Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Household Support Fund.

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

The findings of an evaluation of the fourth iteration of the Household Support Fund that ran from April 2023 to March 2024 are published here: Evaluation of the Household Support Fund 4 - GOV.UK.

The evaluation ran from September 2023 to August 2024 and assessed the effectiveness of delivery by Local Authorities and the benefits of the scheme for award recipients.

In addition, management Information from the first to fourth iteration of the Household Support Fun can be found here- Household Support Fund management information - GOV.UK.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of British International Investment's new investments were 2X qualified in the last financial year; and what proportion of those had (a) 51% women ownership or founded by woman, (b) 30% women in senior leadership, (c) 30-50% women in workforce, (d) product/service disproportionately benefits women and (e) 30% of DFI loan proceeds or portfolio companies meet 2X criteria.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government has agreed that British International Investment (BII) should ensure that 25% of its commitments between 2022-26 qualify as gender lens investments. In the first two years, 38% of new commitments are 2X qualified.

In 2023, £297 million qualified against 2X. Investments can qualify against more than one dimension of the 2X criteria. The proportion is as follows: A) 9%; B) 79%; C) 78%; D) 22%; E) 65%. Figures for 2024 will be confirmed in July 2025 as part of BII's Annual Review process.

BII publishes its investments, including whether they qualify as 2X qualified investments, on its website (https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/search-results/).

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of British International Investment’s new investments were counted as international climate finance in the last financial year.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In 2023, British International Investment (BII) provided £449 million in climate finance, representing 37 per cent of all commitments. This includes supporting the growth of companies providing solar-powered irrigation systems for smallholder farmers, battery-swapping businesses for electric vehicles, and Sierra Leone's first large-scale solar project to be connected to the grid.

BII's 2024 Annual Review will be published in July 2025 and will include its audited climate finance break down for 2024 commitments. BII publishes its investments, including whether they qualify as climate finance on its website (https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/search-results/) and in its Annual Review.

The Government has agreed that BII should ensure that at least 30 per cent of its commitments between 2022-26 count as climate finance. In the first two years, 42 per cent of commitments have qualified.

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 merits of including (a) the Cane Corso and (b) crossbreeds between a Cane Corso and a Rottweiler under S.1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

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

The Government currently have no plans to add these breed types to Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Owners of any breed of dog which is dangerously out of control are breaking the law. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected.

Found: British International Investment 21 Feb 2025 | 29930 Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill To ask the Secretary

Found: Darling (Torbay) (LD) • Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) (Con) • Sarah Gibson (Chippenham) (LD) • Preet Kaur Gill