Written questions by Witherden.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support agricultural livelihoods in Gaza; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that UK-funded support for agricultural equipment and recovery prioritises the needs and expertise of older farmers to help secure sustainable, local food production.

We recognise that people with existing vulnerabilities, including older people, can be disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises. All organisations which receive Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding are required to demonstrate commitment to equality and inclusion in their work, to ensure our assistance reaches those in greatest need. The UK is actively supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza - we are providing £78 million for humanitarian and early recovery support for Palestine this financial year. This includes the UK's support to UK-Med, which has enabled 800,000 patient consultations to take place in Gaza, including supporting vulnerable groups and the elderly.

Whether the restriction zone requirement in the Sentencing Bill would apply to convicted murderers on a life sentence; and whether the conditions of convicted murderers would be independently managed by the parole board.

It is crucial that we have a justice system that punishes offenders and supports victims. That is why increasing restriction on serious sexual and violent offenders is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.Through the Sentencing Bill, we are introducing a new power which will allow restriction zones to be imposed on offenders on licence, where appropriate. These will restrict certain offenders to specific areas – so their victims know they are safe wherever else they want to go. We are working to finalise the operation of, and eligibility for, the new restriction zones, subject to the passage of the Sentencing BillWhere an offender is serving a life sentence, they may only be released once they have completed their minimum term (or tariff) set by the court and where the independent Parole Board is satisfied that they no longer need to be detained for the protection of the public. If the Board directs the release of a life-sentence prisoner, it will also decide what licence conditions will apply to safely manage the offender in the community. Any subsequent variation of the conditions on a life licence will also be a matter for the Parole Board to decide.

Whether bereaved families of victims of murder would be protected under the restriction zone requirement in the Sentencing Bill.

It is crucial that we have a justice system that punishes offenders and supports victims. That is why increasing restriction on serious sexual and violent offenders is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.Through the Sentencing Bill, we are introducing a new power which will allow restriction zones on offenders to be imposed on offenders on licence, where appropriate. These will restrict certain offenders to specific areas – so their victims know they are safe wherever else they want to go. Licence conditions for offenders convicted of murder are determined by the independent Parole Board.We are working to finalise the operation of, and eligibility for, these zones, subject to the passage of the Sentencing Bill.

Whether the restriction zone requirement in the Sentencing Bill would apply to offenders of murder.

It is crucial that we have a justice system that punishes offenders and supports victims. That is why increasing restriction on serious sexual and violent offenders is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.Through the Sentencing Bill, we are introducing a new power which will allow restriction zones on offenders to be imposed on offenders on licence, where appropriate. These will restrict certain offenders to specific areas – so their victims know they are safe wherever else they want to go. Licence conditions for offenders convicted of murder are determined by the independent Parole Board.We are working to finalise the operation of, and eligibility for, these zones, subject to the passage of the Sentencing Bill.

If she will publish a timeline for the Law Commission of England and Wales’s review of the homicide law.

The Law Commission is independent of Government and responsible for the review of homicide law and sentencing for murder, including publishing their proposed timeline. The Government understands, however, that the Law Commission intends to publish a timeline for their homicide review imminently.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44809 on Local Housing Allowance: Wales, what (a) metrics, (b) data points and (c) analysis were used to assess the impact of Local Housing Allowance rates referenced his answer; and whether this included the impact on the number of people becoming homeless.

The impacts referenced in the previous answer were determined using a wide variety of metrics, data and analysis. These included:Current and past rental data supplied by the Valuation Office Agency, Rent Officers Scotland, and Rent Officers Wales;Analysis of current and past DWP administrative data on recipient households from a number of angles, including policy simulation modelling: andForecasts on benefit caseloads and related matters. As covered in the previous answer, the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically. This makes it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors such as individual benefit rates. But interactions with key measures such as Temporary Accommodation were considered with input from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. At Autumn Budget the Government prioritised a downpayment on poverty, by introducing a Fair Payment Rate for Universal Credit (UC) customers with deductions to retain more of their benefit award. We have invested £1bn in extending the Household Support Fund and maintaining Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) at current levels (including Barnett impacts) for 2025/26. We continue to work across Government on the development of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping strategy in England. Housing and homelessness policy is devolved to Wales. Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the fiscal context.DHPs are available from local authorities and can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or UC who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

Whether she plans to publish an updated response to the Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review.

The Lord Chancellor set out the Government’s plans for reforms to sentencing of domestic homicides in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 6 December 2024 (HCWS286). The Law Commission has accepted our request to undertake a review of the law of homicide and the sentencing framework for murder. Drivers for this review include concerns related to gendered disparities for murders committed in a domestic context. The Terms of Reference and more information on the review can be found on the Law Commission’s website and they will publish a detailed timeline for the project shortly. We are also taking more immediate action in the short-term by implementing two of the outstanding recommendations in the independent Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review which was undertaken by Clare Wade KC under the last Government. These measures are statutory aggravating factors for murders involving strangulation and those connected with the end of a relationship. We intend to lay a Statutory Instrument to implement these measures when parliamentary time allows and we have recently completed a statutory consultation with the Sentencing Council that must precede this process.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken under the Shared Rural Network programme to map investment in the hardest-to-reach areas.

Ofcom reporting indicates areas of poor mobile coverage across the UK. The Government has worked closely with the mobile network operators to identify locations where upgrading or building new masts can improve connectivity in rural areas where there is no or limited coverage, including utilising the Emergency Service Network (ESN) where feasible. The location of masts is also determined according to how quickly they can be delivered and the public benefit they provide.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve mobile phone coverage in rural areas.

The Shared Rural Network continues to deliver 4G connectivity where there is limited or no coverage. Beyond this, our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.We are working with Ofcom and the industry to ensure we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market.Ofcom have written to me confirming that their improved online coverage checker will go live in the second half of June, which will better reflect people’s real experience. A copy of my letter and their letter has been deposited in the libraries of both houses.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44809 on Local Housing Allowance: Wales, what (a) metrics, (b) data points and (c) analysis were used to determine the impacts of Local Housing Allowance rates referenced his Answer; and whether the effect on the number of households becoming homeless was factored into that analysis.

The impacts referenced in the previous answer were determined using a wide variety of metrics, data and analysis. These included:Current and past rental data supplied by the Valuation Office Agency, Rent Officers Scotland, and Rent Officers Wales;Analysis of current and past DWP administrative data on recipient households from a number of angles, including policy simulation modelling: andForecasts on benefit caseloads and related matters. As covered in the previous answer, the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically. This makes it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors such as individual benefit rates. But interactions with key measures such as Temporary Accommodation were considered with input from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. At Autumn Budget the Government prioritised a downpayment on poverty, by introducing a Fair Payment Rate for Universal Credit (UC) customers with deductions to retain more of their benefit award. We have invested £1bn in extending the Household Support Fund and maintaining Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) at current levels (including Barnett impacts) for 2025/26. We continue to work across Government on the development of the Homelessness and Rough \Sleeping strategy in England. Housing and homelessness policy is devolved to Wales. Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the fiscal context.DHPs are available from local authorities and can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of widening the eligibility criteria for organisations seeking to engage with the HMRC Wealthy External Forum.

The Wealthy External Forum (WEF) is a joint forum between HMRC and a cross-section of professional bodies representing wealthy individuals.The WEF is focused on discussing the operational processes and technical tax issues that impact wealthy customers. It is not a decision-making body.Details of the forum, its membership and records of meetings are published on gov.uk: Wealthy External Forum - GOV.UKThe Wealthy External Forum is one of a number of HMRC Stakeholder Forums. This network of forums ensures that HMRC consults with a wide range of external stakeholders.

Whether she plans to publish an assessment of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on Wales.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. Future publications will include some information on people in Wales affected.These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for The Ambulance Service (Emergency Duties) Long Service and Good Conduct Medal to paramedics employed by air ambulance charities.

No assessment has been made and there are no current plans to extend the eligibility of the Ambulance Service (Emergency Duties) Long Service and Good Conduct Medal to paramedics employed by air ambulance charities.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the Vrynwy Frankton pylon project and (b) other pylon projects on farm animals.

Developers of electricity network projects in England & Wales must assess the impacts of their proposals in line with the National Policy Statement for electricity network infrastructure (NPS EN-5). Alongside this, developers undertake Environmental Impact Assessments which can include considerations related to farm animals if there are impacts on agricultural land. The Government does not make assessments of specific projects until they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Vrynwy Frankton pylon project on net zero.

Electricity networks are a critical enabler for net zero, linking new low-carbon generation to electricity demand. To accommodate both the generation needed for clean power as well as increasing demand as heating, transport and industry electrification will require an expansion of electricity networks at a scale and pace not seen for decades, at both transmission and distribution level. Though the department does not conduct analysis for individual projects, the Vrynwy Frankton pylon project is part of this transformation.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the Vyrnwy–Frankton pylon project and (b) other pylon projects on local businesses that rely on tourism.

Developers of electricity network projects in England & Wales must assess the impacts of their proposals in line with the National Policy Statement for electricity network infrastructure (NPS EN-5). Government assesses specific projects only once they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision. Businesses with pylons sited on their land are entitled to compensation for the value of their land, as well as for any losses or expenses incurred. Acquiring authorities are also able to offer extra discretionary payments. Government published relevant guidance in March 2025 outlining how communities should benefit from new transmission infrastructure. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-transmission-network-infrastructure-community-funds/community-funds-for-transmission-infrastructure-accessible-webpage

What assessment her Department has made of the cost to (a) the public purse (b) businesses and (c) individual people from climate change.

Illustrative analysis in the Office for Budget Responsibility's 2024 Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report suggests that UK GDP could be around 3% lower by 2074 under a below 2°C warming scenario and around 5% lower under a below 3°C warming scenario. The publicly available report contains further analysis of the fiscal impact of climate change as well as impacts affecting businesses and individuals such as labour productivity and health.This Government is committed to mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. The transition to net zero will support the creation of jobs across the UK, protect the economy from future price shocks and deliver a range of social and health benefits.

Whether her Department is taking steps to protect places of worship from police raids.

The enforcement of the law is an operational matter for the police. It is for them to decide whether a particular action warrants police involvement, based on their operational expertise and the circumstances of the case.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing a press regulator that is independent of (a) the media industry and (b) politicians.

This Government is committed to an independent and free media, one that is completely separate from the Government and politicians. An independent self-regulatory regime is important to ensure the press adheres to clear and high standards. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law. This includes ensuring access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress. The Government currently has no plans to change the current system.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of climate change on economic growth.

Illustrative analysis in the Office for Budget Responsibility's 2024 Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report suggests that UK GDP could be around 3% lower by 2074 under a below 2°C warming scenario and around 5% lower under a below 3°C warming scenario. The publicly available report contains further analysis of the fiscal impact of climate change as well as impacts affecting businesses and individuals such as labour productivity and health.This Government is committed to mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. The transition to net zero will support the creation of jobs across the UK, protect the economy from future price shocks and deliver a range of social and health benefits.