Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office of National Statistics has made of spending on (a) alcohol and (b) narcotics in each of the last five years; and what proportion of this spending is estimated as being illegal.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 18 December is attached.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November to Question 12402 on Turks and Caicos Islands: Illegal Immigration, if he would ask the Turks and Caicos Islands government to to make available any data it holds on the number of citizens of) Haiti and b) Dominican Republic that are currently resident in Turks and Caicos.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for the TCI Government. Following a 2012 census, the latest published figures recorded the number of citizens from Haiti and the Dominican Republic as 10,928 and 1,541 respectively (or 34.7% and 5.9% of TCI's then population of 31,458).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office of National Statistics has made of total spending on tobacco products in each of the last five years; and if they will make an estimate of what proportion of this spending is on illegal tobacco.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 18 December is attached.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of small boats that will arrive in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2025.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for TCI Government so the UK does not hold detailed statistics on the number of boats entering TCI waters illegally. In 2023, TCI law enforcement authorities confirmed they had intercepted a total of 4,016 irregular migrants at sea. As of 8 October 2024, they reported 1,142 irregular migrants had been intercepted. The FCDO is unable to provide an estimate of the number of small boat arrivals for 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking in the Turks and Caicos Islands to implement preventative measures against potential (a) human, (b) weapons and( c) drugs trafficking linked to illegal small boat arrivals.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.

Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the capabilities and (b) effectiveness of support for the Turks & Caicos Islands relating to illegal small boats.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.

Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many small boats landed illegally in the Turks and Caicos Islands in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for TCI Government so the UK does not hold detailed statistics on the number of boats entering TCI waters illegally. In 2023, TCI law enforcement authorities confirmed they had intercepted a total of 4,016 irregular migrants at sea. As of 8 October 2024, they reported 1,142 irregular migrants had been intercepted. The FCDO is unable to provide an estimate of the number of small boat arrivals for 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking further action to help reduce the number of small boats travelling illegally from Haiti to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.

Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve (a) communication and (b) coordination with the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands in response to small boat incursions.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.

Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to enhance the capacity of border security forces in the Turks and Caicos Islands to prevent the illegal arrival of small boats.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.

Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the measures in place in the Turks and Caicos Islands to prevent the overspilling of violent crime from Haiti.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is resolutely committed to supporting the security of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), including in addressing the impact of ongoing violent crime and its links to instability in Haiti. I visited TCI in November 2024 to understand better the security situation and I am in regular contact with colleagues in UK Government departments on how best we can collectively support TCI's response. The FCDO's support this past year has included: deploying privately contracted firearms officers; continuing to embed serious crime investigators within the police; and strengthening border security by procuring new marine assets due to arrive by February 2025, delivering advanced coastal sensors, and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. I personally met with the dedicated members of the Royal TCI Police and TCI Regiment and observed their teamwork at close hand, as did HMS Medway when she visited in November. We will continue to explore opportunities to work with the Governor and TCI Government on these challenges.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding for the Combined Cadet Force Association on its operation in the London Borough of Havering.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

This Government’s commitment to supporting the school-based Combined Cadet Force and the Cadet Expansion Programme in schools remains unchanged. Therefore, we continue to invest £3.6 million per year in the programme so that more young people can enjoy the benefits of the cadet experience.

In light of this, I have also directed that a review be undertaken to ascertain how we can deliver more cadet activity, and to do more for our cadets, both in schools and in wider communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to achieve national coverage of the NHS’ Non-Specific Symptom (NSS) diagnostic pathways for blood cancer.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and as quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

In addition to improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes leukaemia, which the national evaluation found was one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways. We are close to national coverage for NSS pathways, with 115 out of the 121 NSS services being live nationally.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to work with local authorities to support the early years sector in Romford constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity and that starts by ensuring every child has the best start in life. High-quality early education and childcare is essential to supporting this.

By 2027/28, this government expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours helping working families with their childcare costs. We have committed to ensuring that 30 hours of government-funded childcare is available for eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to the time they start school, by September 2025. This is the largest expansion of funded childcare ever and will remove barriers to work for nearly half a million parents with a child under 3 in England.

​The Romford constituency is within the area covered by Havering local authority, who, under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ‘Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.

The department worked closely with Havering local authority as they delivered the first two stages of the early entitlement expansion, and we continue to engage with them regularly as they prepare for September 2025. Currently no local authorities are reporting that eligible children are unable to access early years places.

If through our support, Havering local authority report any sufficiency challenges, we will where possible support them with any specific requirements. We have a delivery support contractor, Childcare Works, in place to support local authorities and providers to deliver the early years expansion.

Finally, on top of over £8 billion through the core funding rates, we are providing an additional £75 million grant for 2025/26 to support the sector in this pivotal year as they grow the places and the workforce needed to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025. We know how important the details of funding arrangements are to local authorities and providers and so we will provide further details on how this grant will work as soon as possible.

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