Written questions by Harding.

If he will make an assessment of the reasons for which the number of Crown Court sitting days has been below the maximum operational capacity forecast by HM Courts and Tribunals Service since September 2024.

Operational capacity in the criminal courts does not refer solely to judicial sitting days. Consideration of court capacity necessarily includes consideration of capacity in terms of numbers of advocates, defence and prosecution, legal advisors and other court staff of which there is a finite supply. To fund additional sitting days, the Lord Chancellor needed to be confident that the extra days were both deliverable and affordable.The Crown Court is currently sitting the most sitting days since records began. The previous Lord Chancellor had already funded a significant increase over previous years’ allocations for this year. Having assessed regional delivery performance and confidence across criminal justice partners required for delivery, and considered the Department’s broader financial position, the Lord Chancellor chose to fund a further 1,250 Crown Court sitting days, taking the total to a record 111,250 this financial year.The additional sitting days will be distributed to areas of the country able to support higher sitting levels and will enable the courts to sit at record levels this year, meaning more trials will be able to be heard. New courts and prison projections which include the assumed 111,250 days will be published in December.Whilst the Crown Court sitting days allocation is at a record level, it is not even higher due to capacity constraints and the Department’s wider financial position. This means while we are prioritising Crown Court funding we also have to consider the capacity not just of HMCTS, but the capacity and cost of the judges, lawyers, prosecutors, legal aid and defence barristers that underpin the rest of the system. We do not hold data for the number of cases not heard each month as a result of the cap on sitting days. We consider capacity across the year and have adjusted sitting day levels accordingly, as detailed below.The Lord Chancellor and his officials engage regularly with the Treasury on court resourcing and funding. This increase in sitting days reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring the Crown Court has the resources it needs to deliver timely justice. This year we have secured record investment in the courts system – up to £450 million by the end of the Spending Review period.While extra sitting days will help to tackle delays in our courts, only major reform will address the crisis in our courts. That is why the previous Lord Chancellor commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to lead an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, to propose bold and ambitious reforms to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swifter justice for victims.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to deliver the full financial value of the UK’s 2021 Nutrition for Growth pledge.

Since 2010, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reported on its nutrition-related spend across our Official Development Assistance (ODA). The latest available report captures data up to 2023 and shows that FCDO dispersed over 40 per cent of our 2021 Nutrition for Growth spend pledge during the first two years. FCDO Ministers have decided to move away from a spend focused target and instead focus on a more meaningful results target to better demonstrate the impact achieved through our programme and policy efforts to improve nutrition.FCDO officials are currently working on proposals for a nutrition results target and will share more information on this in due course with the aim to report on nutrition results from 2026. Whilst we will no longer be reporting spend against the 2021 spend target, we do intend to continue to share our nutrition spend data as part of our established accountability mechanisms.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the breakdown of financial (a) commitments and (b) disbursements in relation to the UK’s 2021 Nutrition for Growth pledge to spend at least £1.5 billion on nutrition objectives from 2022-2030 to date.

Since 2010, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reported on its nutrition-related spend across our Official Development Assistance (ODA). The latest available report captures data up to 2023 and shows that FCDO dispersed over 40 per cent of our 2021 Nutrition for Growth spend pledge during the first two years. FCDO Ministers have decided to move away from a spend focused target and instead focus on a more meaningful results target to better demonstrate the impact achieved through our programme and policy efforts to improve nutrition.FCDO officials are currently working on proposals for a nutrition results target and will share more information on this in due course with the aim to report on nutrition results from 2026. Whilst we will no longer be reporting spend against the 2021 spend target, we do intend to continue to share our nutrition spend data as part of our established accountability mechanisms.

Whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the provision of funding to increase the number of Crown Court sitting days.

Operational capacity in the criminal courts does not refer solely to judicial sitting days. Consideration of court capacity necessarily includes consideration of capacity in terms of numbers of advocates, defence and prosecution, legal advisors and other court staff of which there is a finite supply. To fund additional sitting days, the Lord Chancellor needed to be confident that the extra days were both deliverable and affordable.The Crown Court is currently sitting the most sitting days since records began. The previous Lord Chancellor had already funded a significant increase over previous years’ allocations for this year. Having assessed regional delivery performance and confidence across criminal justice partners required for delivery, and considered the Department’s broader financial position, the Lord Chancellor chose to fund a further 1,250 Crown Court sitting days, taking the total to a record 111,250 this financial year.The additional sitting days will be distributed to areas of the country able to support higher sitting levels and will enable the courts to sit at record levels this year, meaning more trials will be able to be heard. New courts and prison projections which include the assumed 111,250 days will be published in December.Whilst the Crown Court sitting days allocation is at a record level, it is not even higher due to capacity constraints and the Department’s wider financial position. This means while we are prioritising Crown Court funding we also have to consider the capacity not just of HMCTS, but the capacity and cost of the judges, lawyers, prosecutors, legal aid and defence barristers that underpin the rest of the system. We do not hold data for the number of cases not heard each month as a result of the cap on sitting days. We consider capacity across the year and have adjusted sitting day levels accordingly, as detailed below.The Lord Chancellor and his officials engage regularly with the Treasury on court resourcing and funding. This increase in sitting days reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring the Crown Court has the resources it needs to deliver timely justice. This year we have secured record investment in the courts system – up to £450 million by the end of the Spending Review period.While extra sitting days will help to tackle delays in our courts, only major reform will address the crisis in our courts. That is why the previous Lord Chancellor commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to lead an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, to propose bold and ambitious reforms to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swifter justice for victims.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to address the conflict in Sudan through the Integrated Security Fund.

Through the Integrated Security Fund, we are providing over £500,000 of funding to projects focused on conflict and security dynamics which support our diplomatic and humanitarian response. In addition, we have also committed £120 million of new funding this financial year to reach over 650,000 people with food, cash, water, sanitation and nutrition support. This is in addition to £235 million allocated in 2024-2025. In May, the Minister of State for International Development announced a further £36 million for Sudanese refugees in Chad to mitigate the regional burden of the displacement crisis. We continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues to press the parties into a permanent ceasefire, allow unrestricted humanitarian access, protect civilians, and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process. This includes our role as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council and leader of the core group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council.

How much funding he has allocated to the Women Peace and Security Agenda through the Integrated Security Fund for (a) 2025-26, (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29.

The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) supports UK National Security and as part of that delivers on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in support of UK’s WPS National Action Plan. All projects funded through the ISF consider how their work can benefit gender and social inclusion. ISF projects use marker tools such as the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) indicators to ensure that gender issues are considered from the design stage. In 2025-26 the Fund has a dedicated allocation for gender and national security work. Funding allocations for 2025/26 are due to be published in the autumn alongside the ISF Annual Report 2024/25 and allocations for future financial years will be announced in due course.

Whether the Women, Peace and Security Agenda remains a fund-level outcome for the UK Integrated Security Fund.

Supporting women and girls is a priority for this Government. The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) supports UK National Security and as a part of that delivers on Women, Peace and Security through the UK National Action Plan. The ISF addresses gender and national security threats, both domestically and internationally across the breadth of its work. All ISF programmes consider the impact of gender on their work alongside dedicated projects.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the priorities of her Department with respect to international development have altered since the Government reshuffle.

The Government's current priorities for international development remain the same as set out by the Minister for Development in her letters to the International Development Committee, the latest of which can be found here: [committees.parliament.uk/publications/48991/documents/257473/default/]

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a capital investment programme to support the renovation of local arts centres.

We are working closely with the sector to understand the needs of arts centres, which are integral to communities up and down the country. Through sector engagement, as well as the recent Arup and Future Arts Centres report, Evaluating Capital Investment Needs for Arts Centres in the UK, we are aware that arts centres are facing significant challenges with their estates. The £85 million Creative Foundations Fund (CFF), launched by this government earlier this year, is supporting arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates, including essential renovations and repairs. An important part of this government’s growth mission, this fund aims to strengthen the long-term economic viability of the creative and cultural industries. Arts centres that met the criteria were eligible to apply for the fund, and Arts Council England have notified all those that submitted Expressions of Interest of who is being taken forward to the full application stage. The Arts Council will notify all applicants of the outcome of their full application and commit all funding by 31 March 2026. Whilst we do not have any plans to launch a capital investment programme specifically for arts centres, we were able to secure significant investment at the Spending Review for Arts, Culture and Heritage infrastructure. The Spending Review sets out DCMS’s high-level funding settlement and we will share further details in due course.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support (a) renovations and (b) repairs to local arts centres.

We are working closely with the sector to understand the needs of arts centres, which are integral to communities up and down the country. Through sector engagement, as well as the recent Arup and Future Arts Centres report, Evaluating Capital Investment Needs for Arts Centres in the UK, we are aware that arts centres are facing significant challenges with their estates. The £85 million Creative Foundations Fund (CFF), launched by this government earlier this year, is supporting arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates, including essential renovations and repairs. An important part of this government’s growth mission, this fund aims to strengthen the long-term economic viability of the creative and cultural industries. Arts centres that met the criteria were eligible to apply for the fund, and Arts Council England have notified all those that submitted Expressions of Interest of who is being taken forward to the full application stage. The Arts Council will notify all applicants of the outcome of their full application and commit all funding by 31 March 2026. Whilst we do not have any plans to launch a capital investment programme specifically for arts centres, we were able to secure significant investment at the Spending Review for Arts, Culture and Heritage infrastructure. The Spending Review sets out DCMS’s high-level funding settlement and we will share further details in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding available in September for Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan.

The UK is third largest humanitarian donor to the crisis in Sudan. We recognise the vital role played by Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and Mutual Aid Groups (MAGs) in delivering life-saving assistance across hard-to-reach areas of the country. As one of the most generous donors to the UN's 'Sudan Humanitarian Fund' (SHF), which supports ERRs and other local responders, UK support is reaching front-line Sudanese responders. We are also providing assistance to MAGs via an allocation to the NGOs Mercy Corps. As a member of the SHF Advisory Board we have worked with the UN to increase their proportion of funding to local responders from $13.6 million in 2023 to $57.5 million in 2025. We are now in the final stages of concluding funding agreements with two Sudanese organisations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with international counterparts on compliance with international humanitarian law in relation to access of Gazan civilians to water.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 6 August to Question 67532.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the cholera response in Sudan.

The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak with more than 100,000 cases and 2,500 deaths since July 2024. More than 33.5 million people are at risk across all 18 states. The UK Government is working with a range of international partners delivering lifesaving emergency health interventions, including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. In addition, through a 'match funding' arrangement we have recently partnered with the State of Kuwait to deliver an additional £3.75 million to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), supplementing UK resources already allocated to combat the outbreak. We continue to urge the warring parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms.

At the April London Sudan Conference, the Foreign Secretary announced £120 million for this financial year, which will deliver life-saving services to more than 650,000 people. A portion of this uplift provides support to local responders both through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, which supports the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), and the Mercy Corps-led Cash Consortium for Sudan which provides direct cash assistance to Mutual Aid Groups and ERRs on the ground.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent conflict gold from entering UK supply chains.

The illicit gold trade fuels corruption and conflict, undermining the rule of law and entrenching human rights abuses such as child labour. Russia uses the illicit gold trade to launder money and evade sanctions, in doing so bolstering Putin's war efforts. The UK has sanctioned Russian gold and targeted illicit gold networks abroad, including through further sanctions in December 2024. The UK works with the London Bullion Market Association and World Gold Council to support responsible sourcing of gold and to build resilience to illicit gold flows. The London Bullion Market Association implements the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) industry-leading Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas to ensure proper risk identification and mitigation for conflict gold.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Swiss counterparts on preventing the international trade in conflict gold illicitly mined in Africa.

Switzerland is crucial to tackling the illicit gold trade as it is a key global gold refining centre, home to the largest gold refiners in the world, and one of the global leaders in implementing multilateral gold standards. The Foreign Secretary has engaged closely with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on tackling illicit financial flows and corruption globally, and will hold further discussions to develop areas for strengthened collaboration and partnership.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to regulate the use of conflict minerals in UK supply chains.

The UK is committed to promoting responsible business practice to reduce and prevent human rights abuses. We work through a number of international mechanisms, including supporting the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains. This enables business to continue to operate responsibly from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. The UK's new Critical Minerals Strategy will be published this summer and will help secure the supply of critical minerals that are vital for the UK's economic growth and clean energy transition, including tin, tantalum and tungsten, whilst promoting responsible and transparent supply chains.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 55860 on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services, whether he has a new target date for publication of that plan.

The myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, final delivery plan will be published shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

What discussions he has had with menstrual product manufacturers on the adequacy of levels of glyphosate in menstrual products.

My officials engage regularly with a number of industry bodies, including the Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association who represent the UK disposable nappy, adult continence care and period product industries. Subject to Royal Assent of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, the Government will consult on a range of issues, including the safety of period products, to ensure that any changes to the regulatory framework are robust and consistent. As part of this, we are considering further research and testing in this area to complement the consultation, as well as engaging with other interested Government Departments in reviewing any evidence and agreeing a way forward following consultation.

If he will take steps to introduce a maximum limit on levels of glyphosate in menstrual products.

Most period products are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which requires all products to be safe and for consumers to be provided with information on the potential risks of a product.Officials are currently reviewing the evidence base concerning the safety of period products, from which any evidence gaps will be identified, and appropriate expert evidence or further research sought. Where appropriate the Department will seek to work with other interested Government Departments, including those with responsibility for the regulation of glyphosate.