Lord Swire

On 22 October 2024, together with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, we commissioned NESO to produce the first ever Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), to support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across Great Britain, including for overhead power lines. The SSEP will be subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulation Assessment and take into account views of both rural and urban communities to ensure the impacts of infrastructure on local areas are properly considered.

Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission. In relation to this specific case, the Charity Commission is aware of the concerns raised, but as the Charity Commission is independent from the Government in its regulatory decision making, it will be for them to assess the matter further.

Decisions relating to the care and management of the Parthenon Sculptures are a matter for the Trustees of the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the government. Any potential agreement is therefore for the British Museum trustees to agree.

The Department monitors the implementation and impact of the grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator. Since 2010, the grant scheme has returned over £350 million to listed places of worship.

Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process. We have made no specific assessment in the terms set by the Lord Bishop, but we are fully aware of the importance of the scheme to all listed places of worship, including Anglican churches across England and the rest of the UK.

We have received a range of advice about the future of the Scheme. The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism and DCMS officials have met with a range of heritage bodies since July and this has frequently included representations on the future of the Scheme.

The Department has also received correspondence from religious organisations, predominantly in the Church of England, regarding the Scheme.

Qualifications in economics are available for schools to offer at GCSE and A level. Schools are free to decide which qualifications they will offer in each subject they teach. As part of their duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, schools are expected to offer a range of subject options to help meet the aspirations of all pupils.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. It will seek to refresh the curriculum to ensure it is cutting edge, fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people to support their future life and work.

The terms of reference for the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is attached and can also be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66d196b7d107658faec7e3db/Curriculum_and_assessment_review_-_aims_terms_of_reference_and_working_principles.pdf.

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Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local authorities already have a range of powers to tackle littering including the ability to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £500. They must spend the income from these penalties on enforcement or clean up.

This Government is committed to delivering the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in October 2027, as agreed with the devolved Governments of the UK, and in accordance with the Joint Policy Statement published in April 2024. It is estimated that DRS could lead to an 85% reduction in litter of in-scope items.

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights communities and the environment and dealing with it imposes significant costs on both taxpayers and businesses. In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment, and other actions to tackle fly-tipping, in due course.

In the meantime, Defra will continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders such as local authorities, the Environment Agency and National Farmers Union, to promote good practice with regards to tackling fly-tipping, including on private land.

The North Korean Chargé d'Affaires was summoned to FCDO on 29 October 2024 where FCDO officials raised reports of North Korean troops arriving in Russia. We outlined the UK's position of unequivocally supporting Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, condemned Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and warned that DPRK would likely suffer heavy casualties. We called for DPRK to immediately cease its support of Putin's war, either through the deployment of DPRK troops, or the provision of munitions. We continue to engage with the DPRK embassy on a regular basis.

Humanitarian assistance in Ukraine is essential to protecting the lives of innocent civilians. The FCDO is providing at least £120 million in humanitarian aid through to the end of FY 24/25 bringing the total contribution to £477 million to Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion, making us one of the largest bilateral humanitarian donors to Ukraine. Although some of our humanitarian partners support frontline medical evacuations like those undertaken by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), we do not directly fund such services.

We are deeply concerned about the situation in northern Gaza. That is why we, alongside France and Algeria, co-convened an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 October, where we underlined that northern Gaza must not be cut off from the south and there must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza contrary to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), nor any reduction in the territory of Gaza. Israel must comply fully with IHL and ensure sufficient aid reaches all parts of Gaza. As the Prime Minister said in Berlin on 18 October, the world will not tolerate any more excuses from Israel on humanitarian assistance. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary continue to press Israeli leaders to take all steps to avoid civilian casualties and we continue to work with our international partners including at the UN to put pressure on Israel to show the world it is complying with IHL.

Countering rollback and promoting the rights of women and girls is a key focus of our programming and policy work in Iraq. The UK centres its women, peace and security work within a context-sensitive and 'do no harm' approach. We continue to engage with and convene local women's rights organisations and activists. We engage regularly with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government on these topics, in particular advocating for legislation to further protect women.

The UK is analysing the proposed amendments to Iraq's Personal Status Law and its implications for women and children's rights. As we privately engage with a range of Iraqi interlocutors to discuss this, we are emphasising the importance of any amendments' compatibility with Iraq's international obligations.

We would condemn any legislative change that would violate international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).

National portfolio leads are a matter for the NPCC.

National portfolio leads are a matter for the NPCC.

It is for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to make decisions around appointing, suspending, and removing chief constables. The Office of the PCC for Devon and Cornwall have kept the Home Office updated on the decisions taken by the PCC about the leadership of the force. I welcome the recent appointment of James Vaughan QPM as interim Chief Constable for Devon & Cornwall Police

It is vital that all forces have strong leadership that instils the right culture across the workforce. That is why the College of Policing are working to embed consistent leadership standards across all forces and ranks.

In her Written Ministerial Statement of 19 November 2024 (HCWS232), the Home Secretary announced her intention to present a White Paper to Parliament next year on reforms to deliver more effective and efficient policing, to rebuild public confidence and to deliver the Government’s Safer Streets mission. This reform programme will be a collaborative endeavour with policing, and will include exploring how to strengthen police workforce, leadership, and culture.

Where serious failings or concerns are identified, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services may choose to escalate a police force to ‘Engage’, also known as ‘special measures’, which is a form of enhanced monitoring. These decisions are made by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC), independently of Government.

Devon & Cornwall Police was escalated to Engage by the Inspectorate in October 2022 over concerns surrounding their crime data integrity, their call handling (which has since been addressed) and their management of sexual and violent offenders. The force has been subject to enhanced monitoring since.

HMCIC, Andy Cooke, chairs the Police Performance and Oversight Group (PPOG), where forces in Engage present their progress against HMICFRS’ concerns and recommendations and are able to receive support from the sector. The Home Office attends these meetings to monitor what progress is being made, and to consider what further support may be required.

When HMICFRS is satisfied that ‘sustained and sustainable’ improvements have been made by a force against concerns identified, the Inspectorate may release it from its Engaged status.

Police forces maintain details of perpetrators of knife crime on local record management systems and this will usually include key demographic data. However, when a suspect has not been arrested this may be based on the perception of the victim or witness rather than their actual characteristics.

The Home Office only collects detailed records from forces on the sex, age and ethnicity of suspects of homicides committed by a knife or sharp instrument.

HMG does not engage with the Muslim Council of Britain. No assessment has been made of this research note.

The Government is alert to the damage to community cohesion caused by antisemitism and is absolutely committed to rooting out this abhorrent form of hatred. We understand the concerns that have been raised by some Jewish organisations in relation to Sheikh Mishary Alafasy’s speaking tour and, whilst we are not aware of a broader impact on community cohesion, we will continue to be watchful as part of our routine community tensions monitoring. The Government has not met with al Mustafa Welfare Trust about the speaking tour.

The Government is alert to the damage to community cohesion caused by antisemitism and is absolutely committed to rooting out this abhorrent form of hatred. We understand the concerns that have been raised by some Jewish organisations in relation to Sheikh Mishary Alafasy’s speaking tour and, whilst we are not aware of a broader impact on community cohesion, we will continue to be watchful as part of our routine community tensions monitoring. The Government has not met with al Mustafa Welfare Trust about the speaking tour.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions and convictions for female genital mutilation in the Outcomes by Offence data tool published at Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2024 - GOV.UK under the following HO offence code: 00852 – Offences under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.

There have been 2 prosecutions and 1 conviction under the Female Genital Mutilation Act in the period 01 July 2019 to 30 June 2024.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions and convictions for female genital mutilation in the Outcomes by Offence data tool published at Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2024 - GOV.UK under the following HO offence code: 00852 – Offences under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.

There have been 2 prosecutions and 1 conviction under the Female Genital Mutilation Act in the period 01 July 2019 to 30 June 2024.

The Government has no plans to regulate religious dispute resolution processes (such as sharia courts) where all parties consent to those processes. This is consistent with Britain’s long history of freedom of worship and religious tolerance, and the legal rights and remedies of the parties involved remain in place.

Decisions of such bodies are only enforceable if there is a valid arbitration agreement by which all parties have consented to the process, as provided under the terms of the Arbitration Act 1996 for any arbitration panel.