Irene Campbell

I was pleased to announce alongside energy suppliers a package of support that will ensure the most vulnerable are protected this winter.

This £500m industry package, containing debt relief alongside other measures, and taken with the Warm Home Discount, brings total support to £1bn for this winter will mean the most vulnerable are protected from rising bills.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government. This sought views on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.

This Government is committed to resetting relations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU). As part of this, the Government is seeking to negotiate a veterinary/ sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement to boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers on both sides. The UK and EU are like-minded partners with similarly high standards.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. That is exactly what the Government will do, and we will be outlining more detail in due course.

Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The report that they produce will support our understanding of the fur industry and help inform our next steps.

In accordance with parliamentary convention, the Government will set out its formal position on this Bill when it receives its Second Reading.

All farm animals, are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation: the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal; and The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 set down detailed requirements on how farmed livestock, including laying hens and meat chickens, should be kept.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.

Further details on our plans will be provided in due course.

Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication and can be found in tabs “5_Relative_ParlC” and “6_Absolute_ParlC”. These are only produced on a before housing cost basis. A link to these statistics can be found here: Children in low-income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child.

The Child Poverty Taskforce has started work and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Child Poverty Strategy will be published in the Spring and is UK-wide.

In September, the Taskforce heard from local leaders about the challenges faced in their communities, and how it can best work with Mayors, local authorities and other bodies to develop innovative solutions to tackle child poverty. This marked the first of a series of thematic sessions with key organisations, charities and experts on specific topics that will help to shape the strategy.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage.

The UK remains committed to tackling gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan. On 23-25 January, the Foreign Secretary visited the Sudan-Chad border to raise awareness of the conflict in Sudan and its impact on neighbouring countries, speaking directly to Sudanese refugees, including survivors, who shared harrowing stories of sexual violence and torture. The UK has galvanised international efforts on this issue, including through the UN Human Rights Council, Security Council and International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. On 13 March, the Minister for Africa chaired a UN Security Council (UNSC) Briefing on CRSV in Sudan, highlighting the worsening trends and emphasising the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities. This event followed his Sudan Roundtable with the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan in Geneva on 25 February for permanent representatives which aimed to raise awareness of the critical human rights situation. The UK also co-led a Resolution at the UNSC with Sierra Leone on the protection of civilians which called on parties to take urgent steps to prevent CRSV and to improve protection and access to services. Despite unanimous support from the Council, the Resolution failed to pass due to a Russian veto.

The Pensions Investment Review, which I am leading, aims to drive the scale and consolidation of Defined Contribution pension schemes and the Local Government Pension Scheme. Our reforms could unlock £80 billion of productive investment into new infrastructure and businesses of all sizes.

The Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2023 provides details on the purposes of procedures using horses in scientific research.

The published statistics show that no horses were used for the routine production of antibodies. The majority of horses are used for the taking of blood that is subsequently used in blood-based products as a supplement in cell culture media.

Local authorities in England must ensure that support is available in safe accommodation for domestic abuse victims who need it. My Department has allocated £160 million for 2025-26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year. That funding is for local authorities to commission lifesaving support for victims in safe accommodation.