Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the UK’s bilateral relationship with Israel following recent events in Gaza and in the context of the UK’s wider Middle East security priorities.

The UK has a longstanding and important relationship with Israel, built on cooperation in areas including security, trade, science, and technology. We remain firmly committed to Israel's security and continue to work together on shared regional challenges.The UK's immediate priority, working alongside our international partners, is to ensure continued progress on the 20-point peace plan endorsed by the UN Security Council on 17 November, including maintaining the current ceasefire, increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and advancing the political process necessary for a just and lasting peace.We discuss those matters regularly, and we remain committed to the pursuit of a two-state solution, with a secure Israel living side by side in peace and security alongside a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of unemployment in the West Midlands.

The ONS publish headline indicators for the West Midlands here: HI05 Regional labour market: headline indicators for the West Midlands - Office for National Statistics

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit.

The Department publishes Universal Credit (UC) immigration status and nationality statistics as part of the Universal Credit statistics publication. These statistics can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-october-2025.

What progress he has made on the review of the Personal Independence Payment assessment.

The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.On 30 October, I announced that I will co-chair the Review alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. We will oversee a steering group responsible for leading the co-production process, setting the Review’s strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The group will be made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people’s organisations and will be recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest (EOI) process. The EOI is now live and will run until 30 November.The Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for final decisions in autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on the fiscal position of the UK.

Since publication, over £250 billion of investment commitments have been made into the IS-8, boosting our frontier industries. These commitments will enhance their rate of growth and in turn bring in higher tax revenues.Fiscal policy is a matter for the Treasury, and the Chancellor has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility to produce an economic and fiscal forecast to be published alongside the Budget on 26 November.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on trends in the level of private sector investment.

The Government published its first Industrial Strategy Quarterly Update on 7th October 2025 on GOV.UK, which contains information on the £250bn worth of investment commitments since the Industrial Strategy launched, and trends for business investment, gross value added, employment and productivity.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on multi-academy trusts.

I refer the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills to the answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 903828.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Industrial Strategy on trends in the level of private sector investment in the West Midlands.

The Government will use the Office for National Statistics dataset (Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Volume Index Capital Service) to analyse investment trends. This dataset releases regional level data annually; Government will analyse sector-level trends once the data is released. Information on specific investment commitments in regions can be found in the Industrial Strategy Quarterly Report excel tables on GOV.UK (published on 7th October 2025), such as the Boeing contract from US Air Force that will create 150 high-skilled jobs in Birmingham.

What steps his Department is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of regulatory changes on compliance costs for SMEs.

The Government is committed to reducing regulatory compliance costs for SMEs and announced in March a commitment to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament. We have already announced a number of specific measures to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs, including our efforts to modernise corporate reporting requirements. This will include exempting tens of thousands of companies from producing Strategic and Directors' Reports, helping to deliver annual savings of around £230 million.

What steps he is taking to increase access to care in the community in the West Midlands.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service. The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean people are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals. It will rebalance our health system so that it fits around peoples’ lives, not the other way round. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. To support this agenda, we have launched wave 1 of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) across 43 places in England, including parts of the West Midlands such as: Walsall; Coventry; Shropshire; East Birmingham; Solihull; and Herefordshire.The NNHIP will support systems across the country by driving innovation and integration at a local level, to accelerate improvements in outcomes, satisfaction, and experiences for people by ensuring that care is more joined-up, accessible, and responsive to community needs.

What estimate he has made of the level of spending on health and disability benefits in 2030.

Forecast spending on disability and incapacity benefits in 2029-30 can be found in Table 4 of DWP’s Spring Statement 2025 Benefit Expenditure and Caseload publication. Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK

With reference to her Written Ministerial Statement of 5 November 2025 on Financial Inclusion Strategy, HCWS1019, what steps she is taking to ensure the effective delivery of the commitments in the Strategy; what mechanisms she will put in place to (a) monitor and (b) publish progress against its objectives; and what funding has been allocated to support implementation partners over the next two years.

Earlier this month, I published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy setting out an ambitious programme of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK. This includes interventions for both Government and industry to address a range of barriers individuals and households face in accessing financial products, including making it easier to open a bank account without standard ID, build a savings habit and access affordable credit. The Government recognises that action to improve financial inclusion requires a joined-up approach and will be working closely with industry and the regulator going forward to deliver on these interventions and make the strategy a reality. As part of developing the strategy, the Government has engaged with Financial Inclusion Committee members and other organisations on how to measure its impact. The Strategy’s implementation will be reviewed in two years’ time to provide an update on interventions and relevant outcomes-based metrics, which will reflect on the progress made across the sector. The Government has committed funding to support delivery of the strategy. This includes committing a further £132.5 million of dormant assets funding to Fair4All Finance for work that improves access to financial products and develops individuals’ ability to manage their finances in England, and over £100 million per year to the Money and Pensions Service to fund debt advice.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government support for the (a) supply chain and (b) SMEs, in the context of the cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover.

We recognise that many automotive suppliers, particularly SMEs, are under pressure following the recent cyber incident at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The phased restart of production at JLR is now underway and is positive news, however the picture is still developing.The Department for Business and Trade is continuing to monitor the situation and is working closely with JLR and industry bodies such as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to assess how the recent measures being taken and support being provided is helping suppliers, including SMEs.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of UK energy policy on the competitiveness of the UK manufacturing sector.

This government recognises the importance of reducing energy costs to boost UK manufacturing competitiveness. Under the Modern Industrial Strategy, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40/MWh for over 7000 manufacturing businesses. We will also increase support for our most energy-intensive industries under the British Industry Supercharger, uplifting the Network Charging Compensation scheme from 60% to 90%.These measures are supported by the Connections Accelerator Service (to reduce grid connection waiting times for strategically important projects), continued support for the Energy-Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme and support to develop the UK Corporate Power Purchase Agreement market.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the statement on Ukraine made by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October 2025, and the joint statement made by G7 Foreign Ministers following their meetings in Canada on 11-12 November, which has been published on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-of-g7-foreign-ministers-meeting-in-the-niagara-regionSince February 2022, the World Bank has mobilised nearly $82 billion in support for Ukraine, through a range of financing instruments using a combination of its own and donor resources. The International Monetary Fund currently supports Ukraine through a 4-year Extended Fund Facility, which was approved in March 2023, and has disbursed $10.6 billion as of 30 June 2025. Other multilateral institutions have provided tens of billions of financing since the start of the full-scale invasion, including EU institutions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) safe and (b) sustained access for aid agencies in (i) El Fasher and (ii) other conflict-affected regions.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided during the Urgent Question debates on Sudan on 30 October and 5 November.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme is measured by weight.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole, when the regulations were laid in parliament. This does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors; however, Defra has engaged extensively with the glass manufacturing sector to understand the impacts on them. Through modulation, more recyclable materials, such as glass, will benefit from discounted fees, from Year 2 of pEPR (2026/2027).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role the UK is playing through the (a) Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform, (b) Ukraine Recovery Conference process and (c) other international strategies to (i) plan and (ii) coordinate Ukraine’s post-conflict reconstruction.

We are working closely with the EU, G7 and other partners through the Ukraine Donor Platform to align donor assistance with Ukraine's urgent needs, support recovery planning, and support Ukraine's reform ambitions, including progress towards EU accession. We play a leading role on meeting Ukraine's financing needs and strengthening private sector engagement.At the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome, the international community pledged €10 billion in support and agreed over 200 business deals spanning defence and reconstruction. The UK committed up to £283 million in bilateral assistance for 2025/2026 to fund humanitarian, energy, stabilisation, recovery and reconstruction programmes.

With reference to her Financial Inclusion Strategy, published in November 2025, CP 1424, what steps she is taking to help ensure an equitable geographic distribution of the 350 new banking hubs; whether the rollout will prioritise areas that have recently experienced bank branch closures; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the new digital pass for identity verification will be accessible for people with limited digital (a) access and (b) literacy.

Earlier this month, I published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy setting out a range of interventions to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK. This included a key focus on addressing barriers around access to banking and digital inclusion. Banking is changing, with many customers benefitting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. However, Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to championing sufficient access for customers. In addition to traditional bank branches, the financial services industry is committed to rolling out 350 banking hubs across the UK by the end of this Parliament. Over 240 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 190 are already open. Government is working closely with industry on this commitment. The locations of banking hubs are independently determined by LINK, the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments. LINK will carry out an assessment wherever a branch closure is announced or if they receive a community request. LINK will recommend appropriate solutions where it considers that a community requires additional cash services. Some of the criteria that LINK considers are whether there is a bank branch remaining, population size, number of shops on the high street, distance to the nearest bank branch, public transport links and vulnerability of the population. In September, the government set out plans for a new government-backed Digital ID scheme. This Digital ID will make it easier for people across the UK to use vital government services, but will also streamline verification processes across private sectors too, such as when opening a new bank account. As part of the government’s forthcoming consultation on the new Digital ID scheme, the government will look at how to make the scheme inclusive, such as by integrating assistive technologies for those with physical or cognitive disabilities, and ensuring that physical alternatives are available for those without smartphones.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect UK food security.

We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers which includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers. We've allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.