Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to provide advice on Standard Individual Export Licence applications for dual-use goods to Ukraine on (a) UK defence technology exports and (b) Ukraine's non-military resilience; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those applications are processed in a timely manner.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

All export licence applications to Ukraine are treated with the highest priority by the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU). As with all export licence applications, assessments are made on a case-by-case basis according to the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. Assessments for Ukraine, given the situation within the country and the nature of the goods often being exported, mean these cases are some of the most complex for ECJU to process. In the most recent period covered by our official statistics in development i.e. July to September 2024, we processed 79% of SIELs for Ukraine within 20 working days, exceeding our public target of 70%.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with his international counterparts to establish an international register of damage caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine.

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

The UK is a founding member and Chair of the Conference of Participants for the Register of Damage for Ukraine, which allows Ukrainians to record losses, injury, or damage suffered as a result of the war. In March, the Board took several steps to increase access to justice: they launched six new claims categories, concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to enable claimants to access legal support free of charge, and signed an agreement that sets a framework for the Register to access evidence gathered by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

The UK is also engaged in international efforts to establish a Claims Commission for Ukraine that would assess the claims submitted under the Register of Damage. On 24-26 March, we joined the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee as a next step towards agreeing the institutional structure and mandate of such a mechanism.

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 the effectiveness of sanctions in deterring further atrocities in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

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

Working with partners, our Russia sanctions are restricting Putin's war machine and degrading his military. Sanctions have deprived Russia of at least $450 billion since February 2022. They are increasing equipment costs and delays and reducing equipment quality for Putin's war machine. The cost of components has risen by 30 per cent for the Russian defence sector over three years. Sanctions have prevented Russia expanding military supplies to the battlefield, despite extra investment and enormous military losses. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly reviews the effectiveness and impact of UK sanctions on Russia and remains committed to continuing to impose and enforce sanctions, alongside our partners, to constrain Russia's remaining sources of revenue.

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 support the (a) documentation and (b) investigation of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

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

The UK is actively involved in initiatives aimed at ensuring allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective, and robust legal mechanisms. This includes our work with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, where the UK has provided £11.3 million to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts, including to document, investigate, and prosecute alleged atrocity crimes. The UK also continues to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating allegations of international crimes committed in Ukraine, following the referral of the situation to the Court in February 2022.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the last meeting was of the National Space Council.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The National Space Council has not been reinstated under this government. However, along with the Ministry of Defence and other departments, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) remains committed to ensuring that space activities are effectively coordinated across all relevant departments. On 22 April, Ministers from across government met to discuss our approach to this policy area and to develop plans in the government’s Spending Review and Strategic Defence Review.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's strategic approach to relations with China.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This Government is taking a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. To help inform this, a team in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been conducting a full and comprehensive audit of the breadth of the UK's relationship with China. They have consulted widely across government and with a wide range of external stakeholders, which is already proving valuable in developing policies and planning engagement. We will continue to work hard to protect and pursue our interests with China, making sure that our engagement is delivering for the British people. That includes where we need to challenge and where we can identify potential areas of cooperation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on establishing a special tribunal to prosecute crimes of aggression against Ukraine.

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

The UK is fully behind efforts to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and UK officials have played an important role in this process so far. The Foreign Secretary has just returned from Lviv where, alongside representatives of the Core Group of at least 37 countries, he announced united and ardent support for the establishment of a Special Tribunal and endorsed the legal texts required for its establishment. The UK will be engaging through the Council of Europe to take this work forward.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving integration between health services and local authority provision in the development of education, health and care plans.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Statutory duties are clear that health and local authorities must ensure the integration of educational and training provision with health and social care provision. They must also make joint commissioning arrangements with other local partners about the education, health and care provision to be secured for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission provide an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnerships’ commissioning arrangements with an emphasis on the outcomes being achieved for children and young people with SEND. Where appropriate, they recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.

Where partners do not meet their duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We work to monitor, support and challenge local authorities, working closely with NHS England to tackle weaknesses that sit with health partners.

The government is urgently looking at the SEND system and how it needs to be reformed. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with Cabinet colleagues earlier this month to discuss SEND system improvements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many education, health and care plans were completed within the statutory timeframe in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) plan issued within the statutory timeframe of 20 weeks, for each of the last 5 years, is shown in the table linked here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/1e7dc959-f459-4ef6-ba17-08dd866b22bc.

The latest available figures cover the 2023 calendar year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with local authorities on reducing the time taken to appeal an EHCP decision.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Whilst most education, health and care plans and assessments are agreed without recourse to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal, some families struggle to get the support they need when they need it.

The department continues to work across government, with local authorities and the Tribunal to understand why appeals may take a long time to be resolved and what support we can give local authorities to improve decision-making. As an initial step, last year we jointly delivered eight training sessions on ‘SEND and the law’ for local authority SEND caseworkers to improve their knowledge of the law and help ensure that decisions are legally compliant.

The Tribunal is taking steps to reduce the time that families wait for a decision on their appeal. It has recruited and trained over 70 new judges who are now hearing appeals. It has also expanded the remit of Judicial Alternative Dispute Resolution (JDAR) to determine all ‘Section I (name of school)’ appeals and recently announced a rule change to allow for judicial discretion to determine whether more appeals can be heard on paper. The use of JDAR and paper hearings reduces the need for full oral hearings and therefore the time families wait for decisions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed reforms in the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision improvement plan was published under the previous government which did not complete a full cost-benefit analysis.

The department continues to develop and test reform proposals, including building on those in the plan, to support this government’s ambition to ensure that all children and young people can access the support they need to achieve and thrive in education and as they transition to adult life.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the accountability of local authorities in delivering high-quality SEND provision under the Children and Families Act 2014.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to achieve and thrive including as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach in collaboration with local area partnerships to improving support for all children and young people with SEND.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) introduced a strengthened area SEND inspection framework in January 2023, leading to a greater emphasis on the outcomes being achieved for children and young people. It is the primary tool to maintain a focus on high standards in the SEND system across all partners.​

The department works to monitor, support and challenge local authorities as needed, working closely with NHS England to tackle weaknesses that sit with health partners. Where a council does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We offer a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through programmes such as our Sector Led Improvement Partners, which provides peer-to-peer tailored support.

The department will continue to work closely with Ofsted and CQC as they review the local area SEND inspection framework in response to feedback from the Big Listen exercise.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that evidence gathered by (a) UK armed forces and (b) partners in Ukraine is preserved for potential use in war crimes prosecutions.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The UK deplores the barbaric acts that are taking place in Ukraine, after Russia’s illegal invasion, and will continue to support holding all perpetrators to account.

We continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating allegations of international crimes committed in Ukraine and are also working closely with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, where the UK has provided £11.3 million to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts, including to document, investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential military and dual-use implications of Chinese investment in UK critical infrastructure.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The UK welcomes foreign investment. The National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) provides the UK Government robust powers to scrutinise and, if necessary, intervene in acquisitions or investment that may pose a risk to national security. This legislation is country agnostic and operated by the Investment Security Unit (ISU) in the Cabinet Office. Defence, alongside other Government Departments, works closely with the ISU, which has the cross-Government lead for advising on the national security implications of foreign investment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders have settled in the UK under the bespoke immigration route since its launch; and what integration support is being provided.

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

The Home Office publishes statistics relating to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the Immigration system statistics publication. Data on the number of grants of ILR to those on the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route, is published in table Se_D02.

To help those on the route integrate into their new communities, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has a Welcome Programme through which BN(O)s can access support on a range of issues including employment, education, housing, and access to English language provision. In March 2025, MHCLG announced its fifth year of funding for the UK-wide Welcome Programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of education, health and care plans across different local authority areas.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

An education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment ensures that a child or young person’s needs are assessed in a joined-up way across education, health and social care services.

Under this assessment process, the local authority must seek information and advice from a range of partners. These include the child or young person and their parents; their school or college (if any); health and social care partners; an educational psychologist; and other relevant professionals.

If it is determined necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person, the local authority must prepare an EHC plan which will say clearly what the child or young person’s needs are and what help they will be entitled to.

If a child’s parent or a young person disagrees with a decision not to assess for a plan, the decision not to issue a plan, the description of needs in the plan, the educational provision set out or the educational institution named, they are able to appeal to the First-tier special educational needs and disabilities Tribunal.

Latest data held by the department shows that 1,887 appeals were heard by the First-tier Tribunal in the 2023 calendar year that were not regarding a decision not to assess or the decision not to issue a plan. This includes appeals heard regarding disagreements over the description of needs in a plan and the educational provision set out in a plan.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of strategic dependencies on Chinese supply chains for (a) semiconductors, (b) pharmaceuticals, (c) rare earth elements and (d) other critical sectors on (i) national security and (ii) UK-China policy.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This government recognises the importance of strong and resilient supply chains to the UK's growth and economic security. While it would be counterproductive to 'de-couple' the UK economy from China or any other trading partner, we agree with many of our international counterparts that we must reduce our risk of dependency in critical industries.

The Department for Business and Trade is strengthening the UK's resilience both through sector programmes and the upcoming Trade, Industrial and Critical Minerals Strategies. These Strategies will outline more on our plans for resilience-building, including in the foundational sectors targeted by the Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of first-tier SEND tribunal cases lodged in the most recent year for which data is available; and in how many of those cases was the decision made in favour of the appellant.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Information about registered appeals and outcomes to SEND Tribunals is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) arrested and (b) charged under espionage-related offences linked to the People’s Republic of China in the last five years.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office routinely collects and publishes information on arrests and charges in the 'Police Powers and Procedures', and 'Crime Outcome' statistics respectively. However, the requested data is not published at the level of detail requested.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of regional disparities in the time taken for education, health and care plan assessments; and what steps she is taking to ensure local authorities meet the statutory deadline.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to assess whether children and young people have special educational needs that require an EHC plan. Plans must be issued within twenty weeks of the needs assessment commencing so that children and young people can access the support they need.

The department knows that local authorities across different regions have seen an increase in the number of assessment requests and that more needs to be done to ensure that local areas deliver effective and timely services. This includes better communication with schools and families.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we help them to identify the barriers and put in place an effective recovery plan. This includes, where needed, securing the support of a specialist special educational needs and disabilities adviser to help identify the barriers to EHC plan process timeliness and put in place practical plans for recovery.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to independent special schools for children with complex needs in regions where maintained provision is (a) limited and (b) oversubscribed.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises the vital role that special schools play in providing high-quality education and meeting the needs of children and young people. Independent special schools play their part in this, particularly in meeting low incidence needs. However, independent special schools typically have higher costs than their maintained equivalent, and we need to ensure that placements are used appropriately. Where a local authority has commissioned a place in an independent school, the local authority is responsible for all the funding for supporting that child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department wants more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs units.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million in high needs provision capital allocations for the 2025/26 financial year to support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and state-maintained special schools, reducing reliance on the independent sector to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate she has made of the UK’s exposure to Chinese (a) sovereign debt and (b) state-backed entities through (i) public pension funds and (ii) financial institutions.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Seven of the eight largest Public Service Pension Schemes (PSPSs) are unfunded, which means that they do not hold or invest assets against their pension liabilities and instead the Exchequer pays pensions as they come due. The largest funded PSPS is the Local Government Pension Scheme in England & Wales (LGPS). The LGPS is managed locally by 86 Administering Authorities and each publish asset allocation data in their yearly Annual Report and Accounts.

The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee closely monitor risks to the financial system, including those stemming from UK financial institutions’ global exposures. The Bank’s most recent stress test (Financial Stability Report, November 2024), shows that the UK banking system is resilient to severe global scenarios.

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 the adequacy of the state of freedoms in Hong Kong; and what steps the Government is taking to support the rights of British National (Overseas) passport holders.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has deep and longstanding ties with Hong Kong. However, as set out in detail in the Government's successive Six-monthly Reports on Hong Kong, the continued erosion of rights and freedoms threatens Hong Kong's way of life. China's imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) has seen dissent criminalised. The UK has called for the NSL to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.

The UK has demonstrated our commitment to the people of Hong Kong through the bespoke immigration route for British National (Overseas) status holders and their eligible family members. This Government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong and provide a welcoming home to Hong Kongers.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China, including the repression of people in Xinjiang and Tibet.

We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).

This Government continues to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations. For example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly in October.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken to prevent hostile state actors from exploiting UK research institutions; and what assessment her Department has made of potential Chinese involvement in sensitive academic collaborations.

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

We have a robust approach to risk in the research sector, working to ensure that institutions are alert to security risks and able to make informed decisions when collaborating internationally, backed by the government's comprehensive regulatory powers.

We are seeking to bring a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing our science and technology relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. Our approach remains to enhance the UK’s long-term prosperity, while never compromising on economic and national security.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the coordination of (a) trade and (b) investment policies relating to the People’s Republic of China.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK regularly engages with international partners regarding trade and investment policies, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora such as the World Trade Organisation.

With regards to China specifically, the UK's overall approach is to cooperate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must. During my visit to China in April, I held frank and honest discussions with my counterparts on the opportunities and challenges in the bilateral trade relationship, including improving overall reciprocity in market access, raising UK concerns on level playing field issues and market distorting practices and discussing economic security issues.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK businesses trading with China are not complicit in the use of forced labour.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chains. The UK recognises the importance of ensuring UK businesses are not complicit in forced labour, in line with the UN Guiding Principle on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial businesses operating in the UK with a turnover of £36m or more must report annually on their steps to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. The Home Office has published new statutory guidance, providing more practical and comprehensive advice for businesses to enhance their fight against modern slavery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to hospice funding on the sustainability of end-of-life care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

In recognition of this, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England for 2024/25 and 2025/26, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

Additionally, children and young people’s hospices will receive £26 million in revenue funding for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.

In February, I met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases in National Insurance contributions on the financial sustainability of charitable hospices and the delivery of end-of-life care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We took the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.

The employer National Insurance contribution rise was implemented in April 2025, and planning guidance published on 30 January 2025 sets out the funding available to integrated care boards and the overall approach to funding providers for the 2025/26 financial year. It takes into account a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices. Further information on the planning guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. I am delighted that the first £25 million tranche of that funding, which Hospice UK kindly allocated and distributed to hospices throughout England, was fully spent by hospices on capital projects. An additional £75 million will be allocated in the coming weeks for use in 2025/26.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has with his counterparts in (a) Japan, (b) Australia and (c) the United States on (i) defence, (ii) trade and (iii) foreign policy relations.

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

We continue to engage with our allies across the world on defence, trade and foreign policy relations. It is the long-standing practice of successive governments not to comment on matters of national security and private diplomatic meetings. I refer the Rt Hon Member to the read outs available on gov.uk.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defence contracts his Department has awarded since 5 July 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for procurement on the defence industrial base.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Based on contracts created in the Ministry of Defence Commercial Contracting system there have been 1986 contracts created with a start date more recent than 5 July 2024.

It is widely recognised that there are issues with the Department’s procurement system including that it is inefficient and creates uncertainty and barriers to entry for industry especially SMEs. The Defence Industrial Strategy will radically reform procurement to tackle these inefficiencies, cut waste, reduce red tape, and deliver maximum value for both our Armed Forces and our economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure children with SEND are not disproportionately affected by (a) school exclusions and (b) informal off-rolling in mainstream schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the right support to succeed in their education. We are committed to ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special educational needs and introducing a new annual review of safeguarding, attendance and pupil movement, including off-rolling.

In all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing any exclusion. In the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure every child can learn in a safe, calm classroom.

Found: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat; Wells and Mendip Hills) Sarah Russell (Labour; Congleton) Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst

Found: Francis Habgood; Professor Michael Maguire; Mehmuda Mian; Dr Rose Marie Parr; Anna Sabine; Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst

Found: 19 (89.5%) Sarah Russell (Labour, Congleton) (added 21 Oct 2024) 15 of 19 (78.9%) Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst

Found: Cox Linsey Farnsworth Sir Ashley Fox Warinder Juss Tessa Munt Sarah Russell Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst

Found: Slaughter (Chair); Pam Cox; Linsey Farnsworth; Warinder Juss; Tessa Munt; Mrs Sarah Russell; Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst

Found: Furniss; Sir Francis Habgood; Professor Michael Maguire; Dr Rose Marie Parr; Anna Sabine; Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst