Written questions by Reynolds.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to Sri Lanka beyond the initial humanitarian assistance announced in response to Cyclone Ditwah.

The level of UK humanitarian assistance provided in response to a natural disaster will be based on a number of factors, including the vulnerability of the affected population, capacity of the affected country's government to respond, the number of people affected or in need, and contributions from other donors towards the crisis.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many responses his Department has received from (a) refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry representatives, (b) small and medium-sized enterprises and (c) trade associations representing environmental technology businesses to the F Gas Regulation consultation.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed reforms to the GB hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown. The consultation remains open, and the Department is carefully considering all responses received from a wide range of stakeholders, including industry representatives, small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations and other interested parties.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department uses to determine the level of UK humanitarian assistance in response to natural disasters in developing countries.

The level of UK humanitarian assistance provided in response to a natural disaster will be based on a number of factors, including the vulnerability of the affected population, capacity of the affected country's government to respond, the number of people affected or in need, and contributions from other donors towards the crisis.

Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative estimate her Department has made of the cost to consumers of (a) the proposed SESRO reservoir and (b) a Severn-to-Thames water transfer pipeline.

Water Resource Management Plans, which are approved by regulators, ensure that the strategic options pursued by water companies provide the best value for customers. Expenditure on infrastructure and customer bills are also controlled by Ofwat to minimise costs to billpayers. Defra are working to minimise bill impacts of any strategic resource option through the Water Delivery Taskforce, which brings together regulators and water companies to find cost-effective solutions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the proposed timeline between January 2027 and December 2029 in the F Gas Regulation consultation for the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sector to implement the safety measures required for the transition to alternative refrigerants with flammability or toxicity characteristics.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed reforms to the GB hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown. The consultation remains open, and the Department is carefully considering all responses received from a wide range of stakeholders, including industry representatives, small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations and other interested parties.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much UK humanitarian assistance was provided to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025.

The level of UK humanitarian assistance provided in response to a natural disaster will be based on a number of factors, including the vulnerability of the affected population, capacity of the affected country's government to respond, the number of people affected or in need, and contributions from other donors towards the crisis.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of a hybrid phasedown scenario that would maintain the existing phasedown schedule until 2030 before transitioning to the Medium Ambition Scenario, compared to the High Ambition Scenario proposed in the F Gas Regulation consultation.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed reforms to the GB hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown. The consultation remains open, and the Department is carefully considering all responses received from a wide range of stakeholders, including industry representatives, small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations and other interested parties.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the overseas development assistance budget was allocated to rapid disaster response in developing countries in 2024-25.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 November in response to Question 92339.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed SESRO reservoir on the environment of the Thames Valley.

Assessments to understand the potential impacts of SESRO have been developed by Thames Water, working with environmental regulators, as part of the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated planning process ahead of formal planning stages. For SESRO to proceed it will need to obtain a Development Consent Order as well as environmental permits. Through the Development Consent Order process, a full environmental impact assessment will be required to understand all environmental impacts from the scheme and to identify mitigation needed to protect the environment through both construction and operational phases. The Environment Agency (EA), along with other environmental regulators, is a statutory consultee for the process. Environmental assessments will also be required for any permits needed for the scheme, for which the EA is a regulator.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to include mandatory training and certification requirements for refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump technicians handling alternative refrigerants as part of the proposed reforms to the F Gas Regulation phasedown schedule.

The Government is currently consulting on proposed reforms to the GB hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown. The consultation remains open, and the Department is carefully considering all responses received from a wide range of stakeholders, including industry representatives, small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations and other interested parties.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered alternative water supply schemes to the proposed SESRO reservoir in the Thames Valley.

The need for SESRO has been determined through statutory Water Resources Management Plans which are developed by water companies to show how they will manage supply and demand for the next 25 years. Water company plans adopted the outputs of the Regional Plan developed by Water Resources South East Water which appraised over 2400 options to meet water demand in the region. This included reservoirs, transfers, recycling schemes, new and redeveloped sources. All available options were compared through best value modelling, and SESRO was selected as a preferred option for the southeast and included in Thames Water’s Water Resources Management Plan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the (a) World Bank, (b) International Monetary Fund and (c) Asian Development Bank on financial support for Sri Lanka's post-Cyclone Ditwah recovery.

The level of UK humanitarian assistance provided in response to a natural disaster will be based on a number of factors, including the vulnerability of the affected population, capacity of the affected country's government to respond, the number of people affected or in need, and contributions from other donors towards the crisis.

What steps he is taking to prevent sudden cardiac deaths in people aged 35 and under.

To reduce the risks of sudden cardiac death, NHS England has published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions which includes services for young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease. NHS England is currently reviewing this service specification and is working with a broad range of stakeholders as part of the review.

How many people have been deprived of their British citizenship in each year since 2020; and how many of those (a) were born British citizens, (b) became stateless as a result, and (c) had their citizenship restored following an appeal.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of citizenship deprivation orders. These reports are available on Gov.UK as part of the HMG Counter-Terrorism Disruptive Powers reports and the Immigration and Protection transparency dataHowever, the full information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

What advice his Department has received on whether changes to the inflation indexation methodology of the Feed-in Tariff scheme would constitute a material change to the contractual terms agreed with scheme participants.

The Feed-In Tariff scheme does not involve individual contracts between generators and government. Accredited generators may have entered into contracts with their energy suppliers in relation to their FIT payments, but their entitlement to those payments arises from legislation and the standard conditions of the electricity supply licence. Any changes to the indexation methodology would follow the statutory process for changing those conditions.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the process for assigning judges to cases involving legal challenges to Government decisions.

Under section 7(2)(c) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice is responsible for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the deployment of the judiciary and the allocation of work within courts. Accordingly, the Government has no role in the process for assigning judges to cases.This is consistent with the important principle of judicial independence, which shields judges from external pressures and gives the public confidence that cases will be decided fairly and in accordance with the law.

What the average processing time is for enhanced DBS checks in the care sector in each of the last twelve months; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce the time taken in the police checking stage of DBS applications.

The DBS does not report its performance by specific job sectors. The DBS publishes its performance for Enhanced checks on a quarterly basis at DBS performance and metrics - GOV.UK. These attainments apply to applications across all employment sectors including the care sector.The DBS works closely with all police forces to ensure checks are completed as quickly as possible. This includes funding additional staff and overtime within forces. Where possible, police forces with capacity are also helping those with a large number of outstanding cases, a process managed by the DBS.

How many enhanced DBS check applications for care sector roles have exceeded 60 days at the police checking stage in each of the last six months; and whether the Government plans to provide additional resources to police forces experiencing significant backlogs in DBS processing.

The DBS does not report its performance by specific job sectors. The DBS publishes its performance for Enhanced checks on a quarterly basis at DBS performance and metrics - GOV.UK. These attainments apply to applications across all employment sectors including the care sector.The DBS works closely with all police forces to ensure checks are completed as quickly as possible. This includes funding additional staff and overtime within forces. Where possible, police forces with capacity are also helping those with a large number of outstanding cases, a process managed by the DBS.

Whether she plans to change the minimum income requirement and English language proficiency level for applicants under the BN(O) visa scheme.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.There are no plans to change the requirements of the BN(O) visa route for those applying for entry clearance or permission to stay.As set out in the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, BN(O) visa holders will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements which include meeting level B2 in English language and having paid at least three years of National Insurance contributions.We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation. In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that broadband infrastructure providers complete full fibre rollout in areas where initial deployment was incomplete; and what steps she is taking to ensure that residents in those areas have access to adequate broadband connectivity.

We are committed to ensuring 99% of premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032. We will continue to work in partnership with industry to deliver the fibre rollout and will maintain a stable pro-competition regulatory environment to encourage private investment.However, where network operators choose to deploy their services in commercially viable areas is a commercial matter, and the government will not intervene in private business decisions.Through Project Gigabit, we are addressing gaps in coverage by delivering gigabit-capable connections to premises not included in suppliers’ plans. As of the end of September 2025, over 1.3 million premises in hard-to-reach communities across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.Alongside this, over one million further premises have been included within contracts to provide access to gigabit-capable broadband, with funding of over £2.4 billion through Project Gigabit.