Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 53953 on Gaza: Infant Mortality, whether the Israeli Government responded to the request to (a) stop military operations in and (b) immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to make clear that the UK stands firmly against Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza. We continue to call on the Government of Israel to lift restrictions immediately to enable humanitarian aid to enter at scale. We made this clear again at the UN Security Council last week, when we voted in favour of a draft UN Security Council Resolution on Gaza. Ministers continue to make representations to Israeli counterparts on these issues as we call for a lasting peace.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 53953 on Gaza: Infant Mortality, whether he has made an assessment of the likelihood of the British Red Cross humanitarian funding reaching Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 4 June, I announced an additional £4 million to the British Red Cross (BRC) in supporting Gaza. The UK has assessed that, despite severe access constraints, BRC, has a credible and realistic pathway to reach Gaza through its partner, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). This assessment is based on the PRCS's longstanding operational presence in Gaza and its continued ability to deliver aid where conditions allow. The UK remains in close contact with the BRC to monitor delivery and ensure accountability. Working with the BRC and international partners, we continue to push for improved humanitarian access.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made with local transport organisations on making interchanges from local public transport to national transport step-free.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to making public transport and infrastructure more inclusive and accessible, to allow people to make the journeys they want and need. It is key that government, local authorities and transport operators work together to achieve this.

The government has continued to support the Access for All programme to improve the accessibility of railway stations. When designing these projects Network Rail will always work with local authorities to improve interchange with other transport modes.

On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill. The Bill will provide powers for the Secretary of State for Transport to produce statutory guidance on the safety and accessibility of bus stations and stops, and to require local authorities commissioning the provision of new or upgrading of existing facilities to pay regard to it. Guidance could include recommendations on design elements that support the ability of disabled people to continue their journey.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken recent steps with international partners to enable (a) the UN and (b) other humanitarian organisations to distribute aid in Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has taken recent steps with international partners to support humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza. On 19 May, we issued a joint statement with 27 partners calling for the immediate resumption of aid, reaffirming support for the UN and other humanitarian organisations to deliver it independently and impartially. The statement also noted we could not support the new model approved by the Israeli cabinet for delivering aid, which has since been associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. I have consistently called for safe, unhindered access for humanitarian actors and backed the UN's aid proposal, which is grounded in humanitarian principles and includes safeguards against aid diversion. We continue diplomatic efforts to secure sustained access.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average waiting time was to resolve urgent repairs requested for service family accommodation in the last 12 months.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The average response time to resolve urgent repairs requested for Service Family Accommodation from April 2024 to March 2025 is below:

Please note, the Department can only provide data up to the last quarterly period which ended in March 2025.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of UK support for the Mozambique Liquefied natural gas project on the UK's international climate commitments.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors and other lenders, including export credit agencies, and other stakeholders, regarding the latest status of the Mozambique LNG project. At present, UKEF is engaged in conducting relevant due diligence which has yet to conclude.

UK Export Finance follows internationally recognised frameworks for managing environmental, social & human rights risks and impacts of relevant projects. UKEF will take proper account of relevant factors, including international climate change issues.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to (a) prevent vehicle number plate cloning and (b) support victims.

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

The cloning and use of false number plates is a serious issue and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is working with the police and others to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

The law requires anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK to be registered with DVLA and for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the number plates they have supplied. Those found to have committed number plate offences can be prosecuted by the police.

To help victims of numberplate cloning, the DVLA can, on request, provide a replacement age related registration number.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of British-made steel procured by the UK defence industry in the last year.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK steel sector provides vital support to the UK’s defence capabilities. Steel used in our major Defence programmes is sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, as programmes may often have requirements for specialist steel which cannot be sourced in the UK. The amount and origins of steel procured for Defence programmes is included in the Department for Business and Trade’s annual Steel Public Procurement report which can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/steel-public-procurement

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing a Defence Industrial Strategy that will align this Government’s national security and economic priorities. This will include a review of the UK’s approach to critical supply chain elements, such as steel, alongside reviewing and reconfirming the areas where the UK needs to retain sovereign production capacities onshore. The Government will also bring forward a new cross Government Steel Strategy which will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth, that aligns with wider priorities, including the trade strategy, Strategic Defence Review and the upcoming Modern Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to increase domestic steel production capabilities for products required by the UK defence industry.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK steel sector provides vital support to the UK’s defence capabilities. Steel used in our major Defence programmes is sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, as programmes may often have requirements for specialist steel which cannot be sourced in the UK. The amount and origins of steel procured for Defence programmes is included in the Department for Business and Trade’s annual Steel Public Procurement report which can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/steel-public-procurement

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing a Defence Industrial Strategy that will align this Government’s national security and economic priorities. This will include a review of the UK’s approach to critical supply chain elements, such as steel, alongside reviewing and reconfirming the areas where the UK needs to retain sovereign production capacities onshore. The Government will also bring forward a new cross Government Steel Strategy which will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth, that aligns with wider priorities, including the trade strategy, Strategic Defence Review and the upcoming Modern Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the affordability of NHS dental treatment for pensioners not in receipt of Pension Credit.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are a range of exemptions to National Health Service dental patient charges for those who need the most financial support. 48.6% of courses of dental treatment were delivered to adults and children who were exempt from charges in 2023/24.

Eligibility for free NHS dental care includes people who are being treated in an NHS hospital by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges. Treatment is also free for people receiving certain benefits, including Income Support and Pension Credit. Support is available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for an exemption or a full remission of dental patient charges. Further information about support with NHS dental patient charges is available from the following link:

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/dental-costs/get-help-with-dental-costs

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to pensioners for dental treatment.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are a range of exemptions to National Health Service dental patient charges for those who need the most financial support. 48.6% of courses of dental treatment were delivered to adults and children who were exempt from charges in 2023/24.

Eligibility for free NHS dental care includes people who are being treated in an NHS hospital by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges. Treatment is also free for people receiving certain benefits, including Income Support and Pension Credit. Support is available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for an exemption or a full remission of dental patient charges. Further information about support with NHS dental patient charges is available from the following link:

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/dental-costs/get-help-with-dental-costs

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will review Indefinite Leave to Remain visa fees for family members of non-UK armed forces personnel.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

This Government is committed to removing visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served our country for four or more years, and their dependents. The Ministry of Defence is actively working with the Home Office to take this forward.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 53139 on Ministry of Defence: Weapons, whether he is taking steps to help ensure (a) that weapons exported to Israel for defensive purposes cannot be used for offensive purposes and (b) compliance with international law on arms exports.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are currently no extant export licences for use in military operations in Gaza. This is subject to the specific measures taken to protect the global F-35 programme. The action we have taken, as announced to Parliament, is consistent with all our legal obligations, including those under the Arms Trade Treaty, and we remain wholly committed to international law.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve access to dental appointments in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Slough constituency and Berkshire, this is the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.

ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB is expected to deliver 15,454 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

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 his US counterpart on the legality of the arrangements to distribute privatised humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to work with international partners, including the United States, to ensure aid can flow into Gaza and secure a lasting peace in the region. We are grateful to the US for their efforts to secure a ceasefire and we will continue to support them. We have been clear that we do not support any aid mechanism that seeks to deliver political or military objectives or puts vulnerable civilians at risk. We call on Israel to urgently engage with the UN to ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles. We endorse the plan for delivery of aid put forward by the UN on 16 May which is based on humanitarian principles, has built in mitigations against aid diversion and uses established mechanisms to deliver at the scale required.

Found: Current membership Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour; Slough) (Chair) Mr Calvin Bailey (Labour; Leyton

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Alex Baker; Lincoln Jopp; Mike

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Alex Baker; Lincoln Jopp; Mike

Found: meeting Members present: Lord Sedwill (The Chair); Dame Karen Bradley; Sarah Champion; Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: meeting Members present: Lord Sedwill (The Chair); Dame Karen Bradley; Sarah Champion; Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Ingham Cat Smith Jim Allister Irene Campbell Alice Macdonald Sir Andrew Mitchell Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Ingham Cat Smith Jim Allister Irene Campbell Alice Macdonald Sir Andrew Mitchell Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Ingham Cat Smith Jim Allister Irene Campbell Alice Macdonald Sir Andrew Mitchell Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Ingham Cat Smith Jim Allister Irene Campbell Alice Macdonald Sir Andrew Mitchell Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Ingham Cat Smith Jim Allister Irene Campbell Alice Macdonald Sir Andrew Mitchell Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

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