Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 66919 on Development Aid: Drug Resistance, whether he plans to establish a fund to replace the Fleming Fund.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on maintaining the UK’s role in tackling antimicrobial resistance internationally.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to increase the UK contribution to the Global Fund ahead of its replenishment round.

We are proud to host the 17th Replenishment of the African Development Bank in London this December. The UK is actively engaged in replenishment negotiations, and our pledge will reflect the outcome of these. In November, with South Africa, we will co-host the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As co-hosts, we are appealing to donors to make as strong as possible pledges to support the resilience of the Global Fund's partnership model. The UK's pledge to the 8th replenishment will be determined following the conclusion of the process to set multi-year Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding allocations.The UK continues to support other vital partners. We have committed £1.25 billion to Gavi to help vaccinate up to 8 million children from 2026-30, and £1.98 billion to the International Development Association - the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries - over three years. We are working through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and further announcements will be made in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding commitments she has made in support of (a) the African Development Bank and (b) other multilateral partners mentioned in Baroness Chapman’s G20 speech on 25 July 2025.

We are proud to host the 17th Replenishment of the African Development Bank in London this December. The UK is actively engaged in replenishment negotiations, and our pledge will reflect the outcome of these. In November, with South Africa, we will co-host the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As co-hosts, we are appealing to donors to make as strong as possible pledges to support the resilience of the Global Fund's partnership model. The UK's pledge to the 8th replenishment will be determined following the conclusion of the process to set multi-year Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding allocations.The UK continues to support other vital partners. We have committed £1.25 billion to Gavi to help vaccinate up to 8 million children from 2026-30, and £1.98 billion to the International Development Association - the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries - over three years. We are working through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and further announcements will be made in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent UK aid reductions on the delivery of (a) global health and (b) climate resilience programmes.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 September to Question 72441.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of levels of antimicrobial resistance in regions previously supported by the Fleming Fund on global security.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Fleming Fund on global health.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Fleming Fund’s closure on (a) the UK’s ability to respond to antimicrobial resistance globally and (b) future pandemic preparedness.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason her Department reduced ODA spending on global health from £974.9 million in 2024–25 to £527.3 million in 2025–26; and whether that includes reductions to (a) pandemic preparedness and (b) maternal health programmes.

Our 2025/26 Official Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend on global health reflects multilateral payments which were brought forward to 2024/25 - including Gavi and the World Health Organisation (WHO) - to support effective ODA budget management across financial years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support partner countries impacted by the closure of the Fleming Fund.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how she plans to meet international commitments on (a) antimicrobial resistance and (b) global health security following the closure of the Fleming Fund.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of ending the Fleming Fund on the UK’s reputation in (a) global health and (b) international development.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) replace and (b) replicate the work of the Fleming Fund in tackling antimicrobial resistance in (i) low- and (ii) middle-income countries.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67366 on Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, when he plans to discuss the timing of the UK pledge with (a) the Global Fund and (b) South Africa.

We are proud to host the 17th Replenishment of the African Development Bank in London this December. The UK is actively engaged in replenishment negotiations, and our pledge will reflect the outcome of these. In November, with South Africa, we will co-host the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As co-hosts, we are appealing to donors to make as strong as possible pledges to support the resilience of the Global Fund's partnership model. The UK's pledge to the 8th replenishment will be determined following the conclusion of the process to set multi-year Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding allocations.The UK continues to support other vital partners. We have committed £1.25 billion to Gavi to help vaccinate up to 8 million children from 2026-30, and £1.98 billion to the International Development Association - the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries - over three years. We are working through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and further announcements will be made in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing spending on Education, Gender and Equality on girls’ education.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 September to Question 72441.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had with (a) international partners, (b) recipient countries and (c) public health experts prior to the decision to end funding for the Fleming Fund.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 September to Question 69322.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the (a) European Union and (b) international counterparts on potential co-ordinated oversight of Palestinian Authority education reforms.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the statement made on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October which addresses these discussions.

What discussions has she had with Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway since their open access application was rejected in July 2025.

My Department provided its support for Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway’s (WSMR) original application in February 2025 and officials have met with WSMR since July to discuss its views regarding the regulator’s decision to reject their application due to lack of capacity on the West Coast Main Line. The Department respects the ORR’s ruling and acknowledges that large areas of the network are already operating at full capacity, but remains open to further engagement with WSMR – and other Open Access operators – as may be required in the future.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65284 on Railways: West Midlands, what assessment she made of the potential impact of the Midlands rail hub on (a) capacity and (b) connectivity with the Sutton Park line.

Midlands Rail Hub creates the capacity for additional trains benefiting rail users across the region; it does not propose any changes to the Sutton Park Line.

What progress she has made on the Midlands Rail Hub West Chord link; and when this work will be completed.

In the 2025 Spending Review the Chancellor committed to progress the next stage of Midlands Rail Hub, building on £123m previously released. Network Rail are procuring a contractor to design and build the scheme. The western scope of MRH is due to be completed in the early 2030s.