Written questions by Dhesi.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to protect renters' rights in Slough constituency.

The Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent on Monday 27 October.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the safety of ethnic Amhara communities in Ethiopia.

Combatting conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) within Ethiopia continues to be a key focus for the UK and we work with UN partners as well as NGOs and the Red Cross in order to support those affected by these particular human rights violations. Civilians across various regions have been severely impacted over many years of conflict and the number of people affected continues to rise.The UK has prioritised healthcare, psychosocial support, access to justice, as well as policy efforts to increase accountability. In the last financial year, we allocated £4.6 million to deliver Gender Based Violence (GBV) and child protection services in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions. Between June 2023 and January 2025, GBV and child protection services reached over 50,000 women and girls, across 19 health facilities in affected regions. The UK remains committed to preventing CRSV and funding for GBV prevention and response has increased this financial year. Funding for future years has not yet been allocated.Civilians in Amhara region have been severely impacted by over two years of conflict between government forces and 'Fano' militias. The ongoing conflict has led to significant humanitarian need and widespread conflict-related human rights violations and abuses, including extra-judicial killings, sexual and gender-based violence and attacks against civilians. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has called for full investigations into abductions and killings of civilians and for perpetrators to be held accountable. Humanitarian indicators are deteriorating with 68 per cent of children now acutely malnourished and diseases, including cholera, spreading. The UK has consistently called for civilians to be protected, human rights abuses to be independently investigated and for the conflict to be resolved through dialogue.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to support community cohesion in (a) the South East and (b) Slough.

MHCLG's Community Cohesion Unit works to support and promote cohesion across England, through working closely with local authorities, voluntary and community sector and faith organisations, and other government departments. The government's new £2.87 million Common Ground Resilience Fund is supporting community connection and cohesion by funding locally led interventions to build community resilience. MHCLG will work with Slough Borough Council and other local authorities to deliver activities that build cohesion through the Common Ground Resilience Fund. As part of this overarching funding package, the Common Ground Award aims to recognise good practice in promoting social cohesion by investing capital funding into VCSE sector organisations that are bringing people together from different backgrounds, by supporting the cost of constructing or renovating facilities, or the purchasing of equipment to deliver services. Additionally, the South East region, including Slough has been allocated £12 million from the Pride in Place Impact Fund (PiPIF). Slough has been allocated £1.5 million from the PiPIF. The PiPIF will enable local authorities, in partnership with local communities, local MPs and other local stakeholders to support a range of projects such as upgrades to community facilities and public spaces such as parks, playgrounds and piers to improve health and well-being, bring people together and strengthen communities. Furthermore, MHCLG is co-ordinating cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address deep-seated issues.

Whether he plans to include diagnosis targets for myeloma in the national cancer plan for England.

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the Plan will be published early in the new year.

What recent steps he has taken to help reduce the time taken to diagnose myeloma.

Information on the average time taken to diagnose myeloma in the South East is not held centrally. We publish 28-Day Faster Diagnosis data by suspected cancer, including provider and commissioner data, monthly. The latest publication is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/monthly-data-and-summaries/2025-26-monthly-cancer-waiting-times-statistics/cancer-waiting-times-for-august-2025-26-provisional/We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis, and we remain committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including myeloma. To tackle late diagnoses, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England, ensuring more patients benefit from quicker access to the right investigations.

What recent estimate he has made of the average time taken to diagnose myeloma in the South East.

Information on the average time taken to diagnose myeloma in the South East is not held centrally. We publish 28-Day Faster Diagnosis data by suspected cancer, including provider and commissioner data, monthly. The latest publication is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/monthly-data-and-summaries/2025-26-monthly-cancer-waiting-times-statistics/cancer-waiting-times-for-august-2025-26-provisional/We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis, and we remain committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including myeloma. To tackle late diagnoses, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England, ensuring more patients benefit from quicker access to the right investigations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with local councils on improving street cleanliness.

I have not had any recent discussions with local councils on street cleanliness. My officials chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which they engage with a wide range of interested parties such as local councils, National Farmers Union and others, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Local councils are responsible for keeping streets clear of litter and refuse. The Pride in Place Strategy sets out how Government will support local action by bringing forward statutory enforcement guidance on both littering and fly-tipping, modernising the code of practice that outlines the cleaning standards expected of local authorities, and refreshing best practice guidance on the powers available to local authorities to force land and building owners to clean up their premises. This Government also remains focused on delivering a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers due to go live in October 2027. Single-use drinks containers are some of the UK’s most commonly littered items. It is expected that providing a financial incentive for people to return their drinks containers through the Deposit Return Scheme will drastically reduce the amount of litter.

With reference to the Law Commission report entitled Firearms Law: Reforms to Address Pressing Problems, published on 16 December 2015, whether she plans to implement the recommendation on codifying the law on firearms.

The Government has no plans at present to codify existing firearms legislation but we keep the law in this area under review to ensure we maintain strong controls on firearms.The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to having a consultation specifically on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns in the interests of public safety which we intend to publish shortly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on women and girls' rights in Afghanistan.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 21 October to question 81210.

Media and Sport, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.

From 1st January 2021 until 16th October 2025 25 officials have been investigated under the department’s disciplinary processes. We are unable to provide the yearly breakdown of disciplinary investigations because doing so would breach the Data Protection Act. This is due to the risk of identifying individuals in years where the case count is five or less, as the information relates to someone other than the data subjects and the risk of individuals becoming identifiable where case numbers for some years are 5 or less.

How many officials were investigated under his Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last 5 years.

On 1st July 2023 due to a Machinery of Government Change, the Department of International Trade (DIT) became the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), alongside parts of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). We therefore only hold information from DBT from 1st July 2023, and information from DIT before this date, and all information shared will be within these parameters. YearNo. of officials investigated202519202492023112022112021<5 Here are the figures for UK Export Finance: YearNo. of officials investigated2025<52024<52023<52022<52021<5

What estimate her Department has made of the (a) number and (b) monetary value of fines issued for non-compliance with obligatory lighting and reflectors for bicycles in the Thames Valley area in 2024.

Rule 60 of The Highway Code makes clear that cyclists must have their front and rear lights lit when riding at night, and reflectors must also be fitted to their cycle. The Department does not collect any information from the police with regards to fines issued for non-compliance with these rules.

How many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.

Over the past 5 years (between 1st October 2020 and 30th September 2025) there have been 38 occasions when Department for Transport central department’s employees have been investigated for alleged disciplinary offences. Please see the attached table.

How many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.

Desnz does not hold a centralised record of the number of officials who were investigated under the Department’s disciplinary processes.

Innovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to help support businesses to (a) identify and (b) rectify cybersecurity issues.

The government has written to Chairs and CEOs of the largest UK companies and asked them to better identify and protect themselves from cyber threats by making cyber a board-level priority by using the Cyber Governance Code, signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Early Warning service, and requiring Cyber Essentials in supply chains. These actions are relevant to all businesses, who can also help protect themselves by using the wide range of free advice, training and tools available on the NCSC website, including the check your cyber security tool and the Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses.

Innovation and Technology, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.

DSIT was formed following machinery of government changes in 2023 which saw staff join the department from BEIS, DCMS and Cabinet Office. Consequently, data is only available from 2024 onwards. HR Casework data indicates the following number of disciplinary investigations in 2024 and 2025 respectively: 2024 – 42025 – 9 The data provided only relates to occasions where HR Casework Services (HRCW) were engaged for support. Investigations conducted where the investigations manager did not require support from HRCW will not be reflected in this data, and there is no central repository of these investigations. This data reflects core DSIT employees and not those employed by partner organisations including UKSA or BDUK.

What steps her Department plans to take to prepare the rail network for adverse weather in winter 2025.

Department officials hold regular discussions with Network Rail and the industry to ensure severe weather preparedness plans are in place with clear mitigations to reduce the impacts of weather on the rail network. The industry’s winter preparedness regime begins in September each year. Special trains and equipment are fully checked and any repairs carried out, while contingency plans are reviewed and agreed with train operators to keep passengers moving during adverse weather. Network Rail use detailed forecasts from weather experts, MetDesk, to formulate local action plans during adverse weather to minimise disruption to journeys. These forecasts cover not just the weather but how the conditions will impact on specific railway infrastructure such as the tracks, conductor rails, and overhead power lines. A network of hundreds of monitoring stations also provides real-time weather data, enabling Network Rail to respond to conditions as they develop in real time. In extreme weather conditions, Network Rail and train operators prioritise getting passengers home safely over running the normal timetable. It also prioritises vital rail freight to ensure the supply of essential goods across the country and fuel to power stations.

If she will make an estimate of the average cost to the public purse of processing an application to renew a shotgun licence.

On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.A full impact assessment was published alongside the Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2025, the Statutory Instrument that brought the new fees into effect.The impact assessment provides details of the costs associated with both initial grant and renewal of firearms licensing certificates. Any future changes to firearms licensing will be subject to further impact assessments in the normal way. The link to the impact assessment is available here Changes to firearms licensing fees - GOV.UK.

What steps her Department has taken to protect consumers against fraudulent investment opportunities presented online through the use of deepfakes.

Under the Online Safety Act, online platforms are required to take proactive measures to stop fraudulent content appearing on their platforms. This includes fraudulent investments using deepfakes.The government’s ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign provides practical information on how to spot fake online adverts, including deepfake celebrity investment endorsements, and advice on how to report these scams if individuals fall victim.The Government will shortly publish a new Fraud Strategy, as set out in our manifesto, which will set out how we will work with law enforcement, industry and others to go further in protecting the public from all fraud, including AI enabled fraud.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on whether the United Arab Emirates has exported military equipment for use by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

We are deeply concerned by the terrible violence across Sudan. We are aware of reports alleging different states' involvement in supplying weapons to the warring parties in Sudan, including those detailed in the UN Panel of Experts report. External provision of support to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) only furthers the suffering of the people of Sudan. In our engagement with international partners, the UK continues to emphasise the need to prevent external actors from providing financial and / or military support to both the SAF and RSF and the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. Those who have influence with the parties must use it to bring them to the negotiating table, to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Sudan.