theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce rates of reoffending for antisocial behaviour. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: As part of the Safer Streets Mission, the Government is committed to improving confidence in policing and the local response to crime, including anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour can be characterised by a range of different offence types, and we are responding in ways that are tough on crime whilst also supporting offenders to turn their backs on their offending behaviour.

We are tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of interventions which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes accommodation, employment and substance misuse treatment services. Depending on the specific risks and needs of the offender, a range of accredited programmes, designed to address offending behaviour, are also available.

We are also making sure that punishment is tough. To do this, we will impose new unpaid work orders to ensure offenders pay back to society. For the most problematic and persistent community offenders, Integrated Offender Management reduces reoffending through intensive joint police-probation supervision and access to pathways and services that address underlying criminogenic needs. We will also expand the availability of Intensive Supervision Courts to address the causes of their offending behaviour.
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support employment opportunities for ex-offenders. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why the Government’s manifesto commits to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers and the voluntary sector to get more people with convictions into work.

Key employment roles are in place across all 93 resettlement prisons to prepare prisoners for work on release, match them to jobs and provide critical ID documents to secure work and a home.

We have launched regional Employment Councils which, for the first time, brings businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support offenders leaving prison. This builds on the work of Employment Advisory Boards linking prisons with business leaders to ensure prisoners have the skills and training employers need to meet labour market demand.

In addition, HM Prison and Probation Service’s Creating Future Opportunities programme offers tailored support for ex-offenders - particularly those who are furthest from the labour market - to secure employment, training and education opportunities for release.

Supporting further, the criminal records regime is designed to strike a balance providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions and enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives. We also work closely with DWP to ensure support is in place for ex-offenders in the community, for example through co-location of services.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (a) how many and (b) what value of (i) donations and (ii) bequests have been made to the donations in general towards public expenditure fund since 4 July 2024. \p Emma Reynolds: HM Treasury has, as of 18 June 2025, received 40 donations, totalling £85,191.62, since 4 July 2024.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £200m allocation to Grangemouth from the National Wealth Fund is restricted for investment proposals contained fully or partially within the boundaries of the Grangemouth oil refinery. \p James Murray: The National Wealth Fund stands ready to provide £200 million of investment to finance projects in the Grangemouth area, subject to investible propositions meeting the National Wealth Fund’s criteria. Beyond Grangemouth, the National Wealth Fund is capitalised with £27.8 billion to invest in projects across the whole of the UK.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the Public Works Loan Board lending cap on local authority investment strategies. \p Darren Jones: The government increased the aggregate limit for Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) lending to £135 billion in November 2024. The increase in the limit has ensured that local authorities (LA) can continue to access loans to support their investment strategies in line with the PWLB lending guidance and the Prudential Framework for local government capital finance.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal criteria she is using to determine when overseas development funding can be restored to previous levels. \p Darren Jones: To enable the government to invest more on security and defence, while remaining committed to our fiscal rules, the Prime Minister has taken the difficult decision to reduce Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI by 2027. The Spending Review (SR) 2025 ODA settlement delivers on this. The government remains committed to returning spending on ODA to 0.7% of GNI when the fiscal circumstances allow. The OBR’s latest forecast shows that the ODA fiscal tests are not due to be met within the Parliament. The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely, and each year will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment she has made of the adequacy of the amount of funding available for (a) diplomacy in the Foreign, Commonwealth and  Development Office and (b) defence in the Ministry of Defence. \p Darren Jones: Both the MOD and FCDO have recently had future budgets confirmed through Spending Review 25, where Government priorities are considered in the round.

Whilst the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has seen ODA reductions, they have been funded to pursue a variety of programming ambitions, reforms, and operating costs.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) budget is growing by £10.9bn in real terms from 2023-24 to 2028-29 and provides the resources and capital necessary for MOD to start delivering on the vision for defence set out in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which was published on 2 June 2025.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with institutional market participants on the adoption of (a) tokenised sovereign instruments and (b) associated standards. \p Emma Reynolds: My team regularly engages with the sector on issues relating to tokenisation in UK financial markets. In addition, we have had further discussions with participants in relation to our digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) pilot.

The Government is taking forward its DIGIT pilot which will be issued onto a digital securities platform within the digital securities sandbox (DSS). In April, the government issued a market engagement notice and is currently analysing responses ahead of launching an invitation to tender in the coming months.

Following the deadline for responses, my team has held constructive discussions with a range of industry groups and participants who responded and attended an industry roundtable hosted by UK Finance. This engagement with the market has provided valuable information to inform how a DIGIT pilot can help catalyse the adoption of DLT across UK financial markets.

The Government remains committed to working with the sector on tokenisation and the pilot DIGIT issuance, to effectively catalyse the adoption of DLT in UK financial markets.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she had discussions with the Chinese Government on the proposed Chinese Embassy at the Royal Mint (a) at the 11th round of China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue and (b) on any other occasion. \p Emma Reynolds: The Chancellor has engaged with the Chinese Government on a number of occasions, including during her visit to China for the 2025 UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue, and has discussed a range of economic and financial issues. The Chancellor published a written ministerial statement about her visit to China on the morning of Monday 13 January (found here) and delivered an oral statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday 14 January (found here).

On 10 June, the Planning Inspector responsible for the Planning Inquiry into China’s application to build a new embassy at Royal Mint Court submitted her report to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. A target decision date of 9 September has been set. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG for determination, it would not be appropriate to comment further.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to consult on bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce open finance under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. \p Emma Reynolds: The National Payments Vision, published in November, set out the government’s ambitious plans for the next phase of Open Banking, building on the UK’s leadership in this area. This includes steps towards delivering seamless, Open Banking enabled, account-to-account payments.

The government intends to use powers in the ‘Data (Use and Access) Act’ to put in place a long-term regulatory framework for Open Banking. This will also secure the foundations for Open Finance, by establishing the necessary oversight functions within the FCA to regulate ‘Smart Data’ schemes.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the prevention of violence against retail workers. \p Gareth Thomas: Retail crime remains a significant concern, and we are taking steps including measures in the Crime and Policing Bill and in the Safer High Streets missions to tackle this important issue.

We are increasing police spending power by an average 2.3% per year in real terms over the spending review period, supporting us to meet our plan for change commitment of putting 13,000 additional police officers, police community support officers and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales. In the Crime and Policing Bill, we brought in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.

The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention will continue to host the Retail Crime Forum to ensure regular engagement with law enforcement and the retail sector and to discuss what more we can do to tackle retail crime, including abuse.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms available to the Small Business Commissioner for resolving payment disputes. \p Gareth Thomas: The Small Business Commissioner has played a crucial role in helping small businesses get paid on time since the role was introduced in 2016. However, this Government is aware of the challenges that small businesses continue to face with regards to late payment.

The Government is committed to consulting on proposals that would increase the powers available to the Small Business Commissioner in order to improve its effectiveness in tackling late payments and poor payment practices. The consultation outcome will be published shortly.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 59153 on High Street Businesses: North Shropshire, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen the Post Office network in North Shropshire. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Post Office network. This includes protecting the network by setting minimum access criteria (for example, to ensure that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a post office). To ensure Post Office provision in communities, such as North Shropshire, the Government plans to provide up to £83 million of network subsidy in this financial year. This is an increase from the £50 million p.a. provided in the previous Parliament and follows a similar uplift in the 2024/25 financial year.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Economic Prosperity Deal on the UK’s domestic beef sector and associated supply chains. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: As part of the US deal, we have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef – with UK farmers given a guaranteed quota for 13,000 metric tonnes of beef exports at a very low tariff rate (for example, 4.4 cents per kg on many products).

For the first time ever, this will open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market. This is a major opportunity for British farmers to sell their high-quality British beef to a market of over 300 million people, helping farmers grow their business.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the trade deal with India on UK ceramics manufacturers. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Department recognises the significant challenges faced by energy-intensive industries like ceramics, including rising global energy costs, unfair trading practices, and carbon leakage.

We are taking action to protect these industries, including through trade defence measures against dumping and subsidisation. The UK-India FTA also includes a bilateral safeguard mechanism, allowing the UK to suspend or increase tariff concessions if the industry is facing injury.

Over 93% of Indian ceramics entered the UK tariff-free in 2024 whilst the remaining 7% paid a tariff. 11 of the 43 ceramics tariff lines are dutiable and face a simple average tariff of 4%.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support UK companies unable to secure insurance coverage for business operations in Ukraine. \p Gareth Thomas: My department works closely with businesses to understand the needs of UK companies wishing to operate in Ukraine. Support is available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/support-for-uk-businesses-helping-to-rebuild-ukraine, which references potential options for insurance.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) continues to provide risk insurance for UK exporters trading with Ukraine.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve access to finance for start-up businesses in Fylde. \p Gareth Thomas: We will publish our Small Business Strategy later this year with a clear ambition to promote start-ups and encourage entrepreneurship, built around the new Business Growth Service.

Start Up Loans are available across the UK, helping new and early-stage businesses access affordable finance. 209 such loans have been issued to Fylde businesses, worth an aggregate of over £2.1 million.[1]

Existing support offers include Help to Grow: Management - UK, providing practical ways to enhance small business productivity and growth, and the British Business Bank’s Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II provides debt and equity finance for businesses across the North.

[1] Start Up Loans Scheme – lending 2012 to 31/01/2025 | Start Up Loans (to 31 January 2025)
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to remove barriers to trade for UK seafood exporters. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government has secured a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement with the EU that will remove red tape for UK seafood exporters and businesses. This will make it easier to sell British fish to our largest trading partner, which will in turn drive growth.

UK businesses, including those in the seafood industry, can access DBT’s wealth of export support via business.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.

In addition, we will shortly be publishing our Trade Strategy which will set out our plans to explore opportunities for further lowering barriers to trade.
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Kevin Bonavia:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a dedicated animal cruelty unit within the police force. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Department regularly meets other Government departments to discuss animal welfare issues including enforcement.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the police all have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare. These bodies will work in close partnership with welfare charities, including the RSPCA, to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Health and Safety Executive report entitled, Agency Opinion on the Annex 15 Dossier on the Proposal for a Restriction, published in December 2024, when his Department will publish its response. \p Emma Hardy: Defra has received HSE’s final opinion on a proposed UK REACH Restriction on lead in ammunition and we are assessing their proposals. Given the need to work through the detail of HSE’s proposal a decision is expected in the summer due course. This decision will be taken with the consent of the Devolved Governments of Scotland and Wales.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to increase the amount of funding available to support (a) rewilding and (b) natural process-led grazing at landscape scale along (i) river and (ii) the river Wye catchments. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is making the largest investment into nature in history, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million). In a joint initiative worth up to £1 million, Defra and Welsh government will fund comprehensive cross-border research to understand pollution and other pressures and develop plans to tackle these issues in the Wye catchment. This funding will ensure farmers, environmental campaigners, citizen scientists and other local experts, can help us gather essential evidence about what is causing this iconic river to be so polluted, and chart a course towards improving water quality and restoring nature across the catchment.

The Landscape Recovery scheme has two projects in development on the River Wye and within the Wye catchment: these are ‘Wye Valley – Ridge to River’, and ‘Wyescapes – Food, Nature and Water’, respectively. The ‘Wye Valley’ vision is for a resilient, multi-functional landscape, where a mosaic of woodlands, parkland, meres, farmland, and floodplains provide food, boost biodiversity and protect water whilst contributing to climate mitigation and social value. It aims to create and connect wildlife rich habitat and to farm regeneratively to increase carbon storage, reduce emissions and nutrient losses.

‘Wyescapes’ aim is to recover priority habitats and species, reduce nutrient runoff, restore hydrological/ecological function and resilience, and reduce CO2e emissions. The project consists of riverside land and adjacent farmland, where the managing farmers will be supported to reduce intensity of existing practices and create new wetlands, floodplain meadow, and woodland.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support restoring (a) natural processes to river corridors within river catchments and (b) (i) native vegetation, (ii) floodplain connectivity and (iii) wetland habitats; and if he will take steps to work on these restoration projects with (A) local authorities, (B) environmental groups, (C) farmers and (D) catchment partnerships. \p Mary Creagh: The England Woodland Creation Offer provides 100% of standard woodland creation capital costs and further incentivises the restoration of native riparian vegetation for water benefits through stackable supplementary payments for woodlands that improve water quality, reduce the risk of flooding, and riparian buffers that improve water habitat.

This year (2025/26) Defra have committed £10.9 million of capital Water Environment Improvement Funding (WEIF), administered by the Environment Agency (EA), which is designed to help achieve the Environment Improvement Plan goal of achieving clean and plentiful water. The primary objective is of the fund is to address “orphaned” water environment issues where the polluter pays principle does not apply. Typical WEIF projects include river restoration, wetland habitat restoration and creation, floodplain connectivity, removal of barriers for fish and eel migration. WEIF projects are developed through Catchment Partnerships and are primarily delivered by local delivery partners, including eNGOs and Local Authorities.

The EA is also accelerating investment in Natural Flood Management (NFM) through the £25 million NFM fund. NFM protects, restores, or emulates the natural functions of rivers, floodplains, catchments, and the coast to reduce flooding and coastal erosion. Projects being delivered through the fund involve a range of stakeholders including wildlife and rivers trusts, local authorities, landowners, farmers, and local communities. Additionally, the EA also carries out large scale habitat creation projects through its Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programmes. These programmes compensate for impacts to protected sites due to human activity and have created approximately 1,600 hectares of intertidal habitat.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data on dogs being transported to China for use as meat for human consumption. \p Daniel Zeichner: APHA, Defra’s executive agency, has data on the number of commercial and non-commercial dogs exported to China. The system does not record the purpose of movement for commercial dogs and therefore does not hold data on dogs being exported to China for use as meat for human consumption.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to merge the proposed Nature Restoration Fund with the Marine Recovery Fund. \p Mary Creagh: The Marine Recovery Fund is being established as a voluntary mechanism to deliver strategic compensation for offshore wind developers.

The Nature Restoration Fund will offer a new way for developers to discharge existing environmental obligations related to protected sites and species, using resources strategically to maximise positive outcomes for nature.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to increase the Environment Agency's budget for the maintenance of assets in Twickenham. \p Emma Hardy: We inherited flood defences in their worst state on record. We’re investing a record £2.65 billion over two years (2024/25 - 2025/26) to maintain, repair and build flood defences, and we have reprioritised £108 million of this funding into asset maintenance.

As part of this investment, we will refurbish Teddington Launch Lock and maintain Barge Lock whilst this refurbishment takes place. Twickenham is within the London Excluded Area. Under the Metropolis Management Amendment Act 1879, private owners of the flood defences in this area are responsible for their maintenance.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what task forces are funded by each Department. \p Ellie Reeves: This information is not held centrally. Individual departments are responsible for any task forces they establish.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 52864 on Admiralty House, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of repurposing the two unoccupied flats in Admiralty House. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office of 27 May 2025, Official Report, PQ 43478.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 52864 on Admiralty House, on what date the last assessment of market rent of the building was undertaken. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 27 May 2025, Official Report, PQ 52864.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's planned timetable is for the the publication of substantive details on the implementation and configuration of the proposed new duty of candour; and whether he plans to issue a formal consultation. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: We remain fully committed to bringing in this legislation which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who do not comply.

Having consulted with groups and their representatives, more time is required to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled, Portraits of His Majesty the King for UK public authorities, published on 1 April 2023, how many portraits were provided to public bodies; and what the total cost was of that scheme. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Honourable Member to the information published on GOV.UK on 28 November 2024 which provided a summary of the His Majesty The King Official Portrait Scheme, including the number of portraits provided and the total cost of the scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/conclusion-of-his-majesty-the-kings-free-portrait-scheme

The HMK Portrait scheme was launched on 14th November 2023 and, including two extensions of scope, ran until 15th August 2024. A total of 20,565 orders were received, the cost of which, including delivery, was £2,710,705.50 with an average price of £131.81 per portrait.
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Blair McDougall:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to clause 6(a) of the UK-USA Economic and Prosperity Deal, published on 8 May 2025, if he will make it his policy to bar Chinese companies with links to forced labour in Xinjiang from Government procurement contracts. \p Georgia Gould: The UK Government is committed to tackling human rights abuses including modern slavery and human trafficking in public supply chains.

On 24 February 2025 the Procurement Act came into force, providing contracting authorities with stronger powers to exclude suppliers from public procurements where there is compelling evidence of modern slavery within their supply chains. The Act’s new debarment powers will also enable us to take stronger and broader action in relation to supplier misconduct which we will use, where appropriate, to effectively hold organisations to account.

The Cabinet Office has, in addition, published extensive risk-based policy and guidance for commercial teams to tackle labour rights abuses in UK and global supply chains.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing Fujitsu’s access to public sector contract opportunities, in the context of the Horizon IT failures. \p Georgia Gould: In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.

Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in this letter, deposited in Parliament. For more details, please see here.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether civil servants receiving London weighting have to work in an office within Greater London. \p Georgia Gould: Decisions on pay, including London weighting, are delegated to individual departments for grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The SCS pay framework is managed centrally and only operates a national pay range.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state, published on 14 May 2025, what recent progress his Department has made on moving civil service roles outside of London. \p Georgia Gould: On 14 May, the Government announced it will be:

Strengthening its presence in 13 cross Government locations across the UK.

Ensuring that 50% of UK-based SCS are located outside of London by 2030.

Strengthening the talent pipeline by launching a new apprenticeship programme, setting an ambition for 50% of Fast Stream roles to be based outside London by 2030, and committing to develop and launch a local government interchange programme in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA).

Reducing the number of Civil Service buildings in London, closing 11 buildings by 2030 to deliver £94m in savings per year.

Launching two new thematic campuses, an Energy Campus in Aberdeen and a Digital & AI Innovation Campus in Manchester.

In June, the Government announced that PfG’s existing thematic campuses in Darlington, Sheffield and Leeds will be leading a new approach to bring together policy makers with those on the frontline to support mission delivery.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many candidates are under consideration for the National Armaments Director role. \p Georgia Gould: An announcement on the outcome of the recruitment process for the National Armaments Director role will be announced in due course.

Due to candidate confidentiality we are unable to confirm how many candidates are under consideration.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s letter to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, whether the powers of the Public Appointments Commission to require appointing authorities provide information extends to information held by the No10 Political Office. \p Georgia Gould: The scope of the powers of the Commissioner for Public Appointments to request information relevant to his inquiries are set out in Article 4(6) of the Public Appointments (No. 2) Order in Council 2023.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) his Department and (b) the Office for Equality and Opportunity has spent on lanyards since 4 July 2024; and what designs of lanyards have been purchased. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office has purchased a total of 6,376 lanyards for £5,069.99 since 4 July 2024. This includes those bought for the aforementioned business units and Crown Commercial Service as an executive agency.

On 6 April, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced the ban on unnecessary branded merchandise. Whilst it was agreed that some expenditure on merchandise items is necessary for operational purposes (security lanyards), all of these orders were made prior to the ban on unnecessary branded merchandise.

In comparison, the Cabinet Office purchased a total of over 18,000 lanyards for £17,322.76 in the 12 months to July 2024.

Staff will continue to be able to wear existing lanyards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 June 2025, Official Report, column 338, if he will make an estimate of the value of the humanitarian relief funded by his Department that has reached Palestinians in Gaza in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK is doing all we can to alleviate suffering. On 28 April, the UK announced a package of support for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including £101 million for humanitarian aid, support for Palestinian economic development, and strengthening Palestinian Authority governance and reform. Our aid has supported over 465,000 patient consultations, provided at least 647,000 people with food and almost 300,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. Due to the complex operating environment and limited real-time data, it is difficult to quantify the volume of aid that has been supplied and aid that is currently awaiting entry.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the placement of sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich on (a) Pearson Engineering Limited and (b) other UK-based companies that are (i) owned and (ii) partially controlled by the Israeli Government Companies Authority. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Our sanctions are carefully designed to minimise unintended consequences within the UK and globally. The sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir apply to them in their personal capacities, and not to their ministries, departments or businesses owned or partially owned by the State of Israel.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the (a) timing and (b) other aspects of the (i) release and (ii) return of the vessel Madleen. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces. We pressed the Israeli authorities in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law. We continue to be in touch with Israeli counterparts regarding the vessel. We continue to be clear that the Israeli government must immediately lift all restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza to address the dire humanitarian situation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of alleged misinformation from India on diaspora communities in the UK. \p Catherine West: India and the UK have a broad and deep relationship. The unique Living Bridge, including a 1.9 million-strong Indian diaspora in the UK, connects our countries and people across culture, education, food, sport and more. The UK Government is committed to media freedom. An independent and responsible media is an essential feature of robust democracies. We are conscious that mis/disinformation overseas can be picked up by diaspora communities in the UK. This is one reason we support independent media reporting and engage with legitimate concerns in the UK and globally around the ramifications of online hate speech and polarisation. These are issues that we work alongside partners, including India, to address.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on reported human rights violations in India. \p Catherine West: The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. The UK Government has a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and finding common ground, including at Ministerial level. In 2024, I held a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss Freedom of Religion in India.

Our High Commission in New Delhi and our network across India monitor human rights across the country. This includes raising issues of concern where we have them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the protection of minority rights in India. \p Catherine West: The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. We have a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and finding common ground. Our High Commission in New Delhi and our network across India monitor human rights across the country. We engage Indian stakeholders on a range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments, and with civil society. This includes raising issues of concern where we have them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the interest repayments on the loan given to the British Council in response to reduced commercial revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic. \p Catherine West: The previous Government made available up to £200 million in loans during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the British Council remained solvent, to support restructuring, and to help the British Council return to surplus. The loan was made on commercial terms to ensure compliance with the UK subsidy control regime, and therefore interest rates are set at market rates.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is supporting the British Council to deliver a financial turnaround plan to ensure the British Council's finances are returned to a stable footing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of British Council offices overseas on British soft power. \p Catherine West: The British Council is operationally independent from the UK Government. Decisions relating to the size and model of its overseas network are operational matters for the British Council. In a digital age, the British Council's impact should be judged by the outcomes it delivers through its programmes and operations, rather than its physical presence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding the British Council is projected to receive in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29, in the context of the Spending Review 2025. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is providing the British Council with £163.1 million Grant-in-Aid this financial year (2025/26). The British Council's Grant-in-Aid funding for future years was not settled in the Spending Review and will be determined, alongside the FCDO's other Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Non-ODA allocations, in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Adam Thompson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make an assessment in (a) the six monthly report on Hong Kong and (b) the overseas business risk guidance for UK firms of the potential impact of declining public access to (i) the ombudsman archives, (ii) company, land and court records and (iii) other official information in Hong Kong. \p Catherine West: Assessments in the six-monthly report and the overseas business risk guidance will be made in usual way. No decision has yet been made on whether to include analysis on the ombudsman archives and company, land, and court records in Hong Kong. As a co-signatory to the Joint Declaration, the UK will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to its international obligations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to provide British citizens in Tehran with the necessary authorisation to allow them to be evacuated via third countries in the region. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Travel Advice is under constant review and includes information for British nationals in Iran, including those who wish to leave the country. The FCDO's Consular Contact Centre is available 24/7 for those who need consular assistance.