Written questions by Shannon.

How many claims have been successful for vehicles that have been damaged by potholes in the last year.

On England’s Strategic Road Network, compensation claims of this sort are a matter for National Highways, and their website provides further details of how claims are dealt with. Between 1 January and 31 December 2024, National Highways received 1552 claims for vehicle damage due to potholes, of which 717 (or 46%) have been successful. On local roads, compensation claims of this sort are a matter for the relevant local highway authority and the Department does not collect data on it.

How many people are awaiting appeal decisions in under the Afghan resettlement scheme.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) has brought together the previous Afghan resettlement schemes into a single, efficient pipeline. In order to improve efficiency, value for money and outcomes across Afghan Resettlement.The latest published statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-september-2024) show that (up to the end of September 2024) we have brought around 33,400 people to safety from Afghanistan and the region.Afghan operational data is viewable at Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and is released quarterly. There is no right of appeal against eligibility decisions made under the ARP.

What steps she is taking to make workplaces more accessible for disabled people.

We are committed to boosting opportunity and championing the rights of disabled people. We will work closely with disabled people and their representative organisations to ensure that their needs and voices are at the heart of everything we do. Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Under the Equality Act 2010, there is a duty on employers to, on request, make reasonable adjustments for both job applicants and employees who meet the Act's definition of disability. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme. The Disability Confident scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. Employers participating in the scheme must agree to several commitments, many of which relate to making the workplace more accessible. These include ensuring the recruitment process is inclusive and accessible, communicating and promoting vacancies through accessible channels, and anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required. Disability Confident is a voluntary scheme, developed by disabled people, employers and disability organisations representing disabled people. I plan to consider ways to make the scheme criteria and requirements more robust. Disabled People can also access support through the Access to Work Scheme. The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The grant provides personalised support and workplace assessments, travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment. In 23/24 the Access to Work Scheme supported 67,000 people with a workplace adjustment to move into or stay in work. The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for disabled people, including disability pay gap reporting for large employers. We will support disabled people to access flexible working, breaking down barriers to opportunity. This work will be relevant to all those who meet the definition of disability set out in the Equality Act 2010, and we will be engaging with a range of stakeholders to understand their lived experiences. In addition to existing support, as part of the Get Britain Working plans set out in the recent white paper, the Government has launched Keep Britain Working, an independent review into the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield.

How many alcohol related deaths there have been in England in the last 12 months.

There were 21,912 alcohol-related deaths in England for the 2022 calendar year. This is from the latest available data, published by the Department, and is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profiles/data#page/4/gid/1938132984/pat/159/par/K02000001/ati/15/are/E92000001/iid/93763/age/1/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1The data for 2023 will be published on 4 February 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle illegal puppy farms.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle bee harm.

Bee health is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Harm to honeybees can be caused by several different means including pests and diseases, invasive non-native species and poor husbandry practices by beekeepers. Defra supports a range of actions to help tackle harm. The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) deliver the Defra Bee Health Programme which includes management and control of honeybee pests and diseases. The NBU also provide free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. Defra works in partnership with beekeeping stakeholders under the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 to improve honeybee health and husbandry. Yellow-legged hornet (YLH), an invasive non-native species is a threat to pollinating insects including honeybees. There are established populations of these hornets in Europe and since 2016 there have been regular incursions into GB. Defra takes action against confirmed findings of YLH to prevent this species from becoming established.The Government is committed to ending the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that are known to carry substantial risks to pollinator populations. The recent Defra policy statement, released on 21 December, sets out plans to take forward that commitment.

How many people aged under 25 were charged with possession of cocaine in the last 12 months.

The Home Office collects information on the number of ‘Having Possession Of A Controlled Drug - Class A Cocaine’ offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes including charges.Information, for the year to June 2024, on the age of suspects charged for possession of cocaine is provided in the table below. However, information on the age of the suspect is not quality assured as it is not currently routinely published or collected as official statistics from forces and in 43% of cases age has not been provided.Number of offences resulting in charge/summons, year ending June 2024, broken down by age-group, for ‘Having Possession Of A Controlled Drug - Class A Cocaine’ offences, England and Wales (excluding Humberside Police)Age groupUnder 25s25+Not StatedGrand TotalNumber of offences resulting in charge/summons8732,7582,7386,369

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of under 25s who are renting privately.

The English Housing Survey (EHS) contains details of the demographic profile of households in England. In the most recent published figures (for 2023-24) there were 447,000 households renting privately where the Household Reference Person (HRP) was aged 16-24. This equates to 10% out of all households in the private rented sector. Around two-thirds (68%) of all households where the HRP was aged 16-24 were renting privately.More information on the EHS can be found on gov.uk here, and detailed information on the demographic profile of household can be found on gov.uk here.

If he will take steps to regulate the cost of Office for National Statistics surveys.

The Office of National Statistics is part of the UK Statistics Authority, a Non Ministerial Department which is directly accountable to the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly. Its budget is awarded directly from HM Treasury. As per the Code of Practice for Statistics (including as referenced in the Ministerial Code), the UN’s Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the broader Nolan principles of propriety in public life, Ministers have no role in the decision making of the Authority Board or day-to-day management decisions of the Office of National Statistics.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the merits of deposits for private renters.

The government believes the current requirements for private rented sector (PRS) tenants to pay, and PRS landlords to protect, a tenancy deposit are reasonable.The Housing Act 2004 requires landlords to protect deposits taken in England and Wales for assured shorthold tenancies, on or after 6 April 2007, with a government-authorised Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) scheme. These schemes operate with no cost to the tenant.The Tenant Fees Act 2019 created legal limits to the amount of deposit that can be charged, and Trading Standards can fine landlords up to £5,000 for breaking the rules and up to £30,000 for multiple breaches.As part of the re-procurement process of these schemes we are reviewing the operation of the TDP system and identifying areas for improvement.

How many visa applications were in the appeal system as of 28 January 2025.

Data on appeals receipts and open caseload is published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on a quarterly basis. The latest publication can be found at Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK. Table FIA_1 and FIA_4 of the Main Tables section shows First-tier Tribunal appeal receipts and caseload volumes to 30 September 2024.

Media and Sport, what progress she has made on the allocation of dormant assets in the last 12 months.

To date, the Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked over £1 billion of dormant assets which The National Lottery Community Fund distributes across the UK. DCMS is responsible for the English portion and recently announced that the next £350 million tranche of funding for England would be split equally between youth, financial inclusion, social investment and community wealth funds. The relevant Devolved Governments are responsible for their own portion.To date, a total of £25 million has been allocated to the Northern Ireland Dormant Assets programme to build capacity, resilience and sustainability in the third sector. Over £3 million has been committed in FY24/25 to support smaller and underrepresented community groups to build their capacity. Discussions are underway regarding the deployment of the next phase of dormant assets funding in Northern Ireland, which is expected to be launched in due course.

What estimate he has made of the number of defence projects that are over budget.

The latest published Government Major Projects Portfolio data shows variance against budget for the Ministry of Defence's major projects and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-government-major-projects-portfolio-data-2024

What progress she has made on the proposed electronic travel authorisation scheme in Northern Ireland.

The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme was introduced on 25 October 2023 to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. It will be extended to eligible European nationals on 5 March 2025, and will be a requirement for this cohort for travel from 2 April 2025. Individuals arriving in the UK, including those crossing the land border into Northern Ireland, will need to continue to enter in line with the UK’s immigration framework, including the requirement to obtain an ETA if applicable.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the space craft sector in Northern Ireland.

The Ministry of Defence recognises the significance of Northern Ireland’s growing impact to the UK – and global – space sectors, and we welcome the recent announcement of European Space Agency’s €862 million contract with Thales Alenia Space, whose propulsion facility is located in Belfast. In 2021-22, the sector in Northern Ireland generated £104 million and supported 545 jobs across 62 organisations. Northern Ireland secured over £1.5 million from the UK Space Agency to boost its commercial supply chain in line with emerging technology requirements, and to harness space-enabled data to improve the delivery of public services. Further highlighting Northern Ireland’s vital role, the UK Space Agency hosted the 2023 UK Space Conference at the ICC Belfast and looks forward to bringing the In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) Conference there in June 2025.

How many applications there have been for firearms licenses in the last 12 months.

The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of applications for firearms licence certificates in the statistical publication on firearm and shotgun certificates. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates: April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV. UK (www.gov.uk).The number of applications for firearms licence certificates can be found in data table 1.Data for the year ending 31 March 2025 will be released between June and July 2025: Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates, England and Wales: April 2024 to March 2025 - Accredited official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help protect Ahmadi places of worship worldwide.

The UK Government is committed to championing the right to freedom of religion or belief, for all, everywhere. We are aware of reports of the desecration of Ahmadi Mosques in Pakistan and continue to monitor the situation. The Minister for the Middle East underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when he met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November, and also discussed this issue in Parliament on 28 November. In response to the desecration of an Ahmadi Mosque in Daska on 16 January, the British High Commissioner raised the issue of Ahmadi Muslim rights in a message to the Punjab Minorities Minister, on 23 January. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, including religious minorities, in accordance with international standards.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on supporting the Northern Ireland health service.

Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government has been clear that it wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people living in Northern Ireland.UK Government Ministers regularly engage with Executive Ministers in Northern Ireland, including the Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the uptake of IVF in the last five years.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority published its Fertility Trends analysis in July 2024, based on the previous four years’ worth of data. The analysis is available at the following link:https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/publications/research-and-data/fertility-treatment-2022-preliminary-trends-and-figures/This document has helped inform the Department’s work with NHS England to consider future policy options to support integrated care boards to provide more equitable in-vitro fertilisation services.

What discussions he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on funding research through public health agencies.

The Department works closely with all of the devolved administrations on shared research interests. The Department has an arrangement with the devolved administrations that allows research hosts, including universities and research active National Health Service organisations, in the devolved administrations to apply for National Institute for Health and Care Research funding, due to funding contributions from the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh administrations. These arrangements are in place due to consultation between the Department of Health and Social Care, the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office, Health and Care Research Wales, and Health and Social Care Research and Development in Northern Ireland. In support of this, the Department has regular discussions with senior officials in the devolved administrations on health and social care research.