Written questions by McMurdock.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Eastern Neighbourhood Small Projects Programme, what policy objective is there for creating the project entitled Promoting Belarusian national identity.

The UK does not provide funding to the Belarusian regime. Assistance in Belarus is delivered through our Embassy in Minsk and is focused on supporting vulnerable people and communities who have limited or no access to alternative charitable support. Such projects are small scale and humanitarian in nature. The Hon Member can find details of all programmes supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Eastern Neighbourhood Small Projects Programme, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the project entitled Promoting Belarusian national identity.

The UK does not provide funding to the Belarusian regime. Assistance in Belarus is delivered through our Embassy in Minsk and is focused on supporting vulnerable people and communities who have limited or no access to alternative charitable support. Such projects are small scale and humanitarian in nature. The Hon Member can find details of all programmes supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Eastern Neighbourhood Small Projects Programme, whether any of the people supported by the project entitled Social care and dementia support to Jewish communities in Belarus are British citizens.

The UK does not provide funding to the Belarusian regime. Assistance in Belarus is delivered through our Embassy in Minsk and is focused on supporting vulnerable people and communities who have limited or no access to alternative charitable support. Such projects are small scale and humanitarian in nature. The Hon Member can find details of all programmes supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much foreign aid has been spent in Belarus since 2020.

The UK does not provide funding to the Belarusian regime. Assistance in Belarus is delivered through our Embassy in Minsk and is focused on supporting vulnerable people and communities who have limited or no access to alternative charitable support. Such projects are small scale and humanitarian in nature. The Hon Member can find details of all programmes supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK.

Pursuant to Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 110309, how the proportion of calls redirected in the East of England compares with the national average.

NHS England publishes monthly data on the number of incidents raised and responded to by the ambulance service as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI) publication. The publication can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/For the calendar year 2025, the number of incidents referred to other services nationally was 1,360,449, or 15% of all 9,312,404 incidents.For the East of England Ambulance Service, the service referred 136,470 incidents to other services, or 14% of all incidents.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of alternative pathway on reducing ambulance handover delays at hospital emergency departments in the East of England.

Reducing unacceptably long ambulance handover delays is a priority for the Government, and the National Health Service has recently introduced a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients. We are further tackling this issue through greater use of alternative pathways of care, so patients receive the right care at the right time and in the right place. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 commits to scaling a new “Home First” approach which will enable ambulance services to prioritise the most critical cases while providing alternative pathways for those with less urgent needs.To achieve this, we will enhance paramedic-led care in the community to ensure more patients receive effective treatment at the scene or in their own homes, reducing avoidable hospital conveyance. This will be delivered through ambulance crews operating a call before convey principle and enabling “see and treat”, supported by additional clinicians in emergency operating centres and single points of access. The East of England Ambulance Service in January 2026 reported that it responded to over half of incidents, or 52.6%, with either a see and treat response, at 34.3%, or hear and treat, at 18.3%.The NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26 commits to improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times. NHS England will work with systems to reduce avoidable ambulance dispatches and conveyances by ensuring all Category 3 and 4 calls are clinically navigated, validated, and where appropriate, triaged in ambulance control centres, or in single points of access in line with existing guidance.

Pursuant to Answer of 2nd March 2026 to Question 110309, what proportion of redirected patients were referred to a) mental health crisis services, b) urgent community response teams or c) primary care.

Data published monthly by NHS England on incidents raised and responded to by the ambulance sevice does not report the information required to answer this question.Incident numbers and categorisation are published for England as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators publication. The publication can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/The publication details the number of paredirected, or resolved without conveyance by an ambulance, but does not detail the service incidents are redirected to.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in call categorisation thresholds in the East of England since 2023.

The Department is unaware of any national or local changes to guidance on call categorisation thresholds made since 2023, and has therefore made no assessment.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of paediatric a) physiotherapy and b) occupational therapy workforce capacity.

Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve the transition into the workforce.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of disparities in therapy provision for children with hemiplegia across integrated care boards on those children.

The Government recognises the importance of access to therapy for children with neuromuscular disorders like hemiplegia, and that early intervention is shown to be the most effective.NHS England’s service specification for paediatric neurodisability services outlines that paediatric specialist neurodisability services should be delivered by paediatricians trained in neurodisability and neurology who will be the core deliverers of care. They should have a multidisciplinary team working with them comprised of a paediatric physiotherapist, a paediatric occupational therapist, and a paediatric speech and language therapist, among others.The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has recently funded a research project with King’s College London on transforming early rehabilitation for children with hemiplegia. The Parents as Partners in Rehabilitation project was designed to enhance support for parents, providing them with the tools and guidance to take an active role in their child’s rehabilitation and giving them the confidence to deliver therapy at home. The project has brought families and clinicians together to co-design a practical, evidence-based guide to support parents partnering with therapists to continue delivering evidence-based intensive upper limb interventions at home, following hands-on learning in the clinic.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delayed access to intensive therapy for children with hemiplegia on those children in the long-term.

The Government recognises the importance of access to therapy for children with neuromuscular disorders like hemiplegia, and that early intervention is shown to be the most effective.NHS England’s service specification for paediatric neurodisability services outlines that paediatric specialist neurodisability services should be delivered by paediatricians trained in neurodisability and neurology who will be the core deliverers of care. They should have a multidisciplinary team working with them comprised of a paediatric physiotherapist, a paediatric occupational therapist, and a paediatric speech and language therapist, among others.The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has recently funded a research project with King’s College London on transforming early rehabilitation for children with hemiplegia. The Parents as Partners in Rehabilitation project was designed to enhance support for parents, providing them with the tools and guidance to take an active role in their child’s rehabilitation and giving them the confidence to deliver therapy at home. The project has brought families and clinicians together to co-design a practical, evidence-based guide to support parents partnering with therapists to continue delivering evidence-based intensive upper limb interventions at home, following hands-on learning in the clinic.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2026 to question 115145 on Local Government: Elections, whether regularly scheduled elections for a third of Basildon borough councillors and shadow council elections to the new authority due to be established in 2028 will take place in Basildon in 2027.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 115145 on 2 March 2026. The timetable set out there applies to Basildon.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, what estimate she has made of the proportionate reduction in asylum applications that would arise from these changes.

Any adult or accompanied child who claims asylum on or after 2 March 2026 and is granted refugee status or humanitarian protection will be given ‘Core Protection’, for a period of 30 months. This change is intended to reduce the pull factors behind high numbers of asylum claims, by moving towards a more temporary refugee status with regular reviews.Importantly, the core protection model encourages refugees to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route. This will enable them to earn down their length of time before they can settle in the UK from 20 years. It also allows the Government to exert more control over those entering the UK.While the Government has not set any formal target for a reduction in asylum claims, experience in other countries, including Denmark, suggests that less generous and less permanent protection can reduce application numbers over time. Our focus remains on making the system fairer, providing protection only for as long as it is needed, and encouraging people to use safe and legal routes.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, what estimate she has made of the number of people applying for asylum under the new safe and legal routes announced in that press release.

We will work with the UN Refugee Agency, community groups and other partners to identify refugees and displaced people who can either study, work or are supported by a community group in the UK. As set out in the Restoring Order and Control statement, these routes will be capped. The number of individuals that will arrive under each capped route is subject to further policy development. Work is underway to operationalise these new routes and further details will be provided in due course.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, what criteria will be used to determine whether a refugee’s home country is deemed safe at the 30-month review point; and how often such determinations will be publicly reported.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, whether asylum claimants granted a 30 month settlement will be able to bring dependents from their home country.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, whether unaccompanied children’s five year settlement will apply to all children, or just those who will still be under 18 before the five year settlement expires.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, whether she plans to review the five-year settlements granted to previous refugee applicants.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, whether she plans to review the permanent settlement granted to previous refugee applicants.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Refugee protection to be reviewed every 30 months, published on 2 March 2026, for what reason the review is every 30 months.

The Home Secretary’s announcement on 2 March marks a significant change in direction away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and is the first step towards the introduction of the “core protection” model announced last November.The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026. There will be transitional provisions for people who submitted an asylum claim before 2 March 2026, so that existing rules continue to apply. We will not seek to revoke or amend existing leave that has already been granted.Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 are not in scope of this Rules change. UASC granted protection status will receive 5 years’ leave, including former UASC who have turned age 18 before being granted protection status. This position on UASC who claim asylum or make further submissions on or after 2 March 2026 will remain whilst the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group.On Core Protection, a refugee will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.Not everyone who has been granted protection will undergo a review of their protection needs when renewing their status. Only those who remain on Core Protection, and do not switch into the Protection Work and Study route, will be subject to this review. People who do integrate will be able to obtain greater certainty about their future in the UK.This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission. Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. The need for protection is not always permanent, and therefore it is right that we re-assess whether individuals still require protection before granting them further permission to stay or settlement in the UK. It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications.Every case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.