Written questions by Morton.

For what period of time her Department has allocated funding for additional neighbourhood police officers; and whether individual police forces will need to cover the ongoing costs of these officers through local precepting.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to 2024-25 and includes £200.0 million to kickstart the recruitment of new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in communities across the country.This will support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in 2025-26. This major investment supports our commitment on safer streets and reflects the scale of the challenges that many forces face .Setting the police precept is a matter for individual Police and Crime Commissioners taking into account the views of the local community and Police and Crime Panels.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to Business Property Relief on businesses in the broader farming sector including agricultural (a) suppliers and (b) machinery.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. The reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The Government has also set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to be affected in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. The remaining 500 estates will include business assets from sectors across the economy that are eligible for business property relief. Around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those only relating to holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27. The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

How many people (a) are eligible to apply and (b) have applied for Pension Credit in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

Latest caseload statistics show that as of August 2024, there were 1,359,773 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Great Britain, of which 2,086 were in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency. This data is available via DWP Stat-Xplore. The latest available DWP quarterly Pension Credit application and awards statistics show that for year-to-date 2024 to 2025 , 300,000 applications for Pension Credit were made in Great Britain. These statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas. This data is available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK. Earlier, published DWP Pension Credit Take-up statistics estimate that up to 760,000 households in Great Britain who were entitled to Pension Credit did not receive it. These statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics for Great Britain cover the financial year 2022 to 2023 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK.

How many people (a) are eligible to apply and (b) have applied for Pension Credit.

Latest caseload statistics show that as of August 2024, there were 1,359,773 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Great Britain, of which 2,086 were in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency. This data is available via DWP Stat-Xplore. The latest available DWP quarterly Pension Credit application and awards statistics show that for year-to-date 2024 to 2025 , 300,000 applications for Pension Credit were made in Great Britain. These statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas. This data is available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK. Earlier, published DWP Pension Credit Take-up statistics estimate that up to 760,000 households in Great Britain who were entitled to Pension Credit did not receive it. These statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics for Great Britain cover the financial year 2022 to 2023 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed increases to employer National Insurance contributions on businesses (a) supporting and (b) employing apprentices; and whether she plans to allocate additional financial support to these businesses.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the criteria were for appointing members of the Soft Power Council; and whether those members will provide declarations of interests for publication.

Members were identified based on their expertise and real-world experience in soft power and foreign policy domains. As is standard in appointment processes, due diligence and conflicts of interest declarations checks were carried out. These will not be published.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide an official readout of the recent meeting of the UK Soft Power Council.

A summary of each meeting will be published on gov.uk. Officials and ministers from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Culture Media and Sport have in addition provided proactive briefings to parliamentarians and will consider further such briefings if there is sufficient demand.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what performance indicators his Department uses to assess the impact of the UK Soft Power Council.

The Soft Power Council is just beginning its work. It has so far had one introductory meeting. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Culture Media and Sport will explore metrics to assess the impact of soft power as part of work on a new Soft Power Strategy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with international partners on the enforcement of ceasefire agreements in Gaza.

We welcome the agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. It is the first step in ensuring long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region, bringing much-needed stability, but we have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The UK is ready to play a leading role with international and regional partners, in securing a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people, based on tangible progress towards a Palestinian state, with Gaza and the West Bank united under one government. Palestinians must be given a credible route to a Palestinian state, which is the right of the Palestinian people. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 January and stressed the UK's eagerness to support the negotiation process. I raised this matter when I spoke with Varsen Aghabekian, the Palestinian Authority's Minister for Foreign Affairs. We will continue working with partners to support a path to long term peace and stability with a two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the classification of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organisation.

The Government does not routinely comment on whether a group is being considered for proscription or de-proscription.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to ensure a sustained ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

We welcome the agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. It is the first step in ensuring long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region, bringing much-needed stability, but we have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The UK is ready to play a leading role with international and regional partners, in securing a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people, based on tangible progress towards a Palestinian state, with Gaza and the West Bank united under one government. Palestinians must be given a credible route to a Palestinian state, which is the right of the Palestinian people. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 January and stressed the UK's eagerness to support the negotiation process. I raised this matter when I spoke with Varsen Aghabekian, the Palestinian Authority's Minister for Foreign Affairs. We will continue working with partners to support a path to long term peace and stability with a two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what documents he plans to publish on the work of the Soft Power Council.

The membership list and abridged terms of reference have already been published on gov.uk. Key points from the minutes will be published in the same way.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to provide funds to (a) Gavi and (b) the International Finance Facility for Immunisation for 2026-2037; and what the annual contribution was to those organisations between 2011 and 2015.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi and the largest contributor to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). The UK has committed £1.65 billion to Gavi's current "5.1" strategic period covering 2021-2025 via direct contributions and IFFIm proceeds. As part of the Spending Review (SR) the UK is looking at all global health investments in the round. Announcements will follow the completion of the SR. The UK's total contribution to Gavi's third strategic period covering 2011-2015 was $2.27 billion of which $1.42bn was provided directly and $474 million through IFFIm.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on the review of funding for Gavi under the spending review; and whether he has made a decision on future contributions.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi contributing £1.65 billion to Gavi's current "5.1" strategic period covering 2021-2025. As part of the Spending Review (SR) the UK is looking at all global health investments in the round. Announcements will follow the completion of the SR.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support global health initiatives for the (a) prevention, (b) early detection and (c) treatment of noma.

I spoke at a reception in Parliament on the 28th January to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) day. The meeting included a speech by Noma survivor and advocate Mulikat Okanlawon and I separately met with her to hear about her experiences.The UK is committed to combating NTDs and towards working with global partners towards achieving the global goal target to end the epidemic of NTDs by 2030, including for Noma. The UK is a signatory to the Kigali Declaration on NTDs and supports the World Health Organization (WHO's) roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021-2030.The UK is a leading provider of flexible funding to WHO, which can support the full range of WHO priorities, such as NTDs. Other wider work that will also support reducing the prevalence and impact of Noma includes the department's support to strengthening country health systems, including in Noma prevalent countries such as Nigeria, and work to address factors associated with Noma such as malnutrition, other infectious diseases, and extreme poverty.The department has not made any assessment, separate to those made by the WHO, of the prevalence and mortality rates of Noma.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to strengthen partnerships with African countries to help build resilience against terrorism.

Our partnerships with African countries are a core component of our approach to tackling terrorism across the continent, drawing on our domestic counter-terrorism experience while learning from our African partners' unique perspectives to enhance this work. The UK works to strengthen partnerships with key African partners through bilateral cooperation, such as our Security and Defence partnerships with Nigeria and Ghana, and our Security Compact with Kenya. The UK is also proactively engaged in supporting regional initiatives such as the African Union and multilateral institutions, including the Global Coalition Against Daesh and the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF).Through the UK's Integrated Security Fund, we are directly supporting capacity and resilience building, complementary to conflict prevention, stabilisation, and development approaches. For example, the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia Borderlands Project integrates preventing violent extremism activity with development and peacebuilding approaches to improve stability and counter the regional threat posed by Al-Shabaab.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) prevalence and (b) mortality rates of noma (i) worldwide and (ii) in the UK.

I spoke at a reception in Parliament on the 28th January to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) day. The meeting included a speech by Noma survivor and advocate Mulikat Okanlawon and I separately met with her to hear about her experiences.The UK is committed to combating NTDs and towards working with global partners towards achieving the global goal target to end the epidemic of NTDs by 2030, including for Noma. The UK is a signatory to the Kigali Declaration on NTDs and supports the World Health Organization (WHO's) roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021-2030.The UK is a leading provider of flexible funding to WHO, which can support the full range of WHO priorities, such as NTDs. Other wider work that will also support reducing the prevalence and impact of Noma includes the department's support to strengthening country health systems, including in Noma prevalent countries such as Nigeria, and work to address factors associated with Noma such as malnutrition, other infectious diseases, and extreme poverty.The department has not made any assessment, separate to those made by the WHO, of the prevalence and mortality rates of Noma.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for UK foreign policy of potential irregularities in the recent elections in Belarus.

The UK condemns the sham presidential election in Belarus on 26 January. In a joint statement alongside Australia, Canada, the EU and New Zealand, the UK denounced the election and called for fresh elections which meet international standards.The UK will continue to work with likeminded partners to call out the regime's violations of fundamental human rights and hold those responsible to account.We, alongside our partners, will continue to support civil society and human rights in the face of ongoing political pressure and support the aspirations of the Belarusian people for a free, democratic, and independent Belarus.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Belarusian counterpart on the release of political prisoners.

Despite the pardoning of over 250 political prisoners since July 2024, arrests and political repression continue and more than 1,200 political prisoners remain unjustly detained.We continue to take every opportunity, both publicly and privately, to urge the Belarusian regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and protect the human rights of its citizens. This includes actively raising the issue of political prisoners at the UN and the OSCE.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions relating to (a) finance, (b) trade, (c) aircraft, (d) shipping and (e) immigration on Belarus.

Sanctions are carefully targeted to increase pressure over time, and we regularly review our sanctions to maintain effectiveness and apply increasing pressure. We therefore reserve the right to introduce further measures so that the Lukashenko regime continues to feel the consequences for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's war.Although the UK nexus with the Belarusian economy is limited, the signalling impact of our sanctions on Belarus is and will remain important.