theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the transparency of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. \p Georgia Gould: The Commissioner for Public Appointments is a statutory office holder and provides independent assurance that public appointments are made in accordance with the government’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Governance Code is built on the principles of ministerial responsibility, selflessness, integrity, merit, openness, diversity, assurance and fairness.

The Commissioner’s functions are set out in the Public Appointments Order in Council. Under the Order in Council, the Commissioner must publish an annual report on public appointments. All annual reports, as well as the outcome of complaints and investigations, are published on the Commissioner’s website.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 51450 on Freedom of Information and Written Questions: Costs, what the hourly rate of assessing staff time is for the Parliamentary Question disproportionate cost threshold. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: As set out in paragraph 219 of the guide to Parliamentary work, the disproportionate cost threshold is set at 140% of the Freedom of Information cost limit for central government, which is currently £600. The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 set out that costs for these purposes are to be estimated at a rate of £25 per hour.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the No10 (a) press office and (b) grid team were involved in releasing the Strategic Defence Review to the media. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The Strategic Defence Review was announced in Parliament on June 2 by my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people he expects to (a) come to the UK from Europe and (b) go to Europe from the UK as a result of a youth experience scheme with the EU and UK. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped as well as time-limited. We have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters will be subject to negotiation, but any scheme will need to be in the UK’s national interests.
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Claire Coutinho:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether members of the Race Equality Engagement Group will subject to an assessment of any (a) potential and (b) actual conflicts of interest. \p Seema Malhotra: The appointment process for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the other members of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) was informal ministerial appointment, by invitation, following appropriate due diligence checks.

This government will publish the terms of reference for the REEG, and the full membership, in due course.

REEG members will not be remunerated but will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in respect of the work of the REEG.

Members are expected to declare any conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from any work where such a conflict, or perceived conflict, may arise.

The REEG will be supported by the Race Equality Unit, in the Office for Equality and Opportunity, from its existing allocation of staff.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made representations to the Court of Appeal on the unduly lenient sentencing of those convicted of causing the death of Bhim Kohli. \p Lucy Rigby: The Law Officers have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider any requests received under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal. I can confirm my department has received such referral requests in relation to the sentencing of two youths responsible for causing the death of Bhim Kohli. The deadline for any referral to the Court of Appeal is 3 July 2025. The hon. Member will be informed in due course of the Law Officers’ decision.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to his speech at the 2025 RUSI Annual Security Lecture on 29 May 2025, if he will list the (a) Ministers and (b) Government officials who approved the content of the speech; and whether Number 10 had advance sight of the speech. \p Lucy Rigby: The process was followed as set out in the Ministerial Code.

The Attorney General made a further statement on the speech in question which is publicly available.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41094 on Aid Workers: Armed Conflict, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of UN Security Council Resolution 2730 in protecting those Humanitarian Aid workers in areas of conflict and instability. \p Stephen Doughty: The scale and severity of threats to humanitarian aid workers is alarming. The UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2730 to draw attention to the protection of humanitarian aid workers, including protection for national personnel who often face higher risks, and to request the UN Secretary General to update the UN Security Council (UNSC) annually on progress to protect humanitarian personnel.

Under the auspices of UNSCR 2730, in November 2024 the UK invited the Aid Worker Security Database founder to brief the council on the scale of the issue. In April 2025, the UK called for investigations into the tragic deaths of Palestinian Red Crescent Society staff and called on Israel to support the search for a missing staff member.

We also use our seat at the UNSC to condemn specific incidents, including: the attack on Zamzam refugee camp in Sudan; the tragic deaths of World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza; and incidents in Ukraine.

The UK has also joined an Australian-led Foreign Ministers' initiative to develop a political declaration to enhance protection for humanitarian personnel and complement UNSCR 2730 by galvanising collective action.
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Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the (a) music and (b) arts sector on the Data (Use and Access) Bill. \p Sir Chris Bryant: Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a range of stakeholders from the creative industries about the Data (Use and Access) Bill.

Ministerial meetings and engagements are published through quarterly transparency reports on GOV.UK.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Feryal Clark: The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers should note and follow the ruling.

It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling. The Equality & Human Rights Commission, as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.

The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether (a) he and (b) his Department have had discussions with Nostrada.ai since 5 July 2024. \p Feryal Clark: We are committed to building an AI sector that can scale and win globally.

As the Government takes the AI Opportunities Action Plan forward, the Secretary of State and the rest of his department will continue to engage widely with stakeholders.

Ministerial meetings are published according to normal transparency requirements on the GOV.UK website; however, no meetings have taken place with Nostrada.ai.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the evidential basis is to determine the number of employees required by Ofcom’s Online Safety directorate to provide an evidence-based high level of service to fulfil its duties under the Online Safety Act 2023. \p Feryal Clark: In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research. Ofcom’s latest staff numbers will be available as part the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25, which will be presented to Parliament.

The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This decision followed a business case process that included Ofcom submitting its requirements.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for the total estimated cost to the public purse of experiments to dim the Sun. \p Feryal Clark: The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.

ARIA’s proposed research is small-scale and exploratory, looking to gain a deeper scientific understanding of the effects, risks and benefits of a number of approaches. All funded activities are localised, very short term and reversible and will comply with relevant domestic and international regulation, as well as ARIA’s programme oversight and governance principles, which are available here: https://www.aria.org.uk/media/5emktzd3/aria-exploring-climate-cooling-programme-oversight-and-governance.pdf.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Meta's age assurance methodology for teenage accounts on Instagram. \p Feryal Clark: Under the Online Safety Act, services likely to be accessed by children are required to risk assess their service and provide safety measures, such as highly effective age assurance to prevent children from encountering content including pornography and protect them from other harmful content, including violent content.

Ofcom has published guidance on what constitutes highly effective age assurance. From July, once the child safety regime is in effect, Ofcom will be able to assess services’ compliance with the duties and take enforcement action against those failing to comply.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of poor media literacy skills on young people's (a) employability and (b) workplace readiness. \p Feryal Clark: According to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, media literacy-related skills, including understanding online risks, are essential for work. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has worked with FutureDotNow to analyse the benefits of essential digital skills for earnings and employability, with findings being published shortly.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is also considering how young people will acquire the digital skills needed for future life, with the interim report highlighting the need for a renewed focus on media literacy.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) civil society and (b) community organisations delivering lifelong media literacy programmes for adults. \p Feryal Clark: Civil society and community organisations are instrumental in delivering media literacy programmes to adults, leveraging their expertise to support diverse and vulnerable groups. Libraries and community centres provide accessible locations where adults of all ages can get guidance and advice.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps toward delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK, including supporting local and community initiatives to increase digital participation.

Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs.
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help tackle health misinformation due to levels of media literacy. \p Feryal Clark: The government understands the importance of building audience resilience to mis- and disinformation, noting that improved media literacy is essential for helping people to recognise this content. The Online Safety Act updates Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy by adding targeted duties to develop internet users’ understanding of the nature and impact of mis- and disinformation.

The Act also requires platforms to tackle health mis- and disinformation that is illegal or harmful to children. Additionally, where it is prohibited in Category 1 platforms’ terms of service, they must remove it and enforce this consistently.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure media literacy programmes are part of local and regional strategies. \p Feryal Clark: Government is adopting a holistic approach to digital inclusion integrating related policy on digital skills and media literacy. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion for everyone in the UK, including supporting community initiatives for boosting digital skills and media literacy. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology coordinates activity across policy areas, aiming to embed media literacy across cross-cutting government strategies.

Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs to offer media literacy.
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Anneliese Midgley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) artists and (b) creators retain control over the use of their (i) voice, (ii) style and (iii) likeness by generative artificial intelligence. \p Feryal Clark: The Government published a consultation on 17 December 2024, seeking views on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI). Given the rise of AI-generated ‘digital replicas’, the consultation sought views on whether the UK’s existing legal framework provides individuals with sufficient control over their voice and appearance.

The consultation closed on 25 February 2025. The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation. The Government will set out its position in due course.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of design features on social media platforms that promote excessive use on trends in the level of addictive behaviours in teenage users. \p Feryal Clark: Keeping children safe online is a priority for the government. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must bake safety into the design of their products and services will need to comply with their child safety duties by the end of July. The Act is clear that platforms’ risk assessments should consider the impact of functionalities on the risk of children encountering harm.

DSIT has launched a feasibility study to further explore the impact of smartphones and social media use on children’s wellbeing.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Independent Pornography Review to help tackle the availability of violent online pornography. \p Feryal Clark: The Online Safety Act requires services which publish or host user-generated pornographic content to prevent children from accessing it using highly effective age assurance. Extreme pornography is a priority offence under the Act, requiring services to proactively mitigate and remove this illegal content on their platforms.

The government published the final report of the Independent Pornography Review on 27 February 2025 and issued an initial statement in response addressing the important issues it raised. It is right that the government takes time to understand this complex yet deeply important topic. A further update will be provided in due course.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his planned timeline is for responding to the Sullivan Review. \p Feryal Clark: The government has now published the independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender commissioned by the previous government.

Given the wide breadth of recommendations, the government has ensured that the review has been shared with all the relevant departments and policy teams, who will consider the findings in light of their ongoing policy work.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding to support the growth of innovative UK businesses. \p Feryal Clark: Supporting innovative businesses is a key objective of the government’s growth mission. My department regularly engages with business organisations to understand the needs of their members, and significant support is available through Innovate UK. Over the last six months, Innovate UK has launched £276m of competitions, and annually it supports over 10,000 businesses on their innovation journey. This is in addition to significant work underway to increase the availability of growth capital, which includes increasing the National Wealth Fund’s capitalisation to £27.8bn, reforms to the British Business Bank, and new pension reforms aimed at unlocking £80 billion of investment.
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Emily Darlington:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment the Intellectual Property Office has made of the potential behavioural impact of (a) the risk of injunction threats, (b) legal costs and (c) high licensing fees in the licensing of Standard Essential Patents on (i) SMEs and (ii) other UK technology companies. \p Feryal Clark: The Government recognises the importance of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) to the UK economy and has sought evidence from industry to identify how SEP licensing practices function to encourage innovation and promote competition.

The IPO continues to assess industry evidence on how the SEPs ecosystem impacts on UK SMEs and technology companies and is considering policy options that could help improve its functioning, including SEP licensing conditions. Any options requiring regulatory change would be part of a consultation and a final decision on holding a consultation would rest with Ministers.
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made with the Digital Poverty Alliance on providing re-purposed Government laptops to people who need them. \p Sir Chris Bryant: The Government is implementing a device donation pilot by working with the Digital Poverty Alliance to refurbish end-of-life laptops from DSIT, DESNZ and DBT and distribute them to those who need them most. This pilot will be in effect until Autumn 2025.

We are also working closely with industry on a device donation charter, to encourage more organisations to set up their own device donation schemes. We are hoping to publish this in Spring 2025.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect Ministers' (a) social media and (b) personal email accounts from cybersecurity threats. \p Feryal Clark: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK government’s national technical authority for cyber security, works with colleagues across government to provide Ministers and others with regular security briefings, guidance and advice, including advice on protecting their online accounts, personal data and mitigating common cyber threats.

In addition, the NCSC provides individual cyber defence services to high-risk individuals, including Ministers, to help protect their online accounts and personal devices.
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Anneliese Midgley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an estimate of the proportion of large artificial intelligence language models that are trained on datasets containing copyrighted material without licensing agreements. \p Feryal Clark: Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies.

The Government recently consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including seeking evidence on the use of copyright material in AI model development and transparency on this.

This consultation closed on 25th February.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, to help inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be set out in due course.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to provide capital funding to manufacturing companies in the semiconductor sector. \p Feryal Clark: This government recognises the strategic importance of semiconductors as a critical technology and a significant enabler of our growth and clean energy missions. We recently secured a £250 million investment from one of the world’s largest manufacturers of semiconductors - Vishay Technologies – into the UK’s largest semiconductor facility, supported by the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund.

The forthcoming Industrial Strategy will provide further clarity on how government will boost investment in growth-driving sectors, including by mobilising capital to ensure businesses have sufficient access to finance, such as through the National Wealth Fund.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the Innovate UK technology awards to allow successful applicants to access the funds earlier in the process. \p Feryal Clark: Making innovation support accessible and agile is a key goal for Innovate UK, and they will continue to experiment with new ways to improve their product offering for businesses. They deliver technology funding awards through grants, contracts, and loans. Eligible costs depend on the innovation objectives of the specific programme a business is applying for, but most technology grants allow for the recovery of equipment costs directly related to the project the grant is supporting.

They have reduced the time taken from competition close to grant award by 32% between FY 22/23 and FY 24/25. Innovate UK programmes such as New Innovators and Launchpads also allow for a significant portion of the payment upfront to support SME innovation projects.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of named neighbourhood police officers in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales, no matter where they live.

As the Prime Minister announced on 10 April, by July, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities as part of the Government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

We are providing £200 million to police forces in financial year 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across the country.

West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for West Midlands Police over 2025/26 will be 289 police officers (FTE) and 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what resources from her Department were used to organise her visit to the Cambridgeshire Police headquarters on 10 April 2025. \p Dan Jarvis: In line with the normal rules for the pre-election period, the event in question was arranged and staffed by the political teams in the Home Office and 10 Downing Street.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to include decapod crustaceans in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office will be guided by decisions made under the Animal Welfare Act regarding any consideration as to whether decapod crustaceans are regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procures) Act 1986.
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Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that buy now pay later schemes protect consumers from fraud. \p Dan Jarvis: This Government is continuing to work closely with industry, including payment service providers, to prevent fraud and we welcome the actions of the financial services industry to date.

We committed in our manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy. The new strategy will cover a range of harms including those committed through payment services. Development of this Strategy has begun, and we are engaging with stakeholders across law enforcement, industry, and civil society to identify new measures to better protect the public and businesses.

However, work continues to ensure that the public are better equipped to spot and avoid frauds, through our Stop! Think Fraud campaign. Similarly, as of March 2025, the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties are now enforceable by Ofcom. This has the potential to cut off key online channels by which criminals are able to identify and communicate with potential victims.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21687 on Home Office: Sanitation, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the updated building regulation published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government entitled Toilet accommodation: Approved Document T, published on 1 October 2024, on the provision of gender-neutral toilets in her Department’s buildings. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I have made no assessment.

The Hon Member may think the job of the Policing Minister is to make assessments of the Home Office’s toilets, but I believe it is to restore neighbourhood policing in our country, tackle antisocial behaviour, and deliver this Government’s unprecedented mission to halve knife crime over the next decade.
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Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help protect the safety of home delivery drivers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job.

Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider including retail home delivery drivers within the definition of assaults on retail workers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated.

This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence. Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_29

Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the ten year route to settlement to five years. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders, and we will set out our overall approach to reforming the immigration system in our upcoming white paper.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_30

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an immigration red list of countries posing high (a) immigration, (b) security and (c) compliance risks. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_31

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question HL4920 on Public Spaces Protection Orders: Enforcement, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of outsourced companies encouraging staff to levy fines (a) for the profit of those companies and (b) in return for incentive payments. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour (ASB), including the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

It is for local authorities to determine how to operate the powers and to ensure use remains just and proportionate. Where local authorities contract enforcement to third parties, contractors are bound by the same legal obligations, and the same safeguards in legislation, as councils themselves. Local authorities are also obliged to follow the rules set out in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in appointment of such companies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_32

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of unregulated online pornography on violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: The Government published the final report of the Independent Pornography Review on 27 February 2025 and issued an initial statement in response addressing the important issues it raised. . The findings of the Review continue to be assessed by the Government, including as part of our work to halve Violence Against Women and Girls in a decade, and a further update will be provided in due course.

Already, from 17 March 2025 services in scope of the Online Safety Act must take action to tackle illegal pornographic content. By July 2025, all services that allow pornography will also need to have highly effective age-checks in place to protect children from accessing it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_33

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to update guidance to public bodies on the lawful provision of single-sex services for biological women. \p Jess Phillips: Along with all other public sector organisations, we are considering what the implications for the Home Office and policing will be of the Supreme Court ruling. It is important that our next steps are properly considered and aligned with legal advice and the Statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations, which the Equality and Human Rights Commission is updating.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_34

Alice Macdonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of supporting (i) women's rights and (ii) women-led organisations through Official Development Assistance. \p Stephen Doughty: There is strong evidence showing that women's rights organisations play a significant role in securing and advancing women's rights as well as providing humanitarian assistance, tackling climate change and promoting and protecting democracy. They provide good value for money as this type of support moves away from short term project funding towards strategic investments which have wider social and economic value which sustains long after funding ends.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_35

Alice Macdonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has learned lessons from the implementation of Official Development Assistance reductions in 2020-21. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government has learned lessons from previous rounds of reductions to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

We recognise that the reduction demands significant shifts in the scale and shape of our ODA spending, which is why we are taking the time necessary to fully consider how we will reprioritise and refocus the ODA budget, in line with the shifts underway as we modernise our approach to development.

We are taking a rigorous approach to value for money as we work through decisions as part of the ongoing Spending Review, in order to deliver the best outcome for both UK taxpayers and our partners.

To improve predictability and certainty, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ODA budget will no longer be exposed to the volatility of ODA spending by other departments, including asylum costs, providing greater predictability and certainty for our budgets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_36

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support community-driven development initiatives in overseas aid projects. \p Stephen Doughty: Partnering with local actors with roots in their communities is crucial to deliver aid that is culturally relevant, contextually appropriate, and impactful. Local partners offer insights into communities' culture and needs and understand local coordination structures and challenges. The evidence shows that local organisations are particularly effective at driving social accountability and enhancing public services for marginalised groups, including women and girls. By focusing on capacity building, acting as conveners to amplify local voices, and investing in the long-term sustainability of local partners, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and its delivery partners, such as international non-governmental organisations, can provide substantial value beyond mere financial support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_37

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Voluntary Service Overseas ACTIVE programme in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Stephen Doughty: The Prime Minister has taken the decision to increase spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP from 2027, funded by reducing Official Development Assistance (ODA).

The ODA budget will be gradually reduced to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of GNI by 2027, to help smooth the transition.

This difficult choice reflects the evolving nature of the threats we face, and the strategic shifts required to meet them, while maintaining economic stability.

We are evaluating all ODA funding to ensure value for money for UK taxpayers and have to work harder than ever to make sure our development work delivers for the British public and our Plan for Change.

Our approach balances the UK's proud tradition of supporting the world's most vulnerable with our fundamental responsibility to protect British interests in an increasingly unstable world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_38

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of planned levels of future official development assistance spending on the ability of programmes supporting (a) schools and (b) health facilities to (i) undertake risk assessments and (ii) develop resilience plans for natural disasters. \p Stephen Doughty: Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. We plan to publish final Financial Year 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-02 conversation_39

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of planned changes to the level of future spending on official development assistance on programmes supporting women smallholder farmers. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government recognises the important role women smallholder farmers play in agrifood systems in developing countries, and that investing in women and girls and breaking down the barriers they face supports inclusive development. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way.

We plan to publish final Financial Year 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts this summer.