Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction of Official Development Assistance on (1) levels of infant mortality, and (2) the effectiveness of programmes seeking to reduce female genital mutilation, in the Global South.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction of Official Development Assistance on women and girls' education (1) globally, and (2) in Afghanistan.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth. In Afghanistan, we have repeatedly condemned the Taliban's edicts that restrict the rights of women and girls, including on girls' education. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review process. We intend to publish final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts this summer. The FCDO is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. The UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Crown court trials have (1) collapsed, or (2) returned not guilty verdicts, because of a lack of evidence; how many of these instances may be attributed to the delays in Crown court hearings; and how many of these instances related to trials concerning violence against women and girls.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on Crown Court trial sentencing outcomes in England and Wales in the Crown Court data tool published here: Crown Court data tool.

This includes details of those acquitted and where the case was discontinued. Crown Court trials may be discontinued for a wide variety of reasons. Data on where Crown Court trials collapsed or returned not guilty verdicts specifically “because of a lack of evidence” and/or “attributed to the delays in Crown court hearings” are not identifiable in the published data. This information may be held in court records but to examine all individual court records would be a disproportionate use of costs.

This Government inherited a record and rising crown court backlog, which has meant that victims have been left waiting years for justice. This is unacceptable and we are working hard to drive down the backlog and cut delays. We have already funded a record number of sitting days in the crown court and have increased magistrates courts sentencing powers. We have asked Sir Brian Leveson to lead an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts which will guide the Government on the long term structural reforms required to bear down on the backlog and restore a sustainable criminal justice system in which there are fewer ineffective trials.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received applications for political asylum from citizens of the United States of America since January.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Data on the number of asylum claims by nationality from January to March 2025 will be published by the Home Office on 22 May 2025 in the 'Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release' on GOV.UK.