Written questions by McMurdock.

What data she collects on (a) injuries and (b) fatalities linked to road surface defects.

The percentage and number of casualties (by severity) involved in reported road collisions in Great Britain where the “Poor or defective road surface or deposits on road” road safety factor was assigned for the last 10 years can be found in table RAS0701 published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain#factors-contributing-to-collisions-and-casualties-ras07

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of departures from sentencing guidelines on the effectiveness of a) sentencing and b) public confidence in the criminal justice system.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 23 December to PQ 100766

For which offence types departures from sentencing guidelines on the grounds of the interests of justice occur most frequently.

The data necessary to answer these questions is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on hybrid threats from Russia.

I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's Locarno Centenary speech on 7 December, and to the evidence I gave to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 6 January, links to both of which can be found below:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-foreign-secretarys-locarno-centenary-speechhttps://committees.parliament.uk/event/26037/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the UK’s previous diplomatic responses to the Russian Federation’s hybrid activities.

I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's Locarno Centenary speech on 7 December, and to the evidence I gave to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 6 January, links to both of which can be found below:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-foreign-secretarys-locarno-centenary-speechhttps://committees.parliament.uk/event/26037/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the threat posed by the Russian Federation’s hybrid activities against the United Kingdom.

I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's Locarno Centenary speech on 7 December, and to the evidence I gave to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 6 January, links to both of which can be found below:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-foreign-secretarys-locarno-centenary-speechhttps://committees.parliament.uk/event/26037/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK financial aid is distributed via Cash and Voucher Assistance.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) conducts background checks and risk assessment of the UK's aid partners, and continually monitors all funding programmes to make sure money is spent as intended. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact reviewed the FCDO's system for managing aid in 2023, including the mandatory rules for FCDO programmes, calling it a credible and appropriate framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that financial aid to a) Yemen, b) Nigeria, c) Sudan and d) Palestine is not provided to proscribed terrorist organisations.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) conducts background checks and risk assessment of the UK's aid partners, and continually monitors all funding programmes to make sure money is spent as intended. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact reviewed the FCDO's system for managing aid in 2023, including the mandatory rules for FCDO programmes, calling it a credible and appropriate framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how she a) identifies and b) conducts due diligence on third-party contractors used to distribute UK financial aid.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) conducts background checks and risk assessment of the UK's aid partners, and continually monitors all funding programmes to make sure money is spent as intended. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact reviewed the FCDO's system for managing aid in 2023, including the mandatory rules for FCDO programmes, calling it a credible and appropriate framework.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of hybrid threats from the Russian Federation on defence policy.

The Strategic Defence Review highlights the breadth and depth of threats posed by hybrid activity. Russia remains the most pressing and immediate threat and it seeks to take advantage of the difficulty of attributing hybrid attacks through covert methods and proxies. Many hybrid threats are not military in nature and therefore a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach is essential. The Ministry of Defence works in close collaboration with other Government Departments and with our allies and partners to address shared threats below the threshold of armed conflict.

What recent steps his Department has taken to ensure energy security in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Steps are being taken to improve our energy security , which will benefit local areas such as the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. Through Clean Power 2030, the Government is reducing dependency on fossil fuel markets by investing in clean, home-grown energy. Delivering the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan will require £40 billion of investment into generation and network projects per year, through significant upgrades to the grid system, ending delays by expanding the renewable auction process, and speeding up planning decisions to prioritise critical infrastructure.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to require hiring organisations reply to job role applicants with a final verdict on their application.

There are currently no legislative plans to bring forward a requirement for hiring organisations to reply to applicants with an outcome on their application.

What estimates his Department holds for the number of power cuts affecting South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency in the last 3 years.

Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network. Government works closely with industry to improve and maintain the resilience of energy infrastructure, including UK Power Networks, the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) for South Basildon and East Thurrock. Whilst there is a high level of redundancy in the system, it is not immune from disruption. When incidents do occur, industry have well practiced plans to minimise impacts as quickly as possible.The Government does not hold information on constituency level power cuts. DNOs are incentivised by the independent regulator, Ofgem, to minimise customer supply disruptions, and must report to Ofgem on performance against annual targets.

What plans he has to introduce routine collection and publication of reoffending data for immigration-related cases.

The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly statistics on proven reoffending of offenders which can be found here: Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK. These include reoffending rates presented in various breakdowns, such as by index offence.We do not currently have plans to introduce routine publication of reoffending data for immigration-related cases. We keep the contents of our Official Statistics under continuous review, to ensure their compliance with the three pillars of the Code of Practice for Statistics: trustworthiness, quality and value.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Nature Restoration Fund on planning decisions in relation to nutrient neutrality requirements.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act impact assessment can be found on gov.uk here.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she had made of the potential impact of the proposed UK-Spain treaty on Gibraltar on British citizens visiting Gibraltar.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 June 2025 to Question 60853.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Nature Restoration Fund on meeting housebuilding targets.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act impact assessment can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Housing Sec pledges to 'go further than ever before' to hit 1.5 million homes, published on 16 December 2025, how areas with development around train stations such as Pitsea and East Tilbury will be impacted.

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation sets out the details of the proposed approach to land around stations, including those that are defined as well-connected and those that are within and outside of settlements. It can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

What steps she is taking to promote public awareness of the foreign bribery indicators published by the Serious Fraud Office and Five Eyes partners, and to encourage reporting of suspected bribery.

I regularly report on the work of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) publicly and in Parliament. This includes highlighting new guidance and casework updates published by the SFO and encouraging reporting of crime, including bribery.The SFO promotes cooperation from business, including the benefits of self-reporting, and the Director and his senior team speak directly to businesses. The SFO routinely engages with the media to promote the SFO’s work and raise awareness of new publications, including the International Foreign Bribery Taskforce’s indicators of foreign bribery.

Whether the Serious Fraud Office plans to update (a) operational guidance and (b) case selection criteria for foreign bribery cases.

The SFO’s operational guidance and processes are kept under constant review to ensure they continue to meet operational needs. The SFO’s case selection criteria are established in the Director’s Statement of Principle and ensure that the SFO meets its statutory obligations to investigate and prosecute serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption.The Law Officers have supervisory oversight of the SFO’s work and regularly assess their operational performance. The SFO’s work is also independently reviewed by the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to ensure that they are following good practice.