Written questions by Forster.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential benefits of using digital twin technology in major infrastructure projects.

The National Digital Twin Programme (NDTP) aims to develop the UK’s capability in digital twinning technologies, and to enable the digital interconnection of infrastructure and other sources of data. This will enable more efficient design, construction, and operation of infrastructure assets, improving delivery of public services and provide greater certainty and confidence to business to invest. The delivery of the NDTP will contribute to the Growth Mission, the Clean Energy Mission, and support the operation of several priority sectors within the Industrial Strategy.Information about the NDTP can be found at: National Digital Twin Programme. gov.uk

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a temporary Blue Badge scheme.

The Blue Badge scheme is primarily about helping people with a long-term disability that affects their capacity to access the goods and services they need to use. Anyone may be entitled to a badge if they meet the eligibility criteria.The Department for Transport has previously issued local authorities with advice on how they could use existing powers to provide locally determined parking concessions within their areas. For example, some local authorities grant parking concessions to assist their elderly residents. The same powers could be used to help those with temporary disabilities.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered extending the remit of Woking Borough Council’s Commissioners to assist the new shadow unitary authority in Woking following local government reorganisation.

Commissioners were appointed to Woking Borough Council in 2023 to facilitate recovery and improvement, following historic commercial mismanagement and major governance failures, with the Council having accumulated an extraordinary level of debt, far exceeding usual levels of borrowing for a council of its size. Woking has required a significant programme of change to improve its financial position and ensure it is operating to the required standard; this work is ongoing. I asked that Commissioner input be included in the development of robust unitarisation proposals for Surrey. I am currently considering the submissions for unitary local government that were received on 9 May. As I set out to the House on 3 June in the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS676, I will provide the House with a full update shortly. If there were a decision to implement a proposal for unitary local government in Surrey, I would expect that Commissioners’ input will continue to be important as part of the process of moving towards the establishment of unitary authorities.

Whether her Department has considered improving pedestrian (a) access and (b) egress at Waterloo Station.

There are a series of improvement works underway at Waterloo station to improve pedestrian access and egress, including the recent refurbishment of the lift to Waterloo Road and with further escalator works to be completed by summer 2026. Network Rail is currently working on a London Waterloo masterplan which is at early stages to transform Waterloo station and the surrounding area.

If he will make an estimate of the number of (a) businesses and (b) people in Woking that will benefit from the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.

The Economic Prosperity Deal is a unique deal that ensures the most important UK industries are protected. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ around 29,000 people across the South East with around 2,500 people in Woking employed in the automotive industry. We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, enhancing access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains.We will continue to act in Britain's national interest - for workers, for business and for families including in Woking.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the 2,198 children under the age of 16 living in relative poverty in Woking constituency.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish its strategy as soon as possible. We are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The strategy will look across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in devolved governments. The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers.

What steps she is taking following the nationalisation of South Western Railway to improve (a) train services and (b) access to train stations in Woking.

South Western Railway (SWR) services transferred into public ownership on 25 May. This was a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers. The new Managing Director of SWR will develop a detailed plan to improve performance and get new trains into service which will improve train services in the Woking area. There are no immediate plans to improve access to stations in Woking.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to recognise the State of Palestine following the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Madrid.

The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. On the 25 May at the Madrid conference, I met with partners to discuss how to deliver a two-state solution with a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas.  We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect British citizens abroad from (a) cybercrime and (b) digital asset theft.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides country specific travel advice and consular assistance to British nationals abroad. The FCDO also works in partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and other agencies to raise public awareness through guidance and advice on global threats to help individuals, the public sector, and the Government to stay secure online. This guidance is applicable worldwide and addresses a range of cyber risks. If British nationals overseas are affected by cybercrime while overseas, they should contact the local police and, if necessary, seek consular support in line with our published services on gov.uk.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage discharges there have been into the (a) River Bourne, (b) River Wey and (c) Hoe Stream in the last five years.

The Environment Agency (EA) has reviewed its records of sewage related pollution incidents in the Woking constituency in the last five years. This shows the Addlestone Bourne has had two incidents, the River Wey/Navigation has had one incident, and the Hoe Stream has had three incidents.The EA continues to respond and investigate any significant pollution incidents.The EA is currently transforming its regulatory approach including developing a larger specialised workforce and delivering a step change in inspections of Thames Water's permitted sites and associated enforcement.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle childhood poverty in Canalside ward in Woking constituency.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish its strategy as soon as possible. We are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The strategy will look across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in devolved governments. The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers.

How many people have applied for Pension Credit in Woking constituency since 29 July 2024.

Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes, for Great Britain only, were published on 29th May 2025. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, and outstanding, from week commencing 3rd April 2023 up to week commencing 19th May 2025: Pension Credit applications and awards: May 2025 - GOV.UK. The next quarterly release of Pension Credit applications and awards statistics for Great Britian has been announced for late-August 2025: Pension Credit Applications and Awards Statistics: August 2025 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, whether levels of deprivation in (a) Goldsworth Park, (b) Canalside ward and (c) other areas are taken into account when deciding levels of funding allocated to local authorities.

In the 2025-26 Settlement, the new, one-off, Recovery Grant, worth £600 million, was targeted towards areas with greater need and demand for services, with deprivation used as a proxy for this, and less ability to raise income locally. The metrics used are based on the most recent publicly available data, including the IMD 2019 which is made up of 33,000 lower layer super output area (LSOA) scores. We have used this LSOA data to determine allocations for the Recovery Grant, noting the importance of considering the variance between all small areas that make up an authority. This grant is the first meaningful step towards funding reform starting to correct the unfairness of the current system.The government is planning to use the best available evidence to assess differences in the need for local government services – including deprivation – and resources available to local authorities. We will set this out in more detail through further consultation following the Spending Review, and welcome views from local government representatives and the public.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support the construction of new homes in Woking constituency that have planning permission but construction has not yet commenced.

I refer the hon. Member to the Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) and the technical consultation on implementing measure to improve Build Out transparency (which can be found on gov.uk here) published by the government on 25 May 2025.

How many people are (a) eligible for pension credit and (b) have yet to apply for it in Woking constituency.

Published DWP Pension Credit Take-up statistics estimate that up to 760,000 households who were entitled to receive Pension Credit did not claim the benefit. 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 Latest caseload statistics show that as of November 2024, there were 1,390,749 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Great Britain, of which 1242 were in Woking constituency. This data is available via DWP Stat-Xplore.

Communities and Local Government, how many of the (a) rejected and (b) withdrawn applications to the Building Safety Regulator under the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 were in Woking constituency since October 2023.

Building Safety Regulator officials have confirmed that there have been no building control applications for approval (regardless of application status or outcome) in any of the postcodes that make up the Woking constituency (GU18-24 and KT14-18).

If he will make an estimate of the number of (a) businesses and (b) people in Woking that will benefit from the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.

This comprehensive agreement is estimated to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion and boost wages by £2.2 billion each and every year in the long run. This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and consumers in every corner of the UK. The South-East's world-leading medical technology industry, will benefit from Indian liberalisation of medical device tariffs, allowing them to tap into India's vast and rapidly growing market.We will set out further information on the regional impacts of this agreement in our Impact Assessment.

What plans he has for new specialist mental health crisis centres in Surrey.

Individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in Surrey can access support 24/7 through the Mental Health Crisis Helpline, operated by the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The service is staffed by trained professionals who provide immediate advice, support, and signposting to a range of community services.There are five Safe Havens across Surrey that provide out-of-hours help and support to individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis or emotional distress. Each Safe Haven is staffed by a mental health practitioner from the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and two trained Safe Haven workers. Peer support from people with lived experience of mental health issues is also increasingly available.At a national level, substantial progress has been achieved in building more robust crisis care pathways across all ages and in all regions, ensuring that people in a mental health crisis can receive the right care.As part of this, the Government has committed £26 million in capital investment to support people in a mental health crisis, including opening new mental health crisis centres across England, which aim to provide accessible and responsive care for individuals in a mental health crisis. In addition, we are piloting six 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres which provide support to individuals with severe mental illness, without needing to book an appointment.People of all ages in England experiencing a mental health crisis can speak to a trained NHS professional at any time of the day via the NHS 111 service. This service gives people the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.

When she plans to consider Surrey County Council's request to extend the deadline for balancing the Dedicated Schools Grant by 2026-27.

The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.

What steps she plans to take to help ensure that Surrey County Council meets its Safety Valve support package conditions.

The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety valve agreements through our monitoring process which takes place three times a year. Where local authorities are struggling to meet the terms of their agreement, we provide additional support to develop alternative plans and mitigations to deliver the aims of their plan.