Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the legal status of Southern Cameroons on the number of asylum applications from that region since 2021.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not made a specific assessment that the legal status of those from any part of Cameroon has driven changes in asylum intake since 2021. As with all nationalities, the number of asylum applications can fluctuate for a range of reasons, including wider political, security and humanitarian conditions, and global events.
All asylum claims from Cameroon are considered on their individual merits, in line with the Refugee Convention and the latest available country information.
We will not remove anyone to a country where they will face persecution or serious harm.
Data on the number of asylum claims, broken down by nationality, is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2026.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 16 April 2026 to Question 125400, on Asylum: Finance, whether it is her Department's policy that some of the costs of asylum seekers should be met from council taxpayers.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Dispersal Grant supports local authorities with a contribution to the costs and pressures of accommodating asylum seekers across all eligible accommodation types in their area. The grant is not intended to meet full costs, but to provide a contribution towards costs incurred by councils, consistent with affordability, value for money and the Local Government Funding Doctrine.
The Home Office does not hold a single estimate of the total costs incurred by councils in delivering the services outlined in the Asylum Dispersal Grant Funding Instruction, as costs vary significantly by local authority. Each local authority is free to determine how best to utilise the funding but for monitoring and evaluation purposes must be able to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the eligibility conditions in supporting Asylum Seekers in their area.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost to the Exchequer and expected economic impact on families of the temporary reduction in VAT on children's meals and summer attractions; what categories of business and attraction will be eligible for the scheme; what assessment she has made of the proportion of the tax reduction likely to be passed on through lower prices; and whether the Government intends to publish an evaluation of the scheme following its conclusion.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
From 25 June to 1 September the Government is introducing a temporary reduced rate of VAT on children's menu meals and eligible family attractions.
This is a targeted and temporary scheme to reduce the costs of children’s meals in restaurants, children’s tickets for theatres and cinemas and tickets for everyone for attractions like soft play, adventure centres, and theme parks, helping families enjoy a day out for less. Individual businesses should consult HMRC’s guidance to determine how the rules apply in their circumstances.
The temporary reduced rate is estimated to cost about £300m. All costings will be subject to certification in the next OBR forecast in the usual way.
The Government expects participating businesses to pass savings on to families by lowering the prices people pay on eligible children's meals and tickets, so the VAT cut is reflected directly at the till.
The impact of the measure will be kept under review through communication with affected taxpayer groups.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken comparative modelling of the costs of financing infrastructure supporting new towns through (a) private investment arrangements and (b) direct government borrowing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the estimated lifetime cost to the public sector of financing infrastructure supporting new towns through private investment arrangements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department intends to publish any assessment comparing the costs of alternative financing models for infrastructure supporting new towns.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many phones were reported stolen in the North West in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects data on the number of theft offences reported to the police in England and Wales. It is not currently possible to identify from these data which crimes involved the theft of a mobile phone. The Office for National Statistics publish estimates of mobile phone theft for England and Wales, but these figures are not available for smaller geographic areas. The latest Office for National Statistics estimates can be found at:
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the absence of a registered Treaty of Union between the Republic of Cameroon and the Southern Cameroons under Article 102 of the UN Charter.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has historically recognised the outcome of the 1961 UN-organised plebiscite, in which the territories now forming the North-West and South-West regions voted to join the Republic of Cameroon, as endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1608(XV).
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to strengthen the working relationship between the UK and the African Union.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials are in regular discussion with the African Union (AU) about a range of shared priorities. The Minister of State for International Development and Africa, attended the AU Summit in February, one of only two European Ministers to attend and the first UK Minister to be invited in a around a decade, a signal of the strength of our relationship.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish ODA allocations by country and thematic area.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As per the Minister for Development's letter of 1 June to the International Development Committee, we remain committed to publishing the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) country Official Development Assistance allocations in, or before, the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26.