Written questions by Mitchell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has taken to assist Zimbabwe's return to the Commonwealth; and for what reason her Department vetoed the proposal that Zimbabwe should return at the Samoa Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 2024.

Awaiting answer.

How many primary schools in Royal Sutton Coldfield have access to mental health support teams.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of digital connectivity for businesses in the West Midlands.

Awaiting answer.

Whether University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust will receive funding for new batteries and solar panels as part of the Clean Energy Upgrades for Hospitals and Military Sites scheme.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of non-staffing costs on the sustainability of schools in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote (a) Royal Sutton Coldfield and (b) the West Midlands as destinations for British holidaymakers in summer 2026.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the conference on illicit finance has been postponed.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in the under 25s in the West Midlands.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resilience of the national grid infrastructure in the West Midlands to withstand disruption.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve access to freezing and storage capacity for tumour tissues for oncology services in the West Midlands, in order to improve outcomes for hard-to-treat cancers.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in the over 50s in the West Midlands.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 13th May is attached.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of patients waiting for more than (a) 1 month, (b) 3 months (c) 6 months and (d) 12 months to receive cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.

It is for local integrated care boards to decide whether cognitive behavioural therapy should be offered to their populations as a treatment for insomnia.NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression offer low-intensity therapy which may include interventions around sleep hygiene. Talking Therapies data do not record whether a patient has insomnia. Through the 10-Year Health Plan we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029.Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression can be referred by their general practitioner, or can self-refer, to NHS Talking Therapies. People can also access helpful resources on sleep problems on the Every Mind Matters website at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/sleep/In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Prioritisation Board has recently agreed to prioritise digital technologies that deliver cognitive behavioural therapy interventions for insomnia and insomnia symptoms as a topic for the development of HealthTech guidance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to conclude the $100 million joint development deal between the UK and Qatar.

The UK is proud of its humanitarian and development partnership with the State of Qatar. Our ambition to deliver $100 million in joint humanitarian and development projects, announced in December 2024, is currently being implemented through programmes in Bangladesh, Somalia and Syria.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of women dying during pregnancy or in the weeks after giving birth in the Midlands.

The NHS England Midlands region is implementing the Maternal Care Bundle. The bundle includes guidance to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including thrombosis, mental health, epilepsy, and haemorrhage. Maternal medicine networks have also been established across the Midlands, coordinating specialist care pathways for women with high-risk physical comorbidities, and delivering training and education.National Health Service providers are also implementing the Enhanced Continuity of Midwifery Carer Model, which provides women from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with support throughout pregnancy from the same midwifery team.Additionally, NHS providers in the region are increasing access to maternal mental health services, and select trusts are participating in a new programme to reduce inequality of outcome in maternity care for women from ethnic minority groups.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the organic food sector in the Midlands

I met with representatives of the English Organic Forum at the Oxford Farming Conference in January this year. The English Organic Forum is a collection of organic-focused organisations that have come together to represent the organic sector across England, which includes the Midlands, and we discussed challenges and opportunities for the organic sector. Defra officials routinely meet with representatives of the organic sector which includes the English Organic Forum and other sector representatives, organic Control Bodies and organic businesses.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to urge the newly formed Government of Myanmar to release (a) Aung San Suu Kyi and (b) all other political prisoners.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 April in response to Question 126571.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions on Myanmar.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 April in response to Question 126571.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the (a) human rights and (b) humanitarian situation in Myanmar following the inauguration of General Min Aung Hlaing.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 April in response to Question 126571.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 March to Question 123135 on Foreign Investment in UK: West Midlands, if he will set out inward investment into the West Midlands for each of the last 10 years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th April is attached.

Is she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the absence of Pupil Premium equivalent funding to support the attainment of disadvantaged students during their last two years of compulsory participation in education and training on those pupils.

The Pupil Premium is not payable for students in post-16 education but there is funding to help institutions support disadvantaged students available in 16-19 funding. The department has made significant increases to the average funding per student since the 2024 /25 academic year to the 2026/27 academic year, an expected per student increase of 10.5%. We expect the average per student funding in 2026/27 will stand at £6,874, compared to £6,219 in the 2024/25 academic year. This includes increases to disadvantaged funding which allows institutions to provide extra support to students who need it. However, it does not include the extra funding from the new Inclusive Mainstream Fund, announced on 25 March as part of our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms. This will make available over £500 million per financial year, for the duration of the three-year spending period, and is split between early years, schools, and post-16. £83 million per year is additional funding for mainstream settings delivering 16 to 19 provision. This will help to boost capacity in mainstream settings to meet a greater proportion of SEND needs.