Written questions by Campbell-Savours.

Whether he has considered supporting businesses with the cost of energy following recent increases in its cost.

Through our Clean Power 2030 mission we are accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown electricity to shield end-users from the volatility of fossil fuel prices and to deliver reliable, affordable energy to every part of the UK economy. We are already taking action to expand the British industry supercharger from April to reduce costs for the most energy-intensive businesses, and a significant proportion of businesses are on fixed-term contracts that shield them from market volatility for the contract duration. However, we recognise that at the point of contracting, businesses are exposed to international fossil fuel markets, and clearly, for both businesses and consumers, much will depend on the length of this crisis. Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government is absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Saudi counterpart on (a) freedom of expression, (b) the cases of arbitrarily detained journalists and (c) the recently reported arrest and detention of Mohamed El-Sayed.

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Ahmed al-Doush.

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her officials are having discussions with their counterparts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about the protection of the rights of migrant workers employed in preparation for the World Cup 2034.

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled UK-Saudi investment creates 100 new British jobs, published on 3 September 2025, how many new jobs have been created.

This answer is provided at a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East region more generally, is facing material challenges given the ongoing regional conflict.Given that the press release names specific companies, it is for those companies to update as to the current situation and would be commercially sensitive and inappropriate for us to do so.The two main job-creating Saudi companies mentioned, Alfanar and International Investment Gate, are however well-known to the British Embassy in Riyadh and the Office for Investment. Their UK ambitions are in line with our Modern Industrial Strategy and, I understand, are progressing well.

With reference to the Memorandum of Understanding concluded with the Saudi Public Investment Fund on 28 October 2025, how much UK Export Finance has spent on promoting UK companies' engagement in the Saudi market.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) does not have a marketing budget specifically related to promoting UK businesses’ engagement in the Saudi or other individual markets.Details of UKEF’s overall expenditure on marketing for the current financial year will be included in the department’s annual report and accounts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Saudi Arabian counterpart on the risk of execution of men convicted of alleged crimes committed as minors, such as Youssef al-Manasif, Jawad Abdullah Qureiris and Hassan Zaki al-Faraj.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of executions in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

What proportion of Crown Court convictions and sentences in the most recent year for which data is available were appealed to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).

The Ministry of Justice does not hold the information required to calculate the proportion of Crown Court convictions and sentences that were appealed to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).

How many appeals to the Court of Appeal originating from the Crown Court in the most recent year for which data is available were (a) allowed, (b) dismissed, or (c) withdrawn.

Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals that were allowed and dismissed. Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) outcomes for appeals originating from the crown courts and data on the proportion of appeals against crown court decisions were successful can be found in the following official publication:Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.

What proportion of decisions made in magistrates’ courts in the most recent year for which data is available were appealed to the Crown Court, by way of case stated, or by judicial review.

Data on appeals to the Crown Court from magistrates’ courts are published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics quarterly release in table C11. Data is split into appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence with breakdowns provided for those ‘Allowed’ (the same definition as successful) / ‘Dismissed’ and ‘Abandoned or otherwise disposed’. There is no breakdown specifically available for ‘Withdrawn’.Figures are also provided for the proportion of appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence that were successful (“Allowed”): ccsq_accessible_publication_tables_2025Q3.ods.Appeals by way of case stated and Judicial reviews are heard in the High Court with some of these originating from the Crown and magistrates’ courts. Published statistics on the annual volume of judicial reviews can be found in Table 2.5: Civil justice statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

How many appeals to the Crown Court originating from magistrates’ courts in the most recent year for which data is available were (a) allowed, (b) dismissed, or (c) withdrawn.

Data on appeals to the Crown Court from magistrates’ courts are published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics quarterly release in table C11. Data is split into appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence with breakdowns provided for those ‘Allowed’ (the same definition as successful) / ‘Dismissed’ and ‘Abandoned or otherwise disposed’. There is no breakdown specifically available for ‘Withdrawn’.Figures are also provided for the proportion of appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence that were successful (“Allowed”): ccsq_accessible_publication_tables_2025Q3.ods.Appeals by way of case stated and Judicial reviews are heard in the High Court with some of these originating from the Crown and magistrates’ courts. Published statistics on the annual volume of judicial reviews can be found in Table 2.5: Civil justice statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

How many and what proportion of appeals to the Crown Court originating from magistrates’ courts were successful in the most recent year for which data is available.

Data on appeals to the Crown Court from magistrates’ courts are published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics quarterly release in table C11. Data is split into appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence with breakdowns provided for those ‘Allowed’ (the same definition as successful) / ‘Dismissed’ and ‘Abandoned or otherwise disposed’. There is no breakdown specifically available for ‘Withdrawn’.Figures are also provided for the proportion of appeals against the verdict and appeals against the sentence that were successful (“Allowed”): ccsq_accessible_publication_tables_2025Q3.ods.Appeals by way of case stated and Judicial reviews are heard in the High Court with some of these originating from the Crown and magistrates’ courts. Published statistics on the annual volume of judicial reviews can be found in Table 2.5: Civil justice statistics quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

What proportion of appeals to the Court of Appeal originating from the Crown Court were successful in the most recent year for which data is available.

Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals that were allowed and dismissed. Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) outcomes for appeals originating from the crown courts and data on the proportion of appeals against crown court decisions were successful can be found in the following official publication:Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.

What proportion of appeals against county court decisions in the most recent year for which data is available were successful.

Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals.In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) recorded the outcomes for appeals originating from the county courts that were allowed and dismissed. This along with data on the proportion of appeals against county court decisions that were successful can be found in the following official publication: Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.

How many and what proportion of decisions made in the county courts were appealed to the High Court or Court of Appeal in the most recent year for which data is available.

Data on the number of decisions made in the county courts and the proportion appealed to the Court of Appeal can be found in the following official publications: Royal_Courts_of_Justice_Annual_Tables_2024.ods.High Court data is not broken down by source court, therefore the number of appeals originating from county courts cannot be determined.

How many appeals originating from the county courts were (a) allowed, (b) dismissed or (c) withdrawn in the most recent year for which data is available.

Official statistics published by Ministry of Justice provide figures for appeals.In the most recent year for which data is available (2024), the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) recorded the outcomes for appeals originating from the county courts that were allowed and dismissed. This along with data on the proportion of appeals against county court decisions that were successful can be found in the following official publication: Royal Courts of Justice and Judicial Sitting Days Annual Tables - 2024.Withdrawn cases are not separately recorded in the published dataset.

What the current waiting times are for Access to Work applications.

For details on the average processing time for Access to Work grant applications from April to June 2025, please refer to the answer I gave on 3 July 2025 to Question UIN 63906. We are committed to reducing waiting times for new applications and have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims. Applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

What progress he has made on the rollout of identity verification for Companies House via the Post Office and Authorised Corporate Service Provider routes.

The 12-month transition period commenced on 18 November 2025. More than 1.4 million people have already completed the first phase of identity verification through GOV.UK One Login. 47,867 people started their journey online and selected the Post Office option. Only 40,639 people went on to attend a Post Office to verify their identity.Approximately 220,000 people have verified their identity though an Authorised Company Service Provider (ACSP). Over 15,000 ACSPs have been registered and a list of 392 consenting ACSPs has been published to support the public in identifying and obtaining ACSP services.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of pension schemes that have an exposure to freehold properties; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the implementation timetable for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 on the value of those schemes.

An Impact Assessment (IA) was published in December 2023 for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. It can be found here.An addendum to that IA was published on 14 April 2025 which can be found here.