Written questions by Baldwin.

With reference to the Spring Statement 2025, published on 26 March 2025, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of funding for (a) improving skills and (b) increasing recruitment in the construction sector in the context of trends in apprenticeship retention rates.

The government is committed to addressing skills shortages in the construction sector and supporting workforce growth. In the Spring Statement 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a £625 million investment to train 60,000 skilled construction workers by 2029, supporting the delivery of 1.5 million homes and economic growth. This includes £165 million for college construction courses, £100 million for ten new Technical Excellence Colleges, and £32 million via the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) for 40,000 industry placements annually.From August, new foundation apprenticeships, backed by a £3 billion apprenticeship budget, will launch, with construction among the key sectors. Employers will receive £2,000 for each foundation apprentice, and three new construction standards will be introduced. CITB is also expanding its New Entrant Support Team, while partnerships like the Persimmon Homes Academy are improving retention and progression.In addition, the department recently announced over £190 million in additional funding for 16 to 19 education in 2025/26, including £160 million for colleges and £30 million for school-based provision. This is in addition to construction-specific skills funding.To further support teaching capacity, we are expanding initiatives such as Taking Teaching Further, targeted retention payments, and a £20 million Teacher Industry Exchange scheme, promoting collaboration between further education providers and construction employers.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of skilled workers entering employment as a result of construction skills funding in the Spring Statement 2025.

The government is committed to addressing skills shortages in the construction sector and supporting workforce growth. In the Spring Statement 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a £625 million investment to train 60,000 skilled construction workers by 2029, supporting the delivery of 1.5 million homes and economic growth. This includes £165 million for college construction courses, £100 million for ten new Technical Excellence Colleges, and £32 million via the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) for 40,000 industry placements annually.From August, new foundation apprenticeships, backed by a £3 billion apprenticeship budget, will launch, with construction among the key sectors. Employers will receive £2,000 for each foundation apprentice, and three new construction standards will be introduced. CITB is also expanding its New Entrant Support Team, while partnerships like the Persimmon Homes Academy are improving retention and progression.In addition, the department recently announced over £190 million in additional funding for 16 to 19 education in 2025/26, including £160 million for colleges and £30 million for school-based provision. This is in addition to construction-specific skills funding.To further support teaching capacity, we are expanding initiatives such as Taking Teaching Further, targeted retention payments, and a £20 million Teacher Industry Exchange scheme, promoting collaboration between further education providers and construction employers.

With reference to the fourth iteration of the Post Office's Banking Framework, published on 30 April 2025, what steps his Department is taking to expand access through post offices to (a) cash and (b) banking services.

The Government welcomes Banking Framework 4, which provides both personal and business customers with certainty about access to services provided through the post office network to the end of the decade, including vital in-person cash and banking services. As well as improving cash services for the people and businesses that need it most, Banking Framework 4 will also provide a better commercial offer for postmasters over the next five years.

How many cheques were issued by HMRC to (a) people and (b) companies in the 2024-25 financial year.

In 2024-25, HMRC issued 2,719,522 cheques to people and companies. HMRC does not keep separate figures for cheques sent to people and companies.

Whether her Department collects information on the number of cheques issued by (a) the Government and (b) central government public bodies in 2024-25.

Cheques are issued individually by Government Departments and other central government public bodies. HM Treasury does not collect information on the number of cheques issued.

What the cost was to HMRC of administering cheque payments to (a) people and (b) companies in 2024-25.

The cost of sending cheque payments to people and companies in 2024-5 was £1.7 million. HMRC does not keep separate figures for cheques sent to people and companies.

What the cost to the public purse was of administering cheque payments across government in 2024-25 financial year.

The information requested is not held by HM Treasury and could only be produced at a disproportionate cost due to the scope and complexity of analysis required.

What estimate she has made of the number of people who claimed the remittance basis and will use the temporary repatriation facility in the last year.

The numbers of non-domiciled taxpayers taxed on the remittance basis are published in Table 5 of the latest Non Domicile Taxpayer Statistics accessible for download here. The latest available year for numbers taxed on the remittance basis is tax year ending 2022. The Temporary Repatriation facility began in 2025/26 so no data is held for the past year.

How many people claimed the remittance basis in each of the last five tax years.

The numbers of non-domiciled taxpayers taxed on the remittance basis are published in Table 5 of the latest Non Domicile Taxpayer Statistics accessible for download here. The latest available year for numbers taxed on the remittance basis is tax year ending 2022.

What estimate she has made of the number of international investors in the UK.

The ONS is responsible for collecting and publishing official statistics related to the economy, population, and society at national, regional and local levels. The ONS publish annual statistics on inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which are available on their website. The ONS do not publish figures on the number of international investors in the UK.

With reference to the About Us page for the Office for Investment on gov.uk, updated on 8 November 2024, when he plans to set out further details on the expanded Office for Investment; and when that expanded office will be operational.

The Office for Investment (OfI) has remained operational throughout this period, continuing to lead efforts to secure high-value investment into the UK — such as through its role in landing the major investment partnership worth £24 billion between The Crown Estate and Lendlease and the multibillion-pound investment by Universal in a new theme park and resort in Bedford. The expanded OfI will be operational by the end of May. The Department remains committed to continuously improving its approach to attracting and delivering transformational investment that supports UK growth and innovation.

How many applications were received by UK Export Finance in each month of the last five years; and what the value of those applications was.

It is not possible to provide the information requested other than at disproportionate cost.Applications are made to UK Export Finance (UKEF) through a variety of channels, including through banks and other financial institutions, and through its network of local Export Finance Managers who are valuable contacts for exporters and businesses with export potential.Further information about the support that UKEF provides can be found in the Annual Reports and Accounts for each year, which can be found online at: UK Export Finance annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.Full details of the businesses supported by UKEF are available online at: UK Export Finance: business supported - GOV.UK.

What progress he has made on payments through compensation schemes for postmasters impacted by failures in the Horizon system.

The Government continues to make significant progress in delivering redress to affected postmasters. From July 2024 to 30 April 2025, more than 4,000 victims have received compensation for the first time. An additional £728 million has been paid in redress during this same time period. This means that the total amount of redress paid to victims has increased by more than four times with £964 million having now been paid to over 6,800 claimants across all schemes.We however recognise there is a lot more still to do, and we remain committed to improving the pace at which full and fair redress is paid to the victims of the Horizon scandal.

If the Migration Advisory Committee will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Double Contribution Convention with India on net migration levels.

A DCC is an international treaty between countries which ensures that workers and their employers are only liable to pay social security contributions in one country at a time on the same earnings. A DCC only covers social security contributions, whereas a wider Social Security Agreement (SSA) can include provisions on pensions, healthcare and other contributory benefits. International standards for SSAs are set by the International Labour Organisation.We have social security agreements covering over 50 countries including EU countries, the US, Canada, South Korea and Japan, where this exemption is extended to 2-5 years. We've agreed to negotiate a similar agreement with India as part of this trade deal.A detached worker is an employee who is sent by their employer to carry out a period of temporary working in another country. It is standard practice internationally for SSAs to provide for detached workers to continue paying social security contributions in their home country to minimise administration burdens on workers and their employers and to prevent fragmentation of an individual’s social security record.Detached workers who will be subject to the DCC are able to use several temporary economic migration routes and will remain subject to the requirements of those routes, including those around salary thresholds.

How many (a) judges and (b) other people were employed in the Employment Tribunal by HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those roles were vacant in that time period.

The number of judges and members of tribunals is published annually in the ‘Diversity of the Judiciary’ statistics. Headcount figures can be found at the tabs named “3_2_JO_Area”.2020: diversity-of-the-judiciary-2020-data-tables.ods2021: diversity-of-the-judiciary-2021-data-tables.ods2022: Judicial_diversity_2022_Tables.ods2023: 2023_JDS_tables.ods2024: JDS_2024_tables_-_FINAL_v3.odsWe are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of about 1,000 judges and non-legal tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements for judicial and non-legal tribunal members are determined by business need and judicial departures.HM Courts & Tribunals Service has recorded Employment Tribunal staff (including legal caseworker) headcount in December each year as follows between 2020 and 2024:Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 HMCTS Staff465514500470427Agency Staff100104106112118Total 565 618 606 582 545 Staff vacancies in the Employment Tribunal over this period are not held centrally. Recruitment requirements for HMCTS staff and legal officers in the Employment Tribunal is determined in response to business need and staff departures.

How many Employment Tribunal claims were submitted in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those were resolved within six months.

The number of Employment Tribunal claims submitted in each of the last 5 years can be found on www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on the number of cases submitted in the last 5 years that were resolved within 6 months, but we do hold data on the number of disposals and the number of sitting days used. Sitting day data has been published in the quarterly Tribunal statistics up to the period 2023/24. The disposal rate can be acquired by dividing the number of disposed cases by the number of sitting days. For the Employment Tribunal, the disposal rate for 2023/24 is therefore 0.99 disposals per sitting day; and for EAT for the same period, is 0.89 disposals per sitting day.

How many judicial vacancies there were in the Employment Tribunal system on 31 March 2025; and what steps she is taking to fill those vacancies.

We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements are determined by business need and judicial departures.Recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Tribunal judges commenced in March 2025. 50 new fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024, and recruitment will commence for a further 50 in early 2026. Additionally, recruitment is planned in 2025 for two regional leadership judges and 150 non-legal tribunal members.

What estimate she has made of the average cost to the public purse of administering an Employment Tribunal claim.

The estimated operational cost of disposing of a case within the Employment Tribunal was estimated at £2,522 per case in 23-24, the last full financial year for which figures are available.

How many Employment Tribunal cases had been outstanding for more than 12 months in the latest period for which data is available.

A case may be outstanding for many reasons, often driven by the behaviour and choices of the parties. HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on the number of outstanding cases for more than 12 months.

What discussions he has had with manufacturers on the potential impact of US tariffs on (a) finished and (b) semi-finished aluminium derivative products.

The Department for Business and Trade is working closely with the UK’s steel and aluminium industries to anticipate and assess the potential impacts of the US tariffs on UK exports, and we continue to engage closely with affected industries.We have committed up to £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel sector and recently welcomed the Trade Remedies Authority’s (TRA) urgent review of the Steel Safeguard. We are also discussing what interventions might be similarly required to protect the Aluminium sector from any harmful effects of trade deflection UK-US trade teams will continue to have constructive discussions to agree a UK-US economic prosperity deal in the coming weeks and beyond.