Written questions by Pritchard.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to announce the reopening of the UK’s embassy in Syria.

We are keeping the re-establishment of a permanent presence in Damascus under review. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff, including our UK Special Representative for Syria, undertake regular visits to Damascus.

What steps he is taking to diversify supplies of (a) gallium and (b) germanium as part of the UK’s defence industrial strategy.

The Department recognises China’s influence in global critical mineral supply chains and the potential implications of China's export regulations on these chains, particularly concerning the use of germanium and gallium in the defence sector. The Department is collaborating closely with Industry, the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office and NATO to consistently assess supply chain risks and strategies for mitigation, including diversification of supply chains.

If he will allow members of His Majesty's armed forces to access salary sacrifice schemes for car (a) leasing and (b) purchases.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to introduce salary sacrifice schemes for members of the Armed Forces. However, the MOD continually reviews the overall offer to Service personnel with the aim of making it as attractive as possible, supporting maximum levels of recruitment and retention within available resources.

If he will end his Department's pension payments to any former defence personnel who have served in any branch of the UK armed forces and who have fought alongside (a) Russian Federation military personnel and (b) Russian proxies in (i) Ukraine, (ii) North Africa and (iii) Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Armed Forces Pension Schemes allow for the forfeit of an individual’s pension entitlements where certain conditions are met. The conditions largely concern circumstances where the member has been convicted of a serious criminal offence. This power provides assurance that those who commit grave and serious crimes, connected with their service, that bring His Majesty’s Armed Forces into disrepute or cause grave injury to the interests of defence or the State, do not receive public funds in the form of an Armed Forces pension. Pension forfeiture is rare and requires consideration by the Secretary of State or the Defence Council.The Ministry of Defence cannot comment on individual cases but further information on the general conditions under which forfeiture may be applied and the procedure to be followed when enacting forfeiture can be found at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ef14e35b6524100bf21ad6/Armed_Forces_Pension_Schemes_Pension_Forfeiture_Policy.pdf.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the US-UK trade deal on the food (a) manufacturing and (b) processing sector in Shropshire.

In 2024, food and drink trade between the West Midlands and the US was worth £68 million.We concluded a landmark economic deal with the US on 8 May. This deal will protect thousands of jobs, protect key British industries, and help drive economic growth.Due to the nature of the deal, negotiations will continue on a range of areas and benefits will be felt over time.We will continue to act in Britain’s national interest including for workers, businesses and families in Shropshire.

If he will prioritise (a) research into, (b) diagnosis of and (c) treatment of pancreatic cancer in the new National Cancer Plan.

The National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including patients with pancreatic cancer.NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms, and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.The plan will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

What plans his Department has to improve survival rates for pancreatic cancer.

Improving survival rates for all cancers, including pancreatic cancer, is a priority for the Government. As the first step to ensuring faster diagnosis and treatment, we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at high-risk to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will aim to ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bring this country’s cancer survival rates, including for those with pancreatic cancer, back up to the standards of the best in the world.

If he will support Integrated Care Boards to offer community ear wax removal services.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local populations. This includes the arrangement of services for ear wax removal. When ICBs exercise their functions, including commissioning healthcare services such as ear wax removal, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.Guidance for general practitioners (GPs) on ear wax removal is provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.

If she will publish details on an annual basis of the number of animals which are bred for, but not used in, scientific procedures in Britain each year.

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred for, but not used in, scientific procedures.

Whether he plans to introduce a civilian home guard as part of the armed forces reserve capabilities.

I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way. Home Defence resilience is one of the key themes from the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) Report released on 2 Jun 2025. The Ministry of Defence will now work with other relevant Government Departments to consider the implementation of the recommendations within the SDR, which includes Home Defence and Critical National Infrastructure. The potential role of Armed Forces Reserves capabilities will be considered as part of this.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has plans to expand the use of satellite technology to improve rural mobile phone (a) connectivity and (b) coverage.

Satellite connectivity can complement the coverage provided by terrestrial mobile networks. Mobile network operators have already for example, used satellite services to provide backhaul to some Shared Rural Network sites where it is challenging to provide traditional fibre or microwave backhaul, and to increase network resilience. Many modern handsets already have text-based emergency satellite connectivity.Ofcom recently consulted on proposals to authorise Direct to Device satellite services in certain mobile spectrum bands in the UK. These proposals could enable people to make satellite calls from their mobile phones, which may extend coverage to the most remote areas. This consultation is an important step towards enabling these services.

What steps he is taking to improve opportunities in public procurement for SMEs in (a) the defence sector and (b) other sectors in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, as well as the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Social Value policies. The MOD has also announced the launch of an SME Support Centre to provide SMEs with better access to the defence supply chain and has committed to set direct SME spending targets, ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK, including those in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, will benefit from the decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. The new National Procurement Policy Statement requires contracting authorities to maximise their spend with SMEs and VCSEs, ensuring thousands of businesses across the country have greater opportunities to win public contracts. This approach actively drives local economic growth, creates jobs and fosters innovation in places right across the country including in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

When her Department will publish the response to the consultation entitled Non-domestic private rented sector minimum energy efficiency standards: EPC B implementation, published on 17 March 2021; and whether the response will include proposals for new targets to be introduced by 2030.

We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. We plan to publish a response to the consultation as early as possible this year.

If he will take steps to introduce new safety protocols for solar battery storage sites.

The Government has committed to consult in June 2025 on including battery storage sites within scope of the Environmental Permitting Regulations.We are continuing to work closely with the industry-led Electricity Storage Health and Safety Governance Group, to ensure that a robust health and safety framework for batteries is sustained.

If he will bring forward the date by which the UK will spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on Defence.

The Government has made a clear commitment for defence spending to reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027. This is a fully funded increase, the details of which were set out in the Spring Statement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of water consumption by data storage centres on (a) consumer and (b) agricultural water supplies.

Datacentre water consumption varies considerably based on their size and cooling method. There is currently no requirement for data centres to report on their water consumption, so an accurate assessment of their impact on water supplies to consumers and agriculture is difficult. We are working with datacentres and their trade associations to understand their impact and identify opportunities to improve reporting and water efficiencies in their design.

If she will make it her policy to encourage communities to purchase public houses through the tax system.

The government recognises the important role that pubs play in supporting high streets and local communities. At the Autumn Budget the Chancellor introduced a range of measures that support pubs. These included doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities will either gain or will see no change this year. The Chancellor also cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%. We intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality & leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values under £500,000, including those on the high street, from April 2026. During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL businesses will receive a 40 per cent relief on their business rates up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and the tax multiplier applied to small properties will be frozen. RHL relief was due to end entirely in April 2025. By extending it, the Government has saved the average pub, with a ratable value of £16,800, over £3,300. There are no current plans to introduce a tax measure to support communities purchasing public houses, but the Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review. Any changes to the tax system are announced as part of the annual Budget process.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to investigate the number of fires caused by self-installed solar panels on residential properties.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs). This data includes the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available on gov.uk here.Data collected through the Incident Recording System (IRS) does not include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved solar panels, nor their installation method.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the change in the level of employers National Insurance contributions on the revenue budget of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

On 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue.These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities including Shropshire receiving an increase in core spending power of £69 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.In 2025/26, Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority will have core spending power of £29.4 million; an increase of 2.1 per cent on 2024/25.

If she will introduce a tax-free annual bonus to help improve recruitment and retention of special police constables.

As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are committed to increasing the number of special constables across England and Wales.To support this commitment, we are exploring a range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of special constables. This includes considering how we can better incentivise the role, recognise their service, and ensure they feel supported and valued.