Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) replenishments and (b) pledges to (i) the Global Fund and (ii) GAVI on the UK's international reputation.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025. The UK is working to ensure a successful replenishment of Gavi and the Global Fund through our diplomatic and development network. The UK has been clear about the reasons for the difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent by 2027. Announcements on individual investments will be made following the completion of the Spending Review process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2.13 of the Spring Statement 2025, published in March 2025, what his planned timetable is to introduce plans to modernise aid; and how he will engage with (a) parliamentarians and (b) civil society on those plans.

We are in the process of modernising how the UK approaches international development. Modern partnerships are about using all the levers at the UK's disposal - drawing upon UK diplomacy, trade and investment, and defence, as well as partnering with UK institutions, be that in the science and tech sector, the City of London, our universities, and beyond. As the Government makes decisions about the move to 0.3% of gross national income through the Spending Review, we will set out further plans on this.The Minister for Development met with Bond [the UK network for organisations working in international development] earlier this month to discuss a number of issues, and is committed to engaging regularly with civil society organisations. The Ministerial team regularly engages with local civil society organisations on overseas visits. Parliamentarians will be included as part of any approach to further consultation. The Minister will be setting more of this out when she appears at the International Development Committee on 13 May.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to use the International Finance Facility for Immunisation to support Gavi’s funding needs.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi and the largest contributor to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). The UK has committed £1.65 billion to Gavi's current strategic period covering 2021-2025, with £590 million of that funding via IFFIm. The UK has ongoing legally binding pledges to IFFIm. Announcements on additional investments will be made following the completion of the spending review process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Science Innovation and Technology on the role of the UK science and technology sector in global efforts to eliminate (a) malaria and (b) other tropical diseases.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology work closely on issues related to science and technology. Government collaboration with the UK's science and technology sector has been critical in developing new drugs, vaccines, and other tools to eliminate malaria and other tropical diseases.The FCDO collaborates with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) to tackle malaria through the development of products, supported by MMV's three and IVCC's five UK-based science partners. In developing products to eliminate other tropical diseases, the FCDO partners with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), in collaboration with twelve additional partners across twenty-six projects. Our longstanding partnership with the Medical Research Council distributes grants for research on malaria and other tropical diseases. Undertaking applied research to address vectors for malaria, RAFT is an FCDO-funded programme led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is considering amending existing (a) commitments and (b) financial pledges when determining budgets for (i) this financial year and (ii) 2026-27.

To enable us to deliver the transition to spending 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance (ODA) effectively, in 2025/26 we are prioritising meeting legally binding commitments and delivering work already underway, as well as planned humanitarian spend. We have also established an exemptions process to allow for critical new development work to continue. Full detail is set out in the Minister for Development's 27 March letter to the International Development Committee.Decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 onwards are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK’s financial commitment to Gavi for the 2026-2030 period has changed since 1 April 2025.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025. Following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income to 0.3 per cent by 2027 we are taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. Announcements on individual investments will be made following the completion of the Spending Review process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that nutrition is considered in all of his Department’s spending programmes.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) continues to consider how to integrate nutrition objectives across international development policies and spending programmes. This includes application of the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Nutrition Policy Marker and the provision of advice and assistance to colleagues across FCDO's network to strengthen our capability to integrate nutrition in our Official Development Assistance programmes. Progress is assessed by independent experts and is published in FCDO's annual Nutrition Accountability Report. FCDO will publish the next iteration of the report around June 2025.At the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris in March 2025 the Minister for International Development launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration. Partners have welcomed the Compact as a new initiative to drive change, and a positive signal of the UK's continued leadership on development.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the International Finance Facility for Immunisation frontloading model is effectively utilised for the fast delivery of vaccines.

The UK is the largest donor to Gavi and the largest contributor to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). IFFIm enables Gavi to rapidly introduce and scale-up new, breakthrough and existing vaccines and surge financing during unexpected health crises. The model also allows Gavi to manage financing more effectively across their 5-year strategic periods. The UK continues to monitor IFFIm's efficiency through our Annual Reviews that are published on Dev Tracker.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with other signatories to the Dayton Peace Agreement to help ensure that it remains fit for purpose.

The UK remains committed to the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) and its instruments for maintaining peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We work through the Peace Implementation Council to bolster domestic institutions to respond to threats to the DPA. The UK supports the High Representative's role, and should the situation require it, the use of executive powers to protect BiH's constitutional framework, stability and institutions. The Foreign Secretary, the Special Envoy and I continue to engage closely with leaders in BiH and the region, urging them to influence positively and refrain from actions which would undermine BiH's constitution. I reiterated these messages to BiH Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković and the High Representative of BiH when we met on 12 April, as did the Foreign Secretary when he spoke to BiH President Denis Bećirović on 29 April.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42592 on Councillors: Planning, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the role of councillors' (a) openness, (b) accountability and (c) scrutiny in the planning process.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a regulation-making power to issue statutory guidance on a national scheme of delegation.The government intend to formally consult on proposals relating to the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside the Bill’s passage.

If she will make an assessment of the accuracy of her Department’s impact assessment on the decision to remove the winter fuel payment.

In line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty, an Equality Analysis was produced and considered as part of the ministerial decision-making process. This was published on 13 September and is available online: Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment - GOV.UK. The Department will continue to monitor outcomes for pensioners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing long-term funding for de-mining (a) organisations and (b) programmes between 2026 and 2029.

Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used from 2025-2029 are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on local democratic oversight of replacing individual local authority schemes with a national scheme for when planning committees should delegate decisions to planning officers.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a regulation-making power to issue statutory guidance on a national scheme of delegation.The government intend to formally consult on proposals relating to the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside the Bill’s passage.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what her planned timetable is for publishing national guidance on when local planning committees should delegate decisions to planning officers.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a regulation-making power to issue statutory guidance on a national scheme of delegation.The government intend to formally consult on proposals relating to the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside the Bill’s passage.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of demining programmes on (a) the economy and (b) food security.

In countries with significant levels of contamination, demining programmes can have a huge impact on the economy and food security by releasing land for return to productive use. In Ukraine, for example, some 139,000 square kilometres of land need to be surveyed for potential contamination, and an estimated 28,000 square kilometres of agricultural land has been abandoned because of landmines and other impacts of the war. One recent report found that, compared to 2021, mines and explosive ordnance impact Ukraine's GDP by $11.2 billion annually. Until 2022, Ukrainian agricultural products could feed 400 million people around the world annually, so demining in Ukraine affects food security both in Ukraine and globally.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria he uses to assess whether to withdraw funding from Official Development Assistance programmes in Sudan.

The UK has been a longstanding and major humanitarian donor to Sudan with £226.5 million allocated in the financial year of 2024/25 towards the crisis. The UK also committed a further £120 million in funding which will target over 650,000 people. In his statement to Parliament on Defence and Official Development Assistance spend, the Prime Minister made clear that Sudan would remain a humanitarian priority. The Prime Minister is committed to returning 0.7 per cent spending when fiscal conditions allow. The ongoing obfuscation of relief operations by Sudan's warring parties is imperilling tens of millions of people. More funding is required from across the international community. However, without a step change in access the already dire situation will drastically deteriorate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41879 on European Political Community, whether (a) staff and (b) Ministers from his Department attended; and what the cost was of participation by his Department.

The next European Political Community summit will take place in Tirana on 16 May. We will be able to share further information about the Summit after it takes place.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of demining programmes on levels of migration to the UK from countries where those programmes are active.

Migration decisions are often complex and driven by a combination of intersecting factors, so it is challenging to assess the impact of demining programmes specifically on migration to the UK. However, the presence of explosive ordnance acts as a driver of migration by creating an environment of fear, insecurity and physical danger that compels people to flee their homes. Demining is also an enabler of voluntary return; ensuring that land becomes safe again helps people to feel able to return home. Over time, through risk education and demining, humanitarian mine action programmes have a track record of reducing casualties and improving livelihoods, giving people an alternative to onward movement.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42598 on Recycling: Packaging, who is on the steering group; and which specific sectors are represented.

The Scheme Administrator Steering Group has an independent chair, UK Government officials, local authority representation, and business and producer representatives. Please see this GOV.UK page for Scheme Administrator Steering Group membership.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to (a) build on and (b) strengthen the 2018 power sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar in South Sudan.

The UK continues to press for implementation of the 2018 power sharing Peace Agreement and a peaceful transition to democracy through peaceful, credible and inclusive elections. On 18 March, we issued a joint statement with likeminded partners offering to facilitate direct dialogue between President Kiir and First Vice President Machar. Following the arrest of First Vice President Machar on 26 March, we joined likeminded partners to call on President Kiir to release First Vice President Machar under house arrest and prevent further escalation on 27 March. We continue to call for all sides to deescalate. The Minister for Development met the South Sudanese Foreign Minister at the Sudan Conference on 16 April and called for the release of First Vice President Machar.