Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with his French counterpart on the right to freedom of religion or belief in France.

The UK is strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. The UK champions the right to freedom of religion or belief and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and in our bilateral work. Ministers and officials engage with their French counterparts on a broad range of issues, for example at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Conference on Addressing Antisemitism (10-11 February 2025). Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials also engage with faith leaders in France.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to harmonise sanctions against Belarus with those imposed on Russia; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such harmonisation on (a) the protection of human rights, (b) support for political prisoners and (c) other UK foreign policy objectives in Belarus.

The UK has sanctioned over 200 Belarusian individuals and entities to date, in response to both human rights abuses in Belarus, and the Lukashenko regime's support for Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are also a range of broad UK sanctions measures in place in Belarus, targeting goods and technologies. We keep further sanctions against Belarus under review.Sanctions are just one of the tools we use. Alongside our partners and multilateral organisations, the UK consistently calls for human rights abuses to be investigated and for the release of all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. In August 2024, the UK announced £2.5 million of funding to support the survival of Belarusian human rights and civil society causes in the face of continued political pressure.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has faced legal challenge on the use of assets derived from sanctioned (a) individuals and (b) entities.

UK financial sanctions limit the provision of certain financial services and restrict access to financial markets, funds, and economic resources. Financial sanctions do not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds, or economic resources, nor are they confiscated or transferred to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for safekeeping.The G7 is providing Ukraine with $50 billion of funding as part of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme. The first £752 million of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution was received by Ukraine earlier this month and will be used to strengthen their defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression. The G7's funding will be repaid by the profits generated on holdings of immobilised Russian sovereign assets in the EU.Separately, we continue our work at pace with allies to consider all lawful routes to ensure Russia pays for the damage it is causing Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary is having regular discussions with key partners on this issue, including at the Weimar+ Group on Monday 31 March.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the Official Development Assistance budget is allocated to initiatives tackling antimicrobial resistance.

The UK is a global leader in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and supports action though its multilateral, bilateral and research investments. It is not possible to identify the AMR element of all such spending.Direct AMR spend includes, but is not limited to: i) the UK's Fleming Fund programme which strengthens drug-resistance surveillance systems across low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean (£57.5 million in 2023-24); ii) the UK Global Antimicrobial Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) which supports Research & Development into products and solutions that reduce the threat of AMR in low and middle income countries (£16.4 million in 2023-24); iii) FCDO's funding to product development partnerships in 2024/25 included over £32 million to the Medicines for Malaria Venture, TB Alliance and the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit's DeTACT project to develop new antimalarials and treatments for drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis and to protect the effectiveness of existing medicines.Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Overseas Development Assistance on the Africa Strategy.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent in 2027.We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief is taking to help tackle the persecution of religious minorities in Afghanistan.

The Envoy works closely with the Minister for Africa and Human Rights, and with other government departments to promote His Majesty's Government's shared priorities on freedom of religious belief for all. He also works with a range of UK and international partners through the Article 18 Alliance. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. We extended the mandate of UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett to report on human rights in Afghanistan, including those of minority groups. Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the needs of the entire population.

Communities and Local Government, in what month this year she will publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the resignation of the Government in Serbia on stability in that region.

Following confirmation by Serbia's Parliament of Prime Minister Vucevic's resignation on 19 March, Serbia's government is operating in technical capacity pending either formation of a new government by 18 April, or potential elections thereafter. We look forward to working with the new government when it is formed. We continue to underline to Serbia's leaders the importance of playing a constructive role in regional stability, as I did most recently when I spoke to Foreign Minister Djuric on 27 March.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential impact of changes to disability benefits on the court appeals system.

DWP will work with the Ministry of Justice to prepare a Justice Impact Test to assess the impacts of proposed policy changes on the justice system.

What is the current average time to clear Personal Independence Payments appeals at the (a) First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) and (b) Upper Tribunal.

Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), including the average time to clear Personal Independence Payment appeals is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.The information requested for the Upper Tribunal is not currently available.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 35684 on Development Aid: Reviews, whether he has considered including hon. Members in additional consultations.

The review recommendations are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Parliamentarians will be included as part of any approach to further consultation.

What her policy is on the continued payment of Personal Independence Payment while a decision to end the payment is subject to an appeal.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not an income replacement benefit. It is paid to help with the additional costs that arise from long term health conditions or disability where they impact on the activities set out in legislation. Claimants are assessed against the legislative criteria and a decision on entitlement is made by a DWP decision maker.In line with the legislative requirement, we continue to apply the latest decision on a PIP award until such time as a new decision is made. Payment of PIP after a claim has been disallowed, or payment at a rate higher than the latest decision, whilst an individual is waiting for an appeal hearing could lead to incorrect expenditure of public funds. If a subsequent first-tier tribunal makes a new decision to reinstate PIP or give a higher award, then the Department will backdate any payments due.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37161 on Resettlement: Chagossians, how much has been spent in the 2024-25 financial year; and how much has been budgeted for the 2025-26 financial year.

The Home Office is finalising potential claims for costs incurred in 2024/25 and will announce any updates regarding the funding at these costs in 2025/26 in the normal way in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with international partners to support female humanitarian workers.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is taking steps with international partners to address the specific risks that female humanitarian workers face. We are investing in protective measures that our partners need to safely work, championing International Humanitarian Law, and using UK seats at key multilateral forums to raise awareness and promote accountability.The UK uses its seat at the United Nations (UN) to promote the meaningful participation and protection of women in crisis response and peacebuilding, counter reprisals against women peacebuilders and women's rights defenders and build protection against conflict related sexual violence, within UN Security Council country and thematic resolutions.These efforts contribute towards building a safer and more protective environment for female aid workers to carry out their work and help to facilitate safer access to humanitarian assistance, especially for women and girls.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to strengthen protections for leaseholders in the commonhold tenure.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 3 March 2025 (HCWS488) and 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps is she taking to support mortgage providers in lending to commonhold tenure holders.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 3 March 2025 (HCWS488) and 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) fly-tipping and (b) uncollected rubbish on public health.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not made an assessment of the potential impact of fly-tipping and uncollected rubbish on public health.During specific incidents, for instance with the Birmingham City Council, the UKHSA has provided standard guidance to the local authority on the public health risk associated with household waste. The UKHSA is also part of a multi-agency response Strategic Commissioning Group (SCG), and has contributed to a risk assessment concerning the potential health impacts of uncollected waste. The UKHSA will continue to provide advice and support to Birmingham City Council, as part of this SCG.The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency produce the Statutory guidance for Waste duty of care: code of practice, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practiceGuidance for waste planning policy is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help tackle the potential impact of poor behaviour from managing agents on leaseholders.

The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. Property agents must belong to a government-approved redress scheme. This legislation is currently enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings and Estate Agency Team, who have the power to issue warnings and banning orders to rogue estate and letting agents. The previous government committed to regulate the property agent sector in 2018 and asked a working group chaired by Lord Best to advise them on how best to do it. However, they failed to respond to the recommendations set out in the working group’s 2019 Regulation of Property Agents: working group report which can be found on gov.uk here. Managing agents play a key role in the maintenance of multi-occupancy buildings and freehold estates, and their importance will only increase as we transition toward a commonhold future. As a result, we are looking again at the 2019 report. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government has made clear it intends to strengthen regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service. As a minimum, this should include mandatory professional qualifications which set a new basic standard that managing agents will be required to meet. We will consult on this matter this year. We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect humanitarian workers from (a) targeted attacks and (b) obstruction of aid in conflict zones.

The UK uses its seats at key multilateral fora such as the United Nations Security Council, its bilateral relationships, and its partnerships with humanitarian actors on the front line to encourage parties to consent to humanitarian relief operations, facilitate unimpeded access, and protect civilians including humanitarian aid workers.We provide direct investment to support the protective measures our partners require to work safely, the freedom to use different approaches such as cash transfers to increase access to aid and reduce risks, and flexible funding to enable our partners to strengthen their risk mitigation strategies when required.In May 2024, the UK co-sponsored UN Security Council resolution 2730. This resolution strongly condemned attacks and all forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, threats, and intimidation, against humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel, their premises and assets.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that independent reviews are conducted after (a) kidnappings, (b) attacks and (c) other serious incidents involving aid workers.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office champions the Aid Worker Security Database which independently tracks incidents involving international and national aid workers including kidnapping, death and injury. The UK promotes the review of incidents causing harm to civilians, including aid workers, through its seats at multilateral fora such as the United Nations Security Council, as well as in partnership with the International Criminal Court and International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.Bilateral diplomatic engagement also supports independent review of incidents that harm aid workers. For example, the UK has pressed Israel to conclude the Military Advocate General's investigation into the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including three British nationals, in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on 1 April 2024. Our priority is to ensure lessons are learned which lead to lasting improvements in aid worker safety.