Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of AI data centres on the environment.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
DSIT engages regularly with DEFRA, the Environment Agency and DESNZ, to discuss the impact of AI data centres on the environment. Through the AI Energy Council, the Government is assessing and promoting energy efficiency and clean power solutions.
DSIT will also publish a National Policy Statement, which will establish clear expectations on the design and environmental considerations for data centres seeking development consent through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects planning process.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the development of AI data centres on local energy and water resources.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology engages regularly with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure the UK energy system supports the UK’s growing digital and AI‑driven demand. DSIT also engages closely with DEFRA and the Environment Agency, recognising the need to ensure AI infrastructure does not compromise the resilience of public water supplies.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a ban on the import and sale of plastic flying rings.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Tackling marine litter and plastic pollution is a priority for the Government, which is why we are working domestically and internationally to implement measures that will prevent plastic and other litter from reaching the ocean in the first place.
The Government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of plastic flying rings on seal populations. However, investigations of seal strandings conducted through the Government-funded Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) record and assess causes of seal injury and mortality, including cases involving marine litter. There have been no recorded instances of seal fatalities due to flying rings since routine seal mortality investigations were added into the CSIP in 2022.
Defra's Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England provides guidance on how to act responsibly around marine wildlife when visiting the coast, including the need for the public to take all litter home with them.
We would encourage anyone who sees a sick, injured or entangled seal to contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546. To report a dead seal, contact the CSIP on 0800 652 0333.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of plastic flying rings on seal populations.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Tackling marine litter and plastic pollution is a priority for the Government, which is why we are working domestically and internationally to implement measures that will prevent plastic and other litter from reaching the ocean in the first place.
The Government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of plastic flying rings on seal populations. However, investigations of seal strandings conducted through the Government-funded Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) record and assess causes of seal injury and mortality, including cases involving marine litter. There have been no recorded instances of seal fatalities due to flying rings since routine seal mortality investigations were added into the CSIP in 2022.
Defra's Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England provides guidance on how to act responsibly around marine wildlife when visiting the coast, including the need for the public to take all litter home with them.
We would encourage anyone who sees a sick, injured or entangled seal to contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546. To report a dead seal, contact the CSIP on 0800 652 0333.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that charities for women and girls have updated their charitable purposes in line with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is working at pace to update its guidance for charities to ensure it aligns with the new code when it is published by Parliament. As charities can have any combination of charitable purposes or stated beneficiaries, detailed guidance on the intersection of charity law with equalities legislation will help trustees make lawful decisions in the best interests of their charity.
While the new code awaits Parliamentary approval, charities can assess its implications for their work and, if necessary, take legal advice on any action needed to ensure compliance with the law.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the absence of a registered Treaty of Union between the Republic of Cameroon and the Southern Cameroons under Article 102 of the UN Charter.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has historically recognised the outcome of the 1961 UN-organised plebiscite, in which the territories now forming the North-West and South-West regions voted to join the Republic of Cameroon, as endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1608(XV).
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department's policy is on the status of Southern Cameroon following the 2009 African Commission ruling in Gunme v Cameroon.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has historically recognised the outcome of the 1961 UN-organised plebiscite, in which the territories now forming the North-West and South-West regions voted to join the Republic of Cameroon, as endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1608(XV).
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the legal status of Southern Cameroons on the number of asylum applications from that region since 2021.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office has not made a specific assessment that the legal status of those from any part of Cameroon has driven changes in asylum intake since 2021. As with all nationalities, the number of asylum applications can fluctuate for a range of reasons, including wider political, security and humanitarian conditions, and global events.
All asylum claims from Cameroon are considered on their individual merits, in line with the Refugee Convention and the latest available country information.
We will not remove anyone to a country where they will face persecution or serious harm.
Data on the number of asylum claims, broken down by nationality, is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2026.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claimants there are in Northern Ireland for which the latest data is available.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office are unable to state how many asylum claimants there are in Northern Ireland as this information is not routinely collated.
The Home Office publishes data on the number of individuals in receipt of asylum support. The most recent published statistics show that, as at the end of March 2026, 2,379 asylum seekers were receiving Home Office support in Northern Ireland (source: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) table Asy_D11). This figure does not include asylum claimants who are not in receipt of asylum support, as this information is not available from published statistics and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people made asylum applications at Drumkeen House in Belfast in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.