Written questions by Jogee.

Whether he has had recent discussions with his Indian counterpart on the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Secretary of State for Defence has not recently directly discussed the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) with any of his counterparts from other CWGC member nations. The Secretary of State, as the de-facto Chair of the Commission, is usually represented by the Defence Services Secretary at the quarterly CWGC Commissioners meetings. These are attended by the High Commissioners of each of the CWGC’s member nations, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. Their presence ensures a consistent link between the Commission and the Governments of its member nations. The next meeting is scheduled to held on 3 December 2025 where key aspects of the Commission’s ongoing and future work will be discussed.

Whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in the African Union on the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Secretary of State for Defence has not recently directly discussed the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) with any of his counterparts from other CWGC member nations. The Secretary of State, as the de-facto Chair of the Commission, is usually represented by the Defence Services Secretary at the quarterly CWGC Commissioners meetings. These are attended by the High Commissioners of each of the CWGC’s member nations, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. Their presence ensures a consistent link between the Commission and the Governments of its member nations. The next meeting is scheduled to held on 3 December 2025 where key aspects of the Commission’s ongoing and future work will be discussed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy of the her Department's support for farmers and (b) effectiveness of the work of the Rural Payments Agency since 5 September 2025.

The Government is backing British farming, prioritising investment that supports the Government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery. We are investing more than £2.7bn a year in farming and nature recovery, with funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers increasing by 150% from £800m in 2023/24 to £2bn by 2028/29. The effectiveness of the RPA is a priority. Since 5 September the RPA has opened the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Scheme and supported the recent announcement regarding extensions to Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements, which the RPA will now operationalise. I have met the interim CEO and the newly appointed permanent CEO of the RPA and will ensure there is regular and effective Ministerial oversight of the Agency’s performance.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the delivery of the Industrial Strategy on people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

The Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential, targeting government investment towards eight-growth driving sectors (IS-8). There are clusters of the IS-8 sectors across the whole country, and the policy package addresses the biggest constraints to growth highlighted by businesses in these sectors.To ensure robust and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the Industrial Strategy, we have chosen six economic indicators that reflect a range of desirable objectives for the IS-8 and the economy as a whole, which will be tracked at the economy-wide, sector and place level. Monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy will be overseen by the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council who will take a data-led approach.

What steps he is taking to encourage private sector investment in businesses in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

The Department for Business and Trade supports regional growth by working with local areas to attract private investment, helping business to grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities in Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme. As part of the recent Office for Investment expansion, we work with local areas, leveraging public finance from institutions like the National Wealth Fund and the British Business Bank, to deliver strategic investments, aligned with the 10-year Infrastructure and Industrial strategies. Carlsberg Britvic plans to invest £4 million in Staffordshire, supporting hundreds of jobs, and the approval, of the M54-M6 link road, will further boost the local economy.

Whether people travelling to the UK from the Republic of Ireland are required to provide biometric data when they land at UK airports.

Journeys from Ireland to the UK are within the Common Travel Area (CTA). As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls of individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland. The UK does however operate intelligence-led operational activity on CTA routes – away from the land border. If an individual is suspected to be unlawfully in the UK their biometrics maybe checked in order to ascertain their identity.

What progress his Department has made on improving parental rights for workers in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

We are strengthening rights for parents through the Employment Rights Bill, including making Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights for qualifying employees, removing restrictions on taking Paternity Leave after Shared Parental Leave, strengthening flexible working rights, and bolstering protections for new and expectant mothers. We also launched the Parental Leave Review on 1 July which will consider how parental leave can better reflect modern work and childcare realities and support working families.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Transport and (b) the Home Department on the potential impact of increases in biometric checks at borders on people travelling in the Common Travel Area between the (i) Republic of Ireland and (ii) UK.

No discussions have taken place.Journeys from Ireland to the UK are within the Common Travel Area (CTA). As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls of individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland.The UK does however operate intelligence-led operational activity on CTA routes – away from the land border. If an individual is suspected to be unlawfully in the UK their biometrics maybe checked in order to ascertain their identity and status.

What financial support the Government has provided the Commonwealth War Graves Commission since July 2024.

The Government provided £59.24 million to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission during the Financial Year 2024-25.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission since her appointment.

All meetings with external bodies will be published in the normal way on gov.uk.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of the Chinese government in sub-Saharan Africa on (a) her Department's objectives and (b) the UK's international role.

The Government monitors all such matters closely, but continues to develop its foreign policy objectives and priorities in different parts of the world according to our shared interests and values, irrespective of the activities of other countries.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of the Chinese government in the Caribbean on (a) her Department's objectives and (b) the UK's international role.

The Government monitors all such matters closely, but continues to develop its foreign policy objectives and priorities in different parts of the world according to our shared interests and values, irrespective of the activities of other countries.

What recent steps he has taken to (a) improve patient care and (b) reduce waiting times in north Staffordshire.

Tackling waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments, compared to the previous year, which is more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step in delivering the constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those in north Staffordshire, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.North Staffordshire is part of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB). As of August 2025, the latest published data, the total waiting list in this ICB stood at 139,133, 63.3% of which were waiting within 18 weeks. This is an improvement from 57.2% in August 2024 and is above the August 2025 national average of 61%. The Government is committed not only to ensuring that people are seen on time but also to ensuring that they have the best possible experience when using NHS England’s services. Empowering patients with greater choice and control is central to this effort.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out wide ranging reforms to improve patients’ access to and experience of care, from reducing unnecessary appointments to faster and more local diagnostics.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for planned care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually, online, or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely, and effective, and will put control in the hands of patients.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of the Chinese government in the Pacific on (a) her Department's objectives and (b) the UK's international role.

The Government monitors all such matters closely, but continues to develop its foreign policy objectives and priorities in different parts of the world according to our shared interests and values, irrespective of the activities of other countries.

How much Staffordshire County Council has received in adult skills funding since July 2024.

Staffordshire County Council was allocated £1,404,490 of Adult Skills Fund funding from the Department for Education in the Academic Year 2024/25. This figure does not account for any reconciliation paid relating to delivery before August 2024. There are other providers that also receive Adult Skills Funding from central government which deliver to learners in Staffordshire. Further information is published here: Funding allocations to training providers: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy of services provided to farmers by the Rural Payments Agency and (b) effectiveness of the work of that agency since 5 September 2025.

Ensuring the adequacy of services provided by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and the effectiveness of the RPA is a priority. Since 5 September the RPA has opened the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Scheme and supported the recent announcement regarding extensions to Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements, which the RPA will now operationalise. I have met the interim CEO and the newly appointed permanent CEO of the RPA and will ensure there is regular and effective Ministerial oversight of the Agency’s performance.

What discussions she had with the Association of Commonwealth Universities on her Departmental priorities since her appointment.

No meetings have taken place with the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

What estimate she has made of the amount of Landfill Tax (a) avoided and (b) evaded by the operators of landfill sites.

HMRC estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. These statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2025 edition: tax gap estimates for 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The latest estimate for England and Northern Ireland of the Landfill Tax gap is 22.6% of the theoretical Landfill Tax liabilities, or £150 million in absolute terms, for the 2023 to 2024 tax year. In the last 5 years, HMRC Landfill Tax compliance activities have generated a compliance yield of £1.3 billion.

What steps his Department plans to take to ensure the new NHS workforce plan will provide the number of specialists required for Parkinson’s care.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10-Year Workforce Plan which will create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, including specialists across the full scope of National Health Service care.We have set up a UK-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, biannual meetings across the Department, NHS England, devolved governments, and health services and Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions. The Forum has identified areas for initial focus, including workforce which featured as a key item on the agenda at the second meeting of the forum in September.

What steps he has taken ensure the continued availability of post office services in rural communities in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire since his appointment.

The Government protects the sustainability of the Post Office network - and the rural network in particular - by providing an annual Network Subsidy. This ensures Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with the Government-set access criteria.This financial year we are providing £83 million in subsidy, up from £50 million previously, and building on the uplift provided last year. The access criteria ensures that, however the network changes, 99% of the UK population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office.