Written questions by Dhesi.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office median age for its laptop estate issued to officials is currently 1 year.

Media and Sport, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of laptop computers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is 2.3 years.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The response below covers the central department (DfTc) and the five Executive Agencies: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Active Travel England (ATE). Please note: DfT(c) handle all IT devices for Active Travel England (ATE) and so they are included in the returns for DfT(c). The median age of computers issued is below:DfT(C) (inc. ATE): 1.6 years old.DVLA: 2 years old.DVSA: 2.5 years old.VCA: 4.16 years old.MCA: 2.5 years old.

Communities and Local Government, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of devices in use at MHCLG is 2.5 years old (deployed in 2023).

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of computers issued to officials in the Department is four years.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of computers issued to officials in DWP is 2 years.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of computers issued to officials is 1.8 years old.

If she will make an estimate of the impact of changing the tax free personal allowance to £20,000 on tax receipts.

The Government is committed to keeping taxes for working people as low as possible while ensuring fiscal responsibility and so, at our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds.The Government has no plans to increase the Personal Allowance to £20,000. Increasing the Personal Allowance to £20,000 would come at a significant fiscal cost of many billions of pounds per annum. This would reduce tax receipts substantially, decreasing funds available for the UK’s hospitals, schools, and other essential public services that we all rely on. It would also undermine the work the Chancellor has done to restore fiscal responsibility and economic stability, which are critical to getting our economy growing and keeping taxes, inflation, and mortgages as low as possible.The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age for currently deployed computers is 4.5 years for MacBook and 5 years for Windows devices.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of computers issued to officials in the Department is 2 years.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of computers issued to officials is 3 years and 2 months.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of devices, since deployment, issued by Defra’s IT team to officials working in Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Climate Change Committee, Environment Agency, Marine Management Organisation, Natural England and Rural Payments Agency is 3.2 years.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's explosive ordnance removal capabilities in (a) the UK and (b) internationally.

The Ministry of Defence has a world leading Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search capability, providing critical support to military operations and UK resilience. Additionally, Defence recognises the importance of Explosive Ordnance Clearance (EOC) capabilities delivered both internally and to external stakeholders. As we look ahead, Defence spending is being prioritised to face the threats and challenges of the twenty-first century. To meet the demand for EOC services, we currently have a framework through the Counter Explosive Ordnance Defence Engagement office, and in conjunction with the FCDO, to deliver EOC capability through a contracted solution, assured by Defence. Future capability decisions will be subject to the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 19379 on Marginal Tax Rates, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of people earning just under £100,000 (a) working additional hours and (b) receiving a pay rise on the (i) 60% effective marginal rate of taxation and (ii) loss of childcare support.

As set out previously, within the personal tax system, withdrawal of the Personal Allowance affects those with income over £100,000 a year. It was introduced in 2010-11 and occurs gradually, with £1 of allowance lost for every £2 of income above the income limit of £100,000, implying an effective marginal income tax rate of 60 per cent. This reduction continues until the Personal Allowance is completely withdrawn for those with incomes above £125,140.The Government recognises that because of this, taxpayers with incomes within the taper band face a higher a marginal tax rate and that it introduces some complexity into the tax system. However, removing this would be expensive and regressive. Families are not eligible for the 30 free hours or tax-free childcare offers if one parent earns over £100,000. The income cap is per person and aligns with an existing boundary in the tax system. This means there is no incentive for the lower earner in the household to reduce their income in order to be eligible. The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a balanced and responsible way, and this means continuing to target support at those who need it most.

What recent discussions he has had with charities that provide assistance to veterans who have (a) conducted and (b) assisted with Explosive Ordnance Disposal duties.

The Government works closely with the Armed Forces charity sector, who play a vital part in the wider support system for veterans; I meet regularly with representatives of Armed Forces charities to discuss the support available and how we can work effectively together. I am actively exploring ways of simplifying and coordinating access to Government support, which includes working in partnership with the charity sector to harness and cohere that support.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of deaths directly attributable to alcohol in the last five years.

The following table shows the number of alcohol-specific deaths in England, deaths that have been wholly caused by alcohol consumption, for all age groups, from 2019 to 2023:Year20192020202120222023Deaths5,8196,9847,5567,9128,274 The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms, including alcohol specific deaths.

What steps he is taking to prevent the unauthorised disclosure of Cabinet discussions to the media.

As set out at chapter 5 of the ministerial code, the principle of collective responsibility requires that the privacy of ministerial discussions at Cabinet and its committees should be maintained. It is therefore a long established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees is not normally shared publicly. It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on specific leak investigations.

What information his Department holds on the number of deaths that were directly attributable to alcohol in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of alcohol-specific deaths in England, deaths that have been wholly caused by alcohol consumption, for all age groups, from 2019 to 2023:Year20192020202120222023Deaths5,8196,9847,5567,9128,274 The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms, including alcohol specific deaths.

Whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) French, (b) Italian and (c) other EU nations' counterparts on accelerating the transfer of (i) ammunition and (ii) other armaments to Ukraine.

We are in frequent contact with partner nations to discuss how to collectively accelerate the transfer of ammunition and other armaments to Ukraine. As co-leaders of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group the UK is taking a leading role in ensuring coordination and coherence of international support to Ukraine.With European partners, we are also members of the artillery capability coalition and co-leads of the maritime and drone capability coalitions, which deliver immediate support to Ukraine and also have a long-term plan to support Ukraine's ambitions for a NATO interoperable future force.

What steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to expand (a) apprenticeship schemes and (b) skills training to meet demand for welders within the defence industry.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working closely with Skills England and the Department for Education to ensure the boost in defence spending supports the training and development of new generations of defence sector workers required to support critical capabilities. The demand for craft skills, including welders, is a recognised challenge across the economy and is not solely an issue for defence. The MOD is one of the largest providers of apprenticeships in the UK with over 25,000 apprenticeships across the Armed Forces and Civil Service in 2024. Within industry, the defence trade association ADS estimated that there were around 8,100 apprentices in the UK defence sector in 2024. The future skills requirement for defence is being assessed as part of the ongoing development of the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy.