Written questions by Thomas.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason his Department resumed negotiations with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

Negotiations were started by the previous Conservative Government. This Government inherited a situation where the effective operation of the military base remained under threat and that is why negotiations resumed. The deal is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect UK national security. This deal will protect the base on Diego Garcia and cement UK and US presence in the Indo Pacific for generations to come.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February to Question 29154 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, what index the annual payments will be linked to.

Once an agreement is signed further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny and treaty ratification in the usual way. This will include costs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 29183 on Smartphones, what research she refers to.

Mobile phone and smartphone development and social media use has increased (Ofcom, 2024) alongside increasing mental health problems in children and young people (NHS England, 2023), which has raised concerns amongst academics that the two are linked. The cited publications can be found here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/children/children-media-use-and-attitudes-2024/childrens-media-literacy-report-2024.pdf?v=368229; https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up.Several recent reviews have explored the negative correlations between mobile phones and children’s wellbeing:Evidence from a systematic review (Jourdren et al. 2023) found significant positive correlations between high levels of screen exposure and attention difficulties. The full review can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37001326/.A systematic review (Santos et al. 2022) found that excessive screen use could be linked to attention problems across children of all ages. The full review can be found here: https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-023-01166-7.A systematic review (Abdoli et al. 2024) found an indirect association between increased screen time and depression and anxiety. The full review can be found here: https://journals.lww.com/ijom/fulltext/2024/02290/screen_time_and_child_behavioral_disorders_during.4.aspx.Data from the Office for National Statistics (2024) showed an estimated 847,000 children (19.1%) experienced online bullying in the last year. The full data set can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/bullyingandonlineexperiencesamongchildreninenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2023.Data from the department’s National Behaviour Survey (2024) for the 2022/2023 academic year showed that among pupils who reported they had been bullied in the past 12 months, 30% said that least some of it had been online bullying. The full data set can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of redistributing green levies and surcharges to help increase energy affordability.

The Government is committed to ensuring a fair and affordable transition to Net Zero while considering the impact of policy costs on all energy consumers. Consumer energy bills are a vital tool to leverage private sector investment to support our critical goals to decarbonise the energy market whilst contributing to economic growth. Policy costs, or levies, fund essential schemes that have delivered significant benefits, including increasing renewable generation capacity and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The Renewables Obligation and the Feed-in Tariffs schemes are now closed to new applications but have brought forward the successful renewable electricity sector that we see today in the UK. The Department keeps the aggregate impact of these policies under review.

What proportion of eligible pensioners will be entitled to the new state pension; and what proportion of eligible pensioners will get the basic state pension (a) nationally and (b) in Bromsgrove constituency.

There are two contributory State Pension systems currently operating which depend on when the individual reaches their State Pension age. The pre-April 2016 system comprised: a basic State Pension and an additional earnings-related State Pension. The new State Pension was introduced in April 2016. The amount people receive under both systems will depend on their National Insurance record. (a) At the quarter ending August 2024 in Great Britain, 34% of State Pension recipients received the new State Pension and 66% received the pre-2016 system.(b) At the quarter ending August 2024 in Bromsgrove constituency, 32% of State Pension recipients received the new State Pension and 68% received the pre-2016 system.Source: DWP Stat-Xplore.

What the average wait time is for calls to be answered by HMRC; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce this.

HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a monthly basis and can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025 HMRC received additional funding last year to recruit more customer service advisers to help improve telephony performance. HMRC are also investing in digital services and the HMRC app. These can often provide customers with faster resolutions for straightforward matters. By encouraging more customers to self-serve online, HMRC advisers will be freed up to focus on those customers who need the most support.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to protect freedom of speech in (a) online and (b) electronic communications.

DSIT is implementing the Online Safety Act to protect children and adults online. The Act’s duties apply to services that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other. Protections for freedom of expression are built in throughout the framework. Services must have ‘particular regard’ to the impact on users’ rights to freedom of expression when implementing policies under the Act.Ofcom, as the independent Regulator, must act in a way that is compatible with the European Convention of Human Rights, including in relation to freedom of expression when developing codes of practice and making enforcement decisions.

What steps she is taking to prevent fare evasion on the cross-city line between North Worcestershire and Birmingham.

The Department supports DfT contracted train operators to reduce both fare evasion and fraud, but fare evasion is an operational matter and the responsibility of passenger train operators. West Midlands Trains (WMT), which operates the cross-city line, like most train operators, have a multi-faceted strategy for revenue protection which includes ticket checking on train and operating gate lines effectively, as well as making it easy to buy a ticket. WMT is also in the process of recruiting additional mobile revenue protection officers who undertake ticket checking on train.

What recent discussions (a) she, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in her Department have had on the sale of her Department's property at Tardebigge.

The Ministry of Justice is in discussions with a potential purchaser for the former HMP Hewell Grange.We are unable to comment further on these discussions at this time due to commercial confidentiality.

How many asylum seekers have received medical treatment in Bromsgrove constituency in the last two years.

Due to the way in which the data is held, across multiple agencies, it is not possible to provide a total number of people seeking asylum who have received medical treatment by constituency during the last two years.

Communities and Local Government, how many recipients of funding under the Homes for Ukraine scheme lived in Bromsgrove constituency on 10 February 2025.

As of 10 February 2025, the area covered by Bromsgrove District Council has received 163 arrivals through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Some may have moved out of the area since their arrival. We hold data on guests leaving the UK, not their location in the UK.Local authorities receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

What information her Department holds on the number of students that had EHCPs in Bromsgrove constituency on (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 10 February 2025.

Information on the number of pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans attending schools in England is published in the statistical release, ‘Special Educational Needs in England, 2024’, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.The number of pupils with EHC plans can be derived from the underlying school data which is available under the additional supporting files section of the above publication. This shows the number of pupils with an EHC plan attending schools in Bromsgrove constituency was 733 as of January 2024. This is the latest figure available. Figures from the January 2025 school census will be published in summer 2025.

What steps she is taking to increase the availability of (a) cash and (b) ATMs in Bromsgrove constituency.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced regulatory rules for access to cash in September 2024. Its rules require the UK’s largest banks and building societies to assess the impact of a closure or material alteration of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility, putting in place a new service if necessary. Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. Over 200 hubs have been announced so far, and over 100 are already open. Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found at the following link:  https://www.link.co.uk/helping-you-access-cash/request-access-to-cash LINK publishes data on the number of ATMs across each parliamentary constituency. LINK’s most recent data (December 2024) identifies 56 ATM cash access points, including 43 that are free-to-use in the constituency of Bromsgrove.

If he will make an estimate of the number of former armed forces personnel residing in Bromsgrove constituency.

The House of Commons library has an online data dashboard for constituencies which includes data on veterans taken from the most recent censuses in Great Britain. This is available here:https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-uk-armed-forces-veterans-2021-census/England and Wales Census 2021 data showed that 3,066 people in Bromsgrove constituency reported that they had previously served in the UK Armed Forces. This represents 3.8% of the population in this constituency aged 16 and over. This compares with 3.5% of the population in the West Midlands region and 3.8% in Great Britain.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of crime committed by illegal migrants on residents in Wythall.

This Government is determined to tackle crime irrespective of who has committed it. As part of the Plan for Change, our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put officers and PCSOs back on the beat in every corner of the country, ensuring the police are visible, accessible and responsive to the communities they serve.Our forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will give the police the powers they need to crack down on the criminals who cause misery in our communities, and to tackle the scourge of serious violence on our streets.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of illegal fly-tipping on agricultural activity.

The department does not intend to assess the potential impact of illegal fly-tipping on agricultural activity. The Government understands the difficulty that fly-tipping poses to all landowners. We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created and will provide further details on this in due course. We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. Various practical tools, including case studies and ‘how to’ guides on key issues such as setting up effective local partnerships, are available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support the enforcement of local planning regulations in Bromsgrove District.

It is for local planning authorities, including Bromsgove District Council, to ensure they have the resources in place to carry out their planning enforcement function.The government appreciate that planning departments across the country are experiencing challenges with recruitment, retention, and skills gaps and that in many cases these issues are having a negative impact on service delivery.At the Budget, the Chanceller announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. A proportion of this funding will be used to support capacity and capability in local planning authorities, including the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners and developing the skills needed to implement reforms and unlock housing delivery.This will be further underpinned by increases in planning fees that will help improve the resourcing of planning application services, so that local planning authorities can fund the skills they need.More broadly, the Department’s established Planning Capacity and Capability programme is also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills and capacity they need, both now and in the future, to modernise local plans and speed up decision making, including through innovative use of digital planning data and software.

How many people with a high potential individual visa lived in Bromsgrove constituency on (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 10 February 2025.

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes statistics relating to the applications and outcomes of High Potential Individual visas in the immigration system statistics. This does not provide a breakdown by residence of the visa holder.

What steps her Department has taken to promote Holocaust education in (a) schools and (b) colleges in Bromsgrove constituency.

The Holocaust is the only historic event which is compulsory within the current national curriculum for history at key stage 3. The government has made a commitment that the Holocaust will remain a compulsory topic in the reformed national curriculum, which will also be required teaching in academy schools when it is implemented.The government supports the teaching of Holocaust education in schools and colleges, including those in Bromsgrove, by funding teachers’ professional development in this subject through University College London’s Centre for Holocaust Education, and the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz project, which gives students aged 16 to 18 the opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau.In addition, a further £2 million funding for Holocaust remembrance and education was committed at the Autumn Budget 2024. This will be used to support the ambition set by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister for all students to have the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony. The department is currently exploring how it can support schools to fulfil this ambition.

How many unclaimed estates are in Bromsgrove constituency.

The Bona Vacantia Division (“the Division”) of the Government Legal Department acts on behalf of the Treasury Solicitor (the Crown’s Nominee) to administer bona vacantia estates.The Division currently has two unclaimed bona vacantia estates in the Bromsgrove constituency, neither of which involve the deceased owning property.Current Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates are listed on the Division’s Unclaimed Estates List, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/unclaimed-estates-listhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/unclaimed-estates-list.