Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) suppression of the freedom of (i) religion or (ii) belief, (b) persecution of people who convert to Christianity and (c) the targeting of house churches on Christians in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn Iran's severe repression of Freedom of Religion or Belief including against Christians. The UK was integral to the delivery of the Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November 2024, which called on Iran to cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity, to release all religious practitioners imprisoned for their membership in or activities as part of a religious minority group, and to ensure religious rights are upheld. We will continue to raise human rights issues directly with the Iranian government, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve the compliance of license holders with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
All establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under ASPA in Great Britain, are subject to the full requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
The Regulator conducts audits to assure establishments’ compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA. Each establishment will receive an audit at least every three years if it does not hold special species and at least every year if it holds specially protected species.
The Regulator is presently undertaking a structured programme of reforms. This will increase the total number of Inspectors from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Indian counterpart on (a) the alleged demolishing of properties belonging to the Hindu Nallur Mutt in Chikkamagaluru and (b) the protection of freedom of religion or belief in India.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government condemns any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. Concerns about the rights and opportunities of some religious minorities and communities in India are widely reported, and our High Commission in New Delhi and network of Deputy High Commissions across India track these issues closely.
Dialogue concerning freedom of religion or belief is an important aspect of the UK-India relationship, and where we have specific concerns, we raise them directly with Indian authorities. Our network in India also meets regularly with religious representatives from different faith communities.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart in relation to reports that Hindu students in Karachi have faced disciplinary action and legal proceedings for celebrating Holi.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting freedom of religion or belief is a key part of the UK's diplomatic engagement overseas. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024 and discussed this issue in Parliament on 28 November 2024. The British High Commission regularly raises the rights of religious minorities, including Hindus, at the highest levels. However, we are not prepared to discuss the detail of individual cases where to do so could endanger individuals and their families. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, including those of religious minorities, in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to reduce imports of software and hardware for key industries from countries that may pose a risk to national security.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Our import controls and sanctions regimes play an important role in supporting the UK's foreign policy and national security objectives including by restricting the import of controlled goods from any source country and specified goods from those countries subject to UK sanctions.
The Government does not speculate on future import controls or sanctions as to do so could reduce their impact. We continue to monitor the effectiveness of our import controls and the sanctions regime.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of recent trends in the level of tobacco bundle purchases on the taxes received via the minimum excise duty on cigarettes.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor has not held any discussions with cabinet colleagues on this topic.
As with all taxes, the Government keeps the tobacco duty system under review during its Budget process.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle tobacco bundle packs; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of prohibiting the promotion of these bundles.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment on the potential merits of prohibiting the sale of bundles, consisting of hand rolling tobacco, cigarette papers, and filters, being sold together at a discount.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill gives my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care powers to regulate the features of all tobacco products, including their size and shape, as well as the number of individual products contained in an individual packet. The bill also widens this power to cover tobacco related devices, herbal smoking products, and cigarette papers. The bill gives my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the power to make, via regulations, prohibitions, requirements, and limitations on the supply of these products. This power would cover bundles of products that are sold in a package together.
Tobacco taxation is a matter for HM Treasury. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, duty rates on all tobacco products were increased, in line with the tobacco duty escalator, by 2% above Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation. The duty rate on hand-rolling tobacco was increased by a further 10% to 12% above RPI inflation, to reduce the gap with duty on cigarettes. These changes came into effect on 30 October 2024. High and increasing rates of tobacco duty are proven to incentivise those who currently smoke either to quit or to smoke less, and support public finances.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the report by the University of Bath entitled New report reveals potential $28 million tax discrepancy involving British American Tobacco in Kenya, published on 12 February 2025, if the Serious Fraud Office will reopen the investigation into British American Tobacco.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Following a three-year investigation, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) determined in January 2021 that this case did not meet the evidential test as defined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it was closed.
As is long-standing practice, the SFO can neither confirm nor deny if it is considering reopening the investigation into British American Tobacco Plc.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Prostate Cancer Audit's report entitled NPCA State of the Nation Report 2024, published in January 2025, if he will take steps to tackle inequalities in accessing NICE-recommended treatments following advanced prostate cancer diagnosis for (a) black men and (b) men from areas of socio-economic deprivation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Making improvements across different cancer types, including prostate cancer, is critical to reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the National Health Service’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities.
To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men.
We have also asked the National Screening Committee to review the evidence for prostate cancer screening, including for high-risk groups like black men.
As part of our wider strategy on early diagnosis, we are directly targeting our activity at areas we know will make a difference. This includes awareness raising campaigns such as the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.
The NHS England Cancer Programme also commissions clinical cancer audits, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients, including those with prostate cancer.
Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve access to treatments and outcomes for all tumour types, including prostate cancer. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be. We will provide updates on this in due course.
We need to tackle the inequalities that people from different groups face, which will be part of the National Cancer Plan as we look at addressing all barriers to providing cancer care across prevention, diagnosis, screening and treatment.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 help tackle health inequalities in prostate cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Making improvements across different cancer types, including prostate cancer, is critical to reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the National Health Service’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities.
To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men.
We have also asked the National Screening Committee to review the evidence for prostate cancer screening, including for high-risk groups like black men.
As part of our wider strategy on early diagnosis, we are directly targeting our activity at areas we know will make a difference. This includes awareness raising campaigns such as the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.
The NHS England Cancer Programme also commissions clinical cancer audits, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients, including those with prostate cancer.
Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve access to treatments and outcomes for all tumour types, including prostate cancer. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be. We will provide updates on this in due course.
We need to tackle the inequalities that people from different groups face, which will be part of the National Cancer Plan as we look at addressing all barriers to providing cancer care across prevention, diagnosis, screening and treatment.