Written questions by Stafford.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her policies on levels of inflation.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) assessed the impact of Government policies on the level of inflation. While noting they expect inflation to remain close to the 2 per cent target throughout the forecast period, the OBR forecast a temporary rise in inflation, driven by gas and electricity prices and the direct effect of policies announced in the Budget. They conclude that, on average, just under half of the higher inflation in 2025 and 2026 is due to the impact of policies in Autumn Budget 2024. In March 2025 the OBR assessed that they expected the policies in the forecast to provide a very small boost to CPI inflation, increasing the price level by less than 0.1 per cent by the end of the forecast. The Bank of England has the responsibility of controlling inflation, and the Government fully supports them as they take action to sustainably return inflation to the 2% target.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Tokyo District Court’s dissolution order against the Unification Church; and what steps he is taking to help protect (a) religious freedom and (b) minority rights.

This is a matter that is subject to ongoing court proceedings. It is therefore reserved for the Government of Japan and institutions of Japan. The UK has always been clear that the right to adopt a religion or belief, practise it without hindrance, and to share it with others are all key freedoms that everyone should have. As the Minister for the Indo-Pacific, I will continue to champion the UK's long-standing policy to defend freedom of religion or belief for all and promote respect between different religious and non-religious communities internationally.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support people stranded in Tel Aviv.

The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Since the beginning of this crisis, when Israeli airspace closed, we deployed specialist teams to the Egyptian and Jordanian borders to support British nationals wishing to leave Israel by land and facilitate their onward travel. When Israeli airspace opened on 24 June we worked at pace to ensure those who wanted to leave Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories could do so, with six evacuation flights leaving Israel.

What mechanisms her Department has to coordinate maintenance responsibilities between multiple local authorities on A roads that do not fall under the remit of National Highways.

Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 local highway authorities have a duty to maintain the highways network in their area. DfT does not have legal mechanisms under the act to co-ordinate maintenance responsibilities between multiple authorities on A roads that do not fall under the remit of National Highways. Section 8 of the Act provides for agreements to be made between neighbouring local highways authorities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of financial requirements for standing in mayoral elections on the (a) accessibility and (b) diversity of candidates.

The Government has not made such an assessment. Under electoral law, candidates are required to pay a deposit in certain elections, reflecting the scale of the role, including budget responsibility, role as chair of the Combined Authority or Combined County Authority, and the ability to raise a levy; as well as the size of the electorate and electoral area. This has been set at £5,000 for Mayoral candidates for Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities which was deemed proportionate and fair by Parliament when the relevant legislation was made. A deposit is returned if a candidate receives more than 5% of the valid votes cast.

If she will commission a review into the (a) management arrangements and (b) maintenance outcomes on non-trunk A roads that cross multiple local authority areas.

It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to maintain the highways network in their area, as per section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. However, the Government is determined to end the pothole plague on our roads, which is the result of a decade of under-investment by the previous Government. We have provided an extra £500 million for councils this year to allow them to make an immediate start on this. To qualify for their share of the £500m funding uplift, local highway authorities will have to publish a report in plain English on their websites by the end of June, detailing the condition of their local roads, how much they are spending on maintaining them, and how well they are adhering to best practice.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with mobile phone providers on inflation-linked price increases in fixed-term mobile phone contracts.

I have not had any such recent discussions but the Government works closely with Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, to ensure telecom contracts remain fair and transparent, ensuring significant clauses, such as in-contract price increases, are clear at the time of purchase.Following a review Ofcom banned inflation-linked price rises, since January 2025 providers have been required to inform customers upfront of any in-contract price rises in pounds and pence included in their contract.

What information her Department holds on the number of (a) reports and (b) complaints there have been relating to (i) abandoned roadworks equipment and (ii) degraded signage on the (A) A3, (B) A31 and (C) A331 in each of the last three years.

Removal of roadworks equipment comes under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act. The Act enables local highway authorities to charge utility companies for delays in completing roadworks on public highways, and since 2001 regulations have been in place which allow local highway authorities to impose charges on statutory undertakers. Every job has an end date and if works or barriers are still on site past this end date, daily charges can be imposed. These charges start at £250 a day, and on the busiest roads go up to £10,000 a day. The Department does not hold any information on the number of reports or complaints of abandoned roadworks equipment, only local highway authorities have that information. The A3, A31 and A331 form part of the Strategic Road Network. As such, National Highways is responsible for installing, maintaining, cleaning, and repairing signage on these roads. Damaged and incorrect road signage on any of these roads can be reported to National Highways at the following link: https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/ National Highways maintains records of reports and complaints submitted via its online platform, including issues relating to road signage and other highway assets on the Strategic Road Network. The Department does not hold disaggregated data, but National Highways may be able to provide the number of reports concerning abandoned or incorrect equipment on the A3, A31 and A331 upon request.

What guidance her Department has provided to local highway authorities on the timely removal of (a) cones, (b) sandbags, (c) signage and (d) other abandoned roadworks equipment.

Removal of roadworks equipment comes under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act. The Act enables local highway authorities to charge utility companies for delays in completing roadworks on public highways, and since 2001 regulations have been in place which allow local highway authorities to impose charges on statutory undertakers. Every job has an end date and if works or barriers are still on site past this end date, daily charges can be imposed. These charges start at £250 a day, and on the busiest roads go up to £10,000 a day. The Department does not hold any information on the number of reports or complaints of abandoned roadworks equipment, only local highway authorities have that information.The A331 and the section of the A31 in this constituency are local roads managed by Surrey County Council and Hampshire County Council who may hold information relevant to this. The A3 forms part of the Strategic Road Network. As such, National Highways is responsible for installing, maintaining, cleaning, and repairing signage on these roads. Damaged and incorrect road signage on any of these roads can be reported to National Highways at the following link: https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/ National Highways maintains records of reports and complaints submitted via its online platform, including issues relating to road signage and other highway assets on the Strategic Road Network. The Department does not hold disaggregated data, but National Highways may be able to provide the number of reports concerning abandoned or incorrect equipment on the A3 upon request.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered public ownership as a potential outcome under the special administration regime in circumstances where a regulated water company is found to be in material breach of its statutory obligations.

The purposes of a Special Administration Regime (SAR) are set out in legislation. Government stands ready to intervene to ensure the continued provision of vital public services – through the application for a SAR – should this be required. It is for the special administrator to manage the affairs of the company so that the company continues to carry out its statutory duties pending rescue (via e.g. debt restructuring) or transfer (via a sale) to new owners. A SAR is not a form of renationalisation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he is having with his Scottish Government on the timeline for its 31 December 2025 landfill ban; and whether he has received any formal request from the Scottish Government to delay that ban.

Defra regularly engages with colleagues in the Devolved Governments on resources and waste policy. However, resources and waste policy is a devolved matter and the decision to ban biodegradable waste to landfill in Scotland is a matter for Scottish Government. I have sent a letter to my Scottish Government counterpart and look forward to engaging with her on this issue.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to repatriate British citizens in Tel Aviv.

Support to British nationals remains our top priority and we have worked at pace to ensure those who wanted to leave left safely. Consular teams have worked round the clock to support British nationals in the region. As soon as Israeli airspace re-opened UK government charter flights left Israel carrying more than 380 people on six flights. In allocating seats, we prioritised those who were most vulnerable, including those with medical needs, children, and the elderly. Commercial flights are now available.

Whether she plans to review the eligibility rules for Carer’s Allowance for claimants receiving the State Pension.

Although there is no upper age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, it cannot normally be paid with the State Pension. It has been a long-held feature of the GB benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid to avoid duplication for the same need. Although entitlement to State Pension and Carer’s Allowance arise in different circumstances they are nevertheless designed for the same contingency – as an income replacement. Carer’s Allowance replaces income where the carer has given up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to care for a severely disabled person and is unable to undertake full time employment due to their caring responsibilities, while State Pension replaces income in retirement. For this reason, social security rules operate to prevent them being paid together, to avoid duplicate provision for the same need. However, if a carer’s State Pension is less than Carer's Allowance, State Pension is paid and topped up with Carer's Allowance to the basic weekly rate of Carer's Allowance which is currently £83.30. Where Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid, the person will keep underlying entitlement to the benefit. This gives access to the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit of £46.40 a week and potentially other means-tested support. Around 100,000 people are receiving the Carer Premium with their Pension Credit. And even if a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, they may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Tax-Free Childcare scheme in reducing childcare costs for working families.

Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) has been designed with the specific policy aim of supporting parents to return to paid work or work more. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the Government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child up to age 11 and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they are 16.TFC covers a wide range of parents who may not be covered by other offers, and take-up has steadily increased since its introduction in 2017. During the 2024 to 2025 financial year, the government provided top-ups to approximately 826,000 families for 1,085,000 children, an increase of almost 100,000 families from the previous year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 57700 on LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme, what progress his Department has made on ensuring eligible individuals receive compensation under the LGBT Veterans Independent Review’s financial recognition scheme by the target date.

Defence’s LGBT Restorative Action team have worked closely with external and internal Defence communications teams to deliver campaigns to drive awareness of, and encourage, eligible LGBT Veterans to claim under the Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) since the scheme was announced. Defence continues to work with local councils, the NHS, LGBT and military charities, to better inform affected Veterans of the FRS and how to apply. Defence has also allocated £90,000 worth of grants to charities, including Fighting With Pride, to support Veterans with their FRS applications. The LGBT Restorative Action team also continues to engage with relevant Veterans networks to ensure that eligible applicants of FRS receive the appropriate information, support, and guidance. The Government encourages those affected by the Ban to visit gov.uk for further information, guidance, and support on how to make an application: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterans-of-the-lgbt-ban-financial-recognition-scheme Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed.

For what reason HMRC applies import duties to mastectomy bras.

The UK’s tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff (UKGT), adheres to global classification standards. Those classify mastectomy bras under a commodity code that covers a range of other textiles.We continue to monitor the UKGT to ensure our Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule functions as effectively as possible, supports domestic priorities, and provides a stable operating environment for businesses.Businesses are welcome to request the partial or full liberalisation of the import duty applied to the products under this commodity code, including mastectomy bras, either through the online feedback form or the next business suspensions window.

If she will publish a progress report on the (a) delivery of specialist school places and (b) other outcomes by all local authorities that entered into safety valve agreements.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.The department provides local authorities with annual High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) to support them to meet this duty.Local authorities with Safety Valve agreements have previously received additional high needs capital funding where they were able to demonstrate that investment in local infrastructure would result in the availability of more appropriate provision and subsequent revenue savings.This additional capital funding was paid to local authorities as a top-up to their HNPCA funding, and local authorities are responsible for prioritising this funding to create places and address local issues. The department continues to work with local authorities with Safety Valve agreements to deliver their plans.

Pursuant to the Safety Valve Agreement signed with Surrey County Council in 2021, whether her Department has disbursed the full funding allocated to support the delivery of three new SEND schools in Surrey.

Funding for free school projects is provided at different stages of project development, in line with key delivery milestones.The department provides capital funding for the acquisition of sites, land and construction. For centrally delivered free school projects, a contractor is appointed from the department’s framework and construction costs are paid directly by the department.The department recognises the financial pressures on local authorities in providing suitable specialist places and will continue to support Surrey Council to implement its Safety Valve agreement.

If she will make an assessment of the potential use of disused school buildings to increase SEND specialist school capacity in (a) Surrey and (b) Hampshire.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.The department provides local authorities with capital funding to support them to meet this duty and has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.Of this £740 million, Surrey has been allocated £16.1 million. Hampshire has been allocated £22.8 million.This funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. This includes utilising spare capacity in mainstream schools where appropriate.When considering options for the reutilisation of space, local factors should be carefully weighed up, along with considerations of quality, diversity, and accessibility of local provision and the forecast demand for places, to determine the most appropriate approach in each area.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of whether funding allocated to upper-tier authorities adequately reflects (a) inflationary pressures in social care, (b) the increasing cost of regulatory compliance and (c) the additional costs expected from recent immigration and employment policy changes.

The government is committed to transforming adult social care and making tangible improvements in the short-term. The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26. This includes an increase to the NHS’s minimum contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC's Spending Review settlement. The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.