Written questions by Fookes.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support recovery from flooding caused by Storm Claudia in Wales.

I saw first-hand the devastating impact of Storm Claudia in Monmouthshire when I visited on 20 November with my hon. Friend. My thoughts, and I’m sure those of the whole house, remain with affected residents. I went to Monmouth to thank emergency responders and local residents who have all rallied together to support the community, and the Mayor of Monmouth, Jacqui Atkin who has raised a substantial sum to help with the clean-up operation. Both the Welsh and UK Governments will do whatever it takes to support the people and businesses of Monmouthshire to recover in the weeks and months ahead.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help reduce insurance premiums for homes at high risk of flooding.

Flood Re is a joint Government and industry flood reinsurance scheme established specifically to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance through their insurance provider.In 2024/25, Flood Re provided cover for over 346,000 household policies. 650,000 properties have benefitted since the scheme’s launch. Notably, prior to Flood Re’s inception, the average home insurance quote for a householder with a flood claim was about £4,400. As of December 2024, the average was c. £1,100. Additionally, 99% of householders at high risk of flooding can now obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers. I met with senior leaders from the insurance industry this month. We discussed how the industry can support their customers both to secure relevant and affordable insurance, and at the point of claim.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure patients living near the England-Wales border receive timely care after a cross-border referral.

It is unacceptable that patients across the United Kingdom continue to wait lengthy periods for treatment and it is imperative that the elective waiting list is a top priority.We have committed to closer working with the Welsh Government as a step towards sharing more insights and practice so that we can cut waiting lists across the UK and build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.There are special cross-border arrangements for patients who live on the English-Welsh border to make sure they receive healthcare without confusion or delay, and that patient data can be accessed by relevant professionals. We will continue to ensure these arrangements support high-quality care for patients in both England and Wales.To support these arrangements, NHS England and the Welsh Government have also published two sets of data on cross-border care as a starting point for greater transparency and closer working relations across the Devolved Governments.Together we aim to deliver faster, improved and more equitable health outcomes for all patients across the UK, helping patients to get the care they need, in a timely manner.

What steps she is taking to help ensure victims of sex trafficking are adequately safeguarded from being trafficked in the future.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this ambition.The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats and targeting prolific perpetrators. We will also work closely with the voluntary and community sector to help sexually exploited people and ensure that those who want to exit prostitution are able to.To support victims to escape and recover from their exploitation, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of exploitation and trafficking in England and Wales. This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.The Home Office is also providing £475,000 to Changing Lives from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, to address the current gaps in evidence around the levels and types of online abuse and exploitation that are happening, and to help us better understand the pathways that are needed to improve support.We recently ran a public Call for Evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery, including for victims who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation. Following analysis of the responses from this Call for Evidence, we will consider whether any future policy changes are needed.

What steps his Department is taking to help support Universal Credit claimants to become self-employed.

Universal Credit supports self-employment where it is the best route for customers to become financially independent. Work Coaches can signpost customers to national and local support where available, such as business advice, mentoring or training. Depending on the customers circumstances, this may also include connecting them with other government support including: The Start Up Loans scheme, run by the British Business Bank The Business Support Helpline Local Growth Hubs in England, Business Wales and Find Business Support and Business Gateway in Scotland, which offer support, advice and guidance to new and existing businesses.

What steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of access to work programmes for disabled people.

Numerous steps are being taken to improve the effectiveness of access to work programmes, so that more disabled people and those with health impairments are supported to thrive in employment. By the end of the Parliament, the Government will be investing £1 billion per year in employment support for these groups. Connect to Work is being rolled out nationally, with the roll out due to be complete early next year. In a radical shift from previous schemes, programmes are being locally commissioned, but taking a high fidelity approach based on the Individual Placement and Support and Supported Employment Quality Framework approaches. Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. More details can be found at Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition - GOV.UK As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of Access to Work after evaluating the findings of the Pathways to Work consultation. In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published in November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn. We are discussing ideas for improving the Disability Confident Scheme, which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. More details can be found at Disability Confident employer scheme - GOV.UK. We have been discussing ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and officials are continuing to engage with stakeholders to discuss reform proposals. In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health and other topics. In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace and low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of cash intensive businesses for money laundering.

Cash intensive businesses can be exploited by criminals who seek to launder their cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, law enforcement may seize cash of £1,000 or more if they reasonably suspect it is derived from or intended for use in criminal activity, even without a criminal charge or conviction. In the financial year ending March 2024, £49.5 million in cash was seized.Driving down money laundering is critical to this Government’s key missions to deliver safer streets and economic growth. Addressing cash-based money laundering is therefore one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), which sits within the National Crime Agency (NCA).In March, the NECC, coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive business across England and Wales involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arrested 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.This is the first phase of targeted action against criminals and organised crime groups who use high-street businesses to launder criminal monies. The Government is committed to working with the NCA and partners to reduce this threat.

What steps she is taking to help support the creation of graduate jobs.

The government is committed to supporting graduates to secure high-quality employmentand develop the skills they need to thrive in the labour market.The Department for Work and Pensions has an established strong network of partnerships with external training providers, universities, and graduate employment platforms such asMilkround, Gradplus, and Prospects to enhance graduate employment opportunities. These partnerships not only connect graduates with relevant vacancies, training, and careerdevelopment resources, but also help strengthen the availability of suitable jobs.We are also reforming Jobcentre Plus to create a new, more personalised employment support service across Great Britain. This new service will move away from a one-size-fits-allapproach and recognise that individuals – including graduates – have different needs. It will provide tailored help to find good, meaningful work and support progression in employment,with a stronger focus on skills and careers.The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal and designed to work for everyone,including graduates, ensuring they can access the right support to build their careers and contribute to a dynamic and growing economy.

What steps her Department is taking to monitor the regulatory efficacy of the Financial Conduct Authority.

The government monitors the performance of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a number of ways. For example, the FCA is required to respond annually to the letter of recommendation sent by the Chancellor which sets out aspects of the government’s economic policy to which the FCA must have regard. The government scrutinizes this response, as well as other publications such as the FCA’s annual report. The FCA publishes data against a range of metrics which support the government in monitoring its performance. The FCA is also developing new metrics to monitor its performance as part of its 2025-30 Strategy. This provides opportunities to assess how effectively the FCA is carrying out its role. The Regulation Action Plan, published in March 2025, committed the government to holding regular performance reviews with relevant regulators. I have held the first meeting with the FCA, and the minutes of this meeting will be made publicly available. The government will use these meetings to build on its already extensive engagement with the FCA and other regulators, to hold them to account for their performance against their statutory duties, their work to reduce administrative costs, and alignment with government priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what actions he is taking to mitigate the potential impact of the built environment on bat populations.

All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place. Local Planning Authorities require a bat survey to be completed if a proposed development is likely to negatively affect bats or their habitats. Appropriate measures must be taken by developers to avoid, mitigate and, as a last resort, compensate for any negative effects on bats that could be caused by any proposed development. An example of a compensatory measure could be the erection of a bat box, whilst a mitigation measure could include carrying out works to a summer roost site in the winter when bats are not present. The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published in December expects developments to minimise impacts on and provide net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and through incorporating features that support priority or threatened species such as bats.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the availability of practical car driving tests in Monmouthshire.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners (DE) and is in the final processes of the most recent campaign. From recent recruitment in Monmouthshire, DVSA has two new DEs starting in Llantrisant, who will start testing this week, and has another awaiting an upcoming training course. There are also two potential new DEs currently in training for Newport and Cardiff driving test centres. DVSA’s next campaign, which will include driving test centres in the area, is due to launch shortly.

What steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of the supply of GLP1 medication.

The Department of Health and Social Care has worked intensively with the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and others in the supply chain to largely resolve the supply issues with GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). Currently, all GLP-1 RA medicines are available for NHS patients. We are aware of a short-term supply issue with one strength of Wegovy FlexTouch injection for private patients which is expected to resolve in mid-September 2025.We continue to monitor the supply of GLP-1 RAs closely to ensure these medicines remain available. Any patient concerned about their condition, or access to these medications, should speak to their prescriber in the first instance.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that low-income (a) victims of domestic abuse, (b) victims of sexual abuse by someone in the home and (c) immediate family members of victims of sexual abuse can access legal aid.

This Government recognises that legal aid – a vital part of the justice system – supports the ability of individuals, who need it most, to have access to publicly funded legal assistance in order to uphold their legal rights.Legal aid is available for private family matters such as child arrangements, financial remedy proceedings and divorce if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.Legal aid is also available for domestic abuse victims for certain urgent protection applications – for example, non-molestation orders and occupation orders. We understand how important it is that anyone who needs a protective order can access legal advice and representation quickly, whatever their means. An eligibility waiver is available for victims of domestic abuse applying for urgent protection, which means they can receive legal aid even if they would not otherwise pass the means test, though they may then have to pay a financial contribution towards their legal costs.The Government recently made changes to legislation to support victims of domestic abuse and to ensure that legal aid continues to be available to them.Firstly, as part of a tailored package of measures the Ministry of Justice implemented in November 2024, a civil legal aid equity disregard was implemented for victims of domestic abuse who have temporarily left their home. This means that £100,000 of the value of a domestic abuse victims’ home will not be considered within the legal aid means test. This change recognises that while victims may own property, they are unable to benefit from the home due to the presence of an abuser.Secondly, in May this year, a Statutory Instrument came into force which made various changes, including to the scope of legal aid for Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and Domestic Abuse Protection Notices to ensure the fuller availability of legal aid for individuals in respect of these orders.We are also currently conducting a review of domestic abuse evidence requirements - which need to be satisfied in order to access legal aid for private family matters – to ensure that the evidence requirements are not a barrier to access legal aid for victims of domestic abuse.For cases which do not qualify for legal aid, there are a range of options available to support individuals through the legal process. For example, they are able to seek free, independent advice, from legal support and advice organsiations.The Ministry of Justice is providing funding to support litigants in person, including domestic abuse victims and victims of sexual abuse, to help them navigate the civil justice system effectively, including preparation for court and support at court. In 2025/26, we are providing over £6 million of funding to 60 organisations to support the delivery of free legal support and information, both in-person and online. This includes some Citizens Advice and Law Centres, Rights of Women and AdviceNow, as well as a few organisations that specifically focus on supporting victims of domestic abuse.The Department also funds a specialist service FLOWS (Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors), delivered by RCJ Advice, to support victims of domestic abuse to apply for protective orders in the family courts. The service can help all survivors, whether or not they are eligible for legal aid.

When she plans to introduce legislation to implement the commitments outlined in the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, updated 23 June 2025.

Primary legislation is required to make the change to remove Direct Pay and reform the collection fee structure. Subject to Parliamentary time, we hope to implement the changes so they can take effect within the current Parliament.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle scams perpetrated (a) by telephone and (b) online.

We are working extremely closely with all partners, including telecommunications networks and tech platforms, as well as regulators, law enforcement, and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit to commit fraud and to stop scams from reaching the public in the first placeThe Government is currently working with telecommunications networks to develop a second Telecoms Charter, to build on the success of the first and go further in identifying, preventing and disrupting telecoms fraud. Under the first Telecommunications Charter, telecoms operators introduced firewalls that have stopped more than 1 billion scam text messages since January 2022. In a landmark, Europe-first move, we are also banning ‘SIM farms’, which are technical devices used to send out scam texts to thousands of people at once. The ban on ‘SIM farms’ is progressing through Parliament as part of the Crime & Policing Bill.Regarding online fraud, the Online Safety Act’s illegal harm duties have been in force since March this year, of which fraud is included. The Act therefore requires all in-scope platforms to tackle fraud originating on their platforms, by taking proactive measures to stop fraudulent content appearing, and removing it quickly when they become aware of it. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, have the power to levy significant fines on companies who they deem as non-compliant.Late this year, this Government will also be publishing an expanded fraud strategy, which will include further details of collaboration telecommunications networks and online platforms to tackle these pernicious crimes.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the River Severn Partnership and Streetwave's Mobile Coverage Survey.

The River Severn Partnership commissioned the survey in support of its wider activities and projects as a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funded 5G Innovation Region.The regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for measuring and reporting on network coverage. Ofcom’s improved consumer facing coverage checker, ‘Map Your Mobile’, went live on 26 June showing coverage data that should be more in line with people’s lived experience. More granular data, including at a local authority level, will be published as part of the Connected Nations 2025 report, expected later this year.I am committed to continuing to work with Ofcom to improve the accuracy of reporting of mobile coverage across the UK. This remains a priority as set out in the proposed Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK ODA spending supports women and girls internationally.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting women and girls around the world. We are strengthening the integration of gender equality across the full breadth of FCDO work and will use our convening power and diplomacy to maximise our impact, including through encouraging multilateral organisations to deliver on their commitments to women and girls.Following the Spending Review, detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of ongoing resource allocation processes. We will publish the FCDO final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.

What assessment her Department has made of the availability of (a) HGV driving test slots and (b) HGV driving test examiners.

As of 30 June 2025, there were 15,918 vocational practical driving tests booked and 1,216 tests available in the 10-week booking windowThe Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is seeing some of the highest demand for car practical driving tests it has ever seen.Whilst DVSA are continuing to deploy examiner resource to vocational testing, it needs to ensure this is done in a way which balances all of the demands on DVSA’s examiner resource.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of making changes to Ukraine visa schemes to facilitate routes to settlement.

We are committed to standing with Ukraine and providing stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and who still need our sanctuary.The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, provides up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.We keep the Ukraine schemes under continuous review in line with the ongoing conflict and the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. This is why the Ukraine Schemes are temporary and do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements, such as work routes and family routes. These routes are published on GOV.UK at: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) and Family in the UK - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of HMRC phone line performance.

HMRC publish monthly performance data, including information on their telephony service, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports. A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC. A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. More than 6 million customers now use the HMRC app, which allows people to manage their tax affairs quickly and easily. This summer, HMRC will publish a transformation roadmap. Setting out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses. This will reduce pressure on phone lines, freeing up HMRC advisors to help those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.