Written questions by Morrison.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support human rights defenders in Iran.

We condemn the Islamic Republic's severe repression of human rights defenders in Iran. We were integral to the delivery of the Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November 2024, which called on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release persons arbitrarily detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including human rights defenders. We continue to support the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which under its expanded mandate, will collect and preserve evidence for recent and ongoing human rights violations in Iran. We continue to engage with Iranian diaspora groups and civil society to work together toward accountability. His Majesty's Ambassador to Iran and I continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of consulting with Syrian civil society organisations on the steps required to ease sanctions.

The UK has long supported Syrian civil society, and we continue to do so. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and senior officials, including the UK Special Representative for Syria, regularly meet civil society actors to discuss a range of issues, including the impact of sanctions. On 1 April, I met representatives from Syrian civil society to discuss how the international community can support Syria in building a better future, including through sanctions relief.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding he plans to provide for civil society organisations in Syria in the 2027-28 financial year.

Budgets for the 2027-28 financial year have not yet been agreed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in cyber operations targeting UK infrastructure or citizens.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assess that Iran-based threat actors remain aggressive in cyberspace and continue to achieve their objectives through less sophisticated cyber techniques (including prolific use of spear-phishing), but also targeting industrial control systems. Iran is likely developing its cyber capabilities and willing to target the UK to fulfil its disruptive and destructive objectives. The NCSC continues to work closely with government, industry and international partners to understand and mitigate the cyber threat from Iran.This includes the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In September 2024, the UK and the US jointly issued a Technical Advisory focusing on attackers working on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who use social engineering to gain access to victims' online accounts. This Advisory provided network defenders with information to help mitigate these threats.The UK will continue to expose and take action against malicious cyber activity carried out by Iranian groups. These groups can no longer operate in the shadows, and the UK and international partners will hold Iran to account for their behaviour.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has evidence of human rights violations by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In March 2024, the UN International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which is mandated to collect and preserve evidence of human rights violations, said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, amongst other state security forces, "participated in the commission of serious human rights violations". The UK maintains 94 human rights sanctions against Iranian individuals or entities, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect civil society organisations (a) within or (b) in exile from Iran.

We regularly engage the Iranian diaspora and human rights organisations in exile to better understand the lived experiences of Iranians. We stand with them in their fight for equal rights and fundamental freedoms. On the 4th March, the Security Minister announced to Parliament a concerted package of measures to counter the threat from the Iranian Intelligence Services.

Whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding for clinical homecare.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has made no recent assessment of the merits of providing additional funding for clinical homecare. The Department and NHS England recognise the importance of strengthening homecare medicine services, and continue to prioritise improvements in this area following the House of Lords Public Services Committee’s report, Homecare medicines services: an opportunity lost.Work is ongoing to explore a range of options to improve homecare services, including through the implementation of the recommendations accepted by the Department and NHS England. An update on this will be provided to the House of Lords Public Services Committee later this year.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a national strategy on the efficiency and effectiveness of community equipment services.

Individual National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts are responsible and accountable for their own purchasing decisions, which will include community equipment. NHS organisations are independent commercial entities, and it is for an NHS procuring authority to satisfy itself on how best to obtain quality and value for money through its procurement activity.Local NHS organisations have access to a wide range of procurement routes, but the Government has put in place a range of initiatives to help NHS bodies make informed choices about products and the route through which they are bought. These include the NHS Supply Chain, a national body which is responsible for procuring and delivering the majority of consumables, equipment, and other supplies to the NHS. The NHS Supply Chain was set up to leverage the collective buying power of the NHS to drive savings and provide a standardised range of clinically assured quality products at the best value.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for the 10-year Health Plan of the report by the National Clinical Homecare Association entitled Best Kept Secret: The Value Of Clinical Homecare To The NHS, Patients And Society, published in July 2024.

We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. As part of these reforms, we are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive the care they need when and where they need it.The use of evidence is embedded in our development of the 10-Year Health Plan, both by informing the proposals developed by the working groups supporting the plan, and in our ongoing assessment of the plan’s potential impacts. Both areas of work draw on a broad range of evidence, including published sources outside of the Department and NHS England.

How many consolatory payments for gross inconvenience resulting from official error were made in each of the last five years; and what the (a) shortest and (b) average length of time for such a payment was in each of the last five years.

Although we collect data on the number of consolatory payments authorised, we do not systematically hold the information on the type of error (such as official error) and it would be too costly to review all these records. We do not keep a record of timescales taken on consolatory or any other special payments issued. We have provided the number of consolatory payments authorised for maladministration for the last five years in the table below. We are unable to provide a figure for 2024/25 as this information is still currently being compiled. Consolatory payments made 2019/2020 onwards Year No. of consolatory payments authorised 2019/20 5,1092020/21 3,8362021/22 8,0132022/23 10,2572023/24 9,753

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that umbrella companies in the temporary labour market comply with tax legislation on (a) the proper (i) deduction and (ii) reporting of (A) income tax and (B) National Insurance contributions for temporary workers and (b) other matters.

The Government is committed to closing the tax gap and making the tax system fairer by ensuring temporary workers are protected from large, unexpected tax bills caused by unscrupulous behaviour from non-compliant umbrella companies. That is why the Chancellor announced in her Autumn Budget that the Government will introduce legislation to make recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for Pay As You Earn on workers’ pay. The Government set out the expected Exchequer impacts of this measure at the Budget. The Government will publish a full Tax Impact and Information Note later this year. HMRC recently launched a comprehensive guidance tool, ‘work out pay from an umbrella company’, that agencies and umbrella company workers can use to better understand umbrella company pay and ensure tax compliance. The tool automatically flags discrepancies between submitted payslip information and calculated estimates that could indicate hidden deductions or tax avoidance. Earlier this month, HMRC published guidance with examples of how umbrella companies can demonstrate good practice. This guidance aims to raise standards across the umbrella company sector, creating a fairer market and helping workers and businesses understand what good practice looks like. This guidance can be found online at www.gov.uk/guidance/examples-of-good-practice-for-umbrella-companies-in-the-temporary-labour-market. The measures in the Employment Rights Bill will bring the activities of umbrella companies in scope for future regulation to ensure individuals working through them can access the rights they are legally entitled to and can receive greater transparency in the terms of their employment.

How many and what proportion of vehicle accidents resulting in death or serious injury involved a vehicle without valid vehicle excise duty; and how many and what proportion of these untaxed vehicles were (a) driven by an uninsured driver, (b) not the subject of a valid MOT certificate and (c) both driven by an uninsured driver and not the subject of a valid MOT certificate.

This information is not held by the Department.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an exemption for Council Tax on properties that are temporarily unoccupied due to probate.

When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else.

If she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to personal independence payments on blind and partially blind people.

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. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

What estimate has she made of the number of vehicles with a SORN certificate that are still being driven on the public highway.

The Department for Transport last carried out a roadside survey in 2023 which estimated the rate of vehicle excise duty evasion among vehicles seen on UK roads. The survey results were published on 7 December 2023 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023. Out of the unlicensed vehicles observed during the latest survey, five per cent were shown on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s database as having a current Statutory Off Road Notification in place.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the appointment of the interim chair of the Competition Markets Authority on the regulation of (a) technology and (b) other large corporations.

The Secretary of State is grateful for the leadership Doug Gurr, the Interim Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”), has shown since his appointment. Businesses of all sizes and types are required to comply with competition law. The CMA has published its prioritisation principles which set out the factors the CMA takes into consideration when deciding how to use its resources as effectively as possible.

Whether her Department plans to take steps to help (a) improve transparency within the umbrella company sector and (b) ensure workers are not subject to (i) excessive fees and (ii) improper tax arrangements.

The Government is committed to closing the tax gap and making the tax system fairer by ensuring temporary workers are protected from large, unexpected tax bills caused by unscrupulous behaviour from non-compliant umbrella companies. That is why the Chancellor announced in her Autumn Budget that the Government will introduce legislation to make recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for Pay As You Earn on workers’ pay. The Government set out the expected Exchequer impacts of this measure at the Budget. The Government will publish a full Tax Impact and Information Note later this year. HMRC recently launched a comprehensive guidance tool, ‘work out pay from an umbrella company’, that agencies and umbrella company workers can use to better understand umbrella company pay and ensure tax compliance. The tool automatically flags discrepancies between submitted payslip information and calculated estimates that could indicate hidden deductions or tax avoidance. Earlier this month, HMRC published guidance with examples of how umbrella companies can demonstrate good practice. This guidance aims to raise standards across the umbrella company sector, creating a fairer market and helping workers and businesses understand what good practice looks like. This guidance can be found online at www.gov.uk/guidance/examples-of-good-practice-for-umbrella-companies-in-the-temporary-labour-market. The measures in the Employment Rights Bill will bring the activities of umbrella companies in scope for future regulation to ensure individuals working through them can access the rights they are legally entitled to and can receive greater transparency in the terms of their employment.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in levels of (a) customer service and (b) phone call response times across Government departments on people seeking to engage with Government departments.

Departmental contact lines are not managed or run centrally. Therefore, each department is responsible for their own contact line, as well as customer service and response times.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to ensure that free and fair elections are held in Syria.

We welcomed the formation of the Syrian Government last month and the commitment of interim President al-Sharaa to hold free and fair elections. We are working closely with the Syrian Government, the UN and international partners to support an inclusive transition that represents Syria's diversity and protects the rights of all its citizens. We continue to call on the Syrian Government to prioritise inclusivity and representation in the building of state institutions and in further appointments, and to set out a clear timeline for the next phases of the transition. I discussed these issues with Foreign Minister al-Shaibani on 17 March.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the targeting of media workers in Gaza on global (a) press freedom and (b) journalist safety.

The government continues to monitor the reports of journalists and media workers killed in Gaza. This conflict has already become the deadliest conflict for journalists and media workers ever recorded and we remember all those who have lost their lives in the name of press freedom. All parties to a conflict must avoid deliberate attacks against journalists. Reporters covering conflicts are protected under international humanitarian law. We have called on the Government of Israel to do more to protect civilians, civilian infrastructure, and to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid. We continue to call for a return to the ceasefire and we call on Hamas immediately to release all the remaining hostages. The United Kingdom co-founded the Media Freedom Coalition with Canada in 2019 and has joined Media Freedom Coalition statements calling for the protection of journalists in conflicts.