Written questions by Chowns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the case of Manahel al-Otaibi.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have monitored the case of Manahel Al-Otaibi and will continue to do so. We have raised the case with the Saudi authorities. The British Embassy in Riyadh has attempted to observe Ms Al-Otaibi's trials. We will continue to discuss human rights, including individual cases of concern, with the Saudi government.

What steps he is taking to support ICBs to offer community wax removal services to people requiring them.

The Department does not have plans to intervene in locally led arrangements for the provision of ear wax removal services. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning ear wax removal services in local areas in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations

If she will make it her policy to remove time limits on disabled persons concessionary bus passes to improve access to (a) education, (b) work and (c) other opportunities.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel time criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.  The Government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders and is currently considering next steps. Currently, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS. The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Herefordshire Council has been allocated £3.2 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to (a) the level of and (b) eligibility criteria for (i) disability and (ii) incapacity benefit payments on child poverty.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change.The Strategy will look at all available levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, including considering social security reforms, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across Government and work underway in Devolved Governments. We will publish a poverty impact assessment once the OBR has assessed GP measures on the day of the Spring Statement.

What information her Department holds on the incident rate per thousand people of (a) rape and (b) other sexual offences in (i) Herefordshire and (ii) each of the other 14 comparators areas in the Most Similar Force group.

The Office for National Statistics publishes information on rates per population for offences recorded by the police in England areas and Wales, by offence group and Community Safety Partnership level (CSP). Data for the CSP of Herefordshire, and the 14 respective comparator , for the year ending September 2024 can be found in Table C4 here: Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables - Office for National Statistics.The Home Office publishes additional information on rape on an annual basis by Police Force Area only. These data include incidents, crimes and cancelled / transferred records and can be found on the Police recorded crime and outcomes open data webpage here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 35504 on Elections: Subversion, whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce plans to consider evidence on alleged Kremlin-linked interference in past UK elections.

We have robust systems in place to defend the UK from all forms of malign state interference in UK democratic processes, including from Russia.The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together Ministers from across Government, along with representatives from law enforcement and the intelligence community, to coordinate a programme of work that aims to protect UK political parties, elected officials and core electoral infrastructure. A key part of this is ensuring we learn from previous elections.As part of this, the Cabinet Office, together with MHCLG, runs the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit, which leads on coordinating cross-government preparedness on election security.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the progress of the Gambling Commission’s investigation on allegations under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 relating to bets placed on the date of the 2024 General Election; and what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the timely conclusion of this investigation.

The Gambling Commission is continuing its investigation into potential criminal offences of cheating under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 in relation to bets placed on the timing of the 2024 General Election. It would be inappropriate to comment whilst this investigation is ongoing.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18517 on Natural History: GCSE, what progress she has made in her consideration of next steps on the implementation of a new GCSE in Natural History.

This government recognises the importance of providing all children and young people with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to understand and develop a connection to the natural world, access green careers, and thrive in life and work in a world with a changing climate.The government is therefore pleased to confirm that we will be moving ahead with a new GCSE in natural history. The GCSE will enable more young people to benefit from the opportunity to learn about the natural world in more depth at key stage 4. It will equip them to understand and respect the natural world and contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment locally, nationally and internationally.The content of the new natural history GCSE will need to build on the curriculum content that pupils learn earlier in their schooling related to the natural world in subjects like science, geography and citizenship. We therefore plan to finalise and consult on proposed subject content for the new GCSE after the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review has concluded. The Review Group is expecting to publish its final report with recommendations in autumn 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the level and threshold of (a) employer National Insurance contributions and (b) business rates relief on the hospitality sector in Herefordshire.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. On business rates, without any government intervention, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff-edge for businesses. Instead, the Government has decided to offer a 40 per cent discount to RHL properties up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business in 2025-26 and frozen the small business multiplier. From 2026-27 we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties on 2026-27 - those with rateable values of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants. The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025. Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the updated Future Homes Standard.

The Government understands the urgency of introducing new energy efficiency standards so that as many homes as possible are built to be zero-carbon ready. We are committed to implementing the Future Homes Standard this year, and we are taking the time to set the technical requirements at a level which is ambitious and keeps us on track to achieve our net zero ambitions, while also being achievable across all sites.In the meantime, please rest assured that an uplift to the energy efficiency standards in 2021, which came into effect in June 2022, set high standards for home energy efficiency. New homes built between now and the Future Homes Standard coming into force will likely be built to these 2021 standards. They should therefore have excellent fabric quality, including insulation, and are likely to include low-carbon technologies, such as solar panels or heat pumps.

Whether funding for additional higher anaesthetic training places will continue in 2025-26.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. NHS England has funded 70 additional training posts in anaesthesia in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Further expansion will be determined by the upcoming Spending Review and the planned refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan. The content of the plan will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

With reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 6 February 2025, Official Report, House of Lords, column 803, if he will make it his policy to review the Government's redactions of the Intelligence and Security Committee's report entitled Russia, Session 2019-21 HC 632, published on 21 July 2020.

ISC reports, including the Russia report, contain highly classified material which would damage the operational capabilities of UK intelligence agencies if published unredacted. All ISC reports go through a number of administrative stages and processes before publication. This includes security checks to make sure there is nothing in the report that would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the security and intelligence services. Redactions to the Russia report were made on grounds of national security and still apply.

Whether the next iteration of the (a) NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and (b) 10-year Health Plan will include targets for increasing medical specialty training places in (i) anaesthetics and (ii) other medical specialties.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. NHS England has funded 70 additional training posts in anaesthesia in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Further expansion will be determined by the upcoming Spending Review and the planned refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan. The content of the plan will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

With reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee report entitled: Russa HC 632 published 21 July 2020, if he will open an investigation into alleged Kremlin-linked interference in UK elections.

We are committed to ensuring we have robust systems in place to defend the UK from all forms of malign state interference in UK democratic processes. The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together Ministers from across Government, along with representatives from law enforcement and the intelligence community, to coordinate a programme of work that aims to protect UK political parties, elected officials and core electoral infrastructure. As part of this, the Cabinet Office, together with MHCLG, runs the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit, which leads on coordinating cross-government preparedness on election security, including running an extensive exercising programme.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on the ability of recipient countries to respond to (a) resource scarcity and (b) food insecurity.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund permanent.

I refer the hon. Member for North Herefordshire to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of new legislative measures to protect the welfare of farmed fish.

Current legislation already provides protection for farmed fish kept for the production of meat or other products whilst on farm and during transport. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, including fish, or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of a protected animal, for which that person is responsible. Legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing also requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. The Animal Welfare Committee’s updated Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing was finalised in 2023. As a result of this a GB-wide joint government and industry working group on farmed trout has been examining the issues raised in the report to explore potential options for more detailed welfare at killing requirements. This co-design work is making good progress. The Scottish Government is also working closely with the salmon industry regarding more detailed welfare at killing requirements. We are awaiting the completion of this group’s work and we will then explore all the potential next steps, including options for creating detailed guidance and new legislation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, columns 631-634, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the level of Official Development Assistance to 0.3% of gross national income on the UK's global reputation for supporting global action on climate change.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA), including that the UK will continue to play a key role in tackling climate change. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on climate security.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA), including that the UK will continue to play a key role in tackling climate change. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential reasons for health professionals leaving the NHS, to the lowest available data level; and what steps his Department is taking to promote improved staff retention.

NHS England publishes quarterly data on the broad reasons for staff leaving and staff movements in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations, support organisations, and central bodies in England. This is published as part of the NHS Workforce Statistics publication, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsIn addition, the latest timeseries data, which runs to September 2024, is available at the following link:https://files.digital.nhs.uk/CC/67A0A8/NHS%20Workforce%20Statistics%2C%20September%202024%20Reasons%20for%20Leaving.xlsxThe Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading the National Retention Programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts.Retention efforts are aligned with the NHS People Promise, which was co-developed with staff to reflect what matters to them. This ensures that trusts have access to proven retention strategies and data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.