Written questions by McMurdock.

What her policy is on the UN Global Compact for Migration.

The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law.An effective well-managed migration system is a fundamental part of the UK’s approach to ensuring the security and control of our borders and the UK remains committed to working with partners to address shared challenges.

Was steps she is taking to reduce the number of people overstaying legitimately-granted visas.

All visa applications are assessed on their individual merits in accordance with Immigration Rules. Visa routes have different conditions, and these are published in route guidance on Gov.uk and stated on the visa or e-visa (digital status). The Home Office scrutinise applications linked to common abuse indicators using risk profiling. Upon the expiry of an individual’s permission to stay in the UK, if a valid application for further permission to stay is not made and the individual does not leave the country of their own volition, they become an overstayer and are liable to be removed from the UK. We have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, with almost 19,000 returns recorded between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to support national sports governing bodies to ensure that women’s sports categories remain reserved for biological females.

Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport. The guidance covers transgender participation in sport, and makes clear that fairness and safety cannot be balanced with inclusion in gender-affected sport.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number of times courts have cited (a) the UN Global Compact for Migration and (b) other non-binding international agreements in their rulings on asylum and immigration cases.

The Ministry of Justice does not have policies in relation to asylum and immigration, responsibility for which sits with the Home Secretary. Nor does the Ministry of Justice consider or hold any data on the number of times in which the UN Global Compact for Migration or other non-binding international agreements have been cited in court rulings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the UK's engagement with the United Nations.

The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the UK’s financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies.

The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the UK's financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies.

The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK's contributions to the United Nations are not helping to fund initiatives that undermine the UK's national interests.

The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion entitled Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, published on 25 February 2019.

The 2019 ICJ Advisory opinion was not the only long-term challenge we faced, and claims that we negotiated this deal solely because of it are simply wrong. Since 2015, 28 international judges and arbitrators have expressed views on the sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago. Not one has expressed support for the UK claim about sovereignty. Without a deal Mauritius would inevitably pursue a legally binding judgment. This lack of legal certainty would have real-world impacts on base operations and create space for our adversaries. Some of those impacts would be on simple but crucial things, such as securing contractors and getting overflight clearances. Our deal with Mauritius ends this legal uncertainty, and secures the future of the critical base on Diego Garcia well into the next century.

What steps his Department is taking to improve end-of-life care in the community.

The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift. We have committed to develop a 10-year plan, to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future and one of the three ‘shifts’ that the plan will deliver is the shift from hospital to community. We will be carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan. I met with key palliative and end of life care, including hospice, stakeholders on 3 February 2025 to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, with hospices able to use this capital funding to benefit community provision, and £26 million revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional ring-fenced funding for road safety improvements in Essex.

We have no plans to make an assessment of the merits of additional ring-fenced funding for road safety improvements in Essex. Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with local authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. They will decide what measures may be appropriate to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents”.

What discussions her Department has had with Essex County Council on achieving its Vision Zero target by 2040; and whether she plans to make additional funding available for local casualty reduction schemes.

There have been no discussions between the Department for Transport and Essex County Council on achieving its Vision Zero target by 2040. Decisions on funding will come at the conclusion of the current spending review.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to allocate Local Highways Panel funding for the 2025-26 financial year on road safety improvements in Essex.

Local authorities often use Integrated Transport Block funding for road safety improvements and the Department hopes to announce ITB allocations for 2025/26 for Essex and other authorities shortly. This will allow Essex’s Local Highways Panels to decide how best to use the available funding: the Department does not get involved in local authority decision making of this sort. On highways maintenance, all local authority allocations for highway maintenance block capital funding in 2025/26, including for Essex County Council, were announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 20 December 2024 and are published on gov.uk. Essex County Council will be receiving an uplift of over £12 million compared to the current financial year, taking its total funding for the year to nearly £46 million.

What estimate she has made of the proportion of Vehicle Excise Duty revenue (a) raised in and (b) allocated to maintain roads in Essex; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing that proportion.

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected by the DVLA on behalf of HM Treasury. Estimates for the amount of VED raised in Essex is not available.The OBR forecast that VED will raise £8.3 billion in 2024-25. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital public services and infrastructure, including investment in roads and transport. Funding is distributed to local authorities as part of the Spending Review process.The Government is going well beyond its promise to fix an additional one million potholes per year, by providing a £500 million cash increase on 2024/25 local roads maintenance baseline funding. This will be enough to fix the equivalent of more than seven million extra potholes in 2025/26.As with all taxes, the Government welcomes representations on how the tax system can be improved. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the tax relief ceiling on private pensions.

The Government wishes to encourage pension saving, to help ensure that people have an income, or funds on which they can draw, throughout retirement. This is why, for the majority of savers, pension contributions are tax-free. The annual allowance is currently set at £60,000. The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review as part of the annual Budget process, and in the context of the wider public finances.

If she will launch a pilot scheme with local authorities on increasing the level of Vehicle Excise Duty retained by such authorities to be directly allocated to local road maintenance.

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected by the DVLA on behalf of HM Treasury. Estimates for the amount of VED raised in Essex is not available.The OBR forecast that VED will raise £8.3 billion in 2024-25. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital public services and infrastructure, including investment in roads and transport. Funding is distributed to local authorities as part of the Spending Review process.The Government is going well beyond its promise to fix an additional one million potholes per year, by providing a £500 million cash increase on 2024/25 local roads maintenance baseline funding. This will be enough to fix the equivalent of more than seven million extra potholes in 2025/26.As with all taxes, the Government welcomes representations on how the tax system can be improved. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

What assessment she has made of the reasons behind the increase in food bank usage, as reported in the Family Resources Survey 2022-23.

This Government is committed to addressing poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels, which is why we published official estimates of foodbank use. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, so this will be the foundation of our approach. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November, will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of Vehicle Excise Duty retained by local authorities to be directly allocated to local road maintenance.

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected by the DVLA on behalf of HM Treasury. Estimates for the amount of VED raised in Essex is not available.The OBR forecast that VED will raise £8.3 billion in 2024-25. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital public services and infrastructure, including investment in roads and transport. Funding is distributed to local authorities as part of the Spending Review process.The Government is going well beyond its promise to fix an additional one million potholes per year, by providing a £500 million cash increase on 2024/25 local roads maintenance baseline funding. This will be enough to fix the equivalent of more than seven million extra potholes in 2025/26.As with all taxes, the Government welcomes representations on how the tax system can be improved. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

What steps she is taking to support pensioners with (a) the cost of household bills and (b) food insecurity.

The State Pension is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so, protecting 12 million pensioners through the triple lock, with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension from April 2025. We are also increasing the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1%. We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, which provides extra money to help with living costs for people over State Pension age and on a low income. We want to ensure as many people as possible have access to this support and urge pensioners to check their eligibility. Pension Credit will passport them to receive other benefits – including Winter Fuel Payments, help with rent, council tax, fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. That’s why Government is taking significant steps to raise awareness and maximise take-up. Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them. They may be able to receive support from energy support programmes or through the Household Support Fund, a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water. The Government has extended the Household Support Fund in England by a further year, (until 31 March 2026) – with funding of £742 million provided to enable this extension in England, plus additional funding for the devolved Governments to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with partners in the Global South to help ensure that Official Development Assistance spending aligns with their development priorities.

Our mission is to build partnerships to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. We will build modern, mutually beneficial, bilateral development partnerships to drive growth, protect our planet and strengthen security, which will help contribute to a safer, more prosperous UK. The UK's development cooperation maximises mutual benefit - delivering the greatest possible impact for the needs and aspirations of both the British people and our partners. The UK's development spending is central to achieving our mission and is informed by our approach to partnerships.