Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to help tackle the potential impact of aid cuts on (a) South Africa, (b) Kenya, (c) Nigeria and (d) other countries of strategic importance to the UK.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including the likely impact on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take steps with (a) G7 and (b) European donors to return to previous levels of Official Development Assistance.

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

The Government remains committed to returning Official Development Assistance to 0.7 per cent of gross national income when the fiscal circumstances allow. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work through international partnerships towards that vision. Other donors' decisions on overseas development funding are a matter for their governments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to encourage (a) the private sector and (b) other donors to increase funding for global HIV prevention and treatment.

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

As the co-host with South Africa of the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UK is actively engaging with both international counterparts and private sector partners to advocate for maintaining or increasing funding for global health, including HIV prevention and treatment. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific attended an event in parliament on 2 April celebrating the contribution of the private sector where the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) made a landmark $150 million pledge to the 8th replenishment. The Minister welcomed this significant contribution from a British partner which demonstrates the key role of the private sector in the fight against HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria, and global health more broadly.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support the scale up of the provision of long-acting HIV prevention medicines now entering the market.

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

The UK remains committed to sustainable development goal 3.3 in ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. Long-acting technologies have the potential to be game-changers in the global response to HIV, but only if they reach the countries and communities that need them most. The UK supports key partners to improve access to long-acting technologies, including Unitaid who recently committed £17 million in market-shaping grants with the Wits Institute in South Africa and Fiotec in Brazil to accelerate affordable access to Lenacapavir.

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 potential implications for his policies of the report by the Lancet entitled Impact of an international HIV funding crisis on HIV infections and mortality in low income and middle income countries, a modelling study, published on 26 March 2025.

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

The UK takes note of the current context for international HIV funding. We remain committed to our long-standing support to global health organisations at the core of the response to HIV and AIDS, and we continue to support efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We are excited to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria together with South Africa. In countries where the Global Fund invests, AIDS-related deaths have declined by 73 per cent since 2002.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce traceable labels on nitrous oxide canisters to allow the authorities to know the point of sale.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

With apologies for the previous answer, nitrous oxide is controlled as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and it is an offence to produce, supply, offer to supply, possess, possess with intent to supply, import and export nitrous oxide, where the intention is for it to be used for its psychoactive effects.

The Home Office is not responsible for labelling or tracking nitrous oxide in the many contexts in which its use is legitimate. This would fall to government departments and regulators for the relevant sectors.

Reductions to CrossCountry trains catering services

Better Jobs, Better Services campaign

Legal protection of the nurse job title

Trans+ History Week