Written questions by West.

With reference to page 11 of the Bank of England's report entitled Financial Stability Report - December 2025, published on 2 December 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the concentration of net borrowers in the gilt repurchase agreements market on the economy.

The UK gilt market is deep and liquid, with a well-diversified investor base. Gilt repo markets play an important role in supporting the functioning, liquidity and resilience of the wider gilt market.We work closely with the Debt Management Office, the Bank of England and financial regulators, to monitor developments in the gilt and gilt repo markets.Most recently, in September 2025 the Bank of England, with input from HM Treasury and the UK Debt Management Office, published an exploratory discussion paper evaluating the effectiveness and impact of a range of potential reforms to enhance the resilience of the gilt repo market.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a minimum age to access social media of 16 years.

On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, building on the Online Safety Act. While there is consensus that more action is needed, there is not yet consensus on what form that action should take.The consultation will be accompanied by a national conversation, putting children and parents at the heart of this issue. It will seek views on a range of measures, including what the right minimum age for children to access social media is, as well as explore a ban for children under a certain age. We will also look closely at Australia and their ban on social media for under 16s.The government is clear that it will act quickly and robustly to deal with concerns that are being raised.

What steps she is taking to ensure that early years staff have access to adequate safety training; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of safety requirements within the Ofsted framework.

The safety of our youngest children is our utmost priority and the department continually monitors and reviews safeguarding requirements to ensure children are kept as safe as possible.The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements early years providers must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. It is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68c024cb8c6d992f23edd79c/Early_years_foundation_stage_statutory_framework_-_for_group_and_school-based_providers.pdf.pdf. In September 2025, changes were introduced to strengthen safeguarding requirements in the EYFS, including clearer expectations on safeguarding training.A new safeguarding training annex now sets out clearly what safeguarding training must cover and to support providers, a free online safeguarding training package is being developed by the department with the NSPCC, aligned to the updated requirements.Ofsted inspects early years providers under the Education Inspection Framework against the full range of EYFS requirements. Inspectors assess whether providers are meeting statutory requirements and taking appropriate action to keep children safe.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase community funding for employment and skills support for people living in supported accommodation to prevent future homelessness.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness the government is putting prevention at the heart of public services, including action to help prevent homelessness. Through our Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector grant, Homeless Link have produced resources to support homelessness services increase access to employment and volunteering opportunities for people with lived experience of homelessness. The government is investing £3.5 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years. This includes almost £2 billion to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant, which local authorities will be able to use flexibly to meet local need, including by commissioning community organisations to deliver employment and skills support, if appropriate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international partners on coordinated efforts to promote human rights in Iran.

I refer my Hon Friend to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 13 January, and her responses to the questions raised in the subsequent debate. I can also reassure my Hon Friend that staff from the British embassy in Tehran are continuing to discharge their duties remotely while the embassy is temporarily closed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to assist British Iranians to access information about the welfare of family members in Iran.

I refer my Hon Friend to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 13 January, and her responses to the questions raised in the subsequent debate. I can also reassure my Hon Friend that staff from the British embassy in Tehran are continuing to discharge their duties remotely while the embassy is temporarily closed.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that trainees on the HMRC Tax Specialist Programme are able to be awarded a Skilled Worker Visa to maintain the Right To Work in the UK.

HMRC values the contribution of all trainees on the Tax Specialist Programme (TSP) and recognises the importance of maintaining the Right to Work in the UK.At present, the Tax Specialist Programme (TSP) is not designated as a role eligible for sponsorship because it does not meet HMRCs internal criteria for sponsorship, which prioritise roles that are demonstrably hard to fill.

What steps he is taking to seek reciprocal visa-waiver arrangements with the EU and its member states.

HMG officials and Ministers, including myself, regularly engage the EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The UK and the EU allow for visa-free, short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens visa-free travel for up to six months; the EU allows for visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period which is standard for third nationals travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

What steps is she taking to help improve pay and conditions in the further education sector.

Further education (FE) colleges, rather than the government, are responsible for setting and negotiating staff pay and terms and conditions within colleges.In May 2025, the department announced a further £190 million investment for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers in addition to the £400 million of extra funding we already planned to spend on 16 to 19 education in financial year 2025/26.Across the Spending Review period, we will provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/2029.This significant investment will ensure there is increased funding to colleges and other 16 to19 providers to enable the recruitment and retention of expert teachers in high value subject areas, and interventions to retain top teaching talent Targeted recruitment incentives of up to £6,000 (after tax) are available for eligible early career FE teachers working in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics and technical shortage subjects, in disadvantaged schools and colleges (including in Sixth Form Colleges). This payment is separate to teachers’ usual pay.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support UK NGOs that have been prevented from continuing their work in Gaza.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 5 January.

With reference to his Department's report entitled Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts, Research Report No 447, published on 11 November 2025, what assessment he has made of the evidence on the effectiveness of automatic pension forecast letters; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the decision to not award financial redress to those women born in the 1950s that were adversely affected by changes to pension entitlements.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out on 11 November 2025, we are retaking the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on state pension age. In retaking the decision, we are reviewing the 2007 report entitled Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts, Research Report No 447, alongside evidence previously considered. That work is underway but has not yet concluded. We will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.

What steps he is taking to help support all medical graduates to access employment.

Last year, all eligible medical applicants were offered a place on the UK Foundation Programme, which provides medical graduates with employment as a doctor and which continues of their training. The 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, set out that over the next three years we would create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. On 8 December 2025, the Government put an offer in writing to the British Medical Association (BMA) Resident Doctors Committee which was rejected. The offer would have increased the number of training posts over the next three years from the 1,000 announced in the 10-Year Health Plan to 4,000, bringing forward 1,000 of these training posts to start in 2026. The BMA have rejected the Government's offer, so that is not going ahead. The Government will consider its next steps. The Government will introduce the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill in Parliament, which will prioritise United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland medical graduates for foundation training, and prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period of time for specialty training. Subject to parliamentary passage, this will apply to current applicants for training posts starting in 2026, and every year after that. This will reduce competition ratios for UK medical graduates and other prioritised applicants. This is in addition to the steps already taken by NHS England in September to tackle competition for speciality training places this year by changing General Medical Council’s registration requirements and limiting the number of applications that can be submitted by individuals.

What steps is he taking to help mitigate and adapt the UK economy to help curb climate change.

On 29 October, we published the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan. This sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in a way that lowers bills and secures good jobs, in line with the landmark 2008 Climate Change Act. This framework has been supported by Britain’s leading businesses, trade unions, and civil society organisations because it creates a stable environment for investment in clean energy.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to take steps to implement the recommendations of the Leveson inquiry.

The Leveson Inquiry led to changes in the regulatory system of the press, which included the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter and two new press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress). This is a self-regulatory system, which was established to be independent from Government and protect press freedom. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility. Publishers must operate within the bounds of the law and set and uphold high professional and ethical standards.The news landscape has changed substantially over the past decade, and looking ahead, we want to maintain press freedom, whilst being clear the public must be protected from the harm caused by clear instances of intrusion and harassment. The Government is carefully considering next steps to determine the best route forward to ensure public trust and accountability in our evolving news media.Ministers and officials working in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly engage with stakeholders on a range of press-related issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has previously met with families who have experienced press intrusion. She remains committed to considering the issues they have raised.

What steps she is taking to ensure that Schengen Area Passport Validity requirements are clearly and effectively communicated by (a) airlines and (b) travel operators.

The EU will be liaising with airlines flying to the Schengen zone on the publication/notification of any requirements.

What steps he is taking to assist home-owners whose property is not suitable for the installation of heat pumps.

Evidence gathered from the Government funded Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project showed that heat pumps will work well in the vast majority of homes. Moreover, modern heat pumps can increasingly be used in homes previously considered unsuitable for electrification. The Heat Pump Ready Innovation Programme previously funded a variety of projects, including those seeking to improve the ease of heat pump deployment in homes that are ‘complex to decarbonise’. The department has also commissioned research to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes, including the use of alternative low carbon heating solutions where they are required, and we expect to receive results from that research in early 2026.

What steps she is taking to protect British citizens from transnational repression from hostile states.

The first duty of this Government is to keep the country safe. Robust tools and system-wide safeguards are in place to robustly counter the threat of transnational repression (TNR). As set out in my statement to the House on 14 May, following the Defending Democracy Taskforce’s Review of TNR, we have:Implemented the National Security Act 2023, which provides a comprehensive suite of powers to counter state‑threats activity, including conduct that may amount to TNR.Published practical guidance on GOV.UK for individuals who believe they may be at risk, with advice to help them protect themselves physically and online.Rolled out training on state threats across all 45 territorial police forces, including upskilling of 999 call handlers on TNR, to strengthen frontline identification and response.Deployed tailored support and security assistance for individual victims where we become aware of them - proportionate to the threat and varied in scope and approach.Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the police via 101, at a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will never be tolerated, irrespective of where the threat emanates.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) waste and (b) bureaucracy in the NHS.

The Government is taking action to reduce National Health Service bureaucracy by abolishing NHS England and reducing staff numbers by up to 50% across the Department, NHS England, and the NHS integrated care boards. These reductions will be made by March 2028. These changes will release savings that can be invested in frontline services, with up to 18,000 posts abolished and more than £1 billion a year saved in bureaucracy costs by the end of the Parliament.In 2025/26, the NHS has ambitious plans to deliver to improve productivity and efficiency by 4%, including a 1% cost reduction. The efficiency savings target set for 2025/26 is £11 billion.The Government has set a 2% annual productivity growth target for the NHS, unlocking £17 billion in savings over the next three years to reinvest in patient care. NHS productivity grew by 2.7% in 2024/25 and by 2.5% in the first five months of this financial year, putting the NHS on course to meet the target.To support NHS productivity growth, the Government is investing £2 billion in digital infrastructure for 2025/26 and an additional £300 million announced in the Autumn Budget 2025. This will accelerate electronic patient record rollout, strengthen cyber security, expand the NHS App, and drive automation. The NHS App, for instance, has now saved over 730,000 hours of clinical time, and 3.2 million hours of administrative time across primary and secondary care, and over 860,000 outpatient “Did Not Attends” have been avoided due to patient use of the app, equating to £103 million in appointment costs.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention of managers in the NHS.

The Department is implementing a range of initiatives designed to attract talented individuals into management roles and support existing managers.NHS England is developing an NHS Leadership and Management Framework, which sets clear expectations for leadership standards, behaviours, and ongoing development.We are strengthening national and regional talent management systems to identify high-potential leaders and provide structured development pathways. We will also establish a new College of Executive and Clinical Leadership to provide a recognised professional home for National Health Service leaders and deliver high-quality training and development.The new pay framework for Very Senior Managers (VSMs) aims to provide greater consistency of approach to VSM pay and helps ensure the total reward offered for VSMs remains attractive and proportionate.These combined efforts aim to create a strong, effective, and accountable management workforce that can deliver transformation in the NHS, and to build a positive and compassionate culture.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment award.

We continue to keep the Funeral Expenses Payment scheme under review to ensure it remains effective and sustainable within current budgetary constraints.