theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ending the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme on businesses in South Suffolk constituency. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government’s commitment to our horticulture sector and its vital role in strengthening food security remains steadfast. Our proposed approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. This includes developing a 25-year Farming Roadmap, which will involve the Government and the industry working together to identify solutions to challenges to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.

We recognise the specific needs of the horticulture sector, and Defra ministers and officials meet regularly with a variety of growers from across the sector, (including a number of Producer Organisation members), to discuss a wide range of issues to help us understand how best to support sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England, published on 29 November 2024, whether offices are now required to rinse or wash empty food containers and bottles to place in recyclable waste. \p Mary Creagh: Yes, as of 31 March 2025 all workplaces with ten or more full-time equivalent employees, including offices, must separate out recycling (plastic, metal, glass, paper and card) and food waste for recycling. Recyclables should be rinsed to remove any food or other contaminants to ensure the materials can be recycled.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Marsha De Cordova:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Disability Confident scheme employers employing at least one disabled person. \p Alison McGovern: Employers at level 2 and level 3 of the Disability Confident scheme are asked if they employ disabled people at the point of applying for or renewing their membership at these levels. Organisations applying for or renewing at level 2 have only been asked whether they employ disabled people since the 20th of February 2024. Organisations applying for or renewing at level 1 are not asked to provide this information.

As of the 1st April 2025, the data collected shows that, of all employers asked this question (2,454 employers in total), the majority (91%) reported they do employ disabled people. Less than one percent of employers said they do not employ disabled people, and 9 percent did not respond or did not know. Due to the specific and self-reported nature of the management information collected, it may not provide an accurate reflection of the employment of disabled people across all Disability Confident members and should therefore be treated with caution.

In 2022, the Department commissioned a survey of Disability Confident members. Respondents included employers who were members at level 1, 2 and 3 of the scheme. The survey found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of employers reported having recruited at least one disabled employee or an employee who had a long-term health condition, since joining the Disability Confident scheme. More detail on this question can be accessed in the survey report on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK
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Mel Stride:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department's proposed reforms to contributory out of work benefits are expected to reduce contributory benefits as a proportion of overall welfare expenditure. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Our proposed reforms to contributory benefits are about creating a more proactive, pro-work system that actually supports individuals. While the reforms are part of a package that will make the benefits system more affordable, they will also ensure that the system continues to provide for those who need it most, while supporting those who can, back into work. We are consulting on establishing a new, simple and clear “Unemployment Insurance” benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits and we welcome responses. No final decisions have been taken.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payments on blind and partially sighted people. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be impacted by their health conditions in different ways and the assessment considers the effect on a person’s day to day life.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times her Department has used (a) section 71 and (b) section 71ZE of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to recover assets from people found to have committed fraud in each of the last five years. \p Andrew Western: The Department has not recovered assets from the debtor, such as through a writ of possession or charging order, under either section 71 or section 71ZE of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 in the last five years. Debts under section 71 are currently recovered by deduction from benefit or a Direct Earnings Attachment. However, the Department does use The Proceeds Of Crime Act to recover assets following criminal prosecutions.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Supporting people to work through jobcentres, published on 31 March 2025, what steps her Department plans to take to increase the number of jobcentre work coaches in the next 12 months; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the number of work coaches on jobcentres’ ability to provide the intended level of support. \p Alison McGovern: We are reforming both the welfare and employment support systems to make best use of our work coaches’ time, ensuring a system that is fit for purpose.

We are targeting support where it is needed most to tackle ill-health and disability-related economic inactivity. This includes £1 billion per year of new funding across the United Kingdom by the end of the decade to establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work.

We are also reforming our Jobcentres, bringing together Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service to meet the needs of local labour markets, people and employers whilst embracing technology to improve customer service and free up work coach time.

Through reforming how we deliver our support, we can ensure people get the level of support they need and that we can get Britain Working. We will have further updates to this change programme in due course.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the written statement of 4 March 2025, HCWS495, on Household Support Fund, what estimate she has made of the number of local authorities that are using the fund to provide support for pensioners in lieu of the reductions to Winter Fuel Allowance. \p Alison McGovern: Local Authorities can use the Household Support Fund (HSF) to provide support with energy costs to households in need.

Management Information on how funding has been spent in previous years, including the proportion spent on households with pensioners and the proportion spent on energy and water, can be found here: Household Support Fund management information - GOV.UK
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve enforcement against paying parents who repeatedly miss Child Maintenance Service payments. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring separated parents support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not.

The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property.

The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders (ALOs), removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order. Introducing this process should enable the Child Maintenance Service to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and get money to children more quickly. We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament by the end of this year.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to support women impacted by increases to the State Pension Age in South Shropshire. \p Alison McGovern: The Government seeks to support people who can work, by helping them to retain, return to or progress in employment. That is why the Government is reforming employment support to ensure it helps everyone who needs it.

DWP currently offers employment support for eligible customers of all ages, through the network of Jobcentres across the UK, and through contracted employment programmes. A dedicated offer for older workers seeks to provide tailored support for those affected by low confidence, menopause, health and disability or caring pressures, and out of date skills or qualifications. Through Midlife reviews, delivered in Jobcentres across the UK, and online, we support older people to assess their health, finances and skills.

In South Shropshire, Employer and Partnership Teams in Jobcentres work with a range of employers and partners to enhance the skills and employment support available locally for customers.

We have also appointed a Menopause Employment Ambassador who will work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause and wider women’s health issues.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made in the Pathways to Work Green Paper of the adequacy of (a) ill health and (b) disability benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a disability or health condition. DWP pays close attention to estimates of the extra costs faced by disabled people; including academic research, analysis by Scope, and DWP’s own commissioned research on the Uses of Health and Disability Benefits from 2019.

In order to improve the evidence in this area, DWP is now undertaking a new survey of Personal Independence Payment customers to understand more about their disability related needs. It is expected to produce findings in Autumn 2025.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the impact of migraines in the workplace. \p Alison McGovern: The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with migraines, with their employment journey.

The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. A digital information service for employers, (Support with Employee Health and Disability), has been developed to offer guidance on making reasonable adjustments, supporting employees to remain in work, and understanding legal requirements.

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. We announced in the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.

In addition to this work, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have launched the Keep Britain Working Review. This review will consider how to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions; promote healthy workplaces and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of endometriosis on women in the workplace. \p Alison McGovern: Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. We announced in the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.

In addition to this work, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have launched the Keep Britain Working Review. This review will consider how to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions; promote healthy workplaces and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence.

The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including women with endometriosis, with their employment journey.

The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. A digital information service for employers, (Support with Employee Health and Disability), has been developed to offer guidance on making reasonable adjustments, supporting employees to remain in work, and understanding legal requirements.
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Mr Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people who have been made redundant to access (a) training and (b) skills support in the West Midlands. \p Alison McGovern: The Get Britain Working White Paper focuses on building a thriving labour market, reducing economic inactivity and increasing the number of people in work, which is central to growing the economy.

DWP provides Rapid Redundancy Support (RRS) to both Employers and Individuals following notification from the National RRS team or via the DWP Strategic Relationship Team and Insolvency Service.

Local Employer Advisors will make contact the Employers/or Individuals to offer support as a matter of urgency. Support is tailored and can vary depending on the scale of the redundancy and the level of support required. This can include:
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of households no longer eligible for both PIP and other passported benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No estimate has yet been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of making access to work schemes the responsibility of employers on the employability of people with disabilities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March, we need to get the balance right between supporting employers to understand and provide reasonable adjustments as part of their legal duties, and interventions that go beyond this this to enable employment. There are no plans to require employers to provide measures beyond a reasonable adjustment.

We will assess any new intervention through evaluation, ensuring its impact and value for money.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of false complaints to social services by parents paying child maintenance on the well-being of receiving parents and their children. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use its service.  We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation.

All caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support vulnerable clients, including those facing domestic abuse. However, the department has no jurisdiction relating to Social Services investigations.

The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, which is regularly reviewed and strengthened on the basis of customer insight.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for carers allowance on local authority care services. \p Sir Stephen Timms: From 7 April 2025 the weekly earnings limit in Carer's Allowance increased to £196 net earnings, the largest cash increase ever. All things being equal, the earnings rule change will result in more people being entitled to Carer’s Allowance. There are no other planned changes to the entitlement conditions. Local authorities are responsible for their own "care service" arrangements and these may differ between authorities.

In our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system, including changes to Personal Independence Payment. For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including for linked entitlements such as Carer’s Allowance, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will remove corporate crown immunity from the Scottish Prison Service. \p Kirsty McNeill: The Lord Chancellor has received a letter from the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs seeking to discuss a number of issues across the justice system and will respond in due course.

Crown Immunity within the Scottish Prison Service is a complex issue, and any change would interact with both devolved and reserved competencies. It is right therefore that the UK Government fully considers its next steps accordingly.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total value is of the contracts managed by Defence Business Services. \p Al Carns: The total value of the contracts managed by Defence Business Services (DBS) is £957,204,131.21, this sum represents the total forecast value of each contract at its end. All the contracts DBS manage are listed below.
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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to promote membership of the Cadets programme for young people. \p Al Carns: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) actively supports and promotes membership of the Cadet Forces, and we are keen to attract more cadets. The MOD sponsors five Cadet Forces which offer young people fantastic opportunities to develop key skills which independent research has found can literally be life changing.

The Cadet Forces are active on social media with regular posts often generated at local level by individual units. These can be accessed on a range of popular platforms including Facebook and Instagram and further information about local units and how to join is also available on the Cadet Forces’ websites.

In addition, the Cadet Force headquarters run national or regional marketing campaigns to encourage young people to join the Cadets by showcasing the benefits for personal development, adventure, friendship and fun. A recent example of this is the ‘Be More with the Army Cadets!’ national recruitment campaign which was launched in August 2024.

Beyond national and local level recruitment and awareness campaigns and activities, the MOD publicises Cadets through specific events – for example the cadet engagement event held at Frimley Cadet Training Centre in April.

We continue to invest significantly in the Cadet Forces with independent research showing that the cost of Cadets is fully covered if the life outcomes of just 1% of cadets change each year so that they are in education, training, or employment.

We want more young people to benefit from the Cadet experience, and we are currently undertaking a review – closely aligned with the wider Strategic Defence Review – to determine how we can grow the size and the offer of the Cadet Forces.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Drone Strategy, published on 22 February 2024, how much of the £4.6 billion has been spent so far; and if he will publish an estimated profile of future spending over the remaining years of the commitment. \p Maria Eagle: I will write to the hon. Member once the information is available. Any future spend profile for Uncrewed Systems is subject to the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to respond to written parliamentary questions since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: I can provide the hon. Member and the House full assurance that all Parliamentary Questions are signed off by Ministers, and this practice remains in place. The Ministry of Defence continues to explore the use of AI to support routine business operations and policy work, thereby saving time on specific and general tasks.
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Brian Leishman:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the purpose was of Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton’s visit to Israel between 9 and 11 January 2024. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 January 2025 to Question 24182.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ordering Typhoon jets from UK-based manufacturers. \p Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 March 2025 to the hon. Member for Fylde (Andrew Snowden) to Question 34040.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the criteria used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment to decide which documents are published from the Merlin database has changed. \p Maria Eagle: The criteria to enable release of records held in the Merlin database has not changed. It remains this Government’s intention to release the records with the Atomic Weapons Establishment reviewing them in line with national security obligations, and the 2018 General Data Protection Regulations.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40748 on Armed Forces: Protective Clothing, how many of the (a) Surefire EP4, (b) ComTac XP/XPI and (c) Invisio S10/X5 have been issued to armed forces personnel under the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme. \p Maria Eagle: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when does the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme contract expire for (a) basic users and (b) specialist users. \p Maria Eagle: The Tactical Hearing Protection System Basic User and Specialist User equipment sets were purchased via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The current Basic User contract option expires in November 2026. The Specialist User 3M ComTac XPI is no longer manufactured.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, if he will provide a date. \p Maria Eagle: I have nothing to add to the answer given on 24 March to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems Procurement.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of replacing Capita with a tri-service agency on the armed forces recruitment process. \p Luke Pollard: On 6 February 2025 AFRP announced the award of the contract to Serco, for the new tri-service Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS). It will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits, with the aim of recruiting from the broadest spectrum of society to attract the best talent into the Armed Forces. The service will launch in 2027, replacing the individual schemes run by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.
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Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK residents with British National (Overseas) Visas are able to access pension savings held abroad. \p Catherine West: We are aware that individuals who have moved to the UK on the British National (Overseas) visa route are having difficulties in drawing down early their pension savings held in Hong Kong. We are committed to supporting the valued BN(O) community in the UK and are clear that discrimination against BN(O) passport holders is unacceptable. We have discussed the matter in detail with the relevant banks and we continue to raise this issue directly with the Hong Kong authorities to encourage a pragmatic solution.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ghanaian counterpart on strengthening UK-Ghana diplomatic relations. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has a close relationship with Ghana, underpinned by a shared history, shared Commonwealth values and a respected and important Ghanaian diaspora. The recent visit of the Deputy Prime Minister to Ghana signals the importance this Government places on strengthened diplomatic relations, underscored in her meetings with President Mahama and the Ghanaian Foreign Minister. The Foreign Secretary has also written to Foreign Minister Ablakwa following his appointment, to extend his warm wishes and desire to strengthen our bilateral partnership. Finally, we see real potential in forging a mutually beneficial partnership for growth with Ghana, and we look forward to working with the UK Trade Envoy to Ghana to deliver this.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of Ghana’s role in promoting regional security in west Africa; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting that role. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK and Ghana have a long-standing security and defence partnership, built upon Ghana's role as an exporter of security and stability. The UK welcomes the commitment by President Mahama to address regional security challenges and Ghana's appointment of an envoy to the Alliance of Sahelian States. During the Minister for Africa's recent visit to Ghana in January 2025, he welcomed President Mahama's intention to play an active role in bringing more security and stability to the region, whilst highlighting the UK's readiness to maintain close security cooperation.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the policies of China on Falun Gong practitioners. \p Catherine West: The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).

This Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) aid and (b) health workers detained by Israel. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 330 health care workers from Gaza had been detained by the Israeli authorities as of December 2024, but we do not have current figures for the number of aid or health workers detained by Israel. The UK urges the Government of Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of aid or health workers, to respect the rights of detainees, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) immediate and unfettered access to detention facilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_86

Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his (a) Kazakhstani and (b) Tajikistani counterpart on obligations under international law prohibiting the (i) expulsion and (ii) return of refugees to countries where they would face (A) risk of persecution and (B) serious harm. \p Stephen Doughty: The British Embassies in Astana and Dushanbe monitor the situation in country for refugees, including from Afghanistan, and lobby relevant authorities on their obligations under international law when necessary. I raised human rights with my Kazakh and Tajik counterparts in February 2025 and October 2024 respectively. We continue to encourage all states, including Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to uphold international human rights obligations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_87

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the United Nations report entitled Report on the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, published in January 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of that report's recommendation that 15-20% of ODA should be allocated to education on the development of his Department's ODA budgets. \p Stephen Doughty: Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.

The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_88

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to integrate cooperative models into UK international development programmes. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives have made in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or markets and strengthen their voice in local processes. Cooperatives can enable sustainable and inclusive development centred on self-help, democratic ownership, and concern for the community. The UK has supported cooperatives and producer organisations in developing countries, including, for example in agriculture through funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), which supports producer organisations, and the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness Programme (CASA), which partners with cooperatives and small agribusinesses in low-income countries to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_89

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38981 on China: Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, whether his Department has received representations from China on (a) the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme and (b) that country being included in the enhanced tier. \p Catherine West: I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her previous Question 36631, which remains the same.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_90

Chris Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on tackling the persecution of Christians across the world. \p Stephen Doughty: There is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. We will continue to recognise the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The Special Envoy for FoRB met with European and US counterparts in the margins of the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in March. We actively participate in the Article 18 Alliance - bringing together 38 Member States, 26 of whom are European, to discuss actions our nations can take so that together we can promote respect for FoRB worldwide. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials attended the Article 18 Alliance and International Contact Group meetings in Geneva in March.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_91

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle HIV-related deaths and infection, in the context of the proposed reduction in Official Development Allowance funding. \p Stephen Doughty: The reduced ODA settlement is for 2026/27 onwards and we will be taking a rigorous approach to ensuring all ODA delivers value for money. The impact on specific programmes will be informed by the ongoing Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes. We will set out plans in the usual way in due course.

We remain committed to our long-standing support to global health organisations at the core of the response to HIV and AIDS, and we continue to support efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We are excited to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria together with South Africa. In countries where the Global Fund invests, AIDS-related deaths have declined by 73 per cent since 2002.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_92

Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how he plans to (a) monitor and (b) enforce the prohibition on the presence of foreign security forces on the outer Chagos islands. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Urgent Question on the British Indian Ocean Territory on 2 April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_93

Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that activities on the outer Chagos islands do not impact the operation of Diego Garcia. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Urgent Question on the British Indian Ocean Territory on 2 April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_94

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has considered alternative (a) funding strategies and (b) partnerships to help tackle HIV/AIDS, in the context of the proposed reduction in Official Development Allowance funding. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK remains committed to the global HIV response and regularly engages in dialogue, and works in partnership, with other likeminded countries towards achieving a collective goal of ending HIV and AIDS as a public health threat globally, including in developing countries. The UK looks forward to co-hosting the Global Fund's 8th replenishment (2026-28) alongside South Africa. It will be the first time that the Global Fund replenishment has been co-hosted in partnership with the Global South, reflecting the UK Government's commitment to working in genuine partnership with the Global South as part of its modernised development agenda, and our new approach to Africa. The reduced ODA settlement is for 2026/27 onwards and we will be taking a rigorous approach to ensuring all ODA delivers value for money. The impact on specific programmes will be informed by the ongoing Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes. We will set out plans in the usual way in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_95

Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increased tax receipts as a result of new registers of beneficial ownership in overseas territories and crown dependencies. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Treasury officials coordinate regularly on work around advancing beneficial ownership transparency. We are clear on the benefits of accessible registers of beneficial ownership, which not only include tackling illicit finance and corruption, but also fighting tax and sanctions evasion.

At the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to join Montserrat and Gibraltar in implementing fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands agreed to implement registers of beneficial ownership, accessible to those with a legitimate interest, by June 2025. It remains our expectation that the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies will ultimately implement fully public registers.

The Crown Dependencies have committed to increasing the transparency of their beneficial ownership registers and are working towards implementing access to those with legitimate interest, in line with the EU's 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive.

I have and will continue to raise this directly with elected leaders across the Overseas Territories, and Home Office Ministers and officials will continue to engage with the Crown Dependencies. I regularly engage with Ministerial colleagues on matters related to the Overseas Territories, including in HM Treasury.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_96

Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to appear before the International Development Committee. \p Stephen Doughty: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials are in contact with the International Development Committee clerks to identify a date for the Foreign Secretary to give evidence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_97

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Overseas Development Assistance on the Africa Strategy. \p Stephen Doughty: Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent in 2027.

We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-09 conversation_98

Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the Chagos Islands agreement was not finalised in early March 2025. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Hon. Member to the response given to his previous Question 41388, which remains the same.