Written questions by Cleverly.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July to Question 63580 on Public Houses: Recycling, if he will hold discussions with pubs on the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on glass waste in their businesses in Braintree constituency.

The Government has worked closely with industry throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector or specific constituencies and there are no plans for Braintree-specific engagement.

Whether she plans to propose an extension to the commissioning date of the Asylum Reception Centre at the former RAF Wethersfield.

Any updates on the future use of the Wethersfield site will be announced in the normal way, and representatives of the local community, including the Rt Hon Gentleman, will also be informed of any such updates.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement by the British Beer and Pub Association entitled Chaotic new rules that will lead to pubs paying twice for recycling at a cost of £60 million a year - equivalent to 5,000 jobs, published on 11 March 2025, if he will (a) pause the rollout of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and (b) make amendments to the scheme to avoid double-counting glass waste.

We do not intend to pause the rollout. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 came into effect on 1 January 2025, PackUK, the Scheme Administrator has been appointed, and producers have started to accrue scheme costs from the 1 April 2025.Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. At a roundtable with industry chaired by Minister Creagh on 10 June it was agreed to establish an industry led group to develop approaches to remove dual use packaging that is unlikely to end up in household waste stream from obligation. This work is now underway.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on ensuring authorisation for UK contractors to access the British Embassy in Beijing to undertake repair and maintenance work.

UK contractors routinely visit our overseas missions around the world, including in China, to carry out maintenance and repairs. We have not had cause to raise this with the Chinese authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on pubs.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

When her Department plans to close the Asylum Reception Centre at the former RAF Wethersfield site; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the decommissioning is within the timescale outlined in the Special Development Order.

Any updates on the future use of the site will be announced in the normal way.

How many NHS cancer trusts are (a) delivering radiotherapy contouring planning manually and (b) using AI auto contouring for radiotherapy.

NHS England undertook a baseline assessment of artificially intelligent (AI) auto-contouring systems in summer 2024 which indicated that, at that time, 39 trusts had some AI arrangements in place.The use of AI auto contouring technology to plan for treatments is not always suitable, useful, or available for all areas of the body, therefore, the actual percentage of cases where AI technology was used is not known.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment, in the context of the withdrawal of funding for AI auto-contouring technology.

We will improve National Health Service cancer waiting time performance, so patients are diagnosed and treated faster. We will also improve cancer survival rates by diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage.We will build on recent successes, including the roll out of the Lung Screening programme, to diagnose cancer earlier and boost survival rates.Furthermore, the recently announced National Cancer Plan will set out key goals and actions to improve on cancer waiting time performance and survival rates.The Department supports the NHS in reviewing opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence to transform performance, bring down waiting times, and improve survival rates.

What steps his Department plans to take to improve cancer survival rates, in the context of the withdrawal of funding for AI auto-contouring.

We will improve National Health Service cancer waiting time performance, so patients are diagnosed and treated faster. We will also improve cancer survival rates by diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage.We will build on recent successes, including the roll out of the Lung Screening programme, to diagnose cancer earlier and boost survival rates.Furthermore, the recently announced National Cancer Plan will set out key goals and actions to improve on cancer waiting time performance and survival rates.The Department supports the NHS in reviewing opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence to transform performance, bring down waiting times, and improve survival rates.

What plans his Department has for future funding of AI auto-contouring technology.

Any future spending commitments beyond 2025/26 will be determined through the next phase of the Spending Review process, which will conclude in June.The Department continuously supports the National Health Service in reviewing opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to transform diagnostic performance, bring down waiting times, and supporting staff with their workload.Furthermore, the Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed across the NHS through a number of initiatives, including the NHS AI Lab’s Ethics Initiative, which invests in research and practical interventions that could strengthen the ethical adoption of AI within health and care and addresses risks and concerns over their use.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of funding for AI auto-contouring technology on patient care.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including artificial intelligence where it is beneficial to do so.As the Department focuses on shifting from analogue to digital, we will continue to review opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence to speed up diagnostic performance, bring down waiting times, and ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.Furthermore, any future spending commitments beyond 2025/26 will be determined through the next phase of the Spending Review process, which will conclude in June.

What steps his Department is taking to help mitigate the loss of the AI auto-contouring technology tool for cancer treatment planning.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including artificial intelligence where it is beneficial to do so.As the Department focuses on shifting from analogue to digital, we will continue to review opportunities to utilise artificial intelligence to speed up diagnostic performance, bring down waiting times, and ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.Furthermore, any future spending commitments beyond 2025/26 will be determined through the next phase of the Spending Review process, which will conclude in June.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on UNICEF’s ability to deliver services to vulnerable children.

The United Nations Children's Fund remains a key partner for delivery of the Foreign Secretary's priorities such as education, health, and humanitarian, including Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on the operations of the World Food Programme.

The Minister for Development met Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), during her recent trip to Paris, and recognises the important work of the WFP. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact in changes to Official Development Assistance provided to Jordan on regional stability.

The UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) supports Jordan's transition towards economic self-sufficiency, helps reduce the drivers of migration and has supported Jordan as it delivered humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The Minister for International Development made Jordan her first official visit overseas in her new role from 23-25 March. She announced that UK funding for the Global Concessional Financing Facility will support Jordan's efforts to host its 3.5 million refugee population. Reducing the overall size of our ODA budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do globally. Decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review and resource allocation processes, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance was allocated to the World Food Programme in each of the last five financial years.

Headline Measure of ODA to WFP:YearODA (£1,000s)2019512,4972020484,0312021205,7292022207,8772023172,325The Statistics on International Development (SID) National Statistics report, published on the gov.uk website, provides an overview of all official UK spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA is an international measure and is collected and reported on a calendar year basis. Final UK ODA figures for 2024 will be published in Autumn 2025, via Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on the humanitarian response capability of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

As the Prime Minister stated, the UK will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Gaza. We cannot yet confirm funding allocations for financial year 2025-26, but continue to assess all overseas development assistance robustly against government priorities. The UK provided £41 million in financial year 2024/25 for United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This supports delivery of UNRWA's vital work, ensuring that Palestinians have access to humanitarian assistance, education and healthcare in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in Official Development Assistance funding on UNICEF programmes supported by the UK.

The United Nations Children's Fund remains a key partner for delivery of the Foreign Secretary's priorities such as education, health, and humanitarian, including Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on UK strategic interests in the Middle East.

Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review and resource allocation processes, based on various factors including impact assessments. Parliament will be informed of the bilateral country budget allocations in the normal way when the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Annual Report and accounts are laid before Parliament. The Middle East remains vital to achieving our priorities which include preventing further conflict, supporting stability, and lifting vulnerable people out of crisis, and the UK continues to be a trusted and reliable partner across the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance was allocated to UNICEF in each of the last five financial years.

Based on the most recent "Statistics on International Development" publications, the total amount of UK Official Development Assistance allocated to the United Nations Children's Fund is as follows:YearAmount2023£351,078,0002022£210,240,0002021£225,541,0002020£460,739,0002019£477,217,000