Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) the National Institute for Health Research have commissioned (i) research and (ii) evaluation on systemic racism in maternity services.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The NIHR Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027 sets out how the NIHR will become a more inclusive funder of research and widen access to participation in clinical trials for under-represented groups such as pregnant women and ethnic minorities. In addition to these priorities, the NIHR will specifically consider intersectionality, recognising that multiple social identities overlap to exacerbate the experience of inequities.

The NIHR is actively supporting research to address disparities and improve equity in maternity services, including projects focussed on racism and its impact on maternal health. For example, the NIHR has supported research to understand how multiple inequalities, including racism, shape postnatal mental health among Black Caribbean and Black African women. The NIHR is also funding a study which is undertaking a wider exploration of the harms that health and social care services can cause the African-Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom. This study will explore how health researchers can work more positively with people of African-Caribbean heritage; to start having conversations about the harms that health and social care services can cause to these communities and determine how research and practice in this area can improve.

In addition, in March 2024, the NIHR launched a £50 million ‘Challenge’ funding call for research to tackle inequalities in maternity care bringing together experts across the country into a new consortium. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy and identify specific areas where measurable improvements can be made.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including research on systemic racism in maternity services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of British Airways' recent performance on the UK-Ghana route.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

British Airways operate direct routes between the UK and Ghana from London Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow Airport.

UK aviation operates in the private sector, and airlines are responsible for ensuring they reach an acceptable level of performance for their passengers.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) publishes flight punctuality statistics and is responsible for ensuring the industry meets relevant regulatory requirements.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what legal advice she has sought on the UK's military assistance to the US in Yemen.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by the Law Officers, or requested of the Law Officers, and the Convention applies to your question.

The Law Officers’ Convention can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023, whether the CPS has updated its case management system to flag joint enterprise cases for detailed manual assessment.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

In early 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) updated its case management system to enable a new national ‘flag’ to be applied to prosecutions for homicide and attempted homicide brought on a joint enterprise basis. Each prosecution also now receives an enhanced level of supervision from a case management panel, chaired by a senior legal manager.

The CPS will publish a report on the monitoring data collected during the 2024/25 financial year in the summer.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to hold airlines to account on (i) passenger rights and (ii) compensation for (1) delays and (2) cancellations on (A) intercontinental flights (B) flights between the UK and Ghana.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.

Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.

The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.

Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with British Airways on (a) passenger rights and (b) compensation for (i) delays and (ii) cancellations on UK-Ghana flights.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (‘Regulation 261’) is the UK legislation that sets out passenger rights around assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of long delays and cancellations.

Regulation 261 applies to flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of the airline. It also applies to flights arriving in the UK on an EU or UK airline.

The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for enforcing Regulation 261.

Government is committed to working with industry and stakeholders to ensure consumers continue to have a high level of protection whilst travelling by air.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with British Airways on (a) the scheduling, (b) route changes and (c) operational decisions impacting UK-Ghana flights.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with British Airways on (a) the management of its UK-Ghana route, (b) service standards and (c) passenger experience.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the management of its UK-Ghana route. The UK Civil Aviation Authority would undertake any discussions with British Airways if the airline was not meeting any of its regulatory requirement standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of British Airways' operational decisions on UK-Ghana business and tourism links.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, and the flights on those routes, are a commercial decision made by airlines. As this is a commercial decision, the DfT has not undertaken any assessment on British Airways' operational decisions on its UK-Ghana service. The UK-Ghana Air Services Agreement provides opportunity for growth in UK-Ghana market.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of flights between the UK and Ghana.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK aviation industry operates in the private sector, and each airline is responsible for setting its own fare structures, within a competitive market. However, they must be transparent about what the ticket price includes, helping passengers to make informed decisions about booking flights that meet their needs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with her Ghanaian counterparts on bilateral aviation agreements to improve connectivity and competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging increased airline competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DFT officials met with their Ghanian counterparts in August 2024 and agreed an updated UK-Ghana Air Service Agreement. The new Air Service Agreement enables further connectivity between the two countries as a result of the extension of traffic rights. The updated ownership and control provisions within the agreement also widens the potential for airline investment and the opportunity for airlines to enter the market resulting in increased competition on the UK-Ghana route.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to promote educational exchanges between the UK and Ghana.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Over the last 40 years, the Government's Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarship programmes have funded Masters-level education for almost 2,500 Ghanaian nationals at UK universities. This support allows talented and motivated Ghanaians to gain knowledge and skills in areas such as education, health and STEM subjects. The British High Commission in Accra hosts an annual Young Leaders Summit on International Youth Day to highlight the UK's role in promoting educational exchanges in Ghana, to support the development of young leaders. The UK-Ghana Science Technology and Innovation strategy also recognises and celebrates dozens of university-to-university partnerships operating across the two countries.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what initiatives his Department is supporting to strengthen cultural ties between the UK and Ghana.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The British High Commission in Accra hosts regular networking events with the Ghana diaspora to share information and build connections to promote culture, trade and investment. This includes our annual Diaspora New Year networking event hosted by the High Commissioner which gathers up to 1,000 influential people from the UK/Ghana diaspora. Through collaboration with the British Council, the UK supports emerging creative talent through the Creative Economy Programme and sponsors projects across theatre, dance, visual arts and design.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding the UK has provided to support social programmes benefiting cocoa farming communities in Ghana in the last five years.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has supported a number of global programmes relevant to the cocoa sector in Ghana, most notably 'Partnerships for Forests' (£120 million for 2015-24 across six countries including Ghana) and the 'Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) Programme' (£141.5 million since 2019, of which £17 million was allocated to Ghana). In addition, a bilateral 'Ghana Agricultural Transformation Programme' (£900,000 over four years) also included investments supporting cocoa companies to trial schemes to improve cocoa farmers' livelihoods.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to financially support low carbon farming.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to our net zero ambitions and boosting nature’s recovery, which are the foundations of a productive and profitable farming sector.

Our Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) pay farmers to take up land management practices that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The farming budget will be £2.4 billion in 2025/26, which includes the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for ELMs to boost Britain’s food security and accelerate the transition to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.

The Government has spent £51.8 million through the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP), with a further £98 million committed to ongoing projects in support of Agri-technology research and innovation. Many FIP projects support low carbon farming practices. FIP competitions for 2025/26 will include up to £12.5 million for the Net Zero Farming thematic competition.

Since 2021, Defra’s Farming Investment Fund awarded more than 11,000 grants worth over £130 million to farmers, growers and foresters to invest in technology, equipment and infrastructure, much of which supports low carbon farming practices. Of this, £107 million was through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). The next window of FETF will launch in Spring 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the emissions reductions required in agriculture to deliver the sixth carbon budge.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is absolutely committed to our net zero targets. We will publish an updated Carbon Budget Delivery Plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all the sectors in due course. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 and our Nationally Determined Contribution commitments on a pathway to net zero.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of Ghana’s role in promoting regional security in west Africa; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting that role.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK and Ghana have a long-standing security and defence partnership, built upon Ghana's role as an exporter of security and stability. The UK welcomes the commitment by President Mahama to address regional security challenges and Ghana's appointment of an envoy to the Alliance of Sahelian States. During the Minister for Africa's recent visit to Ghana in January 2025, he welcomed President Mahama's intention to play an active role in bringing more security and stability to the region, whilst highlighting the UK's readiness to maintain close security cooperation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ghanaian counterpart on strengthening UK-Ghana diplomatic relations.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has a close relationship with Ghana, underpinned by a shared history, shared Commonwealth values and a respected and important Ghanaian diaspora. The recent visit of the Deputy Prime Minister to Ghana signals the importance this Government places on strengthened diplomatic relations, underscored in her meetings with President Mahama and the Ghanaian Foreign Minister. The Foreign Secretary has also written to Foreign Minister Ablakwa following his appointment, to extend his warm wishes and desire to strengthen our bilateral partnership. Finally, we see real potential in forging a mutually beneficial partnership for growth with Ghana, and we look forward to working with the UK Trade Envoy to Ghana to deliver this.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of visa processing times for Ghanaian nationals applying to visit or study in the UK.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes data on its performance against its service level agreement for visas, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We are currently operating within published service standards for both tourism and study routes and continue to prioritise urgent compelling or compassionate cases across all workstreams. Where applications are complex and we require further information or checks, decisions may take longer.

UKVI encourages all customers to apply in good time ahead of intended travel dates.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Crown Prosecution Service Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023, whether the CPS convened a scrutiny panel in January 2024 as planned that focused on joint enterprise cases where evidence of gang association was a feature.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

As Minister Sackman has set out in other substantive answers on the the matter of joint enterprise, we are aware of concerns about the impact of joint enterprise doctrine on defendants and their families. That is why more broadly the Government continues to keep the law in this area under review.

With regard to the role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), following publication of the Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023, the CPS held two national scrutiny panels on joint enterprise, with input from external stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience, to review the findings of the pilot and scrutinise joint enterprise casework. This review included a national scrutiny panel held on 1 February 2024 which focussed on joint enterprise cases where evidence of gang association was a feature.

The pilot found ethnic disparities in the caseload, but it was not possible to draw strong conclusions from the analysis due to the relatively small sample size (190 cases involving 680 defendants).

The CPS updated its case management system to commence a full national monitoring scheme in 2024. This monitors all homicide and attempted homicide prosecutions brought on a joint enterprise basis and will report annually. The CPS will publish a report on the monitoring data collected during the 2024/25 financial year in the summer.

Self-identified defendant ethnicity data from the police or other investigative authorities, subject to varying levels of error and omission at local levels, is uploaded to the CPS’ case management system. This can record the ethnicity category “W3 Gypsy and Irish Traveller” in accordance with criminal justice system data standards.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Crown Prosecution Service Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023: Data Analysis, published on 29 September 2023, what steps she plans to take to help tackle the ethnicity disproportionality outlined in that data.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

As Minister Sackman has set out in other substantive answers on the the matter of joint enterprise, we are aware of concerns about the impact of joint enterprise doctrine on defendants and their families. That is why more broadly the Government continues to keep the law in this area under review.

With regard to the role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), following publication of the Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023, the CPS held two national scrutiny panels on joint enterprise, with input from external stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience, to review the findings of the pilot and scrutinise joint enterprise casework. This review included a national scrutiny panel held on 1 February 2024 which focussed on joint enterprise cases where evidence of gang association was a feature.

The pilot found ethnic disparities in the caseload, but it was not possible to draw strong conclusions from the analysis due to the relatively small sample size (190 cases involving 680 defendants).

The CPS updated its case management system to commence a full national monitoring scheme in 2024. This monitors all homicide and attempted homicide prosecutions brought on a joint enterprise basis and will report annually. The CPS will publish a report on the monitoring data collected during the 2024/25 financial year in the summer.

Self-identified defendant ethnicity data from the police or other investigative authorities, subject to varying levels of error and omission at local levels, is uploaded to the CPS’ case management system. This can record the ethnicity category “W3 Gypsy and Irish Traveller” in accordance with criminal justice system data standards.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Crown Prosecution Service Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023 whether the scheme is monitoring cases involving (a) Romani, (b) Roma and (c) Irish Travellers; and when will the scheme will issue its first report.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

As Minister Sackman has set out in other substantive answers on the the matter of joint enterprise, we are aware of concerns about the impact of joint enterprise doctrine on defendants and their families. That is why more broadly the Government continues to keep the law in this area under review.

With regard to the role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), following publication of the Joint Enterprise Pilot 2023, the CPS held two national scrutiny panels on joint enterprise, with input from external stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience, to review the findings of the pilot and scrutinise joint enterprise casework. This review included a national scrutiny panel held on 1 February 2024 which focussed on joint enterprise cases where evidence of gang association was a feature.

The pilot found ethnic disparities in the caseload, but it was not possible to draw strong conclusions from the analysis due to the relatively small sample size (190 cases involving 680 defendants).

The CPS updated its case management system to commence a full national monitoring scheme in 2024. This monitors all homicide and attempted homicide prosecutions brought on a joint enterprise basis and will report annually. The CPS will publish a report on the monitoring data collected during the 2024/25 financial year in the summer.

Self-identified defendant ethnicity data from the police or other investigative authorities, subject to varying levels of error and omission at local levels, is uploaded to the CPS’ case management system. This can record the ethnicity category “W3 Gypsy and Irish Traveller” in accordance with criminal justice system data standards.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure funding for education is protected in the planned reduction of ODA.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is a thought-leader in education and we continue to support harnessing educational opportunities for long-term growth and prosperity. We work in partnership with Global South governments to share policy expertise and pioneering education research and evidence to improve foundational learning, strengthen education systems, and improve quality of education particularly for the most marginalised. We are also unlocking additional education finance through mechanisms such as the innovative International Finance Facility for Education.

Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

47th anniversary of the murder of Altab Ali

Lesbian Visibility Week 2025

Trans+ History Week

Immigration application fees for young adults and children

Collapse of Rana Plaza, Bangladesh

The death of His Holiness Pope Francis

Death of Pope Francis

Second state visit by Donald Trump

International Day of the Midwife

Libraries in state primary schools

Found: Connor Rand (Labour; Altrincham and Sale West) Joani Reid (Labour; East Kilbride and Strathaven) Bell Ribeiro-Addy