Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help promote freedom of religious belief for (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities in Nigeria.

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

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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) hospitalisations and (b) deaths from people using nitazenes in Birmingham; and what steps he is taking to reduce these numbers.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

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.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing spousal visa applications to be submitted prior to the wedding date.

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

Fiancés, fiancées or proposed civil partners can apply for a six-month Entry Clearance to enable a marriage or civil partnership to take place in the UK.

Once the ceremony has taken place, the spouse or civil partner will be eligible to apply for permission to stay in the UK, on a route to settlement, as a partner under the Family Immigration Rules.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal license plates have been seized by the police in each of the last five years.

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

The Government is working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

We do not hold information centrally on illegal licence plate seizures.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle illegal license plates.

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

The Government is working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

We do not hold information centrally on illegal licence plate seizures.

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 coordinate with the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindu and other religious minority communities.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Yemen on the restriction of religious or belief for Bahai's in that country.

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

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.