Written questions by Stainbank.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed base-rate Extended Producer Responsibility fees on levels of use of different recyclable materials by the packaging industry.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) requires producers to bear the end-of-life costs associated with packaging that they place on the market, rather than the proportion of recycled materials contained. The Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) has been used by producers to assess packaging recyclability from January 2025. The RAM is an important aspect of pEPR as it will determine the modulation sub-category, and therefore the level of fees applicable to that material, with higher fees applied to less sustainable packaging. We have made a full impact assessment of implementing packaging extended producer responsibility will have which we published when The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 were laid before parliament.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is working with the Scottish Government to ensure similar progress on compulsory purchase order powers to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing, in the context of recent proposals to enhance these powers for councils in England and Wales.

Officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly meet with officials from the Scottish Government to exchange views on compulsory purchase. However, compulsory purchase and associated compensation legislation is a devolved matter. It is therefore, for the Scottish Government to decide what reforms to bring forward in Scotland.

When details of the trial on GnRH analogue puberty blockers will be submitted to the research ethics committee.

The PATHWAYS study proposal, including the clinical trial of puberty-suppressing hormones, is going through all the usual review and approval stages. These include independent academic peer review and National Institute for Health and Care Research funding committee consideration, and it will need to secure full ethical approval ahead of set up and opening to recruitment. The researchers will submit study documents to the Health Research Authority, which will allocate a Research Ethics Committee to consider the application. As an independent study, it is for the research team to decide when the study documents are ready and they will choose when to submit the application, bearing in mind the trial is aiming to begin recruiting participants later in spring 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received advice from the Attorney General on activity originating from military bases in Cyprus since July 2024.

By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.Our military activities at the Sovereign Base Areas are central to the UK's humanitarian and hostage rescue efforts, support the UK's efforts with international partners to de-escalate conflict and reinforce stability. The use of the military bases is in line with international humanitarian law and with our humanitarian objectives.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of any open arms licences granted for export to Israel since the partial arms licence suspension.

We have continued to review export licences for items to Israel and assess that there are no extant licences for items that might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. This is subject to the specific measures set out to Parliament excluding exports to the global F-35 programme from the scope of the suspension. There are a number of export licences which we have assessed are not for use by the Israeli Defense Forces in military operations in Gaza and therefore do not require suspension. These include military items such as components for trainer aircraft or components for air defence systems, and other, non-military, items such as food-testing chemicals, telecoms, and data equipment.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the mental health of young people.

We know children and young people often face long waits for mental health support and too many are not receiving the care they need. That is why we are providing £7 million of funding to extend support for 24 early support hubs that have a track record of helping thousands of young people in their community.We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England and roll out Young Futures Hubs to provide open access mental health support for children and young people.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of individual stipends for people using access to work.

Access to Work grants provide funding for workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Access to Work scheme is highly personalised and each grant that is awarded is tailored to the individual, taking into account their specific circumstances. When awarding Access to Work grants, the Scheme aims to balance the level of funding required to ensure individuals are able to purchase support needed to help them get into, and stay in, sustainable paid employment alongside the need to safeguard public money and provide a value for money service. The customer can always ask for a change of circumstance if their needs increase, or their support worker or travel costs increase. This support is based on current market value.

What safe routes are available to asylum seekers into the United Kingdom; and what criteria (a) Border Security Command and (b) other enforcement agencies use to distinguish asylum seekers from illegal migration.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who need it through a number of safe and legal routes. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the considerable number of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.Nonetheless, there are options available for individuals who wish to come to the UK. Our global resettlement schemes include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. Alongside these schemes, we operate specific schemes for those fleeing Ukraine and Afghanistan, and an immigration route for British National (overseas) status holders from Hong Kong. Our refugee family reunion policy also allows immediate family members of those granted protection in the UK to stay with them or join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to secure help peace between Kurdish forces and the Syrian government; and what support he is providing to the Kurdish diaspora in the United Kingdom.

We support a Syrian-led political transition process leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government that includes representative figures from across Syria, including Kurds. We emphasise this in our diplomatic engagement with the interim Syrian authorities, through Ministers as well as our Syria Envoy. We will judge them by their actions.More broadly, the UK supports Kurdish communities in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, as well as diaspora groups, promoting their rights and integration within their home countries. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintains engagement with a range of Syrian groups and individuals, including Kurds, in the UK.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of workplace health and safety enforcement; and what steps her Department is taking to strengthen health and safety protections for workers.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It is an independent regulator and it acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces. HSE uses a number of intervention techniques to utilise its resources in the most effective way using a variety of enforcement tools to drive improvements in health and safety. The Department obtains assurance as to the adequacy of workplace health and safety enforcement through a range of measures including its Quarterly Assurance Review process. At the start of each financial year HSE publishes its Business Plan which details what it will deliver during the year, which this year included a strong focus on performance, further improving the effectiveness of its investigations and changing its ways of working to deliver it objectives. Each year I approve HSE’s business plan on behalf of the Government. Then at the end of each financial year HSE produces its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) that are laid in Parliament. The ARA is a report to Parliament that sets out information on HSE’s financial position and activity which includes risks to the achievement of its objectives and how it has performed during the year. The Government’s Make Work Pay agenda sets out an ambition to review health and safety guidance and regulations with a view to modernising legislation and guidance where it does not fully reflect the modern workplace, which will help to strengthen health and safety protections for workers. HSE is working on three areas of legislative change: chemicals, energy and health but reviewing the Approved Code of Practice and guidance on temperature and welfare in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations. Under the heading of Safer Workplaces, Make Work Pay sets four key areas of focus that are within HSE’s remit: work related stress and mental health; workplace violence and aggression; menopause in the workplace and review of health and safety legislation.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) UK-based creators have the necessary (i) tools and (ii) support to opt out of AI training and (b) AI developers respect the intellectual property rights of UK-based creators.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on proposals to introduce a package of measures, which includes a requirement for AI developers to be more transparent about how they obtain their training material, to enable copyright to be respected and more easily enforced.The proposals include a rights reservation mechanism. This would need to be simple, practical, and accessible to both individual creators and larger rights holders. The Government welcomes feedback from UK-based creators on this approach, and how it will work in practice.The consultation closed on 25 February.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing the use of tricycles as mobility aids in the Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice for passenger rail services.

The Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice (PRM-NTSN) sets out the dimensions, weights, and capabilities of wheelchairs so that users can travel across the rail network. No assessment has been made to bring tricycles into scope of the PRM-NTSN, however the Government continues working towards a more accessible railway including under future public ownership.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding a specific Gallipoli campaign medal to British soldiers that served in that campaign between February 1915 and January 1916, in the context of the recognition granted to Australian and New Zealand troops through the Anzac Commemorative Medallion; and whether his Department has had discussions on this with (a) veterans' organisations and (b) other relevant stakeholders.

Campaign, as well as long-service and gallantry medals were all issued to eligible Service personnel during and immediately after the First World War. The Ministry of Defence does not usually review decisions on medallic recognition when more than five years have elapsed since the event. This is because it is viewed that those making the required judgements at the time, were better placed to do so, than now. This principle has been examined by the Cabinet Office Honours and Decorations Committee a number of times and on each occasion has been found to be sound. Campaign medals, which are awarded in circumstances meeting certain thresholds or risk and rigour, any carry with them strict eligibility criteria, differ considerably from commemorative medallions which purely memorialise an event at a later date and have a wider distribution. Whilst we recognise and are indebted to the significant bravery and sacrifice of those British troops who served alongside their Anzac counterparts during the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War, no commemorative medal is currently planned.

What discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish government and (b) the other devolved Administrations on (i) tackling the rise in school violence and (ii) sharing best practice on (A) behaviour management and (B) supporting teachers dealing with (1) disruptive or (2) violent pupils.

This government is clear that no teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace.The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.​For schools in England, the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur. Any decision on how to sanction the pupil involved is a matter for the school. In the most serious cases, suspension and a permanent exclusion may be necessary to ensure that teachers and pupils are protected from disruption and to maintain safe, calm environments. Should the incident constitute a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has met representatives from the devolved administrations on a number of occasions including at the UK Education Ministers Council. Whilst behaviour has not been the primary focus of these conversations, different government policies and approaches have been discussed and the department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect consumers from (a) deepfake technology, (b) AI-generated phishing scams and (c) other fraud enabled by artificial intelligence.

Government takes the threats posed by generative AI extremely seriously. That is why we are taking forward our manifesto commitment to ban the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes in the Data (Use and Access) Bill.AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. Fraud is designated a priority offence under the Act, and in-scope services will need to take proactive measures to tackle illegal fraud content.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also works jointly with the Home Office and HM Treasury through the Joint Fraud Taskforce to address fraud across different sectors.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the National Procurement Policy Statement on the domestic bus manufacturing industry.

The government is committed to supporting the UK’s domestic bus manufacturing industry and ensuring a fair, competitive procurement process. The new National Procurement Policy Statement will be focused on our missions, growing the economy, creating high-quality local jobs, driving innovation and opening up opportunities to small businesses and social enterprises. Contracting authorities are encouraged to consider how their procurement strategies can support domestic supply chains, including the bus manufacturing sector.

Whether her Department has plans to bring forward the delivery timeline for the revenue certainty mechanism.

We expect the legislation for a revenue certainty mechanism to be in place by the end of 2026. We will continue to monitor the estimated delivery date and work with industry to deliver an effective revenue certainty mechanism as soon as possible.

Whether she has undertaken consultation with large family-owned businesses with more than 100 employees on the proposed changes to business property relief.

The Government published information about the reforms to business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government will publish a technical consultation in early 2025. This will focus on the detailed application of the allowance to lifetime transfers into trusts and charges on trust property. This will inform the legislation to be included in a future Finance Bill.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the release of the investment reserve of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme to its trustees.

I met with the Chair and Trustee representatives of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) on 16 December where they outlined their proposals for changes to the Scheme. We will work with the BCSSS Trustees to consider their proposals once the new Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme arrangements have been agreed.

When she plans to meet the trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.

I met with the Chair and Trustee representatives of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) on 16 December where they outlined their proposals for changes to the Scheme. We will work with the BCSSS Trustees to consider their proposals once the new Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme arrangements have been agreed.