Written questions by Evans.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the stigmatisation by gambling websites of people with gambling harms.

To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.

Media and Sport, what recent progress she has made on reducing exposure to gambling advertisements by (a) children and (b) young people.

To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that gambling (a) advertisements and (b) websites provide reference to gambling addiction support platforms.

To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that gambling (a) advertisements and (b) products are not directed at (i) children and (ii) young people.

To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to help prevent the religious persecution of Christians in Bangladesh.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief. In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including Christians, with Chief Adviser Yunus.The UK is providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and their report on the violations that occurred last year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on tackling the persecution of Christians across the world.

There is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. We will continue to recognise the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The Special Envoy for FoRB met with European and US counterparts in the margins of the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in March. We actively participate in the Article 18 Alliance - bringing together 38 Member States, 26 of whom are European, to discuss actions our nations can take so that together we can promote respect for FoRB worldwide. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials attended the Article 18 Alliance and International Contact Group meetings in Geneva in March.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to help tackle the digital persecution of Christians.

There is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, and our programme funding.The development and use of digital technology presents both opportunities and risks for the enjoyment of human rights, including FoRB. It is important that we champion the positive potential of technology, whilst taking action to mitigate risks. We do this by working with international partners and through multilateral fora including the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance which has a workstream, co-chaired by the UK, focused on FoRB and Artificial Intelligence.

What steps she is taking to improve reading education provision in prisons.

All prisons are legally required to offer a library service, and all prisoners are regularly able to access appropriately stocked libraries that support them in their learning and personal development.HMPPS has recently issued best practice guidance to all prisons across England to ensure the quality of library services can be maximised regardless of a prison’s cohort, function or available resource.In Wales, we have well-established library services across the Welsh estate with several satellite library services for extra accessibility in prison residential areas, and the national reading strategy is in progress.Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and every prison now has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign. We also engage with experts as part of a National Reading Group which advises on improvement work that includes better initial assessments of prisoners’ reading ability.In addition, prisons in England and Wales frequently work with voluntary and community sector providers who provide reading support delivered by peer mentors as well as workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle the building maintenance backlog relating to prisons.

To keep our prisons safe and secure, we are investing £220 million in prison and probation service maintenance in 2024-25, and up to £300 million in 2025-26. This is the largest investment in maintenance per annum since 2021-22.

What steps she is taking to improve use of prison libraries to increase prisoners' literacy.

All prisons are legally required to offer a library service, and all prisoners are regularly able to access appropriately stocked libraries that support them in their learning and personal development.HMPPS has recently issued best practice guidance to all prisons across England to ensure the quality of library services can be maximised regardless of a prison’s cohort, function or available resource.In Wales, we have well-established library services across the Welsh estate with several satellite library services for extra accessibility in prison residential areas, and the national reading strategy is in progress.Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and every prison now has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign. We also engage with experts as part of a National Reading Group which advises on improvement work that includes better initial assessments of prisoners’ reading ability.In addition, prisons in England and Wales frequently work with voluntary and community sector providers who provide reading support delivered by peer mentors as well as workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.

What steps she is taking to reduce the administrative cost of the tax system.

At Autumn Budget 2024 the government committed to simplifying the tax system as part of its three strategic priorities for HMRC: closing the tax gap, modernisation and reform, and improving customer service. A key aim for the Government is to reduce the administrative burdens for businesses when dealing with the tax system. To this end the Government announced, for example, on 28 January that it has listened to businesses and stakeholders and decided that employers will no longer have to provide more detailed employee hours data to HMRC from April 2026. The Government is meeting with stakeholders, including the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board, to understand their priorities for administration and simplification, ensuring that this work is driven by the views of taxpayers.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) university students and (b) other young people have access to education on gambling harms.

Since 2020, children have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England. There are also a range of initiatives in place to inform university students about gambling-related harm. For example, the independent charity YGAM provides free CPD training on gaming and gambling for university students.The government is introducing a statutory levy charged to licensed operators raising £90 to £100 million each year for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. 30% of this funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention to help raise awareness of harmful gambling and the support available.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to limit children's exposure to gambling advertisements on popular streaming platforms.

We are committed to protecting children and young people from harmful gambling. There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children and young people. As part of the advertising codes which cover both broadcast and non-broadcast advertising, including on Video on Demand (VOD) or streaming platforms, operators are required to ensure advertising is not targeted at children, and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience.

What steps she is taking to tackle the building maintenance backlog for courts and tribunals.

It is important that the infrastructure of our courts does not prevent hearings from taking place. It is a priority for this Government to ensure that cases can be heard, and victims can be given the justice that they deserve.HM Courts & Tribunals Service has a plan for future works to improve the resilience and quality of the court estate, and this is kept under regular review to make sure it meets operational priorities. Available maintenance funding is prioritised to sites that need it most, to ensure that buildings are safe, secure, meet statutory requirements and protect continuity of service.£120 million was allocated for court maintenance and capital project funding for 2024/25. Funding for 2025/26 will be agreed through the concordat process and will be announced in due course. Funding for 2026/27 and beyond will be agreed through the Spending Review process, which is currently ongoing. The Chancellor has confirmed that the Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle the building maintenance backlog on Ministry of Defence properties.

Service Family Accommodation (SFA): The Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducts more than 300,000 maintenance tasks per year. These tasks relate to health and safety works, as well as proactive and reactive repairs, to maintain safe and compliant homes in line with the Decent Home Standard. Of those 300,000 tasks, there are circa 2% which are currently on hold (these form the ‘backlog’). None of these tasks are priority work and they will be addressed once discretionary funding is available. Built Estate (including Single living Accommodation): Maintenance and life cycle replacements are identified though visual inspection regimes or via MOD’s Asset Lifecycle and Replacement Model (ALaRM) tool which predicts works needed to restore assets to a good condition. This provides the Defence Infrastructure Organisation with a picture of the works required on the assets. Safety works are addressed immediately, or the risk mitigated, for example, by building closure. The remaining maintenance requirements are prioritised for funding by the Asset owner within Defence. Infrastructure assets are categorised against their operational need. The safety of Service personnel and their families remains a top priority for the MOD.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of whether there is an association between video game loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours in young people.

Loot boxes in video games are not classed as gambling as individuals are unable to cash out their purchases as currency. However, we are aware of the challenges posed by the blurring of boundaries between gambling and video games and, where products do amount to unlicensed gambling, the Gambling Commission has shown that it will take swift action. The Gambling Commission’s annual Young People and Gambling survey monitors awareness and prevalence of purchasing loot boxes among secondary school pupils in Great Britain.In 2020, the previous Government ran a call for evidence on loot boxes which found an association between purchasing loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours, although research has not established whether a causal link exists.In response, DCMS convened a Technical Working Group of video game representatives which developed new industry-led guidance, published in July 2023, to improve player protections. The Government has urged all video games companies to adopt the guidance in full and have commissioned independent academic research to assess its effectiveness.

What recent progress her Department has made on tackling benefit overpayments made due to (a) fraud and (b) error.

This government is determined to reduce fraud and error in the social security system. To tackle benefit overpayments, we agreed £8.6bn of savings at the Autumn Budget 2024 – the biggest fraud and error package on record, which led the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to forecast that we will reduce fraud and error to pre-pandemic levels. On January 22nd 2025, we introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill which will help the government better identify, prevent and deter public sector fraud and error and enable the better recovery of debt owed to the taxpayer. As part of the £8.6bn savings, this Bill is estimated to deliver benefits of £1.5bn over the next five years, as scored by the OBR. This is made up of £940 million in savings related to fraud and error overpayments, and £565 million in additional debt recoveries.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling advertising on (a) children under 18, (b) adults and (c) people with a gambling addiction.

This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over illegal gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. Some forms of advertising can also have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children and those who are already experiencing problems with their gambling.There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons from being harmed and exploited. The Gambling Commission is also introducing new requirements for operators to allow customers to have greater control over the direct marketing they receive, and have also consulted on measures to ensure that incentives such as free bets are constructed in a socially responsible manner.However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.

What steps he is taking to help reduce late payment to SMEs (a) directly contracted by the Ministry of Defence and b) in the supply chain of firms contracted by the Ministry of Defence.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) aims to pay 90% of undisputed and valid invoices from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within five days. In the last quarter of this financial year, over 95% of invoices have been paid within this timescale. Additionally, 100% of all undisputed and valid invoices should be paid within 30 days. Information relating to the Department's supplier payment performance can be found at the gov.uk website. Along with all major suppliers to Government, direct suppliers to the MOD are required to comply with the Government’s prompt payment policy (PPN 10/23), and can be excluded from MOD procurements if they do not meet the standards of fair payment laid out in the policy. Suppliers must ensure that 95% of invoices in their supply chain are paid within 60 days and that they pay their invoices within an average of at least 55 days.

What recent progress has been made by the (a) Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and (b) the Commission on Human Medicines to (i) understand the (A) current and (B) historic risks of sodium valproate when taken during pregnancy, and (ii) in communicating these risks to (1) healthcare professionals and (2) patients.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), taking advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), has worked to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and patients of the risks of valproate when taken during pregnancy through several updates to the valproate Summary of Product Characteristics, for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflets, as well as updates to associated educational materials as required.The magnitude and type of risks associated with valproate use in pregnancy have been communicated in articles in the MHRA bulletin, Drug Safety Update, and via letters cascaded out through the NHS Central Alerting System. These communications have been supported by messages from the relevant professional bodies and regulatory requirements reinforced through changes to clinical guidelines and improved alerts on general practitioner prescribing systems.The valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme, implemented in 2018, is supported by educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients which describe the neurodevelopmental disorders and major congenital malformations associated with the use of valproate in pregnancy, and are available electronically and sent in hard copy format to healthcare professionals.In January 2024, the MHRA communicated, in an article in a Drug Safety Update, the latest advice from the CHM, that valproate must not be started in new patients, male or female, younger than 55 years old unless two specialists independently consider and document that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, or if there are compelling reasons that the reproductive risks do not apply. It was advised that women and girls of childbearing potential who are already receiving valproate should have their treatment reviewed by two specialists at their next annual review. The requirement for two specialists to review these patients is a one off, and subsequent annual reviews required under the Pregnancy Prevention Programme are undertaken by a single specialist.Updated educational materials were made available to healthcare professionals and patients electronically, and sent to healthcare professionals in hard copy format, that could be provided to patients and which could support the discussions between healthcare professionals and patients.