Written questions by Turner.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science's report entitled Assessing the sustainability of fisheries catch limits negotiated by the UK for 2024, published 10 April 2024.

As an independent coastal State, the UK sets total allowable catches (TACs) each year for many fish stocks through negotiations with other coastal States. UK positions in those negotiations are informed by the best available scientific advice, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on achieving the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for many stocks. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) conducts annually a robust assessment of the sustainability outcomes of our negotiations, including the number of TACs which have been set in line with the scientific advice. In those negotiations, the UK seeks to balance the fisheries objectives set out in the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement. We strive for outcomes that achieve greater environmental sustainability, including aiming to increase over the medium term the total number of stocks fished at MSY. Defra will publish in early 2025 the Cefas assessment of the sustainability outcomes of the TACs negotiated by the UK this autumn.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2024 to Question 10062 on Animal Welfare: Fireworks, what form of engagement the Government plans to undertake with charities on its review of existing policy.

To inform any future decisions on fireworks policy I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities shortly after the fireworks season to gather evidence on the issues and impacts with fireworks. Officials regularly meet and correspond with charities to listen to and understand their views. The Government has recently launched an awareness campaign on the Gov.uk and are working closely with some animal and veteran charities to help amplify their campaign messages.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of The Mandatory Use of Close Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (England) Regulations 2018.

Published in June 2023, the Post Implementation Review of The Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (England) Regulations 2018 confirmed that the legislation has met its objectives of improving animal welfare and providing assurance that slaughterhouses are operating to high welfare standards.

On what date her Department provided proposals to Highways England for the Road Investment Strategy 2.

The Department for Transport published the Draft second Road Investment Strategy on 29 October 2018, setting out the Governments objectives and funding available for RIS2, to allow National Highways (then Highways England) to prepare its Draft Strategic Business Plan. The final Road Investment Strategy 2 was published on 11 March 2020, on which the company based its detailed Delivery Plan.

With reference to paragraph 35 of the minutes of the Office of Rail and Roads Board meeting of 25 June 2024, when National Highways plans to publish the Delivery Plan Update for 2024/25.

National Highways intend the publish the Delivery Plan Update for 2024/25 later this year.

With reference to the report by the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills entitled Workplace Employment Relations Study, published on 23 January 2013, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning a new workplace employment relations study.

There are currently no plans to undertake a new Workplace Employee Relations Study (WERS). The survey methodology is challenging to replicate as it relies on sampling via the employer which is harder to obtain due to increased privacy concerns in recent years. WERS was co-sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Acas, the Economic and Social Research Council, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. The Department undertook the Management and Wellbeing Practices Survey in 2018/19 which provides evidence on employment relations and management practices in British workplaces.

With reference to item 12 of the minutes of the Office of Rail and Road's Board meeting of 25 June 2024, if she will publish (a) the Office of Rail and Road's case to answer letter and (b) the National Highways reply that are referenced in that item.

The Office of Rail and Road published the conclusions to its investigation, including these two letters, on its website on 24 July 2024. Link to (a) the Office of Rail and Road’s case to answer letter:https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-07/2024-05-22-orr-case-to-answer-letter-to-nh.pdf. Link to (b) National Highways reply:https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-07/2024-06-05-nh-response-to-orr-investigation-letter.pdf.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the humanitarian situation in the north of Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable. The Foreign Secretary's statement to Parliament underlined our serious concern about northern Gaza. On 16th October I visited Al-Arish and saw the scale of humanitarian aid denied entry into Gaza, Israel can and must do more to ensure aid flows freely into Gaza. Very little aid is being allowed in, and civilians, medical personnel, hospitals and healthcare centres are coming under fire at an unacceptable rate. Israel must do much more to protect civilians, including the medics northern Gaza desperately needs, and let more aid in now. The Prime Minister met with President Biden, Chancellor Scholz, and President Macron in Berlin on 18 October to discuss the situation in northern Gaza and the Middle East more broadly. He made our position clear: "the world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. Civilians in northern Gaza need food, now." We continue, alongside our partners, to press Israel to take action - Israel must show the world it is protecting civilians in compliance with international humanitarian law.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2024 to Question 3680 on Mental Health Services: Lincolnshire, if he will provide this information for each constituency in Birmingham.

The following table shows the number of Mental Health Support Teams across the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB), broken down by the year in which they became operational, or are planned to become operational: Number of teamsTotal operational teamsYear the team became operational2019/20112020/21122021/22 22022/23 22023/24810Year the team is planned to become operational2024/25 n/a2025/266n/aSource: NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board.The ICB has advised that each team covers a cluster of schools in a broadly geographic area, but these are not defined on a parliamentary constituency or ward basis.

Communities and Local Government, whether local government commissioners appointed by her Department are classified as civil servants.

No, they are not classified as Civil Servants.

Whether her Department provided National Highways the proposals for Road Investment Strategy 3 required under clause 2 of Schedule 2 of the Infrastructure Act 2015 before 4 July 2024.

No.

What estimate she has made of the number of uninsured vehicles; and how many vehicles were seized for unpaid insurance in each year since 2015.

My department has not made an estimate of the number of uninsured vehicles. We also do not hold the numbers of vehicles seized for unpaid insurance.

How many temporary speed restrictions there were on the national rail network on15 March in each year since 2017.

Network Rail data in the attached table shows that the following temporary and emergency speed restrictions were in place in Rail Period 13 (March) since 2017.

What the (a) central and (b) total public expenditure was on cycling per head by region in 2023-24.

The Department does not hold data detailing public expenditure on cycling per head by region. Details of Active Travel England expenditure on walking and cycling combined by region for 2023/24 is contained in the table below. This expenditure is in addition to a range of wider funds detailed in the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2) which collectively totals over £3 billion. RegionTotal 23-24Total per headEast Midlands£6,469,180£1.33East of England£10,023,340£1.58North East£9,695,666£3.66North West£16,117,470£2.17South East£21,228,834£2.29South West£8,005,394£1.40West Midlands£15,332,363£2.58Yorkshire and The Humber£15,860,482£2.89Total£102,732,729

With reference to her Department's dataset titled Proportion of adults that cycle, by frequency, purpose and local authority: England, published on 28 August 2024, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the estimated decline in the percentage of people who cycle at least once per month between 2016 and 2023.

Data from 2021 and 2022 coincided with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions which severely reduced people’s movements and travel patterns, across all transport modes, including cycling across England. This can be seen to have a major impact on the statistics during this period and play a major role in the falls recorded. The Department will consider all active travel data as we continue to shape our long-term vision for cycling and walking across England. Cycling and walking are cheap, green and healthy ways to get around, and we will work alongside local authorities to ensure everyone can access the benefits of active travel routes and travel how they choose.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October to Question 9121, on Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination, when he expects to receive further advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the potential merits of extending eligibility for that vaccine to people who turned 80 before 01 September 2024.

In the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) statement summarising the advice for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme, the committee stated that an extension to the initial programme would be considered when there is more certainty about protection provided by the vaccination in the very elderly, and evidence of the real-world impact of the programme in the 75 up to 80-year-old cohort.The JCVI will continue to keep its advice under review and any potential changes to its advice for the RSV programme, and the timing for it, will be guided by having the necessary scientific evidence with which to do so. The JCVI has continued to review the RSV programme, including at their main meeting on 2 October 2024, but is currently unable to provide an estimate of when suitable evidence will be available to inform future advice. Any potential forthcoming advice on the potential merits of extending eligibility for the RSV programme for older adults will be carefully considered by the Government.

What support she is providing to mayoral combined authorities for bus franchising schemes.

The Government have committed to giving mayoral combined authorities long term devolved funding settlements.We recognise that success in delivering franchising will be dependent on the delivery capacity and capability of local authorities. The Department is working with mayoral combined authorities who are in the process of franchising their bus networks to understand how the process could be improved and to provide a tailored programme of support that reflects their needs and priorities.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled PM redirects HS2 funding to revolutionise transport across the North and Midlands, published of 04 October 2023, what is the estimated cost to the public purse of cancelling Phase 2 of HS2 by (a) year and (b) heading.

The Department is currently assessing the cost of cancelling Phase 2 of the HS2 project, working with HS2 Ltd and its supply chain to inform this assessment. As at the end of March 2024, £2.3bn had been spent on Phase 2.

How many planned station upgrades under Network Rail's Access for All scheme were (a) cancelled and (b) deferred during Control Period 6 in each region.

Under the previous government, changes were made to the Control Period 6 Access for All (AfA) programme at the following stations:Queens Park (London) and Battersea Park (London) - AfA funding was withdrawnPeckham Rye (London) - scope was incorporated into a wider station enhancement projectShotton (Wales) – project deferred to Control Period 7 with the agreement of Transport for Wales

Whether the Rail Delivery Group plans to publish board minutes for the period between March 2021 and March 2024.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is a private organisation that brings together passenger and freight train operators, as well as Network Rail. As such, it is for the RDG to decide whether to publicly publish its board minutes for the period between March 2021 and March 2024.