Written questions by Morton.

Pursuant to the Answer 18 March 2025 to Question 36660 on USA: Trade Agreements, if he will set out his the expected timeline for an economic deal.

On Tuesday 18 March, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the Special Envoy to the UK Mark Burnett in Washington DC. The meeting followed last month’s agreement between the Prime Minister and President Trump that teams would start working together on an Economic Prosperity Deal, building on our shared strengths and commitment to economic security. Ministers and officials will be continuing discussions moving forward.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his European counterparts to help tackle (a) intolerance and (b) other discrimination against Christians in Europe.

There is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. We will continue to recognise the impact of the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The Special Envoy for FoRB met with European and US counterparts in the margins of the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in March. We actively participate in the Article 18 Alliance - bringing together 38 Member States, 26 of whom are European, to discuss actions our nations can take so that together we can promote respect for FoRB worldwide. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials attended the Article 18 Alliance and International Contact Group meetings in Geneva in March.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department is providing to Ukraine to help tackle antimicrobial resistance.

We have provided £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion, which includes support for healthcare services. Our support includes funding for the Ukrainian Red Cross, who have funded NHS doctors and nurses to share best practice with their Ukrainian counterparts, including how to prevent the spread of infections and antimicrobial resistance. Through the World Health Organisation, we are also strengthening Ukraine's health system to provide better care and rehabilitation services to meet the needs of those injured because of the war. In February, the Defence Secretary announced that we would double our funding to £40 million for Project Renovator, which draws on the UK's leading defence medical expertise to expand Ukraine's military rehabilitation and medical services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister for International Development’s letter of 14 March 2025 to the International Development Select Committee, how many (a) business cases, (b) contracts and (c) agreements for aid programmes were put on hold following the instruction issued to aid programmes.

As an immediate step to prepare for the reduction to the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued an instruction on 7 March to all ODA programme teams in FCDO not to approve new business cases, contracts or agreements, or announce new funding until initial allocations for FCDO ODA in the financial year 2025/26 are set. Payments under existing agreements has continued. In the Minister for Development's letter of Thursday 27 March to the International Development Committee, she confirmed FCDO's approach to setting initial ODA allocations for the financial year 2025/26, including the broad criteria against which new business cases, contracts and agreements will be considered through an exemption process. Given the ongoing exemption process, it is not possible to set out a total number of new business cases, contracts and agreements that FCDO ODA programme teams may have progressed but did not do so as a result of this approach. Guidance has been provided to teams to enable the ongoing development of business cases in high priority areas.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Overseas Development Assistance on WASH funding worldwide.

The UK recognises the fundamental role that clean water, sanitation and good hygiene play in terms of improving people's health and wellbeing, in helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, and in empowering women and girls. Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to apply further sanctions to assets associated with (a) the (i) owners and (ii) affiliated entities of Chelsea Football Club and (b) other Russian (A) people and (B) entities.

The UK has been clear that we need to keep the economic pressure on Russia to hinder its ability to wage war. The UK has sanctioned over 2,200 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime, over 2,000 of which were sanctioned since Putin's full-scale invasion. We will not comment or speculate on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact. We are determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as soon as possible and we are doing everything we can to bring that about quickly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has faced legal challenge on the use of assets derived from sanctioned (a) individuals and (b) entities.

UK financial sanctions limit the provision of certain financial services and restrict access to financial markets, funds, and economic resources. Financial sanctions do not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds, or economic resources, nor are they confiscated or transferred to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for safekeeping.The G7 is providing Ukraine with $50 billion of funding as part of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme. The first £752 million of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution was received by Ukraine earlier this month and will be used to strengthen their defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression. The G7's funding will be repaid by the profits generated on holdings of immobilised Russian sovereign assets in the EU.Separately, we continue our work at pace with allies to consider all lawful routes to ensure Russia pays for the damage it is causing Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary is having regular discussions with key partners on this issue, including at the Weimar+ Group on Monday 31 March.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to harmonise sanctions against Belarus with those imposed on Russia; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such harmonisation on (a) the protection of human rights, (b) support for political prisoners and (c) other UK foreign policy objectives in Belarus.

The UK has sanctioned over 200 Belarusian individuals and entities to date, in response to both human rights abuses in Belarus, and the Lukashenko regime's support for Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are also a range of broad UK sanctions measures in place in Belarus, targeting goods and technologies. We keep further sanctions against Belarus under review.Sanctions are just one of the tools we use. Alongside our partners and multilateral organisations, the UK consistently calls for human rights abuses to be investigated and for the release of all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. In August 2024, the UK announced £2.5 million of funding to support the survival of Belarusian human rights and civil society causes in the face of continued political pressure.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the Official Development Assistance budget is allocated to initiatives tackling antimicrobial resistance.

The UK is a global leader in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and supports action though its multilateral, bilateral and research investments. It is not possible to identify the AMR element of all such spending.Direct AMR spend includes, but is not limited to: i) the UK's Fleming Fund programme which strengthens drug-resistance surveillance systems across low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean (£57.5 million in 2023-24); ii) the UK Global Antimicrobial Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) which supports Research & Development into products and solutions that reduce the threat of AMR in low and middle income countries (£16.4 million in 2023-24); iii) FCDO's funding to product development partnerships in 2024/25 included over £32 million to the Medicines for Malaria Venture, TB Alliance and the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit's DeTACT project to develop new antimalarials and treatments for drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis and to protect the effectiveness of existing medicines.Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Overseas Development Assistance on the Africa Strategy.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent in 2027.We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with his French counterpart on the right to freedom of religion or belief in France.

The UK is strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. The UK champions the right to freedom of religion or belief and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and in our bilateral work. Ministers and officials engage with their French counterparts on a broad range of issues, for example at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Conference on Addressing Antisemitism (10-11 February 2025). Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials also engage with faith leaders in France.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief is taking to help tackle the persecution of religious minorities in Afghanistan.

The Envoy works closely with the Minister for Africa and Human Rights, and with other government departments to promote His Majesty's Government's shared priorities on freedom of religious belief for all. He also works with a range of UK and international partners through the Article 18 Alliance. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. We extended the mandate of UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett to report on human rights in Afghanistan, including those of minority groups. Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the needs of the entire population.

Communities and Local Government, in what month this year she will publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the resignation of the Government in Serbia on stability in that region.

Following confirmation by Serbia's Parliament of Prime Minister Vucevic's resignation on 19 March, Serbia's government is operating in technical capacity pending either formation of a new government by 18 April, or potential elections thereafter. We look forward to working with the new government when it is formed. We continue to underline to Serbia's leaders the importance of playing a constructive role in regional stability, as I did most recently when I spoke to Foreign Minister Djuric on 27 March.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential impact of changes to disability benefits on the court appeals system.

DWP will work with the Ministry of Justice to prepare a Justice Impact Test to assess the impacts of proposed policy changes on the justice system.

What is the current average time to clear Personal Independence Payments appeals at the (a) First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) and (b) Upper Tribunal.

Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), including the average time to clear Personal Independence Payment appeals is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.The information requested for the Upper Tribunal is not currently available.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 35684 on Development Aid: Reviews, whether he has considered including hon. Members in additional consultations.

The review recommendations are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Parliamentarians will be included as part of any approach to further consultation.

What her policy is on the continued payment of Personal Independence Payment while a decision to end the payment is subject to an appeal.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not an income replacement benefit. It is paid to help with the additional costs that arise from long term health conditions or disability where they impact on the activities set out in legislation. Claimants are assessed against the legislative criteria and a decision on entitlement is made by a DWP decision maker.In line with the legislative requirement, we continue to apply the latest decision on a PIP award until such time as a new decision is made. Payment of PIP after a claim has been disallowed, or payment at a rate higher than the latest decision, whilst an individual is waiting for an appeal hearing could lead to incorrect expenditure of public funds. If a subsequent first-tier tribunal makes a new decision to reinstate PIP or give a higher award, then the Department will backdate any payments due.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing one-word Ofsted judgements on parental (a) engagement and (b) understanding.

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

How many new Full-Time Equivalent jobs in Ofsted are being created to support the transition to School Report Cards.

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.