Written questions by Shannon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Iranian counterparts on the findings of the UN Special Rapporteur’s report A/HRC/58/49 on the obstruction of Baha’i burials in Iran; and whether he plans to call for international action to help tackle the desecration of Baha’i cemeteries and wider religious persecution in Iran.

We are aware of the United Nations Special Rapporteur's report which details the severe repression Baha'is face in Iran. We continue to make representations to Iran in multilateral fora regarding our opposition to its treatment of Baha'is, including at the Human Rights Council on 18 March 2025. We were integral to the delivery of the Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the United Nations Third Committee in November 2024, which spotlighted Iran's restrictions against Freedom of Religion or Belief, particularly the undue restrictions on burials carried out under religious tenets, and called on Iran to cease the desecration of cemeteries. The UK raised the ongoing repression of Baha'is at Iran's Universal Period Review on 24 January. We continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian government, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.

How many new Personal Independence Payment claims her Department has received in the last 12 months.

Between February 2024 and January 2025, there were a total of 979,100 New Personal Independence Payment claims registered. Of these, 889,300 were New Claims and 89,800 were reassessments from Disability Living Allowance. This information can be found on Stat-Xplore in the ‘PIP Registrations’ dataset.

How many Pension Credit applications her Department has received in the last 12 months.

On 27 February 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025. Pension Credit Applications and Awards - February 2025.Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.

What assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of measles cases across the UK.

There has been a resurgence of measles in England since autumn 2023, initially driven by cases in Birmingham, followed by a large outbreak in London, with small clusters in other regions. This was largely due to a gradual decline in uptake of childhood vaccines over the last decade, including the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Case counts have followed a downward trajectory from mid-July 2024 with small, localised outbreaks in some regions.The UK Health Security Agency has worked closely with NHS England and other partners encouraging parents to catch up children with all childhood vaccines, including MMR. In 2024, national MMR catch-up and marketing campaigns were delivered alongside local tailored interventions to improve uptake. The evaluation, published on 29 August 2024, has shown that this work had a positive impact particularly in children from communities with the lowest uptake.The full evaluation is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-vaccine-uptake-during-the-2023-to-2024-mmr-catch-up-campaigns-in-england

Whether his Department is taking steps to provide childcare to parents who serve in the armed forces.

We recognise that appropriate childcare provision can be challenging for parents who serve in the Armed Forces and continue to explore options for improving support to our personnel in affording and accessing it. Although the responsibility for childcare provision lies elsewhere within Government and is not a core Defence output, many Defence sites within the UK provide opportunities for local childcare providers to make use of facilities on, or close to, the Defence estate. These settings can also benefit the local civilian community. Overseas, we have extended Wraparound Childcare to families serving overseas which will potentially save up to £3,400 annually for Service families.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of migraine-related absenteeism on the economy.

In relation to the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government has engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through existing fora and Government engagement structures. We will be carrying out further, in-depth engagement, and look forward to working with stakeholders during policy development and implementation.Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including migraines. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.The goal is to open up opportunities to work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like migraine to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 4.3 million working days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2022. The represents 2.3% of all days lost.

If he will take steps to help ensure that the Government's UK Neurology Forum include migraine as a priority for (a) discussion and (b) policy recommendations.

The new United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, which met for the first time on 10 March 2025, brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system, discuss important neurology service transformations and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions that will add both to the existing programmes of work and wider health plans. The forum will be an advisory rather than a decision-making body.A wide range of neurological conditions, including migraine, will be within the scope of the Neuro Forum, and agendas will be agreed by the forum’s membership ahead of each meeting.

If he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of including migraine as a category within the (a) Get Britain Working white paper and (b) workforce participation and productivity strategies.

In relation to the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government has engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through existing fora and Government engagement structures. We will be carrying out further, in-depth engagement, and look forward to working with stakeholders during policy development and implementation.Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including migraines. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.The goal is to open up opportunities to work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like migraine to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 4.3 million working days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2022. The represents 2.3% of all days lost.

What steps he is taking to help tackle severe malnutrition in people under the age of 18.

Malnutrition is a clinical condition affecting all ages across the community, and in all health and care settings. Severe malnutrition is most likely to be secondary to another physical or mental health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or a person’s ability to eat and drink.The diagnosis and detection of malnutrition are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs so effective individual treatment can be put in place. Tools and guidance are available through a range of organisations for health and social care professionals to identify and treat malnutrition and access appropriate training.The Healthy Child Programme in England is a universal programme for children aged zero to 19 years old. When there is a concern raised about a child’s growth, either a health visitor or school nurse will monitor this and assess for signs of under or overweight, including as a possible sign of neglect and faltering growth, and will work with families to support them in addressing the family and child’s needs. Further information on the Healthy Child Programme is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/healthy-child-programmeThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline Faltering growth: recognition and management of faltering growth in children, for healthcare professionals, providers of children's services, commissioners of children's services, and parents and carers of children with faltering growth, covers the recognition, assessment, and monitoring of faltering growth in infants and children. Further information on the guideline is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng75/chapter/Recommendations#faltering-growth-after-the-early-days-of-lifeAnyone who is identified as being malnourished or at risk of malnutrition should be assessed by an appropriately qualified health professional, such as a dietitian, and should receive an individualised care plan in line with their individual circumstances, dietary preferences, and medical needs.

What steps she is taking to promote healthy eating in schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28851.Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Whether she has had recent discussions with Boeing on the potential impact of technological advances in airplane manufacturing on travel times between London and the US.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not met individually with Boeing since taking up the post. A representative of Boeing joined the Secretary of State and other Ministers at a meeting of the Jet Zero Taskforce in December 2024.

What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on financial support for disabled people.

I regularly engage with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and other Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including support for disabled people. The Secretary of State recently launched the Pathways to Work Green Paper which set out government plans to support disabled people into work through a significant investment in employment support, and reform the health and disability benefits to make the system more pro work.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps he is taking to help increase the freshwater pearl mussel population.

The Government is supporting the recovery of freshwater pearl mussel by working collaboratively with environmental organisations to restore rivers and watercourses, raising awareness about the importance of freshwater pearl mussels and encouraging community participation in their conservation. Enforcement agencies are also ensuring compliance with the nature conservation laws to protect freshwater pearl mussels from illegal harvesting and environmental damage. As well as habitat-based actions the Environment Agency has established a captive breeding programme in Kielder, Northumberland to boost existing populations by providing a safe start to their lifecycle before they are returned to the wild at carefully chosen locations. Finally, we are exploring opportunities to reintroduce the species to river systems from where they have been lost; Natural England and partners are planning a freshwater pearl mussel reintroduction, the “R4ever Kent Life project”, which will also help inform other reintroductions across the country.

With reference to her Department's green paper Pathways to work: reforming benefits and support to get Britain working, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this announcement on families in poverty.

We will be publishing equality analysis which sets out the impacts on disabled people alongside poverty impacts on all individuals.

What assessment he has made in the levels of of regional variations in waiting times for specialist migraine treatment.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made, as of January 2025 there were almost 233,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment and 53.8% of neurology pathways were waiting within 18 weeks.The Government is committed to tackling National Health Service waiting lists for patients and reducing variation across all regions, including patients awaiting specialist migraine treatment. We will ensure 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. As a first step, we delivered an additional two million appointments between July and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests and treatments, including for neurology patients.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, commits to reforming elective care equitably and inclusively for all adults, children and young people to improve patient experience and waiting list performance and reduce regional variation, so that patients receive high quality care wherever they live.

What steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that migraine is recognised within (a) the Access to Work scheme and (b) workplace health and disability strategies.

In relation to the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government has engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through existing fora and Government engagement structures. We will be carrying out further, in-depth engagement, and look forward to working with stakeholders during policy development and implementation.Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including migraines. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.The goal is to open up opportunities to work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like migraine to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 4.3 million working days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2022. The represents 2.3% of all days lost.

Whether she has had discussions with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the timing of the implementation of firearms licenses.

Northern Ireland has its own firearms legislation which is separate to the legislation in Great Britain. This is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Government and this legislation governs how the Police Service of Northern Ireland undertakes its firearms licensing functions.

How many attendance allowance applications her Department has received in the last 12 months.

The number of Attendance Allowance applications received by the Department in the last 12 months (March 2024 – February 2025) was 592,545.

What steps his Department is taking with devolved governments to help ensure the equal provision of NICE-approved treatments across the UK for (a) advanced and (b) complex Parkinson’s disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England. Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines is a matter for the respective devolved administrations. The NICE has agreements with the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland to make its products, including guidelines, technology appraisals, and highly specialised technologies guidance, available to them, and works with organisations to help put its guidance into practice through its system implementation team.The Government has recently relaunched the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, which is a unique initiative that aims to accelerate the time to patient care for transformative new medicines and drug-device combinations, facilitating patient access by providing a single integrated platform for sustained collaborative working between the developer, the regulator, the Health Technology Assessment bodies across the United Kingdom, the NHS, and patients.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Poland in countering Russian pressure.

We are taking coordinated action with allies to respond to the growing threat to Europe from Russian hybrid activity. This includes exposing the activities of the Russian Intelligence Services, expelling intelligence officers, and sanctioning individuals. We will continue to work at pace, including through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), to hold Russia accountable, to counter the threat posed by Putin's regime and to increase our resilience to Russian malign activity. As set out in the Prime Minister's joint statement with Prime Minister Tusk following his visit to Warsaw on 17 January, the UK and Poland co-operate closely on defence and security, including on the joint training of Ukrainian troops and the development of integrated air defence.There is currently a squadron from the UK deployed to Poland as part of the US-led NATO battle group. In addition to this, the UK is providing 4-6 Eurofighter Typhoon jets for Air Policing missions in Polish airspace and a new Polish-British Joint Programme Office in the UK will be established later this year to support greater defence industrial co-operation. The UK is also offering support to Poland's East Shield project to further strengthen its border through a number of infrastructure and security tasks.