Preet Kaur Gill

I would like to thank my Hon. Friend for her continued interest in women’s health.

Women’s health is a priority for this government, and we are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy.

Work continues to improve health outcomes for women, for example through the £25 million women’s health hubs pilot, and recent extension of the Baby Loss Certificate Service to all historic losses.

Reducing serious and violent crime is integral to this Government’s Safer Streets Mission and commitment to halve knife crime in a decade.

Our new Crime and Policing Bill will back our police by giving them enhanced and tougher powers to keep our streets safe, to tackle anti-social behaviour, and to crack down on knife crime.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes serious and violent crime robustly, providing early investigative advice on complex and serious offending to build strong cases and deliver justice for victims.

The CPS is working with cross-government partners to support the delivery of the Safer Streets Mission, and all CPS guidance and training is kept under constant review to ensure front-line prosecutors are equipped to prosecute these serious offences. Serious and violent crime encompasses many different types of crime but is more commonly associated with drug crime, knife crime, gun crime, and homicide.

In 2023-2024, the CPS prosecuted the following serious and violent offences in the West Midlands Police force area, in which the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency is located:

• 1,249 defendants for drug offences under the principal category offence for drugs (which includes possession of controlled drugs, supplying or offering to supply controlled drugs, unlawful importation of controlled drugs, and manufacturing a scheduled substance) (up from 942 in 2022-23).

• 1,645 offences for possession of a knife under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and Prevention of Crime Act 1953 (up from 1,408 in 2022-23).

• 189 offences under the Firearms Act 1968 (up from 117 in 2022-23).

• 124 defendants were prosecuted for homicide offences under the principal offence category for homicide (which includes offences of murder, attempted murder, causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult, child destruction, conspiring or soliciting to commit murder and causing death by dangerous or careless driving) (up from 73 in 2022-23).

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a national emergency and through the Safer Streets Mission, this Government will deliver on our ambition to halve VAWG in a decade. A key part will be delivering effective prosecutions, and we continue to see improvements in the prosecution of VAWG offences.

As Solicitor General, I superintend the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is continuing to transform its approach to adult rape prosecution through the implementation of its new national operating model, based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria. Through this work, the CPS has seen substantial increases in referral, charge, and prosecution volumes for adult rape.

These improvements have also informed the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing which launched in November 2024. Better partnership with policing has already led to modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements.

To address the increasingly complexity of VAWG offending and the holistic needs of victims, the CPS will also begin implementation of its 2025-30 VAWG strategy this spring. This will ensure prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively.

I was delighted to give a keynote address at a joint CPS, Home Office, and National Police Chiefs’ Council conference on tackling honour-based abuse held in Birmingham last week. On the same day, I met with the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the West Midlands and the Area’s Victim Liaison Unit and heard directly from CPS staff about the critical work they are doing to prosecute VAWG offences.

In the West Midlands police force area in 2023-24, the CPS prosecuted 1,596 domestic abuse flagged cases (an increase from 1,543 in 2022-23), 135 rape flagged cases (an increase from 108 in 2022-23), and 419 sexual offences (excluding rape flagged) cases (an increase from 295 in 2022-23).

The Low Pay Commission publishes a report that provides a coverage of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) each year, shortly before the rates are updated in April. The report provides a Local Authority and Regional breakdown of NMW and NLW coverage, including those paid below or within 5p of the applicable rate. Data on those who are within 50p of the rates is not provided as part of the report.

In total, over 3 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in April 2025.

We will also publish an Impact Assessment alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. The Impact Assessment will provide a regional and country breakdown on the number of workers benefitting from an increase.

Under the existing regulations telecommunications operators are responsible for the guidelines governing the deployment of above ground infrastructure. In response to my concerns about the installation of unnecessarily intrusive telecommunications infrastructure, the industry convened a working group to examine the existing Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice, and to issue new guidelines for the deployment of telegraph poles.

Whilst this work is entirely for industry to undertake, I understand that industry trade bodies expect to publish the guidelines this spring and urge them to do so as soon as possible.

The UK is committed to working closely with our international partners to promote the development and use of AI, including by driving collaboration on shared research and development initiatives. We will deliver on the recommendations recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, including expanding the Turing AI Fellowships offer, doubling the capacity of the AI Research Resource (AIRR) and strengthening the UK’s participating in the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC). This will facilitate joint AI research by broadening the compute resources that UK researchers and businesses can access.

Reducing the AI skills gap is critical for increasing the UK’s productivity and delivering long-term growth. DSIT regularly reviews the status of the UK’s AI labour market, and most recently commissioned Gardiner & Theobald LLP to conduct a survey of the labour market, which we will publish this year. In response to the recommendations set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan developed by Matt Clifford, DSIT will also work closely with DfE and Skills England to assess the size of the AI skills gap and map pathways to fill it. Skills England will publish its first assessment in the spring.

The AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) will help secure the UK’s position as a global leader in AI innovation, ensuring benefits for the whole of the UK. AI infrastructure is the backbone of the AI ecosystem, and is crucial to supporting its growth. AIGZs are closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans.

AIGZs will deliver substantial regional and national benefits, such as upskilling and employment opportunities. The investment in AI-enabled data centres will have a spillover effect in local communities, providing jobs, enhancing skills, rejuvenating areas, and driving the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for AI talent and investment.

Lifelong learning and adaptability are key to ensuring everyone can prosper in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Matt Clifford’s AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines the steps the UK must take to build a strong, diverse talent pipeline, realising AI benefits across sectors and the government has agreed to take forward its recommendations.

Skills England will work closely with DSIT and the Industrial Skills Council. They will bring together businesses, training partners, and unions with national and local government to assess the country’s AI skills needs and map pathways to fill them.

The creative industries sector is one of eight growth-driving sectors identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy. We will publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to drive growth in the late spring. The creative industries can be found in clusters throughout the UK, with the Creative Policy and Evidence Centre noting 55 clusters making a strong contribution to the sector’s contribution of £124bn to the UK’s GVA.

In 2023, the West Midlands was one of the top three regions in terms of median annual earnings for the creative industries (£40,650). The West Midlands’ Creative Industries contributed £4 billion to the UK economy and there were 138,000 filled jobs in the sector in the region. This includes a strong presence in video games, film and television as well as in the wider culture and creative industries.

Government support for the sector has included £520,000 to the West Midlands region to provide creative industries specific business support and develop regional investor readiness through the Create Growth Programme. This is delivered in combination with the West Midlands Combined Authority, Creative UK, Create Central and Innovate UK with funding from DCMS. A further £425,000 will be provided by DCMS via the Integrated Settlement during the 2025/26 Financial Year.

In November at the Beyond Conference, we announced £6.74m to deliver the CreaTech Futures Creative Industries Cluster with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This will drive research and development, business innovation and skills within the creative industries ecosystem across the West Midlands. This will be led by Birmingham City University with Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Warwick and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Cluster will create a network of four complementary, interconnected R&D labs in immersive audio and video technologies, virtual production, applied AI for createch and gaming, esports, and animation.

At the Creative Industries Growth Moment in January, we announced additional funding, to be agreed as part of the Spending Review to six Mayoral Combined Authorities including the West Midlands Combined Authority to drive business growth.

DCMS has policy responsibility for public libraries in England only.

The following table shows the number of open static libraries in England in the most recent 10 years for which data is available. The data is taken from the Arts Council England Basic Dataset for Libraries 2023 which consolidated and validated previous datasets.

1. Figures do not include 10 static libraries for which the operating model is unknown

Our ambitious food strategy will set and deliver clear long-term outcomes that create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system, and in doing so will consider elements of the food system that can contribute towards those outcomes.

In developing the strategy, we are establishing a new way of working with the sector and building on strong partnerships across the food system to pool our expertise, influence and effort and develop collective commitments, backed by a clear vision and framework for change from the Government, to improve the outcomes the food system delivers. We will provide details of process, engagement and milestones in the coming months.

The Government currently have no plans to add these breed types to Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Owners of any breed of dog which is dangerously out of control are breaking the law. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected.

The table below shows the average waiting time for driving test centres that serve customers living in the Edgbaston constituency, as of the 17 March 2025.

The current national average for driving tests as of February 2025 is 21.3 weeks.

The Government has no intention of requiring cyclists, including those who ride Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles, to display number plates or to have insurance. This would require a national registration scheme for all cycles which would be complex and expensive to design and administer. It would also be likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of people cycling, which would have negative health and environmental consequences. The Government believes that insurance for cycling should remain a matter of personal choice. Cyclists who are not insured are liable for the consequences of their actions should these result in injury or damages to others.

The Department for Transport has not recently assessed the adequacy of penalties for dangerous driving. The Government is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. We will set out next steps on this in due course.

The findings of an evaluation of the fourth iteration of the Household Support Fund that ran from April 2023 to March 2024 are published here: Evaluation of the Household Support Fund 4 - GOV.UK.

The evaluation ran from September 2023 to August 2024 and assessed the effectiveness of delivery by Local Authorities and the benefits of the scheme for award recipients.

In addition, management Information from the first to fourth iteration of the Household Support Fun can be found here- Household Support Fund management information - GOV.UK.

In England, the Household Support Fund is a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water and to support with essentials linked to these for example, energy efficient items which reduce bills and the purchase of equipment such as slow cookers.

Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have set out for the fund. This is because they have the ties and the knowledge to best determine how support should be provided in their local communities.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors trends in the level of childhood vaccination rates by upper tier local authority (UTLA), region and country level.

Edgbaston falls within the Birmingham UTLA. From 2013/14 to 2023/24, coverage of the first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR1) vaccine in children aged five years old has decreased by 7.1 percentage points to 87.0% in Birmingham and 3.5 percentage points to 91.9% in the West Midlands. In comparison, the 2023/24 MMR1 coverage in England was 91.4%.

The most recent figures, published in December 2024, show immunisations coverage across all vaccines in children aged one and two years old was 80% or higher in Birmingham and 87% or higher in the West Midlands, in comparison to 87% or higher in England overall. Coverage was slightly lower in children aged five years old, at or above 74% in Birmingham and at or above 82% in the West Midlands, in comparison to 81% or higher in England overall. No local authority in the West Midlands had coverage exceeding the World Heath Organization (WHO) target of 95% in all the routine childhood immunisations.

Data on coverage of all routine childhood immunisations are published quarterly by UKHSA, and annually by NHS England. They are available at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-data

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) focus has been to ensure all applications received through all routes are processed on time. The MHRA has now embedded improvements in processing licencing applications into standard working practice. Milestones for licencing clearance during 2024 were achieved in line with the business plan commitment to remove backlogs, including generics and biosimilars by the end of March 2025.

During 2024, the MHRA has been working through a high number of applications to return to working to statutory timelines. From 1 September 2024, all applications submitted, regardless of application pathway, are being completed within statutory timelines. The Agency’s original background of national marketing authorisation applications has been eliminated, with decisions made for over 1,680 licence applications in 2024.

The MHRA has been working in close collaboration with health system partners and industry to ensure that robust, appropriate and prompt decisions are made. The MHRA is on track to clear all statutory backlog activities by the end of March 2025.

NHS England has been establishing the digital infrastructure required to maintain a consistent view of vaccination status between both individuals and healthcare providers. This includes data sharing across general practice, National Health Service trusts, community pharmacies and school-aged immunisation services.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have demonstrated effective sharing of vaccination data across the NHS vaccination network. Effective data sharing across general practice, maternity services and targeted community pharmacies has since helped mobilise the delivery of respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes for older adults and pregnant women, to protect newborn babies, which were introduced in September 2024. Progress has also been made in the sharing of pertussis vaccination events delivered in maternity services, to protect babies from whooping cough.

NHS England continues to extend this capability across wider NHS vaccinations, ensuring that vaccination records are consistently visible to individuals and vaccination providers.

Work is also underway to improve the public’s vaccination experience, via the NHS app. This service will use this same digital infrastructure to help individuals understand which vaccinations they are eligible for, those they’ve already had, as well as how and where to access them.

The latest annual and quarterly Tuberculosis (TB) reports for England, published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), include detailed data analysis up to the end of 2023 and provisional data up to the end of 2024; this includes the West Midlands and Birmingham city local authority area. The full report and data tables are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-in-england-2024-report

TB notification rates in the West Midlands showed a steady decline between 2012 and 2019, after which notification rates plateaued before beginning to increase in 2022. In 2023, the TB rates for the West Midlands rose by 7.8%, giving the West Midlands the second highest TB notification rate after London.

Provisional data for 2024 indicates a continued and accelerated rise, namely 22.2%, in TB notifications in the West Midlands, increasing from 538 to 709 cases. This is the largest rise in any region during 2024 and is likely due to more arrivals into the area from high TB incidence countries and a backlog in testing and treatment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Further analysis for the West Midlands region is being undertaken.

Within the West Midlands, Wolverhampton and Birmingham City have the highest rates. In 2023 Birmingham City saw a 17% increase in the number of TB notifications compared to 2022, from 184 to 216.

UKHSA provides three-year annual incidence rates for West Midlands and Birmingham City on the ‘Fingertips’ website. The three-year annual incidence rate for the West Midlands is significantly higher than the national rate for England. Birmingham City’s three-year annual incidence rate ranks 19th highest among local authority areas in England. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/TB#page/1/gid/1/ati/502/iid/91359/age/1/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

There are currently no published analyses of ward level data; therefore, data specific to Edgbaston is not available.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors trends in the level of childhood vaccination rates, including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination, at upper tier local authority, region and country level.

Official vaccine coverage estimates, for the BCG vaccine, are measured for eligible children in England at three months and 12 months of age and are published quarterly by UKHSA. These are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-data

Annual estimates are published by NHS England at local authority level, and are available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24

Edgbaston falls within the Birmingham Upper Tier Local Authority. The latest data, published in December 2024, captures BCG coverage at the age of three months for children born April to June 2024 and at age 12 months for children born July to September 2023. Measured at three months, coverage was 87.0% in Birmingham and 87.1% in the West Midlands. Measured at 12 months, it was 85.3% in Birmingham and 87.0% in the West Midlands. These figures are higher than the coverage of 78.4% at 3 months and 84.1% at 12 months in England.

The impact on the UK contribution to the World Bank International Development Association's (IDA) 21st replenishment is being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% of GNI to 0.3% in 2027. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.

Promoting freedom of religion or belief is a key part of the UK's diplomatic engagement overseas. I underlined the importance of religious tolerance and harmony when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024, although I did not raise religious expression within educational institutions specifically. The British High Commission in Islamabad continues to promote the rights of marginalised groups, including Hindus and other religious minorities, at the highest levels. For example, on 3 March 2025, the British High Commissioner raised the rights of the Ahmadi community in a meeting with Prime Minister Sharif. UK programming also facilitates interfaith dialogue by convening influential community and faith leaders and minority representatives to resolve local issues.

In 2023, British International Investment (BII) provided £449 million in climate finance, representing 37 per cent of all commitments. This includes supporting the growth of companies providing solar-powered irrigation systems for smallholder farmers, battery-swapping businesses for electric vehicles, and Sierra Leone's first large-scale solar project to be connected to the grid.

BII's 2024 Annual Review will be published in July 2025 and will include its audited climate finance break down for 2024 commitments. BII publishes its investments, including whether they qualify as climate finance on its website (https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/search-results/) and in its Annual Review.

The Government has agreed that BII should ensure that at least 30 per cent of its commitments between 2022-26 count as climate finance. In the first two years, 42 per cent of commitments have qualified.

The Government has agreed that British International Investment (BII) should ensure that 25% of its commitments between 2022-26 qualify as gender lens investments. In the first two years, 38% of new commitments are 2X qualified.

In 2023, £297 million qualified against 2X. Investments can qualify against more than one dimension of the 2X criteria. The proportion is as follows: A) 9%; B) 79%; C) 78%; D) 22%; E) 65%. Figures for 2024 will be confirmed in July 2025 as part of BII's Annual Review process.

BII publishes its investments, including whether they qualify as 2X qualified investments, on its website (https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/search-results/).

The Foreign Secretary launched a five-month consultation to inform the UK's new approach to the African continent during his visit to Nigeria and South Africa in November 2024. This follows the manifesto commitment to develop a fundamentally transformed partnership that engages with African countries as equals, promotes our economic growth and supports migration priorities. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa met with African Ambassadors, High Commissioners, civil society, and African experts to discuss opportunities for building a long-term mutually beneficial UK relationship with African countries.