Written questions by Campbell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much he plans to allocate to the World Bank Group International Development Association replenishment fund in the next five years.

On 27 November, the UK made a pledge of £1.98 billion to the 21st replenishment for the International Development Association (IDA21). This is a 40% increase on the UK's contribution to IDA20 - and will support IDA in tackling poverty and addressing the impacts of climate change. IDA21 runs between July 2025 and ends by June 2028. We will engage closely with partners to identify policy and financing needs for future replenishments.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of stopped vehicle detection technology on motorways.

We recognise the importance of technology working to support our road users and that is why the Department commissioned the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to undertake an independent review of the effectiveness of technology on smart motorways, including stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology. In 2023 the ORR confirmed that SVD is meeting performance requirements for detection rate, detection time, and false detection. The ORR will continue to monitor stopped vehicle detection performance closely and will report next in Spring 2025.

How many hotels are being used for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland; and if she will make an estimate of the number of hotels that will be required by 31 December 2025.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.The Home Office does not publish data on the number of hotels in use. However, data published quarterly on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office keeps its accommodation estate under constant review.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on (a) breaches of a broadcasting licence and (b) other matters raised in the report by Ofcom entitled Annual Report on the BBC 2023-2024, published on 29 November 2024.

The BBC has a duty to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions. We want it to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK so that more people can see and hear themselves reflected as part of our national story.Ofcom, the BBC’s independent regulator, is required to prepare and publish an Operating Framework for the BBC, which must contain provisions to secure the effective regulation of the activities of the BBC as set out by the Charter and Framework Agreement. It is for Ofcom to hold the BBC to account in meeting these obligations.The Government welcomes Ofcom’s reports into the BBC’s performance in 2023/24, and notes its findings.Ministers regularly meet with the BBC’s leadership, and as part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond and in doing so, how it best delivers for the whole country.

What benefits would a successful applicant for Pension Credit potentially be eligible for in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.

In addition to the Winter Fuel Payment, Pension Credit provides access to a number of other benefits and support including: o help with rent via Housing Benefit;o a Council Tax reduction;o Cold Weather Payments and other help from the Social Fund including help with funeral costs;o help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs;o help with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme; ando a free TV licence for those over 75. We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland). Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

Whether she plans further publicity to inform pensioners of the closing date for applications for Pension Credit.

The Department’s campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running across Great Britain since September. The latest phase of the campaign, which launched on 8 November, is aimed at friends and family - especially adult children of eligible pensioners - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens. We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland). Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

Whether she plans to run an Invitation to Claim campaign to enable more senior citizens to claim Pension Credit before 21 December 2024.

The Department’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ initiative was launched on 30 October. Since then, we have written to around 120,000 pensioner households across Great Britain who are in receipt of Housing Benefit but not Pension Credit. The letter and accompanying leaflet urge these households to claim Pension Credit by the 21 December, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated Pension Credit claim and qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. The Department’s broader communications campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running since September. The latest phase of the campaign is targeting friends and family - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens. Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

What reduction in fraud and error in the benefit system she plans to achieve by the end of 2025.

At Autumn Budget, the OBR updated their forecasts. This shows the impact of the Department’s plans to reduce fraud and error levels across the scorecard period. In addition to this, the Department provides annual updates on the effectiveness of their plans through the publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, where the latest UC forecast and outturn position for the financial year is published. DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK. Whilst we have published forecasts in the past, they have been superseded and the latest forecast is not in the public domain.

Whether recipients who have not been suspected of benefit fraudulent activity will be subject to having their personal bank account details scrutinised.

Fraud and error in the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year and, since the pandemic, a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money has been incorrectly paid to those not entitled. The DWP is determined to reduce those levels. The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. The proposed new power instead helps verify benefit eligibility, using very limited information from banks and financial institutions. As set out by the National Audit Office, access to data is key to prevention and detection of incorrect payments. EVM will require banks and financial institutions to look within their own data to highlight where someone may not be eligible for the benefits they are receiving. The data will only be sent to DWP if there is a possible conflict with the benefit eligibility rules, such as the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit or individuals living abroad without notifying the Department. The information gathered will help DWP identify incorrect payments, prevent debts from accruing for the claimant and help identify where there may be fraudulent activity. No benefit entitlement decision will be made solely because of the data obtained under EVM and a final decision on benefit entitlement will always involve a human agent. Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.

What information his Department holds on the reasons for recent drone activity near (a) RAF Lakenheath, (b) RAF Mildenhall and (c) RAF Feltwell.

We take these matters seriously and the Ministry of Defence is working in partnership with our allies and the appropriate civilian authorities as they investigate this matter. The use of uncrewed aerial systems around protected areas in the UK causes a risk to life and is illegal. We will work with civil authorities to prosecute those responsible.

With reference to the keynote address made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury at the Tokenisation Summit on 25 November 2024, what her timetable is for implementing the proposals on (a) cryptoassets and (b) stablecoins published by her Department in October 2023.

The Government has signalled its intention to engage firms on draft legal provisions for the cryptoasset financial services regulatory regime as early as possible next year.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will own an electric vehicle in each year between 2024 and 2030.

The Department for Transport (The Department) doesn’t hold an estimate of the number of people who will own an electric vehicle in each year between 2024 and 2030. The Department does hold an estimate of the number of Battery Electric cars and vans (BEVs) that will be in the vehicle fleet in each year. This has been provided as a proxy for the number of people who will own one. These projections were developed in late 2023 / early 2024. There is inherent uncertainty in these estimates. These figures assume ‘firm and funded’ policies only, covering existing legislation, confirmed subsidy schemes and current taxation policy. The Government may bring forward other measures that could change this projection. 2024202520262027202820292030BEVCars and vans stock1,720,1712,444,8683,325,2754,379,4155,845,1727,732,14810,049,076

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on productivity in each year between 2024 and 2028.

Delivering economic growth and improving productivity is the government's central mission. Since 2010, productivity growth has been less than a third of the productivity growth in the decade prior to the financial crisis. If productivity growth had remained at the previous rate of 2.1% per annum, then GDP per capita would be £12,500 higher in today’s prices.This is why the government is making further reforms to deliver long-term growth, including: ambitious planning reforms; a modern Industrial Strategy; the development of a 10-year infrastructure strategy; and the publication of the Get Britain Working White Paper. The government expects these measures collectively to have a positive impact on growth. For example, the OBR recognised that proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework “may enable greater delivery of new housing and infrastructure projects, which would boost the associated investment flows, as well as increasing productivity over the longer term”.In their Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published alongside the Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility evaluated the government’s announced Budget package on public investment as increasing the level of GDP by 1.4% in the long-term.

If he will make an estimate of the projected number of army cadets for each year of the remainder of this Parliament.

There are currently c. 75,000 cadets and c. 11,000 cadet force adult volunteers involved in the Army Cadets. Work is currently underway to understand opportunities for expansion across Ministry of Defence Cadets. Although it is too early to make an accurate assessment on projected numbers, the work aims to reflect the important contribution cadets make to society. Research has for example shown that participation in Cadets increases social mobility and improves the health and wellbeing of young people, producing an annual return on investment in the region of £95 million. We are committed to sustaining the Cadet Forces across the UK.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people who earn the national living wage in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) estimate that 2.9% of full-time employee jobs and 12.0% of part-time employee jobs were covered by the relevant National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rate in 2023. The LPC will publish updated analysis in early 2025.

What estimate has been made of the average annual salary of people in receipt of the National Living Wage in April 2024.

The current National Living Wage (NLW) is set at £11.44 per hour. This means for a full-time worker on the NLW working 35 hours each week, their gross annual earnings are £20,821. This will increase to £22,222 after the new NLW rate of £12.21 is applied from 1st April 2025.Each worker's take home salary will vary as this will depend on a range of factors, including total hours worked, taxes and other lawful deductions, and additional benefits.

What changes have been implemented in the Probation Service following HM Chief Inspector of Probation’s thematic review on Probation Recall, published on 14 December 2023.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation published a report on 14 December 2023 entitled: ‘A thematic inspection of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) recall decisions’.In this report, the Chief Inspector found that the Probation Service were taking proportionate and necessary decisions to recall offenders on licence for public protection. The report did, however, also find that in some cases, additional support might have helped manage offenders in the community and made recommendations, which were accepted by the previous Government. HMPPS aligned and embedded the actions to address the recommendations into the IPP Action Plan and has taken these forwards in 2024/25.Specifically, the HMPPS IPP Action Plan, a refreshed version of which was laid in Parliament on 15 November, has led to three key changes to support the management of IPP offenders on licence in the community. The first is the roll out of IPP Delivery Plans in each HMPPS operational area, which include a specific strategic objective to support the community reintegration of newly released IPP offenders and improve the effectiveness of management of IPP cases in the community. The second is for HMPPS Psychology Services to work alongside the Probation Service in supporting those offenders with complex needs during the challenging transitional period following first release. The third is the commencement of a pilot to improve the level and type of support offered to IPP offenders whilst they reside in an Approved Premises and in the lead up to their required move-on to new accommodation.The Government also acted swiftly to commence the IPP measures in the Victims and Prisoners Act, which led to the automatic termination of licence for 1,742 cases on 1 November 2024.

What changes have been made to the (a) numbers and (b) job types of staff employed in his Department's trade and investment hub in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

(a) The number of active employees attached to the Trade and Investment Hub in Northern Ireland during the previous 12 months is shown on Table 1. This is representative of active employees who are based in Norther Ireland and work for the Trade and Investment Hub, Northern Ireland. There are also employees in other teams and locations that indirectly support Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. DBT defines “staff employed” as Civil Servants on payroll with an active payroll assignment. (b) All active employee records attached to the Trade and Investment Hub in Northern Ireland recorded the same job type, International Trade. This was not amended throughout the reporting period 1st December 2023 – 1st November 2024. Table 1Report DateCount of Active Employees01/12/20231201/01/20241201/02/20241001/03/2024901/04/2024901/05/20241001/06/2024901/07/20241001/08/20241001/09/2024901/10/20241001/11/202410

Whether she has had discussions with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on the graduated driving licence pilot scheme.

No discussions have taken place with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on the graduated driving licence pilot scheme. Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are considering other measures to tackle this problem and protect young drivers.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of her Department's agreements with Northern Ireland Government departments in place of the strategic migration partnership.

The Home Office continues to engage with Northern Ireland Government departments to progress agreements to ensure continued delivery for service users in Northern Ireland. Regular strategic and operational engagement between all parties ensures effective implementation of government policy on asylum and resettlement.