theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on missile production capacity. \p Maria Eagle: The Secretary of State for Defence continues to discuss missile production capacity with our European Allies on a regular basis. For example, the Secretary of State discussed this with France in Paris on 11 March and at the E5 Defence Ministers meeting on 12 March. Missile production capacity is also a key element of NATO’s Defence Production Action Plan, which we continue to work on with allies to ensure its effective implementation. In addition, the UK continues to discuss NATO Alliance-wide missile production and capacity issues via the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) framework.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in his Department; and what the salary band is for each post. \p Al Carns: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) press, media team is made up of 14 employees. Roles range from grades Higher Executive Officer to Grade six and have salary ranges between £36,530 to £40,150 up to £70,450 to £78,790 This figure is for the MOD Directorate of Defence Communications Press Office and Media personnel only.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy ships have shadowed suspected Russian spy ships (a) in and (b) near UK territorial waters in each of the last five years. \p Luke Pollard: The Royal Navy continuously monitors UK waters and are ready to respond to the presence of Russian vessels. Specific detail cannot be confirmed for reasons of safeguarding national security.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel are currently held at readiness for UK resilience tasks. \p Luke Pollard: As of the 23 April 2025, Defence holds c. 1,600 personnel at readiness for operations designed to support UK resilience. The tasks they are attributed to are wide ranging, from support in the instance of flooding (provided by the UK Standby Battalions) to the provision of fuel tanker drivers in the instance of a national shortage (Op ESCALIN).

Of these 1,600 personnel, 900 are held at extremely high readiness within the UK Standby Battalions for domestic resilience tasks. This responsibility rotates through units and, as of 23 April 2025, is held by personnel from across the Army including the infantry, cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

We take resilience tasks to mean operations designed to provide assistance to the civil authorities where there is either a capacity or skillset shortfall, excluding the provision of additional security in the instance of a significant terrorist attack.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the participation of UK forces in Exercise Joint Viking. \p Luke Pollard: Exercise Joint Viking was an effective demonstration of the Commando Force and all of its constituent personnel. The exercise met its aims as force elements successfully conducted invaluable amphibious training, utilising new equipment in environmentally relevant climatic conditions. This exercise positively rehearsed existing crisis response options alongside the Norwegians and other NATO allies.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 07 April 2025 to Question 43150 on Strategic Defence Review, when the Prime Minister last met with (a) Lord Robertson, (b) General Barrons and (c) Fiona Hill. \p Luke Pollard: As the Prime Minister reported in his Statement on Defence and Security in the House of Commons, the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) is being finalised. It will help set the path for Britain's defence for the next decade.

The Defence Secretary meets regularly with the Review team and has done throughout the SDR process.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he plans to do with each Warrior infantry fighting vehicle when they retire from service. \p Maria Eagle: Following the extension of the Out of Service Date (OSD) of the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle from 2025 to 2027, it remains the Department’s intent that the Warrior family will be withdrawn from service by the end of the decade with salvage activity already occurring in line with planned fleet reductions. Plans for Warrior beyond its OSD are yet to be formally agreed.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the domestic manufacturing of firearms. \p Maria Eagle: The strategic aim of this Government's Defence Industrial Strategy is to make sure the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. The Defence Industrial Strategy will signal to industry the areas we want to grow our onshore production capability, and where we will work with allies. This will ensure the UK has the industrial base needed to meet the potential threats of the future, as well as maximise economic benefits to the UK, ensuring UK suppliers get more value out of our procurement spend. All Ministry of Defence procurement decisions are carefully considered, taking into account not only the capabilities of the equipment but also the wider economic impact and the need to maintain operational sovereignty.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to permanently station UK forces to defend the High North. \p Luke Pollard: The Strategic Defence Review will set the strategic direction for Defence for the next decade. The UK is committed to maintaining a coherent Defence posture in the in the region and will defend and support our Allies should the need arise. The UK will contest malign and destabilising behaviours and activity in the region which threaten our interests and that of our Allies. The UK, as the framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), provides a platform for engagement with Allied Arctic states, to build consensus on security issues, and counter Russian influence.

The deployment of the Littoral Strike Group, Joint Aviation Assets, Carrier Strike capability and routine Maritime patrols in the region, as well as our regular cold weather training exercises in Norway, underlines the UK’s commitment to security in the High North.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which UK assets are deployed to support allies defending the High North. \p Luke Pollard: The Strategic Defence Review will set the strategic direction for Defence for the next decade. The UK is committed to maintaining a coherent Defence posture in the region and will defend and support our Allies should the need arise. The UK will contest malign and destabilising behaviours and activity in the region which threaten our interests and that of our Allies. The UK, as the framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), provides a platform for engagement with Allied Arctic states, to build consensus on security issues, and counter Russian influence.

The deployment of the Littoral Strike Group, Joint Aviation Assets, Carrier Strike capability and routine Maritime patrols in the region, as well as our regular cold weather training exercises in Norway, underlines the UK’s commitment to security in the High North.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much surplus military land has been allocated to development in local plans. \p Al Carns: C. 1,240 hectares of Ministry of Defence (MOD) land has been allocated to development in local plans in England, with the MOD continuing to work with over 17 local authorities on the future use of surplus military land in local plans.
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Rebecca Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, how many housing units will be refurbished in the (a) South West Devon, (b) Plymouth Moor View and (c) Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituencies in 2025-26; and when he expects this programme of work to be completed. \p Al Carns: The Defence Housing Strategy, planned for publication in Summer 2025 will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation. This work includes an extensive review of our Service Family Accommodation to determine how we will utilise our properties going forward. All options will be assessed during the review to ensure a strategic and structured approach is taken.
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Rebecca Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Spring Statement 2025, how much funding allocated to his Department will be allocated to the refurbishment of service housing stock. \p Al Carns: The allocation of funding for refurbishment of service housing stock is currently in the process of being determined, aligned to the Defence Housing Review.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of potential locations for the establishment of new domestic weapons manufacturing facilities. \p Maria Eagle: The strategic aim of this Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy is to make sure the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. The Defence Industrial Strategy will signal to industry the areas we want to grow our onshore production capability, and where we will work with allies. This will ensure the UK has the industrial base needed to meet the potential threats of the future, as well as maximise economic benefits to the UK, ensuring UK suppliers get more value out of our procurement spend. In March this Government agreed a £1.6 billion deal provides thousands of air defence missiles for Ukraine, boosting UK jobs and growth through a trebling of Thales’s Belfast based production of lightweight multirole missiles. BAE Systems has announced that it will deliver a sixteen-fold increase in production capacity of 155mm artillery shells when its new explosive filling facility at Glascoed, South Wales, becomes operational this summer.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on the sale of (a) HMS Albion and (b) HMS Bulwark to Brazil. \p Maria Eagle: On a recent visit to Brazil, at the Latin American Aerospace and Defence Expo, I witnessed the signing of a Statement of Intent (SOI) between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the UK Ministry of Defence. This concerned cooperation and assistance in relation to the acquisition of HMS ALBION and HMS BULWARK. This is a significant step in strengthening bilateral defence cooperation with Brazil and enables discussions regarding the possible sale of the vessels to the Brazilian Navy.

I am unable to provide further information due to commercial sensitivities.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what the reason the new Royal Navy Dreadnought Submarine programme will be built from steel imported from France. \p Maria Eagle: United Kingdom (UK) submarine steel requirements continue to be sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers. This reflects the need to source specific grades of steel, not all of which are available in the UK, and ensures competitive procurement in terms of cost, time and quality.

There are no UK suppliers of the specialised steel required in the manufacture of submarine pressure hulls. Other grades of steel used in the manufacture of submarines are sourced from a range of suppliers, including a number of UK companies.

We encourage the sourcing of UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible and publish our future pipeline of steel requirements, enabling steel manufacturers better to plan and bid for government opportunities.

This Government is committed to ensuring that defence spending supports British based businesses and economic growth which will be a key tenet in the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Ministers: Aviation, whether all of the RAF Envoy flights were domestic flights; and how many different Minsters travelled on them. \p Maria Eagle: The RAF Envoy flights over the period were predominantly international, not domestic and were taken by 2 ministers. It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas Ministerial travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36276 on Military Aircraft: Helicopter, which Ministers are now eligible to use the rotary wing air transportation service. \p Maria Eagle: All Defence Ministers have access to the Cabinet Office Ministerial Air Transport Office administered helicopter transport contract, in line with their cross-Government peers. This contract is not administered by the Ministry of Defence.
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Seamus Logan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the report by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entitled Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 3 March 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office keeps all the recommendations from the report by the UN Committee under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and other stakeholders.

Relevant departments are currently considering the Committee’s concluding observations in detail. The department will give written responses to three priority areas that the Committee has identified for specific follow-up by 2027.

The Government will respond to the rest of the recommendations before the UK’s next reporting cycle starts in 2030.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with herFrench counterparts on reducing the time taken to check passports at Paris Gare Du Nord station. \p Seema Malhotra: Border Force work closely with partners to minimise passenger wait times and deploy officers flexibly and when required to meet demand and support passengers. We have introduced ePassport Gates to Paris Gare Du Nord station in two waves, the last being timed to ensure that we had maximum gate coverage within the allotted space provided to us by SNCF prior to the Paris Olympics. Since eGate deployment, we have lowered the age of people able to use eGates and increased the number of nationalities that are also able to use them. We have also installed new front desk technology that is quicker and more robust than its predecessor. We are also prioritising the deployment of new eGates to Paris and other parts of the rail network when they become available which will help streamline increased passenger fluidity during peak times. Border Force enjoys a strong operational relationship with Eurostar which has allowed us to successfully plan and deploy our resources at peak times – evidenced by the successful recent operational deliveries of both the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024 and the Easter bank holiday period in 2025 that was equally as challenging from a passenger flow perspective.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the Migration Advisory Committee's review into the financial requirements for the Family Visa route to be published; and what plans she has for the minimum salary threshold for the Family Visa. \p Seema Malhotra: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is an independent body, and their review of the financial requirements will be robust and transparent. It is expected the MAC will issue their report in the Summer. We will carefully consider the MAC’s recommendations before making any further changes.
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Uma Kumaran:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on leave extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 have been provided e-Visas. \p Seema Malhotra: We are developing a border and immigration system that is more digital and streamlined.

We plan to provide digital status for all those with a valid UK immigration status, including those on whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. This is being rolled out gradually as we transition to a digital system.

We do not currently produce data on the number of people whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 and who have eVisas. Also, this number would change on a daily basis as people make new applications and applications are decided.

People with UKVI accounts and eVisas are already able to prove their status digitally. When they subsequently submit a valid, in-time immigration application and their permission has been extended by section 3C, their eVisa will automatically reflect that.

A small proportion of people who submitted immigration applications before they were transitioned to an eVisa, for which an outcome is still pending, will be unable to demonstrate that their permission has been extended by section 3C using our digital services. However, their digital immigration status will be updated when their pending application is decided, and if it is granted, they will receive an eVisa.

If a person’s eVisa does not display their 3C leave because their pending application was made before the eVisa system went live, and they need to prove their right to work or to rent whilst their application remains outstanding, employers can use the Employers Checking Service (ECS) and landlords can use the Landlord Checking Service. These services are for people with outstanding applications, administrative reviews, or appeals, who cannot provide evidence of their status digitally.

If a government department requires information in relation to benefits and healthcare, and they are unable to confirm an individual's’ immigration status, they are able to seek clarification via the Home Office Status Verification Enquiry and Checking Service (SVEC).
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 33251 on Domestic Abuse: Parents, when she plans to publish the Government response to the consultation on the definition of child-to-parent abuse. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government.

A consultation into the definition of child to parent abuse was launched by the previous government but never responded to. This Government is looking afresh at theresponses and will provide an update in due course.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Public Order Act 2024 to safeguard liberty of conscience and freedom of assembly. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The right to peacefully protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society.

We have committed to carry out post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 beginning in May 2025.
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Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of people (a) arrested and (b) charged following the trans rights demonstration on 19 April 2025; and what were the offences recorded. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.

This is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding is available to local authorities for community-based behaviour change programmes for (a) high-risk and (b) medium-risk perpetrators of domestic abuse. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this government, and we have committed to use every government tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence.

The Home Office Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund provides funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission domestic abuse and stalking perpetrator interventions in their local area to reduce reoffending and protect victim-survivors. For financial year 2025-26, over £19 million of funding has been continued to 27 PCC areas.

The interventions delivered by PCCs include behaviour change programmes for perpetrators at different risk levels, or other interventions to support a reduction in reoffending, and may also be used for victim support services which sit alongside perpetrator intervention programmes.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to improve enforcement measures against street racing in West Dorset constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission.

On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

This will strengthen the law and send a clear message that antisocial street racing will not be tolerated.

Excess speed is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads and anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face the full force of the law.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent the exploitation of vulnerable children by county lines gangs in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset. \p Dame Diana Johnson: To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.

Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Avon & Somerset Police.

As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Avon and Somerset Police made 17 arrests, seized 5 drug lines and referred 5 vulnerable people to safeguarding services.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime.

We are also providing specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and will deliver on our manifesto commitment to roll out further support through Prevention Partnerships to intervene earlier to ensure young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.
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Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on processing cases of irregular migrants who have been found to be involved in violent crime. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity. Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of at least 12 months. A foreign national convicted of an offence that has caused serious harm, who is a persistent offender or who poses a threat to national security will also be considered for deportation where it is deemed to be conducive to the public good under the Immigration Act 1971. Guidance on the use of those powers can be found here: Deporting foreign nationals on conducive grounds: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost to the public purse is of an asylum seeker. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office’s publicly available transparency data sets out the annual costs of asylum support. The most recent data, covering the year 2023/24, can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q4-2024.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40190, on Asylum: Hotels, if she will publish each letter sent to each local authority chief executive since 4 July 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office does not routinely publish correspondence on operational matters.

In addition, it has been the longstanding policy of the Home Office under successive governments not to comment publicly on individual hotels which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office, nor do we provide details of those we accommodate at any site.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43097 on Asylum: Housing, how many dwellings have been procured via Cushman and Wakefield by local authority; and what the cost of those dwellings is. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office is working closely with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its statutory obligations, while seeking to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation for the taxpayer.

As part of this programme, the Home Office works with its contracted estates delivery partner, Cushman and Wakefield, to identify potential leasehold and freehold properties for the Home Office to acquire. The Home Office does not publish information on the location of asylum accommodation sites for safety and security reasons.

Overall asylum expenditure is published on a routine basis in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Clearsprings Ready Homes by local authority. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber; and Clearsprings Ready Homes provides accommodation in Wales, the South East, the South East and London.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by region and by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab).
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which contractors provide accommodation services for (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees for her Department. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office’s asylum accommodation services are delivered under contracts by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and Corporate Travel Management. These contracts were entered into by our predecessors.

The Home Office does not have any contractors providing accommodation for refugees under Resettlement schemes.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28146 on Asylum: Local Government, what data her Department holds on funding to local councils in England for (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Funding provided to Local Authorities by the Home Office in respect of asylum & resettlement is made in the form of grant payments.

As per the most recent published Cabinet Office grant data, in financial year 2023-24 these Home Office grants totalled approximately £500m - Government grants statistics 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to (a) ensure young perpetrators of anti-social behaviour are arrested and charged and (b) prevent them from reoffending. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour (ASB), including the civil injunction which can be issued by a court to under 18s.

The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately flexible in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances of each individual case.

Police and local authorities can apply to the courts for a civil injunction to prevent those under 18 from committing further ASB. The civil injunction can also include positive requirements, to address the underlying causes of their behaviour. The court can attach a power of arrest to the civil injunction where there is the use, or threatened use, of violence against other persons or there is a significant risk of harm to other persons from the respondent. If the applicant thinks the respondent has breached a term of the injunction to which a power of arrest has not been attached, they may apply to the court for an arrest warrant.

​The Government’s published Plan for Change sets out clear direction on how we will tackle ASB, which includes, by July, ensuring a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local ASB action plan. We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing and as announced in the Police Funding Settlement, we are doubling the funding available to a total of £200 million in 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will consider mandating the use of declaration of use forms for suppliers of sodium nitrate. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Poisons Act 1972 sets out the legal obligations in relation to the sale, purchase, and use of explosives precursors and poisons for suppliers, professional users, and members of the public.

The Poisons Act was amended in October 2023 to strengthen controls, and enhance suspicious activity reporting requirements, including new obligations for online marketplaces. As well as the requirement to report suspicious transactions, economic operators supplying any reportable substances must now demonstrate that their personnel are aware about which of their products contain listed substances, and are instructed on their obligations.

Sodium nitrate is a reportable explosives precursor listed in Part 4 of Schedule 1A of the Poisons Act 1972; this means it is lawful to sell this substance in Great Britain without further controls, however suppliers have a legal obligation to report any suspicious transactions.

The Home Office work with retailers and suppliers to raise awareness and emphasise their legal obligation to report suspicious activity for regulated and reportable substances. Government expertise in relation to substances of concern is also shared to inform retailer sales practices. This includes encouraging suppliers to use declaration of use forms for sales of such substances. This work will continue to ensure suppliers are meeting their requirements under the Poisons Act.

As set out in CONTEST, The United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism, the Government is committed to reducing the ability of terrorists to access and use materials and technology of concern. We continue to keep dangerous substances under review to ensure appropriate regulation and controls are in place to keep the public safe.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of contacts that each police force has had (a) with people experiencing suicidal ideation and (b) where a suicide is in progress in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office does not collect or hold data on these subjects.

The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice guidance contains a chapter intended to support the police in offering crisis intervention to people who are at risk of suicide and to respond professionally and effectively when suicide occurs: https://www.college.police.uk/app/mental-health/suicide-and-bereavement-response

The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s annual report on the number of deaths during or following police contact in England and Wales contains information on the number of apparent suicides following police custody. The most recent publication is here: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/publications/annual-deaths-during-or-following-police-contact-report-202324

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing, and key health and voluntary sector stakeholders to improve support for those at risk of suicide following release from police custody.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Metropolitan Police on arrests made in a Quaker meeting house in March 2025. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The police are operationally independent of the government and make decisions on specific incidents based on their intelligence and judgment. The Home Office does not have the power to direct them to make any operational decisions. However, the Home Secretary has regular meetings with all policing leaders, including the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), covering a range of matters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 27962 on Police: Workplace Pensions, whether she plans to calculate the cost of allowing police survivors who (a) remarry and (b) cohabit after losing a spouse who had a pre-2006 police pension scheme to retain their full pension entitlement. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The 1987 Police Pension Scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner. With the introduction of the 2006 and 2015 police pension schemes, all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme that provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse.

From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.

There are no plans at this time to make any further changes to benefits accrued in the 1987 police scheme.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding twenty years' service medals for Police Community Support Officers as recognition of their service to their community. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office will consider any proposal for national long service recognition for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). It is only right that we recognise the commitment shown by PCSOs across the country and whose role are undeniably at the sharp end of policing, diffusing community tensions and providing visible policing presence in our communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding he plans to provide for the (a) Child Nutrition Fund, (b) Child Wasting Innovation Programme, (c) ready-to-use therapeutic foods and (d) other nutrition programmes in each of the next three financial years. \p Stephen Doughty: Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review. We are currently unable to confirm exact levels of funding for the outer years until the spending review for this period has been completed.

The majority of funding for ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other nutrition programmes is administered by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) country offices, and allocated through humanitarian programmes. It is therefore not possible to know in advance how much will be spent on nutrition. The FCDO retrospectively publishes nutrition spend on an annual basis. The most recent available data is from 2022 and can be found online.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received representations on delays or challenges in securing the return of British children from Poland under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. \p Stephen Doughty: This Government takes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) extremely seriously. Affected parents have reported issues to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regarding the enforcement of Polish court orders requiring the return of abducted children to the UK. I met the Rt. Honourable Member's constituent in January to discuss his daughter's abduction and the devastating toll IPCA takes on those affected. This Government will continue to raise the issue at every appropriate opportunity with the Polish authorities, including at ministerial level.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Polish counterpart on improving cooperation in (a) cross-border family law cases and (b) cases involving parental child abduction; and what recent steps he has taken to improve the effectiveness of Hague Convention mechanisms in cases involving the abduction of children from the UK to (i) EU countries and (ii) Poland. \p Stephen Doughty: This Government takes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) extremely seriously. As a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention, the UK remains committed to the effective enforcement of court orders requiring a child's return to their place of habitual residence. On 19 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary raised the issue of IPCA in Poland with Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. On 28 February, I raised the issue with my Polish counterpart, Minister Marek Prawda, and with the Polish Ambassador to the UK on 29 April 2025. HMG officials also raise issues directly with Polish authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Ministry of Justice, and other key UK authorities hosted a Polish delegation in April to enhance cooperation and improve outcomes in cross-border family cases.
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Florence Eshalomi:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of UK efforts to increase the global availability of medicines to prevent HIV. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK remains committed to sustainable development goal 3.3 including ending AIDS by 2030. The UK supports partners including UNAIDS, Unitaid, and the Global Fund to improve equitable access to HIV prevention services tailored to individual needs. In 2023, the Global Fund partnership reached 17.9 million people with HIV prevention services. Unitaid recently committed $17 million in market-shaping grants to accelerate affordable access to long-acting lenacapavir for HIV prevention. UK investment in research and development supported the development of the dapivirine vaginal ring, another important tool for HIV prevention.