Written questions by Thomas.

If he will publish the criteria being used to determine where new a) neighbourhood care centres and b) urgent treatment centres are being located in London.

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. Both ICBs and Local Health Systems will be responsible for determining the most appropriate locations for NHCs. As they are best placed to make such decisions, ICBs also consider how best to provide urgent care, including Urgent Treatment Centres, to ensure patient demand is effectively met.Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes the expansion of co-located Urgent Treatment Centres to allow for the effective streaming of patients, helping to reduce waiting times and overcrowding.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to help increase access to finance to establish housing cooperatives. .

Housing co-operatives are an important part of the community-led housing sector which delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy. My Department is undertaking a research project to identify the most effective way of enabling community-led housing groups, including those seeking to establish housing co-operatives, to access affordable finance at all stages of the development process and over the long term. The outputs of that research are expected in the Spring. In March, we announced a £20m 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area. The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing. The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme seeks to support an increase in the delivery of community-led and rural housing. The flexibility in grant rates provided for under the new programme will help community-led schemes achieve viability and help the sector grow towards its full potential. The government is also considering opportunities to legislate to establish a legal framework for a co-operative housing tenure, which would help formalise the rights and responsibilities of both co-operatives and their tenants, and make co-operative housing a more attractive option.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging education employers to promote membership of a credit union to teachers and non-teaching staff.

The government is a strong supporter of the mutual sector, including credit unions. The department is not the employer of any school staff, and it would therefore be inappropriate to encourage or recommend membership to specific financial products or institutions.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Report Fraud in responding to cases raised by hon. Members; and if she will have discussions with Report Fraud on its performance in relation to such cases.

Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud in December 2025. The new service provides improved reporting tools, enhanced victim support, and stronger analytical capability, helping to deliver a more coordinated and effective police response to fraud.As part of this transition, significant improvements are being made to performance oversight. Better management information will be available to track and monitor service performance, including the handling of cases raised by hon. Members. A new performance dashboard will support both the City of London Police and the Home Office in monitoring outcomes and identifying emerging fraud threats through reporting data.The Home Office regularly reviews the performance of Report Fraud with the City of London Police and will continue to engage with them to ensure the service is delivering improved outcomes for victims and strengthening the national response to fraud.

If she will hold discussions with exam boards on introducing a GCSE in Somali.

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Somali and/or Romanian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

If she will hold discussions with exam boards on introducing a GCSE in Romanian.

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Somali and/or Romanian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) Monzo, (b) Metro Bank, (c) Revolut and (d) Marks and Spencer bank about their use of the cash handling services provided by the Post Office.

The Government recognises the importance of access to cash and banking services for individuals and businesses, including those who may be in vulnerable groups or require assistance and is supportive of industry initiatives that improve access to these vital services.Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travelThe Post Office plays a key role in supporting access to banking services. Under the Banking Framework, a commercial agreement between the Post Office and 30 banking firms , personal and business customers can withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The specific services provided under the Framework are subject to commercial negotiations between individual banks and the Post Office, and the Government has no role in deciding what these arrangements are.     On 21 January, the Government held joint discussions between the Post Office and the banking sector to explore where continued collaboration, on a commercial and voluntary basis, would allow all parties to better meet the needs of individuals and businesses.

What further steps will she take to help tackle illegal money lenders.

The Government funds specialist Illegal Money Lending Teams (IMLTs) operating across the UK to tackle the crimes of illegal money lenders. These teams investigate and prosecute illegal lenders while providing crucial support to victims. To learn more about the work of the IMLTs, visit the Stop Loan Sharks website: https://www.stoploansharks.co.uk/.

Whether she has discussed with representatives of Heathrow Airport extending the number of boroughs that benefit from Heathrow Community Trust.

No discussions have taken place with representatives of Heathrow Airport regarding extending the number of boroughs that benefit from the Heathrow Community Trust. The Trust is an independent grant‑making charity with its own governance and established criteria for determining its geographical focus. Any decisions about altering its scope are matters for the Trust and its board, rather than for ministers.

How many businesses have applications pending for banking licences.

The Treasury does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which are operationally independent from government and responsible for authorising firms seeking to offer banking services. These organisations will each respond to the Honourable Member by letter, and a copy of the letters will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

When she expects to (a) receive and (b) publish Part Two of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.

The Government received the second and final report at the end of 2025 from Jonathan Fisher KC, Chair of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.We are now carefully considering the Review’s findings and recommendations and will respond in due course.

How many prosecutions have there been for illegal lending in each of the last five years.

Illegal money lenders, commonly known as loan sharks, are dangerous criminals who inflict serious harm on their victims. The Government funds specialist Illegal Money Lending Teams (IMLTs) operating across the UK to tackle their crimes. These teams investigate and prosecute illegal lenders while providing crucial support to victims. Details of the teams’ work and case studies are available at the Stop Loan Sharks website: https://www.stoploansharks.co.uk/.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of measures to support the victims of theft of a driving licence.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring support is available for victims, so that those affected by crime, including theft, can access the help they need throughout the justice process.That is why, in total, the Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.This includes annual grant funding to the 42 Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) areas across England and Wales, who commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic services based on an assessment of need in their area.Within this envelope, we will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British citizens were murdered in overseas countries in each of the last five years by country .

Since 2021 we have supported bereaved families in approximately 250 cases of the murder or manslaughter of British nationals abroad. To protect the privacy of the bereaved, we do not publish country‑level figures where fewer than five cases are recorded. Fifteen countries recorded more than five such cases since 2021: Pakistan, Spain, the United States, South Africa, Israel, Australia, Jamaica, France, Thailand, Kenya, New Zealand, Mexico, Turkey, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago. All other countries recorded fewer than five cases individually over that time period.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of what the percentage of gross national income spent on overseas aid will be at the end of the current spending review period.

As things stand, and in line with the Government's stated policies, we expect spending on Official Development Assistance to be at 0.3 per cent of gross national income in the 2027 calendar year, and stay at that level until fiscal circumstances allow the UK to return to the 0.7 per cent target.

When the Outer London Allowance was last reviewed for (a) teachers, (b) police officers and (c) civil servants.

For teachers, the geographical areas covered by the different teacher pay ranges were defined some years ago to reflect a practical approach to compensate teachers working in London. The School Teachers’ Review Body has not recommended any changes to London pay ranges in recent years; however, the Department is currently considering what additional flexibilities should be built into the statutory pay and conditions framework as a result of our commitment on changes to pay and conditions through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and we will keep this matter under review. For police officers, there’s London Weighting and London Allowance. There’s not an inner and outer London rate – it’s the same across all of London. London Weighting and London Allowance were last reviewed by the Police Remuneration Review Body in the 2025/26 pay round. Decisions on pay, including London weighting, are delegated to individual departments for grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS); departmental policies on London weighting are not collected centrally. The SCS pay framework is managed centrally and only operates a national pay range.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on tackling the spread of antisemitism and Islamophobia on social media.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ofcom about online safety matters. For example, in October, the Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom requesting an update on its implementation of the Online Safety Act, including work to ensure platforms tackle antisemitic and hateful content and abuse.Ofcom’s reply outlined the main themes of its work in tackling antisemitism and other forms of hate speech and abuse. This includes driving compliance through the Online Safety Act’s regulatory framework, building on its codes of practice, working with civil society to build its evidence base and targeted working with platforms during crises.

If she will hold discussions with exam boards on offering GCSEs in Tamil.

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Tamil GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

How many people attended Northwick Park Hospital A&E Department in each of the last 6 months.

NHS England began publishing data on accident and emergency attendances at the site-level from November 2025, and therefore only two months of data are currently available. The following table shows the number of type 1 and 2 accident and emergency attendances, as well as all attendances, at Northwick Park Hospital, for November and December of 2025:MonthType 1 and 2 attendancesAll type attendancesNovember 20259,93017,410December 20259,96017,055Source: A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions 2025-26 dataset, available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/ Note: the data for December 2025 is provisional, and all figures have been rounded to the nearest five in line with data suppression rules.

How many non-military flights landed at (a) Heathrow (b) RAF Northolt in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Data on aircraft movements at UK airports is collected and published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). CAA aircraft movement data includes a ‘military’ category, but a split between arriving and departing flights is not provided.Although Royal Air Force (RAF) Northolt does handle some civil flight movements, this is an RAF establishment, and data on aircraft movements at RAF Northolt is not collected by the CAA.Data on the total number of aircraft movements at Heathrow, split by military and non-military, is provided in Table 03_1 of the annual CAA airport data publication and reproduced as Table 1 below. The last three complete years for which figures are available are 2022, 2023 and 2024.Table 1: Aircraft movements at Heathrow Airport split by military and non-militaryYearMilitaryNon-militaryTotal20220380,305380,30520237456,593456,60020245476,114476,119 Note: Non-military category includes commercial, test and training, private, official and business aviation movements.Source: https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/uk-aviation-market/airports/uk-airport-data/