Written questions by Patel.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason he has reduced the cash grants from Government element of Core Spending Power to (a) Maldon District Council; and (b) Braintree District Council as part of Core Spending Power in the local government settlement published on 17 December 2025.

The provisional Settlement 2026–27 will make available almost £78 billion in Core Spending Power (CSP) for local authorities in England, a 5.7% cash-terms increase compared to 2025–26. By the end of the multi-year Settlement in 2028-29 Maldon will have a total of £11.3 million, and Braintree will have a total of £24.2 million in CSP.The government has been clear that councils furthest above their new funding allocations which have benefitted the most from the existing system will need to accept some income losses, to ensure funding can be redirected to where it is assessed as being needed most. Recalculating available business rates alongside a new assessment of funding need will ensure that business rates income is reallocated to meet these changes in relative need - restoring the Business Rates Retention system to its intended purpose of providing a responsive funding stream for local government while rewarding authorities for business rate growth. This group of authorities will still receive protection of 95% of their income, including business rates growth.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what are the potential implications for her policies of the ceasefire violations committed by Hamas.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November, (e) my responses to her Urgent Question on 29 October, and (f) my responses to Questions 104985, 103247, 103245, 101358, 98592, and 906050, provided on 20 January, 12 January, 12 January, 6 January, 16 December, and 28 October respectively. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) her ministers plan to visit the Civil Military Coordination Center.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November, (e) my responses to her Urgent Question on 29 October, and (f) my responses to Questions 104985, 103247, 103245, 101358, 98592, and 906050, provided on 20 January, 12 January, 12 January, 6 January, 16 December, and 28 October respectively. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Questions 103245 on Gaza: Hamas, what assessment he has made of the scale of the tunnel network established by Hamas in Gaza; and what practical assistance is being provided to Israel to dismantle the tunnels.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November, (e) my responses to her Urgent Question on 29 October, and (f) my responses to Questions 104985, 103247, 103245, 101358, 98592, and 906050, provided on 20 January, 12 January, 12 January, 6 January, 16 December, and 28 October respectively. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish the sources she receives information from on the volume of trucks providing aid to Gaza in accordance with the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November, (e) my responses to her Urgent Question on 29 October, and (f) my responses to Questions 104985, 103247, 103245, 101358, 98592, and 906050, provided on 20 January, 12 January, 12 January, 6 January, 16 December, and 28 October respectively. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026, to Question 103247 on Palestine: Terrorism, when the independent audit will be undertaken; who will undertake the audit; and her assessment of trends in the number of recipients of 'pay for slay' payments.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November, (e) my responses to her Urgent Question on 29 October, and (f) my responses to Questions 104985, 103247, 103245, 101358, 98592, and 906050, provided on 20 January, 12 January, 12 January, 6 January, 16 December, and 28 October respectively. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has met with representatives of the Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 6 January to Question 101358.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of payments made by the Palestinian Authority under 'pay for slay' schemes.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 13 November 2025 in response to Question HL11575, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:In President Abbas' letter to President Macron, dated 9 June 2025, he set out his commitment to the principles of non-violence, the organisation of elections, the development of a school curriculum that is free from incitement, and the implementation of a new social security system, which will revoke so-called prisoner payments, and ensure that any future welfare payments are needs-based and delinked from violent actions. The Palestinian Authority must now ensure that an independent audit is conducted to verify that these reforms have been completed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has planned in her Department's budget resources to finance any expenditure required by the UK-Mauritius Treaty in the current financial year.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers I gave her on 12 and 13 November 2025 in response to Questions 88232 and 88233.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help secure the disarming of Hamas in Gaza.

The UK is working closely with our international partners to ensure the implementation of the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025, including Points 6, 13, 14 and 17, which relate to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international counterparts on the extent of the tunnel network in Gaza used by Hamas; and what support she is providing to help dismantle those tunnels.

The UK is working closely with our international partners to ensure the implementation of the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025, including Points 6, 13, 14 and 17, which relate to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 on Free Schools: Witham, UIN 101355, if she will publish a breakdown of the (a) details and (b) scoring of each school project evaluated; and if she will publish the evidence considered as part of her review into Lodge Farm Primary and Nursery.

The department is progressing projects that will meet the needs of communities and provide a unique offer for students who would otherwise not have access, without damaging the viability of existing local schools and colleges.We have written to trusts, local authorities and MPs setting out the position on individual projects as well as offering more detailed feedback.All projects were evaluated in line with consistent criteria set out in a Written Ministerial Statement in October 2024, including published school capacity data (SCAP24), in line with the department’s longstanding approach to assessing pipeline projects, as well as other data from local authorities, such as plans for future housing developments.Final decisions on projects where a ‘minded to cancel’ letter was issued will be made once trusts and local authorities have had the opportunity to submit any new evidence. Representations should be made by 30 January 2026.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with her Mauritian counterpart on whether nuclear weapons can (a) be stored and be present on Diego Garcia and (b) transported to and from Diego Garcia under the terms of (i) the UK-Mauritius Treaty on the Chagos Archipelago and (ii) in accordance with Mauritius obligations under the terms of the Pelindaba Treaty.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 11 June 2025 in response to Question 57628.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much from her Department's budget will be used to fund the payments required by the UK-Mauritius Treaty in (a) the current financial year and (b) each of the next five financial years.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers I gave her on 12 and 13 November 2025 in response to Questions 88232 and 88233.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will respond to the results of the survey conducted by the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on Chagossian views on the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

I thank the International Relations and Defence Committee (IRDC) for its swift work in producing the report. As the report acknowledges, there is a wide range of views amongst the Chagossian community. We are considering the IRDC findings carefully and will respond in the usual way in due course.

What estimate she has made of the total income tax receipts from income taxpayers in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex in (i) the current financial year and (ii) each of the next five financial years; and the additional income as a result of her policy to extend the freeze in income tax thresholds to 2030/31.

HMT/HMRC does not publish this information at constituency or local authority level. By 2025-26 there were an estimated 5.66 million individual income taxpayers in the South East region which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of Witham and the Ceremonial County of Essex. Regional breakdowns can be found in HMRC’s published Income Tax Liabilities Statistics in Collated Tables, Table 2.2. Link here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods This estimate is based on the 2022-23 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2025-26 using economic assumption consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

What estimate she has made of the number of additional people in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex who will be earning incomes that will be taxed by surpassing (i) the income tax threshold; and (ii) the higher rate of income tax threshold as a consequence of her policy to freeze those thresholds until 2030/31.

HMT/HMRC does not publish this information at constituency or local authority level. By 2025-26 there were an estimated 5.66 million individual income taxpayers in the South East region which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of Witham and the Ceremonial County of Essex. Regional breakdowns can be found in HMRC’s published Income Tax Liabilities Statistics in Collated Tables, Table 2.2. Link here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods This estimate is based on the 2022-23 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2025-26 using economic assumption consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

What estimate she has made of passenger numbers on Greater Anglia Services in each of the next five years; and what her estimate is of income from fare revenues on Greater Anglia Services in each of the next five years.

As detailed in the response to Question 91938, over each of the next five financial years I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income. Exact income levels will be agreed during the rolling business planning process. Information on the operator's income will be published in the statutory accounts, available from Companies House, in due course.

What estimate she has made of the amount of business rates to be paid on hereditaments located in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex, in (i) 2025/26 and (ii) 2026/27; and the amount of business rates to be paid by businesses in the retail, leisure, and hospitality sector in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex, in (i) 2025/26 and (ii) 2026/27.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. Without this support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. However, because of the support the Government has put in place, this has fallen to just 4%. More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, while ensuring that warehouses used by online giants will pay more. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID.The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

What estimate she has made of the additional costs incurred by (a) each school in the Witham constituency and (b) across Essex, as a result of the increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions in (i) 2025/26 and (ii) 2026/27.

School funding has increased by £3.7 billion in financial year 2025/26, meaning that core school budgets total £65.3 billion, compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This includes almost £1 billion in additional funding being provided to support schools and high needs settings, with the increases to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from April 2025.Our funding system is not designed so that every school and college receives funding that fully matches their precise spending, as this, including the NICs costs, varies from institution to institution because of the decisions each takes on its staffing.Through the dedicated schools grant, Essex, which allocates funding for Witham, is receiving £1.3 billion for mainstream schools in 2025/26. Essex will receive £6,128 per pupil on average, excluding growth and falling rolls funding.