Written Statements

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

Tuesday 17 June 2025

Census 2021: General Report for England and Wales

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Georgia Gould)]

The UK Statistics Authority has published the general report of census 2021 in England and Wales. The general report is the official and comprehensive account of the 2021 census in England and Wales, which was delivered against the backdrop of the covid pandemic.

The general report is being laid before both Houses of Parliament pursuant to the Census Act 1920. It covers the whole operation of the census, from the 2014 recommendation to hold a digital-first census, through the preparation and delivery of the data-collection operation in 2021, to the publication of census data in 2022-23. The general report is also available on the Office for National Statistics’ website.

[HCWS702]

Army Commonwealth Cap

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for the Armed Forces (Luke Pollard)]

Commonwealth citizens^[1] have a long and distinguished history of service to this country, including during the second world war, which helped us to secure victory in Europe and victory over Japan, the 80th anniversaries of which we are commemorating this year. Today, citizens of over 40 Commonwealth countries are serving in our armed forces and play a vital role in the defence of the UK both here and overseas, bringing with them a diverse range of skills and different perspectives to planning and decision making. We hope they will continue to do so in the future, and we will continue to welcome Commonwealth personnel to join the armed forces.

As we set out in the strategic defence review, we are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence that will make Britain safer—secure at home and strong abroad. It signifies a landmark shift in our deterrence and defence, in which we move to warfighting readiness to deter threats and strengthen security in the Euro Atlantic. As the UK steps up to take on more responsibility for European security, we must have a “NATO first” defence policy and lead within the alliance. The UK will become the leading edge of innovation in NATO.

The operational effectiveness of our armed forces is central to this. We must therefore continue to bear in mind the importance of ensuring that the armed forces continue to be representative of the UK. We also need to ensure that we do not become overly reliant on personnel whose country of origin (citizenship) may object to where we need to deploy them.

As a result, in November 2018^[2], the MOD set a maximum limit of up to 1,350 Commonwealth citizens who can be recruited each year into our armed forces, and since February 2009^[3], the Army has had an upper limit of 15% on the number of Commonwealth personnel serving in each of its cap badges. That applied originally to just three (the Royal Logistic Corps, the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and the Royal Army Dental Corps), but this was extended to all remaining cap badges from November 2018. Until now, this has been applied to the trained strength—those who have completed basic training.

However, we need to balance this approach against the need to maximise opportunities to serve for those Commonwealth citizens who wish to do so. I would therefore like to inform the House of an amendment to the way in which the 15% will be applied. Going forward, the upper limit of 15% will be determined by reference to the structure of the cap badge, and not the trained strength. Changing the way the 15% limit is applied will ensure that more roles will be available for Commonwealth personnel, including those who wish to transfer from one cap badge to another, thus helping to support efforts to retain additional people in our armed forces, while remaining within the overall annual limit of 1,000 new Commonwealth entrants in the Army.

^[1] “Commonwealth citizen” means anyone who is a Commonwealth citizen within the meaning of section 37(1 )(b) of the British Nationality Act 1981; a Commonwealth citizen is defined in section 37(1 )(b) of the British Nationality Act 1981 as including every person who under any enactment for the time being in force in any country mentioned in schedule 3 is a citizen of that country. Schedule 3 to the 1981 Act lists the current member countries of the Commonwealth other than the UK.

^[2] https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2018-11-05/debates/1811051000007/ArmedForcesCommonwealthRecruitment

^[3] https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2009-02-02/debates/0902029000080/ArmyNationalityPolicy

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Afghanistan

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Mr Hamish Falconer)]

Today I am updating the House on UK efforts to support those most in need in Afghanistan. The situation continues to matter to the UK due to both the terrible humanitarian and human rights situation, in particular its impact on women and girls, and national security concerns, given risks related to terrorism and irregular migration.

Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with 23 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025. Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of this crisis due to systematic Taliban oppression. The challenging global context for aid financing means that the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan risk not receiving assistance that they desperately need. Over 298 nutrition centres and 420 health facilities have closed this year, jeopardising access to lifesaving assistance for over 3 million people, including pregnant mothers, infants and young children. The World Food Programme currently projects having enough funding to cover just 10% of the 12.6 million people assessed to be food insecure this year. Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Afghans continue to return from Iran and Pakistan into a context where the economy remains stagnant and access to essential services and jobs is limited.

The UK Government continue to play a leading role in supporting the people of Afghanistan in this challenging context. Afghanistan remains one of the FCDO’s largest bilateral aid programmes. In financial year 2024-25, we allocated £171 million to provide vital support for vulnerable people. In 2023-24 we reached 2.7 million people with humanitarian assistance, including over 1.3 million women.

Despite an increasingly complex operating context, our independent monitoring shows that our assistance continues to reach vulnerable people, including women and girls. The UK Government remain committed to ensuring that at least 50% of people reached by UK aid are women and girls. Our results for financial year 2024-25 will be published in the summer.

We have adapted how we work to ensure we are providing early, flexible funding to partners to sustain lifesaving activities, while moving to an approach that can also support essential services and livelihoods for the Afghan people in the medium term. We have pivoted our portfolio towards lifesaving health services and malnutrition treatment and prevention for mothers and their young children. We are engaging with other donors and the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to protect health system capacity, including routine childhood immunisation and surveillance systems. As Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change, climate adaptation will be critical to addressing Afghanistan’s food crisis. We are launching new programming supporting Afghans to grow their own food, strengthen their resilience to climate shocks and water stress, improve their livelihoods, and reduce dependence on emergency aid.

Alongside our funding, we are using our technical and diplomatic capacity to shape and strengthen the international response and protect operating space for partners. We are leading a dialogue, bringing together key partners and donors to strengthen our collective approach to tackling food insecurity and malnutrition in Afghanistan. We lobby the Taliban on aid and human rights issues and speak directly with Afghans and civil society to inform our policy and programming. We also carry out visits to Afghanistan to see UK-funded projects at first hand. We continue to use our representation to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to lobby for increased coherence and prioritisation of these essential funding streams.

We have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s abhorrent policies towards women and girls, and remain united with the international community in our firm opposition to continued restrictions. Upholding human rights and gender equality is not only a moral imperative, but essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans.

On 20 January, I convened a meeting in New York with senior representatives from the UN and influential countries to underline the importance of collectively addressing Afghanistan’s challenges. On 28 January, I hosted a roundtable with country representatives from WFP and the United Nations Population Fund to discuss the gendered impacts of the crisis in Afghanistan. At the UN in New York on 12 March, the UK’s special envoy for women and girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, jointly hosted an event reiterating support for girls’ education in Afghanistan with the United Arab Emirates, Norway, and UN Women.

In a renewed commitment to the people of Afghanistan, Mr Richard Lindsay has today been appointed special envoy to Afghanistan. Mr Lindsay will lead a new Afghanistan department from the UK, taking on the duties of the current chargé d’affaires, whose assignment concludes at the end of this month. The UK mission to Afghanistan in Doha will close on 30 June 2025. This new model will allow the UK to actively engage with a broader range of Afghans beyond Doha, particularly those calling for peaceful political change towards a more inclusive political settlement. Our resolve to support the people of Afghanistan for the long term is unwavering.

[HCWS703]

Women, Peace and Security: Annual Report

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stephen Doughty)]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my noble Friend Lord Collins of Highbury, has today made the following statement:

I wish to inform the House that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, together with the Ministry of Defence, is today publishing the 2024 annual report on progress against the UK’s fifth women, peace and security national action plan.

The report published today demonstrates the Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability on the women, peace and security agenda, outlining progress since February 2024, and against the NAP’s five strategic objectives. The report also provides case studies on the NAP’s implementation objectives, and has included case studies from Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Syria, Ukraine, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Sudan.

The Government have committed to build on the approach and ambition of the UK’s current and fifth NAP, published under the previous Government in February 2023, advancing implementation and updating priorities. As part of the Government’s commitment to transparency, we will engage with civil society, and the all-party parliamentary group on women, peace and security, as we refresh the NAP and prior to publication.

The recently published strategic defence review makes it clear that the threats we now face are more serious and less predictable than at any time since the end of the cold war. The SDR sets out a vision to make Britain safer, secure at home and strong abroad. As we invest in defence, we must recognise that the women, peace and security agenda is critical to our success. This means strengthening women’s representation in security and defence, as well as ensuring that gender dynamics are fully considered in our approach to national security, transnational threats and operational effectiveness.

In this 25th anniversary year of the WPS agenda, I want to reiterate the Government’s commitment to advancing women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in political, security and peace processes. This Government will continue to advance gender equality and empower women and girls through our international action.

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Firearms Licensing: Sound Moderators

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention (Dame Diana Johnson)]

The Government are today publishing their response to the public consultation that was undertaken by the previous Government on a proposal to remove the firearms accessory known as a sound moderator from firearms licensing controls. The consultation ran between 21 February and 2 April 2024.

A sound moderator can be attached to a rifle barrel to reduce the sound and flash when the rifle is fired. It reduces the sound of the shot by around three quarters, and accordingly these accessories are used to protect shooters’ hearing, to reduce the disturbance to others in the vicinity of shoots, and to stop shooters being temporarily blinded by the muzzle flash of a shot. They are entirely inert objects containing no moving parts and do not of themselves create a risk to public safety. They are, however, currently defined as a firearm in the Firearms Act 1968, and therefore they are subject to the requirement to be licensed by the police.

The Government have decided to remove sound moderators from the requirement to be licensed, and that doing so will not create any public safety risk or impact in any way the strength of our existing firearms controls. We do, however, see merit in making it a requirement for a person to be in possession of a valid firearms certificate, issued by the police, in order to lawfully possess a sound moderator. This will ensure that these accessories are held lawfully only by those with a legitimate purpose.

The public consultation also sought views on whether it would be appropriate to use a legislative reform order, made under section 1 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, if it were decided to deregulate sound moderators. Having given careful consideration to this, the Government’s view is that it would not be appropriate to use such an order, given that this will require a change to the legal definition of a firearm set out in the Firearms Act 1968. The Government are therefore of the view that this change should be made through primary legislation, and we will therefore seek to make this change when parliamentary time allows.

A copy of the Government response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and published on www.gov.uk.

[HCWS705]

Local Government Reorganisation

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution (Jim McMahon)]

As I told the House on 5 February, I have issued invitations under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 to all councils in two-tier areas and their small neighbouring unitary authorities to work together to develop proposals for unitary local government. This reform will mean more accountable structures, making it much clearer who residents should look to on local issues. It will also mean fewer, but more empowered, local political leaders, who can focus on delivering for residents. I told the House on 3 June that I had received proposals from Surrey councils by the deadline specified in their invitation of 9 May. I will now provide an update on local government reorganisation in Surrey.

I received two proposals—one from Elmbridge borough council, Mole Valley district council and Surrey county council for two unitary councils, and one from the borough councils of Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, and Waverley and Woking, and Tandridge district council, for three unitary councils. I also received a joint submission from the borough councils of Reigate and Banstead and Crawley, in West Sussex, which I have decided does not meet the statutory requirements for a proposal, or the terms of the invitation, and is accompanied by insufficient information to enable a decision to be taken to implement it.

Today I have launched a consultation on the two proposals from Surrey councils. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/surrey-local-government-reorganisation and I will deposit a copy of the consultation in the Library of the House. I would welcome views from any interested people, including residents, and I am consulting the councils that made the proposals, other councils affected by the proposals, and councils in neighbouring areas. I am also consulting public service providers, including health providers, the police and fire services, and certain other business and voluntary sector bodies.

The consultation period will run for seven weeks until Tuesday 5 August. The consultation document is available, and those responding may do so on the Department’s online platform, “Citizen Space”, or by email or post. The consultation will provide information to help my assessment of the merits of each proposal, and I will carefully consider all the representations I receive, along with all other relevant information available to me.

The context of this consultation is that the 2007 Act provides that before any proposal is implemented, I must consult any council affected by the proposal that did not make it, and any other persons I consider appropriate. Once the consultation is concluded, I will decide, subject to parliamentary approval, which, if any, proposals are to be implemented, with or without modification. In taking these decisions, I will have regard to all the representations I have received, including those from the consultation, and all other relevant information available to me, and will reach a judgement in the round, assessing the proposals against the criteria in the invitation—whether they achieve for the whole area concerned the establishment of a single tier of local government; whether the councils are the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks; whether the unitary structures prioritise the delivery of high-quality and sustainable public services to citizens; whether councils in the area have sought to work together to come to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views; whether new unitary structures support devolution arrangements; and whether new unitary structures enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.

With regard to the submission from the borough councils of Reigate and Banstead and Crawley, my view is that it does not meet the statutory requirements, as the 2007 Act specifies that a council can only make one proposal, and that a proposal must specify the area that it covers. For the same reasons, and because the submission does not cover the whole of the invitation area, the submission does not meet the terms of the invitation. Further, it does not provide enough information for an assessment to be made as to whether all criteria would be met, and it would require significant work to enable it to be resubmitted, causing delay in what was intended to be an accelerated process. It would mean essentially drafting a new timetable, which would have the potential to see elections to the new unitary authorities delayed.

As I have received two proposals that meet the statutory requirements and the terms of the invitation, I have decided to take these to consultation. It is of course open to the borough councils of Reigate and Banstead and Crawley to respond to the consultation. With reference to their desire for the Gatwick Diamond economic area to be within the area of one strategic authority so as to best provide for economic growth, I would like to provide reassurance that local government reorganisation in Surrey does not mean that this is not an option to be considered in the future, and I encourage councils in Surrey to continue to engage with their neighbours as they consider options in the short and medium term to secure devolution and the advantages it brings.

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Dartford Crossing Charges

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)]

The Dartford crossing is the only fixed road crossing of the river Thames east of London, and one of the most important links in the strategic road network.

To manage demand and protect the crossing’s role as a vital component of the nation’s economic infrastructure, a user charge has been collected at the crossing since 2003. In 2014, the tollbooths were removed to help make journeys smoother, and the charge was increased to help manage increased demand. That was the last time that charges were increased for all vehicles.

In the 11 years since, demand at the crossing has grown by 7.5%, with the crossing now used by, on average, over 150,000 vehicles every day, and up to 180,000 vehicles on the busiest days. These traffic levels are well in excess of the crossing’s design capacity, causing delays for drivers using the crossing, congestion and journey disruption for drivers on the M25, and a range of knock-on impacts for local communities.

Current charging levels are no longer sufficient to achieve their stated aim of managing demand so that the crossing works well for users and local people. The need to increase the charges in order to manage traffic highlights the need for the additional capacity that the lower Thames crossing, for which the Government confirmed new funding yesterday, will provide.

To secure the effective operation of the crossing, I have therefore decided to increase the charges for all vehicle types that currently pay to use the crossing from 1 September 2025. The new tariff is given below.