Written questions by Stafford.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy not to provide Official Development Assistance to countries that have a higher (a) gross domestic product and (b) purchasing parity power than the UK.

In line with international rules, the UK provides Official Development Assistance (ODA) only to countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita below $13,846. All recipients of our ODA have a lower GNI per capita than the UK, including when adjusted for purchasing power parity.

What recent progress has been made by the NHS England National Paediatric Hearing Improvement Programme; and what the findings were of its review of data for new-born babies.

The NHS England Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme, led by the National Health Services’ National Medical Director and Chief Scientific Officer, undertook a comprehensive review of all 140 paediatric audiology services across England to identify services not meeting the recommended standards of care.NHS England is working with integrated care boards to ensure individual cases are reassessed and, where appropriate, that children are recalled for reassessment and onward referral to clinical services as necessary. NHS England aims to complete these reassessments by March 2025. In addition, NHS England has put in place workstreams to ensure high quality professional standards are adhered to in hospitals and in community services, and that the right workforce is in place to deliver these services. A national External Quality Assessment scheme is in development to improve diagnostic consistency and to highlight any areas for early intervention.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to require drivers to report cat killings under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats. Although there is no obligation to report all collisions with animals on roads, Rule 286 of The Highway Code advises drivers to report any collisions involving an animal to the police, and if possible, they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals and advise them of the situation. Since June this year, all cats in England over 20 weeks of age must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database, unless exempt or free-living. This will increase the likelihood that cats can be reunited with their owners.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Renter's Rights Bill on tackling unaffordable requests for rent in advance.

The Government recognise that requests for large amounts of rent in advance can put financial strain on tenants and can exclude certain groups from renting all together. We want to ensure that the Renters’ Rights Bill protects renters against such demands, and we will keep the matter under review as the Bill progresses.

Whether his Department holds data on the number of days of strike action by council waste and recycling workers in each of the last three financial years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th October 2024 is attached.