theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the total cost to the public purse for the provision of diversity, equality and inclusion courses for staff in her Department in 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The cost of training which covers the statutory obligations of civil servants under the Equality Act 2010 cannot be disaggregated from wider training costs because it often forms part of a wider learning package.

The Cabinet Office last year audited the cost-effectiveness of all equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities and in response to that audit, new guidance was published on Civil Service EDI Expenditure, including an end to all external spending on EDI activity, unless cleared and authorised by Ministers.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve morale in the fire service. \p Dame Diana Johnson: It is a government priority to drive meaningful culture change across the fire and rescue sector. Our fire professionals work under significant pressure and in challenging circumstances, so it is important that the Fire and Rescue Authorities and the Fire and Rescue Services create a culture where every member of the team can thrive. It is also vital that no one should have to endure bullying, discrimination or harassment within the workplace.

This government will work hand-in-hand with the workforce and our sector partners to ensure we see the highest levels of integrity and make working in the Fire and Rescue Sector a profession to be proud of.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23517 on Crime: Westminster Bridge, what role HM Government plays in relation to policing within Whitehall’s Government Secure Zone area. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 26886, asked on 28 January 2025, on this matter.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2024, to Question 8751, on Fire and Rescue Services: Police, for what reason her Department won't repeal Section 37 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. \p Dame Diana Johnson: It is the Government’s priority to ensure the safety of firefighters across the fire and rescue sector. Section 37 of Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 re-enacts section 32 of the Fire Services Act 1947 and provides that no member of a police force (i.e. a police constable) may be employed as a fire-fighter. If an off-duty police officer were employed by a fire and rescue authority, difficulties might arise at the scene of a fire or other emergency due to confusion over which employer had the primary claim on the officer's services.

The Government has no plans to repeal section 37 for the reasons stated above. We work hand-in-hand with police and fire sector partners to ensure the highest levels of service.

The Tri- Service Safety Officers in Devon and Cornwall perform a unique role. They are neither police officers or firefighters and their role is to provide early intervention, prevention, and an operational response through collaborative working between Devon and Cornwall Police (DCP), Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) and Cornwall Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assaults on transport staff there have been in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of offences and their investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

This includes assault offences recorded by British Transport Police. However, it is not currently possible to separately identify assaults against staff from those against passengers in data held centrally.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to deport the migrants arrested for working illegally in raids in January 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave on 14 February to Question 30090.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to clause eight of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which civil servants would be eligible to serve as the Interim Border Security Commander. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Border Security Command (BSC) was established on 5 July 2024 and Martin Hewitt CBE QPM took on the role of Border Security Commander on 7 October 2024. The BSC’s first priority is tackling organised immigration crime (OIC) and reducing irregular migration to the UK, and the Commander is already providing effective systems leadership to deliver this. Any announcements on how the BSC will report on its activities will be made in the normal way in due course.

If the Secretary of State was obliged at some future point designate a civil servant as the Interim Border Security Commander, they would make the decision based on the individuals.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding is being made available to local authorities across government to support councils with the cost of (a) asylum seekers and (b) their children in 2024-25. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.

• Grant 7 was launched in April 2024 to facilitate local authority support of increased dispersal accommodation (DA) accommodation. The £3500 payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, overflow dispersal accommodation (ODA) and initial accommodation (IA).

• Grant 6 was launched in April 2024 to acknowledge the contribution of Local Authorities to supporting asylum seekers. A payment of £750 was made for each occupied bedspaces as of 01 April 2024 and a subsequent payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, ODA and IA and contingency accommodation (CA).

All local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales who support asylum seekers are eligible for payment. Similar arrangements are in place for Northern Ireland.
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Steve Barclay:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals against administrative removal decisions have sought to rely on rights under the ECHR in each of the last 12 months. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information would require a manual review of case records and to do so for the purpose of answering this question would incur disproportionate cost.
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Emily Thornberry:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 17333 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, on how many days Border Force implemented a red rating for expected numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel between 1 January 2025 and 11 February 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Border Force recorded the likelihood of crossing attempts of the Channel being made by migrants in small boats as likely or highly likely on 23 occasions between 1 January and 11 February 2025.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many dedicated immigration enforcement teams there are. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The total number of people employed by The Home office is routinely published within the annual Home Office annual reports and accounts, available at: Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which international (a) source and (b) transit country partners Border Security Command are working with to disincentivise irregular migration. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Borde Security Command is committed to a ‘whole of route of approach’ to tackling irregular migration. This includes working with our international partners across a large number of source and transit countries, which is led by the evidence on the key migratory routes, in order to disincentivise irregular migration and break the business models of organised crime gangs.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Border Security Command has commenced participation in Europol Operational Task Forces. \p Dame Angela Eagle: A range of UK agencies continue to undertake multiple operations with European law enforcement partners, coordinated through Europol and Eurojust, including participation in Operational Task Forces.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Border Security Command has taken with the banking sector to (a) prevent illicit finance and (b) reduce the profits of organised crime groups facilitating irregular migration. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We created the Border Security Command which will apply public-private partnerships to Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) for the first time, including with the UK’s financial sector and financial institutions, to prevent the flow of illicit finance and degrade the profits of OCGs facilitating irregular migration. This will build on existing activity with banking institutions across the UK such as suspicious activity reports (SAR) which are routinely sent from UK banks to the National Crime Agency. All regulated financial institutions must make a SAR if they know or suspect, or have reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that a person is engaged in money laundering or terrorist financing. It is a criminal offence if an institution does not report their knowledge, suspicion or reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting.

OIC remains a global threat, with no respect for national boundaries. Tackling it requires an international response, with governments and international organisations working together to develop strategic solutions and collaborative operations, across the whole irregular migration route, from source to destination countries. As such, the Border Security Command is working in partnership with like-minded international partners such as Italy, under the UK-Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce. The UK and Italy are global leaders in disrupting economic crime and under the taskforce both nations will be sharing law enforcement strategies, policy, and expertise to maximise our disruptive effect on financial flows into the UK, Italy and across Europe.

In addition, our new irregular migration sanctions regime - a world first - will be a valuable additional capability to bring to bear against people smugglers.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her French counterpart on reducing illegal migration from France. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Secretary is in regular contact with her French counterpart, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, to discuss ongoing cooperation on reducing irregular migration via France to the UK.
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Mr Paul Foster:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding asylum applications there are for people living in South Ribble constituency. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum seekers awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. This table is not broken down by constituency.

Data on asylum seekers on support by local authority is published in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that not all asylum seekers awaiting a decision will be on support.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place a limit on the period of time that someone can remain in a short-term hold facility. \p Dame Angela Eagle: There are already time limits on detention in short-term holding facilities.

Section 147 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 defines a short-term holding facility as a place where a detained person may be detained for not more than 7 days, or such other period as may be prescribed.

Subparagraph 4 of the Immigration (Places of Detention) Direction 2021 provides that detention in a residential short-term holding facility shall not continue beyond a normal maximum of 5 days unless the person concerned is to be removed from the UK within the next 2 days, in which case their detention at the short term holding facility may continue for no more than a further 2 days, up to an absolute maximum of 7 days.

Rule 6 of the Short-term Holding Facility Rules 2018 limits periods of detention in non-residential short-term holding facilities (holding rooms) to a normal maximum of 24 hours, though this is extendable beyond that point in exceptional circumstances.

The Short-term Holding Facility (Amendment) Rules 2022 amended the 2018 rules to create as a third category of short-term holding facility, known as a residential holding room. Rule 2 limits detention in a residential holding room to not more than 96 hours unless a longer period is authorised by the Secretary of State.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the non-criminal reasons are that could be lead to a person claiming asylum being deported. \p Dame Angela Eagle: An asylum seeker whose claim is unsuccessful and has exhausted any appeal rights will be liable for removal where they have no permission to remain in the UK. A person may also be deported on the ground that it is conducive to the public good, which can for example participating in a sham marriage.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people arrested for illegal working in January 2025 were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The priority with individuals found to be working illegally in the UK is to secure their removal from the country, in line with our normal procedures for returns and deportations.

The Home Office publishes data on returns in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’, which can be found here: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK. This does not include a separate category for individuals arrested for illegal working, and that could only be collated and verified for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) hotels and (b) other properties are being used to accommodate asylum seekers in Lincolnshire. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal migrants have been deported since 5 July 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We pledged to deliver the highest rate of removals since 2018 and this has been surpassed, with a surge in returns activity since the election leading to nearly 19,000 people with no right to be in the UK being removed. Of the total returns since 5 July 2024, 2,925 have been of foreign national offenders (FNOs), an increase of 21% compared to the same period 12 months prior.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of detained illegal migrants were deported in 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes data on returns and detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on numbers of people leaving detention due to being returned are published in table Det_D03 of the ‘Detention detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to up to September 2024, with data up to December 2024 to be published on 27 February.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for the Modern Slavery Act 2015 of the employer sponsorship model. \p Seema Malhotra: A key objective of the sponsorship system is to ensure that migrant workers are protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses.  All sponsors are required to comply with wider UK law, including the Modern Slavery Act, and the Home Office can, and does, take firm action against those who fail to do so.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential merits of introducing mandatory minimum sentences for individuals in breach of protective orders. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Minimum sentences are rare in England and Wales and are only provided in legislation for certain offences where there is a particular concern.

It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided, and any relevant Sentencing Guidelines published by the Sentencing Council. Sentencing must also be proportionate to the offence committed, taking into account all the circumstances of each case. That is why, even in cases where a minimum sentencing requirement applies, the court retains discretion not to apply it in exceptional circumstances.

The government has launched an Independent Review of Sentencing, chaired by former Lord Chancellor David Gauke, to provide a comprehensive re-evaluation of our sentencing framework with the aim to provide long-term solution for our justice system and to ensure we are never again forced to rely on the emergency release of prisoners.

This government is committed to strengthening protective orders and launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in select areas in November 2024. The DAPO provides stronger protection for victims as it is the first order to cover all forms of domestic abuse including, coercive and controlling behaviour and also has the ability to impose electronic monitoring and attendance to a behaviour change programme. Breach of a DAPO is a criminal offence punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle the (a) consumption and (b) sale of monkey dust. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is committed to reducing the harm caused to individuals and communities from drugs. This is vital to our missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes, break down barriers to opportunities for all and contribute to economic growth.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned in May 2023 by the then Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire to provide an updated harms assessment of 3',4'-Methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone (MDPHP) and other synthetic cathinones (sometimes sold as “monkey dust”) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

On 3 February 2025, the ACMD’s report was published. Their assessment considered the harms and controls of synthetic cathinones, and it includes recommendations to reduce their harm across the UK. Although no specific assessment has been made about the sale and crime trends, the ACMD report does comment on the social harms and the association of synthetic cathinones with violent behaviour.

The Home Office will give careful consideration to the ACMD’s recommendations and will respond in due course.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Development of 23 January 2025 on International Day of Education, Official Report, column 431WH, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on support for women and girls’ education in Myanmar. \p Anneliese Dodds: Since the coup in 2021, the UK has been prioritising education support to marginalised and conflict affected children, particularly girls in Myanmar. We are working closely with other partners, including Finland and Australia, to ensure children can continue learning despite the ongoing conflict. In 2024 the UK, with our partners, reached over 347,000 children in Myanmar and trained over 22,000 teachers. We are a core donor to Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education to improve coordination efforts and advocate for increased funding for education in Myanmar. We have consistently raised the importance of protecting schools from the conflict and airstrikes, including at the UN Security Council, Human Rights Council and through international statements. This includes calling out destruction of schools in a joint international statement on 1 February 2025.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to leverage (a) education and (b) research expertise to achieve his Department's development objectives. \p Anneliese Dodds: Global education is critical to our vision for a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. Each additional year of learning is associated with a 10 per cent increase in earnings annually. There is, however, a lack of evidence in education to inform cost-effective and equitable decision making on education delivery in low- and middle-income contexts. The UK is therefore funding education research to address evidence gaps, with seven research programmes covering over 25 countries. Our Scaling Learning and Access in Education programme draws on rigorous evidence, including the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel's Education Smart Buys. This includes supporting the scale-up of evidence-based interventions focused on management expertise, teacher training and in-class support to ensure high quality teaching and learning, and better access for vulnerable children. It will also contribute to the evidence base through rigorous test-learn-adapt pilots in a selection of low- and lower middle-income countries.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the total cost to the public purse for the provision of diversity, equality and inclusion courses for staff in his Department in 2024. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not have a centrally organised Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training offer, instead we use courses provided via Civil Service Learning. A small discretionary budget is available to support EDI work in line with the Civil Service EDI Expenditure Guidance and value for money, including to arrange training programmes according to evidenced needs. The FCDO will follow guidance from the Cabinet Office on publishing details of EDI expenditure.
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Blair McDougall:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Nigerian counterpart on the risk of famine in (a) north west and (b) north east Nigeria. \p Anneliese Dodds: Insecurity in North-East and North-West Nigeria has contributed to worsening food security as people are unable to plant, harvest and trade safely. The UK is therefore already providing support to tackle malnutrition in north-east Nigeria through the Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP). HARP reduces mortality and increases resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs by (i) addressing food insecurity and malnutrition and (ii) protecting vulnerable people from harm. Through HARP, the UK has funded UNICEF to support the prevention and treatment of malnutrition aiming to reach 500,000 children with life-saving support.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken with his international counterparts to help end conflict in Sudan. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign Secretary and I have both made addressing the situation in Sudan a priority, and are actively working together with a range of regional and international partners towards ending the suffering of the Sudanese people. On 24 January, the Foreign Secretary travelled to the Chad/Sudan border and met with Sudanese refugees. During this visit, he announced his intention to convene Foreign Ministers in London this spring to galvanise international political efforts to end the conflict.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has plans to increase funding to the Asian Development Bank. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK has committed £120 million to the Asian Development Bank's Asian Development Fund thirteenth replenishment (ADF-14) over the four years 2025 to 2028. We have no plans to increase this commitment or to provide additional core funding to the Bank over this period. We are working through a Multi-Period Spending Review where all trade-offs in spend will be considered and subject to final Foreign Secretary approval.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make international conflict resolution in Sudan a foreign policy priority. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign Secretary and I have both made addressing the situation in Sudan a priority, and are actively working together with a range of regional and international partners towards ending the suffering of the Sudanese people. On 24 January, the Foreign Secretary travelled to the Chad/Sudan border and met with Sudanese refugees. During this visit, he announced his intention to convene Foreign Ministers in London this spring to galvanise international political efforts to end the conflict.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 25237 on Development Aid, when the Official Development Assistance Board first met; how frequently the Board plans to meet; how the meetings will be reported; and what are the terms of reference for the Board. \p Anneliese Dodds: The first meeting of the re-established Official Development Assistance (ODA) Board took place in February 2025. The Board will meet two times per year, and more frequently if needed. The ODA Board scrutinises ODA spend, driving value for money for the UK taxpayer and a stronger strategic focus for ODA spending across government. Its remit includes managing pressures on the ODA budget and overseeing and monitoring ODA spending across government. There are currently no plans to report on meetings.
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Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the closure of churches. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi on 2 February to express his deep concern about the events unfolding in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and call for urgent de-escalation. The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We use our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora to advocate for the protection of all vulnerable communities in conflict, including religious minorities. We recognise that when FoRB is respected, communities can build trust and understanding, which in turn supports mutual prosperity and peace.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle (a) propaganda, (b) disinformation, (c) persecution and (d) other forms of transnational repression by the Chinese Communist Party against Falun Gong practitioners. \p Catherine West: Within China, the environment for freedom of religion or belief is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This government will work to uphold the right to freedom of religion and belief for all abroad, for example through bilateral engagement. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts.

Within the UK, attempts by foreign governments to intimidate, harass, or harm our residents will not be tolerated. We have a broad suite of powers available to counter this threat, and we continue to implement measures in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Chinese Government on the granting of planning permission for the proposed new Chinese Embassy in London; and on what dates these discussions took place. \p Catherine West: The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this decision independent from the rest of Government corresponding to her quasi-judicial role. Officials at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office speak regularly with the Chinese Government about a range of issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_208

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions the Government had with the Chinese Government in 2020 on the works to the Chinese Consulate in Belfast in breach of planning controls in a conservation area; and what subsequent assessment has been made of the implications of the Chinese Government ignoring planning restrictions in relation to the proposed new Chinese Embassy in London. \p Catherine West: An appointed independent Planning Inspector will hold a public inquiry into the proposal for the new Chinese Embassy in London, after which the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will make a decision on planning grounds in her quasi-judicial role.
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_209
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_209

Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of comments by President Trump on Gaza on the (a) Camp David Accords and (b) Wadi Araba Treaty. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Egypt-Israel (Camp David) and Jordan-Israel (Wadi Araba) peace treaties were historic achievements. The US played an integral part in facilitating negotiations between Israel, Jordan and Egypt that has resulted in lasting peace. That is why we support a negotiated two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israel, that agrees a sovereign Palestinian state including the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel, with Jerusalem as a shared capital. The UK will continue to work with the US and regional partners to build consensus and identify solutions towards this aim that will deliver long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region.
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_210
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_210

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 reports of freedom of religion or belief violations in India. \p Catherine West: The UK Government condemns any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. Concerns about the rights and opportunities of some religious minorities in India are widely reported, and our High Commission in New Delhi and network of Deputy High Commissions across India track these issues closely.

We take this seriously. Dialogue concerning this is an important aspect of the UK-India relationship, and where we have specific concerns, we raise them directly with India. Our network in India also meets regularly with religious representatives from different faith communities, and, on 18 October, I held a roundtable with a range of faith leaders in Delhi to discuss issues facing religious organisations today.
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_211
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_211

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on building UK research capacity in neglected tropical diseases. \p Anneliese Dodds: FCDO ministers speak regularly with ministers across government on all matters related to their portfolios, including global health and building the UK's scientific capacity. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is supporting the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a Product Development Partnership that develops novel medicines for Neglected Tropical Diseases. DNDi partners with over 40 academic partners in the UK for its vital research. In addition, the FCDO is in the process of finalising an agreement to support a UK academic institution with the development of novel health technologies for Neglected Tropical Diseases.

The FCDO also supports UK research capability via our partnership with the Medical Research Council (MRC). This includes research on NTDs led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine on the design of a community-based intervention for snakebite prevention funded through the FCDO/MRC Concordat.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_212

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has plans to increase funding to the World Bank. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK pledged £1.98 billion to the 21st replenishment (IDA21) of the International Development Association (IDA) which works with the poorest countries globally, in late-November 2024. IDA21 runs between July 2025 and ends by June 2028. IDA's three-year replenishment cycle means donors are next scheduled to pledge in 2027. In April 2024, the UK also announced a contribution of £100 million in Hybrid Capital to the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), an arm that provides development finance to middle income countries. The UK remains supportive of proposals for a future IBRD general capital increase as part of wider efforts to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_213
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_213

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Development of 23 January 2025 on International Day of Education, Official Report, column 433WH, on what date was the funding for (a) Education Cannot Wait and (b) Global Partnership for Education announced; and in which financial year was the spending commitment transacted. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK announced £80 million of funding to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) for their current strategic plan (2023-2026) on 16 February 2023. To date, £27,635,535 has been released over financial years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The UK announced a further £14 million of funding to ECW specifically for education in Sudan and for Sudanese refugees on 17 November 2024. This funding was fully released this financial year. The UK announced £430 million for the Global Partnership for Education for their current strategic plan (2021-2025) on 11 June 2021. To date, £365 million has been released over financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_214
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_214

Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel are serving in military bands; and what funding his Department has made available to military bands. \p Luke Pollard: The Government is proud of those who serve in our military bands. They not only support all year-round engagements but also serve secondary roles supporting defence. Armed Forces personnel who serve in military bands have a secondary specialisation in support of operations; for example those in the Army support deployed medicine; Naval personnel can form part of a medical team on board a casualty-receiving facility, and Royal Air Force Musicians are also trained in the Counter-CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear) role of establishing and running a Casualty Decontamination Area, a declared NATO capability.

The number and proportion of Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM) and Royal Air Force (RAF) Full-Time Trained Strength (FTTS) and Army Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS) Personnel serving in Military Bands as at 1 April 2024 was:

Service

Total

Officers

Other Ranks

Strength of Military Bands

1,190

55

1,135

Proportion of FTTS/FTTTS

0.9%

0.2%

1.1%

RN/RM

345

15

330

Proportion of RN/RM FTTS

1.2%

0.2%

1.5%

Army

692

36

656

Proportion of Army FTTTS

1.0%

0.3%

1.1%

RAF

153

4

149

Proportion of RAF FTTS

0.5%

0.1%

0.5%

Source: Analysis (Tri-Service)

In the most recent Financial Year (FY, 2023-24), expenditure on all band activity was as follows:

Service

Expenditure in FY 2023-24 (£Million)

RN/RM

1.650

Army

7.334

Royal Air Force

0.648
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_215
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_215

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he intends to procure Gravehawk for the armed forces. \p Luke Pollard: Gravehawk is a capability developed for Ukraine and we will consider future use (and platform numbers) for Ukraine based on performance. This air defence capability system was rapidly developed to meet Ukrainian needs on the battlefield and uses Ukrainian missiles already in the possession of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_216

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the proposed treaty with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory would require (a) amendment and (b) supplementation to the exchange of notes between the UK and US in 1966. \p Luke Pollard: The 1966 Exchange of Notes between the UK and US regarding the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia has been subject to routine amendments and supplementation since signature. Any amendments resulting from the proposed agreement with Mauritius will be factored into this existing process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_217

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the total cost for delivering Gravehawk will be covered by (a) his Department and (b) the Danish Ministry of Defence. \p Luke Pollard: The price of designing, producing and delivering the first two Gravehawk prototype systems was circa £6 million and borne by the UK. The price for the follow-on 15 Gravehawk systems is circa £14 million, which is split 50:50 between the UK and Denmark.

Therefore, the UK's financial contribution to the Gravehawk project is circa £13 million.

The Gravehawk system is a bespoke air defence system rapidly developed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and jointly funded by the United Kingdom and Denmark.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_218

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of delivering Gravehawk. \p Luke Pollard: The UK's financial contribution to the Gravehawk project is circa £13M.

The price of designing, producing and delivering the first two Gravehawk prototype systems was circa £6M and borne by the UK.

The price for the follow-on 15 Gravehawk systems is circa £14M, which is split 50:50 between the UK and Denmark.

The Gravehawk system is a bespoke air defence system rapidly developed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and jointly funded by the United Kingdom and Denmark.
wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_219
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_219

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects Gravehawk to reach minimum deployable capability. \p Luke Pollard: Gravehawk is a bespoke air defence system rapidly developed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and jointly funded by the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Following testing last autumn, Gravehawk has now reached minimum deployable capability. Two prototypes have been handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and it will be an operational decision for them when to deploy this capability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-14 conversation_220

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Wasp maritime system to reach minimum deployable capability. \p Luke Pollard: The Wasp system is a new uncrewed maritime system, which has been rapidly developed specifically to support Ukraine. The system is currently undergoing final testing.

We are unable to provide further details on the timings for minimum deployable capability at this time for operational security reasons. Responsibility for the employment of the system rests with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.