Written questions by Brickell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when will her department plans to publish the Economic Diplomacy Review.

The findings from this and other reviews were used to inform the strategy for the department's FCDO2030 reform programme, as set out in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's published annual report.

What recourse to action patients who have had scheduled operations cancelled by Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, citing funding pauses, have in order to secure the surgeries they need at the earliest opportunity.

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Since this Government came into office, the waiting list for routine appointments, operations and procedures in England has been cut by 225,852. This is despite 28.4 million referrals onto the waiting list.Integrated care boards (ICBs) have existing contractual powers to manage activity by providers, which were enhanced in 2025/26 with central support for setting and managing activity. Commissioners’ use of these powers support systems to live within their means and to deploy better financial discipline than previous years where systems have overspent.We expect use of activity management provisions by local systems to support efforts in achieving the goal of at least 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2026 whilst living within financial budgets set for 2025/26.All trusts are expected to have their own safeguards to ensure that patients waiting for planned care are triaged, and that appointments take place according to clinical priority and the length of time patients have waited, avoiding risk of serious complications. Patients have the right to request their local ICB find an alternative provider when they have been waiting, or expect to wait, over 18 weeks to begin treatment for consultant-led care.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to commence secondary legislation for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

The government has already made significant progress when it comes to commencing provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024: On 24 July 2024, we brought into force provisions relating to rentcharge arrears, building safety legal costs and the work of professional insolvency practitioners.On 31 October 2024, we brought into force further building safety measures.On 31 January 2025, we commenced provisions to remove the two-year qualifying rule in relation to enfranchisement and lease extensions.On 3 March 2025, the right to manage provisions (expanding access, reforming its costs, and voting rights) came into force. The government recognises the considerable financial strain that rising service charges place on leaseholders and tenants. The level of service charge that leaseholders pay depends on many factors, including the terms of a lease and the age and condition of a building. By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Overcharging through service charges is completely unacceptable. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. On 4 July 2025, the government published a consultation, jointly with the Welsh Government, on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. The consultation included proposals to increase transparency over service charges and enhance access to redress through the relevant provisions in the Act. It also proposed new reforms the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. It closed on 26 September 2025, and we are analysing responses with a view to bringing the relevant measures into force as quickly as possible. On 18 December 2025, the government launched a consultation on proposals to implement the Act’s new consumer protections for homeowners living on freehold estates. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 12 March 2026. We will look to bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. The Act also sets the method for calculating the price of a statutory lease extension or freehold acquisition, known as the valuation process. It removes the requirement for marriage value to be paid, caps the treatment of ground rents in the valuation calculation at 0.1% of the freehold value, and allows government to prescribe the rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium. Valuation rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium will be set by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation. We will consult on valuation rates and commence the relevant provisions as soon as possible. As per my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), primary legislation will be required to rectify a small number of specific flaws in the 2024 Act before the Act’s enfranchisement provisions are commenced.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to cap ground rents for leasehold properties.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 99005 on 5 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on publishing the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 102833 on 12 January 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has to establish a public health task force to review the incorporation of public health better into the legislative framework for water.

The Independent Water Commission was tasked with producing recommendations to fundamentally transform how our water system works and delivered its final report on 21 July 2025. The Government is considering recommendations, including those on public health to ensure environmental improvement and public health risks are better managed in the water system. The Government will respond in full via a White Paper, and a new water reform bill will be introduced during this Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of reforms to food labelling to reflect production method.

The Government's animal welfare strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and is available here on GOV.UK. As set out in the strategy, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, we will continue working with relevant stakeholders, including the farming and food industry, scientists and NGOs to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare.

What assurances his Department can provide that NHS letters will continue to be prioritised for delivery by the Royal Mail over Christmas period.

The government recognises the importance of timely delivery of NHS letters. Royal Mail has introduced an NHS barcode to assist NHS units that continue to rely on post to communicate with patients. In addition, NHS England and NHS Providers have produced guidance for NHS organisations, including a case study, to increase awareness and uptake of the variety of Royal Mail services for the timely delivery of letters.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates revaluation and changes to the level of rates relief on high street pubs, bars and restaurants in Bolton West.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.Without our support, the pub sector as a whole would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support we’ve put in place, this has fallen to just 4%. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.The National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities, including those in the hospitality sector, will either gain or see no change this year. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside changes to employer NICs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to publish the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council Communiqué.

The communique from the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council has been published on gov.uk. The link is at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-and-overseas-territories-joint-ministerial-council-2025-communique.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help promote sustainable palm oil labelling.

The UK maintains high standards on information provided on food labels and packaging so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy and is committed to supporting the sustainable production, trade, and use of palm oil. Palm oil sustainability labelling is voluntary but when provided it must be accurate and not mislead. Third party assurance schemes help to provide UK consumers and businesses with information about the food they buy such as food provenance and sustainability, including certification schemes linked to information on sustainable palm oil origin. Whilst these operate independently of Government, we continue to support their activities toward delivering shared policy goals. The Food Standards Agency maintains close contact with these organisations and monitors whether communications and claims made by them are accurate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports of the harassment of civil society leaders in Georgia.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 July 2025 to Question 66922.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the merits of sanctioning additional Georgian elites accused of corruption with significant financial holdings in the UK.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 July 2025 to Question 66922.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports that the Government of Georgia is fostering closer ties with the Government of Iran.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 July 2025 to Question 66922.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate (a) supply and (b) distribution of the flu vaccine this winter.

NHS England is in regular contact with the vaccine manufacturers to discuss the available supply and can confirm that stock is still available for community pharmacies and general practices to order. Sufficient volumes of flu vaccine have been delivered to be able to vaccinate all eligible groups of people.Initial orders are placed well before the start of the campaign, but supplies continue to be available throughout the season to be ordered as required. Manufacturers have confirmed that they have flu vaccine available and in stock, should sites want to order additional stock.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that businesses in Georgia are not used for third-country evasion of sanctions against Russia.

On 27 June 2025, the Government issued new UK sanctions guidance for non-UK businesses in several countries, including Georgia, to support compliance with UK sanctions and raise awareness of relevant national laws. This built on the extensive diplomatic engagement and technical assistance we have provided in priority jurisdictions to address circumvention risks.

If she will provide an overview of how the Financial Conduct Authority has spent the £173.5 million fines imposed on firms for breaches of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 since 2017.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not spend the revenue it collects from fines. The FCA is required to pass revenue from fines it imposes by the FCA to the Treasury. The Treasury must surrender it to the Consolidated Fund and it is then part of the Government’s total revenues, used to pay for all Government spending on public services. The FCA is permitted to deduct an amount equal to the costs of its enforcement activity from penalty receipts. The money retained for this purpose must be used for the benefit of regulated firms: the FCA achieves this through the Financial Penalty Scheme, which provides a rebate for relevant firms, reducing the fee that they must pay to the FCA in a given year. Under the Scheme, the firms on which any penalty was imposed in a financial year will not receive any rebate to their fees in the following financial year. The FCA’s 2025 Fees and Levies Policy Statement sets out that it reduced the total fees payable to meet its annual funding requirement by applying the £71.6m using the financial penalty revenues it retained from 2024-25. Further information about how this is distributed among FCA-regulated firms can be found on the FCA’s website.

What the total value of fines imposed by anti-money laundering supervisors in response to money laundering breaches that were (a) retained by supervisors and (b) remitted to the Exchequer for financial years 2023-2024 and 2024-25.

Anti-money laundering supervisors retain a portion of the fines they issue to cover their enforcement costs, with the remainder being remitted to the consolidated fund. Information on the total value of fines remitted to the consolidated fund, including those by anti-money laundering supervisors, can be found in HM Treasury’s annual report and accounts. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025 Information on the total value of fines issued by anti-money laundering supervisors for 2023-24 can be found in HM Treasury’s annual supervision report. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-money-laundering-and-countering-the-financing-of-terrorism-supervision-report-2023-24 The 2024-25 version of this report is due to be published later this year. Each anti-money laundering supervisor also publishes an annual report on their accounts, including a breakdown of the fines they have issued.

How much accrued to the Exchequer from money recovered by public bodies using powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 through unspent asset recovery incentivisation scheme receipts in financial year 2024-25.

Individual public bodies participating in the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme are responsible for record-keeping of any unspent funds returned to the Consolidated Fund. As such, HM Treasury does not collate this information.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the 3 fines worth £289 million imposed in the financial year 2024/2025 by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 in response to money laundering breaches were (a) retained by the FCA and (b) applied for the benefit of FCA regulated firms under the Financial Penalty Scheme.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not spend the revenue it collects from fines. The FCA is required to pass revenue from fines it imposes by the FCA to the Treasury. The Treasury must surrender it to the Consolidated Fund and it is then part of the Government’s total revenues, used to pay for all Government spending on public services. The FCA is permitted to deduct an amount equal to the costs of its enforcement activity from penalty receipts. The money retained for this purpose must be used for the benefit of regulated firms: the FCA achieves this through the Financial Penalty Scheme, which provides a rebate for relevant firms, reducing the fee that they must pay to the FCA in a given year. Under the Scheme, the firms on which any penalty was imposed in a financial year will not receive any rebate to their fees in the following financial year. The FCA’s 2025 Fees and Levies Policy Statement sets out that it reduced the total fees payable to meet its annual funding requirement by applying the £71.6m using the financial penalty revenues it retained from 2024-25. Further information about how this is distributed among FCA-regulated firms can be found on the FCA’s website.