Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the financial cost of heritage crime in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government recognises the distress and disruption that heritage theft and vandalism can cause to local communities. We have supported the work of Historic England which leads on a number of initiatives to tackle heritage crime, particularly theft from church roofs and other buildings primarily in rural locations.

We all have a part to play in preventing heritage crime. For example, the Heritage Watch scheme, a project brought together by Historic England and Country Eye Ltd encourages communities and other partners to get involved in protecting heritage buildings, by knowing how to spot the signs a crime has taken place and making it easier for local residents to report these crimes.

There is no separate recording code to disaggregate ‘heritage crime’ from the broader range of offences involved, such as theft, vandalism, arson and anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other agencies with a range of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, including damage to heritage sites caused by vandalism or graffiti.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether she has considered taking legislative steps to ensure that leaders of UK political parties publish their tax returns.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Under the MPs Code of Conduct, the Leaders of UK political parties who are MPs are required to declare any financial interest which might reasonably be thought to influence their actions, however there is no requirement in the parliamentary rules for Leaders, or any other MP, to publish their tax returns. The Government has no plans to introduce requirements for the leaders of UK political parties to publish their tax returns.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle antisocial behaviour in libraries.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. 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 that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances.

Libraries aim to deliver their services and activities within a safe and comfortable environment. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 provides for a local authority to make byelaws regulating the use of and the conduct of persons in their public libraries.

The revised public library byelaws for England were published in March 2025, following close consultation between DCMS and Libraries Connected. The byelaws are intended to help libraries deliver their service within a safe and comfortable environment, to safeguard library property and to make libraries places everyone can enjoy. They assist the library workforce to deal with disruptive behaviour and allow for flexibility in dealing with local concerns.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking through the Road Safety Strategy to reduce fatalities on rural roads.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Mandatory Provident Fund saving being withheld from Hong Kong BNO visa holders.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the BN(O) route are having difficulties accessing their Mandatory Provident Fund from Hong Kong.  Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority has declared that they will not accept the BN(O) passport or its associated visa as evidence in support of an application for early withdrawal of the Fund because they claim it does not prove permanent departure from Hong Kong. We have called on the Hong Kong authorities to work with trustees to find an immediate solution.  Ministers have raised the issue directly with Hong Kong's Chief Secretary and Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury respectively this year, and we will continue to do so.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the readiness of (a) her Department and (b) the Animal and Plant Health Agency for any potential increase in the number of Avian Influenza cases in the next 6 months.

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

APHA regularly monitors the prevalence and spread of avian influenza, supported by epidemiological modelling, during critical disease transmission periods. This information is used to help with scenario planning and the allocation of resource. APHA also keeps readiness to respond under review in its animal disease readiness index.

Defra has robust, well-established protocols for exotic disease response, outlined in its annually updated Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases, including how resource might be increased to deal with additional demand through mutual aid across Government.

As a department Defra has strengthened its approach to resilience over the past few years. This approach has been reviewed by the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA), who said it was well-structured, comprehensive, aligned with key frameworks, and supported by strong governance, communication, and lessons management processes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Treasury is taking to support the biological sciences research sector through the 10 Year UK Infrastructure strategy, published in June 2025.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the Skilled Workers visa route on recruitment in (a) the biological sciences research sector, (b) universities and (c) the NHS.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. We have now made Immigration Rules changes to bring the first of these reforms into effect.

It is our intention to publish an Impact Assessment (IA) at the earliest opportunity. A technical annex (www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex) was published alongside the Immigration White Paper setting out the impact of some of the key policy changes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people classed as NEET in South Norfolk constituency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Under the September Guarantee, local authorities are required to ensure that all 16 and 17-year-olds receive an offer of a suitable place to continue in education or training. The government monitors NEET data and liaises with local authorities regarding their duty to track and support young people who are NEET, or are at risk of becoming NEET.

We have invested over £7.5 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding during the 2024/25 academic year. However, we are aware of the particular challenges around access to education and training in Norfolk which relate to the local provider market. Departmental officials are working closely with these local authorities to actively address the issues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of holding an inquiry with HSBC and Standard Chartered on the withholding of the Mandatory Provident Fund from Hong Kong BNO visa holders.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 16 September to question 73901.