Written questions by Glindon.

If he will review the list of people granted the right to take time off work to perform public duties under section 50 of the Employment Right Act 1996.

The entitlement to time off for public duties helps to ensure that unpaid roles within our public services attract a broad range of people, including those who are in work, while breaking down a barrier to participation in civic life for people who need to work full time.The initial legislation that introduced this entitlement is over 50 years old. I have asked my officials to consider how we can ensure this legislation remains effective.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help secure the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov.

The UK remains concerned over the kidnapping of Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov. The Government of Iraq's investigation into her kidnapping is ongoing, and we await the findings. Those suspected of criminal responsibility of her kidnapping should be brought to justice in fair trials. The Government has not had any discussion with the Government of Iraq regarding the kidnapping.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Iraqi counterpart on the case of Elizabeth Tsurkov.

The UK remains concerned over the kidnapping of Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov. The Government of Iraq's investigation into her kidnapping is ongoing. Those suspected of criminal responsibility of her kidnapping should be brought to justice in fair trials. The Government has not had any discussion with the Government of Iraq regarding the kidnapping.

What estimate he has made of the number of people on home dialysis who do not receive reimbursement of the energy costs of that dialysis; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that number on the ability of his Department to shift care from hospital to community.

Increasing access to home therapies is a priority for NHS England, and this is reflected in its inclusion in the Renal Transformation toolkit that was published in 2023, which recommends that 20% of all patients on kidney replacement treatment should receive treatment at home.Commissioned renal clinical networks across England have included improving access to home therapies in their work plans as per the recommendations within the toolkit. NHS England’s national team supports renal clinical networks with the implementation of home dialysis transformation.Commissioned renal providers in England have a contractual obligation to reimburse the additional utility costs for patients who receive home haemodialysis therapy, as stipulated within the Haemodialysis to treat established renal failure performed in a patients home national service specification and the Paediatric medicine renal service specification. Reimbursement costs are managed directly between providers and patients, and therefore there is no central record of how many patients seek reimbursement. Further information on the Paediatric medicine renal service specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/paediatric-medicine-renal-service-specification/Renal clinical networks are working towards increasing home dialysis rates in line with the Renal Service Transformation Programme toolkit recommendations.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of patients receiving dialysis at home.

Increasing access to home therapies is a priority for NHS England, and this is reflected in its inclusion in the Renal Transformation toolkit that was published in 2023, which recommends that 20% of all patients on kidney replacement treatment should receive treatment at home.Commissioned renal clinical networks across England have included improving access to home therapies in their work plans as per the recommendations within the toolkit. NHS England’s national team supports renal clinical networks with the implementation of home dialysis transformation.Commissioned renal providers in England have a contractual obligation to reimburse the additional utility costs for patients who receive home haemodialysis therapy, as stipulated within the Haemodialysis to treat established renal failure performed in a patients home national service specification and the Paediatric medicine renal service specification. Reimbursement costs are managed directly between providers and patients, and therefore there is no central record of how many patients seek reimbursement. Further information on the Paediatric medicine renal service specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/paediatric-medicine-renal-service-specification/Renal clinical networks are working towards increasing home dialysis rates in line with the Renal Service Transformation Programme toolkit recommendations.

If he will make it his policy to ensure a minimum of 20% of dialysis patients in renal centres receive home dialysis.

Increasing access to home therapies is a priority for NHS England, and this is reflected in its inclusion in the Renal Transformation toolkit that was published in 2023, which recommends that 20% of all patients on kidney replacement treatment should receive treatment at home.Commissioned renal clinical networks across England have included improving access to home therapies in their work plans as per the recommendations within the toolkit. NHS England’s national team supports renal clinical networks with the implementation of home dialysis transformation.Commissioned renal providers in England have a contractual obligation to reimburse the additional utility costs for patients who receive home haemodialysis therapy, as stipulated within the Haemodialysis to treat established renal failure performed in a patients home national service specification and the Paediatric medicine renal service specification. Reimbursement costs are managed directly between providers and patients, and therefore there is no central record of how many patients seek reimbursement. Further information on the Paediatric medicine renal service specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/paediatric-medicine-renal-service-specification/Renal clinical networks are working towards increasing home dialysis rates in line with the Renal Service Transformation Programme toolkit recommendations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his (a) Egyptian and (b) Israeli counterparts about the expedition of exit permits for Gazans seeking urgent medical evacuations.

We engage routinely on the importance of addressing health needs within Gaza. An immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with many in need of urgent medical assistance. Israel should ensure that there is a sustained passage for patients who need treatment not available in Gaza, by reopening routes and increasing the approval rate for medical evacuations.We have announced £1 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, delivered through the World Health Organization Egypt, to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. The UK is also supporting the provision of essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza, including support to UK-MED for operating their field hospitals.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to (a) humanitarian organisations and (b) his Israeli counterpart on the expedition of Habiba Al Askari's medical evacuation from Gaza.

The case of Habiba Al Askari is tragic and underlines why we need to see more medical evacuation routes open during the first phase of the ceasefire. While we have not discussed this individual case with Israel, we engage routinely on the importance of addressing health needs within Gaza and enabling medical evacuations for all patients needing medical care not available in Gaza.The UK has announced £1 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, delivered through World Health Organization Egypt, to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. The UK is also supporting provision of essential healthcare to Palestinians including funding UK-Med to operate field hospitals in Gaza, where they have established an operating theatre and an emergency department for urgent care.

What steps she is taking to increase Real Household Disposable Income per person in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency.

Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita is a measure of UK living standards. The main route to higher living standards is through good, productive jobs, stable employment, and a thriving business environment. Growth must be felt in every nation and region. Through the growth mission, the government will deliver a milestone of higher living standards in every part of the United Kingdom by the end of the Parliament.In its October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts living standards, as measured by RHDI per capita, to grow by an annual average of 0.5% over the parliament.

Whether she has made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of (a) E5 and (b) E10 fuel on (i) fuel consumption and (ii) emissions.

The legislation which introduced E10 across Britain in September 2021 is the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) and the Biofuel (Labelling) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021. The impact assessment accompanying these regulations estimates that moving from E5 to E10 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 .8%, saving around 750,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from petrol vehicles. Ethanol contains less energy than fossil petrol and so increasing the ethanol content of petrol increases fuel consumption. The impact assessment estimates E10 will decrease the energy content of petrol by 1.7% compared to E5 and assumes fuel consumption will increase by that amount.

Communities and Local Government, what her planned timescale is for the proposed changes to the rules on ground rent.

As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents. We will deliver this in legislation and will set out next steps in due course.

What assessment she has made for the potential implications for her Department's policies of the report entitled Move to Universal Credit Non-claimants (formerly tax credits customers) Research, published on 17 December 2024.

Our research with former tax credit customers who did not claim UC found that the majority of respondents did not intend to claim UC in the future and customers were generally making an informed decision. The report did identify potential barriers for some groups claiming UC. DWP sets out the range of support available for making a claim to Universal Credit within the Migration Notice, including independent support through Help to Claim. This support is also available online and has been highlighted through our extensive media campaign. Our published official statistics show that those receiving a DWP legacy benefit or Housing Benefit are claiming at a higher percentage, in line with Discovery claim rates.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2024 to Question 20962 on NHS: Staff, whether the engagement on the NHS workforce plan will include (a) a formal consultation separate to that on the 10 year health plan and (b) health charities as a key stakeholder group.

The refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and ensure patients get the treatment they need, when and where they need it.No formal statutory public consultation is planned. In the development of the plan, we will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including health charities and trade unions, to ensure needs of staff and patients are considered.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held recent discussions with humanitarian organisations on the adequacy of prosthetics supplies in Gaza; and if he will take steps to assist humanitarian organisations increase their supply.

The plight of sick, injured and disabled people in Gaza is deeply distressing. We have pressed Israel at senior levels to urgently improve healthcare provision, including significantly increasing medical supplies, and to establish sustained, safe and timely passage for patients who need medical or surgical interventions not available in Gaza. The UK has provided funding to the Jordan Hashemite Charitable Organisation (JHCO), which includes the supply of prosthetics to Jordanian field hospitals in Gaza. Through our disability inclusion programmes, we have also provided funding for assistive technology products in Gaza via the World Health Organisation. In July, we announced £5.5m in funding to UK-Med for their field hospitals. UK-Med have provided vital care to over 300,000 Gazans since the start of the conflict, including critical limb and life-saving surgeries, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to encourage a ceasefire in Gaza.

Since day one, this government has been clear that we need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, better protection of civilians, significantly more aid consistently entering Gaza, and a path to long-term peace and stability. The UK has been clear that Israel must act in accordance with international humanitarian law and protect civilians. The war must end, and both sides need to show flexibility and do a deal now. We support the efforts of the US, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators and call on the parties to return to the negotiation table in a meaningful way. The Foreign Secretary met with Foreign Minister Sa'ar in Israel on 13 January, and stressed to him the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire with all restrictions on aid to Gaza lifted. We continue to raise issues of international humanitarian law compliance in Gaza with the Israeli Government. I raised this with the Israeli Government on 27 December.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The situation in Syria remains fluid, and clearly has wide-ranging implications for UK policy. Our top priorities have been to prevent further escalation, especially in the North East; support an inclusive Syrian-led political transition; and ensure continued humanitarian access.

What steps she is taking to introduce specialist rape courts at every Crown Court.

We know that, due to the complexity of the cases, victims of rape can wait longer than victims of other offence types for their case to complete in court. We remain committed to delivering our manifesto commitment, where we set out that we will fast-track rape cases, with specialist courts.The fast-tracking of rape cases has dependencies with, and impacts on, the rest of the criminal justice system, including the wider Crown Court caseload and the capacity of the rape and serious sexual offences specialist legal workforce. We are carefully considering how best to deliver this. We plan to work closely with the judiciary and will be able to say more in due course.We are committed to supporting victims of rape throughout their journeys through the criminal justice system, including at court. Section 28 has helped victims and witnesses avoid the stress of giving evidence live at trial and improve their evidence, by enabling cross-examination to take place at a separate hearing in advance of the trial. Trauma informed training has now been rolled out at three Crown Courts, to over 400 staff who come into contact with victims at court. We have also been running a one-year pilot through which victims of rape and other sexual offences can request transcripts of the Crown Court sentencing remarks in their case, for free, which will end in May 2025.We will go further, and as part of our landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, we are also introducing specialist rape and sexual offence teams in every police force and rolling out free, independent legal advocates for victims of adult rape, to advise them at any point from the moment they report.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of deterring adults who might otherwise smoke cigarettes from using flavoured vapes on public health.

The youth vaping call for evidence, published in 2023, demonstrated that vape flavours are one of the main reasons that vapes appeal to children. However, we recognise that vape flavours can also be a consideration for adult smokers seeking to quit smokin...

If he will take steps to help increase levels of awareness of the potential merits of switching to (a) vapes and (b) other alternatives to smoking among adult smokers, in the context of nicotine pr

The youth vaping call for evidence, published in 2023, demonstrated that vape flavours are one of the main reasons that vapes appeal to children. However, we recognise that vape flavours can also be a consideration for adult smokers seeking to quit smokin...

What steps she is taking to increase the uptake of free school meals by eligible children.

The department recognises the vital role played by free school meals (FSM) and encourages all eligible families to take their entitlement up. There are currently around 2.1 million pupils eligible for and claiming FSM.The department provides the Eligibili...