Written questions by Cordova.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that her earned settlement proposals support migrant women.

The Government’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including settlement and asylum.Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.The consultation included questions on equalities issues and sought views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups, including the case for exemptions for vulnerable groups. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, implementation of the earned settlement arrangements will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we will make available when the full response to the consultation is published.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on migrant women experiencing (a) domestic abuse and (b) coercive control.

The Government’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including settlement and asylum.Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.The consultation included questions on equalities issues and sought views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups, including the case for exemptions for vulnerable groups. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, implementation of the earned settlement arrangements will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we will make available when the full response to the consultation is published.

If the Equality Impact Assessment prepared in connection with A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Statement and Accompanying Consultation on Earned Settlement will be published prior to final policy decisions.

The Government’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including settlement and asylum.Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.The consultation included questions on equalities issues and sought views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups, including the case for exemptions for vulnerable groups. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, implementation of the earned settlement arrangements will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we will make available when the full response to the consultation is published.

What steps he is taking to deliver increased glaucoma services in the community.

Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the health needs of their local population, and for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services, to meet them. This can already include the commissioning of community-based glaucoma services, including glaucoma repeat readings and glaucoma monitoring.The Getting It Right First Time programme is also developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services, to support consistent adoption of high standards of care from detection to ongoing monitoring or discharge.

What estimate he has made of the (a) number of people waiting for glaucoma follow-up appointments and (b) length of waiting time for such appointments.

The Department does not hold data on either the number of people waiting for a glaucoma follow-up appointment or the length of waiting time for any such glaucoma follow-up appointment. Therefore, no current estimate has been made.Data is published on ophthalmology waiting times from referral to treatment, but this is not broken down by condition and does not cover follow up appointments that occur after a patient’s first definitive treatment.As of January 2026, the waiting list for ophthalmology stands at 602,163, with 69.8% of those having waited less than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, an improvement of 3.7 percentage points since the general election in July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of basing eligibility for cladding remediation support on fire safety risk.

The Government provides funding to address fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11 metres in height, in England. The building must have an intolerable risk to life as assessed in a Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Walls, and where all other routes to fund the required works have been exhausted.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans publish the eligibility criteria used by Homes England to determine when a building under 11 metres qualifies as an exceptional case for targeted funding for urgent fire safety measures.

The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders. Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards. The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support leaseholders in residential buildings under 11 metres who face costs as a result of fire safety issues.

The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders. Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards. The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of fast tracking urgent cases with Homes England where residents in buildings under 11 metres face financial hardship due to urgent fire safety measures.

The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders. Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards. The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2026 to PQ 106498, when she last raised the detention of Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq with her Egyptian counterpart; and what steps she is taking to advocate for his freedom of religion and belief.

The UK champions freedom of religion or belief for all and, where appropriate, will raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of abuse of young Christian women, raids on churches and allegations of bribery of pastors in Kazakhstan.

The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will work to uphold the right to Freedom of Religious Belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our bilateral work.Our Embassy in Astana works actively with local non-governmental organisations in Kazakhstan to support interfaith dialogue and engage authorities in constructive negotiations with religious groups. The Embassy has hosted four events in the last 12 months, bringing together representatives of a variety of majority and minority religious groups, alongside international organisations, and state bodies. The resulting recommendations are under review by government. The UK will continue to be a leading voice in support of Freedom of Religion and Belief in Kazakhstan.

How many individuals holding pre settled status work in the health and social care sector.

The Home Office does not hold data on the occupations of people granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of retrospective changes to settlement requirements on health care workers and the wider health care system.

The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. Contributions will now be analysed, and the findings will support the development of the final model.Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model and published in due course.

How many Internationally Educated Nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council have lived in the UK for over five but fewer than ten years.

The Department does not hold information on the length of residence in the United Kingdom of internationally educated nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).The NMC publishes statistics as part of its biannual registration data reports on the number of nurses who obtained their nursing qualification outside of the United Kingdom, by the length of time since their first registration with the NMC. Nurses though may have been resident in the UK prior to their first registration, so this is not the same as length of residence.Also, length of time since first registration does not necessarily mean unbroken or continuous registration. Registrants may leave the register for a variety of reasons, for one or more period during their careers.This information can be found in the ‘UK permanent Register data tables’ in the worksheet ‘Time’, at the following link:https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department uses to determine the distribution of UK aid funding.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has funded disability inclusion activities in the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum (CDPF) since 2019, and provided around £2 million to support disabled people's organisations in the Commonwealth through the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) between 2021 and 2024. The FCDO, alongside the Disability Unit in the Office for Equal Opportunities, has been an active member of the Expert Working Group developing the Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan.We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years shortly, but in the interim, we will not speculate on the potential impact of hypothetical funding scenarios on different programmes and countries. The specific funding percentage requested by the Hon Member is not readily available, and could only be calculated and verified at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce disability discrimination across the Commonwealth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has funded disability inclusion activities in the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum (CDPF) since 2019, and provided around £2 million to support disabled people's organisations in the Commonwealth through the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) between 2021 and 2024. The FCDO, alongside the Disability Unit in the Office for Equal Opportunities, has been an active member of the Expert Working Group developing the Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan.We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years shortly, but in the interim, we will not speculate on the potential impact of hypothetical funding scenarios on different programmes and countries. The specific funding percentage requested by the Hon Member is not readily available, and could only be calculated and verified at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled people across the Commonwealth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has funded disability inclusion activities in the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum (CDPF) since 2019, and provided around £2 million to support disabled people's organisations in the Commonwealth through the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) between 2021 and 2024. The FCDO, alongside the Disability Unit in the Office for Equal Opportunities, has been an active member of the Expert Working Group developing the Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan.We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years shortly, but in the interim, we will not speculate on the potential impact of hypothetical funding scenarios on different programmes and countries. The specific funding percentage requested by the Hon Member is not readily available, and could only be calculated and verified at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken any impact assessment ahead of the proposed reduction in financial support in the upcoming financial year to organisations providing disability support globally.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has funded disability inclusion activities in the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum (CDPF) since 2019, and provided around £2 million to support disabled people's organisations in the Commonwealth through the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) between 2021 and 2024. The FCDO, alongside the Disability Unit in the Office for Equal Opportunities, has been an active member of the Expert Working Group developing the Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan.We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years shortly, but in the interim, we will not speculate on the potential impact of hypothetical funding scenarios on different programmes and countries. The specific funding percentage requested by the Hon Member is not readily available, and could only be calculated and verified at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK aid is allocated to support disabled people globally.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has funded disability inclusion activities in the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum (CDPF) since 2019, and provided around £2 million to support disabled people's organisations in the Commonwealth through the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) between 2021 and 2024. The FCDO, alongside the Disability Unit in the Office for Equal Opportunities, has been an active member of the Expert Working Group developing the Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan.We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years shortly, but in the interim, we will not speculate on the potential impact of hypothetical funding scenarios on different programmes and countries. The specific funding percentage requested by the Hon Member is not readily available, and could only be calculated and verified at disproportionate cost.

Whether guidance on screen time and social media use will include the potential impact of excessive use of screens on sight loss.

The department and the Department of Health and Social Care are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence-informed guidance on screen time for early years. An early years screen time advisory group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers. And as I committed to in the House, I will consider how we will support children with eye conditions.In addition, amid concerns that young people’s lives are dominated by time in front of devices, the government will support families by producing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged five to 16. Experts are considering a wide range of evidence, and the guidance will be published in due course.