Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s contribution to the Pandemic Fund.

The UK has committed £25 million to the Pandemic Fund. We remain committed to building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacity and capability in developing countries, including through our other multilateral investments and diplomatic engagement.We are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his letter to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, dated 16 June 2025, what multilateral organisations he plans to prioritise.

We will prioritise multilaterals in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, while driving reform of the multilateral system to strengthen its most important parts - humanitarian, health, climate, and the global financial system - to help lower-income countries sustain their progress and become self-sufficient.We will support the most effective multilateral organisations, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (as demonstrated by our recent commitment of £1.25 billion between 2026 and 2030), the Global Fund, and the World Bank's International Development Association.We will publish our support to some multilateral organisations throughout the year as commitments are made and report on all ODA spending in the Statistics on International Development publication.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support Kenya’s security priorities as part of the newly announced strategic partnership.

The Strategic Partnership will strengthen our joint response to regional terrorism, illicit finance, cyber attacks and organised crime, to keep Kenyans and British Nationals safe. This is underpinned by the UK-Kenya Security Compact which was also signed during the recent Presidential visit to the UK. The renewed Compact is designed to address both traditional and emerging security threats. Priorities include tackling risks from digital spaces and new technologies, reducing irregular migration, and countering illicit finance. The partnership will continue to build on its strong foundation, ensuring that previous achievements are sustained and that new challenges are met with a coordinated, forward-looking approach.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is he taking to help tackle (a) sexual and (b) gender-based violence in Sudan.

I refer the Rt Hon. member to her previous question, 53517, to which our response outlined the UK's commitment to tackling gender-based violence in Sudan, and Ministerial engagement on the issue. Furthermore, through the Sudan Free of Female Genital Mutiliation programme, UK funding supports work on protection, prevention and care services for survivors of sexual violence. The UK funded Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme, has provided sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, men as well as persons living with disabilities, with UK aid delivered in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other contexts. We have also enhanced our atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence and are working with UN and non-governmental organisation partners to provide safe spaces, clinical treatment, dignity kits and psycho-social services for survivors.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the FCDO Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership: Joint Statement, published on 2 July 2025, what budget has been allocated for the Nairobi Railway City project; in which financial years the cost will be incurred; and whether this will be current or capital expenditure.

The Nairobi Railway City Project is a Government of Kenya funded project. The UK government has allocated £2 million to provide Kenya with technical assistance to help it structure, phase, manage and deliver the series of infrastructure projects that will make up the 438-acre Nairobi Railway City Project. The first of these projects involves the construction of a new Central Railway Station and public realm. For this first project on top of our technical assistance the Government of Kenya is considering raising financing to construct the station with the support of potentially £150 million in funding through UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK's Export Credit Agency. As this project is in its early stages, the financial years in which the costs will be incurred, and the type of expenditure are to be yet confirmed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his expected outcomes are of the UK-Kenya strategic partnership on (a) trade and (b) economic cooperation.

The new Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership 2025-2030 provides a comprehensive framework to progress our shared objectives, strengthening the bilateral relationship and delivering growth for the UK and Kenya. This new partnership will potentially deliver £1 billion through exports, engineering jobs and defence manufacturing jobs in Northampton and County Durham. We have also agreed with Kenya to explore a new Digital Trading Agreement, and to aim to double trade by 2030 in areas including financial services, digital and technology, and defence and security. The Partnership has also seen Lloyd's of London enter the Nairobi insurance market, which will be a gateway to the East Africa Market, valued up to £0.5 billion (Kshs.88billion).

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 61535 on Palliative Care: Finance, what discussions he plans to have with the hospice sector on the allocation of funding for (a) palliative and (b) end of life care.

Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the regional allocation of (a) local authority housing and (b) affordable homes programme funds in the Spending Review 2025.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).

What modelling he undertook during the Spending Review process for funding for the (a) palliative and (b) end of life care sectors for (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27 and (iii) 2027-28.

Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.

When he plans to publish the Defence Investment Plan.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), on 13 June in response to Question 58671.

What steps he is taking to help support veterans into employment.

This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans have the support they need after leaving military Service, which includes securing sustainable employment which makes full use of their skills and qualifications. There is a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), which is the initial point of resettlement provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving Service. For those more than two years post-service and looking to take the next step in their career, Op ASCEND connects veterans and their families with employers, supporting them into roles in strategic sectors. CTP and Op ASCEND make up the spine of continuous employment support provided by the Ministry of Defence for Service leavers and veterans. Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network to help support members of the Armed Forces community into work.

Whether she plans to consult with the hospice sector prior to the Autumn Budget 2025.

The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift. We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course. The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period. Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.

How many successful prosecutions there have been of people involved in people smuggling gangs since 5 July 2024.

From 5 July 2024 (to 10 July 2025) Home Office Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation have convicted 168 people involved in people smuggling.In many cases, someone convicted in this date range may have been arrested in a previous time-period, and in many other cases, someone arrested in this period may remain under investigation and not be charged and convicted until a later date.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.

The Home Office’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, sets out proposals for reform in a wide range of areas across the immigration and asylum system, including a cap on the amount of lower skilled migration into the UK.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take with local authorities to help encourage social cohesion at a neighbourhood level.

Local Authorities are being actively supported to improve social cohesion through a range of national initiatives. This includes the recently announced communities funding for up to 350 places, incorporating the existing 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods, announced in March, and the 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods announced at Spending Review, who will receive up to £20 million each over the next decade. This funding will support improvements people can see on their doorstep, champion local leadership, foster community engagement and strengthen social cohesion.To deliver this programme of neighbourhood-level support, the government will work in partnership with local communities and local authorities to support delivery.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the use of asylum accommodation.

The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a longer term settlement for children’s hospices beyond 2025-26.

The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift. We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course. The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period. Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Continuity of Education Allowance rates for the children of service personnel.

The Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) scheme recognises the enormous sacrifices our military families make and aims to minimise the disruption to their children’s education caused by Service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses a weighted average of the schools most attended by CEA claimants to calculate CEA rates. This methodology ensures CEA rates are aligned to the fees paid and reflects the choice of schools made by Service personnel. Following the removal of VAT exemptions for independent schools from January 2025, the MOD recalculated rates mid-year to reflect any changes in schools’ fees. CEA rates have also been recalculated ahead of the new academic term starting September 2025. The MOD continually monitors feedback from the single Services to ensure that CEA rates balance affordability and value for money while supporting the choices made by Service personnel regarding their children’s education. Following a recent review of CEA methodology, the MOD’s Armed Forces Remuneration team concluded that current rates are effective in meeting these aims.

What discussions she had with the hospice sector ahead of publishing the Spending Review 2025.

The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift. We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course. The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period. Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood planning policies in involving local communities in the planning process.

As set out in Paragraph 30 of the National Planning Policy Framework, neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct, and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan.The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.