Written questions by Athwal.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on the release of Jagtar Singh Johal.

The UK Government is committed to pushing the Government of India for faster progress to resolve Jagtar Singh Johal's case. The Foreign Secretary has raised Mr Johal's case with his Indian counterpart on several occasions, most recently on 5 March. The Prime Minister raised Mr Johal's case with Prime Minister Modi on 18 November 2024 and raised it with the Indian External Affairs Minister on 4 March, during his visit to the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with local authorities to help tackle fly-tipping.

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights local communities and the environment. Local authorities have enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping, including fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, and prosecution action which can lead to significant fine or even imprisonment. We encourage councils to make good use of their fly-tipping enforcement powers and we are also taking steps so that we may develop further guidance to support local authorities to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers. We committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment, and other actions to tackle fly-tipping, in due course. In the meantime, Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.

What assessment he has made on the potential merits of a total ban on the advertising of unhealthy food across all media.

No such assessment has been made. However, we are implementing restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food or drink products on television and online from October 2025. This includes a 9pm watershed on television and a 24-hour restriction on paid-for advertising of these products online. These restrictions are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from United Kingdom children’s diets per year and reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000. We continue to review evidence of the impacts on children of advertising for less healthy food and drink products and will consider where further action is needed.

What steps he is taking to help tackle the levels of diabetes among (a) Black and (b) South Asian people.

NHS England has established a focused engagement campaign, using social media and more traditional approaches, to raise awareness and boost uptake from these groups as part of its approach to address the poorer outcomes for those of south Asian and black ethnicity.NHS England has provided funding of £3 million to systems to provide clinical leadership to ensure that clinical diabetes metrics, such as the eight key diabetes care processes and treatment targets, are reviewed at integrated care board level and unwarranted variation identified. A resource hub of materials has been set up on Future NHS, including examples of innovation and best practice for improvement of care process delivery, and achievement of treatment targets.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the need for imported electricity in the UK.

The Government’s Clean Power 2030 action plan details the Government's strategy to protect people from increased energy bills caused by volatile global gas markets and accelerate our pathway towards greater energy independence through the deployment of clean energy. Importing cheaper electricity during peak times reduces the need to turn on carbon-intensive domestic generation and enhances security of supply by providing access to a more diverse generation pool that complements our domestic energy mix.

What recent steps he has taken to support high street businesses in Ilford South constituency.

Revitalising our high streets is a priority for this government. We are delivering across government to create better conditions for high street businesses to thrive.We have heard businesses’ concerns about the impact of anti-social behaviour in town centres, including in Ilford South. Last month, we introduced the Crime and Policing Bill, which will scrap the effective immunity for low-value shoplifting and do more to protect retail workers from assault. We are also introducing High Street Rental Auction powers for local authorities and over 100 Banking Hubs have now opened - providing essential banking services for businesses and high street users.Last year the Business Secretary announced a new Business Growth Service which will make it easier and quicker for businesses across the UK to get the help, support and advice they need to grow and thrive. Our Small Business Strategy, to be published later this year, will set out this Government’s plan for further supporting small businesses across key areas, including on the high street.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on human rights in Pakistan.

Promoting human rights is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised the importance of upholding civil and political rights with senior Pakistani Ministers, including the Minister for Human Rights and Interior Minister, during my visit to Pakistan in November 2024. Our High Commission in Islamabad also regularly raises human rights issues, including minority rights, with the Pakistani authorities at the highest levels. For example, on 3 March 2025, our High Commissioner in Islamabad raised the rights of the Ahmadi community in a meeting with Prime Minister Sharif. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in accordance with international standards.

What steps she is taking to help end discrimination against ethnic minority people.

This government is clear that someone’s race or ethnicity should never be a barrier to success. We are taking a number of steps across government to address race inequalities through our mission-based programme of reform and our Plan for Change. As set out in the King’s Speech last July, we are committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers. We have been discussing our proposals with trades unions, employers and their representative bodies and others andhave published today a consultation on our proposals. These measures will be part of the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the provision of (a) physical banks and (b) banking hubs in Ilford South constituency.

Banking has changed significantly in recent years with many customers benefiting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. However, the Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to constituents and businesses in Ilford South and across the UK and is committed to championing sufficient access for all. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 200 hubs have been announced so far, and over 100 are already open. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Under the FCA’s regime, LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, is responsible for undertaking access to cash assessments. When a cash access facility such as a bank branch closes, or if LINK receives a request directly from a community, LINK assesses a community’s access to cash needs and can recommend a new service, such as a banking hub. Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques. The Government protects the Post Office network by setting minimum access criteria. These include ensuring that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a Post Office and 90% of the population within one mile.

If he will take steps to ban fast food outlets near schools.

On 12 December 2024, the Government published the revised National Planning Policy Framework for local government. As part of this, local authorities were given the stronger, clearer powers they have told us they need to block new fast-food outlets near schools and where young people congregate, unless the location is in a designated town centre.The framework also indicates that applications should also be refused where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social behaviour.

What steps she is taking to help increase interagency working between (a) local authorities, (b) social services and the (c) police to help prevent crime.

The Government recognises the vital role that interagency working plays in helping to prevent crime. We have committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will embed partnership principles in a network of new Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships.Prevention Partnerships will drive local multi-agency partnership working, and encourage police, local authorities and other agencies to work in partnership to reduce a young person’s likelihood of becoming involved in crime. This will include effective information sharing between agencies and improved consistency in joined up-working.Driving down drug-related crime is another key prevention strand of our work. We ensure join-up at a local level through over 100 Combating Drugs Partnerships, which are multi-agency forums that bring together a range of partners at the local level including local authorities, health and police to address drug use and harms.

What steps he is taking to undertake further research into the adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is investing in research on the health impacts of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). This includes a new research call launched in July 2024 on the health and health inequality impacts of interventions that effect consumption of UPFs.

What steps she is taking to address period poverty in East London.

Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study, through the period products scheme. The scheme aims to remove periods as a barrier to accessing education, addresses pupils being unable to afford period products and aims to destigmatise menstruation.Since its launch in January 2020, 99% of secondary schools and 87% of post-16 organisations in England have used the scheme to order period products.The department publishes statistics regarding the scheme’s operation, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/period-products-scheme-management-information.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the (a) affordability and (b) accessibility of parental leave.

Government keeps the rates of benefits, state pension and statutory pay under review. Parental pay is reviewed annually at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. From April 2025, subject to parliamentary approval, the rate will increase by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week Parental pay is only one element of the support available for parents. Depending on individual circumstances, additional financial support, for example, Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available. The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that employers support women managing menopause.

The Government has introduced the Employment Rights Bill which [if passed] would require large employers with more than 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans on how they will support employees through the menopause. Alongside this we have committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. The Secretary of State has also appointed Mariella Frostrup as the Government’s independent Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador will work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to designate misogyny as a hate crime.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.The Government is carefully considering how best to tackle hate crime. We will set out next steps in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of endometriosis services in London.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care received by those suffering from gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis. We have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres.We encourage any woman or girl with symptoms of endometriosis to contact their general practitioner (GP). Women’s health hubs also have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists and are being rolled out across areas in London. For example, in North East London, there are women’s health hubs based in City and Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and in Redbridge. These can be accessed by all residents from across North East London including Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham as the model is developed further.NHS North East London has also developed clinical management guidelines to support National Health Service trusts and GPs across North East London caring for patients presenting with symptoms related to endometriosis. A new pathway for referring patients experiencing pelvic pain that could be endometriosis is being developed and run by clinicians specialising in the management of endometriosis in North East London.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the average time taken for visa applications to be processed for (a) adults and (b) children.

Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of closing the gender pay gap for women in Ilford South constituency.

This Government is committed to transforming the lives of working women across the country, regardless of geographical location; this includes going further and faster to close the gender pay gap. Tackling the gender pay gap will put more money in women’s pockets and help deliver on our Plan for Change, increasing household income. Amongst a range of measures in the Employment Rights Bill which will support the lives of all working people, we are taking the first steps towards requiring employers to publish action plans alongside their gender pay gap figures. These action plans will detail the effective steps employers are taking to improve gender equality in their workplace, and narrow their gaps.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of palliative care services available (a) Redbridge and (b) Ilford South constituency.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including North East London ICB, which covers Redbridge and Ilford South, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.I recently met with key palliative and end of life care, including hospice, stakeholders to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices.