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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of allowing the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to be used for the acquisition of sustainable refrigerated light commercial goods vehicle transport.

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

The Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will invest £360 million over the next 12 years to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities. We will work with the industry to target investment where it matters most, for example considering investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet. We will provide more detail on this in due course. In the meantime, England’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme is open for applications and provides grant funding for electric and hybrid refrigerated vehicles.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to expand the definition of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests to include (a) being in receipt of an employment offer and (b) being a candidate for employment in an ongoing employment process.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Section 28 of the Localism Act 2011 (‘the Act’) requires a local authority to make provisions in its member code of conduct not just for the registration of pecuniary interests but also for other interests; this may include employment offers.

Under the Act, local authorities are required to have member code of conduct provisions that conform to the Nolan Principles and promote and maintain high standards of conduct. The Local Government Association has produced guidance on gov.uk a model code of conduct, recommending that they include provisions that members must not use their position improperly to the advantage or disadvantage of themselves or anyone else.

It is currently for local authorities to decide their code of conduct in line with lawful requirements. We consulted on a mandatory gov.uk minimum code of conduct for local authorities in England and will respond to the consultation in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) that victims of violent crime are promptly contacted by police and (b) that statements are taken without delay; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of police resourcing and funding to support timely investigations.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling violent crime and boosting public confidence in policing. Those are central ambitions within our Safer Streets mission.

In 2025-26 total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Champion (Chair); Tracy Gilbert; Monica Harding; Noah Law;

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Champion (Chair); Tracy Gilbert; Monica Harding; Noah Law;

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Champion (Chair); Tracy Gilbert; Monica Harding; Noah Law;

Submit Evidence (by 25 Aug 2025)

Nigeria was the sixth largest recipient of UK Official Development Assistance in 2023 with over £100m allocated. This was a reduction from third place in 2022 when it received £110m. As of 2024, Nigeria had by far the largest population in Africa and one of the highest population growth rates. Nigeria is the fourth largest economy in Africa and has a diaspora numbering hundreds of thousands living in the UK.