theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the inclusion of Overseas Territories in the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government believes the UN Special Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Special Committee) is outdated, and that it no longer has a relevant role to play with respect to the UK Overseas Territories.

For those Territories with permanent populations who wish it, the Government will continue to support requests for the removal of the Territory from the United Nations list of 'non-self-governing Territories'. Furthermore, the Government supports the right of the people of the Overseas Territories to address the Special Committee directly. In 2024, the UK supported representatives from the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and the British Virgin Islands to appear at the Special Committee's annual considerations of their respective Territories and stands ready to do the same in 2025.
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Blair McDougall:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Azerbaijan on territorial claims made by President Aliyev for territory within Armenia. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK fully recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Armenia and Azerbaijan. We welcome the progress on the delimitation of their borders and support the efforts of both sides to agree a lasting settlement to their decades' long conflict. I called Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on 31 October and met with the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UK on 13 January, where I reiterated the UK's support to secure a long-lasting peace deal. We regularly urge all sides to refrain from any rhetoric which could undermine the important dialogue and prospects for a deal.
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Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) the adequacy of the Cayman Islands’ new Regulations: Beneficial Ownership Transparency (legitimate interest access) regulations 2024, (b) whether those regulations meet the expectations laid out during the Joint Ministerial Council to provide the maximum possible degree of access and transparency, (c) whether Bermuda’s regulations are aligned with international standards set out in the EU’s 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive and (d) whether (i) case-by-case applications and (ii) the introduction of fees between $30 and $100 will hinder journalists and NGOs from accessing beneficial ownership information to combat money laundering and its predicate offences. \p Stephen Doughty: At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November, I confirmed the UK Government's expectation that Overseas Territories implement fully public registers of beneficial ownership. Fully public registers have already been introduced in Montserrat and Gibraltar, and commitments were made by the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena to introduce these by April 2025. Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands committed to implement registers of beneficial ownership accessible to those with legitimate interest, which offer the maximum possible degree of access and transparency whilst containing the necessary safeguards to protect the right to privacy in line with respective constitutions, at the latest by June 2025.

The Bermudian consultation closed in January, but regulations have not yet been published. The Cayman regulations are a welcome step in the right direction. My officials are working directly with Cayman officials to ensure the regulations meet the JMC requirement of maximum possible degree of access and transparency and are in line with emerging international standards in the EU's 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive.

A key focus of those discussions is to ensure that the conditions of access do not unduly deter effective proactive investigations and analysis.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister had discussions on strategy towards Iran during his phone call with the President of the United States on 26 January 2025. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the read out of the Prime Minister's phone call with President Trump on gov.uk.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister had discussions on strategy towards China during his phone call with the President of the United States on 26 January 2025. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the read out of the Prime Minister's phone call with President Trump on gov.uk.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) senior officials and (b) special advisers had discussions with President Trump's transition team following his election in 2024. \p Stephen Doughty: It is the long-standing practice of successive governments not to comment on matters of national security and private diplomatic meetings.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any (a) Ministers and (b) officials will attend the inauguration of President Trump. \p Stephen Doughty: Dame Karen Pierce, the UK Ambassador to the US, attended the inauguration. The Foreign Secretary has congratulated President Trump on his inauguration and JD Vance on becoming Vice President. He looks forward to seeing the President again soon.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister had discussions on the (a) future of the British Indian Ocean Territory and (b) military base at Diego Garcia during his phone call with the President of the United States on 26 January 2025. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the read out of the Prime Minister's phone call with President Trump on gov.uk.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the security of energy supplies in (a) Moldova and (b) Transnistria. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is monitoring the situation in Moldova closely. In this financial year, the UK has provided £25.5 million worth of financial support, including a £5 million uplift in humanitarian assistance announced by the Foreign Secretary during his visit to Moldova in November 2024. I saw first-hand during my visit to Moldova in September 2024 how this support is helping Moldova to defend its democracy against Russian hybrid aggression and bolster its energy security. We are considering further measures to bolster our support to Moldova to reduce its dependency on Russian gas and mitigate deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Transnistria.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the annual difference between (a) the current cost of administering the British Indian Ocean Territory and (b) the proposed cost of leasing the Diego Garcia base from Mauritius. \p Stephen Doughty: It is established practice not to publish payments made for overseas military bases.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office provides funding to the BIOT Administration to help support the good governance of the Territory. In FY 23/24, the FCDO provided £29.3 million of funding.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost to the public purse is of negotiations with the Government of Mauritius over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands since 5 July 2024. \p Stephen Doughty: Costs, including those of staffing, legal counsel, travel and accommodation and other expenses arising from the negotiations have been incorporated into the budgets of those Departments involved in the negotiations. There has been no central aggregation of those costs.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the closest island to the Chagos archipelago is that is not part of the UK deal with Mauritius. \p Stephen Doughty: The closest land to the Chagos group is the Maldives islands with Gan, part of Addu atoll (also known as Seenu Atoll) as the most southerly point.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson has disposed of his lobbying interests on his appointment as Ambassador to the United States. \p Stephen Doughty: Cabinet Office guidance outlines the process for declaring and resolving conflicts of interest for Senior Civil Servants. The guidance - which applies in this case - makes clear that, "Any actual conflicts of interest must be resolved in a way which removes the conflict."
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to discuss the proposed treaty with Mauritius in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory with (a) the new US administration and (b) the Secretary of State for Defence. \p Stephen Doughty: We have been clear that this deal protects UK and US national security interests by ensuring the long-term effective operations of the base. However, given the importance of the base to the US, it is right that the new US Administration has the chance to consider the full agreement properly. We look forward to discussing the deal with them, which will include, of course, sharing the full detail of what has been agreed, including the detailed protections we have secured for the base for the next 99 years and beyond. We have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on this and other matters and will continue to do so.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 12 November 2024 to Question HL1945 on USA: Elections, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact on US-UK relations of the letter of 22 October 2024 to the Federal Election Commission from Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc. on Labour Party involvement in the Presidential elections. \p Stephen Doughty: Party political matters are not for the Government to address. As the Prime Minister has said the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary look forward to working with President Trump, to continue our shared mission to ensure the prosperity and security of two great nations.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many consultants were employed by UK missions to the EU to manage (a) trade and (b) regulatory issues in the financial year (i) 2022–23 and (ii) 2023–24; what the cost of those consultants was; and how how many permanent civil servants were employed for the same reason. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK Mission to the EU has approximately 67 Full Time Equivalent staff working on economic diplomacy: these are primarily related to managing regulatory issues and promoting trade. Resources of other missions supporting the devolved administrations are the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration. Spend on consultants is the responsibility of individual missions. This information is not centrally held.
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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of UK funding for UNITAID on the cost of HPV testing in (a) low and (b) middle-income countries. \p Anneliese Dodds: Unitaid are a leading funder of innovative tools to find and treat cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries, with HPV tests the most accurate way to identify if a woman is at higher risk of developing cervical cancer. Together with partners, Unitaid's interventions lowered the cost of HPV testing by nearly 40 per cent and reduced the price of portable thermal ablation devices for treating precancerous lesions by more than 45 per cent. Unitaid's work is laying the groundwork for national cervical cancer elimination programs worldwide. We highly value our Unitaid partnership and have contributed more than half a billion pounds in funding.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to reduce transfer fees on family remittances. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) co-convene, with Save the Children, a UK-based Remittances Working Group which works with key partners including remittance service providers, diaspora communities, NGOs, and other UK government departments to seek solutions that can drive down costs associated with sending and receiving remittances. The FCDO also supports a remittances project trialling new ways to reduce remittance transfer fees for individuals, working with East African diaspora members in the UK who are sending money back to Kenya.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will collect data on family remittances from the UK. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not collect or report this data on the flow of family remittances out of the UK. The best source is the World Bank Group's remittance data which captures flows through formal banking systems and is published annually.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether candidates for the US Ambassador role were vetted to Developed Vetting level. \p Stephen Doughty: All those appointed to FCDO roles undergo pre-employment checks and National Security Vetting. All Ambassador roles require Developed Vetting level clearance.
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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 effectiveness of aid sent to Ukraine to help track down Russian war criminals. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has provided £10.7 million in aid supporting Ukraine's domestic work to document, investigate, and prosecute war crimes. This includes launching the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group in May 2022 in partnership with the EU and US, to ensure our donor support to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is coordinated and targeted at areas where Ukraine most needs to develop its accountability efforts. Support from the UK has equipped Ukrainian prosecutors and law enforcement officials with vital open-source information gathering skills, allowing them to effectively collect evidence and build comprehensive legal cases against alleged war criminals.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Cypriot counterpart. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign Secretary met Cypriot Foreign Minister Kombos on 17 December 2024 to discuss recent developments, Settlement and the EU reset. I also spoke with Foreign Minister Kombos on 20 January to discuss recent developments on Settlement.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on steps to tackle Islamic extremism in Europe. \p Stephen Doughty: Reducing the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism, violent extremism and extremism is a high UK Government priority. These threats are global challenges and international co-operation is essential. We already work closely with our European partners on all three topics, both bilaterally and through our close security relationship with the EU. We held our first dedicated UK-EU Counter Terrorism Dialogue in February 2024 and will host the next iteration in February this year. I regularly discuss joint-working with European counterparts to tackle terrorism, violent extremism and extremism in all their forms. I work closely with my counterpart, the Home Office Security Minister and other Ministerial colleagues, on these issues.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he considers the International Criminal Court to be a foreign court. \p Stephen Doughty: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an international court based in the Netherlands. The UK is a State Party to the Rome Statute, the international treaty which established the ICC, and is one of the founding members. The ICC Act 2001 gives effect to the UK's obligations under the Rome Statute. We respect the independence of the ICC, which is the primary institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential geopolitical implications of the expansion of BRICS. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign Secretary made a speech on 9 January at the FCDO regarding the future of UK foreign policy, where he underlined that we are facing an increasingly volatile world. It remains important for us to understand geopolitical shifts, and ensure the UK remains able to navigate international geopolitics to deliver its domestic missions.

Forging close partnerships with emerging powers and the Global South will be critical to progressing UK interests, including growth. The Foreign Secretary's speech made clear how the FCDO is taking this forward, including through showing respect, renewing partnerships, and new agreements, like those he recently launched with India, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria.
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Nigel Farage:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure sanctions are taken against companies which have been sanctioned by other nations for links with the Muslim Brotherhood. \p Stephen Doughty: We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. We will consider targets, guided by the objectives of the relevant sanctions regime and the evidence. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact. We coordinate sanctions activity with our allies to maximise collective impact where possible, but this does not mean we will always take identical and simultaneous action - our respective sanctions regimes sometimes differ, as do the strategic objectives they serve.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of bilateral programme funding had a gender equality policy marker in the last two years for which information is available; and what proportion of that funding had gender equality as a (a) principal and (b) significant objective. \p Anneliese Dodds: Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022 and 2023. This data indicates that in 2022, 58% of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal), with (1) 45% marked as Significant and (2) 13% marked as Principal. In 2023, 52% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes had a focus on gender equality, with (1) 40% marked Significant and (2) 12% marked as Principal. The FCDO remains committed to ensure at least 80% of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2025, to Question 20957 on Government departments: communication and public consultation, if she will list the (a) Department, (b) theme and (c) estimated saving of each of the campaigns (i) that were cancelled, (ii) continuing with reduced budgets and (iii) aiming to reduce their expenditure by 25%. \p Georgia Gould: There are currently no plans to publish this list in detail.

The comprehensive communications Spending Review identified 39 campaigns that were cancelled, 46 campaigns continuing with reduced budgets and 46 campaigns aiming to reduce their expenditure by 25%.

The combined savings from these measures total £85 million in 2024-25 and up to £96 million in 2025-26.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23677 on Gender Dysphoria: Health Services, whether he plans to consult on the revised Gender Reassignment HR policy and guidance. \p Georgia Gould: The revised draft of the Civil Service model Gender Reassignment HR policy and guidance is currently out for consultation with key stakeholders across Government. As is the case for other civil service employee policies, whilst there is internal engagement with a range of stakeholders in the Civil Service, there are no plans for an external consultation.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8425 on Prime Minister: Special Advisers and with reference to the Freedom of Information Act request with reference FOI2024/14571, for what reason the requested information was released under the Freedom of Information Act; and if he will publish that response. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the Rt Hon Member to PQ23470.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22200 on Ministers: Aviation, what quantity of carbon emissions have been offset since 5 July 2024; and what the cost to the public purse has been of this offsetting. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the Hon Member to the response I gave to PQ22200. At this time there is nothing further to add.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government Communication Service's SAFE framework, how many instances of campaign-specific flexibility have been approved in the last 12 months. \p Georgia Gould: There were 7 instances of campaign-specific flexibility in the last 12 months.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Public Bodies 2023 data tool remains operable in the future; and whether the 2023 dataset will be in searchable in the National Archives. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office is currently exploring with National Archives whether it is appropriate to publish the dataset from the 2022/23 Financial Year on the National Archive’s Transfer Digital Records service. Regardless, the ALB Landscape 2023 will remain online and accessible on gov.uk.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Deputy Prime Minister to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments dated 2 May 2024, whether he plans to exempt (a) media appearances, (b) books and (c) journalism roles from Business Appointment Rules. \p Georgia Gould: The government has committed to reviewing and updating the post-government employment rules. We will provide an update in due course.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22321 on Mo Baines, if he will make it his policy to require that political activity is published as part of announcements of (a) non-executive directors and (b) public appointments. \p Georgia Gould: The interests of non-executive board members and public appointments will continue to be updated and published bi-annually as part of an established process as set out in the Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process - GOV.UK.

The Governance Code on Public appointments makes clear that political activity should not affect any judgement of merit nor be a bar to appointment for a candidate being considered for a public appointment. The Governance Code already requires, for successful candidates, public disclosure where candidates, in the last five years, have been employed by a political party, held a significant office in a party, have stood as a candidate for a party in an election, have publicly spoken on behalf of a political party, or have made significant donations or loans to a party.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 7438 on Prime Minister: Senior Civil Servants, what the criteria was that the Cabinet Secretary used to select which candidates for the Principle Private Secretary position to recommend to the Prime Minister. \p Georgia Gould: The advertised criteria set out in the Principal Private Secretary candidate pack was used to select candidates to recommend to the Prime Minister.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 18204 on Ministers: convictions, what role the (a) Cabinet Secretary and (b) Director General of the Proprietary and Constitution Group has in the provision of advice to the Prime Minister on the propriety of Ministerial appointments. \p Georgia Gould: All ministerial appointments are made by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister.

As has been the case under successive administrations, it is a long-standing principle that any advice is provided by Civil Servants, as required and as appropriate. All Civil Service advice is given and treated in confidence.
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Claire Coutinho:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any Government Departments are members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. \p Georgia Gould: Government departments are responsible for decisions about whether to buy services from third sector organisations to support equality, diversity and inclusion in their organisations. Currently no government department is a member of Stonewall.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has received legal advice on the compatibility of (a) Ministerial and (b) special adviser appointments with section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006. \p Georgia Gould: As is a longstanding practice under successive administrations, Civil Service or legal advice on appointments is treated in confidence.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to reduce the (a) number and (b) cost of arms length bodies. \p Georgia Gould: The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review which will zero-base all spending, including arm’s length bodies (ALBs), conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer.

Building on the 2% productivity, efficiency, and savings target the government set departments in Phase 1 of the Spending Review, departments and ALBs are expected in Phase 2 to identify a minimum of 5% savings against their day-to-day spending, freeing up funding to achieve the government’s priorities. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to remain outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the context of his negotiations with the EU. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: There has been no change in the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice rulings in relation to the UK. We are also clear that we will not be re-joining the Single Market, the Customs Union or Freedom of Movement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_292

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22360 on Intelligence Services: Unpaid Work, which internship schemes for (a) MI5 and (b) MI6 were open to people from white British backgrounds in 2025. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: Details of MI5 and SIS internship schemes running in 2025 and their eligibility criteria are publicly available on Agency websites.

Across Government, individual Departments and Agencies are responsible for recruitment decisions and required to meet all obligations of relevant legislation, including the Equality Act 2010.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18216 on Senior Civil Servants: Training, where the two SCS Leadership Conferences took place; and what the cost was of each event. \p Georgia Gould: The two SCS Leadership Conferences were delivered as part of a wider leadership development programme. The SCS Conference (Summer 2024) took place at the DeVere Grand Connaught Room, London. The venue hire and catering for this event cost £12,520.42.

The SCS Conference (Autumn 2024) took place at The Royal Horseguards Hotel, & One Whitehall Place, London. The venue hire and catering for this event cost £11,250.00.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_294

Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans has to use World Heritage sites to encourage economic growth. \p Chris Bryant: Heritage plays an important part in the UK economy. In 2023, seven out of ten of the most popular paid visitor attractions in England were heritage attractions, according to evidence from the Annual Visitor Attraction Survey.

According to research undertaken by the UK National Commission for UNESCO in 2020, a UNESCO designation, such as a World Heritage Site designation, leads to increased tourism, brings economic benefits for local communities, and delivers a greater international profile.

DCMS works with World Heritage Site coordinators and heritage agencies across the UK to continue to build the value of these designations and to support economic growth.

Our ambition is to have 50 million international visitors to the UK a year by 2030.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_295

Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a revocable license to practice for youth workers. \p Stephanie Peacock: DCMS funds the National Youth Agency to maintain a voluntary register of JNC Level 6 qualified youth workers and provide support to youth workers and organisations around safeguarding and risk management via their Safeguarding Hub.

In November, this government committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the training, recruitment and retention of youth workers. The Strategy will be published this summer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_296

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on Ministers in her Department accepting donations in kind in the form of loans of clothes. \p Stephanie Peacock: Principles on ministers’ gifts and hospitality are set out in the Ministerial Code which was updated in November 2024 and is available on GOV.UK at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-code.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_297

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the greyhound racing industry. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government recognises the importance of Greyhound Racing to our economy - providing employment to 5400 people across Britain - and its contribution to British cultural life.

The greyhound racing industry is supported by the British Greyhound Racing Fund in the form of voluntary contributions from bookmakers on betting turnover on licensed greyhound racing. The Government remains committed to ensuring that those voluntary contributions reflect the benefits the betting industry derives from Greyhound Racing as a betting product. The levy has an important role in supporting the growth and sustainability of the sport.

The Government welcomes the progress of the industry’s regulatory body, the Greyhound Board for Great Britain, in driving improvement in rehoming and overall welfare standards through its Greyhound Commitment and its long term national welfare strategy, “A Good Life for Every Greyhound”. The Government is committed to continuing to work with the greyhound and betting industries to deliver a more sustainable future for the Sport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_298

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of an uncapped claim allowance on VAT for repairs to Christian places of worship. \p Chris Bryant: On the 22nd of January, I was pleased to announce that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would continue from March 2025 to March 2026 with a budget of £23m. Further details can be found here in the Written Statement.

The scheme has always had an upper limit and has always applied to all listed places of worship, regardless of denomination or faith, ever since it was established by the Labour Government in 2001.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on religious buildings in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. \p Chris Bryant: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was established to provide grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship. 94% of applications have been under £25,000, and most claims are for under £5,000. A total of 7 claims have been paid out to listed places of worship in South Basildon and East Thurrock, totalling £10,789, since August 2022.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_300

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled £23 million government package to support restoration of thousands of listed places of worship, published on 22 January 2024, what the average amount claimed was for claims over £25,000 in each of the last three years. \p Chris Bryant: 94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most claims are for under £5,000. In 2022/23, 2.7% of claims made to the Listed Places of Worship Scheme were over £25,000. These had a mean average claim of £49,235. In 2023/24, 2.3% of claims were over £25,000, with a mean average of £47,534. In 2024/25, 2.2% of claims were over £25,000, with a mean average of £55,119.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_301

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Community Benefits Package will be published. \p Michael Shanks: Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area including community funds and direct support for households, which we are exploring. In the interim, the Government intends to publish guidance on community benefits for onshore wind in England and guidance on community funds for electricity transmission network infrastructure by spring 2025. Additionally, Solar Energy UK has committed to publishing a community benefits protocol and guidance in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury National Grid pylon project on house prices in the affected areas. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not assess the impact of new transmission network infrastructure on house prices.

However, landowners, businesses, and homeowners that have electrical equipment, such as pylons or towers, sited on their land have the right to compensation for the value of their land, as well as for any losses or expenses incurred. Acquiring authorities can also put in place discretionary schemes offering additional compensation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of off-grid properties which are listed buildings. \p Michael Shanks: The Department does not hold data on listed buildings and so does not have estimates for the number of listed buildings that are not connected to gas or electricity networks. The department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain at various levels of geography and analysis of large non-domestic buildings that are not connected to the gas network.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_304

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he expects the final investment decision to be taken in relation to Sizewell C. \p Michael Shanks: A final investment decision on whether to proceed with the Sizewell C project will be taken in Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish plans for the future of the Wylfa nuclear site. \p Michael Shanks: Great British Nuclear (GBN) acquired the sites at Wylfa (in Ynys Mon / Anglesey) and Oldbury-on-Severn (Gloucestershire) in 2024.

We will work with GBN to assess options for new nuclear at Wylfa, although decisions have yet to be taken on projects and technologies to be deployed. GBN is pushing forward with its Small Modular Reactor technology selection process ahead of final decisions in the spring, and we will set out our plans in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_306

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has for the Bradwell nuclear site. \p Michael Shanks: The Bradwell site is privately owned, and it would be for the owner to set out their plans for the site.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Rosebank oil field development on the UK's net zero obligations. \p Michael Shanks: I refer the Hon Member to the regulatory decision documents on the environmental effects of the Rosebank project published in September 2023. Those regulatory decisions are currently subject to two Judicial Reviews. In August 2024, the Government announced that it would not be challenging the Judicial Reviews.

At COP28, the UK and others agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in an orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade. This is essential to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach. The Government has acted swiftly to consult on new environmental guidance for oil and gas firms to ensure that the impact of burning oil and gas is considered in the Environmental Impact Assessment for new projects.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he has taken to ensure that local communities were engaged in the public consultation period of the proposed National Grid Norwich-Tilbury pylon project. \p Michael Shanks: In England and Wales, the Planning Act 2008 requires developers to demonstrate that they have consulted adequately with communities before they submit applications for consent. As part of their application for the Norwich to Tilbury project National Grid are required to engage with local communities and to ensure their feedback is considered and incorporated into the project. The Government does not make assessments for specific projects until they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision.