Written questions by Chowns.

Whether the scope of his Department’s review of Responsible Business Conduct will include (a) environmental harms in UK company supply chains in their own right, (b) environmental and human rights harms in the UK and (c) input from impacted communities.

The responsible business conduct review is a neutral, objective appraisal of policy. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices across UK and global supply chains, including human rights and environmental considerations. As part of the review the UK Government is harnessing the insights and expertise of businesses, investors, trade unions, academia, civil society and our international trading partners. The Office for Responsible Business Conduct will continue to engage regularly with stakeholders, including those with lived experience.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the publication of a joint intelligence committee report into the destabilising impact of the climate and nature crises on national security has been delayed.

Defra routinely conducts and updates assessments on a range of threats. HMG publishes assessments in the National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, including on biodiversity loss and its interactions with ecosystems, on GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 33250, what progress her Department has made on joint cross-border research on the River Wye.

Cleaning up the River Wye remains a government priority.Officials in Defra and the Welsh Government continue to collaborate to roll out the £1 million cross-border River Wye research announced earlier this year. Local stakeholders including local farmers, environmental groups, and citizen scientists, will play a crucial role in gathering evidence and shaping the research. Officials will shortly update stakeholders on next steps and will attend the local Nutrient Management Board in Herefordshire. A research workshop will also shortly take place, where stakeholders can continue to shape research plans and help us gather actionable evidence to tackle pollution in this iconic catchment.

If she will make it her policy to instruct the Bank of England to publish a strategy detailing how it will support the UK’s (a) climate and nature goals and (b) green energy mission.

The Government is committed to integrating climate and nature into economic and financial decision making. The remits for the Financial Policy Committee, Prudential Regulation Committee and Monetary Policy Committee all set out the government’s economic strategy, which includes accelerating the transition to a climate resilient, nature positive and net zero economy. Climate-related considerations are therefore embedded across the Bank of England’s work, including in relation to its statutory objectives for price and financial stability. The Bank published its Climate Transition Plan in June 2023, and it also publishes annual climate-related financial disclosures. These annual reports set out the climate risks to which the Bank is exposed, the emissions associated with the Bank’s own financial and physical operations and the Bank’s work on climate change.

With reference to the correspondence entitled Monetary Policy Remit, published on 15 November 2024, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Monetary Policy Committee’s progress in (a) delivering long-term growth and (b) accelerating the transition to a (i) climate resilient, (ii) nature positive and (ii) net zero economy.

Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England, so the government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy. The MPC’s primary objective is to achieve price stability. Subject to that, its secondary objective is to support the economic policy of the government, which is “to restore broad-based and resilient growth built on strong and secure foundations”. As the Chancellor said in a letter to the Governor on 18 September 2025, low and stable inflation is essential for long-term economic growth and sustained increases in living standards. Delivering on the climate and nature is one part of the government’s broader economic strategy and it is up to the MPC to judge how it sets monetary policy in line with its remit. Consistent with its remit, the MPC sets monetary policy in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. The MPC has the government’s full support as it acts to return inflation to the 2% target sustainably.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a best price guarantee for rail passengers.

We are overhauling the complex fares and ticketing system to make it easier for passengers to trust that they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare. We are already making positive changes, including through expanding ticketing innovations such as pay as you go which provides a best price promise for most passengers on the day of travel. The move to Great British Railways will also offer passengers a more consistent fares offer across the network.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of freezing rail fares.

As we reform fares and deliver Great British Railways, we must ensure passengers and taxpayers get a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the amount of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter in 2018/19 to almost half of total income in 2023/24. No decisions have been made on next year’s rail fares, but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.In addition, it is a number one priority for this Government to get the railways back to a place where people can rely on them, which is why we are putting passengers at the heart of our plans for public ownership and Great British Railways, delivering the services they deserve and driving growth.

If he will publish (a) plans and (b) a timeframe for reducing the time taken to bring rape cases to court.

This Government is committed to improving victims and survivors of rape’s experience of the justice system. We recognise that rape cases often take longer to progress through the courts, and that delays can have a profound impact on victims’ wellbeing and confidence in the criminal justice process. To ensure clear communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victim Transformation Programme. We are also committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases, and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 111,250 Crown Court sitting days. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims, including for victims of sexual violence, in his Independent Review of Criminal Courts. We will respond to the recommendations in the first part of the Independent Review in due course.

If he will take steps to ensure that rape victims are given clear (a) communication and (b) timelines for progressing their cases.

This Government is committed to improving victims and survivors of rape’s experience of the justice system. We recognise that rape cases often take longer to progress through the courts, and that delays can have a profound impact on victims’ wellbeing and confidence in the criminal justice process. To ensure clear communication with victims in the pre-trial period, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victim Transformation Programme. We are also committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness - we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases, and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 111,250 Crown Court sitting days. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for victims, including for victims of sexual violence, in his Independent Review of Criminal Courts. We will respond to the recommendations in the first part of the Independent Review in due course.

If she will make it her policy to prevent rape suspects from leaving the country during an active investigation.

Police have wide discretion to impose bail conditions on rape suspects intended to protect victims and witnesses, prevent offending and to prevent the suspect from failing to appear in court – including by requiring suspects to surrender their passport.Bail conditions must be necessary, reasonable and proportionate, and subject to regular review as the perceived risk posed by the suspect may change over time.The police should, if practicable, always consult the victim regarding the decision to release a suspect on bail and the conditions to impose.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of capping long-distance rail fares.

Great British Railways (GBR) will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares landscape inherited from privatisation. This will enable GBR to simplify the ticketing system and make it easy for passengers to find the right fare, including on long-distance journeys. We are also already driving forward improvements in advance of GBR. For example, we are supporting London North Eastern Railway to deliver its ‘Simpler Fares’ trial, which is testing an easier to understand fares structure and demand-based pricing on parts of its long-distance network. The aim is to improve the passenger experience by reducing crowding, making better use of capacity and making travel more comfortable for passengers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to make a financial pledge to the Global Partnership for Education.

All financial allocations will be announced in the normal way in due course.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39353 on Housing: Fees and Charges, whether he plans to implement the recommendations in the final report of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report for the Inter-Parliamentary Union entitled PALESTINE: the trial of Mr. Marwan Barghouti, published on 3 October 2003.

The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the former Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 1 September 2025, Official Report, column 77, whether the assessment of the risk of breaches of international humanitarian law included consideration of the incarceration of Marwan Barghouti.

The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) hold discussions with her Israeli counterpart on and (b) take steps to help (i) support the release of Marwan Barghouti and (ii) end arbitrary detention of Palestinian political prisoners.

The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 2025 to Question 50550 on Personal Independence Payment: Appeals, what steps he is taking to reduce the median clearance time for mandatory reconsiderations.

We intend to reduce the median clearance time by increasing decision making resource for Mandatory Reconsiderations, including by recruiting new decision makers

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question HL2234 on Israel: Palestinians UIN, whether the International Committee of the Red Cross is given regular access to Marwan Barghouti.

The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a target for social housing.

The government has not yet set a national target for social and affordable housing although we keep the position under review. Accurately forecasting long-term delivery is inherently challenging even in respect of grant-funded social and affordable housing, but we have made clear that we believe the Social and Affordable Homes Programme could deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over its lifetime with around 180,000 for Social Rent.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the minimum juice content for cider to 50%.

The Government has not assessed an increase to the minimum juice content for cider. Engagement with the sector has suggested that an increase to 50% is not supported by the industry and is not what consumers in the UK would expect from their cider products.