Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with the United Nations to strengthen protections for freedom of religion or belief, in response to restrictions placed on faith communities in authoritarian states.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to protecting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, everywhere, including calling on States who place restrictions on the right to FoRB to lift those restrictions and protect FoRB. We do this bilaterally, and through our position at the UN. In October and November 2024, the UK issued several statements during the UN's Universal Periodic Review process, calling on Member States to implement their FoRB commitments. We also have regular discussions with the UN Special Rapporteur for FoRB, most recently during the March Interactive Dialogue at the Human Rights Council. We continue to champion FoRB and promote tolerance in all societies.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods exported by UK companies to the EU containing components made in the USA will be subject to EU tariffs on USA imports either fully or partially.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

For goods from the UK to be eligible for tariff-free access upon import into the EU, they must originate from the UK or EU according to the rules of origin of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. We will look closely at the details of the retaliatory tariffs announced by the EU (noting they are currently suspended) and any impact these might have on UK businesses.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to improve disability accessibility on transport services which they provide.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to delivering a transport network which allows disabled people to be able to travel easily and confidently, with dignity and without extra cost. The government expects local authorities and transport operators to make sure this happens, consistent with their legal equalities duties.

On 17th December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill that will give local leaders in England the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including for disabled people. The Bill includes measures to make the design of bus and coach stations and stops safer and more accessible and sets requirements on training for staff on disability-assistance and disability awareness to ensure bus drivers and staff dealing directly with the travelling public are better informed of the rights and needs of disabled passengers.

The Bill has also been amended so it now provides duties to consult disabled people, to consider the impact of Enhanced Partnership (EP) scheme requirements on accessibility, and to publish Bus Network Accessibility Plans, as well as clarifying that EP scheme requirements can include requirements aiming to improve accessibility.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of (1) childhood obesity, and (2) childhood dental problems; and what assessment they have made of the role of milk in combating those health issues.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on the weight status of children aged four to five years old, in Reception, and 10 to 11 years old, in Year 6. Findings from the 2023 to 2024 NCMP annual report shows that the prevalence of obesity in children in Reception is not showing signs of decreasing, and remains in line with the stable pre-pandemic level. For Year 6 children, although the prevalence has decreased, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels and is in line with the increasing pre-pandemic trend. Obesity prevalence also varies across ethnic groups, where a child lives continues to influence their weight status and health, and there remain large and persistent inequalities between the most and least deprived areas of England.

Data from the National Dental Epidemiology Programme oral health survey of five-year-old schoolchildren in England in 2024 showed that 22.4% of five-year-old children surveyed had experienced tooth decay. The most common reason children aged five to nine years old are admitted to hospital is for tooth decay.

Plain milk and water are the safest drinks for teeth. We have published the evidence base in support of this in Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention, which states that only plain milk or water should be provided between meals for young children. Young children should not be given drinks sweetened with sugar or sweeteners.

In 2023, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), published its report Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years, a comprehensive assessment of the scientific basis of recommendations for feeding young children aged up to five years old. The report found no evidence that milk consumption is related to tooth decay and some evidence that there is no link between milk consumption and body fatness. The SACN recommended that plain milk or water, in addition to breast milk, should constitute the majority of drinks given to children aged one to five years old, and that pasteurised whole and semi-skimmed cows’ milk can be given as a main drink from one years old. These recommendations have been accepted by Government.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of milk in enabling healthy development in children.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s dietary recommendations are based on robust assessments of the scientific evidence by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and its predecessor, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Nutrition Policy. Government advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, The Eatwell Guide.

In 2023, the SACN published its report Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years, a comprehensive assessment of the scientific basis of the recommendations for feeding young children aged up to five years old. The SACN found that milk is an important contributor to energy intake and intakes of calcium and other micronutrients in children aged one to five years old. The SACN also found some evidence that there is no link between milk consumption and body fatness. The SACN recommended that:

- plain milk or water, in addition to breast milk, should constitute the majority of drinks given to children aged one to five years old; and

- pasteurised whole and semi-skimmed cows’ milk can be given as a main drink from the age of one years old.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether, as part of the reset of relations with the EU, they are seeking to remove the requirement for animal health certificates when travelling with pets to the EU.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is seeking to negotiate a SPS agreement to help boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. As like-minded partners with similarly high standards, the Government has been clear that an SPS agreement that removes barriers and protects our collective biosecurity and public health will benefit both sides.

It is too early to comment on the outcome of discussions linked to the UK/EU Summit that takes place on 19 May.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund the free and subsidised milk schemes for schools through a multi-year guaranteed budget rather than through annual renewal.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) who request it. Overall, the department spent over £1.5 billion on FSM and free milk in 2023/24.

To assist with the cost of providing milk, schools can take part in the voluntary National School Milk Subsidy Scheme run by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2023/24, over £2 million was paid out through the National School Milk Subsidy Scheme.

Schools can claim reimbursement from the Nursery Milk Scheme in respect of their pupils aged under five. In 2023/24, the total cost of reimbursements for all settings from the Nursery Milk Scheme was over £54 million.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total annual spend on free and subsidised milk schemes for schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) who request it. Overall, the department spent over £1.5 billion on FSM and free milk in 2023/24.

To assist with the cost of providing milk, schools can take part in the voluntary National School Milk Subsidy Scheme run by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2023/24, over £2 million was paid out through the National School Milk Subsidy Scheme.

Schools can claim reimbursement from the Nursery Milk Scheme in respect of their pupils aged under five. In 2023/24, the total cost of reimbursements for all settings from the Nursery Milk Scheme was over £54 million.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place to monitor schools to ensure that they provide free milk to pupils who receive free school meals.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Section 512ZB(3) of the Education Act 1996 relates to the provision of free milk. Milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for FSM who request it, we do not hold data on the number of children who make such requests. We expect schools to follow their statutory duty around the provision of free milk.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of pupils who receive free school meals receive free milk daily.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Section 512ZB(3) of the Education Act 1996 relates to the provision of free milk. Milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for FSM who request it, we do not hold data on the number of children who make such requests. We expect schools to follow their statutory duty around the provision of free milk.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to include events in Northern Ireland in their work commemorating Victory in Europe Day and Victory over Japan Day.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Supported by DCMS, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is running the For Evermore Tour, with more than 250 mobile exhibitions and events across the UK and a number of global commemorative sites to the Pacific, highlighting the stories of those who fought in the Second World War.

CWGC has confirmed the Tour will visit Northern Ireland in June and is in the process of confirming venues at Stormont and Carrickfergus to coincide with the week leading up to and including National Armed Forces Day.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many gender recognition certificates have been issued in each of the past 10 years.

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

The table below shows the number of applications received by the Gender Recognition Panel that were granted full Gender Recognition Certificates in the last 10 years.

Table 1: Number of Gender Recognition Certificates granted in full during the complete financial years from 2014/15 to 2023/24

Date source: Tribunals statistics quarterly: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Northern Ireland will be able fully to benefit from the UK-India trade deal.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Businesses in Northern Ireland exporting their goods benefit from our free trade agreements just as businesses elsewhere in the United Kingdom do. Businesses exporting from Northern Ireland will therefore benefit from the free trade agreement with India. India originating goods entering Northern Ireland will do so under the terms of the free trade agreement, provided those goods are not at risk of entering the EU. Northern Ireland businesses importing Indian goods can use the schemes established under the Windsor Framework to avoid unnecessary duties, such as the UK Internal Market Scheme or Duty Reimbursement Scheme.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods imported to Northern Ireland under the UK-India trade deal will be subject to EU tariffs.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Businesses in Northern Ireland exporting their goods benefit from our free trade agreements just as businesses elsewhere in the United Kingdom do. Businesses exporting from Northern Ireland will therefore benefit from the free trade agreement with India. India originating goods entering Northern Ireland will do so under the terms of the free trade agreement, provided those goods are not at risk of entering the EU. Northern Ireland businesses importing Indian goods can use the schemes established under the Windsor Framework to avoid unnecessary duties, such as the UK Internal Market Scheme or Duty Reimbursement Scheme.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the British film industry of the proposed US tariffs on non-American films.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are in active discussions with senior members of the US administration and we are clear that the deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual benefits to both countries. This is a fluid situation, and we will continue to take a calm and steady approach.

We are engaging closely with industry and we are absolutely committed to ensuring our film and TV sector can continue to thrive and create good jobs across the UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much (1) beef, and (2) ethanol products, were imported into Northern Ireland from the USA in each of the past five years.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The data on beef and ethanol products imported from the USA to Northern Ireland is given in the attached table.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much (1) beef, and (2) ethanol products, were imported from the USA to the UK in each of the past five years.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The data on beef and ethanol products imported from the USA to the UK is given in the attached table.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether milk will be provided to pupils who attend breakfast clubs at schools participating in the free breakfast club scheme.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development, which is why the department includes milk within its healthy breakfast examples for the newly launched early adopter breakfast clubs.

The school food standards require lower fat or lactose reduced milk to be available to children who want it during school hours, which includes any time during a school session or a break between sessions. Section 512ZB (3) of the Education Act 1996 sets out the requirement that milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals.

Any milk provided during breakfast clubs does not substitute for current provision of free or subsidised mid-morning milk, as breakfast clubs take place before the start of the school day.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether provision of milk as part of the free breakfast club scheme will substitute for current provision of free or subsidised mid-morning milk.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development, which is why the department includes milk within its healthy breakfast examples for the newly launched early adopter breakfast clubs.

The school food standards require lower fat or lactose reduced milk to be available to children who want it during school hours, which includes any time during a school session or a break between sessions. Section 512ZB (3) of the Education Act 1996 sets out the requirement that milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals.

Any milk provided during breakfast clubs does not substitute for current provision of free or subsidised mid-morning milk, as breakfast clubs take place before the start of the school day.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the projected saving per pupil as a result of the proposed changes to school uniform requirements under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Too many families still tell the government that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. That is why we are legislating to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and physical education kit that schools can require.

Based on previous department surveys of parents, we estimate that the aggregate savings of the new limit on compulsory branded items to parents with children in primary school is around £21 million per year, and for those with children in secondary school is around £52 million per year. We estimate that some families will save over £50 per child on the back to school shop.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the projected increase in value of (1) beef, and (2) ethanol products, to be imported from the USA to the UK as a result of the UK–US trade agreement.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On 8 May the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States.

We have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef – with UK farmers given a guaranteed quota for 13,000 metric tonnes of beef exports at a very low tariff rate.

For ethanol, the UK is introducing a quota of 1.4bn litres for the US. We already import a significant amount of ethanol from the US, and this will lead to savings for UK consumers.

This government will continue to act in Britain’s national interest – for workers, for business and for families.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new UK–USA trade agreement on the agriculture sector.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

On 8 May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump.

We have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef - with UK farmers given a guaranteed quota for 13,000 metric tonnes of beef exports at a very low tariff rate. Imports of hormone treated beef or chlorinated chicken remain illegal. Our approach to this trade deal has ensured that agricultural imports coming into the UK meet the highest food standards.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions and consultation they have had with universities ahead of any new immigration and visa restrictions with regard to the impact on international students.

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

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and other stakeholders, and we will continue to consult them as we implement the measures recently set out in the Immigration White paper, including in relation to student visas.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the British Council's budget increases or is maintained in line with inflation.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The British Council plays a leading role in promoting UK values and interests through its work in arts and culture, education, and promotion of the English language. The British Council's 2023 Global Perceptions report survey demonstrates that cultural relations initiatives are connected to higher levels of trust in the UK Government. The average score for trust in the UK Government given by young people surveyed across the G20 was 54 per cent. However, for those who had participated in a UK cultural initiative, the score was 62 per cent, and where this initiative was produced by the British Council, it was 69 per cent.

The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. Issues related to funding are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the British Council's contribution to UK soft power and influence globally.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The British Council plays a leading role in promoting UK values and interests through its work in arts and culture, education, and promotion of the English language. The British Council's 2023 Global Perceptions report survey demonstrates that cultural relations initiatives are connected to higher levels of trust in the UK Government. The average score for trust in the UK Government given by young people surveyed across the G20 was 54 per cent. However, for those who had participated in a UK cultural initiative, the score was 62 per cent, and where this initiative was produced by the British Council, it was 69 per cent.

The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. Issues related to funding are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.