Written questions by Roca.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent inquiry into options for the future UK-EU relationship.

The Government was elected on the basis of a manifesto commitment to reset the UK’s relations with the European Union, including through a broad-based security pact and tackling barriers to trade. There are no plans to establish an independent inquiry into options for the future UK-EU relationship. As we move forward, we recognise the importance of maintaining an effective dialogue with Parliament, industry leaders, trade unions and civil society.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting charities that support pregnant women and newborn babies in Afghanistan.

The UK is committed to supporting vital health services in Afghanistan, including for pregnant women and newborn babies. Our £161 million aid programme provides support to the most vulnerable, delivered through non-governmental organisations, UN agencies, and the Red Cross Movement. In 2023/24 the UK helped more than 1.4 million people, of whom over 1 million were women, to access essential health services, and we reached at least 57,000 children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women with dietary supplements.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing details of the GP contract earlier in the year to improve forward planning.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, wrote to general practices on 20 December 2024 to confirm an £889 million uplift to the contract for 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform. The proposed changes to the contr...

Whether he plans to take steps to support a fluoridation scheme in Macclesfield constituency.

There are no current plans to support a fluoridation scheme in Macclesfield. Public consultation is required on proposals for new, or the expansion of existing, community water fluoridation schemes. The Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulati...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to meet sustainable development goal six.

The UK works with governments and development partners to strengthen the delivery of climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. We work to strengthen systems in six countries: Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Nepal and Bangla...

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of vaccine doses that are thrown away due to reaching their expiry date before they could be used.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) manages the central storage and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for the United Kingdom’s programme. In their published accounts for the financial year 2022/23, the figure was £143.280 million. The following table sh...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the financial situation of the British Council.

In 2024/25, the FCDO will provide the British Council with £162.5 million Grant-in-Aid funding. The British Council is projected to generate £885 million from other sources over the same period, according to its Corporate Plan 2024-25. This self-generated...

If he will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of the UK Foundation Programme allocation process and (b) potential impact of changes to the UK Foundation Programme allocation process on levels o

The allocation process for the UK Foundation Programme this year was changed to a Preference Informed Allocation method. This new process saw applicants being given a computer-generated rank and the removal of the requirement to sit the Situational Judgem...

What steps he is taking to increase the number of dental practices that accept new NHS patients.

The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, wit...

What her policy is on (a) access to cash, (b) businesses being required to use cash and (c) helping vulnerable people reliant on cash infrastructure adapt to a cashless society.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. The Financial Conduct Authority has recently assumed regulatory responsibility for protecting access to cash, a...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make two weeks the maximum time between bin collections.

Simpler Recycling will mean that people across England will be able to recycle the same materials at home, work or school, ending the confusion over what can or cannot be recycled in different parts of the country. Ministers are currently reviewing final ...

What steps he is taking to provide support for people with (a) long Covid, (b) chronic fatigue syndrome and (c) ME.

Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensur...

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish guidance on withdrawing a Certificate of Exemption for XL Bully dogs.

Where an owner has applied for a certificate of exemption and no longer thinks that their dog is an XL Bully, it will be possible to ask Defra to withdraw the certificate. Defra will provide more information about this process soon.

Whether any arms export licences to Israel are under review other than those already suspended.

All extant licences to Israel are kept under careful and continual review as standard.

Whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of decarbonising the grid by 2030 on job creation in Macclesfield constituency.

Through our clean power mission, including through investments made by Great British Energy, and the National Wealth Fund, we will work with industry to deliver the jobs and investment required to achieve our clean power 2030 ambition. Whilst we are still...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support national parks.

Labour introduced National Parks 75 years ago, and introduced the Rights of Way Act that secured public access and preserved natural beauty. This Labour Government is committed to empowering Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessib...

If she will take steps with Cheshire East Council to help improve (a) buses and (b) other public transport in Macclesfield.

Improving local transport services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.As announced in the King’s Spee...

Whether she plans to take steps to ensure that Cheshire East Council has the power to hold bus companies to account.

Improving local transport services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. As announced in the King’s Spe...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 8070 on Unlawfully detained British nationals abroad, in how many cases his Department has the consent of individuals to

Where the FCDO has welfare or human rights concerns in relation to British nationals detained overseas, consular staff seek the consent of individuals before raising concerns with the relevant authorities. The FCDO does not hold statistics on the number o...

What progress she has made on establishing a Border Security Command.

We have created the Border Security Command to lead the fight against the criminal smuggling gangs who threaten our border, put lives at risk, and undermine our national security, and we have been delighted to appoint the former Chair of the National Poli...