Written questions by Osborne.

Whether she plans to review the definition of recycled in Section 49 of the Finance Act 2021 to recognize organic recycling through food waste schemes.

The Plastic Packaging Tax provides a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic packaging, thereby stimulating the collection and recycling of plastic waste and diverting it away from landfill or incineration. The government has no plans to review the definition of recycled plastic that is used for the tax.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with UKRI on steps his Department is taking to support innovative materials whose development has been funded by grants from Innovate UK.

Officials regularly engage with UK Research and Innovation including with Innovate UK as the delivery partner for some of our most significant research programmes. The Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, provides grants to support industry-led R&D to develop technologies and innovative practices to drive innovation in agriculture and increase productivity, sustainability and resilience in our farming sectors. Examples of other collaborative programmes include the Defra co-funded Innovation in Environmental Monitoring programme. This programme has connected industry and research to the growing UK environmental monitoring sector, ensuring that the public and private sectors work in partnership to develop and test new sensing capabilities that can be commercialised, helping to boost the UK’s economic growth. This programme has supported technologies in fields such as environmental DNA, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and acoustic monitoring.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of soft plastic recycling schemes operated by supermarkets.

Defra has not carried out a specific assessment of soft plastic recycling schemes offered by supermarkets. Under Defra’s Simpler Recycling reforms, The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 require flexible plastics to be collected from kerbside from 31st March 2027. We are aware of the delivery challenges surrounding the collection of flexible plastics and recognise that stakeholders need more time to address these. This is why the requirement to collect flexible plastics will not come in until 31st March 2027. Ahead of the requirement coming into effect, existing kerbside, front of store and postal take back of plastic films will continue and are expected to increase in response to certainty over the timing of the introduction of this new collection requirement. To help support these delivery challenges, Defra has also provided financial support for the multi-million-pound FlexCollect project, launched in May 2022, funding Local Authorities to roll out kerbside plastic film collection trials. The FlexCollect final report was published on 1 September 2025. Defra will analyse the results of the trials, alongside wider evidence, to ensure we make the implementation of flexible plastics a success. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure issues surrounding end markets and reprocessing are taken into account and addressed in the lead up to the 2027 implementation date.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that visa applications for injured Palestinian children are processed without delay; and whether those visas applications can be fast-tracked.

The Prime Minister announced at the end of July that the UK will medically evacuate Gazan children for treatment in the UK. A cross-government taskforce is working urgently to get some of these sick and injured children out of Gaza, so that they can receive specialist treatment in NHS hospitals across the UK. We are working at pace to do so as quickly as possible, and the first patients and their immediate family members are expected to arrive in the UK in the coming weeks. Visa applications will be dealt with in a timely and sensitive manner. Helping people leave a war-zone is a highly complex and dangerous process and their safety and wellbeing are our top priority, so we will not be providing a running commentary on the evacuation process.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the risks (a) associated with third-party providers' involvement in (i) age verification and (ii) content moderation systems and (b) of (A) data breaches and (B) misuse of personal information by those providers; and what (1) regulations, (2) oversight procedures and (3) safeguards have been put in place to guarantee the safe (a) handling and (b) storage of the sensitive data of (i) children, (ii) vulnerable users and (iii) other users.

UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act impose obligations on data controllers – including third-party providers - to process data fairly, lawfully, and transparently.The OSA also requires all providers to give particular regard to the importance of protecting users’ privacy rights when implementing measures to comply with their new safety duties, including age assurance and any content moderation measures.The ICO has responsibility for monitoring and enforcing the application of data protection legislation in the UK. It has a range of tough criminal and civil enforcement tools at its disposal, including powers of prosecution and powers to issue substantial monetary penalties for serious breaches of the data protection legislation.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the (a) legal and (b) safety implications of using VPNs to bypass online safety measures.

While there are legitimate reasons for using VPNs, services that deliberately target UK children and promote VPN use to circumvent online safety measures could face enforcement action under the Online Safety Act. Some VPNs may present security or privacy risks, so users are advised to exercise caution when using VPNs.Government and Ofcom will monitor the impact of potential circumvention techniques on the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act and will consider further options if necessary.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that (a) Airbnb and (b) other UK- (i) based and (ii) operating companies do not operate in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The UK's clear position on illegal Israeli settlements is set out on the Overseas Business Risk website. We advise British businesses to bear in mind the British Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region.

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) June 2025.

Referral to Treatment data published by NHS England shows that the waiting list at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was 45,074 at the end of July 2024.Official statistics have not yet been released for June 2025, though the latest published data shows the waiting list was 46,988 at the end of May 2025. This marks an increase of 1,914 from July 2024.Provisional management information published by NHS England estimates the waiting list to be 48,944 in the week ending 29 June 2025.

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with the Medway NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) June 2025.

Referral to Treatment data published by NHS England shows that the waiting list at the Medway NHS Foundation Trust was 43,722 at the end of July 2024.Official statistics have not yet been released for June 2025, though the latest published data shows the waiting list was 40,087 at the end of May 2025. This marks a reduction of 3,635 in the waiting list from July 2024.Provisional management information published by NHS England estimates the waiting list to be 39,980 in the week ending 29 June 2025.Official statistics containing data for June will be published on 14 August.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held recent discussions with his international counterparts on facilitating safe passage for Palestinians in Gaza with family in the UK.

Border crossings out of Gaza have been closed to civilians and general traffic since the Israeli military took control of the Rafah crossing on 6 May 2024. We are working with authorities in the region to help British nationals leave Gaza. We are also able to try to help Palestinian nationals to leave where they have a spouse or partner, or a child aged 17 or under currently living in the UK, and they hold valid permission to enter or remain in the UK for longer than 6 months.

What her planned timeline is for introducing legislation to prohibit the sale of sharp-pointed kitchen and utility knives for domestic use; and what steps she is taking to ensure that large online retailers comply with any such future restrictions.

The Government’s mission to halve knife crime over a decade will be delivered through tougher enforcement and stronger prevention, and we are actively considering a range of options to achieve those goals, further details of which will be set out in the normal way in due course.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the registration of Sex Offenders under the Sexual Offenders Act 2003 to include a private police record of (a) email address, (b) telephone numbers, (c) (i) registration and (ii) monitoring of any tablet and computer devices and (d) other information.

The Crime and Policing Bill has already introduced a number of measures which will strengthen the management of sex offenders, including requiring registered sex offenders to provide notification in advance of changing their name and placing restrictions on certain offenders changing their name without seeking police authorisation.In addition to the above measures, regulations will be made under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which expand the notifiable information that must be provided by registered sex offenders. The additional notifiable information will include:Change of gender;Changes in the cohabitants at their home address;Telephone numbers;Email addresses;Details of any employment, self-employment or voluntary positions;User-to-user internet service accounts (e.g., social media or dating app accounts); andDetails of all identity documents held.The changes to the notifiable information will allow the police to monitor registered sex offenders more closely and protect the public from the risk of sexual harm. We will continue to keep this area under review as we formulate our long term strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) pricing structures imposed by large pub companies on tenant landlords and (b) restrictions on purchasing alcohol from independent breweries on the long term sustainability of community pubs.

The government works with the Hospitality Sector Council to address challenges facing the sector, including community pubs. The Government’s £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme co-funds projects to help community pubs adapt to their communities’ changing needs. The Government is also conducting an exercise to understand potential market barriers for small brewers. Interested parties can contact beermarketreview@businessandtrade.gov.uk.Tied tenant landlords of pub-owning businesses with 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales are protected by the Pubs Code which ensures they are treated fairly and lawfully and are no worse off than if not subject to any product or service tie. The third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator is underway and the call for inputs is open until 14 August 2025.

What assessment she has made of the economic contribution of Gatwick Airport to the South East.

As this is live planning application that is yet to be decided, unfortunately I cannot comment in detail at this time. The Secretary of State will assess all evidence provided to her, by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations. This will include information on economic impacts. Once the decision is made, the decision letter will set out the full rationale.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking through Fisheries Management Plans to help ensure the requirement under Article 6.3 of the Fisheries Act 2020 to restore fish populations to sustainable levels is met.

Fisheries Management Plans are evidence-based plans developed in accordance with the Fisheries Act 2020. They set out short, medium and long-term actions to restore or maintain fish stocks at sustainable levels and meet the requirements of Article 6.3. To date, Defra has developed and published six FMPs which are available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/fisheries-management-plans#published-fmps which we are now beginning to implement. For example, last year we introduced legislation to better manage fly seine fishing in the English Channel, increased the minimum conservation reference sizes for brill, lemon sole, turbot and crawfish to protect the juveniles of these species.

What steps he is taking to provide financial support for (a) marine gliders, (b) autonomous vehicles and (c) other autonomous robots in maritime water defence.

The Ministry of Defence continuously evaluates its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy's fleet. All future capability plans for the Royal Navy will be part of the Strategic Defence Review.

If she will make it her policy to review the level of the Video Games Expenditure Credit for projects with a budget of £10m or less.

The Government recognises the importance of the UK’s video games sector and the key role it plays in driving economic growth. As part of our modern Industrial Strategy, we are developing a creative industries sector plan with business, local leaders, and sector experts. The Government supports the video games sector through the tax system and through funding. Video games companies already benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs. In addition, companies may benefit from the £5.5 million UK Games Fund for 2025/26, which helps high-potential start-ups scale-up. When considering new tax reliefs, the Government has to balance a wide range of factors, including the fiscal position and complexity of the tax system.

If he will make an estimate of the number of people on NHS waiting lists in (a) Chatham and Aylesford, (b) Gillingham and Rainham, (c) Rochester and Strood and (d) Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency in (i) August 2024 and (ii) March 2025.

The Department does not hold data at the requested granularity. Tackling waiting lists remains a top priority for the Government. We are working to cut National Health Service waiting lists and to ensure people have the best possible experience during their care. As a first step, we have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over three million more appointments. We have seen a reduction in the national list of over 219,000 since July 2024.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) the (i) Medway Community Healthcare and (ii) other NHS providers, (b) healthcare social enterprises and (c) community interest companies with cyber-resilience.

Last year, we provided technical support to Medway Community Healthcare to help the organisation respond to and recover from a cyber incident. In the past year we have invested £37.6 million across health and social care, building on the £338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.The Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) online self-assessment tool allows organisations to measure their performance against national expectations. Guidance and regular webinars are available via the DSPT website. Further guidance and cyber alerts are published on the NHS England cyber and data security website and via the National Cyber Security Centre. Organisations can report urgent cyber security issues to the National Health Service data security helpline, which is available 24/7. We are currently reviewing our national policy on cyber security for social enterprises and community interest companies.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the reliability of the Thameslink service to Rainham; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of Southeastern trains making additional stops at Higham in the event of Thameslink service cancellations to Rainham.

My Department is working with Southeastern, Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail to address reliability issues on the Rainham route, particularly following a rise in cancellations since the beginning of the year driven by employee sickness and training demands linked to new technology.Higham station currently has two Thameslink services per hour with additional Southeastern services at peak times. Station coverage is monitored to ensure a minimum service of one train per hour in each direction and Southeastern services can be scheduled to make additional stops at Higham if required.