Written questions by Gill.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of bilateral programme funding had a gender equality policy marker in the last two years for which information is available; and what proportion of that funding had gender equality as a (a) principal and (b) significant objective.

Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022 and 2023. This data indicates that in 2022, 58% of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal), with (1) 45% marked as Significant and (2) 13% marked as Principal. In 2023, 66% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes had a focus on gender equality, with (1) 53% marked Significant and (2) 13% marked as Principal. The FCDO remains committed to ensure at least 80% of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030. Due to an internal systems issue that excluded markers for a number of programmes, data submitted to the OECD Development Assistance Committee by the FCDO published in December 2024 was incorrect. This issue has now been resolved; data has now been corrected and an update published by the OECD.

What proportion of funding from the UK Infrastructure Bank went to female-led (a) projects and (b) businesses in the last 10 years.

The National Wealth Fund does not record the gender of the leadership teams of the projects and businesses, in which it invests. The National Wealth Fund makes investment decisions in line with its investment principles, which can be found on its website. The UK Infrastructure Bank operated from 2021-24.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote (a) internet freedom and (b) access to information to advocate freedom of religion internationally.

The UK is committed to media freedom, and advocating freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). The UK is a member of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a partnership of 41 governments, co-ordinating diplomatic efforts and engaging with civil society and private sectors to support Internet freedom. We co-chaired the FOC's Task Force on Internet Shutdowns for the past two years. We also co-hosted the International Day for Universal Access to Information with UNESCO, in 2023. Internet freedom and access to information are important enablers of democracy and human rights, including the right to FoRB. We continue to promote FoRB internationally, by coordinating with partners at fora such as the UN, and bilaterally through our diplomatic network.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve women's health.

I would like to thank my Hon. Friend for her continued interest in women’s health.Women’s health is a priority for this government, and we are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy.Work continues to improve health outcomes for women, for example through the £25 million women’s health hubs pilot, and recent extension of the Baby Loss Certificate Service to all historic losses.

How many workers aged above 16 years old are paid within 50p of the (a) National Minimum Wage and (b) National Living Wage in (i) Birmingham and (ii) the West Midlands.

The Low Pay Commission publishes a report that provides a coverage of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) each year, shortly before the rates are updated in April. The report provides a Local Authority and Regional breakdown of NMW and NLW coverage, including those paid below or within 5p of the applicable rate. Data on those who are within 50p of the rates is not provided as part of the report.

What estimate he has made of the number of workers that will benefit from the increase to the (a) National Minimum Wage and (b) National Living Wage in Birmingham.

In total, over 3 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in April 2025. We will also publish an Impact Assessment alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. The Impact Assessment will provide a regional and country breakdown on the number of workers benefitting from an increase.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help promote freedom of religious belief for (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities in Nigeria.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all in Nigeria, and beyond. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. We work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and bilaterally in Nigeria. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to FoRB. In June, we delivered a speech at the UNSC to promote FoRB and highlight our work to tackle intercommunal violence in Nigeria. At the latest UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership dialogue in February 2024, we reaffirmed our commitment to working with Nigeria to respond to the shared threat of terrorism.

What estimate he has made of the number of (a) hospitalisations and (b) deaths from people using nitazenes in Birmingham; and what steps he is taking to reduce these numbers.

The number of hospital admissions in Birmingham due to the use of nitazenes is not collected.On 3 October 2024, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) published the research report, Deaths linked to potent synthetic opioids, providing information on deaths due to potent synthetic opioids that have been recorded by OHID and the National Crime Agency as of 19 September 2024 and which occurred between 1 June 2023 and 31 May 2024 after toxicology tests were completed. This report presents the data broken down into regions and shows that the number of deaths due to nitazenes in the West Midlands region were 21. We are continuing to work closely with other government departments to enhance surveillance and early warning in response to the threat of synthetic opioids. The report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-linked-to-potent-synthetic-opioids/deaths-linked-to-potent-synthetic-opioidsAny death from illicit drug use is a tragedy, and it is clear that more needs to be done to prevent this from happening. The department is working to expand access to naloxone, a life-saving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, including synthetic opioids. The Government laid legislation covering the United Kingdom on 29 July 2024, which, subject to passage through Parliament, will enable more services and organisations to provide take-home supplies of naloxone without a prescription. These changes will make it easier for naloxone to be given to a family member or friend of a person who is known to be using opiates, and to professionals working with people who use these drugs, to save lives in the event of an overdose.To improve surveillance, OHID has been working with partners in Government to create a new, enhanced Drugs Early Warning System. This collates information from a wider range of sources, including for example ambulance callout data, and will produce regular reports for local areas on current threats. Information on the dangers of synthetic opioids and the dangers they pose is available from the helpline and website (talktofrank.com) provided by FRANK, the national drug information and advice service supported by government. Education on drug use is also a statutory component of relationships and sex education and health education in England. Lesson plans target primary and secondary students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. These plans, and resources to support teachers, are in the process of being updated, including with information on synthetic drugs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Yemen on the restriction of religious or belief for Bahai's in that country.

We actively track the treatment of the Baha'i community in Yemen, including through meeting their representatives in the UK and lobbying the relevant authorities. Following the Houthis' arbitrary abduction of 17 members during a peaceful gathering in Sana'a in May 2023, we were pleased to welcome the release of the final four hostages in August 2024.However, we strongly condemn the continued persecution of Baha'i members and other ethnic and religious minorities in Yemen.The Government champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our important bilateral work.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to coordinate with the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindu and other religious minority communities.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the protection of human rights. We are committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all. In July, the UK government expressed concern about the situation in Bangladesh and called for all sides to end the violence. We support the fact-finding mission by the United Nations to identify human rights violations in Bangladesh. We welcome the Chief Advisor's recent comments on the need to support minority communities in Bangladesh, particularly in the lead up to Durga Puja. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order.

How many illegal license plates have been seized by the police in each of the last five years.

The Government is working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.We do not hold information centrally on illegal licence plate seizures.

What steps she is taking to tackle illegal license plates.

The Government is working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.We do not hold information centrally on illegal licence plate seizures.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in Afghanistan.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions.  As the Foreign Secretary said on 24 August, the exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is another tragic setback for Afghanistan. We are discussing with international partners ways to hold them accountable. More broadly, officials regularly press the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions, both bilaterally and with international partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Bangladeshi counterpart on (a) education, (b) registration and (c) other assistance for Rohingya refugees arriving in that country.

The UK regularly discusses the Rohingya refugee response with the Interim Government of Bangladesh. This includes the importance of providing education and skills training to those in the camps, and ensuring new Rohingya arrivals are registered and can access humanitarian assistance. The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian response in Bangladesh and has provided £391 million to support the Rohingya refugees and host communities since 2017. During the UN General Assembly, Lord Collins, Minister responsible for the UN, and Human Rights, co-hosted a high-level event on the Rohingya crisis, urging greater efforts to improve conditions in the camps and enhance refugee skills.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing spousal visa applications to be submitted prior to the wedding date.

Fiancés, fiancées or proposed civil partners can apply for a six-month Entry Clearance to enable a marriage or civil partnership to take place in the UK. Once the ceremony has taken place, the spouse or civil partner will be eligible to apply for permission to stay in the UK, on a route to settlement, as a partner under the Family Immigration Rules.