Written questions by Chowns.

What additional funding she plans to provide to local authorities in rural areas to improve road safety.

We have awarded local authorities £185.8 million of funding between 2017 and 2024 through the Safer Roads Fund to improve the safety of England's most high risk 'A' roads. To date, it has funded 445.3 miles of rural roads which make up 62.4% of all funded routes. We acknowledge there is more that can be done; therefore, my Government is developing a road safety strategy, the first in over ten years, and we will set out more details in due course.

What steps she plans to take to improve road safety in North Herefordshire constituency in the 2025-26 financial year.

Local authorities often use Integrated Transport Block funding for road safety improvements: the Department hopes to announce ITB allocations for 2025/26 for Herefordshire and other authorities shortly. This will allow Herefordshire County Council to decide how best to use the available funding: the Department does not get involved in local authority decision making of this sort. On highways maintenance, all local authority allocations for highway maintenance block capital funding in 2025/26, including for Herefordshire County Council, were announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 20 December 2024 and are published on gov.uk. Herefordshire County Council will be receiving an uplift of over £6.1 million compared to the current financial year, taking its total funding for the year to nearly £23 million.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the frequency and reliability of rail services to stations in Herefordshire.

The Department works with all its Train Operating Companies on the frequency and reliability of services, including those in Herefordshire, where it also liaises with Transport for Wales on its services through the county. We are aware that West Midlands Trains (WMT) services to Birmingham have suffered reliability issues and shorter trains in recent months, and WMT is implementing a focused set of initiatives to mitigate this.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17264 on Children: Epilespy, what steps her Department is taking with governing bodies to ensure that all schools (a) develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions, (b) ensure the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and (c) ensure that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.

Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions and the duties under the Equality Act 2010. The effectiveness of a school is assessed through inspection by Ofsted.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 24912 on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, whether the measures to implement the provisions needed to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty will be complete by the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.

The Government is completely committed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement, also known as the "High Seas Treaty" or "Global Ocean Treaty"), which is in line with our determination to reinvigorate the UK's wider international leadership on climate and nature. Legislation to implement the BBNJ Agreement will be introduced as soon as the legislative timetable allows.

With reference to the document by NHS England entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the NHS target for completion of annual health checks for people with a learning disability on health inequalities for people with learning disabilities in Herefordshire.

The NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for 2025-26 addresses the urgent challenges facing the NHS, as highlighted by the Darzi investigation. My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced a series of reforms to the NHS operating model to move power from the centre to local leaders. In keeping with these reforms, we are giving systems greater control and flexibility over how funding is deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.NHS England recognises the importance of the learning disability annual health check. The NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 still requires integrated care boards to report on the number of people on the quality outcome framework learning disability register aged 14 years old or over who receive an annual health check during the quarter. The planning guidance is not a catalogue of everything the NHS does, nor is it the sole evidence of our priorities. It remains important that people with a learning disability and autistic people have the right, tailored support in place.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on ending badger culling.

The Government has started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy, to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. The previous government was taking decisions that were not based on sufficient scientific understanding of the subject, and the new Government has put following the science at the heart of its strategy. Additionally, this work is being undertaken through stakeholder co-design with farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists, with a steering group formed from the existing Bovine TB Partnership for England. A key part of the strategy is to drive forward the ongoing development of a cattle vaccine, which is at the forefront of innovative solutions to help eradicate this disease. In August, the Government also outlined several actions it is taking immediately to end the badger cull. This is available at the link below and includes: Surveying the badger population for the first time in a decade, to estimate badger abundance and population recovery. Surveys of eligible land started this February.Developing a new national wildlife surveillance programme, to unlock a data-driven approach that informs how and where TB vaccines and other eradication measures are deployed.Establishing a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force, to continue increasing delivery to create progressively healthier badger populations that are less susceptible to catching and transmitting TB. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-end-badger-cull-with-new-tb-eradication-strategy. The work toward a new strategy represents a new direction in defeating this disease that will both protect the farming community and wildlife, building on the 2018 independent strategy review. To ensure it benefits from the latest evidence, my Department has also asked Professor Sir Charles Godfray, who led that review, to reconvene a panel of experts to consider whether there’s any substantive new evidence that might affect previous conclusions.

Whether his Department plans to amend the policy paper entitled UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement: The UK’s Strategic Approach, published in June 2022.

The Department for Business and Trade published the UK's Strategic Approach for the UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement ahead of launching negotiations. The Strategic Approach was based on public consultation with stakeholders and has informed the approach to negotiations since launch.Economic growth is the priority of this government and drives our trade agenda. The objectives of our Free Trade Agreement programme support delivery of this government's growth priorities.The government will continue to update parliament as negotiations progress and will publish further information on the GCC Free Trade Agreement following the conclusion of negotiations.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, whether his Department is (a) committed to achieve good ecological status for water bodies in England by 2027 and (b) on track to meet the 2027 objectives.

The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 transposed the European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) into law in England and Wales and were retained in UK law after EU exit. In the Government’s response to the Office for Environmental Protection’s report on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive Regulations, this Government agreed that not enough progress has been made in meeting the Framework’s objective for water quality, to restore water bodies to good ecological status or good ecological potential. This is due to a failure by the previous Government to drive sufficient investment and action over the last 15 years since the first River Basin Management Plans were published. The Secretary of State has made cleaning up the water environment a priority for Defra and made clear that increased action and investment, and more effective management of the water system as a whole is required.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK's nuclear testing on the (a) medical, (b) public and (c) genetic health of the population in Kiribati.

The UK has arranged several assessments of the impacts of nuclear testing in the Pacific region and it has been the UK Government's position since 2008 that any remediation work required due to UK nuclear tests in Kiribati has been completed. There are no plans for the UK Government to undertake a further assessment of the health of the population or environment of that nation. The UK is committed to creating long standing partnerships with Pacific Island countries including Kiribati, and supporting their priorities including tackling environmental and climate related issues.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the prospective free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council on the climate.

The UK is a global leader on climate action, and we have been discussing a range of environment and climate issues with GCC partners under the trade agreement negotiations.The UK - GCC Strategic Approach published on 22nd June 2022 on GOV.UK contains a chapter that covers the potential environmental impacts of the deal.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the number of (a) non-bond and (b) other private creditors have reached debt restructuring agreements; and what information his Department holds on when Zambia is expected to complete the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments.

Zambia has now reached agreement on restructurings with its official creditors and private bondholders, though progress was slow initially. Good faith negotiations continue with remaining commercial creditors. The UK has been clear that private creditors must play their part in debt restructurings. The Paris Club, and now the G20 as part of the Common Framework process, are also clear on our collective expectation that private creditors must participate in restructurings on terms at least as favourable as those provided by government creditors, to ensure comparability of treatment. The UK continues to push for the improvement and expansion of the Common Framework to all lower and middle-income countries, including through our participation in the Paris Club, G20 Finance Track, and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices on global climate action of (a) the US Executive Order entitled Putting America First in International Climate Agreements, dated 20 January 2025 and (b) other polices of the new US Administration on (i) climate finance commitments and (ii) international agreements; and if he will take steps to increase levels of climate adaptation funding for developing countries.

The UK notes the US Executive Order entitled Putting America First in International Climate Agreements and other climate-related policy steps, these are a matter for the US. The UK will continue to work with all countries and partners to tackle the urgency of the climate and nature crisis and will pursue an energy policy that gets UK household bills down in the long-term. Our next International Climate Finance commitment will be carefully determined through the multi-year Spending Review.

What steps his Department is taking to consult with (a) veteran communities and (b) service organisations to inform the (i) design, (ii) implementation, (iii) data security, (iv) data governance and (v) access requirements for the Digital Veteran Card.

To ensure the privacy and protection of Veteran's personal information, the implementation of the Digital Veteran Card system will be developed in collaboration with Government Digital Services and Office for Veterans’ Affairs. It will comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Secure by Design Principles and other applicable data protection legislation. As with the current physical cards, the digital cards will not hold or present detailed or sensitive Service information. The Project is working in close collaboration with the Office of Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to engage and consult with veterans throughout the development and delivery of the Virtual Veterans Card. This is completed via user research with veterans and charities to understand their needs to ensure the Ministry of Defence provides a high-quality user-centred service.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to recommendation 13 in the Fifth Special Report of the Environmental Audit Committee of Session 2023-24 entitled The UK’s contribution to tackling global deforestation: Government Response to the Committee’s Fourth Report, HC 669, what steps he has taken to ensure that the statutory evaluation of the Schedule 17 due diligence system addresses whether the due diligence system has effectively supported the human rights of indigenous peoples to land, territories and resources.

We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the Digital Veteran Card system on the data protection of veterans (a) with sensitive service histories and (b) who served in Special Forces.

To ensure the privacy and protection of Veteran's personal information, the implementation of the Digital Veteran Card system will be developed in collaboration with Government Digital Services and Office for Veterans’ Affairs. It will comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Secure by Design Principles and other applicable data protection legislation. As with the current physical cards, the digital cards will not hold or present detailed or sensitive Service information. The Project is working in close collaboration with the Office of Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to engage and consult with veterans throughout the development and delivery of the Virtual Veterans Card. This is completed via user research with veterans and charities to understand their needs to ensure the Ministry of Defence provides a high-quality user-centred service.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to assess its effectiveness at tackling pollution from contaminated land.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the Environmental Protection Act 1990 continues to be a robust and effective legislative framework for managing and mitigating pollution from contaminated land. The department is always assessing the effectiveness of legislation to ensure it is fit for purpose. Defra has recently commissioned the Environment Agency to produce a new State of Contaminated Land Report, which involves surveying Local Authorities progress on delivering their statutory responsibilities under Part2A of the Act, including the effectiveness of existing regulations and their remediation efforts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he has made an assessment of the potential impact of statements on Gaza by President Trump on 4 February 2025 on the temporary Gaza ceasefire deal.

The government's objective remans a negotiated two-state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel. In order to deliver this, it is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities in Gaza and rebuild and that there can be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. The new US administration played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement, alongside Qatar and Egypt. The UK will continue to work closely with the US to sustain the fragile ceasefire, ensure that all the hostages are released, increase the supply of aid, and break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a permanent, sustainable peace.

With reference to her predecessor's oral contribution of 18 November 2024, Official Report, column 49, when she plans to make a decision on concessionary bus travel for young people; and what criteria she plans to use.

Bus services are predominantly run on a commercial basis, where private operators decide on the level at which fares are set. Many bus operators offer reduced fares for young people, and the Department for Transport’s latest concessionary travel statistics show that in the year ending March 2025, youth concessions are offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London. Local authorities can also introduce fares initiatives in their local areas. The government has allocated £712 million to local authorities to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 including Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and Bus Service Operators Grant funding. BSIP funding can be used in whichever way local authorities wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing fares initiatives for young people. The government is exploring options for targeted fares measures that deliver value for money to the taxpayer, to ensure affordable bus travel is always available for the groups who need it most – such as young people.

If she will make it her policy to automatically publish her Department's (a) internal process review statistics on an annual basis and (b) all internal process reviews.

For the last two operational years the department has reported on the Internal Process Reviews it undertakes in its Annual Report and Accounts. This is alongside reporting on the wider activities of its Advanced Customer Support Teams (available here: DWP annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK and here: DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK). The department continues to consider what further information can be published in future Accounts. The department also already has plans to publish further, separate information on its Internal Process Review in a way that shows what the Department has learned from these cases and the improvements that have been made, but which importantly does not disclose the sensitive, personal and confidential information that can surround these cases. Publication is planned to start by 31 March 2025.