Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of waiting times for processing (a) applications to and (b) the release of funds from the Farm Equipment and Technology Fund in the past year.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

a) The application window for Productivity and Slurry FETF 2024 grants closed on the 07 April 2024; the application window for Animal Health and Welfare FETF 2024 closed on the 01 May 2024.

The majority of Productivity applicants received their Grant Funded Agreement offer on 24 May 2024 totalling a wait time of approximately 7 weeks.

The majority of Slurry applicants received their Grant Funded Agreement offer on 23 May 2024 totalling a wait time of approximately 7 weeks.

The majority of Animal Health and Welfare applicants received their Grant Funded Agreement offer on 29 May 2024 totalling a wait time of approximately 4 weeks.

b) More than 70% of all FETF 2024 claims paid to date have been processed within 30 working days.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that eligible families have access to the Support for Families with Disabled Children programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Each year, the Support for Families with Disabled Children (SFDC) programme provides individual grants to approximately 60,000 low-income families raising a disabled or seriously ill child. The department is pleased to support the SFDC programme and we expect applications to the scheme to re-open shortly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to prevent North Korean cyber criminals laundering stolen funds through UK institutions.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is aware of reporting relating to the recent cyber activity linked to the DPRK, involving the cryptocurrency exchange ByBit. The UK works closely with our allies to deter all malign actors from conducting malicious cyber activity. This includes through targeted sanctions, public attributions and working closely with partners to encourage capacity building and cyber deterrence.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations, it is mandatory for banks and other financial institutions to apply enhanced due diligence to all transactions linked to North Korea to ensure they do not involve the proceeds of crime. In addition, the UK’s DPRK sanctions regime imposes broad restrictions of a financial nature, including prohibitions on UK financial institutions establishing or maintaining financial relationships with DPRK financial institutions. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation works to support UK businesses, including financial institutions, to comply with sanctions on the DPRK. This includes publication of advisory notices such as the Advisory on North Korean IT Workers published in September 2024.

Cryptoassets, specifically cryptoasset exchange providers and custodian wallet providers, have been regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations since January 2020. UK cryptoasset firms must register with the Financial Conduct Authority which acts as a supervisory body to ensure firms have appropriate systems in place to prevent money laundering. The money laundering risk these cryptoasset firms are exposed to will be assessed in the updated National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, due to be published later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the vulnerabilities of cryptocurrency to North Korean criminals.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is aware of reporting relating to the recent cyber activity linked to the DPRK, involving the cryptocurrency exchange ByBit. The UK works closely with our allies to deter all malign actors from conducting malicious cyber activity. This includes through targeted sanctions, public attributions and working closely with partners to encourage capacity building and cyber deterrence.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations, it is mandatory for banks and other financial institutions to apply enhanced due diligence to all transactions linked to North Korea to ensure they do not involve the proceeds of crime. In addition, the UK’s DPRK sanctions regime imposes broad restrictions of a financial nature, including prohibitions on UK financial institutions establishing or maintaining financial relationships with DPRK financial institutions. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation works to support UK businesses, including financial institutions, to comply with sanctions on the DPRK. This includes publication of advisory notices such as the Advisory on North Korean IT Workers published in September 2024.

Cryptoassets, specifically cryptoasset exchange providers and custodian wallet providers, have been regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations since January 2020. UK cryptoasset firms must register with the Financial Conduct Authority which acts as a supervisory body to ensure firms have appropriate systems in place to prevent money laundering. The money laundering risk these cryptoasset firms are exposed to will be assessed in the updated National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, due to be published later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of cybercrime from North Korea on the UK.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK is one of the most digital, connected and online countries in the world. This increases our exposure to a range of cyber threats including from states, ransomware gangs, and cyber criminals. Cyber crime causes immense damage to people and businesses across the world and is a top priority for the Government.

The UK is concerned around the threat DPRK poses through cyber activity, not only to cybersecurity, but to economic security and national security. The UK works closely with our allies to deter all malign actors from conducting malicious cyber activity. This includes through targeted sanctions, public attributions and working closely with partners to encourage capacity building and cyber deterrence.

We have been clear that we will not tolerate malicious cyber activity. The DPRK has repeatedly acted in violation of internationally agreed cyber norms. The NCSC continues to work with partners to understand and address the risk to the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with hospices on (a) their role in and (b) funding in relation to the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Plan.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive the care they need when and where they need it, including those who need palliative and end of life care.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including the hospice sector.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to consult with stakeholders on the adequacy of the rurality weighting in the new council funding settlement.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Places with a significant rural population will on average receive almost a 6% increase in their Core Spending Power for 25-26, which is a real terms increase alongside new funding available to rural areas in 2025-26 through guaranteed EPR payments.

I regularly meet with stakeholders to discuss current and future local government funding, including on rurality. We also invited views from the sector on long-awaited finance reforms through the local authority funding reform objectives and principles consultation. This included our proposal to continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for relative cost differences between local authorities, including differences between rural and urban areas. We will be consulting on more detailed proposals following the Spending Review.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made in efforts to decrease the number of instances of persecution on Bahai communities.

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

The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, we are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding,

The continued persecution of the Baha'i community including in Iran and Yemen, including unfair arrest and detention, land grabs, and denial of burial rights, is unacceptable. We are committed to working with international partners to hold countries to account for repression of the Bahai's, and other religious or belief minorities, including at the United Nations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representation to his Moroccan counterpart on including freedom of religion or belief during discussions on the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

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

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. The recently appointed Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will play a critical role in promoting this right for all, through and alongside our global diplomatic network, our engagement in multilateral fora, and our important bilateral work. On 25 March, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials met and discussed FoRB with the President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote freedom of religion or belief in community engagement initiatives in Morocco.

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

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. The recently appointed Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will play a critical role in promoting this right for all, through and alongside our global diplomatic network, our engagement in multilateral fora, and our important bilateral work. On 25 March, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials met and discussed FoRB with the President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the rising number of prisoners of conscience detained for their religious beliefs worldwide; and what assessment they have made of international law as a framework for holding governments accountable for violations of freedom of religion or belief.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, and our programme funding, including the Rule of Law (ROLE UK) legal reform programme.

We also use our skilled global diplomatic network to engage directly with governments. Ministers and FCDO officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations, whether publicly or in private. The UK continues to hold countries to account on their FoRB commitments and obligations, through our engagement with the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and at the UN Human Rights Council. This work is mutually reinforcing of our wider human rights efforts, underpinning our belief that human rights are universal.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to help tackle the digital persecution of Christians.

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

There is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, and our programme funding.

The development and use of digital technology presents both opportunities and risks for the enjoyment of human rights, including FoRB. It is important that we champion the positive potential of technology, whilst taking action to mitigate risks. We do this by working with international partners and through multilateral fora including the United Nations and the Article 18 Alliance which has a workstream, co-chaired by the UK, focused on FoRB and Artificial Intelligence.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to determine which countries are monitored for violations of freedom of religion or belief.

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

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora including the UN and Article 18 Alliance, our bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith and our programme funding.

Our network of diplomatic posts around the world monitor and report on human rights, including FoRB. We also draw on other information sources including the regular reports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for FoRB.

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 ensure the delivery of freedom of religion or belief work in his Department's (a) diplomatic and (b) development efforts.

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

The UK is championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora - including our position at the United Nations (UN) and Article 18 Alliance - through our important bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, and our programme funding. This includes the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) designated programme for FoRB-focused projects overseas, the John Bunyan Fund (JBF).

The JBF supports a range of projects aimed at protecting and promoting FoRB. The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to support those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.

Found: _25 Rachael Maskell Sir Desmond Swayne Graham Stringer Margaret Mullane Marsha De Cordova David Smith

Found: Sammy Wilson Neil Duncan-Jordan Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith

Found: _25 Rachael Maskell Sir Desmond Swayne Graham Stringer Margaret Mullane Marsha De Cordova David Smith

Found: Sammy Wilson Neil Duncan-Jordan Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith

Found: _25 Rachael Maskell Sir Desmond Swayne Graham Stringer Margaret Mullane Marsha De Cordova David Smith

Found: Sammy Wilson Neil Duncan-Jordan Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith

Found: _25 Rachael Maskell Sir Desmond Swayne Graham Stringer Margaret Mullane Marsha De Cordova David Smith

Found: Sammy Wilson Neil Duncan-Jordan Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith

Found: _25 Rachael Maskell Sir Desmond Swayne Graham Stringer Margaret Mullane Marsha De Cordova David Smith

Found: Sammy Wilson Neil Duncan-Jordan Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith

Found: _25 Rachael Maskell Sir Desmond Swayne Graham Stringer Margaret Mullane Marsha De Cordova David Smith

Found: Ruth Jones Ann Davies Sammy Wilson Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith

Found: Ruth Jones Ann Davies Sammy Wilson Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith