Written questions by Patrick.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

We welcome the news that US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander will be released. We thank Qatar and Egypt for their support in bringing Edan out. We call on all parties to use this opportunity to re-engage with negotiations to ensure a lasting ceasefire is implemented, with the release of all hostages, and for Israel to allow the resumption of aid delivery for Palestinians in Gaza immediately. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement with his French and German opposite numbers last month urging all parties to return to a ceasefire and lift the block on aid.

How many civil penalties were issued for incidents of illegal working in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20, (c) 2020-21, (d) 2021-22, (e) 2022-23, (f) 2023-24 and (g) 2024-25; and what the total value of those penalties was.

Information on illegal working civil penalty statistics has been published since 2016 as part of the Home Office Immigration Transparency Data. This can be found at Immigration Enforcement data: Q4 2024 - GOV.UK on tab CPO2.The most recent published transparency data covers the period up to 31 December 2024.Please note the figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage which may be reduced, cancelled or increased at the objection or appeal stage.

How many (a) visits were made to premises where illegal working was suspected to be taking place and (b) arrests were made at those premises by immigration enforcement teams in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21, (iv) 2021-22, (v) 2022-23, (vi) 2023-24 and (viii) 2024-25.

The information requested is not currently available.Information relating to the number of illegal working visits is available in the Statistics relating to Illegal Migration - GOV.UK.Financial yearVolume of illegal working visits 2019/2062362020/215672021/2220692022/2342372023/246720Information relating to the volume of arrests for these periods is not currently available.Information relating to illegal working enforcement activity in 2024/25 will be published on Gov.uk in due course.

On how many days Border Force would have implemented a red rating for expected numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, and (c) 2023-24, if the existing methodology for implementing a red rating had been in place for the duration of those previous financial years.

The Home Office has interpreted the question to mean the periods 6 April – 5 April for the years quoted. The Met Office changed its assessment criteria for likelihood of crossings in May 2023. The following figures set out the numbers of days per financial year that would have been assessed as likely for crossings (so called ‘red days’) had the post-May 2023 definition been applied at that time.(a) 2021-22 – 164(b) 2022-23 – 159(c) 2023-24 – 108

On how many occasions a small boat was recorded as entering UK waters with more than (a) 50, (b) 60, (c) 70 and (d) 80 people on board in (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23, (iii) 2023-24 and (iv) 2024-25.

The Home Office has interpreted the question to mean boats carrying a) 51 – 60 people; b) 61 – 70 people, and so on. The Home Office does not record this information in terms of boats ‘entering UK waters’ but as numbers of people who arrived in the UK for each individual boat.51 - 6061 - 7071 - 8080+2021-223812262022-2324140412023-242011003142024-25 (to 27 Mar)16917610226

On how many days Border Force implemented a red rating for expected numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 financial years; and in the 2024-25 financial year to date.

The Home Office has interpreted the question to mean the periods 6 April – 5 April for the years quoted. The following reflect the numbers of days in each financial year where crossing attempts were considered likely given forecast weather and sea conditions.(a) 2021-22 – 109(b) 2022-23 – 104(c) 2023-24 – 102(d) 2024-27/03/2025 – 182

What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for clean energy projects in Wales.

This Government’s Contracts for Difference Scheme is supporting seven tidal, solar and onshore wind projects.Great British Energy’s partnership with The Crown Estate will support floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.And last week, in collaboration with the Welsh Government, we announced that Pembrokeshire will receive around £1 million under the Regional Skills Pilot to identify the skills needed to deliver Clean Power by 2030. Another example of the benefits of two Labour governments delivering for people in Wales.

What steps she is taking to (a) ensure victim-survivors of domestic abuse can access split payments for Universal Credit and (b) minimise the risk that applying for a split payments could alert perpetrators to a victim-survivors concerns.

Split payments are considered in exceptional circumstances to provide support to vulnerable families and children from facing financial issues that could arise from a range of circumstances, particularly where one partner in the relationship may have substance abuse issues which increase risks to other members of the family unit. Whilst this can include domestic abuse, we do not believe they are particularly well-suited to such circumstances as a matter of course, but they may be used with the consent of customers. Where split payments are being considered, risks are mitigated to the fullest extent possible to allow the Alternative Payment Arrangement to be implemented.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce barriers to and (b) promote trade with countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

My Department leads cross-Government efforts to identify and resolve market access barriers in order to unlock opportunities for UK business and drive UK growth. In sectors and markets across the region we have trade promotion teams and programmes to support UK businesses that wish to export or expand into Africa.In addition, the UK has one of the most generous preferential trade policy offers to sub-Saharan African countries. We provide preferential trade access to over 45 sub-Saharan African countries via our world-leading Developing Countries Trading Scheme and development-focused Economic Partnership Agreements. These focus on strengthening exports to the UK, promoting two-way trade and economic growth.

What steps his Department is taking to remove barriers to trade with the EU.

The Department is working with the European Union and Members States to break down trade barriers. As part of this agenda, we need effective ongoing dialogue with both British businesses and the European Union. As part of this, later today, Minister Thomas and I are hosting a roundtable to gather views from businesses on how the UK-EU trading relationship can be improved. My officials are also engaging with businesses to understand the barriers they face and how this Government can support then to grow and export to the European Union.