear that schools should check that external resources are accurate and unbiased.As part of the statutory gambling levy prevention programme, the Gambling Harms Prevention Grant Fund was launched this month. This may include education programmes and interventions for children and young people, and competing organisations will be required to sign up to demonstrate their commitment to moving towards a new public health approach, independent of industry funding.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to announce Official Development Assistance allocations.

We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on Official Development Assistance allocations.

We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months.

What guidance her Department provides to schools on gambling-like features in video games, including loot boxes and in-game spending, as part of online safety education.

Statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) supports children and young people to manage risk and make informed decisions in relation to their mental wellbeing and online behaviour. The updated RSHE statutory guidance is clear that children and young people should be taught the risks relating to online gaming, video game monetisation, scams, fraud and other financial harms, and that gaming can become addictive. Curriculum content also includes the risks related to online gambling and gambling-like content within gaming, including the accumulation of debt. The departments online safety guidance covers how to teach about all aspects of internet safety and includes content on gaming and gambling, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools. As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver important topics and use their autonomy and local community knowledge to do this.

How she plans to ensure consistency in pay and conditions for supply teachers when participation in the new Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework is on an opt-in basis.

The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework will remove excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.It will not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.

Whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework to require supply teachers to be paid in line with the national teacher pay scale.

The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework will remove excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.It will not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.

What assessment she has made of the impact on supply teacher recruitment and retention of not requiring agencies operating under the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework to pay in accordance with the national teacher pay scale.

The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework will remove excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.It will not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.

What steps she is taking to mitigate variations in pay and employment conditions arising from individual school negotiations with agencies under the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework.

The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework will remove excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.It will not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.

For what reason the new Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework makes no provision for ensuring that supply teachers can access the teachers’ pension scheme.

The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations currently provide for supply teachers to participate in the teachers’ pension scheme (TPS) where they are employed by a scheme employer. These are local authorities, academies and further education colleges. This includes supply teachers who are recruited by a supply agency but then employed directly, under a contract of employment, by the scheme employer.Where supply teachers are self-employed or remain employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a ‘contract for services’, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer role, including remitting contributions to the scheme.Supply teachers employed by agencies will continue to have access to alternative workplace pensions.

What steps she is taking to improve supply teachers’ access to the teachers’ pension scheme under the new Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework.

The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations currently provide for supply teachers to participate in the teachers’ pension scheme (TPS) where they are employed by a scheme employer. These are local authorities, academies and further education colleges. This includes supply teachers who are recruited by a supply agency but then employed directly, under a contract of employment, by the scheme employer.Where supply teachers are self-employed or remain employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a ‘contract for services’, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer role, including remitting contributions to the scheme.Supply teachers employed by agencies will continue to have access to alternative workplace pensions.

What mechanisms she is putting in place to ensure that proposed agency fee caps under the new Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework are effectively monitored and enforced.

The responsibility for monitoring adherence to the agency fee caps, and all requirements of the framework agreement, sits with Crown Commercial Service (CCS). As part of the framework terms and conditions, agencies must provide data reporting, with potential consequences of non-compliance resulting in removal from the framework agreement.To support CCS, the department will review spend across the sector, comparing it with the management information reported by suppliers to CCS through the framework.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of tax incentives for retail and hospitality employers to employ people aged 18 to 21 years old.

Businesses can already claim a number of employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers will pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270.