Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual quota for each of the Youth Mobility Scheme partner countries (a) was in 2024 and (b) is in 2025.

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

Quotas for the UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme visa route are published in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals of the Immigration Rules. The quotas for the upcoming year were set out in Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules HC 733 on 12 March and will be implemented in the Immigration Rules on 9 April. Quota information from previous years is also published online in the archived Immigration Rules.

For 2024, we allocated the following quotas for each of our partner countries:

- Andorra – 100 places

- Australia – 45,000 places

- Canada – 8,000 places

- Hong Kong – 1,000 places

- Iceland – 1,000 places

- India – 3,000 places

- Japan – 6,000 places

- Monaco – 1,000 places

- New Zealand – 8,500 places

- Republic of Korea - 5,000 places

- San Marino – 1,000 places

- Taiwan – 1,000 places

- Uruguay – 500 places.

For 2025, we have allocated the following quotas for each of our partner countries:

- Andorra – 100 places

- Australia – 42,000 places

- Canada – 10,000 places

- Hong Kong – 1,000 places

- Iceland – 1,000 places

- India – 3,000 places

- Japan – 6,000 places

- Monaco – 1,000 places

- New Zealand – 9,500 places

- Republic of Korea - 5,000 places

- San Marino – 1,000 places

- Taiwan – 1,000 places

- Uruguay – 500 places.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help improve the effectiveness of the (a) collection and (b) dissemination of neighbourhood crime data.

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

Information on offences including vehicle-related theft, domestic burglary, theft from the person and robbery of personal property is routinely included in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Survey for England Wales and by the Home Office from police forces based on crimes reported to the police in England and Wales. The ONS already publishes such data in their quarterly ‘Crime in England and Wales’ statistics release.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of the application of VAT to private school fees on the long-term finances of (a) private and (b) state education sectors.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has published a detailed costing note and Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) assessing the impacts of applying VAT to private school fees, including impacts on private schools and state schools: Private school fees — VAT measure - GOV.UK

How to fund VAT costs is a commercial decision for individual schools. The Government estimates that private school fees will increase by around 10% on average.

The number of children in independent schools has remained steady despite c75% real terms increase in average private school fees since 2000. The Government estimates that, in the long-term steady state, there will be 35,000 additional pupils in the state school sector, which is less than 0.5% of all state schools. Based on average 2024 to 2025 per-pupil spending in England, the government expects the revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector as a result of the VAT policy across the UK to steadily increase to a peak of around £270 million per annum after several years. In comparison, the Government estimates that the policy will raise over £1.7bn per annum by 2029/30.

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 closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme on farmers who had planned to transition to the new land management practices under the Environmental Land Management scheme; and what plans his Department has to support those farmers.

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

On 11 March 2025, we published forecasts which suggest that Average Farm Business Income has risen in 2024/25 across all farm types with the exception of cereal farms. This follows a fall in income for most farm types in 2023/24, after some exceptional highs in the two preceding years.

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period.

50,000 farm businesses are already in agri-environmental schemes. SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

Funding from the farming budget also supports the provision of advice within the sector. The Farming Advice Service can assist farmers to review what advice and guidance is available to meet their business needs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department had discussions with (a) farming groups and (b) stakeholders prior to the decision to close the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

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

The high uptake of the scheme means it is fully subscribed. The decision to close the scheme to new applications was taken at that point.

We could not give any advance notice because we needed to ensure fair access to the scheme and avoid creating a sudden increase in the level of demand.

Since we launched the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in 2022 we have worked closely with the farming sector and stakeholders to develop and improve the offer to make sure it worked for as many different farmers and land types as possible.

We will continue to do this in order to develop the reformed SFI offer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle unregulated fishing activities in the South West Atlantic Ocean.

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

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that fishing activities on the high seas in the South West Atlantic are appropriately regulated. This is necessary to safeguard stocks and their significant contribution to the Falkland Islands’ economy as well as the wider marine environment.

Defra continue to liaise closely with the Falklands Islands Government on these issues, and to seek progress on addressing gaps in fisheries management and data collection within relevant international fora including the United Nations and Food and Agriculture Organisation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his department conducted an impact assessment before the decision to close the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme was made.

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

We publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income broken down in various ways. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

On the 11 of March 2025, we published forecasts which suggest that average Farm Business Income has risen in 2024/25 across all farm types with the exception of cereal farms. This follows a fall in income for most farm types in 2023/24, after some exceptional highs in the two preceding years.

Across England, 50,000 farm businesses are already in agri-environmental schemes. We will open up initial applications for CS Higher tier and a revised ELM capital grants offer later in the Summer.

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 counterpart in the Cayman Islands on the effectiveness of (a) the implementation of sanctions against Russia and (b) the delivery of Operation Hektor.

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

The effective implementation of sanctions against Russia is a UK Government priority. The British Overseas Territories' critical role was discussed at the November 2024 Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. I also thanked the Premier of the Cayman Islands for their continued collaboration, where Cayman has frozen assets worth approximately US$8.35 billion. Operation Hektor coordinates sanctions work across the Cayman Islands Government and is an excellent example of best practice. We recently convened sanctions experts from across the Overseas Territories to share best practice and strengthen collective efforts.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 733, published on 12 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme on the number of Ukrainian children able to come to the UK.

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

The minor changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) set out in the statement of changes to the Immigration Rules laid on 12 March 2025, will not impact the number of children able to come to the UK.

UPE, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, enables Ukrainians and their eligible family members who are already in the UK with Ukraine scheme permission, or Leave outside the Rules in certain circumstances, to apply for a further 18 months' temporary permission in the UK.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open, uncapped and free of charge for Ukrainians in need of sanctuary to apply to come to the UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children who transferred from private to state schools in the first three months of (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Data on pupil numbers in the state-funded and private school sectors is collected in January and published in June each year. This shows how pupil numbers at different types of school have changed over time.

In January 2023 there were 591,954 pupils in independent schools. In January 2024, this number had increased by 1,532 to 593,486.

This data is published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f3ef2b69-9a02-4040-1972-08dd660c60ce. Pupil numbers for January 2025 will be published in June 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of British Nationals Overseas who have had to obtain Electronic Travel Authorisation prior to travelling to the UK.

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

The Government has agreed to exempt British National (Overseas) passport holders from the need to obtain an ETA when visiting the UK. This exceptional exemption will be kept under review.

Data on the number of BN(O) applications made prior to this exemption being instituted is unavailable.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of care workers on the Skilled Worker route who no longer have sponsorship due to sponsors (a) unable to offer sufficient work and (b) having lost sponsor licences.

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

Between July 2022 and December 2024, the government has revoked more than 470 sponsor licences in the care sector to clampdown on abuse and exploitation. More than 39,000 workers have been associated with these sponsors since October 2020.

We are unable to provide an answer concerning lost sponsor licences as this information is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of phasing out physical proof of immigration status documents.

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

The transition from physical immigration status documents to eVisas has been underway since the launch of the EU Settlement Scheme in 2018, with millions of people already receiving and using eVisas successfully.

eVisas offer a more secure and convenient way to prove immigration status for those living, working, or studying in the UK.

The implementation of eVisas has reduced the need for the Home Office to produce and maintain physical documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and has led to a consequent reduction in costs.

The delivery of eVisas and carrier integration also results in a net reduction in the costs of acquiring and issuing vignettes and handling physical documents at Visa Application Centres (VACs). It also reduces costs to immigration status holders by removing the fees for replacing BRPs and the travel costs associated with travel to VACs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.

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

This Government recognises and values the contribution that legal migration makes to the UK.

But under the previous Government, between 2019 and 2024, net migration almost quadrupled, heavily driven by a big increase in overseas recruitment.

A properly controlled and managed immigration system, alongside strong border security, is one of the foundations in the Government’s Plan for Change.

The work to restore order to our immigration system is already underway, and we will be setting out our approach to immigration in the upcoming Immigration White Paper which will be published 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 she plans to take to ensure that housing developments agreed through the accelerated planning process under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill align with the unique needs of local communities.

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

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will improve certainty and decision-making in the planning system, including through introducing a new scheme of delegation to modernise local planning committees, and increasing the capacity of local planning authorities by enabling the cost recovery of planning fees.

It is local development plans that set out a vision and a framework for the future development of any given area, addressing needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the economy, community facilities and essential infrastructure – as well as a basis for conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and achieving well designed places.

Local plans are the best way for communities to shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development that their areas need.

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 help ensure UK food security.

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

Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers.

That is why this Government will introduce a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen Britain's food security.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.

We produce 62% of all the food we need, and 75% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year.

Food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.

UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support state schools with trends in the level of demand for state school places following the application of VAT to private school fees.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As set out in HM Treasury’s tax information and impact note published on GOV.UK, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have a very limited impact on the number of pupils in state and private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.

Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise around £1.8 billion per year by the 2029/30 financial year for investment in public services, including state-funded education which serves 94% of children. This will help break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education.

​Local authorities are responsible for securing school places for children in their area. Pupil numbers in schools fluctuate for a number of reasons, and the school funding system is already set up to manage that. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support the provision of mainstream school places, based on local authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.

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 the application of VAT on private school fees on the (a) accessibility and (b) quality of state education.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As set out in HM Treasury’s tax information and impact note published on GOV.UK, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have a very limited impact on the number of pupils in state and private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.

Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise around £1.8 billion per year by the 2029/30 financial year for investment in public services, including state-funded education which serves 94% of children. This will help break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education.

​Local authorities are responsible for securing school places for children in their area. Pupil numbers in schools fluctuate for a number of reasons, and the school funding system is already set up to manage that. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support the provision of mainstream school places, based on local authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of new police officers there will be in the West Midlands in the 2025-26 financial year.

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

The Government has committed to restore 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 needs to benefit from this pledge, including West Midlands, who have been allocated £12,210,903 funding in 2025/26 to bolster their neighbourhood policing teams.

£200 million of funding has been allocated to forces in England and Wales in 2025/26 to deliver the first steps of the increase towards 13,000 neighbourhood officers by the end of this Parliament. Our approach to delivery in 2025/26, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible, and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. The Home Office will review and confirm delivery plans with forces, but the precise workforce mix is a local decision.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will convene a meeting of his international development minister counterparts to discuss the situation in Chad.

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

The Foreign Secretary is looking to convene Foreign Ministers in London this spring to galvanise international efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Sudan and get aid to those who need it most, including in eastern Chad. Attendees include regional countries such as Chad, major donors, and multilaterals. The UK's former development Minister also convened a meeting of Development Ministers in February alongside the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, to explore how we can accelerate the UN-led international humanitarian response and better coordinate donor advocacy and engagement in response to the situation in Sudan and the wider region, including Chad.

In January this year, the Foreign Secretary became the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Chad. He met with the President and Foreign Minister to discuss the situation in Chad, a country that has received almost one million refugees from Sudan since the conflict started. These refugees live alongside Chadian host communities who themselves need humanitarian assistance. That is why the £40 million we have provided to Eastern Chad this year supports both refugees and host communities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27541 on Neglected Tropical Diseases, how much financial support his Department is providing for UK research into neglected tropical diseases.

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

During the last funding phase between 2017 and 2024, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has invested £73.3 million into the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), which collaborates closely with a range of UK academic and industry partners to develop medicines for Neglected Tropical Diseases. Following our last call for applications for funding Product Development Partnerships, DNDi applied successfully and has received an investment of £10 million in this financial year.

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 (a) Israel and (b) regional partners on the future governance 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. Reconstruction efforts must be based upon a solid political and security framework that provides long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. We are committed to working with the Arab initiative, Palestinians and Israel, including on security and governance, and are engaging international partners to support these efforts. We are clear there can be no role for Hamas. The UK supports a central role for the Palestinian Authority.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of farmers which will be affected by upcoming changes to (a) Agriculture Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

I refer the Honourable Member to the PQ referenced UIN 29306 published on 5^th February 2025 at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-02-05/29306

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on business confidence in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Recent surveys from EY, PwC and Lloyds Bank show overall business and investor confidence is rising.

The Government has taken significant steps to support rural businesses. We are investing £5 billion in broadband connectivity which will support growth in rural areas across the UK. We confirmed over £650 million of funding for local transport beyond City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements in 2025-26 to ensure that transport connections improve in our towns, villages and rural areas.

We have also committed £5 billion for the farming budget over two years – which includes the largest ever amount of funding directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on business confidence in rural communities.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Recent surveys from EY, PwC and Lloyds Bank show overall business and investor confidence is rising.

The Government has taken significant steps to support rural businesses. We are investing £5 billion in broadband connectivity which will support growth in rural areas across the UK. We confirmed over £650 million of funding for local transport beyond City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements in 2025-26 to ensure that transport connections improve in our towns, villages and rural areas.

We have also committed £5 billion for the farming budget over two years – which includes the largest ever amount of funding directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential impact of changes to disability benefits on the court appeals system.

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

DWP will work with the Ministry of Justice to prepare a Justice Impact Test to assess the impacts of proposed policy changes on the justice system.

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 resignation of the Government in Serbia on stability in that region.

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

Following confirmation by Serbia's Parliament of Prime Minister Vucevic's resignation on 19 March, Serbia's government is operating in technical capacity pending either formation of a new government by 18 April, or potential elections thereafter. We look forward to working with the new government when it is formed. We continue to underline to Serbia's leaders the importance of playing a constructive role in regional stability, as I did most recently when I spoke to Foreign Minister Djuric on 27 March.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the current average time to clear Personal Independence Payments appeals at the (a) First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) and (b) Upper Tribunal.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), including the average time to clear Personal Independence Payment appeals is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

The information requested for the Upper Tribunal is not currently available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for participation at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference by (a) officials and (b) Ministers.

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

The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in June, will be at a critical time for the ocean and a stocktake of progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.

The UK is supportive of an action-orientated UNOC and looks forward to the event. Defra is leading on the planning for UK attendance at the Conference and is considering along with other relevant departments appropriate official-level attendance in line with UK priorities for UNOC. Formal invitations from the co-hosts have been shared and Defra is considering appropriate Ministerial attendance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that hospice care services across England are sufficiently funded; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of an ageing population on demand for palliative care services.

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

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We are pleased to confirm that the Government has released the first £25 million tranche of the £100 million capital funding, with Hospice UK kindly allocating and distributing the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be available from April. We are also providing £26 million revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.

No formal assessment has been made of the potential impact of an ageing population on demand for palliative care services, but we know that currently approximately 600,000 people die per year in the United Kingdom. We are aware that the Office for National Statistics has projected that, by 2040, approximately 800,000 people a year will die in the UK, meaning that, the number of people needing palliative and end of life care is expected to increase by 42% by then.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on increasing private finance through (a) British International Investment and (b) British Investment Partnerships to help meet the UK's international climate finance targets; and how private finance is being targeted towards (i) low-income countries and (ii) climate-vulnerable regions.

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

In 2023, the British Investment Partnerships (BIP) portfolio invested £1.5 billion in developing countries which mobilised over £3.5 billion of private sector investment. Over 54 per cent of BIP programme spend was classified as International Climate Finance (ICF) and over 70 per cent of BIP programmes operate in least developed countries and lower-middle income countries.

Since 2022, BII has invested over $1 billion in climate finance and mobilised over $2 billion of private capital. Over 90 per cent of BII's portfolio is invested in Africa and South Asia, in some of the poorest and most climate vulnerable countries in the world.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 36082 on Neighbourhood Policing: Finance, how much and what proportion of the funding allocated for the financial year 2025-26 has been allocated to cover the increase in employer National Insurance contributions.

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

The Government is committed to delivering our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, and that is why we have committed £200 million to kickstart the increase of 13,000 neighbourhood officers in communities across England and Wales by the End of this Parliament.

Our approach to delivery in 2025-26, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands.

Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Finally, £230.3 million to support forces with the cost of the changes to employer National Insurance Contributions as set out by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget. This will be allocated by total workforce headcount shares as at 31 March 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 36079 on Bus Services and Railways: Employers' Contributions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the planned increase in employer's National Insurance contributions on the (a) operating costs of bus operators and (b) viability of bus routes.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The increase to National Insurance employers’ contributions announced at the Budget is expected to increase bus operator costs, but the Department has made no estimate of the specific costs.

We are committed to working with the sector to deliver better bus services for passengers. In the Budget, the government confirmed investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services and keep fares affordable. West Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated nearly £50 million of this funding for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide additional financial support to local authorities to meet the cost of disposing of fly-tipped waste.

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

Defra has no current plans to provide additional financial support to local authorities to meet the cost of disposing of fly-tipped waste. We are considering how we can support local authorities to tackle fly-tipping in other ways. Indeed, we are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory enforcement guidance to help local authorities run an effective enforcement service which deters people from dumping waste in our communities. Revenue from fixed penalty notices must also be spent on enforcement or cleaning up fly-tipping.

The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities, such as fly-tipping. Funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax.

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 implement the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) gender equity and (b) the needs of (i) women, (ii) indigenous groups, (iii) people with disabilities and (iv) other vulnerable communities are prioritised in international climate finance initiatives.

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

The International Development Act 2002, as amended by the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014, requires a consideration of gender equality before spending development and humanitarian assistance, including International Climate Finance. The duty ensures that gender equality remains at the heart of the UK's Official Development Assistance work. In addition, we seek to prioritise the needs of vulnerable communities, such as people with disabilities and indigenous groups, including through amplifying the voices of those whose views are often most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates and leaders.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what steps she plans to take to ensure that new electricity transmission infrastructure is integrated with local development plans.

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

Measures are already in place that ensure infrastructure provision is considered in the local plan-making process.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that plans should be deliverable over the plan period, which will include ensuring that the required infrastructure, included energy infrastructure, can be provided to support proposed development.

Infrastructure providers will be consulted where relevant and would be expected to advise on whether any capacity constraints exist that could prevent planned development being deliverable.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on plans to reform the Local Government Pension Scheme.

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

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) reforms are taking place as part of the Chancellor’s Pensions Review. As the Ministers responsible for the LGPS in England and Wales, the Deputy Prime Minister and I are working closely with the Minister for Pensions and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the reforms to the LGPS and our shared priorities in relation to the Pensions 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 4 February 2025 to Question 28556 on International Day of Education, how much funding his Department will provide in (a) 2025-26 and (b) subsequent years for (i) girls' education overseas, (ii) Education Cannot Wait and (iii) the Global Partnership for Education.

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

The difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027 has been taken by the Prime Minister to address the imperative of national security. Impacts on future ODA budgets are currently under review as part of the wider Spending Review process. Given the multi-year nature of many commitments, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is reassessing its ODA spending plans for 2025/26 to ensure they deliver maximum value for money in the context of the transition to spending 0.3% of GNI on ODA by 2027. Initial budget allocations for FCDO ODA in 2025/26 will be set later in March 2025, with final allocations for 2025/26 agreed in the summer. We therefore cannot at this time confirm how much funding will be provided in 2025/26 and beyond for global education; however, the UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development. Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education remain important partners for the UK.

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 meeting of the All-Serbian Assembly in June 2024.

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

While the UK welcomes inclusive regional cooperation, economic integration and inter-connectivity initiatives across the region, we have underlined to Serbia's leadership concerns about the June 2024 All Serb Assembly and Declaration and encouraged adherence to the commitments on good neighbourly relations made by all Western Balkans leaders at the 2018 London Summit. We consistently emphasise at senior levels the importance of Serbia's role in building and supporting regional stability; I did so when I met Foreign Minister Djuric in October and reinforced the message with President Vucic and Foreign Minister Djuric in Serbia in January 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK’s £25 million commitment to the Pandemic Fund, how much of this funding (a) had been spent, (b) had been committed and (c) remained unallocated as of 30 December 2024.

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

The UK has committed £25 million to the Pandemic Fund. £10 million has been transferred to the Pandemic Fund. The remaining £15 million will be transferred in 2025/26.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Pension Credit applications her Department has processed in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

On 27 February 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025. Pension Credit Applications and Awards - February 2025.

Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of fly-tipping have been reported in the 2024-25 financial year.

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

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. Data for the 2023/24 reporting year is available at this link.

Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected.

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 closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on the effectiveness of the Environmental Land Management scheme.

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

Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for the submission of new applications, but existing agreements will continue. We now have over 37,000 live SFI agreements. Every penny in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed.

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer once the Spending Review has been completed.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs in the debate on Israeli-Palestinian Peace: International Fund on 11 March 2025, Official Report, column 368WH, when the inaugural meeting of the international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace will take place in London; and who will be present.

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

The Foreign Secretary is committed to convening a meeting to support civil society in the region. On 11 March, I answered a Westminster Hall Debate on this topic, where I emphasised the UK's commitment to supporting peace efforts in the Middle East and to help find a resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. We want to make sure that the meeting will have the desired effect of building trust across communities, and that the timing is sensitive to the circumstances in the region.

I have also met with representatives of the Alliance for Middle East Peace to discuss their proposal for an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Foreign Secretary and I welcome the opportunity to discuss further with civil society organisations their work and the prospects for peacebuilding.  Since day one, the Government has prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners. We will continue to use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire deal as the first step towards long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, and the wider region.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Israel, (b) the USA, (c) the UAE and (d) other countries in the region on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

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

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20th March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities. We urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. More bloodshed is in no-one's interest. Hamas must release all the hostages and negotiations must resume. We want Israel and Hamas to re-engage with negotiations, we continue to condemn Hamas, of course, for their actions on October 7th 2023, their refusal to release the hostages, and their ongoing threat to Israel, but we are also resolute in calling on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the unacceptable restrictions on aid and demand the protection of civilians. Since the renewed outbreak of hostilities, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to US Secretary of State Rubio, to EU High Representative Kallas, to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher and plans to speak to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar and Palestinian Prime Minister Mustafa.

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 ensure the UK's active involvement in discussions on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

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

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20th March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities. We urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. More bloodshed is in no-one's interest. Hamas must release all the hostages and negotiations must resume. We want Israel and Hamas to re-engage with negotiations, we continue to condemn Hamas, of course, for their actions on October 7th 2023, their refusal to release the hostages, and their ongoing threat to Israel, but we are also resolute in calling on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the unacceptable restrictions on aid and demand the protection of civilians. Since the renewed outbreak of hostilities, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to US Secretary of State Rubio, to EU High Representative Kallas, to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher and plans to speak to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar and Palestinian Prime Minister Mustafa.

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 the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

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

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20th March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities. We urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. More bloodshed is in no-one's interest. Hamas must release all the hostages and negotiations must resume. We want Israel and Hamas to re-engage with negotiations, we continue to condemn Hamas, of course, for their actions on October 7th 2023, their refusal to release the hostages, and their ongoing threat to Israel, but we are also resolute in calling on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the unacceptable restrictions on aid and demand the protection of civilians. Since the renewed outbreak of hostilities, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to US Secretary of State Rubio, to EU High Representative Kallas, to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher and plans to speak to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar and Palestinian Prime Minister Mustafa.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the United States’ decision to freeze USAID funding on humanitarian aid programmes in Lebanon.

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

USAID spent $293 million on programmes in Lebanon in 2024 and $3.3 billion since 2017, primarily in education and water sectors. Changes in USAID programmes are a matter for the US. The UK is a strong supporter of Lebanon and supports humanitarian assistance through a range projects, including cash assistance to the most vulnerable, education for out-of-school children and strengthening social protection systems.