Written questions by Jogee.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times Ministers in his Department have engaged with the leadership of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since 5 July 2024.

The Foreign Secretary spoke with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, on 15 August. The Foreign Secretary expressed solidarity with the Caribbean following Hurricane Beryl. They also discussed the situation in Haiti and reaffirm the deep UK-CARICOM relationship, including the need to advance the UK-CARICOM Memorandum of Understanding. During visits to Grenada and Barbados, the Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean had a bilateral meeting with the then Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada. They discussed a number of issues, including disaster preparedness, climate finance and the ongoing challenges in Haiti.

What steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and( b) value of trade between the United Kingdom and Greece.

Reinvigorating the UK’s relationship with our European partners is a priority for this Government. The Prime Minister met with his Greek counterpart in December, when both underlined the importance of the bilateral relationship, and agreed that there were opportunities to deliver further trade and investment for both countries. HM Trade Commissioner for Europe’s visit to Athens in October 2024 also served to strengthen engagement with industry stakeholders. My officials continue to work to identify opportunities for UK businesses and address barriers to trade with Greece.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness, (b) potential and (c) adequacy of relations between the UK and West Africa.

The UK and West Africa have shared interests from security to investment and development to climate resilience. But West Africa is also a diverse region, with the UK valuing its partnership with each West African nation. For example, the Foreign Secretary visited Nigeria in November and agreed a new Strategic Partnership enabling greater UK-Nigerian cooperation on shared priorities. On 7 January, Lord Collins attended Ghanaian President John Mahama's inauguration, strengthening ties with Ghana and other regional leaders. Lord Collins also visited Ghana and Senegal in September focusing on UK support to boost growth, clean energy, food security and women's empowerment. In his speech at the UK/Francophone West and Central Africa Trade Forum on 4 December, Lord Collins highlighted the Government's desire to strengthen UK trade partnerships across the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness, (b) potential and (c) adequacy of relations between the UK and East Africa.

East Africa and the UK have strong people-to-people ties, vital trading relations, critical security partnerships, and British institutions such as the BBC are hugely popular. We have a significant Official Development Assistance (ODA) portfolio - in October 2024, Lord Collins visited Ethiopia, where he announced £16m in funding to support the Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme, and Seychelles, to sign an ambitious economic security partnership on illicit finance. As penholder on Somalia at the UN Security Council, we delivered a mandate for the new African Union Stabilisation and Support Mission. With sufficient stability, East Africa has potential for greater commercial cooperation with UK and the new Africa approach will set out a distinctive UK offer which addresses shared interests and strengthens partnerships.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness, (b) potential and (c) adequacy of relations between the UK and North Africa.

The relationship between the UK and the countries of North Africa focuses on a range of shared interests, including trade and investment, working together on migration, regional stability, and people-to-people links. There is greater potential, including to increase trade from £11bn, and to meet demand for greater English language capacity. We are working to develop comprehensive partnerships to tackle irregular migration and have regular dialogues on regional stability, such as the importance of tackling Russian efforts to increase its presence in the region and aligning efforts to address the conflicts of the Sahel and wider Middle East.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many formal recommendations the Committee has made to the Electoral Commission since 12 December 2019.

The Speaker's Committee has made no formal recomendations to the Electoral Commission since 12 December 2019.The Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission is a statutory body established in part to examine performance and to review and approve the Electoral Commission's annual estimates, and five-year plan. The Committee also recommends the appointments of the Chair of the Electoral Commission and Electoral Commissioners.As part of this statutory role, the Committee has reported on Commissioner appointments and the Commission's annual estimates.The Committee does not have the power to direct or intervene in the Commission's operational work, but there is regular engagement to keep the Committee informed about ongoing activity.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. This is why on 3 January 2025 government announced an immediate £86 million in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), taking the funding total to £711 million for 2024-25. This will allow 7,800 more eligible people to make vital improvements to their home allowing them to live more independent lives and reducing hospitalisations.Furthermore, government announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025-26 financial year at the Autumn Budget (bringing total funding for 2025-26 to £711 million).Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. As part of this process, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit.Government does not hold data on how many people have received DFG funding. The table below sets out the number of completed grants for the (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last 14 years, taken from voluntary, unaudited and incomplete data provided annually by local authorities in England. Due to changes in reporting mechanisms, completions data for financial year 2017-18 is not available.YearNumber of DFGs completed(a) Newcastle-under-Lyme(b)Staffordshire2010-20111309322011-201211610182012-2013Incomplete dataIncomplete data2013-201495Incomplete data2014-20151196832015-2016Incomplete dataIncomplete data2016-2017118Incomplete data2017-2018N/AN/A2018-20191207542019-2020756592020-2021605732021-20221357032022-2023878642023-202492984

What discussions he has had with the Chemical Industries Association about the (a) access to and (b) regulation of safe and approved chemicals in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Work and Pensions is the policy lead with regard to chemical regulation across the UK, as sponsor of the Health and Safety Executive. In that role, the Department for Work and Pensions continuously assesses the adequacy of chemical regulation across the whole of the UK.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of road safety measures in Northern Ireland.

The Government regularly engages with the Northern Ireland Executive on the importance of infrastructure investment in Northern Ireland, including the road and transport network. Responsibility for road safety measures is devolved to Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure and I welcome the Minister for Infrastructure’s recent announcement that the upgrade of the A5, a vital artery of Northern Ireland’s road network where many lives have been lost over the years, will commence this year.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the number of people on hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland.

Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people in Northern Ireland. The Government regularly engages with Executive Ministers, including the Northern Ireland Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services. I have engaged extensively with stakeholders across the Northern Ireland health service to discuss how the Government can work with the Executive to tackle its shared health challenges, including waiting lists.

What assessment she has made of the (a) performance and (b) adequacy of the services provided by Avanti West Coast to residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme since her appointment.

The Secretary of State is clear that the performance of Avanti West Coast has not been good enough. The Department routinely engages with all rail operators on service frequency and quality of service across the network, to hold Train Operator Companies (TOCs) to account on the services they provide to passengers, including for residents of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times Ministers in his Department have met with the leadership of the African Union since 5 July 2024.

FCDO Ministers regularly engage with the leadership of the African Union (AU). Lord Collins spoke with the AU Commissioners for Political Affairs and Trade and Industry immediately following his appointment in July. Lord Collins and I both met AU Commissioners in Addis Ababa during visits in August, and Lord Collins subsequently met with AU Commission Chairperson Faki at the UN General Assembly in September. I met with the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment during COP29 in November.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the (a) Southern African Development Community and (b) African Union on the political situation in Mozambique.

The UK has discussed the political situation in Mozambique with key partners, including the Southern African Development Community and the African Union. The UK and partners continue to support the peaceful resolution of current unrest in Mozambique. Promoting political dialogue is central to our approach, as well as urging all parties to show restraint while respecting the rule of law and human rights. Lord Collins also recently emphasised the importance of de-escalation and an inclusive transition with representatives of the Mozambican government, and will discuss the situation with the Executive Secretary of SADC when visiting Botswana from 14-16 January.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of chemical regulation in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Work and Pensions is the policy lead with regard to chemical regulation across the UK, as sponsor of the Health and Safety Executive. In that role, the Department for Work and Pensions continuously assesses the adequacy of chemical regulation across the whole of the UK.

Communities and Local Government, how many people have received funding from the Disabled Facilities Grant in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last 14 years.

Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. This is why on 3 January 2025 government announced an immediate £86 million in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), taking the funding total to £711 million for 2024-25. This will allow 7,800 more eligible people to make vital improvements to their home allowing them to live more independent lives and reducing hospitalisations.Furthermore, government announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025-26 financial year at the Autumn Budget (bringing total funding for 2025-26 to £711 million).Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. As part of this process, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit.Government does not hold data on how many people have received DFG funding. The table below sets out the number of completed grants for the (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last 14 years, taken from voluntary, unaudited and incomplete data provided annually by local authorities in England. Due to changes in reporting mechanisms, completions data for financial year 2017-18 is not available.YearNumber of DFGs completed(a) Newcastle-under-Lyme(b)Staffordshire2010-20111309322011-201211610182012-2013Incomplete dataIncomplete data2013-201495Incomplete data2014-20151196832015-2016Incomplete dataIncomplete data2016-2017118Incomplete data2017-2018N/AN/A2018-20191207542019-2020756592020-2021605732021-20221357032022-2023878642023-202492984

What steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and (b) value of trade between the UK and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Department for Business and Trade is supporting UK businesses to access opportunities to grow trade with Trinidad and Tobago, including in areas such as critical infrastructure. In October 2024, UK Export Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Finance in Trinidad and Tobago. This provides an avenue of financial support for projects in healthcare infrastructure and airport development, among other areas. And, later this month, the UK will meet Trinidad and Tobago for the Trade and Development Council under the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement to discuss further opportunities to grow our trading relationship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to help stop the loss of life in Gaza since 19 December 2024.

We have raised protection of civilians and the destruction of health infrastructure repeatedly with the Israeli government, most recently on 3 January. The UK has announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) so far this financial year, including £41million for UNWRA, providing vital services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to Palestinians across the region.  In July, we announced £5.5m in funding to UK-Med for operating their field hospitals. UK-Med have now provided vital care to over 300,000 Gazans since the start of the conflict.Securing an immediate ceasefire, the safe release of all hostages and urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis remains the UK's top priority.

What plans he has to allow up-to date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

At a national level, in partnership with NHS England, the Department is building the foundations for improved information sharing between care and health staff. Digital social care records, that contain a person’s care information, are now in use by more than 72% of Care Quality Commission-registered care providers, from a starting point of 41% in December 2021. We recently set out our ambition that all care providers will be fully digitised by the end of this Parliament.Within the coming months, all assured Digital Social Care Records will also enable medical information to be shared with social care providers through GP Connect, which provides a restricted view of a person’s general practice (GP) record to social care staff for direct care purposes, where there is consent for the data to be shared. Access to this information improves the quality and safety of care and saves time, currently spent on the phone waiting to speak to GP surgeries.In Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, the One Health and Care shared care record enables medical information sharing for direct care purposes across health and social care. This initiative has been in place since 2020. There is not currently a consistent way for information held by social care providers to be shared, and from April 2025, we will begin work to establish a national shared platform that enables this essential information sharing and ensures health and care staff can access real-time social care, GP, and hospital data, providing access to essential medical information in a timely way. This could include when someone last took their medication, or whether there’s been a change to their care regimen. By linking up systems, NHS and care staff will have access to the latest information, speeding up and improving care both in health and in care settings.

How many children deemed to be at risk of abuse or neglect are home schooled in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England.

The department collects data on children in elective home education (EHE) from local authorities. The latest data, including at the local authority level, is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.The data collection includes whether a child is defined as a child in need (CIN) and if a child is the subject of a child protection plan (CPP). In England, around 1% of children in EHE were recorded as CIN and just under 0.5% of children in EHE have a CPP (1,600 and 500 children respectively in autumn 2024). Local authority level data is suppressed to protect confidentiality due to small numbers.Local authorities have a legal responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including taking appropriate action where safeguarding concerns are identified.The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced on 17 December, will place a duty on all local authorities in England to hold and maintain registers of children not in school in their area. These registers will help to identify those children who are not in school, including those who may be at risk of harm. Parents and certain providers of out-of-school education will be required to provide the local authority with the information needed for the registers and there will be sanctions for failing to do so. The Bill also includes a new requirement for parents to obtain local authority consent before they can home educate if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry or has a CPP. Local authorities will have new powers to require any home educated child to attend school if their home or learning environment is unsuitable. These proposals will strengthen the existing system of oversight for these children.

What criteria he plans to use to appoint country-specific trade envoys.

Trade Envoys are appointed on their ability, relevant skills and experience. This can be based on market and or UK sector knowledge including previous government-to-government experience plus their commitment to support the Government’s trade and investment objectives and priorities when overseas.