Written questions by Griffiths.

Communities and Local Government, how many titles on the Land Register are owned by overseas individuals or entities; and what the combined purchase price of such titles was in each of the last five years.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) registers legal ownership, interests and mortgages against land and property in England and Wales. The Register of Title held by HMLR does not record the nationality of individuals who own land or property.HMLR publishes a dataset about non-UK companies or corporate bodies that own land in England and Wales. This is publicly available via gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, how many titles on the Land Register were purchased by overseas people or entities in each month in the last five years; and what their total purchase price value was.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) registers legal ownership, interests and mortgages against land and property in England and Wales. The Register of Title held by HMLR does not record the nationality of individuals who own land or property.HMLR publishes a dataset about non-UK companies or corporate bodies that own land in England and Wales. This is publicly available via gov.uk here.

What steps he is taking to reduce lung disease mortality rate.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the correlation between deprivation and lung conditions.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow for earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.It is the most disadvantaged who suffer the most from the financial and health burden of smoking, with 230,000 households living in smoking induced poverty, and with smoking being the number one cause of preventable death, disability, and ill health, claiming the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom, as well as being the leading cause of lung cancer. The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will create the first smoke-free generation, ending the cycle of addiction and disadvantage, and putting us on track to a smoke-free UK.The NHS England Core20PLUS5 approach strives to inform action that targets the most deprived 20% of the population and other inclusion health groups, with the aim of reducing health inequalities.The approach focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement, those being cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory, maternity, and mental health outcomes, in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other disadvantaged population groups identified at a local level.The Department is also working across Government on ways to reduce the health harms of air pollution, including with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to support their plans for cleaner air, so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.

What steps he is taking to improve sustainable funding for community pharmacies to (a) support people with lung conditions and (b) reduce hospital admissions.

We have concluded the most recent consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26 with the community pharmacy sector. This deal represents a funding increase of over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26 and will support community pharmacies in continuing to provide clinical services.This includes the New Medicine Service, which focuses on treatments for long-term conditions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pharmacists provide advice on side effects and address issues or questions that patients who are prescribed a new medicine may have. In addition, patients moved from secondary to primary care continue to be supported by the Discharge Medicines Service providing advice on medication changes. Interventions of this type seek to improve medication adherence and patient outcomes as well as to reduce pressure on the wider National Health Service. Community pharmacies are further funded to support patients with asthma through the Pharmacy Quality Scheme, providing additional support to patients aged between five and 15 years old using a spacer and patients using short-acting bronchodilators.

What funding has been allocated to the employment tribunal system in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of that funding has been spent on digital case management systems.

£M22/2323/2424/25Employment Tribunals67.874.977.7 The table above gives the total allocated budget for the Employment Tribunals in the years shown in £m. This includes all staff costs, judicial salaries and fees, and other direct costs from the operation of the tribunals and the specific IT systems relating to Employment Tribunals, though excludes wider overheads such as the costs of buildings and other general IT systems.It is not possible to identify separately the full running cost of the Employment Tribunals digital case management systems, as all maintenance, development and analysis work is carried out by HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s centrally-managed digital and data teams.

What recent representations she has received from legal professional bodies on the performance of employment tribunals.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings with legal professional bodies to discuss a range of matters about the justice system. To address the demands the Employment Tribunals are facing, their capacity is being increased. Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and further recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024 and recruitment will commence for another 50 in early 2026. HM Courts & Tribunals Service continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days. As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit. We do recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on Employment Tribunals and are working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.

On what dates (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met with their United States counterparts since 5 November 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade holds regular engagement with US counterparts at both Ministerial and official level.

What steps he is taking to help reduce delays in the provision of children’s mental health care services for young people experiencing acute mental health crises under mental health holds in adult psychiatric facilities.

Wherever possible, when children and young people need to be admitted to an inpatient setting for mental health treatment, they should be accommodated in an environment that is suitable for their age.Sometimes, clinically urgent situations may necessitate children and young people being placed on wards that are not specialised for their care or are away from their home and family. In these situations, patient safety, the least restrictive environment, and clinical need remains paramount.It is a statutory requirement for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to be notified when a child or young person is placed on an adult ward for a continuous period of longer than 48 hours, with providers required to provide regular updates and give assurance that the children concerned are being safeguarded. The latest information from the CQC’s Monitoring the Mental Health Act: 2023 to 2024 report shows that there were 120 notifications of instances where a person under 18 years old was admitted to an adult ward in 2023/24, a 38% decrease compared with 2022/23.The model of provision of National Health Service-funded inpatient treatment for children and young people is being re-designed to support the move to community-based provision, where children and young people are able to access appropriate support in a timely, effective, and patient-centred way, close to home, and in the least restrictive environment.This transition is being supported through provider collaboratives, place-based commissioning, and the development of local services that meet the needs of local communities. The new model will see a change to how inpatient environments are best utilised and options may include increased day provision.We are also working to improve community mental health services so that fewer children and young people need to be admitted for inpatient care. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to cut wait times and provide faster treatment, provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, and roll out Young Futures Hubs to provide open access mental health support for children and young people.

What steps he is taking to (a) retain existing and (b) recruit new GPs in Sussex.

We are committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) across the country, including in Sussex. We invested an additional £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs.We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession and we are tackling morale issues through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.The fully qualified GP workforce in Sussex has increased by 6.3% or 51.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) compared to January 2024 and compared with 2.7% nationally or 1,019 FTE.I understand that the Sussex Primary Care Workforce Plan was developed and published last year, and aims to further develop a sustainable healthcare workforce, ensuring high-quality patient care despite rising demand. The plan prioritises expanding the workforce, improving staff retention, and introducing innovative training methods.

When she plans to provide and Answer to Question 25500 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 21 January 2025.

A substantive answer was given to PQ 25499. PQ 25500 was a duplicate question and as such was withdrawn by Table Office on Wednesday 22 January.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to provide an Answer to Question 25490 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 21 January 2025.

An answer to Question 25490 was published on 24 February 2025. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

When he plans to provide an Answer to Question 26782 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 27 January 2025.

I refer the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to the answer I gave on the 24th of February, UIN 26782.

Whether her Department has commissioned the use of hotel accommodation for the purpose of housing asylum seekers within the Arun District since 5 July 2024.

For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

What meetings the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings he has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings the Minister for Industry has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings the Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in official documents.

We have long-standing processes on establishing geographical feature names for UK use, which will continue to govern future labelling.It is a matter for the US how it labels geographical features around its own coastline.