Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

We fully recognise the scale of challenges facing creative and cultural professionals wishing to tour and work in Europe. We appreciate that these challenges could not only deny European audiences the opportunity to experience British talent, but also limit opportunities for our artists to collaborate and build their careers. Cultural exchange has long been a cornerstone of the UK-EU relationship, which is why we have made a manifesto pledge to both help our touring artists and reset our wider relationship with the European Union.

We are already working collaboratively with our sectors to address key issues and are engaging with the EU and EU Member States, with a view to improving arrangements for artists working and touring across the European continent without seeing a return to free movement. This is a priority for the government.

We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.

Karen Carney OBE’s Review of Women’s Football set out a route to lift minimum standards and deliver bold and sustainable growth. It included recommendations on meaningful access to facilities, player welfare and development of the talent pathway for women and girls across the country. The Minister for Sport recently convened all parties with recommendations in the review to press them for tangible progress.

The Football Foundation, the charity funded by the Government, the Football Association and the Premier League, has committed to implementing recommendations from a recent independent review to ensure new minimum standards for women and girls at funded sites. This includes guaranteeing a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams, setting up a new small grants programme, specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch, and ensuring refreshed Local Football Facility Plans reflect the growth in women and girls' football.

Sport England’s ‘Accessible and Inclusive Sports Facilities’ guidance also supports grassroots sporting venues to provide well designed spaces for female users.

The Government recognises the vital role that the arts, including theatre, play for people and communities in all parts of this country, and delivers funding to theatres primarily through Arts Council England (ACE).

Arts should not be the preserve of the privileged few. It is a priority for this government and ACE to support more people to access great theatre, via funding programmes such as Project Grants and the National Portfolio. ACE’s regional theatre National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) are key to delivering this priority, with many of their funded venues delivering high quality productions every year.

Since 2022, the Arts Council has invested nearly £43 million into community theatres, supporting theatres like the award winning Little Bulb Theatre in Mendip, which receives £720,000 per annum which will help the theatre continue to engage with community groups close to its home base in rural Somerset; and the Royal & Derngate in Northampton, that received £300,000 towards costs and loss of income relating to RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) identified in the building and the mitigating actions it took in response.

The Government recognises the vital importance of culture and heritage in all parts of the country, particularly heritage in post-industrial towns where brass bands continue to play an important local role. We also remain fully committed to supporting music in all its forms and broadening people’s access to a diverse range of music genres.

Arts Council England, which is funded by taxpayers and National Lottery players, works with Brass Bands England who are a National Portfolio organisation in receipt of c.£406,000 of funding per annum to support the brass bands sector. A significant portion of their activity is focused on encouraging children and young people to participate in brass bands.

The Arts Council also funds The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) via the National Portfolio with funding of c.£100,000 per annum. NYBBGB is the UK’s leading brass band charity for children and young people. They exist to give the brightest young brass and percussion musicians the opportunity to develop their musicianship and inspire others.

Between 2022 and 2024, Arts Council England will be investing over £4.5 million into organisations whose main focus is promoting Brass Bands.

FCDO Travel Advice provides information to British nationals on entry requirements for travelling overseas, including any visa requirements. Travel Advice pages are kept under regular review.

We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. The UK continues to engage with the Government of Zimbabwe on the importance of upholding the rule of law, including constitutional rights to assembly and association and to ensure due process for all Zimbabweans. We are committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with the Government of Zimbabwe which will enable us to pursue shared interests, support Zimbabwe's most vulnerable people, deepen our strong people-to-people links and raise issues relating to human rights.

On 5 November, at Côte d'Ivoire's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK pressed Côte d'Ivoire to improve rights of freedom of association, assembly and peaceful demonstration ahead of next year's Presidential elections. We also highlighted the need to protect civil society and the rights and physical safety of LGBT+ individuals who continue to face widespread discrimination. We do recognise however that Côte d'Ivoire has taken steps to improve its human rights situation in recent years, developing its legal and institutional framework for human rights and playing an active role on the UN's Human Rights Council. The UK Government is committed to work closely with local civil society, human rights defenders and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire on human rights.

The UK supports the African Union's efforts to increase women's participation in political processes in Africa through their Conflict and Governance Programme. Through the programme, we support women's participation in election monitoring missions, transitional justice initiatives and the implementation of National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security. The programme also provides direct support to 'FemWise,' the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation. This helps to underpin the inclusion of, and leadership from, women in political processes across Africa.

Improving education in Africa is a priority for the UK, and we provide support across a range of programmes. Whilst the UK does not provide direct financial support to the Africa Union (AU) Agenda 2063 programme in the field of education, we are a champion of AU efforts in this area. We participated in the Foundational Learning Conference, hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa in September 2024, and will attend the Africa Education Conference, to be hosted in Mauritania in December 2024, as part of the AU's focus on education this year.

At the Budget, the Government announced the most ambitious ever package to close the tax gap, raising £6.5 billion of additional tax revenue in 2029-30, ensuring more of the tax which should be paid is paid, loopholes are closed, and taxpayers are supported to pay the right tax first time.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Table 7.1 of the online tables shows the illustrative tax gap time series by behaviour, including evasion. The tax gap for evasion was £5.5 billion in tax year 2022 to 2023. The online tables are available at: Measuring tax gaps tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

There are currently 88 nationalities which do not require a visa to enter the UK for visits of up to six months, but will be required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in advance of travel from 2025. British and Irish nationals do not require a visa or ETA to enter the UK. Individuals who are free, or exempt, from immigration control (of any nationality), are also able to travel to the UK without a visa, which is in line with our international obligations.

For FY 2024-25, circa £440 million is currently forecast to be spent on maintaining and improving SFA. This includes improving insulation, remediating homes with damp and mould issues and the upgrade of heating systems.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to reviewing its standard for accommodation with the aim of improving the condition of SFA across the estate, and to improve the lived experience for Service families. As part of this, the MOD has recently regained ownership of circa 36,000 SFA properties through the deal with Annington Property Limited, substantially increasing its ability to redevelop and improve our estate further.

A number of activities are underway across the single Services aimed at increasing the size of our Reserves.

Within the Royal Navy, social media, local civic events and marketing campaigns are utilised to engage and inform potential joiners of the opportunities available to them. A new national recruitment campaign is planned for 2025, which includes local radio and other mediums to attract new entrants.

Within the Army, good progress has been made against a package of measures aimed at improving inflow and retention. Highlights include a marketing campaign, the use of four financial incentive schemes, and the optimisation of recruiting processes.

Within the Royal Air Force, progress has been made on the establishment of regional support hubs which focus on recruitment and initial training, fast track selection events, the development of a Reserves-focused marketing campaign, and establishing a team dedicated to Reserves career management.

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) goals are for a Carbon Intensity reduction of at least 40% by 2030 compared with 2008 levels. Given the lack of availability of future fuels and greener technology, the drivers for decarbonisation in the near term are going to be voyage optimisation and increased efficiency in navigation.

Since 2015, delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant has been supported by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. The Trust is a grant-making arm’s-length body of the Ministry of Defence and a charity, and funds projects that support the delivery of the nation’s Covenant promise to our Armed Forces, veterans, and their families. The Government provides all the Trust’s income, and in Financial Year 2023-24, this totalled £35.6 million.

Work continues across government and with civil society to ensure veterans get access to the support they need.

Last month, the Prime Minister announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme, including Op FORTITUDE. This system provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 30 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and 822 veterans have been supported into housing.

This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.

Veterans can also access a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities.

Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network, providing tailored advice and employability support to members of the armed forces community.

In England Op RESTORE provides specialist care to veterans who have physical health problems, and Op COURAGE, a mental health specialist service helps veterans and their families.