Written questions by Morrison.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ordering Typhoon jets from UK-based manufacturers.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 March 2025 to the hon. Member for Fylde (Andrew Snowden) to Question 34040.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of limited companies where the only employee is the director who pays employer National Insurance contributions.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.Estimates of the number of sole director companies liable to pay employer National Insurance contributions are not available.

If she will make an estimate of the number of individuals that will have their benefit funding reduced under the Government's proposed welfare reforms.

The Department published an Impact Analysis alongside the Spring Statement on 26 March 2025. This document contains forecast estimates of the numbers of individuals who will be affected by the proposed welfare reforms.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government's welfare reforms on (a) trends in the levels of child poverty and (b) the child poverty reduction strategy.

The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts. This Government have inherited unacceptably high levels of child poverty which is why delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is a priority. The Child Poverty Taskforce are progressing urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy and are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published here alongside the Spring Statement.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support British Muslim communities.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting faith and belief groups.The Secretary of State and the Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement work closely together to demonstrate support for Muslim communities nationwide, connecting with women, young people, and community leaders through extensive outreach efforts. This has included engagement with numerous Muslim leaders in the aftermath of the Southport incident and subsequent riots and attending numerous Iftars during Ramadan to emphasise the important contributions that Muslim communities make to our society. The Secretary of State is also committed to tackling all forms of hate crime. She has recently committed to the new working group on an anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia definition which will advise government on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating grant funding for Tell MAMA.

In 2024/25, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government made funding of £1m available for Tell MAMA. We remain steadfast in our dedication to delivering comprehensive monitoring of anti-Muslim Hatred, and providing support for victims of it. The government has announced a new fund to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims with applications opening on Monday 7 April 2025. With cases of anti-Muslim hatred on the rise, up-to-date and detailed information on incidents and drivers of this hatred will play a fundamental part in supporting the government to combat Islamophobia and ensure Muslim communities feel safe and supported. We would encourage Tell MAMA to apply.

Whether the child poverty strategy will consider the potential merits of removing the (a) two-child limit and (b) benefit cap.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

If she will make it her policy to extend the child poverty strategy beyond the planned 10-year timeframe to set longer term goals to help tackle child poverty.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy, and we are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the planned changes to welfare benefits on (a) families, (b) children and (c) families in poverty.

The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

If he will take steps to ensure the delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis will contain mechanisms for (a) scruitnising and (b) measuring progress.

We are committed to improving care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.We intend to provide additional support to ME/CFS researchers to develop high quality funding applications and to access existing National Institute for Health and Care Research and Medical Research Council research funding. All research funding applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Our forthcoming ME/CFS delivery plan will outline the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications and, therefore, increase the allocation of funding to this area. While no specific assessment has been made of the impact of ME/CFS on the economy, we know that long-term conditions like ME/CFS not only impact negatively on patients and their loved ones, but also come at a cost to health and care services and the wider economy through, for example, loss of work and an increased benefits bill. The content of the delivery plan has not yet been finalised. The responses to the 2023 interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final delivery plan. We have listened to key ME/CFS stakeholders to allow for more time to develop the plan and help ensure we can be as ambitious as possible across the three themes, to make the most impact for those living with ME/CFS. As such, we aim to publish the plan by the end of June. As well as boosting research, the plan will focus on improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. People with ME/CFS deserve the most appropriate treatment, and deserve to be confident that the National Health Service can offer that treatment. We recognise that care for people with ME/CFS has varied widely, and in the worst cases has left some people feeling that their illness is not recognised by the health and care system. We know that more research, better services, and a better understanding of the condition all have the potential to make a huge difference in the quality of life of people with ME/CFS.

If he will increase funding for biomedical research as part of the cross-Government delivery plan for Myalgic encephalomyelitis.

We are committed to improving care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.We intend to provide additional support to ME/CFS researchers to develop high quality funding applications and to access existing National Institute for Health and Care Research and Medical Research Council research funding. All research funding applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Our forthcoming ME/CFS delivery plan will outline the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications and, therefore, increase the allocation of funding to this area. While no specific assessment has been made of the impact of ME/CFS on the economy, we know that long-term conditions like ME/CFS not only impact negatively on patients and their loved ones, but also come at a cost to health and care services and the wider economy through, for example, loss of work and an increased benefits bill. The content of the delivery plan has not yet been finalised. The responses to the 2023 interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final delivery plan. We have listened to key ME/CFS stakeholders to allow for more time to develop the plan and help ensure we can be as ambitious as possible across the three themes, to make the most impact for those living with ME/CFS. As such, we aim to publish the plan by the end of June. As well as boosting research, the plan will focus on improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. People with ME/CFS deserve the most appropriate treatment, and deserve to be confident that the National Health Service can offer that treatment. We recognise that care for people with ME/CFS has varied widely, and in the worst cases has left some people feeling that their illness is not recognised by the health and care system. We know that more research, better services, and a better understanding of the condition all have the potential to make a huge difference in the quality of life of people with ME/CFS.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis on the economy.

We are committed to improving care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.We intend to provide additional support to ME/CFS researchers to develop high quality funding applications and to access existing National Institute for Health and Care Research and Medical Research Council research funding. All research funding applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Our forthcoming ME/CFS delivery plan will outline the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications and, therefore, increase the allocation of funding to this area. While no specific assessment has been made of the impact of ME/CFS on the economy, we know that long-term conditions like ME/CFS not only impact negatively on patients and their loved ones, but also come at a cost to health and care services and the wider economy through, for example, loss of work and an increased benefits bill. The content of the delivery plan has not yet been finalised. The responses to the 2023 interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final delivery plan. We have listened to key ME/CFS stakeholders to allow for more time to develop the plan and help ensure we can be as ambitious as possible across the three themes, to make the most impact for those living with ME/CFS. As such, we aim to publish the plan by the end of June. As well as boosting research, the plan will focus on improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. People with ME/CFS deserve the most appropriate treatment, and deserve to be confident that the National Health Service can offer that treatment. We recognise that care for people with ME/CFS has varied widely, and in the worst cases has left some people feeling that their illness is not recognised by the health and care system. We know that more research, better services, and a better understanding of the condition all have the potential to make a huge difference in the quality of life of people with ME/CFS.

If she will make an estimate of the financial impact of the Access to Work scheme to the UK economy.

The Department has not made an estimate of the financial impact of the Access to Work scheme to the UK economy and currently does not have plans to do so. It’s impact is important, however, in enabling people to work who would not otherwise be able to do so.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ride-hailing firms setting fares below local taxi tariff rates; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact this has on road safety due to excessive working hours.

All private hire vehicle journeys must be booked in advance, which enables passengers to compare prices. The setting of fares by private hire vehicle operators is a commercial matter for the company in question. As passengers may engage taxi services immediately in the street or at a rank, the 263 licensing authorities in England can set maximum fares to protect passengers. All road users are required to comply with road traffic law, in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users. Rule 91 of the Highway Code states “Driving when you are tired greatly increases your risk of collision…Do not begin a journey if you are tired”. If road users do not adopt a responsible attitude or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment, or causes nuisance, they may be committing a number of offences that can make them liable for prosecution. The Department issues Best Practice guidance to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England. The increased risk that factors such as fatigue can play in road traffic collisions is highlighted in the Best Practice Guidance. As professional drivers, an appreciation of the effect of distractions and pressures which can negatively influence their driver behaviours is recognised and the guidance recommends that licensing authorities should require drivers to undertake training and/or assessment focussed on attitudes and behaviours.

What the average waiting time is for support to be granted to a claimant applying to the Access to Work scheme.

The average waiting time for a decision to be made on support for a claimant applying for Access to Work was 56.9 days from April 2024 to February 2025. We are consulting on this in the Green Paper and aim to reduce times. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of a free trade agreement between the UK and Israel on the use of (a) surveillance and (b) cybersecurity technologies manufactured by UK businesses in Gaza.

Any export of controlled items requires approval under the UK's Export Controls regime - this is not affected by whether there is an FTA in place or not.

How many people with (a) neurological conditions and (b) multiple sclerosis are using the Access to Work scheme.

The Department does collect information on the primary medical condition of Access to Work recipients, however we do not hold information to the level required to identify people with neurological conditions. Therefore, we are not able to make an estimate of the number of people living with neurological conditions that are receiving support through the Access to Work scheme. Information on the number of Access to Work recipients with multiple sclerosis is not readily available. Details of an individual’s specific disability/medical condition is stored as descriptive, free-text information and would require manual examination of individual applications to analyse and therefore falls outside of the costs limit. Information on Access to Work volumes and expenditure by primary medical condition are published annually in the Access to Work official statistics: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the sale of fossil fuels in international energy markets on his Department’s support for North Sea oil operations.

Oil and gas is traded on international markets, therefore domestically produced oil and gas does not mean cheaper prices and leaves British consumers exposed to unstable fossil fuel markets. On 5 March the Government launched a consultation that progresses the commitment to not issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields while managing existing fields for their lifespan. It also sets out the next steps to make the North Sea a world leading example of an offshore clean energy industry, which is vital for delivering the best outcomes for workers and communities, energy security, and sustainable economic growth.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are on income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

In August 2024 there were around 6,500 people on income-related ESA with multiple sclerosis as their main condition.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of allegations of human rights violations by Israel, in the context of free trade negotiations between the UK and Israel.

The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. We remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. We will draw on our full range of tools and levers, including our independent global human rights sanctions regime, to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations and abuses.