Written questions by Rosindell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.

We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the release of political prisoners detained in Belarus.

We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to coordinate with allies, including Japan and the United States, to uphold peace and security in the Taiwan Strait.

The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled by people on both sides of the Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion in any context. We support all actions to de-escalate tensions that are not conducive to peace and stability.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to strengthen the commitment of journal editors to publishing research using alternative methods, what assessment her Department has made of the work being done by the Coalition to Illuminate and Address Animal Methods Bias (COLAAB) to establish editorial policies to address animal methods bias.

The Government’s strategy to replace animals in science includes a commitment to support journal editors to publish research using alternative methods. In developing the strategy, officials met with a range of relevant stakeholders, including international journals and publishers, to agree on this commitment and consider how best to take it forward and will continue to do so during its implementation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for her policies of the United States’ recent decision to ease sanctions on Belarus following the release of political prisoners.

We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to strengthen the commitment of journal editors to publishing research using alternative methods, which journal editors and publishers will be involved and what conversations she has already had with journal editors and publishers.

The Government’s strategy to replace animals in science includes a commitment to strengthen journal editors’ support for publishing research using alternative methods. In developing the strategy, officials met with journal editors and senior editorial and policy staff from the Journal of Pharmacology; Cardiovascular Research, Frontiers in Physiology and Artery Research; PLOS, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley. Future discussions on delivering this commitment will not be restricted to these journals or publishers, and we will seek to engage more widely with this sector to drive this commitment forward.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her South Korean counterpart on issues relating to the prospects for unification on the Korean peninsula.

Diplomacy and negotiations are the best way to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The Republic of Korea is a valued partner with whom we routinely discuss these important issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the role of China in influencing stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Diplomacy and negotiations are the best way to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The Republic of Korea is a valued partner with whom we routinely discuss these important issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what conversations she has had with her counterpart in Bangladesh following the International Crimes Tribunal sentencing of Sheikh Hasina to death.

The Minister of State for International Development visited Bangladesh on 13-14 November, reasserting the strong partnership between our two countries, and emphasising the UK's support for human rights and democracy. The UK Government's policy on the death penalty is clear: we oppose it in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Christians in North Korea; and what steps the Government is taking to raise freedom of religion or belief with international partners.

The UK remains deeply concerned by unacceptable reports of ongoing, widespread, and systematic human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Defending the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is a priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and a key strand of our DPRK human rights strategy. The UK regularly raises concerns about the DPRK's human rights violations, including the lack of freedom of religion or belief, both with the DPRK embassy in London and in multilateral fora. On 20 November 2025, the UK co-sponsored the UN General Assembly's Third Committee resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of her policies concerning the reported murder of four Christians by Islamic State in Borno State on 11 November.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 85661 on 3 November 2025.

What steps the Government is taking to ensure that the year 8 reading test is used to direct interventions and not be used as a bench marking exercise for schools.

This government is determined to drive up standards for young people. Reading holds the key to the rest of the curriculum, with pupils who struggle to read so often struggling across the board, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.The department will introduce a new, statutory reading test in year 8 to ensure a focus on reading in key stage 3. This builds on the wider support we are providing to drive up standards in reading, including training and resources for secondary school teachers to help them support readers at all levels, with a particular focus on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind. This training should reach 75% of secondary schools this academic year.Development of the new statutory test will be led by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), experts in assessments who will work independently from ministers on the test’s contents. The STA will work with the sector to develop the test, including undertaking trials of test materials. Like the phonics screening check, school-level results will not be published. However, individual schools will receive their own pupils' results and will be able to access national, regional, and local authority data to ensure their pupils are on track.

If she will make it her policy to revise exam access arrangements to enable dyslexic learners to gain SPaG marks where they can demonstrate correct use of assistive technology.

The independent regulator of qualifications (Ofqual) is responsible for ensuring the exam system is fair and accessible for all students. Under the Equality Act 2010, awarding organisations must make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would otherwise be disadvantaged when taking exams and assessments. These adjustments are designed to remove barriers without changing the nature of the assessment. Exams and assessments must give a valid and reliable measure of the student’s knowledge, skills, and understanding for that qualification. In line with the recommendations made by the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department will work with Ofqual and awarding organisations to ensure that accessibility implications are fully considered for all young people throughout the qualification development process.

If she will make it her policy to introduce mandatory CPD for all teachers to enable them to (a) identify the common signs of dyslexia and (b) adapt their classroom teaching to support dyslexic children.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with dyslexia. In January, we announced the most ambitious SEND training offer ever seen in the English education system. Backed by £200 million, the new offer will cover children with SEND from 0 to 25. More details on the training are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-landmark-send-teacher-training-programme.The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading. As part of teachers’ continuous professional development, the ‘Reading Ambition for All’ programme will improve outcomes for children in primary who need additional support.The SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEN does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.To identify need, we are strengthening the evidence base to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews will help drive inclusive practices, highlighting what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.  The ‘What Works in SEND’ research programme is researching tools that settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.From 2024, the national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) became the mandatory qualification for SENCOs, supporting participants to develop the essential knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of SEND policy in schools and understand the conditions in which pupils with SEND can thrive.

How many people have been imprisoned for supplying cannabis in every year since 2010.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.The offences should be selected by using the HO offence code filter and selecting:09221 - Production of or being concerned in production of a controlled drug - class B (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives)09226 - Production or being concerned in production of a controlled drug - class C (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives) (historic) 09241 - Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug - class B (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives)09246 - Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug - class C (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives) (historic) 09230 - Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug - class A (cocaine)

How many people have been imprisoned for growing cannabis in every year since 2010.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.The offences should be selected by using the HO offence code filter and selecting:09221 - Production of or being concerned in production of a controlled drug - class B (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives)09226 - Production or being concerned in production of a controlled drug - class C (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives) (historic) 09241 - Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug - class B (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives)09246 - Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug - class C (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives) (historic) 09230 - Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug - class A (cocaine)

If he will make it his Department's policy to reinstate compulsory chapels on Royal Navy vessels.

The Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service (RNCS) provides spiritual, pastoral and moral support to all personnel, regardless of faith and belief. Chaplains are routinely embarked on Royal Navy vessels, particularly major warships and deployed task groups, and will use and suitable quiet space for services, prayers and one-to-one support.

What steps he has taken to improve the sonar capabilities of the Royal Navy surface fleet.

The Defence Innovation Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Spearhead Programme has focussed on accelerating the Navy's understanding of advanced capabilities. Key areas progressed include sensor optimisation, machine learning and artificial intelligence, to improve the sonar capabilities within the surface fleet. Investment in the Anti-Submarine Warfare Sonar 2087 system has led to improvements to Type 23 capabilities. These improvements will also be pulled through to the Type 26 programme.

How many instances of violent crime have been committed by (a) foreign-born and (b) British-born perpetrators in every year since 2010.

The Home Office collects information on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, including violence and fraud.However, this does not include information on the birthplace of offenders since this is not pertinent to the initial investigation of such crimes and is unlikely to be known by the victim reporting that crime.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 71834 on Construction: Foreign Investment in UK, how many building control applications managed by the Fast Track innovation unit were (a) approved within the statutory time frame, (b) approved after the statutory time frame, (c) approved within the 65 working day target, (d) approved outside that target, (e) not yet approved and the statutory time frame has expired, (f) not yet approved and the 65 working day target has expired and (g) have been rejected.

The June reforms mark a pivotal step in positioning the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for the future, reflecting the Government's commitment to enhancing safety and supporting residents. On 4th August, the BSR launched the innovation unit to accelerate new-build applications. The new model is working effectively, with the majority of cases progressing in line with expectations, and some already concluded. It will take time for the benefits to be felt across the system, however we would expect the model to start to deliver tangible improvements around December. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment. We are expecting the next release of data towards the end of November.