Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in (1) promoting the accountability of government and public authorities, and (2) encouraging public confidence in democratic politics.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is committed to Freedom of Information and continues to monitor the performance and implementation of the Act to ensure it is operating as intended by Parliament.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the cost limit for freedom of information requests; and what assessment they have made of the impacts of doing so on civil liberties and press freedom.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The cost thresholds above which public authorities are not obliged to comply with a Freedom of Information request are set out in secondary legislation. Any changes to FOI legislation would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement the first recommendation of the Rycroft Review: Report of the independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics, published on 25 March, that there should be an annual cap on political donations from British voters living abroad; and if so, at what level they intend to set this cap.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

British citizens living overseas who are registered as overseas electors are permissible donors under electoral law and may donate to UK political parties.

Political parties are required to take all reasonable steps to check that donations come from permissible donors and to report donations above statutory thresholds to the Electoral Commission. It is a criminal offence to accept, facilitate or disguise an impermissible donation.

Following the publication of the independent Rycroft Review, the Government set out (attached) its intention to implement the Review’s first recommendation by introducing an annual cap of £100,000 on political donations from overseas electors.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what checks are carried out on the source of finance donated to political parties by British voters living abroad.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

British citizens living overseas who are registered as overseas electors are permissible donors under electoral law and may donate to UK political parties.

Political parties are required to take all reasonable steps to check that donations come from permissible donors and to report donations above statutory thresholds to the Electoral Commission. It is a criminal offence to accept, facilitate or disguise an impermissible donation.

Following the publication of the independent Rycroft Review, the Government set out (attached) its intention to implement the Review’s first recommendation by introducing an annual cap of £100,000 on political donations from overseas electors.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the Freedom of Information casework budget for the Information Commissioner's Office will be next year; and whether that budget will match the previous year's in real terms.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

While the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)’s sponsor department within government and provide ICO’s Freedom of Information (FOI) funding as a Grant-in-Aid, government policy for Freedom of Information sits with the Cabinet Office.

The government is committed to ensuring sufficient funding for the ICO’s FOI responsibilities. Spending review budget allocations until Financial Year 2028-29 will be finalised by DSIT and will be published in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases they have identified of the government of China attempting to gather information on the UK Government using freedom of information requests.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens living abroad are registered to vote in UK elections; and how many voted in the 2024 General Election.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues plans to visit Poland.

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

We continue to engage with Poland on post-Holocaust issues and tackling antisemitism, including through our Embassy in Warsaw. For instance, in February we facilitated a Community Security Trust best practice visit to Poland through our programme fund to support post-Holocaust initiatives for financial year 2025-26. Further details of our engagement with Poland on these issues, including any planned visits by the Special Envoy, will be confirmed in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues (1) has made, and (2) plans to make in the next six months, to (a) represent the UK in Holocaust commemorations, including anniversary commemorations in the UK and across Europe as appropriate, (b) regularly lobby European states where there is no restitution process to implement the Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and its associated best practice guidelines, and (c) undertake six visits in support of post-Holocaust issues objectives.

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

Since his appointment in February, the UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues has made excellent progress against his Terms of Reference for the role, including attending the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance plenary meeting in Argentina from 1-4 June, as the head of the UK's delegation, and meeting with the President of the World Jewish Restitution Organisation on 6 May to discuss the UK's ongoing commitment to the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust-Era Assets. Further details of the Envoy's work, including his overseas visits, will be confirmed in the usual way in due course.