Written questions by Mathew.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the budget for humanitarian aid to Myanmar; what steps are taken to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the people who are most in need and is not blocked or diverted by the military; and whether she intends to increase aid to Myanmar.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she if taking with her international counterparts in response to the military regime’s elections in Myanmar.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the United Kingdom will seek to place Myanmar as an urgent item on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council, in the context of the human rights and humanitarian situation in that country.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications of her policies of the elections being held in Myanmar and their impact on human rights in (a) Myanamar and (b) regions of Myanmar excluded from those elections.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.

How many current and former serving Afghan military personnel remain in Afghanistan now that the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy has ended.

The UK Government does not hold details of the number of current and former serving Afghan military personnel who remain in Afghanistan.

What steps he is taking to expedite the payment of the Civil Service pensions, in the context of the current case backlog.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve. Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March. Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April. To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time. The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

What is being done to support disabled people working in the NHS.

Local employers across the National Health Service have arrangements in place for supporting disabled staff including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments.Employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to consider and make reasonable adjustments for employees who have a disability, taking advice from their local occupational health and human resources department. This includes removing or reducing any substantial disadvantages that employees with a disability may face compared to someone who does not have a disability.The NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard sets out metrics to enable organisations to understand the experiences of disabled staff and to develop and publish an action plan. Year on year comparison enables trusts to demonstrate progress against the indicators of disability equality.

What steps are being taken to improve accountability and resolution complaints processes within NHS organisations.

National Health Service organisations must handle complaints in accordance with the standards and processes set out in the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009. To support good complaint handling, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s NHS Complaint Standards set out how organisations providing services in the NHS should approach complaint handling. The standards place a strong focus on several key aspects of complaint handling, including early resolution and giving fair and accountable responses. They set out practical advice and good practice to help NHS organisations improve. Through implementation of Fit for the Future: The 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will improve transparency, deliver high-quality care for all, and strengthen patient and staff voice. This includes reform of the NHS complaints process, setting clear standards for both the timeliness and the quality of responses to complaints, as well as ensuring the NHS listens carefully and compassionately, taking forward learnings to ensure high quality care. We will also increase the use of artificial intelligence tools to ensure complaints data is collected, and responded to, far more quickly.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her department monitors the impact of highway runoff on rivers and lakes.

The Environment Agency (EA) has a monitoring regime that sets out to identify pressures on rivers and lakes as well as estuaries and coasts and groundwaters. This involves monitoring (of water quality, chemicals and ecology) to determine reasons for not achieving good ecological or chemical status. This includes understanding the risk posed by the category ‘Urban and transport’, which road runoff is a key component of. Monitoring undertaken is not designed to specifically monitor the impact of highway runoff on rivers and lakes. The EA is working with National Highways under the Department for Transport, to evolve its monitoring strategy that is to be focused on highways outfalls, where highway runoff enters watercourses.

Whether her department monitors the discharge of highway runoff entering rivers along the network.

National Highways carries out targeted monitoring at key locations on the strategic road network and is working with the Environment Agency to develop a further monitoring strategy. National Highways also has its 2030 Water Quality Plan setting out what it is doing to tackle potential pollution to the water environment from its highest risk outfalls and soakaways. Water runoff from local roads is a matter for local highway authorities.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to protect intellectual property rights in the training of AI models.

As a government, we are determined to back both our world-class creative sectors and our technology sector. Both are essential to our plan for growth.We recognise the potential impact of AI technology on intellectual property rights, including patents, trade marks, designs, and copyright. A balanced IP system can also support AI development.We know we need to strike the right balance on this and we are engaging with creatives, tech companies and parliamentarians to ensure we get that right.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recent fighting in el-Fasher, Sudan.

I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of enriched cages on laying hens.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The impact of enriched cages on laying hens is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

How many driving tests have been booked in Wiltshire in 2025.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What information her Department holds on the number of approved driving instructors there are in Wiltshire.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical driving test in Wiltshire were in the last 10 years, by driving test centre.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What mechanisms are in place at HM Courts and Tribunals Service Probate Registries to ensure that when a later will is lodged and an objection is submitted prior to the granting of probate on an earlier will, the later will is considered before any grant is issued.

HMCTS has an established process in place for when a later will is lodged, which requires HMCTS staff to submit the later Will and earlier Will to a Registrar for their directions on how to proceed.

What steps she is taking to improve rail services in rural areas of the South West.

This government is committed to improving rural rail services in the South-West, and public ownership and the creation of Great British Railways will help to deliver this. We are striving to enhance connectivity and increase service frequency across underserved communities to the benefit of passengers provided it is affordable for the UK taxpayer. Wiltshire local authority is receiving £18.6 million of capital Local Transport Grant and over £1.3million in revenue funding from the Local Transport Grant over this Spending Review period which will help to improve transport in their local area.

What steps her Department is taking to support (a) prison and (b) probation staff.

By the nature of their roles, HMPPS staff can come into contact with some of the most challenging and dangerous people in our society. We want to ensure all staff, whether they are based in prisons or probation, feel proud to work for HMPPS and feel supported to carry out their challenging roles. By the end of September, mandatory Protective Body Armour will be rolled out for use in Close Supervision Centres, Separation Centres, and Segregation Units in the Long-Term High Security Estate. These units hold some of the most dangerous and challenging prisoners.  We are trialling the use of Conductive Energy Devices, known as “tasers”, by specialist staff to assist them in dealing with the most serious incidents in adult male prisons Within prisons, the Enable Programme aims to transform prisons over the medium term, through a series of workforce and regime changes that will change how HMPPS trains, develops, leads and supports prison staff to ensure that they feel safe, supported, valued and confident in their skills and their ability to make a difference. We continue to invest in probation, and plan to onboard 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already onboarded last year. We are committed to ensuring that workloads for probation staff are sustainable and ensure protection of the public. That is why we have commissioned the ‘Our Future Probation Service’ Programme to deploy new technologies, reform processes, and ensure prioritisation of probation staff time. Within HMPPS, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services. Our Trauma Risk Management practitioners and Care Teams provide further support following any incidents while on duty. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers confidential 24/7 telephone helpline for counselling and provides a range of wellbeing and health promotion workshops. Critical incident support is available to staff onsite within two hours of the incident taking place. EAP also delivers reflective sessions which are a proactive mental ill health preventative intervention. The sessions focus on the impact of traumatic events at work, helping employees to develop coping strategies and preventing an adverse impact on their professional and private life. A new well-being support model has been established across HMPPS, with staff support and wellbeing leads for both prison and probation. Their role includes promoting and coordinating wellbeing services, reviewing Peer Support Services, and liaising with HR and other key stakeholders.  Area wellbeing plans are in place, concentrating on workplace wellbeing interventions. HMPPS is retendering Occupational Health (OH) and EAP contracts, prompting a full review of staff support services. There is current provision of comprehensive OH and EAP services to proactively and reactively address the impact of work on health.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team on the (a) prevalence of conditional selling practices by estate agents and (b) the effectiveness of that Agency's enforcement of the Estate Agents Act (1979) in relation to conditional selling.

It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold offers from sellers because the potential buyer declines to use their additional services. Where there is evidence of such practices, agents can face sanctions including a ban.The government is committed to protecting people from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents and to improving estate agent standards more generally.The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is the lead estate agent enforcement authority. Alongside local authority Trading Standards teams, they are responsible for ensuring estate agents comply with the Estate Agents Act 1979 and other relevant legislation. NTSEAT have powers to issue warnings and banning orders against rogue agents. In cases of conditional selling, it is essential that any misconduct or manipulation in the offer process is reported to help build a clearer picture of the problem and support potential investigations.My Department engages regularly with NTSEAT to discuss how best to address specific issues, including conditional selling, and continue to look at options to improve standards across the estate agent sector.