Preet Kaur Gill

The Government is excited about the opportunity presented to adopt AI for the public good, including for parliamentary staff and the public sector at large. In service of this, the Government has introduced the GDS Blueprint which outlined the GovAI toolkit. This is a set of productivity tools designed to enhance civil service operations and delivery of ministerial priorities. Developed by the Incubator for AI within the Government Digital Service, these tools are rapidly prototyped and deployed across the public sector once productivity benefits have been established.

While the legal purpose of the driving licence is to convey driving entitlement, they are already commonly accepted as proof of age or identity. The Department for Science and Technology’s (DSIT) ambition is that, in time, the digital driving licence will be usable in the same way as its physical counterparts. In order to achieve this, and as part of our work to deliver a UK digital driving licence, we will be exploring all legal, regulatory, and technical implications.

The number of hospital admissions in Birmingham due to the use of nitazenes is not collected.

On 3 October 2024, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) published the research report, Deaths linked to potent synthetic opioids, providing information on deaths due to potent synthetic opioids that have been recorded by OHID and the National Crime Agency as of 19 September 2024 and which occurred between 1 June 2023 and 31 May 2024 after toxicology tests were completed. This report presents the data broken down into regions and shows that the number of deaths due to nitazenes in the West Midlands region were 21. We are continuing to work closely with other government departments to enhance surveillance and early warning in response to the threat of synthetic opioids. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-linked-to-potent-synthetic-opioids/deaths-linked-to-potent-synthetic-opioids

Any death from illicit drug use is a tragedy, and it is clear that more needs to be done to prevent this from happening. The department is working to expand access to naloxone, a life-saving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, including synthetic opioids. The Government laid legislation covering the United Kingdom on 29 July 2024, which, subject to passage through Parliament, will enable more services and organisations to provide take-home supplies of naloxone without a prescription. These changes will make it easier for naloxone to be given to a family member or friend of a person who is known to be using opiates, and to professionals working with people who use these drugs, to save lives in the event of an overdose.

To improve surveillance, OHID has been working with partners in Government to create a new, enhanced Drugs Early Warning System. This collates information from a wider range of sources, including for example ambulance callout data, and will produce regular reports for local areas on current threats.

Information on the dangers of synthetic opioids and the dangers they pose is available from the helpline and website (talktofrank.com) provided by FRANK, the national drug information and advice service supported by government. Education on drug use is also a statutory component of relationships and sex education and health education in England. Lesson plans target primary and secondary students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. These plans, and resources to support teachers, are in the process of being updated, including with information on synthetic drugs.

All Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services are commissioned through an open and transparent procurement process. The quality of the service provision is a key consideration in any contract award

All SARC services are subject to Care Quality Commission regulations, and within NHS England, each region has a commissioning and contracting team that oversees all SARC contracts to ensure the performance and quality of the service provision meets National Health Service standards. From October 2025, SARC services will also be required to be accredited under forensic services regulations, which will provide an additional level of assurance.

Voluntary organisations are important providers of specialist services to adults and children who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. They are major providers of specialist advocacy, sexual trauma counselling, pre-trial therapy, and support services.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres are expected to develop and maintain referral pathways and working relationships with relevant voluntary sector services in each NHS England region. A core principle of the enhanced mental health pathway is to build delivery partnerships between the National Health Service and specialist sexual violence and abuse voluntary sector organisations, tailored to meet needs in relation to complex trauma.

The majority of services funded by the Ministry of Justice for victims and survivors of sexual violence are delivered by voluntary organisations.

The UK notes the US decision to pause new obligations of foreign aid funding for 3 months, pending a review and this is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners, including the US, toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.

We are committed to working closely with partners, including the EU, to deliver our new approach to development. The Foreign Secretary and then High Representative for Foreign Affairs agreed at the October EU Foreign Affairs Council to strengthen their co-operation on international issues. I discussed this ambition again with the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships on 5 February. As a practical example of UK-EU collaboration, the EU confirmed through a 'Pillar Assessment' last autumn that the UK is eligible to manage EU funds on the EU's behalf.

The Foreign Secretary launched a five-month consultation to inform the UK's new approach to the African continent during his visit to Nigeria and South Africa in November 2024. This follows the manifesto commitment to develop a fundamentally transformed partnership that engages with African countries as equals, promotes our economic growth and supports migration priorities. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa met with African Ambassadors, High Commissioners, civil society, and African experts to discuss opportunities for building a long-term mutually beneficial UK relationship with African countries.

The UK notes the US decision to pause new obligations of foreign aid funding for 3 months, pending a review and this is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners, including the US, toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.

We repeatedly condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights, both bilaterally and internationally. The UK Mission to Afghanistan in Doha continues to press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on their grotesque human rights abuses. UK officials most recently visited Kabul in January 2025 to raise human rights issues with senior members of the Taliban, including their policies which limit women and girls' freedoms.

While in New York in January I publicly demonstrated my support for Afghan women and girls at the UN, ahead of the International Day of Education on 24 January.

The UK is a strong supporter of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and aid agencies in Afghanistan. We are planning £161 million in aid to Afghanistan this financial year (2024-25), much of which supports NGOs to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid for women, girls and other marginalised people. UK officials regularly lobby the Taliban on the vital role of NGOs and risk of further restrictions on their activities. The UK underlined the importance of the humanitarian response in a G7+ senior officials' joint statement on 20 December, and in a statement by UN Security Council members on 27 December.

The UK continues to provide humanitarian assistance to support people in Sudan and those who have fled the country. The UK has recently doubled its Official Development Assistance (ODA) this year in response to the conflict in Sudan to £226.5 million - the vast majority of which is spent on vital humanitarian aid including support for the regional refugee crisis. This funding includes support to key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF which are providing life-saving food assistance in Sudan. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which delivers life-saving multi-sectoral support to communities across Sudan and is now piloting support to the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs). The UK also continues to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including their work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan.

Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022 and 2023. This data indicates that in 2022, 58% of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal), with (1) 45% marked as Significant and (2) 13% marked as Principal. In 2023, 52% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes had a focus on gender equality, with (1) 40% marked Significant and (2) 12% marked as Principal. The FCDO remains committed to ensure at least 80% of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) co-convene, with Save the Children, a UK-based Remittances Working Group which works with key partners including remittance service providers, diaspora communities, NGOs, and other UK government departments to seek solutions that can drive down costs associated with sending and receiving remittances. The FCDO also supports a remittances project trialling new ways to reduce remittance transfer fees for individuals, working with East African diaspora members in the UK who are sending money back to Kenya.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not collect or report this data on the flow of family remittances out of the UK. The best source is the World Bank Group's remittance data which captures flows through formal banking systems and is published annually.

The UK is committed to media freedom, and advocating freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). The UK is a member of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a partnership of 41 governments, co-ordinating diplomatic efforts and engaging with civil society and private sectors to support Internet freedom. We co-chaired the FOC's Task Force on Internet Shutdowns for the past two years. We also co-hosted the International Day for Universal Access to Information with UNESCO, in 2023. Internet freedom and access to information are important enablers of democracy and human rights, including the right to FoRB. We continue to promote FoRB internationally, by coordinating with partners at fora such as the UN, and bilaterally through our diplomatic network.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all in Nigeria, and beyond. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. We work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and bilaterally in Nigeria. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to FoRB. In June, we delivered a speech at the UNSC to promote FoRB and highlight our work to tackle intercommunal violence in Nigeria. At the latest UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership dialogue in February 2024, we reaffirmed our commitment to working with Nigeria to respond to the shared threat of terrorism.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the protection of human rights. We are committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all. In July, the UK government expressed concern about the situation in Bangladesh and called for all sides to end the violence. We support the fact-finding mission by the United Nations to identify human rights violations in Bangladesh. We welcome the Chief Advisor's recent comments on the need to support minority communities in Bangladesh, particularly in the lead up to Durga Puja. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order.

We actively track the treatment of the Baha'i community in Yemen, including through meeting their representatives in the UK and lobbying the relevant authorities. Following the Houthis' arbitrary abduction of 17 members during a peaceful gathering in Sana'a in May 2023, we were pleased to welcome the release of the final four hostages in August 2024.

However, we strongly condemn the continued persecution of Baha'i members and other ethnic and religious minorities in Yemen.

The Government champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our important bilateral work.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions.  As the Foreign Secretary said on 24 August, the exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is another tragic setback for Afghanistan. We are discussing with international partners ways to hold them accountable. More broadly, officials regularly press the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions, both bilaterally and with international partners.

The UK regularly discusses the Rohingya refugee response with the Interim Government of Bangladesh. This includes the importance of providing education and skills training to those in the camps, and ensuring new Rohingya arrivals are registered and can access humanitarian assistance. The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian response in Bangladesh and has provided £391 million to support the Rohingya refugees and host communities since 2017. During the UN General Assembly, Lord Collins, Minister responsible for the UN, and Human Rights, co-hosted a high-level event on the Rohingya crisis, urging greater efforts to improve conditions in the camps and enhance refugee skills.