Written questions by Tufnell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on implementing the Arab Plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary welcomed the Arab initiative of a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza, alongside Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Italy on 8 March. However, reconstruction can only fully begin once there is a long-term ceasefire. To prepare for implementation, the UK has been working with partners to build international support for the Arab plan. In addition, we are exploring innovative finance mechanisms to scale up financing. With our Egyptian partners, we will be co-chairing the Humanitarian and Reconstruction working group at the Two State Solution conference in New York from 17-19 June. We will use this opportunity to further mobilise international support for the plan and cohere international donor support and planning.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to push for the removal of restrictions on humanitarian access and aid to Gaza.

As I made clear to the house on 4 June, Israel's unjustified block on aid into Gaza needs to end. It is inhumane. The Foreign Secretary recently announced that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement and will be reviewing cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap. On 19 May we issued a statement, with France and Canada, calling on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter. We also issued a joint donor statement with 26 other signatories calling for a full resumption of aid into Gaza and for Israel to allow the UN and other aid organisations to operate independently. The Foreign Secretary continues to make representations to Israeli counterparts stressing the importance of restoring the flow of aid into Gaza.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make the British standard entitled BS EN 13724:2013 Postal services: apertures of private letter boxes and letter plates mandatory for all new (a) builds and (b) front door replacements.

Guidance on letterplate specifications for developers are referenced in Approved Document Q (ADQ), but the Government has recently published a Frequently Asked Question alongside ADQ on gov.uk here, providing developers with further guidance on letterbox and letterplate positioning. When reviewing the Approved Documents, the Building Safety Regulator engages with the Building Advisory Committee, an independent board of industry representatives, including developers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) imposing further sanctions on settlers in the West Bank and (b) restricting goods, trade and investment in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

We are deeply concerned by the levels of violence towards settlers in the West Bank and continue to urge the Government of Israel to take action to hold violence to account. On 10 June 2025, together with international partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, we announced measures against Israeli government ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. We sanctioned these individuals in their personal capacity as a result of their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. This followed a previous sanctions announcement related to settler violence on 20 May, demonstrating our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation. It would not be appropriate to speculate about any potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact, but we have been clear we keep these issues under close review.The UK does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Israeli settlements, as part of Israel. Goods imported from the settlements are therefore not entitled to benefit from trade preferences under the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK also supports accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with housing developers on the minimum height for letterboxes in new build homes.

Guidance on letterplate specifications for developers are referenced in Approved Document Q (ADQ), but the Government has recently published a Frequently Asked Question alongside ADQ on gov.uk here, providing developers with further guidance on letterbox and letterplate positioning. When reviewing the Approved Documents, the Building Safety Regulator engages with the Building Advisory Committee, an independent board of industry representatives, including developers.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of protecting postal workers against the health and safety risks posed by low-level letterboxes.

Guidance on letterplate specifications for developers are referenced in Approved Document Q (ADQ), but the Government has recently published a Frequently Asked Question alongside ADQ on gov.uk here, providing developers with further guidance on letterbox and letterplate positioning. When reviewing the Approved Documents, the Building Safety Regulator engages with the Building Advisory Committee, an independent board of industry representatives, including developers.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of low-level letterboxes on postal workers.

Guidance on letterplate specifications for developers are referenced in Approved Document Q (ADQ), but the Government has recently published a Frequently Asked Question alongside ADQ on gov.uk here, providing developers with further guidance on letterbox and letterplate positioning. When reviewing the Approved Documents, the Building Safety Regulator engages with the Building Advisory Committee, an independent board of industry representatives, including developers.

What assessment he made of the use of dopamine agonists as a first-line treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS) before the NICE guidance was updated in February 2025; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people with RLS receive effective treatment.

No assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not developed any guidelines on the diagnosis and/or management of restless leg syndrome (RLS) but has commissioned a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on the diagnosis and clinical management of RLS, which was updated in February 2025, and which can be used as a source of information for healthcare professionals. This CKS is available at the following link:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/Licensed dopamine agonist medicines that are indicated for the treatment of RLS are ropinirole, pramipexole, and rotigotine. Decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by healthcare professionals and National Health Service commissioners, based on an assessment of the available evidence, taking into account national guidance and advice, such as CKS’.

What steps his Department is taking to consult people with restless legs syndrome in the development of (a) policy and (b) clinical treatment guidelines.

Involving the relevant patient advocacy organisations, including people with lived experience of restless legs syndrome, is central to developing our policies for the National Health Service, to improve patients’ experience of services. The consultation on our 10-Year Health Plan received over 270,000 contributions, including responses from NHS staff and patients. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. The Department has also convened a new United Kingdom wide neuro forum, which brings together the devolved administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and will discuss important neurology service transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not developed any guidelines on the diagnosis and/or management of restless legs syndrome, but has commissioned a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on the diagnosis and clinical management of restless legs syndrome, updated in February 2025, which can be used as a source of information for healthcare professionals, and which is available at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/ CKS topics are written by an expert multidisciplinary team with experience of primary care, supported by a network of specialist external reviewers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on implementing a two-state solution in the region.

The Government regularly raises that a long-lasting ceasefire is the only credible pathway towards a sustainable peace, a two-state solution and the reconstruction of Gaza with counterparts in the Israeli Government. The Foreign Secretary last raised this in discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on 21 May as well as concern about the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. On 19 May the UK, alongside France and Canada, issued a joint statement expressing concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. The statement called for the release of hostages, reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defence with an emphasis on proportionality, and voiced support for both a ceasefire and a two-state solution.

What the average appeal waiting times are for legal aid cases by (a) represented and (b) unrepresented cases.

The information requested is not held centrally. The unit cost of processing an application is not specifically tracked or recorded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), nor is the operating expenditure relating to exceptional case funding (ECF) recorded separately to general legal aid operating expenditure. Information about the operational costs of administering the legal aid scheme is set out in the LAA’s Annual Report and Accounts. It is not possible to provide costs relating to, or to make an estimate of the costs relating to, processing an application or any part of the application process or overall operational costs associated with the ECF scheme. Although the LAA records some information about appeal processing times, it does not distinguish between appeals submitted by clients with legal representatives and those without. Information relating to civil legal aid processing times can be found here and criminal legal aid processing times can be found here.

If she will make an estimate of the amount spent by the Legal Aid Agency on processing exceptional case funding in the 2024-25 financial year, broken down by (a) category of law and (b) case complexity.

The information requested is not held centrally. The unit cost of processing an application is not specifically tracked or recorded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), nor is the operating expenditure relating to exceptional case funding (ECF) recorded separately to general legal aid operating expenditure. Information about the operational costs of administering the legal aid scheme is set out in the LAA’s Annual Report and Accounts. It is not possible to provide costs relating to, or to make an estimate of the costs relating to, processing an application or any part of the application process or overall operational costs associated with the ECF scheme. Although the LAA records some information about appeal processing times, it does not distinguish between appeals submitted by clients with legal representatives and those without. Information relating to civil legal aid processing times can be found here and criminal legal aid processing times can be found here.

How much and what proportion of Legal Aid exceptional case funding was spent on (a) the means test assessment process and (b) operational costs in the last financial year.

The information requested is not held centrally. The unit cost of processing an application is not specifically tracked or recorded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), nor is the operating expenditure relating to exceptional case funding (ECF) recorded separately to general legal aid operating expenditure. Information about the operational costs of administering the legal aid scheme is set out in the LAA’s Annual Report and Accounts. It is not possible to provide costs relating to, or to make an estimate of the costs relating to, processing an application or any part of the application process or overall operational costs associated with the ECF scheme. Although the LAA records some information about appeal processing times, it does not distinguish between appeals submitted by clients with legal representatives and those without. Information relating to civil legal aid processing times can be found here and criminal legal aid processing times can be found here.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of practical driving tests in Pembrokeshire.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s 7-point plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK. For driving test centres (DTCs) that serve Pembrokeshire, DVSA have three potential new driving examiners due to start training later this year.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) potential impact of Physical Infrastructure Access fees on the rollout of full fibre broadband to rural areas by Alternative Network Providers and (b) the adequacy of the Physical Infrastructure Access fee pricing structure.

The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity, including in rural areas. The government's strategy supports market entry and expansion by alternative network operators via access to Openreach’s ducts, poles, and other utility infrastructure, through the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) framework.Ofcom governs the PIA framework, with powers to impose access conditions on electronic communications networks, enabling third party infrastructure access on fair and reasonable terms, conditions and charges, and without undue discrimination.The government supports this framework but will not intervene in independent Ofcom decisions regarding the PIA fee pricing structure.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that Physical Infrastructure Access fees structures enable the wider roll out of full fibre broadband to rural areas.

The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity, including in rural areas. The government's strategy supports market entry and expansion by alternative network operators via access to Openreach’s ducts, poles, and other utility infrastructure, through the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) framework.Ofcom governs the PIA framework, with powers to impose access conditions on electronic communications networks, enabling third party infrastructure access on fair and reasonable terms, conditions and charges, and without undue discrimination.The government supports this framework but will not intervene in independent Ofcom decisions regarding the PIA fee pricing structure.

How many civil legal aid offices with a civil legal aid contract started less than five cases by each (a) local authority and (b) area of law in the (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25 financial year.

The requested information can be found in the attached table.Data for 2024-2025 is a year-to-date figure reflective of the work reported between 1 April 2024 to 31 January, inclusive. As such it is not directly comparable with 2022-23 and 2023-24. Please note that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) commissions and monitors the provision of legal aid services by ‘Procurement Area’ rather than by local authority. Procurement areas differ for different categories of law.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes information about the number of providers and offices which hold a legal aid contract and number of legal aid offices completing work in each period as part of its official statistics [see tables 9.1-9.8].

How many civil legal aid offices with a civil legal aid contract started zero cases by each (a) local authority and (b) area of law in the (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25 financial year.

The requested information can be found in the attached table.Data for 2024-2025 is a year-to-date figure reflective of the work reported between 1 April 2024 to 31 January, inclusive. As such it is not directly comparable with 2022-23 and 2023-24. Please note that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) commissions and monitors the provision of legal aid services by ‘Procurement Area’ rather than by local authority. Procurement areas differ for different categories of law.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes information about the number of providers and offices which hold a legal aid contract and number of legal aid offices completing work in each period as part of its official statistics [see tables 9.1-9.8].

What steps she is taking to reduce civil court backlogs.

The courts, as the cornerstone of the civil justice system, play a crucial role in supporting economic growth, enabling businesses and citizens to resolve disputes in a timely fashion and uphold their rights.Though most civil claims made in the county courts result in a default judgment or out-of-court settlement, there have been long standing challenges with delays in the 3% of claims that require a full trial. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is working in partnership with the judiciary to address this.We have increased the use of mediation, making mediation a requirement in all defended claims for under £10,000. This enables more claims to reach a consensual resolution at an earlier stage and frees up resource to deal with those claims that require judicial determination. In addition, increased digital working through our reformed systems allow money claims, including those involving businesses with legal representation, to reach trial readiness over three times quicker than paper claims.

What support his department is providing to members of the public who have concerns regarding the quality of insulation and energy efficiency measures fitted through government schemes such as ECO4.

All installations under Government energy efficiency schemes, including the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, must be carried out by a TrustMark registered business. Installations of low carbon measures must be carried out in accordance with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) requirements. TrustMark has set out a route to redress for any issues arising from measures installed under the scheme, which can be found at: www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowner/support/complaints-process