Written questions by Osamor.

Whether his Department plans to regulate the provision of injections of (a) dermal fillers and (b) weight-loss medications.

The majority of the medicines that can be used for weight management, including injectable medicines containing liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, are prescription only medicines. They cannot be advertised, including through social media, to the general public or supplied without a valid prescription. The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMR) tightly regulate the manufacture, sale, and supply of such products.Through its dedicated Criminal Enforcement Unit, the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) works with partners to enforce the HMR and to disrupt the illegal trade in weight loss and other medicines. Selling or supplying weight loss medicines without a prescription is a criminal offence, and the MHRA takes robust and proportionate enforcement action where non-compliance is identified, including prosecution where appropriate.The Government is currently exploring what steps may need to be taken regarding the safety of the cosmetics sector, including in relation to the provision of dermal filler and weight loss injections for cosmetic purposes. The Government will set out its position at the earliest opportunity.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the taper rate for housing benefit on young people in supported housing.

The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. Notwithstanding these positive outcomes from work, the Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit and will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of maternity pay for mothers of (a) twins and (b) other multiples.

Maternity pay is primarily a health and safety provisions for pregnant working women. It is not intended to replace a woman's earnings completely, rather it provides a measure of financial security to help pregnant working women take time off work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth. We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work. Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance rates are reviewed annually and were raised again by 6.7% in April from £172.48 to £184.03. Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance are not paid in respect of each child but in respect of each pregnancy. The qualifying conditions for both are generally based on a woman's recent employment and earnings. They are not intended to assist with the costs associated with the birth of a new child or children.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Defense for Children International - Palestine entitled Targeting childhood, Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank, published on 9 September 2024.

The UK is deeply worried by the situation in the West Bank. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. The allegations in this report are deeply disturbing. Israel has a right to self-defence in line with international law, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties, including children. Israel must respect the rights and vulnerabilities of children. We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, take greater action to hold violent settlers to account and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions. The UK has sanctioned eight people and two groups responsible for perpetrating and inciting human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help ensure that social media companies provide adequate support to customers who are the subject of hacking and fraud.

As fraud offences are ‘priority offences’ under the Online Safety Act (OSA), all user-to-user services in scope must prevent illegal fraudulent content from appearing on their platforms and swiftly remove if it does. They must also effectively mitigate the risk of their service being used to facilitate fraud.The OSA also requires in-scope platforms to provide accessible complaints and appeals procedures for their users. Additionally, those services over the designated threshold (Category 1 services) must uphold their terms of service.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Gingerbread’s report entitled They are sanctioning the children, published on 16 September 2024.

The Child Poverty Taskforce will explore how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including by listening to stakeholders on potential changes, before publishing a strategy in Spring 2025. Additionally, the Government is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.