Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of racial attacks in football game settings in the last 12 months.

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

The Government is determined to tackle hate crime across England and Wales, including offences that occur at football matches, and we are clear there is no place for racism in sport or society.

We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to all forms of hate crime, including racial attacks. There is an expectation in law that anyone convicted of a hate crime offence linked to a football match will receive a football banning order, preventing them from attending all regulated football matches in England and Wales for a period of three to five years, or six to ten years if a custodial sentence is imposed.

We back the police in taking strong action against perpetrators of these appalling offences and we are continuing to fund the UK Football Policing Unit, which works in conjunction with the Government and the National Police Chiefs’ Council Football Lead (NPCC) to reduce all forms of violence, anti-social behaviour and disorder at football events involving UK football teams.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on football-related disorder in England and Wales. This includes information on the number of matches with reported incidents of hate crimes relating to race. The latest available data, which covers the 2023 to 2024 season, can be found in table 11 of the supporting data tables to the Football-related arrests and banning orders publication on GOV.UK: 'Football-related arrests and banning orders, England and Wales: 2023 to 2024 data tables'.

The Government also works with sports bodies, including Sport England, UK Sport, and national governing bodies, to tackle racism and discrimination in sport, and we expect them to take robust action whenever it occurs.

Policing is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the backlog of settled status applications.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

As of the end of December 2024, 98% of all applications for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) have been concluded by the Home Office. Information on average processing times can be found on GOV.UK at EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK.

The majority of applications are decided very quickly. However, in some instances, where a case is less straightforward, the overall processing time will vary as caseworkers endeavor to engage with applicants to help them provide the evidence needed to support their application.

At present, most applications to the EUSS are from people who already hold an initial grant of pre-settled status and who are applying to upgrade to settled status. Earlier this year, the Home Office has introduced a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status, without the need for them to make a further EUSS application.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Pension Credit applications her Department has received in the last 12 months.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

On 27 February 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025. Pension Credit Applications and Awards - February 2025.

Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.

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 help increase public preparedness for out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

To improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces, and to reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.

As part of the application process, the Department has selected the Smarter Society as its independent partner to manage grant applications against requirements specified by the Department to ensure that resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.

NHS England is working with St John’s Ambulance on increasing the number of people in our communities who are confident in the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillators. This includes a national network of Community Advocates to champion the importance of first aid, training 60,000 people that will help save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing tax breaks to employers who train apprentices.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Employers of those under the age of 21 and apprentices under the age of 25 already receive 100% employer National Insurance relief on salaries up to £50,270.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of wind turbines on avian mortality.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government does not have estimates of the number of birds killed by wind turbines. Wind developments have the potential to cause environmental damage, including impacts to birds from collisions, displacement, and foraging pressures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of misuse of prescription drugs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has made no such assessment. We are unable to assess trends in this area because there is no universal definition of prescription only medicine misuse, and data is not routinely collected, particularly for patients using medication without a prescription, or outside recommended prescribing parameters.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) glaucoma and (b) irreversible blindness will be incorporated in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

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

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in eye care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/

Alongside the development of the 10 year plan, NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs, including those with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma. This approach aims to increase hospital eye service capacity and reduce avoidable blindness.

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 with devolved governments to help ensure the equal provision of NICE-approved treatments across the UK for (a) advanced and (b) complex Parkinson’s disease.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England. Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines is a matter for the respective devolved administrations. The NICE has agreements with the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland to make its products, including guidelines, technology appraisals, and highly specialised technologies guidance, available to them, and works with organisations to help put its guidance into practice through its system implementation team.

The Government has recently relaunched the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, which is a unique initiative that aims to accelerate the time to patient care for transformative new medicines and drug-device combinations, facilitating patient access by providing a single integrated platform for sustained collaborative working between the developer, the regulator, the Health Technology Assessment bodies across the United Kingdom, the NHS, and patients.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of trends in levels of footfall on high streets since 1 January 2025.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes weekly reports retail footfall traffic across the UK. This data can fluctuate due to factors such as seasonal trends, economic conditions and consumer confidence. Due to the highly volatile nature of the high-street footfall data the department does not estimate footfall trends on high streets. All ONS reports on real-time UK wide retail footfall for each week in 2025 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/bulletins/economicactivityandsocialchangeintheukrealtimeindicators/previousreleases

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made in the levels of of regional variations in waiting times for specialist migraine treatment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst no specific assessment has been made, as of January 2025 there were almost 233,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment and 53.8% of neurology pathways were waiting within 18 weeks.

The Government is committed to tackling National Health Service waiting lists for patients and reducing variation across all regions, including patients awaiting specialist migraine treatment. We will ensure 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. As a first step, we delivered an additional two million appointments between July and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests and treatments, including for neurology patients.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, commits to reforming elective care equitably and inclusively for all adults, children and young people to improve patient experience and waiting list performance and reduce regional variation, so that patients receive high quality care wherever they live.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many attendance allowance applications her Department has received in the last 12 months.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The number of Attendance Allowance applications received by the Department in the last 12 months (March 2024 – February 2025) was 592,545.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's system strategy unit has plans to focus on (a) glaucoma and (b) irreversible blindness.

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

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in eye care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/

Alongside the development of the 10 year plan, NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs, including those with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma. This approach aims to increase hospital eye service capacity and reduce avoidable blindness.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps he is taking to help increase the freshwater pearl mussel population.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is supporting the recovery of freshwater pearl mussel by working collaboratively with environmental organisations to restore rivers and watercourses, raising awareness about the importance of freshwater pearl mussels and encouraging community participation in their conservation. Enforcement agencies are also ensuring compliance with the nature conservation laws to protect freshwater pearl mussels from illegal harvesting and environmental damage.

As well as habitat-based actions the Environment Agency has established a captive breeding programme in Kielder, Northumberland to boost existing populations by providing a safe start to their lifecycle before they are returned to the wild at carefully chosen locations.

Finally, we are exploring opportunities to reintroduce the species to river systems from where they have been lost; Natural England and partners are planning a freshwater pearl mussel reintroduction, the “R4ever Kent Life project”, which will also help inform other reintroductions across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether glaucoma will be recognised in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

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

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in eye care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/

Alongside the development of the 10 year plan, NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage, and management of patients with eye care needs, including those with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma. This approach aims to increase hospital eye service capacity and reduce avoidable blindness.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of measles cases across the UK.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There has been a resurgence of measles in England since autumn 2023, initially driven by cases in Birmingham, followed by a large outbreak in London, with small clusters in other regions. This was largely due to a gradual decline in uptake of childhood vaccines over the last decade, including the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Case counts have followed a downward trajectory from mid-July 2024 with small, localised outbreaks in some regions.

The UK Health Security Agency has worked closely with NHS England and other partners encouraging parents to catch up children with all childhood vaccines, including MMR. In 2024, national MMR catch-up and marketing campaigns were delivered alongside local tailored interventions to improve uptake. The evaluation, published on 29 August 2024, has shown that this work had a positive impact particularly in children from communities with the lowest uptake.

The full evaluation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-vaccine-uptake-during-the-2023-to-2024-mmr-catch-up-campaigns-in-england

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the timing of the implementation of firearms licenses.

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

Northern Ireland has its own firearms legislation which is separate to the legislation in Great Britain. This is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Government and this legislation governs how the Police Service of Northern Ireland undertakes its firearms licensing functions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help ensure that the Government's UK Neurology Forum include migraine as a priority for (a) discussion and (b) policy recommendations.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The new United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, which met for the first time on 10 March 2025, brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system, discuss important neurology service transformations and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions that will add both to the existing programmes of work and wider health plans. The forum will be an advisory rather than a decision-making body.

A wide range of neurological conditions, including migraine, will be within the scope of the Neuro Forum, and agendas will be agreed by the forum’s membership ahead of each meeting.

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 with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that migraine is recognised within (a) the Access to Work scheme and (b) workplace health and disability strategies.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In relation to the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government has engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through existing fora and Government engagement structures. We will be carrying out further, in-depth engagement, and look forward to working with stakeholders during policy development and implementation.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including migraines. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.

The goal is to open up opportunities to work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like migraine to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 4.3 million working days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2022. The represents 2.3% of all days lost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of including migraine as a category within the (a) Get Britain Working white paper and (b) workforce participation and productivity strategies.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In relation to the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government has engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through existing fora and Government engagement structures. We will be carrying out further, in-depth engagement, and look forward to working with stakeholders during policy development and implementation.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including migraines. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.

The goal is to open up opportunities to work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like migraine to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 4.3 million working days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2022. The represents 2.3% of all days lost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of migraine-related absenteeism on the economy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In relation to the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Government has engaged with both internal and external stakeholders through existing fora and Government engagement structures. We will be carrying out further, in-depth engagement, and look forward to working with stakeholders during policy development and implementation.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised, discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including migraines. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.

The goal is to open up opportunities to work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like migraine to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 4.3 million working days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2022. The represents 2.3% of all days lost.

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 severe malnutrition in people under the age of 18.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Malnutrition is a clinical condition affecting all ages across the community, and in all health and care settings. Severe malnutrition is most likely to be secondary to another physical or mental health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or a person’s ability to eat and drink.

The diagnosis and detection of malnutrition are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs so effective individual treatment can be put in place. Tools and guidance are available through a range of organisations for health and social care professionals to identify and treat malnutrition and access appropriate training.

The Healthy Child Programme in England is a universal programme for children aged zero to 19 years old. When there is a concern raised about a child’s growth, either a health visitor or school nurse will monitor this and assess for signs of under or overweight, including as a possible sign of neglect and faltering growth, and will work with families to support them in addressing the family and child’s needs. Further information on the Healthy Child Programme is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/healthy-child-programme

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline Faltering growth: recognition and management of faltering growth in children, for healthcare professionals, providers of children's services, commissioners of children's services, and parents and carers of children with faltering growth, covers the recognition, assessment, and monitoring of faltering growth in infants and children. Further information on the guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng75/chapter/Recommendations#faltering-growth-after-the-early-days-of-life

Anyone who is identified as being malnourished or at risk of malnutrition should be assessed by an appropriately qualified health professional, such as a dietitian, and should receive an individualised care plan in line with their individual circumstances, dietary preferences, and medical needs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage recycling at beaches.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has introduced Simpler Recycling, which from 31 March 2025 will require small, medium and large workplaces in England to recycle the core waste streams (plastic, metal, glass, paper and card) and food waste. This will include cafés, shops, and other establishments that are located across England’s seafronts and beaches.

We have been proud to support and endorse national clean-up initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean, and the Great British Beach Clean, and we will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and businesses as possible to participate in these types of events.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to provide childcare to parents who serve in the armed forces.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

We recognise that appropriate childcare provision can be challenging for parents who serve in the Armed Forces and continue to explore options for improving support to our personnel in affording and accessing it.

Although the responsibility for childcare provision lies elsewhere within Government and is not a core Defence output, many Defence sites within the UK provide opportunities for local childcare providers to make use of facilities on, or close to, the Defence estate. These settings can also benefit the local civilian community. Overseas, we have extended Wraparound Childcare to families serving overseas which will potentially save up to £3,400 annually for Service families.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on financial support for disabled people.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

I regularly engage with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and other Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including support for disabled people. The Secretary of State recently launched the Pathways to Work Green Paper which set out government plans to support disabled people into work through a significant investment in employment support, and reform the health and disability benefits to make the system more pro work.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with Boeing on the potential impact of technological advances in airplane manufacturing on travel times between London and the US.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State for Transport has not met individually with Boeing since taking up the post. A representative of Boeing joined the Secretary of State and other Ministers at a meeting of the Jet Zero Taskforce in December 2024.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote healthy eating in schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Strangford to the answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28851.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's green paper Pathways to work: reforming benefits and support to get Britain working, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this announcement on families in poverty.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We will be publishing equality analysis which sets out the impacts on disabled people alongside poverty impacts on all individuals.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of fully-qualified SEND teachers in England on 12 March 2025.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

High quality teaching is the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, which is why sufficient high quality teachers is key to delivering the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity.

All teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the Teachers’ Standards sets clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

As of November 2023, which is the latest date for which data is available, there were 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. Of these, around 6% (28,200) were in special schools and state-funded alternative provision schools, including pupil referral units.

​Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers entering and leaving service in state-funded schools, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of Advice UK's report entitled Voices of Deaf and Disabled people, published on 10 December 2024.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are grateful to Advice UK for sharing their insights and concerns from their ‘Advice Saves’ campaign and findings in their ‘Voices of Deaf and Disabled People’ report.

Ensuring the views and voices of disabled people are at the heart of everything we do is a priority for this government and we are committed to listening and engaging closely with disabled people and their representative organisations as we develop policies that may impact them, including the reforms set out in the recent ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper and the Health and Disability Green Paper.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of people charged with aggravated burglary over the last 12 months.

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

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences, and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. This information, including aggravated burglary offences, can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Crime statistics for Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved administration. These can be accessed here:

https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-publications-and-reports/official-statistics/police-recorded-crime-statistics

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the damage cause by Storm Eowyn to housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 sets out that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts, including storm and flood risk. Planning should help to ensure that development minimises vulnerability and improves resilience to the effects of climate change.

The Framework sets out overarching policy on flood risk from all sources. It states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding, whether an existing or a potential future risk, should be avoided. Where no alternative sites are available, permission should only be granted where it can be demonstrated that it will be safe for its lifetime taking account of the vulnerability of its users, without increasing flood risk elsewhere, and, where possible, will reduce flood risk overall.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to engage with deaf and disabled people's organisations when preparing reforms to disability benefits.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do. We have developed proposals for reform to the system of health and disability benefits, set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18^th March 2025. A full 12 week consultation will run from when all accessible versions are published on GOV.UK. We are keen to hear views from a wide group of people, in particular disabled people and people with health conditions and disability organisations, and encourage responses to the consultation through the online form, email and post.

We also intend to run a number of accessible virtual and face to face events on the consultation, to hear from stakeholders, including deaf and disabled people and their representative organisations, directly. More information on these events and registration will be advertised on the consultation pages on GOV.UK in due course.

In the Green Paper, we have also announced that we will set up collaboration committees to develop our reforms further, directly with disabled people and people with health conditions and experts. This will involve bringing together disabled people, experts and civil servants around specific issues to collaborate, provide ideas, challenge, and input into recommendations. We look forward to developing these initiatives over the coming months.

Question

To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church is taking steps to promote the (a) cultural significance and (b) history of the church organ.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The Church of England works closely with the Royal College of Organists to encourage and promote the playing of the organ and encourage young people to develop their talents. The increased visibility of some high-profile players on social media is also increasing awareness of the instrument and opportunities for playing the organ in and beyond the church.

The Church of England offer grants to support the conservation of historic organs in CofE churches and works closely with organisations that promote organ culture and heritage, including the Royal College of Organists, British Institute of Organ Studies, and Institute of British Organ Building, to share policy interests and promote good practice.

Question

To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of the potential impact of rural parishes on social isolation amongst elderly people.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

Churches in rural areas often play an important role as a community hub and a place to connect with others. The Church of England has many examples of communities tackling social isolation and loneliness; this may be through traditional offering of worship services, via a home visit for the housebound, or through providing social spaces in the church or church hall for people to gather.

Across the country, and especially in rural communities, churches run around 31,000 community-based initiatives, offering warm spaces, intergenerational children and community projects, coffee mornings, health and wellbeing groups, dementia cafés, community libraries, village shops, as well as spaces for cultural experiences and art exhibitions.

A good example of this work can be found in the research produced by the Archbishops' Commission on Reimagining Care. Commission Members visited a church-led cafe in Kirkby Thore in Cumbria, part of the Renew Wellbeing movement. This provided space for refreshments, games and quiet reflection for people of all ages, but proved particularly popular with older people.

The growing movement towards social prescribing in primary care recognises the important role that faith groups, including churches, play in the health of their communities. Churches are working closely with local GPs in many parts of the country to offer a wide range of specific activities that encourage group work or physical activity. Some good examples of this have been the development of churchyard working groups and gardening projects, community book group and discussion groups, and craft clubs, which all offer people the opportunity meet, chat and make new connections. A recent report has been published by the think-tank Theos, assessing some of the range of projects churches are engaging with, which can be found here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/research/2023/08/09/faith-in-social-prescribing

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support creative industries.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The creative industries are one of the government’s eight priority Industrial Strategy (IS) sectors. In 2023, the sector employed 2.4m people, and contributed £124bn in UK GVA – more than 5% of total UK GVA.

Partnership with devolved governments will make the development of the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort, and will support the considerable sectoral strengths of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A creative industries Sector Plan will be published in late Spring in conjunction with the Industrial Strategy. It will set out the biggest opportunities for growth in the creative industries at home and in new markets abroad.

At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, we announced a £60 million package of support for the sector, providing a major boost to the wider economy. We also set out new commitments from the British Business Bank, the UK’s economic development bank, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in January to strengthen their support for the creative industries, in addition to making shorter apprenticeships available from August 2025, building towards a more flexible growth and skills levy. These are the first steps we have taken in delivering on our ambitions for the creative industries, with more to be set out with the publication of the Sector Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department hold son the number of people who have been diagnosed with long covid in the last 12 months.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst the requested data is not available in the format requested, the most recent data from the Winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Study, a joint study carried out by the Office for National Statistics and the UK Health Security Agency, shows that, for the period between 6 February 2024 and 7 March 2024, an estimated two million people, or 3.3% of the population, in private households in England and Scotland, self-reported experiencing long COVID symptoms more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last 12 months.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest available data show that prostate cancer was the most diagnosed cancer in England in 2022, with 54,732 new diagnoses. This is an increase of 11,354 more registrations than in 2021.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with counterparts in NATO countries on improving sexual health education in relation to (a) AIDS and (b) HIV in developing countries.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials do not engage directly with NATO regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) HIV education.

The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive SRHR, which includes comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, maternal and newborn health, HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention, safe abortion and period poverty. We remain committed to the global HIV response and to working in partnership with other UN member states as well as with the global health institutions towards a collective goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat. Together we have helped to reduce new HIV infections by 60 per cent since the peak in 1995 and reduce AIDS-related deaths by 69 per cent since the peak in 2004.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of drug deaths in the last 12 months.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 17th March is attached.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the levels of house prices in the last 12 months.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department continuously monitors the latest data on house prices.

In the 12 months up to December 2024 (the most recent data from the ONS), average house prices in the UK rose from £256,000 to £268,000 a 4.6% increase.

In England, the average house price rose from £279,000 to £291,000 a 4.3% increase. The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. The government is committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme, to support first-time buyers who struggle to save for a large deposit, with lower mortgage costs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reversing the changes to inheritance tax for family farmers.

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

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new Personal Independence Payment claims her Department has received in the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Between February 2024 and January 2025, there were a total of 979,100 New Personal Independence Payment claims registered. Of these, 889,300 were New Claims and 89,800 were reassessments from Disability Living Allowance.

This information can be found on Stat-Xplore in the ‘PIP Registrations’ dataset.

Question

To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have had discussions with local churches in coastal areas on steps to encourage young people to join church related (a) youth clubs and (b) weekend events.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

One of the key priorities set by the National Church Institutions, working with the dioceses, is to grow our mission to children and young people. Significant funding has been committed to support this vital work.

In 2023/24, the Diocesan Investment Programme invested £158 million to deliver the Church's vision and strategy in local communities and parishes. This funding has been directed towards areas of deprivation and seaside towns where young people often have fewer opportunities for personal growth and development.

The last funding round supported the Diocese of Carlisle to support missional, younger and more diverse faith communities, including in Barrow-in-Furness with an investment of £6.8 million, you can read more about the project here: https://www.carlislediocese.org.uk/news/2025/03/10/diocese-carlisle-awarded-68-million-fund-missional-growth/

Many churches offer opportunities for young families via toddler groups, Messy Church and a range of other intergenerational activities to improve wellbeing and tackle loneliness and isolation. In addition the Church is actively encouraging, inspiring, and equipping local churches to support youth clubs, run bespoke youth events, before school breakfast groups, after school clubs, and various activities especially during weekends or holiday periods.

A recent partnership with Youthscape has successfully launched around 200 new youth-related missional activities, with a large number in Portsmouth Diocese and the Channel Islands. Missional Youth Church Network is focusing on working with young people in areas of socio-economic deprivation including in Southampton.

Question

To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to encourage more young people to attend places of worship.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

One of the key priorities set by the National Church Institutions, working with the dioceses, is to double the number of children and young active disciples by 2030.

From 2022-2023, there was an increase of 4% in the number of children and young people attending places of worship. The commitment to growing engagement with young people is not merely about increasing numbers in congregations, but improving understanding, cultural awareness, and engagement with Christianity, its teachings and theology.

Significant central funding has been allocated to support the vision, and in 2023/24, the Diocesan Investment Programme (DIP) invested £158 million to deliver the Church's vision and strategy in local communities and parishes.

27% of this funding was dedicated to young people, and research was conducted to address key challenges. Investments are being made in training for clergy, starting new worship services, and building relationships between schools and churches.

Resources have been produced for churches to encourage them to develop volunteers with young people. We are also seeking to grow digital engagement through 'The Way UK’.

Linfield FC and the Irish Premier League

Expansion of Willowbrook Foods in Killinchy

Dementia strategy for Devon

King's Award for Voluntary Service to Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels

25 years of the Water of Leith visitor centre

International Day of the Midwife

Small and medium-sized enterprises in defence procurement

Oaklands College success in sport and academia

150th anniversary of Wokingham Town Football Club

Securing habitat for endangered swifts and other cavity nesting birds

Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon (Caernarfon Rygby Club) and Division 1 Cup Final

Wokingham Borough Council awarded Local Authority of the Year

Robert May’s school and STEM racing competition

Ukrainian Action Team Devon

International Day for Mine Awareness

Fife Carers Centre

Abduction of Ukrainian children

Bathgate 80th anniversary of VE Day Commemoration

John Irvine’s 50 years of service to the Loyal Orders

Cupar Scouts King's Scout Award

Recognition of the Deuchar family’s service to Denny and Dunipace

80th anniversary of Christian Aid

Gerry Watkins

Libraries in state primary schools

Work of the Royal British Legion in Stratford-on-Avon

Protecting children from data exploitation

Camelon Bowling Club award of £2,000 grant from Flutter UKI

Energy Technical Academy Group’s Female Introduction to Trades Open Day

Festival Medical Services and Ukraine

News journalism and artificial intelligence tools

Strode College awarded the CyberFirst Silver Award

Llanberis Mountain Rescue and the St David’s Volunteering Awards 2025

Legacy of Storm Éowyn in Victoria Park

Tackling child poverty

Drummore Primary School litter pick and Eco schools award

Disability hate crime

Dead Slow campaign

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Lauren Bell

Forres Rotary Citizen of the Year

Lorna Williamson

Zoe Barclay

Arbikie Distillery

Ailie MacLeod

Whitchurch banking hub

Trevor Magowan

125th anniversary of the Irish Guards

Households below average income

Chryston High School wind band

Scams and fraud

Inverness Airport

Wealth tax and social security reform

Human rights in Balochistan (No. 2)

British Summer Time clock change

Beer festivals 2025

Radiotherapy (No. 2)

900th anniversary of Stirling

Government review into Volumetric Concrete Mobile plants

Benefit reforms and Personal Independence Payment consultation

Congratulating Barry Ahearn

30th anniversary of Manor Estates Housing Association in Edinburgh

Amlwch Viking Festival 2025

BBC Sounds provision

Avanti West Coast ticket offices and station staffing

Rural market towns

Bangladesh Independence Day

100th anniversary of East Belfast District Scouts

Royal Academy of Arts proposed job reductions

Support for the World Health Organization

Retrospective awarding of the Humanitarian Medal

Changes to Great Western Railway ticket offices and stations

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance 25th anniversary

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Second anniversary of Eco Action Hub for Maidenhead and Windsor

Repair of Hammersmith Bridge

Corpus Christi Primary School's Big Brew coffee afternoon

Bridgend Pet Supplies

Petty crime

Hyndland Secondary School reading championship

Access to football pitches for women and girls

50th anniversary of the Odenwald Association

Fee waivers for ILR applications

10th anniversary of the reinterment of King Richard III

The Advisory Group’s Glasgow Banking Steering Committee

Boghall Butchers

Scottish Tourism Month 2025

Service of Rob Nixon as Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police

Support for young disabled people after education

Rory McIlroy's victory at the 2025 Players Championship

Congratulating Alan Hansen on receiving an MBE

Lagan Valley’s Special Olympics gold medallists

Funding for schools in South Cambridgeshire

St Patrick's Challenge Trophy, Northern Ireland Volleyball

Arbroath's award-winning black pudding

Grace Collective production of Oor Hoose O'er There

Newcastle United FC's footballing achievement

International Space Station

Personal Independence Payment

Bank closures

Found: Questions 1 - 22 Representations made I: Brian Mathew II: Jim Shannon III: Dan Carden IV: Lizzi Collinge

Found: _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon Alex Easton Robin Swann Mr Gregory Campbell

Found: 1990. 3 REPORT STAGE Wednesday 26 March 2025 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon

Found: Act 1990. 3 REPORT STAGE Tuesday 25 March 2025 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon

Found: Act 1990. 3 REPORT STAGE Monday 24 March 2025 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon

Found: Act 1990. 3 REPORT STAGE Friday 21 March 2025 _NC3 Jim Allister Gavin Robinson Sammy Wilson Jim Shannon

Found: Robin Swann Nick Timothy Steve Darling Chris Law Sorcha Eastwood John McDonnell Greg Smith Jim Shannon