Written questions by Campbell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking international partners to encourage de-escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan; and what recent discussions she has had with her (a) Pakistani and (b) Afghan counterpart on the October 2025 ceasefire.

The UK is deeply concerned by rising tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban. An escalation in hostilities is in no one's interest. At the United Nations in February, the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation with her Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and, on 10 March, I expressed my concern about ongoing hostilities in a meeting with Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. More broadly, in January, the UK Special Envoy to Afghanistan visited Islamabad and encouraged de-escalation in talks with both Pakistani and Taliban interlocutors. Alongside that, UK officials regularly engage Taliban Ministers and officials to encourage them to engage in dialogue, as well as relevant third parties, including Qatar, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia who can help to support these goals.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has the risk of an imminent liquidity crisis of the UN; and what steps she is taking, including with international partners, to support the financial stability of the UN system and to protect the delivery of core programmes.

The UK is deeply concerned by the financial challenges faced by the UN and we support efforts to put the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing to ensure it can continue to deliver its mandate. The UK stands ready to work with the UN Secretariat to find additional sustainable and effective solutions to manage these challenges, and we continue to encourage budget discipline across the UN System. The UK submitted its regular budget contribution of USD $128 million for 2026 in full and on time, the first permanent UN Security Council member to do so and the 14th Member State overall. We call for all Member States to do likewise.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Mauritania.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Maldives.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Cuba.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Burkina Faso.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Niger.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Sudan.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Mali.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of Christian communities from persecution in Tajikistan.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Maldives, Mauritania, Cuba, Niger, Tajikistan and other countries on the Open Doors' World Watch List where Christians face persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Last July, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to champion FoRB on the international stage, including through our position in the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance.

What assessment she has made of the operational capacity of the National Insurance services team to tackle the number of A1 certificate applications; and when are processing times expected to return to the standard service level.

HMRC recognises how important it is for customers to receive their A1 certificates promptly and is strengthening the service to support this. Additional National Insurance advisers are being trained to further increase capacity. The service‑level agreement (SLA) for A1 certificates is to process 80% of online applications within 15 working days, and 80% of postal applications within 40 working days. HMRC has implemented a plan to stabilise performance and expects to meet its SLAs by the end of the tax year. Customers are encouraged to apply online for A1 certificates, as online applications are quicker to deal with.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges on patients with long-term health conditions; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing free hospital parking for those patients.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges on patients with long-term health conditions, or the introduction of free hospital parking for those patients.It is important that the National Health Service is as accessible as possible to those that need it most. That is why the NHS already provides free hospital car parking to those in greatest need. This includes disabled blue badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, and parents of children staying overnight. Some patients with long-term health conditions will therefore be provided free parking when included in these groups.More widely, all NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS Car Parking Guidance. This states that car parking charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to utilise AI to improve the productivity of the (a) public-sector, (b) NHS, (c) Civil Service and (d) Local Government in (i) Broxtowe constituency, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England.

AI is at the heart of the government’s plan to transform how we deliver public services and boost productivity. The AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines how we will improve these services to drive growth across the economy.A cross-government pilot of 20,000 civil servants found tools like Microsoft Copilot can save an average of 26 minutes per person per day, while a trial of AI coding saved engineers 56 minutes per day.A trial of Ambient Voice Technology in the NHS has shown a 23.5% increase in patient interaction time alongside an 8.2% reduction in appointment length. Early results with AI diagnostics showed a decreased wait time for follow-up CT scans from 6.3 to 5.6 days.Local authorities, including those in the East Midlands, benefit from GDS Local who have already engaged with over 300 local government digital practitioners on the opportunities AI brings to improve productivity, alongside the national rollout of tools like Extract, supporting more efficient local service delivery.

What steps his Department is taking to use AI and automation to (a) improve the delivery of, (b) reduce administrative burdens of and (c) improve the accuracy of assessments for welfare benefits.

We are adopting AI in DWP to help colleagues deliver better outcomes for customers and to improve productivity and efficiency, so that colleagues can get more decisions right first time and can support the people who need it most. The Department uses automated decision-making in some areas, as described in our Personal Information Charter. Customers are told when an automated decision may have been made in relation to their case, along with information on the steps they would need to take if they want to exercise their right to ask for a human to review that decision. DWP has a legal requirement to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place when carrying out automated decision-making. The Department carries out regular checks to ensure our systems are working as intended, and any new features go through rigorous testing.

What steps he is taking to (a) provide support for children with Paediatric Feeding Disorder and (b) to reduce distances travelled to reach appropriate clinics in (i) Broxtowe constituency, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England.

There is currently no formal National Health Service pathway for paediatric feeding disorder (PFD), and support is delivered according to a child’s individual needs.In Broxtowe, children may receive support through community paediatric services or speech and language therapy. Where a child’s needs cannot be met locally, the integrated care board can consider individual requests and commission additional specialist input to ensure appropriate care is provided.Across the East Midlands, arrangements vary. In Lincolnshire, children are first assessed locally before referral to general paediatrics and, if required, to tertiary centres such as Sheffield Children’s Hospital or Queen’s Medical Centre. In Derby and Derbyshire, PFD is recognised in practice, although there is no dedicated pathway, and feeding difficulties are often considered alongside conditions such as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. Northamptonshire provides a multidisciplinary community service across three sites, helping families access support closer to home. Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland offer specialist eating, drinking, and swallowing services locally and do not expect families to travel out of area.Nationally, children with feeding difficulties may be supported through community services, general paediatrics, and referral to specialist multidisciplinary clinics where available.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making safe sleep training for early years staff mandatory.

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/.To make the existing requirements clearer for all, the department plans to add in more detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safe sleep experts including the Lullaby Trust on proposed new wording. We plan to make these changes as soon as possible.The ‘Early years qualification requirements and standards’ document sets out the minimum qualification requirements, including the qualifications criteria at levels 2 and 3, that staff must meet to be recognised as level 2, level 3 or level 6 members of staff for the purpose of working within the EYFS staff:child ratios. The document is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.Both the level 2 and level 3 criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision, with level 3 also including use of equipment, furniture and materials safely with regard for sleep safety.

If she will take steps to upgrade the teacher training curriculum to include mandatory training on how to teach dyslexic children.

On 16 January we announced plans for a new expectation on schools and other settings to ensure staff receive training on SEND and inclusion, supported by £200m investment during this Parliament into government-backed training courses and materials. The department recently introduced a new training framework for trainee and early career teachers. The initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), which became mandatory from September 2025, sets out the minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. This framework includes more content on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). For example, developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils, including those with dyslexia. We are committed to continuous improvement and will be reviewing the ITTECF in 2027, which will focus on the support we provide trainees and early career teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

If he will expand medical exemption certificates to people with Parkinson's Disease.

There are no current plans to add Parkinson’s disease to the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how the department has been working with the UK’s international allies to support pro-democracy protestors in Iran.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, setting out our latest assessment of the position in Iran. We will inform the House of any further updates in that assessment in due course, including on the issues that she mentions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has contingency plans to support individuals fleeing conflict in the event of military intervention in Iran by the United States.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, setting out our latest assessment of the position in Iran. We will inform the House of any further updates in that assessment in due course, including on the issues that she mentions.