Written questions by Leishman.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Good Jobs Bill.

Awaiting answer.

What support his Department has provided to improving workers' rights in Northern Ireland, in the context of the time taken for the Northern Ireland Executive to implement its Good Jobs Bill.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s policies on the operational limits of Search and Rescue winching systems on helicopters contracted to conduct offshor

The winching systems on search and rescue (SAR) helicopters have a limit on their load capacity which has been further reduced by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed limit for the carriage of ‘human external cargo’. The Maritime and C...

How many offshore energy workers have been winched to safety from (a) fixed offshore oil and gas installations, (b) floating production storage and offloading units and (c) offshore wind farms on the UK Contine

The winching systems on search and rescue (SAR) helicopters have a limit on their load capacity which has been further reduced by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed limit for the carriage of ‘human external cargo’. The Maritime and C...

What recent discussions she has had with the (a) Maritime and Coastguard Agency, (b) Civil Aviation Authority and (c) Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on oil and gas employers’ proposals on the weigh

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency responded to the Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) report on the “identification of hazards related to the weight, size, and shape of offshore oil and gas workers in the UK” in September 2024 and March 2025, expressing safety ...

How many merchant seafarers have been winched to safety from commercial vessels in (a) territorial and (b) international waters on the UK Continental Shelf by HM Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopters in each

The winching systems on search and rescue (SAR) helicopters have a limit on their load capacity which has been further reduced by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed limit for the carriage of ‘human external cargo’. The Maritime and C...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s letter to President Abbas of 21 September 2025, what discussions she has had with her Palestinian counterpart on the UK’s historical ro

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 April in response to Question 124946.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s letter to President Abbas of 21 September 2025, whether she has considered issuing a formal apology on behalf of His Majesty’s Governme

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 April in response to Question 124946.

When HMRC will publish full staffing projections for Managed Service Provider and HMRC customer services staff.

HMRC is currently in an initial proof‑of‑value phase for its use of MSPs, which is helping to inform longer‑term workforce planning. At this stage, HMRC has no plans to publish full staffing projections for either MSPs or HMRC customer services staff.Decisions about future staffing levels will be based on what is learned from the proof‑of‑value phase and will be taken through HMRC’s normal business planning and Spending Review processes.

Pursuant to the Answers of 1 April 2025 to question 41654 on Trade: Occupied Territories and Western Sahara, if he will update that guidance to include the need for consent to comply with international law.

The UK keeps its overseas business risk guidance, available on gov.uk, relating to Western Sahara and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) under review and will update it as necessary to reflect relevant international law considerations. The UK is clear that Israel's illegal settlements and decisions designed to further them are a flagrant violation of international law. The business risk guidance on OPTs states there are clear risks to UK operators related to economic and financial activities in the settlements. We discourage such activity and advise that those contemplating any economic or financial involvement in settlements should seek appropriate legal advice.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will have discussions with her Moroccan counterpart on the suppression of protests and events supporting self-determination in occupied Western Sahara.

The UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, as we regularly make clear to all relevant parties. At the most recent UK-Morocco Human Rights Dialogue in November 2025, senior officials discussed areas of mutual interest, including freedom of expression. The UK has endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting solution of the Western Sahara conflict. 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.

What steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in bowel cancer screening participation.

While uptake of bowel cancer screening has increased, some groups struggle with barriers to engagement, leaving them at risk. We are providing £200m funding for Cancer Alliances, to reduce inequalities in communities among groups where screening uptake is lower.To further increase coverage, NHS England:is delivering new approaches to communicating with people about screening through the NHS App;is incorporating the reasonable adjustment flag into screening to ensure people get information in the way they want and adjustments are made to support people at appointments;has recently updated the bowel cancer screening leaflets and are updating the bowel cancer screening letters to improve accessibility;and has made the bowel cancer screening FIT kit more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted.We are also increasing the sensitivity of the screening test from 120ug/g to 80ug/g. By 2028 this will annually detect over 600 more cancers and prevent 2000 cancers by identifying and removing pre-cancerous polyps.

How HMRC will ensure that workforce planning decisions do not incentivise replacement of permanent staff with externally supplied labour.

Customer demand for HMRC services can fluctuate significantly, both seasonally and in response to external events. HMRC uses Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional, flexible capacity to help manage these types of variations and support performance on customer helplines. Incorporating MSPs into the overall resourcing mix helps HMRC maintain customer service standards, while retaining expertise within its workforce. This contract was procured through a Government Commercial Agency (previous Crown Commercial Service) framework and meets the stringent controls and standards set by the Agency for Government contracts. This includes ensuring all employment legislation, including National Minimum Wage and Employment Rights Act are adhered to. As Customer Service is skilled work, all suppliers must pay market rates to secure people with the appropriate skills to meet HMRC’s needs. HMRC are not privatising their services. HMRC will continue to deliver the majority of its customer services through its own customer service staff, and overall HMRC staffing levels are expected to increase over the Spending Review period. HMRC can only recruit to known average levels of customer demand or it risks not providing value for money to the taxpayer. Using mixed resourcing approaches, including MSPs, gives HMRC more flexibility to support customers. HMRC provides the initial training for the services covered by the MSPs, before approving suppliers to train subsequent cohorts of staff themselves. All operational guidance is developed, owned and updated by HMRC, and HMRC retains full decision‑making authority, with a dedicated team actively managing the partnership. HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Overall the projected cost for 12 months was approximately £23m of resourcing spend. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.

Whether Managed Service Provider staff and HMRC employees will have differing pay, terms, training and progression.

Customer demand for HMRC services can fluctuate significantly, both seasonally and in response to external events. HMRC uses Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional, flexible capacity to help manage these types of variations and support performance on customer helplines. Incorporating MSPs into the overall resourcing mix helps HMRC maintain customer service standards, while retaining expertise within its workforce. This contract was procured through a Government Commercial Agency (previous Crown Commercial Service) framework and meets the stringent controls and standards set by the Agency for Government contracts. This includes ensuring all employment legislation, including National Minimum Wage and Employment Rights Act are adhered to. As Customer Service is skilled work, all suppliers must pay market rates to secure people with the appropriate skills to meet HMRC’s needs. HMRC are not privatising their services. HMRC will continue to deliver the majority of its customer services through its own customer service staff, and overall HMRC staffing levels are expected to increase over the Spending Review period. HMRC can only recruit to known average levels of customer demand or it risks not providing value for money to the taxpayer. Using mixed resourcing approaches, including MSPs, gives HMRC more flexibility to support customers. HMRC provides the initial training for the services covered by the MSPs, before approving suppliers to train subsequent cohorts of staff themselves. All operational guidance is developed, owned and updated by HMRC, and HMRC retains full decision‑making authority, with a dedicated team actively managing the partnership. HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Overall the projected cost for 12 months was approximately £23m of resourcing spend. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.

When HMRC will publish full staffing projections for Managed Service Provider and HMRC customer services staff.

Customer demand for HMRC services can fluctuate significantly, both seasonally and in response to external events. HMRC uses Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional, flexible capacity to help manage these types of variations and support performance on customer helplines. Incorporating MSPs into the overall resourcing mix helps HMRC maintain customer service standards, while retaining expertise within its workforce. This contract was procured through a Government Commercial Agency (previous Crown Commercial Service) framework and meets the stringent controls and standards set by the Agency for Government contracts. This includes ensuring all employment legislation, including National Minimum Wage and Employment Rights Act are adhered to. As Customer Service is skilled work, all suppliers must pay market rates to secure people with the appropriate skills to meet HMRC’s needs. HMRC are not privatising their services. HMRC will continue to deliver the majority of its customer services through its own customer service staff, and overall HMRC staffing levels are expected to increase over the Spending Review period. HMRC can only recruit to known average levels of customer demand or it risks not providing value for money to the taxpayer. Using mixed resourcing approaches, including MSPs, gives HMRC more flexibility to support customers. HMRC provides the initial training for the services covered by the MSPs, before approving suppliers to train subsequent cohorts of staff themselves. All operational guidance is developed, owned and updated by HMRC, and HMRC retains full decision‑making authority, with a dedicated team actively managing the partnership. HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Overall the projected cost for 12 months was approximately £23m of resourcing spend. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to UK steel safeguarding measures and import quotas on small and medium‑sized enterprises that rely on a stable supply of imported steel; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that businesses such as Central Rebar in Alloa are not adversely affected by disruption to their supply chains.

The UK steel industry faces challenging global conditions due to overcapacity and trade deflection, which threatens the long‑term viability of domestic production. That is why last year the government amended the steel safeguard to ensure the overall effectiveness of the measure.The safeguard is due to expire in June 2025, and we are developing a new, robust trade measure to support resilient and secure supply chains. Officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector, including trade associations representing SMEs, and we are assessing a full range of supply chain interests in designing the measure.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of utilising the undistributed surplus in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to fund a pension bonus to members in 2026-2027 financial year.

I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possible.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing the standstill feature from the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.

I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possible.

If he will take steps to ensure that all of the future surpluses accrued by the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme can be used to increase the pensions of members of that Scheme.

I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to help ensure that the labelling of food originating in Western Sahara is not (a) mislabelled and (b) misleading.

The Government is committed to ensuring that UK consumers are not misled about the origin of the food they purchase. In accordance with assimilated EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, food labelling must not be misleading, including in relation to the origin or provenance of food. It is the UK position that where origin information is given for food products made or grown in the Western Sahara, it must give accurate origin information and cannot be labelled as Moroccan. Produce originating in Western Sahara that has been mislabelled as produce of Morocco would be considered misleading under food labelling regulations. Defra officials and the Food Standards Agency work closely with Local Authority Trading Standards Officers who enforce food labelling rules in the UK, including addressing labels that may be misleading or non-compliant.