Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of Official Development Assistance given to women-led organisations.

Thorough assessments of both the effectiveness and value for money of programmes, including those supporting women-led and women's rights organisations, are an integral part of our programme management process.There is strong evidence showing that women-led and women's rights organisations play a significant role in securing and advancing women's rights as well as providing humanitarian assistance, tackling climate change and promoting and protecting democracy. They provide good value for money as this type of support moves away from short term project funding towards strategic investments which have wider social and economic value which sustains long after funding ends.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support the roll-out of UK-made malaria vaccines.

The UK is Gavi's largest investor, committing £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025. Gavi coordinates the global malaria vaccination (RTS,S and R21) programme, providing essential financial support for the procurement, transport and roll-out of doses. To date, Gavi has supported 20 African countries in integrating the malaria vaccine into routine immunisation programmes. By collaborating with countries and partners, Gavi ensures the delivery of malaria vaccines as part of a comprehensive malaria control strategy. In addition to our support to Gavi the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and the UK Research and Innovation's Medical Research Council are funding applied research to support the effective rollout of malaria vaccines including how to best combine the vaccines with existing interventions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help establish a stable government in Syria.

We are supporting the Syrian Government to work towards an inclusive, representative, and non-sectarian political transition that has respect for human rights and transitional justice at its core. On 25 April, we lifted some sanctions to promote economic recovery and investment, and in May we hosted the first visit by a Syrian Minister in 14 years to the Education World Forum, showcasing the UK's education programmes in Syria, which are a key part of fostering broader stability. We are also encouraging the Syrian Government and Syrian Democratic Forces to implement the agreement they made in March on North-East Syria's future.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the levels of knife crime in the West Midlands in the last five years.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and driving down serious violence across the UK, including in the West Midlands, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.In the West Midlands, the government has allocated c.£3.7m for the Hotspot Action Fund in 2025-2026 to deliver high visibility patrolling and problem-oriented policing tactics in the areas with the highest densities of knife crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (‘hotspots’).We routinely monitor police recorded crime data trends for all forces. West Midlands Police recorded 4,664 offences involving a knife or a sharp instrument in the year ending December 2024, a 12% fall compared with the previous year (5,323 offences). The fall was driven by a 14% fall in knife-enabled robbery (from 2,684 to 2,309 offences) and a 11% fall in assault with injury and assault with intent to cause serious harm (from 1,952 to 1,730).Through our Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, including in the West Midlands, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people who are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As we continue to design the Young Futures Programme, we want to ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in this regard. In 2025/26 we are investing £47m via the Home Office in core grant funding to VRUs, including making over £4.3m available to the West Midlands VRU this year.This funding will support the delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes such as youth workers in hospital settings (A&E Navigators), social skills training, and tailored support to individuals at risk of involvement in gangs and county lines to divert young people away from crime.A further £14.3m in grant funding has been made available across all 43 local policing body areas to deliver the Serious Violence Duty with £254k available to the West Midlands.Additionally, we have launched the Knife Enabled Robbery (‘KER’) Taskforce, focusing on reducing KER in the highest volume police force areas, including the West Midlands. The Taskforce identified school-age KER as a specific operational challenge and has worked with the Department for Education and school leaders to tackle it by developing bespoke “KER school action plans”.To ensure community leaders, campaign groups, families of those who have tragically lost their lives to knife crime and young people who have been impacted are involved in our plans, the Prime Minister launched the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime in September 2024. The Coalition contributes to policy development in key areas. I (Minister for Crime Prevention and Policing) have attended several coalition meetings since it was founded, chairing its most recent meeting. The Coalition has discussed key policy issues, including the online sale of knives, child criminal exploitation and the banning of ninja swords.To date, we have implemented a ban on the sale and possession of zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes and a ban on ninja swords will come into effect from 1 August. We are planning an expanded surrender scheme in July to allow those who currently own dangerous weapons to hand them in safely and securely.In the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, we are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and are giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of UK-based research and development into neglected topical diseases on (a) global health security and (b) jobs in the UK.

Investment in UK based neglected diseases research and development (R&D) has led to many groundbreaking innovations which have helped to improve and save many lives around the world. On global health security - work on early candidates for malaria vaccines by scientists at Oxford's Jenner Institute laid the foundations for the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine candidate for COVID-19. The successful roll out of this vaccine has helped to save millions of lives and generated significant societal and economic value. Investment in UK based R&D has also delivered multiple economic benefits by catalysing private investments and boosting other economic activity.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support community health initiatives in Botswana.

UK investment in the Global Fund continues to support community health initiatives in Botswana. The UK pledged £1 billion towards the Global Fund at the last replenishment cycle in 2022 and continues to invest in other multilateral funding essential to Botswana's community health responses. Botswana received circa $25 million from the current Global Fund cycle - which goes towards HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria response. The funding is also strengthening community health systems for effective responses to communicable and non-communicable diseases. Calvin Bailey MP, as Trade Envoy for Southern Africa, met with Botswana's Health Minister in May to discuss the UK-Botswana partnership in eliminating Malaria and the upcoming Global Fund replenishment.

Whether he has considered sourcing energy from the Falkland Islands.

I have made no such consideration. The UK sources the oil and gas we use from domestic onshore and offshore fields and on the international market. The UK also trades electricity with several nearby countries, as well as the Isle of Man. This is all done by the commercial sector, not by the Government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) groups and (b) militias operating in Syria.

The situation in Syria is extremely fluid and, as such, we are not in a position to provide numbers of militias or other groups operating in Syria. We will continue to work with the Government of Syria and international partners to support security and stability in Syria.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria he plans to use to assess the effectiveness of the Syria (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

The amendments to the Syria Sanctions Regulations are intended to help Syrian economic recovery and support the flow of essential investment. This is vital for building stability in Syria and the wider region. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria and engage with the Syrian Government, civil society, and our international partners on the impact of sanctions amendments. We will keep our Syria sanctions regime under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49361 on Sudan: Development Aid, whether the £120 million of food aid is the only funding allocated to Sudan for the 2025-26 financial year.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are determining whether more funding for financial year 2025/26, in addition to the £120 million announced at the London Sudan Conference in April, will be allocated and further information will be provided in due course. Unfortunately, the spending review is still under review, and we will endeavour to update once we have the information.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 47676 on Anzhalika Melnikava, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Europe and (b) elsewhere on reports of the disappearance of Anzhelika Melnikava and her daughters.

As I have previously noted, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials continue to follow the case of the disappearance of Angelika Melnikova. Our understanding is that her daughters are currently in Belarus with their father. I have not raised this with European counterparts, nor elsewhere. As circumstances of Ms Melnikava's disappearance remain unclear, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 47686 on Humanitarian Aid, how much of the allocation has been (a) spent and (b) allocated.

The Humanitarian Crisis Reserve (HCR) value is £100 million for financial year 2025/26.At the time of asking, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has so far provided £15 million from the HCR this financial year to support the humanitarian response, following the severe earthquake in Myanmar.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 46726 on Treasury: Information Officers, what the total annual cost is for the 40.9 full-time equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.

HM Treasury’s communications pay budget for the last financial year was £2,775,204.

What estimate she has made of the number of pensioners living in households in fuel poverty in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does not collect local-level data specifically on pensioners in fuel poverty. The latest estimate of the fuel poverty rate in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency, based on the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, was 13.2% of households in 2023 (Table 3 of the sub-regional fuel poverty statistics). Statistics on fuel poverty in England in 2024 by age of the oldest person in the household can be found in Table 23 of the fuel poverty detailed tables.

What steps National Highways is taking to reduce (a) fly-tipping and (b) litter on roads it is responsible for.

National Highways are committed to the effective management of fly tipping and litter on the Strategic Road Network (SRN). National Highways pick litter on the SRN every day and its inspectors regularly survey the network, grading it in accordance with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. National Highways consistently work to deliver improved clean-up using innovative methods such as industrial vacuums, as well as undertaking several anti-littering interventions to influence behaviours and attitudes of road users towards litter. These include anti-littering messaging through social media, trialling AI enforcement cameras to capture those throwing litter on the SRN, using geofencing to send targeted anti-littering messages to mobile devices around identified litter hotspots, as well as putting anti-littering posters and signs and installing car and lorry height bins at motorway service areas.

If she will make an assessment of the number of people who are providing unpaid care for a relative or loved one in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

The DWP does not hold data on the number of people who are providing unpaid care for a relative or loved ones in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

What steps National Highways is taking to coordinate with local authorities on managing (a) fly-tipping and (b) litter in places which overlap between special roads and trunk roads.

National Highways works closely with local authorities to tackle litter on the Strategic Road Network (SRN). National Highways has introduced litter partnership agreements to facilitate better coordination of litter clearing operations and has provided health and safety training to key local authority personnel to support their litter-clearing teams.National Highways regularly engage with local authorities to help identify opportunities for local authority teams to access the network and address priority areas of concern for litter-picking and sweeping. Local authorities are able to utilise National Highways’ traffic management to schedule their own litter picks, helping to reduce costs for taxpayers and minimise disruption to road users. Although National Highways does not possess enforcement powers, in the event its CCTV operators notice illegal activity such as littering or fly tipping taking place on the SRN, evidence of that is also passed onto the local authorities responsible for prosecution.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 48940 on European Political Community, whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers from his Department attended.

The Prime Minister attended the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania on 16 May. No Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers attended. A small number of FCDO officials attended to support the Prime Minister's attendance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 49372 on Development Aid, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on achieving planned reductions for the next multi-year Spending Review.

The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog and reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review period to ensure more of our Official Development Assistance budget is spent on our development priorities overseas.The Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with his Cabinet colleagues.

If he will make an assessment of the number of older people with unmet health and care needs in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

Direct estimates of unmet health and care need at a local level are not available. Assessing unmet health and care need is complex, particularly as it is multi-faceted, and validated data is not always available at a constituency level. For national level insights, please see Age UK’s State of Health and Care of Older People in England 2024 report, which is available at the following link:https://www.ageuk.org.uk/discover/2024/september/state-of-health-and-care-of-older-people-in-england-2024/We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to which will set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.