Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the (a) current and (b) incoming United States Administration on the timetable for signing the treaty with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with Secretary Blinken on a range of issues, including the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago.

We look forward to continuing to engage with the current and incoming US Administrations in the usual way to protect and enhance our shared security interests.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish an (a) timeline and (b) list of all (i) meetings and (ii) discussions his Department has had with the Government of Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the then Mauritian Prime Minister in London on 23 July. Following this, officials held Rounds 12 and 13 of negotiations on 2-5 September and 23-26 September before the political agreement between the Prime Minister and then Mauritian Prime Minister was reached on 3 October. This engagement has been supplemented by numerous official level meetings, including a meeting between the Prime Minister's Special Envoy with BIOT negotiations, Jonathan Powell and PM Ramgoolam on 25 November.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14335 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff, if he will publish an estimate of the cost implications for his Department of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions for 2025/26.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

HM Treasury are assessing the impact of the National Insurance increase on the public sector in 2025/26 and will inform the Department of the support it will receive in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14335 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of changes to national insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024 on costs to its suppliers; and if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of those costs on his Department's budget in the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Department does not hold the necessary information to estimate the potential impact on its thousands of suppliers. As previously indicated in the response to PQ 14336, the impact of tax changes would be taken into account along with all other changes to their cost base in the usual way through contract negotiations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.96 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, how her Department plans to allocate the additional £500 million for local roads maintenance baseline funding in the 2024-25 financial year; and by what method her Department plans to use to distribute that funding.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. The Government will confirm 2025/26 funding allocations to English local highway authorities, including Essex County Council, in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish funding allocations for highways in Essex County Council for the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. The Government will confirm 2025/26 funding allocations to English local highway authorities, including Essex County Council, in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 November 2024 on School Funding: Provisional 2025-26 allocations, HCWS 264, what funding has been provided to (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special and alternative provision in (i) Witham constituency, (ii) Essex and (iii) nationally to cover the costs of additional pupils entering the state sector from independent provision as a result of the introduction of VAT and business rate changes to independent schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government announced at Budget a £2.3 billion increase to the core schools budget for the 2025/26 financial year. This funding increase includes funding for mainstream schools and high needs funding for complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Funding for mainstream schools will be distributed to schools following the existing funding formula, which includes consideration of pupil numbers and other characteristics. The funding allocations to local authorities for 2025/26 are calculated using the latest pupil numbers from the October 2024 census.

Local authorities are responsible for securing enough school places for children in their area. We provide capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools.

Departmental Pupil Place Planning Advisors engage with councils on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, we support them to find solutions as quickly as possible. Where local authorities are failing in their duty, the government will intervene.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the introduction of new sustainable development goals.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed by all UN Member States in 2015 and have a target of being achieved by 2030. At the UN's Summit of the Future this September, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK's unwavering commitment to achieving the SDGs.

The UN Summit of the Future's inter-governmentally agreed outcome document invited the UN's High Level Political Forum to consider in 2027 how to advance sustainable development by 2030 and beyond. The UK will engage in these discussions and is focused on working with partners at home and internationally to accelerate progress towards the SDGs by 2030.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of commitments made by the UK at COP 29 for the new collective quantified goal on climate finance.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The new collective quantified goal on climate finance agreed at COP 29 is a collective goal, including finance from a broad range of sources, public and private. It does not set individual country commitments.

The UK will play its part alongside others; our contribution to the goal will be carefully considered and determined through the spending review process.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 November 2024 on School Funding: Provisional 2025-26 allocations, HCWS 264, whether the allocations include provision for schools to cover the additional costs of the employer National Insurance contributions increases from April 2025.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

At Budget, HM Treasury confirmed that all public sector organisations will be funded for the increase in employer contributions to national insurance in the 2025/26 financial year. This included additional funding for schools.

The allocations for the national funding formula for the 2025/26 financial year do not include the additional funding for the increase in employer contributions to national insurance from April 2025.

The department anticipates providing this funding to schools through a separate grant in the 2025/26 financial year. It will provide more information on this, including funding rates and allocations, as soon as practicable.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 November 2024 on School Funding: Provisional 2025-26 allocations, HCWS 264, what funding she has provided to (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special and alternative provision in (i) Witham constituency and (ii) Essex.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to the 2024/25 financial year. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion next year.

Through the schools national funding formula (NFF), Essex will receive £5,379 per primary pupil and £6,984 per secondary pupil in mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. These per pupil figures will be used to calculate final allocations for 2025/26 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in December, based on updated pupil numbers.

The provisional funding allocation for primary and secondary schools in Essex based on the 2024/25 DSG pupil numbers is £642.0 million and £587.2 million respectively. These figures do not include premises funding or growth funding.

The department does not provide school funding figures at constituency level. The individual allocations that schools within Witham constituency will actually receive are determined each year by the local funding formula set by Essex County Council.

Almost £1 billion of the £2.3 billion increase announced at the Autumn Budget 2024 has been allocated to high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities and those in alternative provision (AP) to £11.9 billion.

Of that total, Essex County Council is being allocated a provisional high needs funding amount of over £259 million through the high needs NFF. This represents an 8.9% increase per head of their 2 to 18 year old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 financial year NFF allocation. It is for local authorities to decide how to distribute the funding to special and AP schools in their local area.

Essex County Council will also be allocated extra funding for pay and pensions costs in special schools and AP. This funding is additional to the allocations through the high needs NFF, and the department will confirm shortly how the funding allocations will be calculated.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12263 on Employers' Contributions: Public Sector, what methodology her Department used to calculate the provisions identified in line 26 of Table 5.1 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, for compensating public sector organisations for the cost of increases in employer national insurance contributions.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of public sector support was based on an estimate of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. The Treasury routinely uses the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, public sector borrowing and public sector debt.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the time taken to determine the application for the A12 Junction 19 to Junction 25 widening scheme on (a) the economy, (b) road safety and (c) the cost of the scheme.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme, was granted on 12 January 2024. I can confirm that the DCO was determined within the statutory timeframes.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the occasions on which he has directly raised with his Chinese counterpart the impact of the Hong Kong National Security Law on Hong Kongers.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has called for the National Security Law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.

The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to Beijing on 18 October where he raised serious concerns around the implementation of the National Security Law and the ongoing treatment of British national Jimmy Lai, again calling for his release.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further visits he expects Jonathan Powell to make in his role negotiating the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory; and when he expects that role to end.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Jonathan Powell started his role as National Security Adviser on 2 December. In this role he will continue to engage on matters related to the British Indian Ocean Territory as well as a range of other national security issues, both in the UK and overseas.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what provision he has made for the costs associated with the proposed Treaty with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory in his Departmental Budget for (a) 2025/26 and (b) future years.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This Agreement will be underpinned by a financial package which will support a new era of economic partnership between the UK and Mauritius and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossian communities.

A financial element was crucial to securing the agreement. This government will not scrimp on security.

Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government's fiscal framework.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish details of the (a) travel and (b) costs associated with Jonathan Powell’s role in the negotiations on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

A decision on publishing details of costs associated with his appointment will be made in accordance with FCDO policy on Direct Ministerial Appointments at a later date. Jonathan Powell has carried out limited overseas engagements in his capacity as envoy, including in Mauritius and the United States.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funds he plans to provide to the economic partnership with Mauritius as part of the proposed Treaty with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the Government's fiscal framework.

The Government intends to share further details of the future economic partnership with Mauritius in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funds he plans to provide to the Trust Fund for the benefit of Chagossians as part of the proposed Treaty with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government's fiscal framework.

This government is committed to supporting Chagossians. Further details about UK support to Chagossians will be made available in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he expects to conclude negotiations with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory before 20 January 2025.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This agreement is in the shared interests of both Mauritius and the UK, including by ensuring the long-term and effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia. It has been welcomed by our mutual partners the US and India and opens a new era of security and economic cooperation. We look forward to working with the new Mauritian Government to finalise the Treaty and will update the house in due course on timelines for signature and laying of the Treaty following the usual process.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will list the occasions he has directly raised the case of Jimmy Lai with his Chinese counterpart.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

British national Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the UK Government. The Foreign Secretary raised his case in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit on 26 July, and again during their second meeting in Beijing on 18 October. I raised his case with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities when I visited Hong Kong on 14-15 November. The Prime Minister also raised Mr Lai's case with President Xi on 18 November.

Found: The Shadow Foreign Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, says the government should challenge the ICC decision