Written questions by Byrne.

What estimate he has made of the number of A&E departments in England regularly treating patients in corridors; and what plans he has to end this practice.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment he has made of the implications for patient safety of A&E departments operating above 100% capacity; and what steps he is taking to address capacity issues at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.

The Government takes patient safety seriously, including when accident and emergency departments are under severe pressure.Patients are clinically triaged on arrival and monitored at appropriate intervals, with decisions led locally through clinical judgement and governance. Where corridor care is taking place and cannot be avoided, the National Health Service has published updated guidance to ensure this care is delivered safely, with senior clinical oversight, appropriate monitoring, and that dignity and privacy are maintained.More broadly, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework sets out clear action to improve urgent and emergency care performance year‑on‑year, including reducing long waits, improving patient flow, and ensuring that patients are treated in the right setting, the first time.At Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, pressures are being addressed through system‑wide actions, including investment in hospital‑based urgent treatment centres, improvements to reduce delayed discharges, and shifting care from hospital into communities.

What estimate his Department has made of the level of the tarrifs avoided on an annual basis as a result of the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal based on the following assumptions: (a) 100% tariffs removed on pharmaceuticals worth £6.6 billion; (b) a reduction in automotive tariffs from 25% to 10% applied to £9 billion of UK car exports, assuming full utilisation of the applicable quota; (c) 10% tariff removed on £2.2 billion of aerospace exports; and (d) 25% tariffs removed on £0.4 billion of steel and aluminium exports; using export values from the Office for National Statistics, and if not, what alternative assumptions and estimates the Department uses.

Negotiations on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal are ongoing. Discussions include tariff and non‑tariff barriers, digital and services trade, and sectors under section 232 investigation.We will keep the House fully informed on these developments along with the expected economic outcomes of any final agreement.Impact assessments are completed at the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement.

Pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2026 to question 106487, what the value is of tariff duties the UK has not incurred through the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal.

Through EPD negotiations, the UK has agreed preferential trading terms with the US in a range of sectors. This includes locking in a 10% “reciprocal” tariff, 0% for aerospace and pharmaceuticals, and 10% for cars within quota. The UK is also the only country to have avoided 50% steel and aluminium tariffs. Discussions continue on a wider UK-US Economic Deal which will look at addressing specific tariff and non-tariff barriers and increasing digital and services trade. We will keep the House fully informed on these developments along with the expected economic outcomes of the final deal. Impact assessments are completed at the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement.

What the increase in UK GDP will be from the upgraded UK-Republic of Korea agreement.

The upgraded UK-Republic of Korea (RoK) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) guarantees permanent tariff-free access to 98% of RoK’s lines, ensuring £2 billion of UK goods exports at risk of additional duties can continue to benefit from reduced tariffs. New services provisions could also help increase UK services exports by £400 million annually in the long term.Once the upgraded agreement is signed we will publish detailed analytical information, including trade impacts. As this is an upgraded FTA, we intend to use a New Quantitative Trade Model (NQTM) which will provide a more accurate overview of the upgraded FTA’s economic impact.

What the value is of tariff duties the UK has avoided on its goods exports through the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal and any related updates to this agreement.

UK goods exports to the US amounted to £63 billion in the 12 months to the end of September 2025.Thanks to the Economic Prosperity Deal, the UK has secured 0% tariffs for the aerospace sector, preferential 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium and cut automotive tariffs to 10% within quota, protecting industries that export tens of billions to the US. The UK has also secured 0% tariffs for the pharmaceutical sector.

What his Department expects the impact to be on UK GDP from an upgraded UK-Republic of Turkey agreement.

It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations; we are making strong progress with a fourth negotiation round scheduled next month.Turkey is an important trading partner for the UK, with bilateral trade worth £28 billion in the 12 months to September 2025, doubling in current prices over the past decade. The current agreement ensures tariff free trade on over 99% of goods but does not include any services provisions. This new deal will focus on the UK’s strengths in services, which account for 81% of GDP.Once an upgraded UK–Turkey FTA is signed we will publish detailed information, alongside an impact assessment, including trade impacts.

Innovation and Technology, whether the UK-US Technology Prosperity Deal has been suspended.

The United States is our close ally and tech partner, and we are committed to ensuring that bond delivers real benefits for hardworking people on both sides of the Atlantic.We look forward to resuming work on this partnership as quickly as we can to achieve that and working together to help shape the emerging technologies of the future.

Which (a) Department and (b) Minister have lead responsibility for the implementation of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal; and what (i) cross-government structures and (ii) processes are in place to coordinate its delivery.

The Department for Business and Trade has lead responsibility for implementation of the General Terms of the UK‑US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), which sits within my Trade Policy portfolio, with overall oversight from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.Delivery of the EPD draws on expertise from across government. Coordination is led by the Department for Business and Trade, using established official and ministerial channels, supported by the Cabinet Office.

When he plans to reply to the letter from the Rt hon. Member for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North of 3 December 2025, reference LB49226.

The Department aims to respond to correspondence within 15 working days. I apologise for the delay in responding and can confirm a response was issued on 20 January 2026.

When she plans to reply to my letter of the 4th of December 2025, reference LB46770,on the Birmingham pub bombings.

The Security Minister will reply in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Employment Savings Trust pilot scheme of autoenrollment savings accounts.

Payroll savings schemes allow employees to save directly from their salary and are a proven way of helping people start and maintain a savings habit. Research from the National Employment Savings Trust demonstrates that payroll savings can effectively help people to save, particularly where behavioural support is put in place.As part of the recently published Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government has worked with partners to provide the clarity employers need to offer payroll savings options to their workforce. The Government also announced an ambitious National Coalition of Employers, which will further encourage uptake of payroll savings schemes among employers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) support and (b) provide funding to the Pax Silica programme of the US Department of State.

The UK signed the Pax Silica Declaration in December 2025. The initiative is in its early stages, and no financial contribution has been made.

Communities and Local Government, further to his reply to parliamentary answer 97104 if he will set out his CDEL allocation in a table, programme by programme for each year for which budgets are available.

The detailed allocation of the Department’s Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) budget is currently being finalised as part of the annual business planning process. The allocations will be confirmed through the Main Supply Estimates which are usually presented to Parliament in Spring of the financial year to which they relate.

When she expects HS2 Limited to complete its review of the timetable for releasing land for redevelopment at the Washwood Heath rolling stock maintenance yard.

HS2 Ltd is undertaking a sprint project that aims to identify and unlock opportunities for early release of land currently held for HS2 between London and Birmingham, around its stations and the Washwood Heath depot hub, to support both regeneration and economic growth. This work is part of – and its timing is therefore linked to – the reset of the HS2 programme, and is due to be completed in early 2026.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

The Budget 2025 was announced on 26 November 2025 and table C.2 confirms our Spending Review settlement of £2.3bn for 2026-2027, £2.3bn for 2027-2028, £2.3bn for 2028-2029 and £2.0bn for 2029-2030.Of which we must spend the following split to complete the 14,000 prison place programme: £1.2bn for 2026-2027, £1.2bn for 2027-2028, £1,2bn for 2028-2029 and £1.14bn for 2029-2030. This is a total investment of £4.7bn over this period.All other areas of spend will be subject to future allocations discussions in the usual way.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

The 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed that the Department’s capital budgets will rise to £15.2 billion by the end of the 2025 Spending Review period, in 2029/30, to invest in the National Health Service and wider health infrastructure. The following table shows the planned Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits from 2024/25 to 2029/30:Outturn 2024/25 (£bn)Planned 2025/26 (£bn)Planned 2026/27 (£bn)Planned 2027/28 (£bn)Planned 2028/29 (£bn)Planned 2029/30 (£bn)£11.5£13.6£14.0£13.8£14.8£15.2 Funding allocations for national capital programmes for spend in the NHS across the 2025 Spending Review period are outlined in the NHS Capital Planning Guidance, for 2026/27 to 2029/30, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/capital-guidance-2026-27-to-2029-30/Business planning is conducted each financial year to ensure capital funding is allocated appropriately. Therefore, the allocations set out in the guidance represent indicative figures. The following table shows the allocations set out for the national programme, for estates safety, for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete work, and for constitutional standards and left shift, from 2025/26 to 2029/30:National programme2025/26 (£’000)2026/27 (£’000)2027/28 (£’000)2028/29 (£’000)2029/30 (£’000)Estates safety750,000750,000750,000750,000750,000Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete440,000432,000402,000391,000399,000Constitutional standards and left shift1,650,0001,873,5091,001,290950,500591,000 In addition, the 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed £300 million of additional capital investment in NHS technology, building on the investment of up to £10 billion of combined revenue and capital by 2028/29 announced at the 2025 Spending Review. We are also investing over £400 million for upgrades to primary care buildings and neighbourhood health centres over the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period.We remain committed to delivering all schemes within the New Hospital Programme, which will continue through the 2025 Spending Review period, with funding rising from £979 million in 2026/27 to £3 billion by 2029/30.Our plans fully allocate research and development funding, which is classified as capital, and for agreed national infrastructure and pandemic preparedness schemes.The Department does not routinely hold back unallocated capital but has an active role in managing the overall position throughout the year as pressures and underspends emerge as part of core financial management, to ensure capital funding is maximised to address strategic priorities and delivery for the taxpayer.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

The Departments capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) over the Spending Review is shown below:Financial Year£M2025-26*0.5002026-270.0502027-280.0502028-290.0502029-300.050 The Department does not have any capital programmes. The capital DEL is to cover the purchase of office equipment.*The 2025-26 Capital DEL includes £0.450m for a change in valuation of the Departments building leases resulting from a technical accounting adjustment in line with HM Treasury Consolidated Budgeting guidance.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

The Wales Office Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) over the Spending Review is shown below: Financial Year£Million2025/260.975*2026/270.0302027/280.0302028/290.030 The Department does not have capital programmes. The capital DEL is to cover the purchase of office equipment. *The 2025-26 Capital DEL includes £0.945m for a change in valuation of the Departments building leases resulting from a technical accounting adjustment to comply with HM Treasury Consolidated Budgeting guidance.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

The Cabinet Office’s Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits (CDEL) as set out in the 2025 budget are: £ billion (current prices)Plans 2025-26Plans 2026-27Plans 2027-28Plans 2028-29Plans 2029-30Cabinet Office0.50.60.50.30.2 All future years CDEL allocations are subject to business planning. Key capital projects funded during SR25 include reducing the government’s London office estate. As per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, the Department will identify around 5% of allocated DEL that could be reprioritised to fund unforeseen pressures.