Written questions by Baldwin.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support she is providing for credible election observation and rule-of-law monitoring in Nigeria.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 March 2026 in response to Question 117243.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure the 2027 Nigerian election is free, fair and fully competitive.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 March 2026 in response to Question 117243.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to support John Smith Trust fellowship programmes during the Spending Review Period.

We are proud to be supporting the John Smith Trust this year to run their excellent fellowship programme in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, supporting leading professionals to take action in their countries on climate change. We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on his Department.

On 16 June, this Government announced progress towards the implementation of the UK-US trade deal. This now includes tariff exemptions on UK aerospace and automobile industries. As set out in the Foreign Secretary's British Chambers of Commerce speech in March 2025, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office serves as the international delivery arm of this Government's mission for growth. The US-UK deal provides the foundation for a new reciprocal trading partnership with our single largest trading partner which will support our efforts to protect UK jobs, open market access and strengthen co-operation on economic security with the US. I recently hosted excellent talks in this regard for example with the Governor of Virgina and a roundtable of UK businesses.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting its employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities. The FCDO offers Shared Parental Leave (SPL) to all eligible staff, providing them with the flexibility to share parental responsibilities from the very beginning of their employment.As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to Question 7449 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Private Education, tabled by the Rt hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 7 October 2024.

We are grateful to the Honourable member for bringing this matter to our attention. We apologise for the delay. The FCDO published a response to Question 7449 on 17 October 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.

Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has provided more than £150 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education and support for civil society and local communities in Myanmar. Since September 2022, UK funding has provided over 560,000 people in conflict-affected areas with essential humanitarian support, including safe water and sanitation. Most recently, the UK Government provided £1.3 million to help address the impact of the severe flooding in September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the human rights situation in Myanmar.

The UK condemns human rights abuses by the Myanmar military regime and is clear that there must be accountability for atrocities committed. The UK has provided £800,000 to the Independent Mechanism for Myanmar and established the Myanmar Witness programme to gather and preserve evidence of human rights violations in support of future prosecutions. In April, we co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar which stressed the need to address the root causes of human rights violations and abuses against ethnic and religious minority groups.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the situation in Myanmar.

This government will continue to support the Myanmar people and their aspirations for a free and democratic future. The UK will continue to use its role as penholder at the UN Security Council to maintain an international spotlight on Myanmar. We will continue to support ASEAN's leadership on the crisis, including the full implementation of the Five Point Consensus and the work of the Special Envoy. This government will continue to use targeted sanctions, to constrain the military's access to finance, arms and equipment. Since the coup, the UK has provided more than £150 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 on Question 1266, what recent estimate he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on private school fees on his Department's budget for (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

From 1 January 2025, VAT will be charged on private school fees at 20 percent. We have contacted the schools to ask how they intend to implement the introduction of VAT, but we do not yet have a full picture. Based on an assumption of how schools might apply the increase to parents and the impact on fees, we expect that the increased cost to the FCDO could be around an additional £1 million for 24/25 and £2.5 million in 25/26. The FCDO will continue to assess the longer-term financial impact.