Anna McMorrin Portrait

Anna McMorrin

Labour - Cardiff North

First elected: 8th June 2017


Shadow Minister (Justice)
14th May 2021 - 7th Sep 2023
Victims and Prisoners Bill
14th Jun 2023 - 11th Jul 2023
Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill
23rd Nov 2022 - 30th Nov 2022
Shadow Minister (International Development)
2nd Sep 2020 - 14th May 2021
Shadow Minister (International Development)
10th Apr 2020 - 2nd Sep 2020
Welsh Affairs Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 15th Jun 2020
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Business and Trade Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Welsh Affairs Committee
16th Oct 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Environmental Audit Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Anna McMorrin has voted in 699 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Anna McMorrin Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Edward Argar (Conservative)
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
(54 debate interactions)
Sarah Champion (Labour)
(20 debate interactions)
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(20 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Ministry of Justice
(150 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(51 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(29 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Anna McMorrin's debates

Cardiff North Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

Reform the GRA to allow transgender people to self-identify without the need for a medical diagnosis, to streamline the administrative process, and to allow non-binary identities to be legally recognised.

Enact legislation to protect retail workers. This legislation must create a specific offence of abusing, threatening or assaulting a retail worker. The offence must carry a penalty that acts as a deterrent and makes clear that abuse of retail workers is unacceptable.


Latest EDMs signed by Anna McMorrin

22nd June 2021
Anna McMorrin signed this EDM on Tuesday 22nd June 2021

GKN Automotive alternative plan

Tabled by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
That this House is alarmed by GKN Automotive’s decision to close its Birmingham factory next year, with the loss of over 500 highly skilled jobs and work transferred to continental Europe; notes that GKN’s origins trace back to the industrial revolution, with over 260 years of history that include making …
68 signatures
(Most recent: 27 Apr 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 60
Independent: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
30th December 2020
Anna McMorrin signed this EDM on Wednesday 27th January 2021

Holocaust Memorial Day 2021

Tabled by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
That this House notes that on 27 January 2021 the UK will observe Holocaust Memorial Day marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where an estimated 1.1 million people were murdered; commemorates the six million victims of the Holocaust; further notes that the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 …
97 signatures
(Most recent: 11 May 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 45
Scottish National Party: 30
Conservative: 7
Independent: 4
Liberal Democrat: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Green Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
View All Anna McMorrin's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Anna McMorrin, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Anna McMorrin has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Anna McMorrin has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by Anna McMorrin


A Bill to enable co-operative and community benefit societies to raise external share capital for the purpose of making environmentally sustainable investment; to make associated provisions about restricting conversion to company status and the distribution of capital on winding-up; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 11th September 2020
(Read Debate)

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require producers of packaging products to assume responsibility for the collection, transportation, recycling, disposal, treatment and recovery of those products; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 13th June 2018
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to take steps to help increase participation in the performing arts among (a) children and (b) young people, particularly those from (i) disadvantaged backgrounds and (ii) groups underrepresented in the sector.

My Department is committed to broadening access to arts and culture for children and young people across the country, regardless of their background.

Arts Council England’s recent announcement of the 2023-26 Investment Programme will see a record number of organisations receiving funding, in more parts of the country than ever before. It also includes a 20% increase in the number of organisations which are funded to deliver work for children and young people; 79% of the organisations in this portfolio will be delivering activity specifically for children and young people. Programmes supported through the new portfolio will support children and young people to take part in creative and cultural activities at all ages - from early years to young adulthood.

Separately, the Government funds a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes that are designed to improve participation in the arts for all children, including the National Saturday Club, which gives 13 to 16-year-olds across the country the opportunity to participate in creative learning programmes, studying the subjects they love for free, on a Saturday at their local university, college or cultural institution.

In addition, the Schools White Paper (2022) sets out that the Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport will publish a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute. A key aim of this Plan is to tackle the barriers to accessing cultural education.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of US government support for the establishment of a hybrid special tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression by Russia against Ukraine; and whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support its establishment.

The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine. On 20 January, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK had accepted an invitation to join a ‘core group’ of States to shape thinking on how to ensure criminal accountability for the crime of aggression allegedly committed in and against Ukraine, including through a special tribunal. This government, alongside its international partners such as the United States, is considering very closely what a new tribunal might look like. The details of the proposal will matter. Any new tribunal will need sufficient international support and must not undermine the existing accountability mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court.

Michael Tomlinson
Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Supply Chain Advisory Group plan to report their recommendations to the Cabinet on resolving export/import supply chain issues.

The Supply Chain Advisory Group will bring together experts in the field, including from outside of Government, to provide views on how to resolve live supply chain issues. The Group will look at issues across the supply chain holistically. Once its work is concluded, its recommendations will be reported to the appropriate fora.

25th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what level of carbon savings the Government expects through the (a) sustainable farming incentive, (b) local nature recovery scheme and (c) landscape recovery scheme; and what percentage of the total carbon savings during the (i) 4th, (ii) 5th and (iii) 6th carbon budget periods the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for.

The Government anticipates its environmental land management schemes, the Farming Innovation Fund and other farming offers will reduce agricultural emissions by up to 6 MtCO2e per year in Carbon Budget 6 in England. The Government will also pursue opportunities through tree planting and peat restoration.

The Net Zero Strategy sets out cross-economy action to keep the UK on track for meeting carbon budgets and includes a range for emissions savings for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses, Waste and Fluorinated Gases. These are indicative pathways: allowing the UK to respond flexibly to changes that arise over time, including technology and innovation developments.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much Overseas Development Assistance funding his Department allocated to the Clean Technology Fund in 2020-21; and when he plans to release the Overseas Development Assistance funding allocation for the Clean Technology Fund in 2021-22.

UK support for the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), as part of the umbrella Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), is an important element of UK global leadership to tackle climate change and mobilise climate finance at scale.

BEIS allocated £12,583,808 to the CTF in 2020-21, to enable developing countries accelerate adoption of appropriate renewable energy technologies.

Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funding allocations decisions for CTF in 2021-22 are being reviewed as part of wider ODA budgeting processes for 2021-22 and will be released as part of standard Government commitments on ODA transparency.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department spent on the Consultation, Aligning UK international support for the clean energy transition, which closed on 8 February 2021.

The consultation was produced at no additional cost to the Government.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he had with the board of CDC Group and UK Export Finance ahead of the announcement of the Aligning UK International Support for Energy Transition consultation on 12 December 2020.

The Government has been in consistent contact with government departments and arms length bodies throughout the development of the consultation, the associated announcement, and pursuant Government response and implementation.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish his Department’s definition of clean energy products and services included in the new overseas fossil fuel policy outlined in the UK Government’s response to the Aligning UK International Support for Energy Transition consultation.

The Government published detailed guidance accompanying the implementation of the policy shift on 31st March. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-government-will-implement-its-policy-on-support-for-the-fossil-fuel-energy-sector-overseas.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many responses his Department received to its consultation on Aligning UK international support for the clean energy transition from (a) individuals, (b) businesses and (c) NGOs and third sector organisations.

The consultation closed on February 8th and the UK Government is now considering the information received and will respond in due course.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the responses to his Department's consultation on Aligning UK international support for the clean energy transition called for a policy implementation date of (a) March 2021, (b) June 2021, (c) October 2021 and (d) later than 2021.

The consultation closed on February 8th and the UK Government is now considering the information received and will respond in due course.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
1st Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications of the end of the transition period for the recognition of British ski instructors' qualifications in the rest of Europe.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, British ski instructors who have had their qualifications recognised and who are resident or a frontier worker in the EU Member State that recognised them at the end of the Transition Period will have that recognition protected, and will be able to continue to work there. This includes qualifications which have been recognised before the end of the Transition Period under the EU legislation establishing a Common Training Test for ski instructors.

The EU legislation which established the Common Training Test for ski instructors applies to EU citizens only. Accordingly, it will not apply to UK citizens not within scope of the Withdrawal Agreement who wished to rely on it in the EU after the end of the Transition Period.

The recognition of UK professional qualifications across all industries (including ski instructors) in the EU after the end of the Transition Period is subject to ongoing negotiations with the EU, and the local laws and regulations in Member States.

30th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the risks to the UK’s energy security in the event that a deal is not reached on the future relationship with the EU after the transition period; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate risks arising from that matter to the UK’s energy supply.

The UK has one of the most reliable energy systems in the world. The UK’s exit from the EU does not alter the fact that our energy system is resilient and secure, and UK energy is supplied from diverse sources. Electricity and gas will continue to flow over interconnectors between the UK and the EU at the end of the transition period in any scenario. We have planned extensively for the end of the transition period, alongside industry, to ensure electricity demands are met. We are confident that electricity margins will remain adequate and that the electricity system is able to respond to any changes in demand securely and efficiently. The forecast electricity margin for this winter is healthy, at 4.8GW or 8.3% additional generation.

The UK gas market is one of the world’s most developed and provides security through supply diversity, most of which is not dependent on the EU. The forecast gas margin for this winter is healthy, at around 79 million cubic metres or 15% more supply than would be required to meet demand on the coldest day in 20 winters.

8th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of retaining the requirement of minimum energy efficiency standards for new biomass plants in future contract for difference projects.

In June 2018 the Government published Part A of the response to the December 2017 consultation on proposed amendments to the Contracts for Difference scheme.

This stated that the Government intended to require all dedicated biomass with CHP, and energy from waste with CHP, schemes applying for new support contracts under the Contract for Difference scheme to have a minimum overall efficiency of 70% (net calorific value).

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure expectant fathers that have been furloughed and are receiving 80 per cent of their normal pay are not disadvantaged in qualifying for Statutory Paternity Pay because of a reduction in their earnings.

The Government is committed to making sure that all employees are supported at this time. We are currently considering?how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme interacts with existing employment rights to family-related payments, including Statutory Paternity Pay, to ensure that the scheme works for parents.

21st Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to engage Parliamentarians as part of preparations for the 26th United Nations Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change hosted by the UK Government in December 2020.

The Government is working to ensure that parliamentarians are involved in the preparations and delivery of COP26, and that cross party ambition is galvanised to ensure the success of the conference.

The Government is committed to making a success of COP26, working across Departments. A key element of this is working towards the UK’s net zero commitment, which is very important to this Government both domestically and internationally.

11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much Official Development Assistance his Department (a) was allocated in (i) 2019-20 and (ii) 2020-21 and (b) will be allocated in 2021-22.

HM Treasury has published departmental allocations of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for 2019-20, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-aid-tackling-global-challenges-in-the-national-interest/official-development-assistance-oda-allocation-by-department.

In this table, DCMS is included in the “Other Departments” group. In 2019-20, DCMS’s ODA allocation was £11m.

Outturn information of 2019 calendar year ODA spend is available in the Statistics of International Development publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

The Government has committed to publishing departmental allocations of ODA for 2020/21 in due course.

Outturn information of 2020 calendar year ODA spend will be published later this year, as normal, in the Statistics of International Development publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

The Foreign Secretary recently published departmental ODA allocations for 2021-22, including DCMS’s allocation, in a Written Ministerial Statement available online here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-01-26/hcws735.

DCMS also manages ODA funding provided by the Prosperity Fund. This is reported separately by the Prosperity Fund.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish her Department’s response to the consultation on Digital Identity that closed on 19 September 2019.

The Department’s response to the Digital Identity call for evidence will be published in Spring 2020.

16th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of rises in the cost of living on the uptake of extracurricular performing arts classes in (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) further and (d) higher education; and whether she is taking steps to increase engagement in the performing arts in (i) schools and (ii) other educational establishments.

All state funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and this includes promoting pupils' cultural development. The performing arts are a core part of the school curriculum and also supported through extracurricular activities to children and young people.

The Department regularly asks about pupil participation in extracurricular performing arts activities in ‘parent, pupil and learner panel’ surveys. In the most recent published wave in which the questions were asked (the November wave from the 2022/23 academic year), 19% of pupils reported that they had participated in extracurricular performing arts activities in that term. The Department will continue to monitor the uptake of performing arts and other extracurricular activities, and investigate reasons for any significant changes or trends.

An additional £1.6 billion in funding has been made available for 16-19 education between the 2021/22 and 2024/25 academic years. This includes an up-front cash boost which will see the rate of funding per student increase by over 8% in 2022/23.

The Department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have affected university students. In addition to the cost of living measures already announced, the Department discusses cost of living pressures that are affecting students in its regular meetings with stakeholders, including the Office for Students (OfS), Universities UK and other HE representative groups. The Department also consulted with the National Association of Student Money Advisers to understand the ongoing situation in relation to increased requests from students for hardship awards from their universities.

The Department will continue to spend around £115 million per annum on cultural education over three years, through its music, arts and heritage programmes. With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the nearly £5 billion that has been announced for education recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in arts and creative subjects.

The Department will be publishing a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. The Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel was announced last year, and other panel members will be announced in due course. The Plan will focus on how the Government can support access and participation in a wide range of arts subjects and activities, particularly for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and in underrepresented groups. It will also further support young people who wish to pursue careers in the creative, cultural, and heritage industries.

In addition, the Department wants to ensure that HE specialist providers, many of which specialise in arts provision, receive additional support, and that grant funding is used to effectively support students.

On 8 December 2022, the OfS published the list of successful HE providers who have been identified as world-leading specialists by the Specialist Provider Panel. The current list of world-leading specialist providers includes 13 providers specialising in the arts. This funding will help improve the diversity and quality of creative education provision available to students.

16th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of (a) performing arts teachers and (b) associated curriculum hours in schools and further and higher education institutions.

Information relating to ITT recruitment performance in England is published annually in the ITT census, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23. In 2022/23, there were 329 postgraduate trainees who started an ITT course in drama, 301 in music, and 1,405 in physical education. Performance versus target in 2022/23 for drama was 113%, for music was 64%, and for physical education was 143%.

Information on the school workforce in England, including the number of subject teachers in state funded secondary schools, is collected each November as part of the annual school workforce census. Information is published in the ‘school workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. Those who are designated as teachers of dance are included within the total for physical education/sports teachers.

As of November 2021, there were 8,976 teachers of drama, 7,003 teachers of music, and 23,708 teachers of physical education/sport at Key Stages 3, 4, and 5 in state funded secondary schools in England. In a typical week, they taught 85,003 hours of drama, 86,480 hours of music, and 290,033 hours of physical education/sport. Drama, music and physical education/sport teachers designate any teacher timetabled to teach the subject for any period in a typical week in November. These teachers do not necessarily have a specific post-A level qualification. This timetabling does not cover an entire year of teaching. If there are variations in timetabling across the year, this is not covered in the data available to the Department.

The Department does not hold data on the number of teachers who teach performing arts in further education institutions.

For 2022/23, the Department increased funding for world-leading specialist HE providers by an additional £5 million, from £53 million in 2021/22 to £58 million in 2022/23. This is on top of the increase of £10 million the Department provided in 2021/22. The Department wants to ensure that specialist institutions, many of which specialise in arts provision, receive additional support, and that grant funding is used to effectively support students.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for changes in the level of entries for GCSE and A Level qualifications in performing arts subjects in the last two years.

All state funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and this includes promoting pupils' cultural development. A cultural education, including the wider performing arts, is central to providing a high quality education for all pupils.

The Department will continue to spend around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years through its music, arts and heritage programmes. With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the nearly £5 billion that has been announced for education recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver an ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in arts and creative subjects.

There are no plans to assess the reasons for changes in GCSE and A level entries. The Department does regularly publish entry statistics for GCSEs, A levels and technical awards. Over the past four years, the proportion of Key Stage 4 pupils in state funded schools taking at least one arts GCSE between 2018/19 and 2021/22 has gone from 44.5% to 42%. Over the same period the percentage taking at least one arts qualification (GCSE or technical award) has gone from 52.3% to 52.4%.

The Department will be publishing a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with DCMS and Arts Council England. The Chair of the expert advisory panel was announced last year, and other panel members will be announced in due course. The plan will focus on how the Government can support access and participation in a wide range of arts subjects and activities, particularly for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and in underrepresented groups. It will also further support young people who wish to pursue careers in creative, cultural, and heritage industries.

The Cultural Education Plan will cover a range of arts subjects where appropriate, such as drama and dance. The Government does not intend to produce detailed plans in specific arts subjects, or to establish a Hub programme for arts subjects other than music. It is widely recognised that that there is a need for Music Hubs in addressing the unique challenges in supporting young people’s access to and progression in music.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the potential merits of extending the music education hub model to (a) dance, (b) drama and (c) other performing arts.

All state funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and this includes promoting pupils' cultural development. A cultural education, including the wider performing arts, is central to providing a high quality education for all pupils.

The Department will continue to spend around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years through its music, arts and heritage programmes. With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the nearly £5 billion that has been announced for education recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver an ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in arts and creative subjects.

There are no plans to assess the reasons for changes in GCSE and A level entries. The Department does regularly publish entry statistics for GCSEs, A levels and technical awards. Over the past four years, the proportion of Key Stage 4 pupils in state funded schools taking at least one arts GCSE between 2018/19 and 2021/22 has gone from 44.5% to 42%. Over the same period the percentage taking at least one arts qualification (GCSE or technical award) has gone from 52.3% to 52.4%.

The Department will be publishing a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with DCMS and Arts Council England. The Chair of the expert advisory panel was announced last year, and other panel members will be announced in due course. The plan will focus on how the Government can support access and participation in a wide range of arts subjects and activities, particularly for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and in underrepresented groups. It will also further support young people who wish to pursue careers in creative, cultural, and heritage industries.

The Cultural Education Plan will cover a range of arts subjects where appropriate, such as drama and dance. The Government does not intend to produce detailed plans in specific arts subjects, or to establish a Hub programme for arts subjects other than music. It is widely recognised that that there is a need for Music Hubs in addressing the unique challenges in supporting young people’s access to and progression in music.

21st Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of girls aged (a) 11 to 14 and (b) 15 to 18 who have been taken into care with sexual exploitation and/or sexual violence assessed as a factor (i) in total in England and (ii) by local authority, in each year since 2018.

Information on the number of looked after children who have been taken into care as a result of sexual exploitation and/or sexual violence is not collected centrally by the department.

Information on the number of girls who have been referred to children’s services with child sexual exploitation and/or sexual abuse (which includes sexual violence) identified as a factor at the end of assessment is provided in the attached table.

9th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish a response to the Children Not In School consultation which closed on 24 June 2019.

The Department remains committed to a registration system for children not in school. We will set out further details on this in the Government response to the consultation, which we intend to publish in the coming months.

23rd Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that access is provided to schools to obtain (a) interim insurance cover for educational visits beyond December 2021 and (b) insurance cover for educational visits affected by covid-19 outbreak related cancellations beyond December 2021.

The Department will issue advice to schools and colleges on the planning and booking of residential trips when it is safe to do so and in line with the Government’s roadmap to recovery which is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021.

The Department has no plans to provide schools with interim insurance or insurance cover for the cancellation of educational visits affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

23rd Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will issue guidance to schools on the planning and booking of domestic residential trips to take place after the 21 June 2021 subject to the lifting of covid-19 restrictions.

The Department will issue advice to schools and colleges on the planning and booking of residential trips when it is safe to do so and in line with the Government’s roadmap to recovery which is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021.

The Department has no plans to provide schools with interim insurance or insurance cover for the cancellation of educational visits affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

23rd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had on the timescale for the reintroduction of (a) domestic and (b) overseas school trips.

The department currently advises against any overseas, domestic or residential visits for children under 18 organised by schools. This advice will remain under review and will be updated in line with guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Transport and Public Health England.

22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to abide by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The package agreed at COP15, including the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, represents a historic step forward towards addressing the biodiversity crisis. Setting a clear mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, the commitments expected under its 23 targets, notably to protect 30% of global land and 30% of global ocean by 2030, to end human induced-species extinctions of known threatened species by 2030, alongside the package of international nature finance agreed to support its implementation – put us on the path to nature recovery. The key is now to fully implement this ambitious framework across all Parties.

In England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023.  Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the efficiency of export and import supply chains for UK-based food and drink business in the context of HGV driver shortages.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources, including robust supply chains domestically, and from a diverse range of other stable countries.

On 20 July, the Government announced a package of measures to help the road haulage industry tackle the issues caused by the HGV driver shortage. These measures consist of support for the recruitment and retention of drivers, proposals to streamline the process to obtain a licence, increasing the number of driving test slots available, offering financial assistance for training, and backing industry-led initiatives to improve the working conditions for drivers and the image of the industry.

We announced further measures on 25 September. These include training up to 4,000 new HGV drivers through skills bootcamps and the adult education budget. Alongside this, 5,000 HGV drivers will be able to come to the UK in the run-up to Christmas, providing short-term relief for the fuel and food haulage sectors.

Nearly one million letters have been sent to drivers who currently hold an HGV driving licence, to thank them for their vital role supporting the economy, and to encourage those who have left the industry to consider returning. We will continue to work closely with industry to address the HGV driver shortage and to explore all avenues which will help the sector recover and help the economy thrive.

The Government has launched a short consultation on 14 October setting out proposals to temporarily extend so-called “cabotage” rights. This would allow overseas haulage operators delivering goods to the UK to make further unlimited collections and deliveries within a 14 day period, as opposed to the current limit of two such trips within seven days.

Subject to the outcome of the one-week consultation, these temporary measures would come into force towards the end of this year for up to six months, helping secure supply chains in the medium term alongside the wider package of measures the Government has put in place to address the shortage of drivers more broadly.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
4th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the dog and cat boarding sector.

Defra has been monitoring the impact that coronavirus restrictions have been having on the companion animal sector and has maintained a regular dialogue with the pet industry, welfare charities, local authorities and the veterinary sector.

We understand that lifestyle changes resulting from measures put in place to control the spread of coronavirus, including cancelled holidays, have affected occupancy rates in boarding establishments as people spend more time at home with their pets. However, the sector continues to provide a valued service for many people, including looking after the pets of key workers, people hospitalised as a result of coronavirus and vulnerable people, all of whom may need their services at this current time.

We have worked with the Canine and Feline Sector Group to agree guidance for pet businesses, including boarding establishments, to enable them to undertake core operations as far as possible, while maintaining compliance with the social distancing rules and need for hygiene precautions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. We remain committed to engagement with the animal boarding sector to monitor any concerns they have and offer appropriate advice.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
11th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environmental Audit Committee's first report of Session 2019 entitled, Invasive Species, if her Department will establish a biosecurity citizens' army to (a) improve public understanding of invasive non-native species and (b) help identify emerging biosecurity threats.

Partnership working is vital to deliver long-term management of invasive non-native species (INNS). The Great Britain INNS Strategy aims to guide a strong partnership approach with non-Governmental organisations, businesses, Government and the general public working together to improve biosecurity and reduce the risk from INNS.

Defra funded 29 Non-native Species Local Action Groups (LAGs) between 2011 and 2015 to support their start-up and give them time to become self-sustaining. Defra continues to provide advice to the LAGs and hosts an annual workshop for LAGs to meet and share progress. Non-native Species LAG coordinators and volunteers work with land owners to control INNS in catchment areas to reduce the risk of reinvasion. LAGs provide a key resource to help manage many species and raise awareness and they have mobilised a large number of volunteers in the fight against INNS. Other stakeholders also play a key role, such as Angling Trust members undertaking clearance of Himalayan balsam on river banks and trapping signal crayfish in their ponds. British Canoeing participates in our strategic approach to floating pennywort control and its members are engaged in organised control work alongside the Environment Agency and the Canal and River Trust.

We will examine the Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendation, and in particular the New Zealand model that it promotes for the mobilisation of large numbers of people. Citizen science is a vital addition to Government surveillance, providing more eyes on the ground and shared responsibility, which improves our overall biosecurity culture. We are assessing the options to facilitate the expansion of current local action into a ‘biosecurity citizens’ army’.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
11th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will fund a public awareness campaign on invasive non-native species in 2020.

Increasing levels of public awareness is critical to tackling invasive species. Extra resources will be considered as part of departmental business planning and future Government spending reviews, including Spending Review 2020.

The Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat (GBNNSS), on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, is currently reviewing the Be Plant Wise campaign. We will be revising the messaging and extending it to cover terrestrial as well as aquatic plants. The GBNNSS is in discussion with some of the English water companies about extending the very successful partnership work on the Check Clean Dry campaign with them for a further five years beyond 2020 and expanding the campaign to the near Continent.

We launched the first Invasive Species Week in 2015, to bring together a wide range of organisations to raise awareness of invasive non-native species, to highlight work going on to tackle them and to inspire people to get involved and help prevent their spread. Over 320 organisations were involved in last year’s Invasive Species Week with 93 events held across the country. Invasive Species Week 2020 will take place from 18-22 May and I would encourage all hon. Members to look for ways to get involved in their constituencies.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
15th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the £160 million funding for humanitarian aid pledged by the UK at the United Nation’s Yemen Pledging Conference in Riyadh on 2 June 2020 has been paid to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UK’s £160 million funding will be delivered through a range of UN agencies and aims to provide support to at least 300,000 vulnerable people each month to help them buy food and household essentials, treat 40,000 children for malnutrition and provide 1 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is one of the UK’s partners in Yemen. We currently support the Cash and Markets Working Group coordinator and stand ready to consider support to the OCHA led Yemen Humanitarian Fund when an allocation round is announced.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government's £300 million funding pledge to the Syrian humanitarian relief fund at the Brussels Conference on 30 June 2020 is inclusive of or separate from current projected Official Development Assistance spending in (a) Syria, (b) Lebanon, (c) Jordan and (d) Turkey.

At the Brussels Conference, the Secretary of State pledged to provide at least £300 million of humanitarian and development assistance. This is the currently-approved UK ODA expenditure for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for 2020. This figure is made up of DFID country budgets, total operating costs, and ODA-eligible budgets from other Government departments towards these four countries.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to ensure that Official Development Assistance is not spent on fossil fuel projects.

Countries need reliable and sustainable supplies of energy if they are to tackle poverty effectively by growing their economies, creating jobs, and delivering essential services. UK aid is focused on helping them achieve this, and our support for energy is increasingly invested in renewables. Since 2011, the UK has provided 26 million people with improved access to clean energy and installed 1,600 MW of clean energy capacity, avoiding 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2019, in the Green Finance Strategy, the Government committed to aligning the UK’s Official Development Assistance with the goals of the Paris international climate change agreement, including our support for energy.

The Government has also announced that the UK will double our international climate finance to £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26. A significant proportion of this funding will be invested in clean energy, including up to £1 billion in developing and testing new technology in areas such as energy storage, innovations in renewable energy, cooling, low carbon and electric transport and technologies for industrial decarbonisation. This funding for innovation is targeted at driving forward the clean energy transition in developing countries, by creating and demonstrating new technologies and business models to deploy them.

1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the CDC Group has invested in fossil fuel projects in each of the last three years.

Since 2017, CDC has made new direct commitments to fossil fuel projects totalling $207.4 million ($84.8 million in 2017; $0 million in 2018; $122.6 million in 2019). During the same period CDC has made over $1 billion of commitments into climate related investments including renewable power, forestry and resource efficiency projects.

Last week, CDC published an ambitious Climate Strategy, which sets out a comprehensive approach to align all of CDC’s investing activities with the Paris Agreement, based on the core principles of reaching net zero by 2050, enabling a just transition and strengthening adaptation and resilience.

CDC is committed to Paris Alignment including net zero emissions by 2050 and will not make new investments in any business – either directly or through an intermediary fund – that is deemed to be misaligned with the Paris Agreement. CDC is targeting 30% of total investments to be committed to climate finance in 2021.

More information here: https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/news-insight/news/cdc-group-unveils-commitment-to-become-aligned-to-the-paris-agreement/.

23rd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the reallocation of responsibility over the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals following the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The UK remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the SDGs will play an important role in collective approaches to post-COVID-19 recovery. Responsibility for the oversight of the SDGs will need to be considered in the round as part of the formation of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Notwithstanding this, all government departments have responsibility for the aspects of the SDGs that relate to their respective policy responsibilities.

22nd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of merging her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the UK’s ability to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The UK remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs will play an important role in post-COVID-19 recovery, recognising the connection between healthy lives, healthy societies and a healthy environment. As the Prime Minister affirmed on 28 May, we owe it to future generations to build back better, basing our recovery on a fairer, greener and more resilient global economy, and to get our shared goals back on track, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
1st Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what outcomes were agreed on 23 April 2020 during discussions between her Department's Acting Permanent Secretary and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs on international humanitarian funding levels in Yemen.

On Thursday 23 April, DFID’s Acting Permanent Secretary discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen and the urgent need for additional funding with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock.

The UN has requested over $2.4 billion of funding to be able to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen until the end of this year.

I announced on 2 June that the UK will provide £160 million in response to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis this financial year (2020/21). This brings our overall commitment to Yemen to £970 million since the conflict began in 2015.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
1st Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she had with international counterparts on the urgent need for increased pledged funding for humanitarian aid programmes in Yemen.

Over the last month the International Development Secretary and I have held several calls with our counterparts, including from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, to stress the importance of donors providing funds to the humanitarian response in Yemen.

UK officials have also held similar discussions with their counterparts around the world.

The UK announced our new pledge of £160 million in humanitarian funding for Yemen in the 2020/21 financial year at the Yemen Pledging Conference on 2 June, taking our total commitment since the conflict began to £970 million.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure logistical strategies are in place to help ensure the timely distribution of vaccines to international NGOs working on the ground in low-income and fragile states.

My Department is at the forefront of global efforts to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are available to everyone who needs them, including in low-income and fragile states. On 4 June, the UK will host the Global Vaccines Summit (GVS2020) alongside GAVI who are uniquely placed to ensure safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines can be rolled out at scale to ensure equitable access. The UK is the leading donor to GAVI and we recently announced the equivalent of £330 million a year for five years, covering the business planning period 2021-2025.

5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts in the (a) G7, (b) G20, (c) UN and (d) World Health Organisation on the scaling up of WASH facilities available in refugee camps in (i) Greece, (ii) Turkey, and (iii) throughout the Middle East.

The UK is at the forefront of tackling forced displacement and supporting refugees around the world, including support to Syrian refugees in Turkey and the Middle East, most notably Jordan and Lebanon. We also continue to offer support to the Greek Government to alleviate pressure and deliver sustainable improvements in the Greek migration system.

To date, the UK has committed £744 million in the international fight against COVID-19. We are a key contributor to the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan which aims to ensure support to the most vulnerable groups including refugees and other forcibly displaced populations. This includes significant support to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to help install hand-washing stations and isolation and treatment centres in refugee camps, and increase access to clean water for displaced people.

We are working closely with the UN, International Financial Institutions, global health multilaterals, and wider international system to push for a strong and coordinated global response to the crisis and to ensure the most vulnerable groups, including refugees, are not left behind. As part of this, there is regular Ministerial and senior official engagement with the G7, G20, World Bank Group and other Multilateral Development Banks, UN agencies, and bilateral partners.

5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the need to increase the UK Government's contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to meet increased demand for core services for Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East.

The UK is a long-term supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA). Our funding helps provide education to more than 533,000 children (half of which are girls), health services for around 3.1 million Palestinian refugees, and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable.

The services that UNRWA provide play a key role in helping contain and address the spread of COVID-19. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are working closely with UNRWA and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated response to the outbreak.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of UK Government-funded nutrition programmes in developing countries.

DFID undertakes reviews of all its programmes, including nutrition programmes, on an annual basis, including whether intended outcomes and impacts are being achieved. We also invest in evaluating our programmes to enable us to learn what works and to adapt our approaches accordingly.

In 2020, we have been looking across DFID’s country portfolio to assess where there is scope to improve how we address malnutrition as part of the government’s commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children – and considering current efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact is close to finalising its review of DFID’s work on nutrition. This will provide important insights into how we can further strengthen the work we do, and we look forward to receiving the final report in September.

5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the extent to which her Department’s funding for nutrition programmes in low-income and fragile states throughout the Middle East is meeting demand for those programmes.

Across the Middle East, malnutrition rates, as well as food insecurity levels, are very concerning, particularly in Yemen and Syria where rates are among the highest in the world.

In Yemen, last financial year (19/20), UK support helped UNICEF screen over 400,000 children for severe acute malnutrition and enabled 45,000 children to be enrolled in nutrition programmes after screening. The UK is the second-largest donor to the malnutrition response in Yemen and we continue to encourage other donors to provide significant funding to Yemen, including for the malnutrition response.

In Syria, last financial year (19/20), the UK reached over 170,000 children under five, or pregnant or new mothers, with nutrition interventions. The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to the Syria Crisis since it began in 2011. We are at the forefront of the humanitarian response, driving other donors to help those acutely in need, including on key issues such as malnutrition.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the need to tackle (a) malnutrition and (b) food scarcity among vulnerable people throughout the Middle East.

On Friday 17 April, the Secretary of State for International Development spoke with the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley. Their discussion covered COVID-19, the need for humanitarian access in Yemen (to enable the delivery of food to vulnerable people) and the current food scarcity risk posed by locusts in the Middle East and Africa.

On Monday 27 April, I spoke with the Government of Yemen’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Hadrami, where we discussed ways of stabilising Yemen’s economy (which will be critical for ensuring food imports and preventing a further deterioration in food scarcity).

On Thursday 23 April, DFID’s Acting Permanent Secretary discussed ways of improving humanitarian funding levels in Yemen, including in response to malnutrition and food scarcity, with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock.

Ministers and UK officials also remain in close contact with other donors on malnutrition and food scarcity across the Middle East.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
25th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2021 to Question 144824 Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees, when she plans to provide details of the two upstream UK Export Finance funded projects located in Brazil and one midstream project in Turkmenistan.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) carries out due diligence on all relevant aspects of a project before reaching a decision on whether to provide support. UKEF is currently reviewing whether any projects that had been under consideration fall within the limited exemptions to the new policy. It is not UKEF policy to comment on potential transactions for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)