Written questions by Morton.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a phased reduction in employer National Insurance contributions for businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

The Government has taken a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the public finances, fund public services, and restore economic stability after the situation we inherited from the previous administration. One of the toughest decisions we took was to raise the rate of employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from 13.8% to 15%, whilst reducing the per-employee threshold at which employers start to pay National Insurance (the Secondary Threshold) from £9,100 to £5,000. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that next year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. It means employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying a penny of employer NICs.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on the funding for neighbourhood police officers in the financial year 2025-26 and beyond.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 and represents a 6% cash increase and 3.5% real terms increase in funding.This includes an additional £230.3 million of funding for territorial police forces to support cover the costs of the increases to National Insurance Contributions.The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. That is why we have committed £200 million to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in communities across the country. The Government will work closely with policing to implement the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and we are setting up a working group with key sector partners, including the College of Policing, NPCC, APCC and HMICFRS.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps is he taking to ensure continued accountability for people responsible for crimes committed during Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The Foreign Secretary has raised the need for accountability directly with Syrian interim Foreign Minister Shaibani. We continue to support partners who are playing a pivotal role in developing a credible evidence base to record atrocities committed by the former regime and others. This financial year, we have committed £1.15 million to accountability and documentation-related programmes. Following the collapse of the Assad regime, we announced a further £240,000 in funding to help secure and preserve vital evidence.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed closures of (a) Aldridge Police Station and (b) other local police stations on community safety.

The Home Office does not collect data on the number or location of police stations, or the impact of their closure. Police stations are just one of the ways people can access their local police services, including reporting online and by phone 24/7.It is up to Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents) to make decisions on local resourcing and estates, including police stations. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their local knowledge and experience.As part of the Safer Street Mission to reduce crime and increase public confidence in policing, the Government has introduced a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to transform neighbourhood policing. Each neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues.We have also provided £200 million in FY 25/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to adapt the Syria sanctions regime.

As the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories announced in Parliament on 13 February, we are making changes to the Syrian sanctions regulations to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and promote security and stability. On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people. This follows the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishing on 12 February a General Licence, allowing payments that support humanitarian assistance in Syria. As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10th March, we keep our sanctions under close review to ensure they are used as a responsive tool. Where there are changes to the Syria Regulations, Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to debate in line with the made affirmative procedure for sanctions Statutory Instruments.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) introducing targeted relief for and (b) reforming employer National Insurance contributions.

The Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to deliver long-term growth. Fixing the public finances is essential for providing long-term stability in which businesses can invest and thrive. The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers, which is why we have decided to more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change in 2025/26. Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

What steps the Government is taking to ensure that police forces are sufficiently resourced to tackle crime rates.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 and represents a 6% cash increase and 3.5% real terms increase in funding.The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. That is why we have committed £200 million to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in communities across the country.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 27263 on Development Aid: Asylum Hotels, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the use of asylum hotels in advance of the first meeting of the re-established ministerial ODA board.

The Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with his Cabinet colleagues.The Official Development Assistance Board's first meeting in February 2025 focused on in-donor refugee costs. The co-chairs were joined by the Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to develop internal guidance for including child and youth consultation for policymaking across his Department.

As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights at home and overseas, with the meaningful engagement of children and young people a core part of this commitment.For example, youth sit on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) External Gender Challenge Board and the Girls' Education Department regularly consults with the Youth Council on Global Education, including in preparation for the first Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children.Moreover, children and young people are at the heart of the Foreign Secretary's new global campaign on children's care reform. Engagement sessions with care-experienced children and young people have directly contributed to the development of a Global Charter which will be launched later this year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of relaxing restrictions on the (a) energy, (b) transport and (c) finance sectors in Syria on the UK's (i) foreign policy objectives and (ii) humanitarian efforts in the region.

As I said in my statement to the House on 10 March, the Government is committed to helping to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and to promoting security and stability. We are focusing amendments to the Syria sanctions regime on energy, transport and finance as sectors of Syria's economy where international expertise, trade and investment has the greatest potential to contribute to meeting the immediate needs of the Syrian people. We are clear with the interim authorities in Damascus that they have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions, not their words.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a Special Envoy for Children within his Department.

As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights at home and overseas. Whilst the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not have a dedicated Special Envoy on Children, Ministers and Senior Officials regularly raise and advocate for increased awareness and action on cross-cutting issues affecting children through diplomatic and international engagement.This is a priority for the Foreign Secretary: in January, he launched a new campaign to advocate for family-based care for children around the world, recognising the specific vulnerabilities faced by children in need of care and protection. Further, in November Baroness Chapman, Minister for International Development and Latin America and the Caribbean, represented the UK at the first Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February to Question 28082 on the British Council, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of any decision to reduce the number of British Council offices on his Department's objectives.

The British Council is operationally independent from the UK Government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works with the British Council to ensure strategic alignment between FCDO objectives and British Council activity. Decisions relating to its overseas network are operational matters for the British Council. In an increasingly digital age, the British Council's contribution and impact should be judged by its operational - rather than physical - presence and its results.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the meeting of the All-Serbian Assembly in June 2024.

While the UK welcomes inclusive regional cooperation, economic integration and inter-connectivity initiatives across the region, we have underlined to Serbia's leadership concerns about the June 2024 All Serb Assembly and Declaration and encouraged adherence to the commitments on good neighbourly relations made by all Western Balkans leaders at the 2018 London Summit. We consistently emphasise at senior levels the importance of Serbia's role in building and supporting regional stability; I did so when I met Foreign Minister Djuric in October and reinforced the message with President Vucic and Foreign Minister Djuric in Serbia in January 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the inclusion of children in multilateral events such as the Nutrition for Growth Summit.

The safety and security of children globally spans across all six of the Foreign Secretary's priorities. At the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are funding Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Organisation (CSO) network advocacy work to elevate youth participation and representation at the summit, directly facilitating their inclusion and highlighting the experience and needs of mothers and children in their communities. FCDO also are funding a UK and a global south partner country youth delegate to attend the Commission on Population and Development summit. FCDO continues to strengthen CSO partnerships, ensuring grassroots voices are heard and amplified globally, as the Foreign Secretary outlined in his Human Rights Day speech in December 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the application by the International Criminal Court for the arrest of Taliban leaders for crimes against humanity.

We continue to condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights. Those responsible for international crimes committed in Afghanistan should be held to account for their actions. We note the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's application for arrest warrants against Taliban leaders in relation to the persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan. We welcome the progress being made in the investigation in Afghanistan. The UK Government respects the independence of the ICC. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to determine independently who should be prosecuted in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the rights of Afghan women and girls.

The UK Government condemns the Taliban's inhuman repression of Afghan women and girls. We are working with international partners to maintain collective pressure to press the Taliban to respect the human rights of women and girls. While in New York in January, I publicly demonstrated my support for Afghan women and girls at the UN, ahead of the International Day of Education on 24 January. The UK Government is committed that at least 50 percent of Afghans reached by UK aid are women and girls.

What plans his Department has to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

In their meeting on 27 February, the Prime Minister and President spoke about the fair, balanced and reciprocal economic relationship that the UK and the US enjoy. They agreed to deepen this relationship, and tasked their teams to work together on an economic deal focused on tech. We are in regular discussions with our US counterparts, and we will set out more details as conversations evolve.

Whether she discussed China’s economic practices during her visit to Beijing in January 2025.

During the 2025 UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue, the Chancellor was clear that whilst we must cooperate with China on areas of mutual interest, we will confidently challenge on areas where we disagree. The Chancellor raised UK concerns during meetings with her Chinese counterparts, including about trade imbalances and economic security.The Chancellor also published a written ministerial statement about her visit to China on the morning of Monday 13 January (found here) and delivered an oral statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday 14 January (found here).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) plans and (b) discussions with the US Administration he has had on developing a strategy for managing Iran's influence in the Middle East region.

The Foreign Secretary has discussed the situation in the Middle East, including Iran, with Secretary Rubio. We are in close contact with the US Administration on all our Middle East priorities and will continue to work with the US to counter Iran's destabilising activity in the region. This includes by holding Iran to account in multilateral fora, using sanctions regimes to target Iranian support to its proxies, and by maintaining our permanent defence presence in the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to make additional funding commitments under the Nutrition for Growth initiative to support malnutrition interventions in Nigeria.

The UK Government welcomes the upcoming Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris, and continues to champion improved nutrition in the long-term, integrating its approach alongside successes in other sectors such as health, agriculture, humanitarian, and climate. Specific funding commitments are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income today to 0.3 per cent in 2027. The Government will set out its spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.