Written questions by Shannon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the attack on a Christian prayer house in Koto Tangah District, Indonesia, in July 2025; and what steps she is taking to help ensure the (a) protection of Christian communities and (b) promotion of religious freedom in that country.

The Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and we continue to engage with Indonesian counterparts on the restriction of those freedoms, including the reported attacks on a Christian prayer house in Koto Tangah District. We welcome the Indonesian Minister for Human Rights' response to the incident, in which he emphasised the importance of religious diversity in Indonesia.The month after the attack, the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, met the Minister in question to discuss religious freedoms, and also met Civil Society Organisations supporting religious tolerance in Indonesia. We will continue to work with the Indonesian Government and Civil Society partners on these issues.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of commercial airline pilots the UK will need to train each year to provide the workforce required (a) at current levels and (b) to meet anticipated levels of future demand.

As the UK aviation sector operates predominantly in the private sector, it is for individual airlines to recruit and train pilots to meet today’s demand and the demand of the future. I therefore welcome the funded pilot training programmes that British Airways, TUI and Jet2.com have introduced, that will ensure a sustainable pipeline of future pilots.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of trends in levels of fatigue among pilots flying in UK airspace.

There are stringent regulations in place to prevent pilot fatigue. The risk of flight crew fatigue is managed under the flight time limitation regulations which limit the number of hours pilots can be on duty.  The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the UK’s independent aviation safety regulator, monitors and oversees UK Airlines’ management of flight time limitation requirements and how these impact pilot fatigue.

What steps he is taking to extend funding for advice and guidance services for GPs to other parts of primary care.

The Department currently has no plans to introduce funding for Advice and Guidance Enhanced Services for community pharmacy, dental practices, or opticians. Most referrals to specialist services come from general practices (GPs), who have a primary role in the management of patient health and care in the community.In 2025/26, the Government introduced the General Practice Advice and Guidance Enhanced Service, which makes provision for GPs to claim a £20 fee for each new advice and guidance request, to recognise the key role they play in delivering on the Government’s commitments to shift care from hospital to community and to return to the 18-week Referral to Treatment constitutional standard by March 2029.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the funding required for local authorities to ensure the enforcement of proposed new minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector.

Local authorities are key to enforcement and my department has engaged with them extensively throughout policy development. Government is already taking steps to empower local authorities, including proposing increasing the maximum fine to £30,000 per-property per-breach, carrying out significant improvements to the Exemptions Register, and introducing a Landlord Database through the Renters’ Rights Bill. These steps will better enable local authorities to identify non-compliant properties in their area and take action to support landlords to comply.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing tenants' protections from eviction after landlords have accessed grants to improve energy efficiency.

The government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation included proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. The consultation closed in May this year and DESNZ are currently reviewing responses ahead of publishing a response. The government is committed to protecting and improving the rights of tenants. The Renters’ Rights Bill will put in place new regulations to protect tenants. This includes providing stronger protections to ensure that tenants are able to appeal excessive above-market rents, abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, and moving to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies ae periodic. These measures provide more security for tenants and enable them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction.

What discussions she has had with police forces on the adequacy of police resources allocated to tackling fraud.

Tackling fraud is a clear priority for this Government, and I am committed to working with police forces to ensure resources are in place to effectively combat this crime and support victims.That is why we are publishing a new, expanded Fraud Strategy to strengthen our national response to this crime.

What recent steps her Department has taken to help prevent shipments of illicit oil to the UK.

HMRC leads on the enforcement of trade sanctions at the border. The department implements controls to help prevent goods being exported or imported in breach of sanctions and respond to breaches when these do occur. At UK ports and airports, HMRC in partnership with Border Force carries out targeted risk and intelligence-based checks to ensure traders are compliant with sanction measures and identify potential breaches. This includes checking certain goods being imported into the country or exported to non-sanctioned countries to ensure there’s no evidence that these goods will be diverted to a sanctioned country.

What recent steps her Department has taken to help reduce the number of irregular migrants arriving in the UK on small boats.

The Border Security Command (BSC) is leading the national response to prevent small boat crossings in the English Channel.The BSC continues to focus on tackling the organised immigration crime gangs that are facilitating small boat crossings, working with domestic partners such as the National Crime Agency, and overseas counterparts in a range of countries, to dismantle the gangs and disrupt their supply chains. This work has already led to a number of widely publicised raids and arrests, as well as agreements with France, Germany, Italy, Iraq and other key partners which will increase enforcement activity and cooperation further over the coming months.This summer, the Home Office announced a £100 million funding injection to further strengthen existing law enforcement operations. The funding will pay for up to 300 extra National Crime Agency officers (NCA), state-of-the art detection technology and new equipment to smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel.We have also signed a landmark agreement with France to prevent dangerous small boat crossings. This agreement means that anyone entering the UK on a small boat can be detained on arrival and returned to France by the UK government. The aim is to test the deterrent effect to prevent dangerous journeys by demonstrating that small boat crossings are not a viable way to enter and remain in the UK and to disrupt the organised immigration crime gangs.Ensuring we have the right legislation in place to take robust, meaningful action to address these challenges is crucial. With this in mind, the UK’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently going through Parliament, creates new powers for law enforcement through new criminal offences, expanded data-sharing capabilities and an improved intelligence picture to identify, intercept, disrupt and prevent serious and organised crime, including tackling those who facilitate small boats crossings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on the enforced disappearances and murder of religious and social leaders in Calamar municipality; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help uphold freedom of religion or belief in that country.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 17 July 2025 to question 66106 regarding these murders in Calamar municipality, Guaviare Department.

What proportion of people on the top level of incapacity benefit have joined a coaching scheme to help get them back into work.

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. There are several schemes for individuals in the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Related Activity group (UC LCWRA) or Employment Support Allowance Support Group which may use some coaching to support individuals back to work. Examples include Additional Work Coach Support, Work and Health Programme, WorkWell, Connect to Work and Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies. However, these schemes are personalised to the needs of the individual and therefore coaching is only one of many ways to help get them back to work. The published report “The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people” March 2025 includes some of the most recent relevant analysis on employment support for those on UC LCWRA.The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people - GOV.UK

What discussions he has had with chip businesses on chip import tariffs.

The Government is committed to supporting the UK’s semiconductor sector which is one of the frontier technologies identified under the Industrial Strategy Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.During his time at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Secretary of State and his Department had regular engagements with the UK semiconductor industry.As part of an ongoing analysis of potential import tariffs, both the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade are in close contact with companies in the sector in order to provide a measured and appropriate response should this be necessary.

What steps he is taking to support the (a) health and (b) wellbeing of the NHS workforce.

The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a top priority. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health. To further support this ambition, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism and sexual harassment in the workplace.

If he will take steps to update dental professional healthcare regulation.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in late 2025 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in 2026. This will be followed by further legislation which will modernise the governing legislation for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and for the Health and Care Professions Council, within the current Parliamentary session.The Department will continue to work with regulators, the devolved governments and other key partners as we develop more consistent, efficient and effective regulatory frameworks.

What recent progress he has made in addressing increasing clinical negligence costs.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last ten years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area.

What steps his Department is taking to build (a) robust and (b) sustainable partnerships with (i) cancer charities, (ii) community organisations and (iii) people with lived experience of cancer.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 September 2025 to Question 69805.

What progress he has made in improving the effectiveness of body scanners in monitoring the flow of (a) drugs, (b) weapons and (c) other contraband into prisons.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to taking every possible measure to strengthen prison security. Every prison in the closed adult male estate is equipped with a body scanner. They are used to prevent illicit drugs, mobile phones and other contraband from entering prisons.As of March 2024, over 53,000 positive indications had been recorded by our X-ray body scanners. This demonstrates the clear impact they are having.A full evaluation of the Security Investment Programme was undertaken. The findings of the evaluation have been published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-investment-programme-evaluation.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities through the implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan.

The 10-Year Health Plan has set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it.We know everyday life poses greater health risks to the most disadvantaged in society, and that the current model of care works least well for those who already experience disadvantage and are far more likely to have complex needs.To help tackle this, we will distribute NHS funding more equally locally, so it is better aligned with health need. And we will establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, beginning with places where healthy life expectancy is lowest. Neighbourhood health centres will co-locate NHS, local authority and voluntary sector services, to help create an offer that meets population need.Neighbourhood health will redesign and join up existing health and care services. General practice leaders will be pivotal in shaping and delivering these new services that require working across several different neighbourhoods, supported by two optional contracts to be introduced from 2026.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her fiscal policies of trends in the cost of (a) groceries and (b) other household bills.

The Government understands that increased costs in essential areas such as groceries and household bills are causing hardship for many families. The best way to help with the cost of living is by reducing overall inflation. The Chancellor has asked departments to prioritise reducing inflation when developing policies 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 2%. The independent Monetary Policy Committee has cut Bank Rate five times since August 2024. Falling interest rates mean someone with a new representative fixed rate mortgage now pays £90 a month less than they would have before the election. The Government is supporting households with targeted measures to ease pressure on budgets. This includes increasing the Universal Credit Standard Allowance, extending the Household Support Fund with £1 billion a year for crisis support through councils, and expanding Free School Meals to all children with a parent on Universal Credit from 2026. On energy, the Warm Home Discount will be expanded to cover around 6 million households, and from this winter pensioners with incomes up to £35,000 will also receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

What steps his Department is taking to seek payment from foreign nationals for NHS treatment.

In England, the National Health Service is a residency-based system. Only people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom or otherwise exempt from charges under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, are eligible for NHS healthcare without charge. Overseas visitors who use the NHS in England are charged upfront at 150% of the cost of treatment. Health is a devolved matter and there may be other arrangements in Northern Ireland.The Department sets the policy, guidance and legislation through the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, and the NHS recovers treatment costs from charge liable patients.Costs for NHS treatment provided to overseas visitors and other people who are not ordinarily resident in the UK are recovered through NHS direct charging, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and reciprocal healthcare arrangements. Individuals coming to the UK for six months or more are expected to pay the IHS as part of their visa application. Once their application is granted, they are entitled to receive treatment on broadly the same basis as someone who is ordinarily resident in the UK. People coming to the UK for six months or less are expected to have adequate funds or insurance to cover any healthcare needs whilst in England. The UK is also party to several reciprocal healthcare agreements. Patients who are from countries covered by a reciprocal healthcare agreement may be entitled to some NHS services without charge.