Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the changes in costs for the A12 widening scheme following the decision taken by the Secretary of State to pause that scheme in July 2024.

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

The A12 scheme was deferred by the previous Government, adding to the overall cost of the scheme as set out in the table below.

In July 2025, following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government took the difficult decision not to proceed with the A12 scheme, to provide certainty for the public.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held direct discussions with representatives from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.

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

The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with her Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. She has not held direct discussions with Major General Alian or any of his staff.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of trucks of aid entering Gaza since the establishment of the Civil Military Coordination Center from (a) the UN and (b) other sources.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence are in regular contact with UK staff in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre to ensure that UK expertise can support the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. The specific data the Rt Hon Member has requested on aid trucks is not centrally held by the FCDO.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held direct discussions with (a) General Frank, (b) British representatives and (c) representatives from other countries at the Civil Military Coordination Center.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence are in regular contact with UK staff in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre to ensure that UK expertise can support the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. The specific data the Rt Hon Member has requested on aid trucks is not centrally held by the FCDO.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of payments made by the Palestinian Authority under 'pay for slay' schemes.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 13 November 2025 in response to Question HL11575, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

In President Abbas' letter to President Macron, dated 9 June 2025, he set out his commitment to the principles of non-violence, the organisation of elections, the development of a school curriculum that is free from incitement, and the implementation of a new social security system, which will revoke so-called prisoner payments, and ensure that any future welfare payments are needs-based and delinked from violent actions. The Palestinian Authority must now ensure that an independent audit is conducted to verify that these reforms have been completed.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much from her Department's budget will be used to fund the payments required by the UK-Mauritius Treaty in (a) the current financial year and (b) each of the next five financial years.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers I gave her on 12 and 13 November 2025 in response to Questions 88232 and 88233.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has planned in her Department's budget resources to finance any expenditure required by the UK-Mauritius Treaty in the current financial year.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers I gave her on 12 and 13 November 2025 in response to Questions 88232 and 88233.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with her Mauritian counterpart on whether nuclear weapons can (a) be stored and be present on Diego Garcia and (b) transported to and from Diego Garcia under the terms of (i) the UK-Mauritius Treaty on the Chagos Archipelago and (ii) in accordance with Mauritius obligations under the terms of the Pelindaba Treaty.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 11 June 2025 in response to Question 57628.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will respond to the results of the survey conducted by the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on Chagossian views on the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

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

I thank the International Relations and Defence Committee (IRDC) for its swift work in producing the report. As the report acknowledges, there is a wide range of views amongst the Chagossian community. We are considering the IRDC findings carefully and will respond in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help secure the disarming of Hamas in Gaza.

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

The UK is working closely with our international partners to ensure the implementation of the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025, including Points 6, 13, 14 and 17, which relate to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international counterparts on the extent of the tunnel network in Gaza used by Hamas; and what support she is providing to help dismantle those tunnels.

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

The UK is working closely with our international partners to ensure the implementation of the 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025, including Points 6, 13, 14 and 17, which relate to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 on Free Schools: Witham, UIN 101355, if she will publish a breakdown of the (a) details and (b) scoring of each school project evaluated; and if she will publish the evidence considered as part of her review into Lodge Farm Primary and Nursery.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is progressing projects that will meet the needs of communities and provide a unique offer for students who would otherwise not have access, without damaging the viability of existing local schools and colleges.

We have written to trusts, local authorities and MPs setting out the position on individual projects as well as offering more detailed feedback.

All projects were evaluated in line with consistent criteria set out in a Written Ministerial Statement in October 2024, including published school capacity data (SCAP24), in line with the department’s longstanding approach to assessing pipeline projects, as well as other data from local authorities, such as plans for future housing developments.

Final decisions on projects where a ‘minded to cancel’ letter was issued will be made once trusts and local authorities have had the opportunity to submit any new evidence. Representations should be made by 30 January 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what capital funding he has made available for (a) neighbourhood health services as part of the Ten Year Plan and (b) health and primary care facilities in (i) Witham constituency and (ii) Essex in each of the next five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030, delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.

In September 2025, we launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) in 43 Places across England, including North East Essex. The NNHIP is a large-scale change programme for all partners involved in delivering neighbourhood health with a strong focus on co-production and working with the people and communities they serve.

Integrated care systems’ estates infrastructure strategies have been developed to create a long-term plan for future estate requirements and investment for each local area and its needs.

The Essex Integrated Care Board has submitted plans for local investment in health facilities other than Neighbourhood Health Services, based on indicative allocations, and will be informed of its multi-year capital budget on conclusion of the planning process.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has met with representatives of the Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 6 January to Question 101358.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 December 2025 on Chagossians and the Diego Garcia Base Treaty, HCWS1166, which British Chagossian associations will be eligible to submit recommendations for consideration to the Trust Fund Board members.

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

Following extensive representations and engagement by this Government, the Mauritian Government has confirmed that a UK-based Chagossian will sit on the Board of the Trust Fund alongside representatives living in Mauritius and the Seychelles. The UK High Commissioner to Mauritius will also attend Board meetings.

We welcome these commitments by Mauritius which will ensure the Trust Fund reflects the full spectrum of perspectives within the Chagossian community. Further details, including the process for submitting recommendations for consideration to the Trust Fund Board members, will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether British Chagossians will be required to hold Mauritian citizenship to be eligible for resettlement.

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

The UK Government has been in talks with Mauritius to ensure that resettlement is open to all Chagossians. The Mauritian Government confirmed on 12 December that all Chagossians born on the Archipelago before 31 December 1973 and their children will be eligible for Mauritian citizenship and therefore able to participate in any future programme of resettlement. Chagossians will be able to hold both British and Mauritian citizenship. As of April 2025, 94 per cent of Chagossians with British nationality also had Mauritian Citizenship. All Chagossians will remain eligible for British citizenship under the current Citizenship Pathway.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the amount of business rates to be paid on hereditaments located in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex, in (i) 2025/26 and (ii) 2026/27; and the amount of business rates to be paid by businesses in the retail, leisure, and hospitality sector in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex, in (i) 2025/26 and (ii) 2026/27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Without this support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. However, because of the support the Government has put in place, this has fallen to just 4%.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, while ensuring that warehouses used by online giants will pay more. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of passenger numbers on Greater Anglia Services in each of the next five years; and what her estimate is of income from fare revenues on Greater Anglia Services in each of the next five years.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As detailed in the response to Question 91938, over each of the next five financial years I expect Greater Anglia to continue to grow passenger numbers and income.

Exact income levels will be agreed during the rolling business planning process. Information on the operator's income will be published in the statutory accounts, available from Companies House, in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of additional people in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex who will be earning incomes that will be taxed by surpassing (i) the income tax threshold; and (ii) the higher rate of income tax threshold as a consequence of her policy to freeze those thresholds until 2030/31.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMT/HMRC does not publish this information at constituency or local authority level.

By 2025-26 there were an estimated 5.66 million individual income taxpayers in the South East region which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of Witham and the Ceremonial County of Essex.

Regional breakdowns can be found in HMRC’s published Income Tax Liabilities Statistics in Collated Tables, Table 2.2.

Link here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods

This estimate is based on the 2022-23 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2025-26 using economic assumption consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the total income tax receipts from income taxpayers in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex in (i) the current financial year and (ii) each of the next five financial years; and the additional income as a result of her policy to extend the freeze in income tax thresholds to 2030/31.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMT/HMRC does not publish this information at constituency or local authority level.

By 2025-26 there were an estimated 5.66 million individual income taxpayers in the South East region which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of Witham and the Ceremonial County of Essex.

Regional breakdowns can be found in HMRC’s published Income Tax Liabilities Statistics in Collated Tables, Table 2.2.

Link here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods

This estimate is based on the 2022-23 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2025-26 using economic assumption consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Found: Both the shadow Foreign Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, and the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group