Written questions by Holden.

When he plans to respond to Question 119486 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

When he plans to respond to Question 111850 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

A response has been issued here.

When he plans to respond to Question 117002 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2026 to Question 117002.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to hold (a) discussions and (b) summits with the Government of South Africa on providing it with (i) aid and (ii) development.

Ministers and officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continue to work closely with their South African counterparts on a wide range of issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Council of Europe regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

We continue to work closely with the Council of Europe on a number of Ukraine-related initiatives, including the proposed establishment of the Claims Commission for Ukraine and the Special Tribunal on Crimes of Aggression Against Ukraine. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has consistently raised Russia's aggression and its consequences within the Council of Europe, including at the Committee of Ministers and through engagement with the Secretary General.

How many times the Aerospace Growth Partnership has met since 4 July 2024; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential economic merits of the Aerospace Growth Partnership .

Since 4 July 2024 the Aerospace Growth Partnership Board has met 12 times. Through our Industrial Strategy, government has committed to supporting the sector to increase its share of the global market from 10% to 15% and secure at least £35billion of additional private investment to industrialise technologies by 2050. The Aerospace Growth Partnership is a unique forum that helps bring together all parts of the UK's aerospace ecosystem with a common goal of delivering growth in the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps HM Government is taking to prepare for the G20 Summit in 2027.

Work is progressing in the normal way and further details will be confirmed in due course.

Which companies the Department is aware are exporting dual-use components from the United Kingdom to the Russian Federation; what dual-use components are being exported to the Russian Federation; and what representations have been received from (a) Ukraine and (b) NATO member states to HM Government on those exports.

The comprehensive sanctions put in place by HMG under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine mean that UK companies have been banned from exporting military or dual-use goods to Russia since February 2022. Any companies doing so would be subject to criminal penalties unless the goods are expressly exempted under Part 7 of the Regulations. Any representations from the Government of Ukraine, or NATO allies are the province of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of contrails on its Airspace Modernisation Strategy.

The Airspace Modernisation Strategy supports the aviation sector in reducing emissions through aircraft flying more direct routes. Contrails arise from a combination of jet fuel combustion, air particles, water vapour and atmospheric conditions, and as such are considered through the Department’s work with the sector via the Jet Zero Strategy and Taskforce, which look at aviation decarbonisation holistically.

How many staff are employed by the HS2 Ltd Helpdesk.

Twenty FTE (Full Time Equivalent) staff are employed on the HS2 Ltd helpdesk.

When she expects the procurement of the Washwood Heath Depot for HS2 to conclude.

The Department is going through their governance approval to conclude the procurement for Washwood Heath Depot (WWH). We expect to award the contract in the coming weeks.

Whether her Department has held discussions with the Royal Aeronautical Society since July 2024.

My officials routinely engage with a broad range of aviation stakeholders, including the Royal Aeronautical Society, to support strong and effective collaboration between government and industry on aviation related matters.

With reference to the written ministerial statement of 23 March 2026 on Rail Infrastructure, HCWS1433, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the operating speed of HS2 on passenger capacity.

The Secretary of State has requested that Mark Wild look at ways to remove gold plating and complexity from the HS2 project, and if a slightly reduced specification could save time and money. We will not make the same mistakes of the past of making changes to scope without understanding all of the impacts, including on passenger capacity. We will not take any decisions until this work is complete.

How many social and affordable homes are planned as part of the redevelopment of land at and around Euston associated with the HS2 programme.

We are working at pace with our Master Development Partner, Lendlease, on a Masterplan for Euston, with an emphasis on growth and delivering much needed housing, and will set out a clear plan in due course. Further, the government has appointed Bek Seeley as the Chair to the Euston Housing Delivery Group, to understand the opportunities for thousands of new homes in the wider Euston area. The Euston Housing Delivery Group is not pre-supposing the number of homes achievable but will robustly assess the scale of opportunity for housing around Euston.

How many times has the Drone Task Force met since 4 July 2024, which Ministers in Government Departments and private sector companies constitute it, and which a) countries and b) companies are they engaged with in seeking guidance on best practice from regarding the use of drones.

The Department does not recognise any body titled the “Drone Task Force”.

With reference to the written ministerial statement of 23 March 2026 on Rail Infrastructure, HCWS1433, when she next plans to publish an update on the progress of the HS2 reset.

As the Secretary of State indicated in her interim parliamentary report of 23 March 2026, the government intends to publish a more detailed update on the progress of the HS2 reset shortly.

On what date (a) Mark Wild’s contract as Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd was signed, (b) his appointment was publicly announced and (c) he took up his role.

Mark Wild’s contract with HS2 Ltd was signed on 10 May 2024, his appointment was announced on 24 May 2024, and he started the role on 2 December 2024.

Whether he has had discussions with his Ukrainian counterparts regarding the fit of a) uniform and b) body armour for female soldiers in combat operations, and whether his Department has discussed lessons learnt from the Government of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that all service personnel are equipped with appropriate and effective protective equipment. As part of this commitment, we are delivering an update to body armour for UK personnel through the Tactical Ballistic Plates project.Procurement experts within the National Armaments Director group work closely with the Ministry of Defence's Op INTERFLEX Handling and Processing team, which collates feedback from Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel. This includes lessons from operational experience and female user feedback, which help to inform UK capability development.

When she plans to respond to Question 119499 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

The Rt Hon Member received a response to PQ UIN 119499 on 20th April 2026.

Whether her Department held discussions with representatives from the motorbike industry on the Motor Insurance Taskforce Final Report prior to its publication.

The taskforce secretariat met regularly with interested parties, including consumer groups and industry representatives. However, the taskforce did not meet with motorcyclist stakeholders specifically.