Written questions by McDonnell.

With reference to the judgment in Clifford v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2025] EWHC 53 (Comm), for what reason she proceeded with the case.

The Courts have found the previous government failed to explain their proposals adequately. We felt, on balance that the consultation that was under challenge had provided people with sufficient information and time to respond intelligently to the proposals. However, we have accepted the judgment and do not intend to appeal. As part of wider reforms that help people into work and ensure fiscal sustainability, the government will re-consult on WCA descriptor changes, addressing the shortcomings in the previous consultation, in light of the judgment. The government intends to deliver the full level of savings in the public finance forecasts.

What the cost to the public purse was of the legal fees incurred in the judicial review of the work capability assessment consultation.

Judgment was handed down in the Work Capability Assessment (WCA): Activities and Descriptors consultation Judicial Review on 16 January 2025. DWP’s litigation costs between 1 November 2023 and 21 January 2025 were £211,345.42. DWP has been ordered to pay the Claimant’s reasonable costs of the claim. The DWP will endeavour to agree those reasonable costs with the Claimant following the standard legal process where necessary. The DWP has been ordered to pay £254,458.63 as a payment on account of the Claimant’s costs representing 60% of an estimate of the costs she has incurred in bringing this claim.

If he will include an expansion of (a) radiology and (b) oncology speciality training places in the next iteration of the Long Term Workforce Plan.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including radiologists and oncologists, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. We will set out next steps in due course.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS trusts to develop long-term plans for the (a) cancer and (b) diagnostic workforce including (i) training and (ii) consultant posts.

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this.In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

What plans his Department has to increase speciality training places in (a) radiology and (b) oncology.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including radiologists and oncologists, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. We will set out next steps in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of recruitment freezes in the NHS diagnostics workforce on plans to ensure same day scan results in Community Diagnostic Centres.

We are aware of cases where trusts have put recruitment restrictions in place for diagnostic services. How systems and trusts resource plan internally within their budgets is a matter for local discretion, and as such we will not be taking action at a national level.The National Health Service is committed to maintaining timely and high-quality diagnostic services, including delivering same-day scan results in Community Diagnostic Centres wherever possible.As set in the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, we will introduce more straight-to-test pathways, deliver the optimal standards of tests per hour, and make better use of technology, including by upgrading the NHS app. These initiatives intend to drive efficiencies within diagnostic pathways and support patients to be tested more quickly, using existing capacity.Investment in recent years has also enabled the NHS to grow the diagnostics workforce. This includes an increase in the number of specialty training places for key roles, such as radiologists, radiographers, and other diagnostic professionals, alongside initiatives to improve retention and reduce reliance on outsourcing.This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan, to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

With reference to the update to Non-structural tax relief statistics, published on 5 December 2024, if she will provide an annual breakdown of the relief from Corporation Tax received by qualifying shipowners in the Tonnage Tax between 2000-01 and 2023-24; and if she will make an estimate of Corporation Tax relief from Tonnage Tax in the 2024-25 tax year.

Tonnage Tax is an advantageous corporation tax regime for shipping companies. It was introduced in 2000 to improve the competitiveness of the UK’s shipping industry. As set out on GOV.UK, the Government forecasts that the cost of the regime in 2024-25 will be £185m: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs. However, this assumes that shipping companies would remain in the UK without a globally competitive UK Tonnage Tax regime; in its absence, there is a significant risk that shipping companies could leave the UK to join tonnage tax regimes in other countries, so this amount of revenue would not be collected. The UK would also not benefit from shipping companies (i) strategically and commercially managing their vessels in the UK and (ii) fulfilling the regime’s cadet training commitment. Annual cost figures dating back to 2000 are not available As with all taxes, the Government keeps Tonnage Tax under review. Phase 2 of the Spending Review will set departmental budgets for the rest of this Parliament – from 2026-27 until 2028-29 for day-to-day spending and 2029-30 for capital spending. Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK

Whether she plans to discuss the Tonnage Tax scheme with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) shipowners and (c) maritime trade unions as part of the current Spending Review.

Tonnage Tax is an advantageous corporation tax regime for shipping companies. It was introduced in 2000 to improve the competitiveness of the UK’s shipping industry. As set out on GOV.UK, the Government forecasts that the cost of the regime in 2024-25 will be £185m: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs. However, this assumes that shipping companies would remain in the UK without a globally competitive UK Tonnage Tax regime; in its absence, there is a significant risk that shipping companies could leave the UK to join tonnage tax regimes in other countries, so this amount of revenue would not be collected. The UK would also not benefit from shipping companies (i) strategically and commercially managing their vessels in the UK and (ii) fulfilling the regime’s cadet training commitment. Annual cost figures dating back to 2000 are not available As with all taxes, the Government keeps Tonnage Tax under review. Phase 2 of the Spending Review will set departmental budgets for the rest of this Parliament – from 2026-27 until 2028-29 for day-to-day spending and 2029-30 for capital spending. Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the British Film Institute on the potential impact on Black (a) communities and (b) audiences of the position of Education/Film Programmer, Adult Community.

No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the British Film Institute on a race equality impact assessment for the position of Education/Film Programmer, Adult Community.

No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the British Film Institute on the potential adverse impacts on equality grounds of the position of Education/Film Programmer, Adult Community.

No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to help ensure that the children of the families of boat dwellers without a permanent mooring are able to reasonably achieve daily access to education without the risk of (a) their boat licence being shortened or withdrawn for remaining too close to one place in term time, (b) seizure of their boat by the Canal and River Trust and (c) similar enforcement action by other navigation authorities.

Navigation authorities are responsible for operational matters on their waterways, and that boaters using navigable waterways are required to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users. The Canal and River Trust has provided assurances that appropriate enforcement action on its waterways is only used as a last resort in response to persistent non-compliance, to ensure fairness to all boaters. Those with children who choose to live on a boat without a permanent mooring are responsible for ensuring they have access to education; the Trust provides reasonable adjustments for anyone who qualifies under the Equalities & Human Rights Act.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the British Film Institute on public sector duties under the Equality Act 2010.

No.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the British Film Institute on the position of Education/Film Programmer, Adult Community.

No, ministers have not had any such discussions with the BFI. Staffing decisions within the BFI are operational matters for the organisation, which is responsible for ensuring its compliance with relevant equality legislation and its own equality, diversity and inclusion commitments. Likewise, matters relating to audience engagement and programming are the responsibility of the BFI.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) the Transport Infrastructure Planning Unit has had recent discussions with the Canal and River Trust on a proposal for (i) an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 and (ii) other legislative proposals on the operation of inland waterways.

Defra officials meet regularly with Canal and River Trust senior management to discuss a range of issues. The Trust has recently announced the formation of an independent Commission to review the legal framework around boat licensing so that it reflects the changes in use of the network over the past 30 years, within which potential legislative reforms and/or operational changes to the Trust’s boat licensing activities may be considered. The review will take place in 2025 and will inform any decision by the Trust to pursue a potential Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992.

Whether algorithm driven risk scoring is being used in the process of selecting Universal Credit claimants for a Targeted Case Review.

Algorithm driven risk scoring is not used when selecting cases for a Targeted Case Review.

How many targeted case reviews her Department expects to have carried by the end of 2024.

Since the start of Targeted Case Review, the Department expects to have completed around 815,000 Universal Credit claim reviews by the end of December 2024. Figure is rounded to the nearest 5000.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent boat dwellers without a permanent mooring from (a) having their homes seized and (b) being financially penalised in enforcement action by (i) the Canal and River Trust and (ii) other navigation authorities.

All navigation authorities in England and Wales are responsible for operational matters on their waterways, including setting fees and charges for those using them and the use of corresponding enforcement powers, under the relevant statutory provisions. The Government does not have a role in that but recognises that boaters using navigable waterways require a valid licence from the relevant navigation authority and are expected to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users. The Government is assured that appropriate enforcement action is only used as a last resort in response to persistent non-compliance, to ensure fairness to all boaters who do comply. We also understand that the Canal and River Trust provides a variety of support routes to boaters experiencing difficulties with licence fees or compliance with navigation requirements.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14622 on Alaa Abd El-Fattah, whether the Prime Minister made representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah at the G20 summit in November 2024.

The UK Government remains committed to securing the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. We continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government. The Prime Minister did not raise the case with President Sisi at the G20 summit. The Prime Minister last raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August 2024. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 25 November.

What equality impact assessment has been made of the proposed changes to Border Force rosters at Manchester Airport from 1 April 2025.

Manchester Airport Group are investing £1.3 Billion in infrastructure transformation at Manchester Airport. During 2025, the Airport will transition from being a three-terminal operation to two terminals, and forecast passenger growth of 22% over the next two years.As a consequence, Border Force have to reshape their operating model in line with the infrastructure changes. In addition, Border Force at Manchester Airport have seen the introduction of new rosters on an annual basis over several years.The ambition is that all staff will be able to work the new roster. Anyone with a contractual workplace adjustment who is unable to work the roster will be given tailored individual support to secure suitable alternative roles.The programme team have undertaken regular engagement with PCS and will continue to do so.