Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's media literacy strategy in countering (a) mis- and (b) dis-information.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Improving media literacy is one of the government’s key tools in tackling the harm caused by misinformation and disinformation. To demonstrate how the Government is delivering against the objectives of the Online Media Literacy Strategy, we are publishing annual Action Plans each financial year until the end of 2024/25. Through media literacy grant schemes, we have provided almost £2 million in funding to a range of educational projects.

These projects seek to build the online safety and critical thinking skills of internet users, empowering them to respond effectively to the threats posed by mis- and disinformation, along with other online harms. All funded projects are evaluated robustly, including by independent experts, and findings will be published on gov.uk upon completion. This will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of future media literacy initiatives and inform government policy moving forward.

As part of this work, we established the Media Literacy Taskforce to bring together organisations in the media literacy landscape to amplify, increase and improve media literacy provision across underserved parts of the UK. Taskforce members advised the government on which projects should be awarded funding, and then helped grant recipients to maximise the impact of their projects.

Alongside the Strategy, the Online Safety Act updates Ofcom’s statutory media literacy duty to require it to take tangible steps to prioritise the public's awareness of and resilience to misinformation and disinformation online.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 19061 on Afghanistan, how many ARAP scheme applications have been reassessed as of 12 April 2024.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The reassessment of applications from those with credible links to former Afghan specialist units is well under way and is being conducted by staff independent of those who previously worked on these applications.

The first reassessment occurred on March 26, and we aim to complete reassessing the majority of the approximately 2,000 cases in scope of the review within around 12 weeks. Some complex cases might extend beyond this as we ensure all evidence is considered.

I will update the House once the review is completed, but my immediate priority is processing the cases as swiftly and diligently as possible and ensuring that the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme criteria is consistently applied to all applications being reassessed.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2024 to Question 21043 on Afghanistan: Refugees, in how many and what proportion of reassessed ARAP applications has the applicant been assessed as being eligible for relocation.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The reassessment of applications from those with credible links to former Afghan specialist units began on March 26 and I can confirm that overturned decisions have already been communicated to applicants.

As I stated in my answer to Question 21043, my immediate priority is to process all cases as diligently and swiftly as is possible. I will update the House once the review is completed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle anti-social behaviour in public green spaces.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Last year the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes funding an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially this was limited to 10 police force areas, including South Yorkshire, but in 2024/25 of £66m will be allocated to every police force to support a hotspot approach across England and Wales.

We have also provided funding to establish Immediate Justice pathways aimed at delivering swift, visible punishment for anti-social behaviour. This started in 10 police force areas and is being rolled out across England and Wales in 2024.

In addition, since 2020, £150 million has been allocated to the Safer Streets and Safety of Women at Night (SWaN) Funds. This has enabled 413 projects across England and Wales to invest in communities through a range of preventative interventions.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2024 to Question 21043 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many people (a) have been relocated and (b) are due to be relocated in the next 12 weeks under the ARAP scheme as a result of such a reassessment.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 23497. The Ministry of Defence is working hard to review ineligible decisions made against applications from the Triples and other specialist units where we hold credible evidence, and I will update the House when the review is complete.

When any individual is found eligible under ARAP the Ministry of Defence works to ensure relocation occurs as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure a smooth transition for students with special educational needs and disabilities from (a) key stage 2 to key stage 3 and (b) key stage 4 to key stage 5.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life and supports them to achieve positive outcomes.

Mainstream schools and colleges should use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person with special educational needs gets the special educational provision they need. This might include tailored support to prepare for transitions.

In addition, for those with an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for transitions as part of their plan’s annual review. Planning for the transitions should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious, stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.

The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and for those in alternative provision (AP). This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings. This includes transitions into higher education, employment, adult services, and, for young people leaving AP at the end of key stage 4, building on learning from the recent Alternative Provision Transition Fund.

The department is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and key partners from the SEND and post-16 sectors, including the Association of Colleges and Natspec, to develop the guidance. The department is working with young people with different types of need, including those with and without EHC plans, to co-produce the guidance to ensure it improves experiences and outcomes. The department will also involve parents and carers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a ban on public sector bodies paying a ransom to criminal groups in exchange for decryption.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

Cyber crime is a significant threat to the security and prosperity of the UK. The most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated that there were 984,000 ‘computer misuse’ offences against individuals in England and Wales in the year ending December 2023. The Government recognises ransomware as the most significant national security cyber threat.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) discourages paying ransoms, noting that such payments rarely ensure data recovery. The UK Government neither pays ransoms nor condones the payment of ransoms to criminals, always advising against such substantial concessions to hostage-takers or extortionists.

At the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) summit in Washington last year, we led a joint statement signed by 46 countries and Interpol, which pledged that “relevant institutions under the authority of our national government” should not be used to pay a ransomware demand. This was the first international statement of its kind. Our joint statement was a major milestone in achieving international consensus around the non-payment of ransoms.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2024 to Question 902272 on Disinformation, how many information threats the Defending Democracy Taskforce has responded to.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In 2022 the Defending Democracy Taskforce, chaired by the Security Minister, was established to further drive forward work to protect the UK from the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions and processes, including interference with the UK democratic process. The Taskforce engages across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society.

It would not be appropriate to comment publicly on the volume of information threats the departments which support the Taskforce team have responded to, in part because doing so would give malign actors insight into the scale of the UK’s capabilities to identify and tackle such threats to our democratic processes.

Town and Country Planning

Town and Country Planning