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 the potential impact of the upcoming increase to employers National Insurance contributions on hospices.

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

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.

The employer National Insurance contribution rise will be implemented in April 2025, and planning guidance published on 30 January 2025 sets out the funding available to integrated care boards, and the overall approach to funding providers in the next financial year. It takes into account a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices. Further information on the planning guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are pleased to confirm that the Government has released the first £25 million tranche of that funding, with Hospice UK kindly allocating and distributing the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be available from April 2025.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he made of the potential impact of the reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on programmes in (a) Israel and the (b) Occupied Palestinian Territories in the 20525-26 financial year.

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

The Prime Minister made clear in the House on 25 February that this Government is proud of the UK's pioneering record on overseas development, and we will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Gaza. The reduction in Official Development Assistance will come into effect from 2027. This will provide time for planning and adapting plans to ensure the smoothest transition possible. We cannot yet confirm funding allocations for the region in financial year 2025-26 but continue to assess all overseas development assistance.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her policy is on the continued payment of Personal Independence Payment while a decision to end the payment is subject to an appeal.

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

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not an income replacement benefit. It is paid to help with the additional costs that arise from long term health conditions or disability where they impact on the activities set out in legislation. Claimants are assessed against the legislative criteria and a decision on entitlement is made by a DWP decision maker.

In line with the legislative requirement, we continue to apply the latest decision on a PIP award until such time as a new decision is made. Payment of PIP after a claim has been disallowed, or payment at a rate higher than the latest decision, whilst an individual is waiting for an appeal hearing could lead to incorrect expenditure of public funds. If a subsequent first-tier tribunal makes a new decision to reinstate PIP or give a higher award, then the Department will backdate any payments due.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37169 on Neighbourhood Boards, what steps her Department plans to take to allow (a) public scrutiny and (b) questions from communities.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Undertaking meaningful engagement with the local community is a central pillar of the Plan for Neighbourhoods. Building trust and empowering the local community requires consistency, dedication and time, and evidence that people’s priorities have been acted upon. Together the Neighbourhood Board and local authority should ensure that residents, businesses, and grassroots organisations are actively involved in programme design and decision-making to ensure delivery reflects the priorities of local people and helps build capacity within the community.

In line with the principles of public life and to ensure the local community can hold the board to account, the board’s operations must be transparent. The board should publish membership and governance arrangements (including minutes of meetings and decision logs) on the lead council’s website. Boards should establish their own practices in line with the Nolan Principles and Managing Public Money principles.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has considered using official development assistance as part of the financial arrangements for the Chagos Islands deal.

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

Once an agreement is signed further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny and treaty ratification in the usual way. This will include costs.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the inclusion of children in multilateral events such as the Nutrition for Growth Summit.

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

The safety and security of children globally spans across all six of the Foreign Secretary's priorities. At the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are funding Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Organisation (CSO) network advocacy work to elevate youth participation and representation at the summit, directly facilitating their inclusion and highlighting the experience and needs of mothers and children in their communities. FCDO also are funding a UK and a global south partner country youth delegate to attend the Commission on Population and Development summit. FCDO continues to strengthen CSO partnerships, ensuring grassroots voices are heard and amplified globally, as the Foreign Secretary outlined in his Human Rights Day speech in December 2024.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 35684 on Development Aid: Reviews, whether he has considered including hon. Members in additional consultations.

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

The review recommendations are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Parliamentarians will be included as part of any approach to further consultation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for participation at the World Summit for Social Development 2025 by (a) officials and (b) Ministers.

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

The UK recognises the significance of the second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD), marking 30 years since the first World Social Summit in Copenhagen in 1995 which set strong foundational principles on poverty eradication, full and productive employment, and equalities and social inclusion as interconnected priorities - with people at the centre. WSSD will be an important moment to reinvigorate and modernise the priorities set out in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, aligning them to the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Effective modern partnerships will be essential to deliver on commitments.

As we are eight months away from the conference, we have not yet finalised the UK's delegation, at official and ministerial levels. The UK is committed to attending the World Summit for Social Development at senior levels, demonstrating UK commitment to key social development agendas.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for participation at the Financing for Development Conference 2025 by (a) officials and (b) Ministers.

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

The UK views the Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) as a pivotal moment to secure global consensus on a modernised development finance landscape that addresses the interlinked challenges our world is facing: be that climate change, stagnating growth, stalling poverty reduction, increasing vulnerability or rising conflict. Reforming the Global Financial System must be at the heart of our efforts.

As we are three months away from the conference, we have not yet finalised the UK's delegation, at official and ministerial levels. The UK is committed to attending FfD4 at senior levels, demonstrating UK commitment to the financing for development agenda.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. This is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed.

It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to deport people who enter the UK by small boat.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Since coming into office in July 2024, the Government has ensured the removal of 24,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other migration offenders with no right to be in the UK, the highest nine-month total since 2017.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help tackle the potential impact of poor behaviour from managing agents on leaseholders.

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

The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents.

Property agents must belong to a government-approved redress scheme. This legislation is currently enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings and Estate Agency Team, who have the power to issue warnings and banning orders to rogue estate and letting agents.

The previous government committed to regulate the property agent sector in 2018 and asked a working group chaired by Lord Best to advise them on how best to do it. However, they failed to respond to the recommendations set out in the working group’s 2019 Regulation of Property Agents: working group report which can be found on gov.uk here.

Managing agents play a key role in the maintenance of multi-occupancy buildings and freehold estates, and their importance will only increase as we transition toward a commonhold future. As a result, we are looking again at the 2019 report.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government has made clear it intends to strengthen regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service. As a minimum, this should include mandatory professional qualifications which set a new basic standard that managing agents will be required to meet. We will consult on this matter this year.

We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.

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 ensure stable long-term funding for international nutrition programmes.

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

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

The UK worked in close partnership with France to make the recent Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit in Paris a success. The Minister for Development was pleased to lead the UK delegation, and alongside the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and other partners, to launch the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration.

Partners have welcomed the Compact as a new initiative to drive change and a positive signal of the UK's continued leadership on the global stage. Over 80 countries and organisations have already expressed support for the Compact, signalling their commitment to embed nutrition objectives into investments across other sectors, such as economic growth, climate and health, to boost impact and leverage existing financing for nutrition.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of fully funding apprenticeships for under-22s in SMEs on apprenticeship starts to date.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Since April 2024, the government pays 100% of apprentice training costs, up to the funding band maximum, for non-levy paying employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 21, and apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care.

Apprenticeship statistics, including starts by young people, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has faced legal challenge on the use of assets derived from sanctioned (a) individuals and (b) entities.

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

UK financial sanctions limit the provision of certain financial services and restrict access to financial markets, funds, and economic resources. Financial sanctions do not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds, or economic resources, nor are they confiscated or transferred to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for safekeeping.

The G7 is providing Ukraine with $50 billion of funding as part of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme. The first £752 million of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution was received by Ukraine earlier this month and will be used to strengthen their defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression. The G7's funding will be repaid by the profits generated on holdings of immobilised Russian sovereign assets in the EU.

Separately, we continue our work at pace with allies to consider all lawful routes to ensure Russia pays for the damage it is causing Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary is having regular discussions with key partners on this issue, including at the Weimar+ Group on Monday 31 March.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to harmonise sanctions against Belarus with those imposed on Russia; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such harmonisation on (a) the protection of human rights, (b) support for political prisoners and (c) other UK foreign policy objectives in Belarus.

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

The UK has sanctioned over 200 Belarusian individuals and entities to date, in response to both human rights abuses in Belarus, and the Lukashenko regime's support for Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are also a range of broad UK sanctions measures in place in Belarus, targeting goods and technologies. We keep further sanctions against Belarus under review.

Sanctions are just one of the tools we use. Alongside our partners and multilateral organisations, the UK consistently calls for human rights abuses to be investigated and for the release of all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. In August 2024, the UK announced £2.5 million of funding to support the survival of Belarusian human rights and civil society causes in the face of continued political pressure.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned changes to the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme on listed places of worship.

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

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of various options to scale the scheme.

The changes announced were necessary given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited from the previous government and considering competing financial demands in other parts of the heritage and cultural sector.Will continue the widest distribution of the scheme’s benefits within the available means. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by this change.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Overseas Development Assistance on the Africa Strategy.

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

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent in 2027.

We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37161 on Resettlement: Chagossians, how much has been spent in the 2024-25 financial year; and how much has been budgeted for the 2025-26 financial year.

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

The Home Office is finalising potential claims for costs incurred in 2024/25 and will announce any updates regarding the funding at these costs in 2025/26 in the normal way in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps is she taking to support mortgage providers in lending to commonhold tenure holders.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 3 March 2025 (HCWS488) and 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to strengthen protections for leaseholders in the commonhold tenure.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 3 March 2025 (HCWS488) and 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

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 help protect humanitarian workers from (a) targeted attacks and (b) obstruction of aid in conflict zones.

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

The UK uses its seats at key multilateral fora such as the United Nations Security Council, its bilateral relationships, and its partnerships with humanitarian actors on the front line to encourage parties to consent to humanitarian relief operations, facilitate unimpeded access, and protect civilians including humanitarian aid workers.

We provide direct investment to support the protective measures our partners require to work safely, the freedom to use different approaches such as cash transfers to increase access to aid and reduce risks, and flexible funding to enable our partners to strengthen their risk mitigation strategies when required.

In May 2024, the UK co-sponsored UN Security Council resolution 2730. This resolution strongly condemned attacks and all forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, threats, and intimidation, against humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel, their premises and assets.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to collaborate with (a) Médecins Sans Frontières and (b) other organisations to enhance healthcare access and resources for noma-affected regions.

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

The UK is committed to combating Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and working with global partners towards achieving the global goal target to end the epidemic of NTDs by 2030, including for Noma. The UK is a signatory to the Kigali Declaration on NTDs and supports the World Health Organization (WHO's) roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021-2030.

The UK supports the WHO's work, including on NTDs. Other wider work that will also support reducing the prevalence and impact of Noma includes the department's support to strengthening country health systems, including in Noma prevalent countries such as Nigeria, and work to address factors associated with Noma such as malnutrition, other infectious diseases, and extreme poverty.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that independent reviews are conducted after (a) kidnappings, (b) attacks and (c) other serious incidents involving aid workers.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office champions the Aid Worker Security Database which independently tracks incidents involving international and national aid workers including kidnapping, death and injury. The UK promotes the review of incidents causing harm to civilians, including aid workers, through its seats at multilateral fora such as the United Nations Security Council, as well as in partnership with the International Criminal Court and International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.

Bilateral diplomatic engagement also supports independent review of incidents that harm aid workers. For example, the UK has pressed Israel to conclude the Military Advocate General's investigation into the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including three British nationals, in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on 1 April 2024. Our priority is to ensure lessons are learned which lead to lasting improvements in aid worker safety.

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 with international partners to support female humanitarian workers.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is taking steps with international partners to address the specific risks that female humanitarian workers face. We are investing in protective measures that our partners need to safely work, championing International Humanitarian Law, and using UK seats at key multilateral forums to raise awareness and promote accountability.

The UK uses its seat at the United Nations (UN) to promote the meaningful participation and protection of women in crisis response and peacebuilding, counter reprisals against women peacebuilders and women's rights defenders and build protection against conflict related sexual violence, within UN Security Council country and thematic resolutions.

These efforts contribute towards building a safer and more protective environment for female aid workers to carry out their work and help to facilitate safer access to humanitarian assistance, especially for women and girls.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer 18 March 2025 to Question 36660 on USA: Trade Agreements, if he will set out his the expected timeline for an economic deal.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On Tuesday 18 March, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the Special Envoy to the UK Mark Burnett in Washington DC. The meeting followed last month’s agreement between the Prime Minister and President Trump that teams would start working together on an Economic Prosperity Deal, building on our shared strengths and commitment to economic security. Ministers and officials will be continuing discussions moving forward.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing one-word Ofsted judgements on parental (a) engagement and (b) understanding.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new Full-Time Equivalent jobs in Ofsted are being created to support the transition to School Report Cards.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to winter fuel payment eligibility on pensioners who are (a) disabled, (b) renting and (c) on low to modest incomes.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Secretary of State considered the impact of the Winter Fuel Payment changes on pensioners with protected characteristics as part of her duties under the Public Sector Equality Duty. This included the impact on those with disabilities.

Details of the Equality Analysis can be found at: Responses to Freedom of Information requests on Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment - GOV.UK

Disability benefits provide a tax free, non-income-related contribution towards the extra costs people with a long-term health condition or disability can face, such as additional heating costs. They are paid in addition to any other benefits received.

The Government also offers direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount, and (in England & Wales) Cold Weather Payments.

Pension Credit provides a safety net for low-income pensioners by guaranteeing a minimum level of income and also passports them to receive other benefits (including Winter Fuel Payments, help with rent, council tax, fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75).

The Government is taking significant steps to raise awareness and maximise the take-up of Pension Credit.   DWP has received 235,000 Pension Credit applications in the 30 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement and made 117,800 new Pension Credit awards over the same period.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the press release entitled Joint statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Charlevoix, published on 14 March 2025, whether the Government has plans to increase its loan to Ukraine from the profits of sanctioned assets.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Government has provided £2.26bn as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans for Ukraine (ERA) scheme. This will be repaid using profits from immobilised Russian sovereign assets in the EU.

The G7 has agreed that the ERA can support $50bn in funding to Ukraine – the entirety of which has been pledged.

The UK’s total military, humanitarian and economic support pledged since the start of the conflict now amounts to around £12.8bn.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for participation by (a) Ministers and (b) officials at the European Political Community Summit in Albania on 16 May 2025.

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

The UK values the European Political Community (EPC) as a format that brings together leaders from across Europe for frank discussions about shared challenges such as European security and irregular migration. The UK has played a central role in the EPC since its inception, particularly through hosting at Blenheim Palace in July 2024. We welcome Albania's hosting of the EPC on 16 May. Attendance at the EPC is at leader-level only and cannot be delegated. We will set out the Prime Minister's travel plans in the usual way.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) fly-tipping and (b) uncollected rubbish on public health.

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

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not made an assessment of the potential impact of fly-tipping and uncollected rubbish on public health.

During specific incidents, for instance with the Birmingham City Council, the UKHSA has provided standard guidance to the local authority on the public health risk associated with household waste. The UKHSA is also part of a multi-agency response Strategic Commissioning Group (SCG), and has contributed to a risk assessment concerning the potential health impacts of uncollected waste. The UKHSA will continue to provide advice and support to Birmingham City Council, as part of this SCG.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency produce the Statutory guidance for Waste duty of care: code of practice, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice

Guidance for waste planning policy is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what month this year she will publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

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 relative potential impact of the implementation of the extended producer responsibility scheme on the (a) glass and (b) plastic industries.

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

In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40502 on Police: West Midlands, how many of those officers she expects the West Midlands force to recruit in each of the four years of that plan.

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

The Government has committed to restoring neighbourhood policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes putting thousands more police personnel on the beat in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country. Every part of the country will benefit from this pledge, including the West Midlands.

Further details of the delivery of this programme, including areas the impact on individual areas, will be published in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support efforts to promote conflict prevention in (a) the United Nations and (b) other multilateral fora.

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

As the Prime Minister said in New York in September 2024, we must put new energy and creativity into conflict prevention, reverse the trend towards ever-greater violence, make the institutions of peace fit for purpose.

The UK remains a steadfast supporter of United Nations' peacebuilding efforts, including as a top donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

We continue to support the UN's Complex Risk Analytics Fund, investing in better data and analysis to strengthen global risk foresight and enable earlier response.

We will use this year's UN Peacebuilding Architecture Review to press for more systematic focus on early warning and conflict prevention across the UN system, encouraging national prevention approaches that are supported by affected communities, including women and youth.

We promote conflict prevention across our engagement with multilateral fora, including the G7, G20, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the African Union, and advocate for scaled up, targeted support in fragile settings from the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the UN Secretary General’s UN80 Initiative.

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

In its 80th year, the need for an effective UN remains clear; however, the organization needs major reform if it is to meet the complex challenges of the future.

The UK welcomes the UN Secretary-General's decision to launch a UN80 Task Force on reform, to ensure that the UN focuses once again on core tasks and maximum impact. If done right, a reformed UN will serve as a multiplier for UK interests and priorities, as we work to build a safer, more prosperous and equitable world. Therefore, we will encourage the Secretary-General's reform initiative to be as ambitious and far-reaching as possible.

I was able to convey our support in person when I recently met with the Secretary General in Geneva.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Government's net zero policies on food supply from British producers.

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

This Government is committed to delivering net zero by 2050 while ensuring that the transition to more climate friendly practices goes hand in hand with food security and farm profitability.

Alongside the recently announced Food Strategy, we will deliver a credible plan to decarbonise food and farming. As part of this, we will work with farmers to assess opportunities to drive economic growth and support British farming whilst protecting the environment. This includes accelerating the uptake of innovative technologies to increase productivity and efficiency in the agriculture sector that will support food production as well as reduce emissions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to support participation in the Great British Spring Clean initiative.

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

I was proud to speak at the launch event of the Great British Spring Clean in parliament in February. It is encouraging to see that there are a growing number of public-spirited individuals and community groups tackling litter all over the country. I also joined a litter pick with Defra officials and Keep Britain Tidy on 1 April where we cleaned part of the Regent’s Canal in partnership with the Canal and River trust.

We will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and business as possible to take part in such events.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department is providing to Ukraine to help tackle antimicrobial resistance.

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

We have provided £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion, which includes support for healthcare services. Our support includes funding for the Ukrainian Red Cross, who have funded NHS doctors and nurses to share best practice with their Ukrainian counterparts, including how to prevent the spread of infections and antimicrobial resistance. Through the World Health Organisation, we are also strengthening Ukraine's health system to provide better care and rehabilitation services to meet the needs of those injured because of the war. In February, the Defence Secretary announced that we would double our funding to £40 million for Project Renovator, which draws on the UK's leading defence medical expertise to expand Ukraine's military rehabilitation and medical services.

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 ensuring the extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme meets the needs of industry.

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

The UK Government has assessed the potential merits of ensuring the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme meets industry needs through a range of measures. The scheme was developed with input from an industry-led advisory steering group which continues to guide its development and implementation. The four UK Governments have committed to the appointment of a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). PackUK engaged with packaging material specialists to inform fee development, while exemption thresholds were introduced to protect smaller businesses from disproportionate impacts.

To ensure cost efficiency, PackUK is responsible for delivering value for money for producers and managing costs effectively. Additionally, the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) was developed collaboratively with stakeholders from across the value chain to support fair and transparent fee modulation. Clear communication channels have also been established to enable businesses to raise concerns and provide feedback. The ongoing collaboration between industry and PackUK demonstrates the continued effort to engage with and meet the needs of businesses, ensuring that the EPR scheme remains both effective and commercially viable.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits who are experiencing fuel poverty.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The latest official Fuel Poverty Statistics for England were published in March 2025 on gov.uk here: Fuel poverty statistics - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single pensioners there are who earn less than £20,000 a year and more than the threshold required for pension credit.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The income threshold for eligibility for Pension Credit is dependent on personal circumstances, and not all forms of income are taken into account when determining eligibility. Therefore it is not possible to produce a robust estimate of how many single pensioners exceed this threshold due to earned income.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister for International Development’s letter of 14 March 2025 to the International Development Select Committee, how many (a) business cases, (b) contracts and (c) agreements for aid programmes were put on hold following the instruction issued to aid programmes.

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

As an immediate step to prepare for the reduction to the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued an instruction on 7 March to all ODA programme teams in FCDO not to approve new business cases, contracts or agreements, or announce new funding until initial allocations for FCDO ODA in the financial year 2025/26 are set. Payments under existing agreements has continued. In the Minister for Development's letter of Thursday 27 March to the International Development Committee, she confirmed FCDO's approach to setting initial ODA allocations for the financial year 2025/26, including the broad criteria against which new business cases, contracts and agreements will be considered through an exemption process. Given the ongoing exemption process, it is not possible to set out a total number of new business cases, contracts and agreements that FCDO ODA programme teams may have progressed but did not do so as a result of this approach. Guidance has been provided to teams to enable the ongoing development of business cases in high priority areas.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, column 634, what steps he plans to take to provide humanitarian support in Sudan; and which aid programmes will continue to operate.

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

The Sudan conflict has created the largest and most severe humanitarian crisis in the world with over 30 million people in need of assistance. UK funded organisations are providing life-saving assistance in Sudan and to those who have sought refuge in Chad and other neighbouring countries. This financial year (FY) the UK will provide £226.5 million towards the crisis. This funding includes support to key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF who are providing critical food assistance and other support. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which provides support to local and national responders, Emergency Response Rooms and international non-governmental organisations. The UK continues to support the International Committee of the Red Cross, including their work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan. Once budgets for FY 25/26 have been finalised we will be able to share information about those programmes that will continue.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to help ensure that UN Member States pay assessed contributions (a) in full and (b) on time.

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

The UK is proud of its longstanding support to the UN. We continue to show leadership and, together with partners, call on Member States to pay their Regular Budget contributions "in full and on time", as the UK has done consistently. We unambiguously assert this at all international meetings that include discussions on UN budgetary issues, particularly in the current UN liquidity crisis.

The UK submitted its regular budget contribution of USD $137 million for 2025 "in full and on time"; the first permanent UN Security Council member to do so and 7th overall.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) EU and (b) US counterparts on the use of (i) proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club and other (ii) assets (A) frozen and (B) seized via sanctions.

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

We are determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as soon as possible. The Government is working closely with the European Commission and Portugal on this issue. Separately, we continue our work at pace with allies to consider all lawful routes to ensure Russia pays for the damage it is causing Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary is having regular discussions with key partners on this issue, including at the Weimar+ Group on Monday 31 March.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support humanitarian organisations in providing mental health support for workers who experience trauma in conflict zones.

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

We recognise the courage and commitment of those who take part in humanitarian operations and take their health and safety, including mental health and psychosocial well-being and safeguarding seriously.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funding arrangements require partners to demonstrate sufficient capacity and capability to meet their obligations, including those relating to the physical and mental health of staff. This is tested through the FCDO's due diligence framework, which considers risks relevant to the programme in question.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Overseas Development Assistance on WASH funding worldwide.

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

The UK recognises the fundamental role that clean water, sanitation and good hygiene play in terms of improving people's health and wellbeing, in helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, and in empowering women and girls. Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 36412 on Climate Change: Finance, when he plans to publish this data for the 2024-25 financial year.

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

International Climate Finance spend for financial year 2024-25 will be available after the publication of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Annual Report and Accounts later this year.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his European counterparts to help tackle (a) intolerance and (b) other discrimination against Christians in Europe.

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

There is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. We will continue to recognise the impact of the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The Special Envoy for FoRB met with European and US counterparts in the margins of the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in March. We actively participate in the Article 18 Alliance - bringing together 38 Member States, 26 of whom are European, to discuss actions our nations can take so that together we can promote respect for FoRB worldwide. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials attended the Article 18 Alliance and International Contact Group meetings in Geneva in March.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to apply further sanctions to assets associated with (a) the (i) owners and (ii) affiliated entities of Chelsea Football Club and (b) other Russian (A) people and (B) entities.

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

The UK has been clear that we need to keep the economic pressure on Russia to hinder its ability to wage war. The UK has sanctioned over 2,200 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime, over 2,000 of which were sanctioned since Putin's full-scale invasion. We will not comment or speculate on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact. We are determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as soon as possible and we are doing everything we can to bring that about quickly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much decision making authority local councillors will have over large-scale planning applications.

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

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.

Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.

The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures does the Planning and Infrastructure Bill contain to empower local councillors, outside formal committee settings, to effectively influence planning decisions and represent their constituents' interests.

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

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.

Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.

The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will safeguard the call-in powers of local councillors.

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

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.

Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.

The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the eligibility criteria for Pension Credit.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has no current plans to review the eligibility criteria for Pension Credit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the uptake of Pension Credit among (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled pensioners.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The latest estimates of Pension Credit take-up cover the financial year 2022/23: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK. The take-up does not provide a break down of rates of take-up amongst disabled and non-disabled pensioners.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support local government to help tackle flytipping and littering.

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

Local councils have wide ranging enforcement powers to help them tackle littering and fly-tipping. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 to fly-tippers and £500 to those who litter, prosecution action and, in the case of fly-tipping, vehicle seizure. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to issue statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

Defra also chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available here.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding she has allocated to frontline policing to mitigate changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

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

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 and represents a 6.4% cash increase and 3.9% real terms increase in funding.

This includes an additional £230.3 million of funding for territorial police forces to cover the costs of the increases to National Insurance Contributions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) support, (b) funding and (c) capacity building his Department is providing to Sudanese civil society organisations.

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

This financial year (FY) the UK will provide £226.5 million towards the crisis in Sudan. UK funding is delivered through key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund which provides support to local and national responders, Emergency Response Rooms and international non-governmental organisations. The majority of the UK's work with national civil society actors has been paused following the outbreak of hostilities. In Darfur the UK continues to support local conflict mitigation initiatives via national organisations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to publish information on the level of funding he plans to provide to Sudan in the 2025-26 financial year.

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

Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Sudan remains a priority for the Prime Minister and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Ministers. The UK has been a longstanding and major humanitarian donor to Sudan with £226.5 million allocated in Financial Year 2024/25 towards the crisis. 2025/26 budgets are now being finalised, and we will share information in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of Official Development Assistance funding to Sudan has been spent on Sudanese refugees in Chad.

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

Since the start of the conflict in Sudan, almost one million people have crossed the border into Chad which now has Africa's largest refugee caseload. On average, 200 people each day seek safety in Chad from Sudan. In January, whilst in Chad, the Foreign Secretary announced a doubling of aid to Sudan with an overall allocation of £226.5 million for financial year 2024/25. We have also provided over £40 million this financial year to address humanitarian needs in eastern Chad among refugees and host communities which has benefited 300,000 people with food assistance.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential implications for his policies of the risks to displaced people in Sudan of (a) human trafficking and (b) exploitation for crime.

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

We are concerned by reports of the increasing prevalence of human trafficking as a result of the conflict in Sudan. The UK continues to prioritise the protection of civilians and we are taking action on this agenda. In November 2024, the Minister for Africa chaired a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to address the plight of Sudanese civilians. The UK tabled a UNSC resolution on protection of civilians in Sudan which Russia vetoed. We will continue to use our position on the UNSC and as leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council to keep a spotlight on, and take actions in response to, the appalling human rights situation in Sudan.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the risks of (a) radicalisation and (b) human trafficking to children not in school in Sudan.

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

The conflict in Sudan is having a devastating impact on children. An estimated 17 million children are out of school and children comprise over 50 per cent of Sudan's 8.8 million caseload of internally displaced persons. We urge the warring parties to take every precaution to safeguard the wellbeing of children. And we will push hard for those suspected of targeting, abusing or exploiting children to face justice, including through our position on the United Nations Security Council.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with regional partners on the potential reconstruction of Gaza.

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

The Foreign Secretary welcomed the Arab initiative of a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza, alongside Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Italy on 8 March. Recovery and reconstruction efforts must be based upon a solid political and security framework that provides long term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians alike. We are committed to working with regional partners on the Arab initiative, and Palestinians and Israel. The UK is engaging with international partners to help cohere support for Palestinian-led recovery. We are funding technical expertise to support Palestinian Authority planning for Gaza's recovery and reconstruction.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support the UN fact finding mission to collect and preserve evidence of potential human rights and international humanitarian law violations in Sudan.

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

UK-led lobbying at the United Nations Human Rights Council in October 2024 directly led to the UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) securing a mandate extension with an increased majority. The Minister for Africa hosted a roundtable in Geneva in February where experts from the FFM briefed member states about the situation in Sudan to increase understanding regarding the atrocities being perpetrated. This year we will provide roughly £1 million to support the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body gathering open-source evidence about the conflict in Sudan with a view to supporting future accountability. The CIR has been able to assist the FFM in verifying reports of violations through its use of digital information. Human rights violations and abuses by all sides in Sudan's brutal conflict must be investigated impartially. The FFM is the most effective mechanism to support accountability in Sudan. The UK will strongly support its expected mandate renewal later this year in voting at the Human Rights Council.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposal to reduce official development assistance to 0.3% of gross national income on the level of funding he plans to provide to Sudan in the 2025-26 financial year.

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

The UK has been a longstanding and major humanitarian donor to Sudan with £226.5 million allocated in the financial year of 2024/25 towards the crisis. In his statement to Parliament on Defence and Official Development Assistance spend, the Prime Minister made clear that Sudan would remain a humanitarian priority. The Prime Minister is committed to returning 0.7 per cent spending when fiscal conditions allow. The ongoing obfuscation of relief operations by Sudan's warring parties is imperilling millions of people. More funding is required from across the international community. However, without a step change in access the already dire situation will drastically deteriorate.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support capacity building with local partners in Sudan to support displaced people.

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

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is the most severe and largest globally. The conflict has caused significant levels of forced displacement with more than three million Sudanese refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries and a further 8.8 million people internally displaced within Sudan. This financial year (2024/25) the UK will provide £226.5 million in life-saving aid towards the crisis. Since the conflict started more than 2.5 million people have received UK funded humanitarian aid. Local organisations are an important part of our humanitarian response and UK funding has contributed to building their capacity through partnerships with the United Nations and international non-governmental organisations. These local organisations are continuing to provide critical support and assistance to displaced people across Sudan.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the Immigration White Paper.

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

Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system, end reliance on overseas labour and boost economic growth. The paper will be published in due course, and announced in Parliament in the normal way.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to (a) water and (b) sanitation in Sudan.

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

The conflict in Sudan is causing a nationwide humanitarian crisis - the most severe and largest globally with over 30 million people in need. Water access remains woefully inadequate in part due to the targeting of water supply infrastructure by armed actors. More than 17 million people now lack access to safe drinking water with 24 million people without access to adequate sanitation facilities. Combined these factors have contributed to a huge spike in cases of cholera and malnutrition among children. These conditions will only get worse as we approach the rainy season. This financial year (2024/25) we will provide £226.5 million in life-saving aid towards the crisis. As part of this, we support the United Nations Children's Fund, who conduct a wide range of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions across Sudan.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) seasonal weather changes, (b) road closures and (c) border closures on (i) the delivery of and (ii) access to humanitarian aid in Sudan.

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

Road and border closures continue to impede the delivery of and access to humanitarian aid in Sudan. The continued obfuscation of humanitarian aid into and across Sudan is causing huge suffering for civilians The upcoming rainy season will further complicate the already dire operating context for relief agencies. The upcoming Foreign Secretary-led Sudan Conference in London we hope will re-energise efforts to coordinate international action on humanitarian access, including border closures.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support frontline workers in Sudan working to (a) immunise and (b) educate children.

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

The conflict in Sudan is having a devastating impact on children. Malnutrition rates are at critical levels and an estimated 17 million children are no longer attending school. The context for children will worsen as the fighting continues. This financial year (2024/25) the UK will provide £226.5 million in life-saving aid towards the crisis. As part of this, we support the United Nations Children's Fund who are providing lifesaving nutrition programmes and immunisations to some of the most vulnerable children in Sudan. The UK supports Education Cannot Wait, providing safe learning spaces and psychological support to 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central Africa Republic and Uganda. We are also one of the largest donors to the Global Partnership for Education who are delivering urgent support to children across Sudan.  The UK is also a major donor to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which provides support to local and national responders, Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and a consortium of international non-governmental organisations. These frontline workers are also working on healthcare and education provisions across Sudan.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps is he taking to (a) support and (b) strengthen the UN Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan.

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

Human rights violations and abuses by all sides in Sudan's brutal conflict must be investigated impartially. In October 2023 in support of this objective, the UK led work at the United Nations on the resolution that established the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). Its mandate was extended in October 2024 with an increased majority as a direct result of UK-led advocacy. The FFM published its first report in September 2024 and concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by both warring parties constituted war crimes and, in the case of the Rapid Support Forces, additionally crimes against humanity.  To amplify these findings the Minister for Africa hosted a roundtable in Geneva in February where experts from the FFM briefed member states about the situation in Sudan to increase understanding regarding the atrocities being perpetrated. The FFM is the most effective mechanism to support accountability in Sudan. The UK will strongly support its expected mandate renewal later this year in voting at the Human Rights Council.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Sudanese Government’s response to the findings of the report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification entitled Famine Review Committee: Sudan, published on 24 December 2025, on the effectiveness of (a) UK and (b) multilateral nutrition and food programmes operating in that country.

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

The findings from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)'s Sudan assessment makes clear the gravity of the humanitarian context across the country. The IPC's findings show the presence of famine in at least five areas of the country and projecting it could expand into at least ten areas by May 2025. The Sudanese authorities since the report's publication have consistently denied the existence of famine and have also announced its withdrawal from IPC-led analyses. The UK remains steadfast in its support to the people of Sudan. This financial year, we will provide £226.5 million in life-saving aid towards the crisis. As part of this, we are supporting the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) who are delivering lifesaving nutrition programmes to some of the most vulnerable children in Sudan as well as the World Food Programme who are delivering urgent food aid.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of new (a) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and (b) micro businesses created between 30 October 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1st April is attached.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the criteria to determine the prioritisation of Official Development Assistance funding in 2025-26; and what steps is he taking to ensure such spending optimises value for money.

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

We are committed to modernising our approach to development to help provide the best value for money for UK taxpayers and deliver mutual benefits at home and overseas. We will work with our partners in new ways to maximise our impact.

To enable us to deliver the transition to spending 0.3 per cent of gross national income on Official Development Assistance effectively, in 2025/26 we are prioritising meeting legally binding commitments and delivering work already underway, as well as planned humanitarian spend. This will help deliver the flexibility the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office requires to set a transitional set of final allocations following the Spending Review. We have also established an exemptions process to allow for critical new development work to continue.

Full detail is set out in Baroness Chapman's 27 March letter to the International Development Committee [https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/47275/documents/245059/default/].

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with his French counterpart on the right to freedom of religion or belief in France.

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

The UK is strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. The UK champions the right to freedom of religion or belief and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and in our bilateral work. Ministers and officials engage with their French counterparts on a broad range of issues, for example at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Conference on Addressing Antisemitism (10-11 February 2025). Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials also engage with faith leaders in France.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a targeted scheme to support older people with their heating bills.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households that are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power.

The Government’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme provides targeted support to eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill. The scheme provides rebates to pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, the vast majority of whom receive the rebate automatically. In February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. This would see an increase in those in receipt of the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit receiving a discount next winter.

I have been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills.

Building on the work I did with energy suppliers to agree the £500 million Winter Commitment to help customers last winter, I am now also leading a working group with Energy UK and other stakeholders to consider how we can take further sustained action on improving affordability and accessibility of energy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38609 on Local Government Pension Scheme, what her planned timeline is for the announcement of reforms as part of the Chancellor’s Pensions Review.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government consulted on a proposed set of reforms in our “Fit For the Future" Consultation, which closed on 16 January 2025. We are currently analysing responses and will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason it is her policy to place a mandatory gambling levy on society lotteries while not requiring the National Lottery to make a mandatory problem gambling contribution.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Under the terms of the fourth licence, the National Lottery operator, Allwyn, is required to make a £1.6million annual contribution to socially responsible purposes such as research and treatment.

Society lotteries will be charged the levy at the lowest rate of 0.1%, in recognition of the comparatively low rates of harm associated with participation in society lotteries and the important benefits they bring to good cause fundraising.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 38604 on Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of farmers whose applications were ready for submission but missed out due to the short notice about the scheme's closure.

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

This Government inherited an uncapped scheme aimed at mass participation of farm businesses, despite a finite farming budget. In order to ensure we acted in a financially responsible way we took the decision to stop accepting new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) applications. We needed to ensure fair access to the scheme and avoid creating a sudden increase in the level of demand.

This Government’s commitment to farmers and the vital role they play to feed our nation remains steadfast.  Since we launched the SFI in 2022 Defra have worked closely with the farming sector to develop the SFI and we will continue to do so for the reformed the SFI offer, which we expect to publish more information about in summer 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the Official Development Assistance budget is allocated to initiatives tackling antimicrobial resistance.

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

The UK is a global leader in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and supports action though its multilateral, bilateral and research investments. It is not possible to identify the AMR element of all such spending.

Direct AMR spend includes, but is not limited to: i) the UK's Fleming Fund programme which strengthens drug-resistance surveillance systems across low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean (£57.5 million in 2023-24); ii) the UK Global Antimicrobial Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) which supports Research & Development into products and solutions that reduce the threat of AMR in low and middle income countries (£16.4 million in 2023-24); iii) FCDO's funding to product development partnerships in 2024/25 included over £32 million to the Medicines for Malaria Venture, TB Alliance and the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit's DeTACT project to develop new antimalarials and treatments for drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis and to protect the effectiveness of existing medicines.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38594 on Neighbourhood Policing: Finance, what estimate she has made of funding available to frontline policing in 2025-26.

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

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement – a significant increase, and more than the increase last year. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding.

Decisions about the allocation of police resources locally are a matter for Chief Constables and directly elected local policing bodies (including Police and Crime Commissioners, Mayors with PCC functions and the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime).

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 the Birmingham bin strikes on neighbouring constituencies.

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

The Government is aware of the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated public health risks to the residents of Birmingham. While Birmingham City Council continues to lead the response, cross-Government mechanisms have been activated to ensure a coordinated response, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the lead and Defra supporting.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with (a) the United Nations and (b) the Food and Agriculture Organisation to help tackle gaps in fisheries data collection in the South Atlantic.

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

Defra continues to seek progress on addressing fisheries data collection in the South Atlantic. This includes raising the matter in UN and FAO fora, such as consultations on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Sustainable Fisheries, and the FAO Subcommittee on Fisheries Management.  At the first FAO Subcommittee on Fisheries Management in January 2024, text was agreed urging the FAO to support members to enhance cooperation, strengthen data collection and improve regional fisheries management to tackle data gaps in high seas fisheries.

Achieving sustainably managed fisheries is our focus when highlighting these issues in international fora. Defra will continue to work with all relevant parties with the aim of assessing and improving the sustainability of relevant stocks. Regarding the status of relevant fish stocks, I refer the Hon. Member to the reply previously given on 01 April to PQ 41239.

I also refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills, Wendy Morton, on 25 March, PQ 35284.

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 implications for his policies of the biological sustainability level of fish stocks in the South Atlantic.

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

Defra continues to seek progress on addressing fisheries data collection in the South Atlantic. This includes raising the matter in UN and FAO fora, such as consultations on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Sustainable Fisheries, and the FAO Subcommittee on Fisheries Management.  At the first FAO Subcommittee on Fisheries Management in January 2024, text was agreed urging the FAO to support members to enhance cooperation, strengthen data collection and improve regional fisheries management to tackle data gaps in high seas fisheries.

Achieving sustainably managed fisheries is our focus when highlighting these issues in international fora. Defra will continue to work with all relevant parties with the aim of assessing and improving the sustainability of relevant stocks. Regarding the status of relevant fish stocks, I refer the Hon. Member to the reply previously given on 01 April to PQ 41239.

I also refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills, Wendy Morton, on 25 March, PQ 35284.

Found: The then Minister of State for Transport, Wendy Morton, opened the debate by saying that the new line

Found: Letter dated 04/04/2025 from Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty's Chief Inspector, Ofsted to Wendy Morton

Found: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Indo-Pacific); Wendy Morton