Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

Who is responsible for ensuring items of property confiscated after an arrest are returned to the original owner once an investigation is complete.

Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a Minister will attend the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in March 2025.

The Government does not believe the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will bring us closer to a world without nuclear weapons. The UK will not sign, ratify or engage with the Treaty and will not send Observers to the Third Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW. The Government firmly believes that the best way to achieve our collective goal of a world without nuclear weapons is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach, under the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

What assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) small businesses and (b) insurance premiums of changes in the levels of high street thefts.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this, everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.We will end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to low level shoplifting of goods under £200.We have announced £100 million of new funding to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers, community support officers and special constables into neighbourhood policing teams, as announced by the Prime Minister earlier this month.Whilst Government does not generally intervene in the commercial pricing decisions of insurers, we are determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority rules.

How many fines for school absence were issued to the parents of neurodiverse children who missed school for a reason relating to their condition in the last 12 months; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of those trends.

The information requested is not held by this department. The department collects aggregate data on penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence from local authorities in England, through the annual parental responsibility measures attendance census. No information is collected on characteristics of the children concerned. The available data is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures.On improving school attendance, this government is acting decisively to tackle absence via a new approach rooted in responsibility, partnership and belonging. This includes supporting schools and recognising they have important responsibilities by creating a welcoming, engaging and inclusive environment for children, but that it is also a parent’s legal responsibility to send their children to school every day that they can.We know that some pupils face additional barriers to attending school regularly. Our ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance particularly emphasises the importance of support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and mental ill health who often need more individual consideration due to the wider barriers they face.The new national framework for fixed penalty notices, which has been in place since the start of this academic year, strengthens protections for parents of those with additional needs by, for absence cases other than holiday, introducing an expectation that attendance support will have been provided before a penalty notice can be used. The vast majority of penalty notices for unauthorised absence (89%) are issued for term time holidays.

Whether the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is still active; how many meetings of that taskforce have taken place since it was established; and if he will publish the (a) dates and (b) durations of those meetings.

The Maternity Disparities Taskforce is not currently active, having met six times on: 8 March 2022, 16 May 2022, 18 July 2022, 18 April 2023, 5 September 2023 and 31 January 2024. The duration of these meetings were approximately an hour and a half.It is a priority for the Government to make sure all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background or ethnicity.  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron, is considering the immediate action needed to tackle inequalities for women and babies and racism in maternity services; including what targets are needed.

What steps he is taking to support Start for Life services in Lambeth; and if he will extend the funding of such services beyond 1 April 2025.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is central to delivering the Government’s commitments to give every baby the best start in life, and to deliver the healthiest generation of children ever. Lambeth is one of 75 local authorities the Government is funding to ensure parents and carers can access Start for Life services, from conception to the age of two years old.We work closely with Lambeth to support programme implementation across all funded strands, and they have opened six Family Hub sites with Start for Life services at their heart since 2023. We also signpost policy toolkits, provide guidance, and facilitate the sharing of good practice between local authorities.The Autumn Budget announcement included £69 million to continue delivery of a network of Family Hubs in 2025/26. The Department will confirm Start for Life funding in due course.

If she will amend guidance on homelessness hostel exemption to recognise asylum accommodation as an exemption from the shared accommodation rate.

We are aware of the challenge some people face in finding shared accommodation, and we are working across government to find appropriate solutions including engaging with the newly formed Inter-Ministerial Group on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. The Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) applies to those claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who are under 35 years of age, living on their own, and renting privately. These individuals will be entitled to the SAR regardless of the size of property they rent. There are exemptions from the SAR for those who would find it difficult to share accommodation. The exemptions are not designed to tackle supply challenges and therefore we are not considering an exemption for those leaving asylum accommodation. Exempt individuals can claim the higher one-bedroom LHA rate, and these include former residents of homeless hostels and victims of modern slavery. The homeless hostel exemption was introduced in 2012 to support former rough sleepers following the increase in the SAR from age 25 to 35. The exemption supports homeless people and former rough sleepers to find suitable, stable move on accommodation after receiving appropriate care, supervision and support for at least 3 months within a hostel for homeless people.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for (a) his policies and (b) the forthcoming UK National Screening Committee review on prostate cancer guidelines of the findings of the report by Prostate Cancer UK entitled Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with, or dying from, prostate cancer by major ethnic group in England 2008–2010, published in July 2015, on the risk of prostate cancer for Black men.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is carrying out an evidence review for prostate cancer screening, and this includes different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening programmes aimed at groups of men identified as being at higher than average risk, such as those with a family history, carriers of the BRCA2 gene mutation, and based on ethnicity.The UK NSC is aware of Prostate Cancer UK’s report, and this will be considered as part of its evidence review process, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support people leaving Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds.

In the first year after the Taliban takeover, the UK provided £17 million to support partners in Afghanistan's neighbouring countries. This support assisted Afghan migrants and asylum seekers moving across borders, and refugee and host communities in those countries. We are also planning £161 million of funding to Afghanistan this financial year (2024-5), which includes both humanitarian aid and support for essential services in Afghanistan. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

How many and what proportion of asylum claims her Department has (a) granted and (b) refused to non-religious people fleeing Afghanistan from fear of persecution in the latest period for which data is available; and whether her Department has issued guidance on handling asylum claims for (a) religious and (b) non-religious persecution.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. The Home Office does not publish initial decisions on asylum claims by religion.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to the year ending June 2024. Data for the year ending September 2024 will be published on 28 November 2024.All asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religious persecution, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, such as human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country, is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to investigate alleged fraudulent research and development tax relief claims.

HMRC is committed to tackling error and fraud whilst also ensuring the R&D tax relief claims process is straightforward for genuine claimants.At Autumn Budget, HMRC published the Approach to Research and Development tax Reliefs for 2023 to 2024, which shows that the average time to complete a compliance check for 2023-24 is 246 days. The length of a compliance check will depend on a range of factors, including the complexity of the claim. The additional information required upfront to support claims is being used to inform HMRC’s risking of claims and compliance approach.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the average time taken to investigate alleged fraudulent research and development tax relief claims on small businesses.

HMRC is committed to tackling error and fraud whilst also ensuring the R&D tax relief claims process is straightforward for genuine claimants.At Autumn Budget, HMRC published the Approach to Research and Development tax Reliefs for 2023 to 2024, which shows that the average time to complete a compliance check for 2023-24 is 246 days. The length of a compliance check will depend on a range of factors, including the complexity of the claim. The additional information required upfront to support claims is being used to inform HMRC’s risking of claims and compliance approach.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of naming parties involved in employment tribunal cases on those people; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits granting anonymity to parties involved in employment tribunal cases by default.

The Employment Tribunals Act 1996 and the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2013 (“the Rules”) govern how cases are handled in employment tribunals. Orders for anonymity are primarily governed by rule 50 of the Rules. This provides the employment tribunals the power to make an order restricting or preventing the disclosure of any aspect of proceedings, this may include an order that a party’s identity should not be disclosed to the public. Employment tribunals may only make such an order, where it is ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ and having regard to the principle of open justice and to the Convention right to freedom of expression. As such, the question of whether such an order should be granted is a judicial decision balancing the interests of justice with the need for transparency, and is taken on a case-by case basis.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken for applications for indefinite leave to remain to be processed following a successful asylum claim on the mental health of applicants.

We have a proud record of providing protection to those who need it, for as long as it is needed, in accordance with our international obligations. Those who qualify for protection are normally granted five years’ limited leave and have access to the labour market and welfare support. Refugees, like the vast majority of migrants, are expected to complete a qualifying period of leave before being eligible to apply for settlement. Settlement provides permission to stay in the UK permanently and freedom from immigration control for those who still require protection. As the need for protection may be temporary, a safe return review is carried out on every application for settlement on a protection route to determine and confirm the need is continuing. If there are, for example, significant improvements in country conditions or changes in personal circumstances that mean someone no longer needs protection, they may be expected to return to their country of origin or to apply to stay in the UK under other provisions of the Immigration Rules. Those who are still at risk of serious harm in their country are not expected to return there. Our service standards for these Indefinite Leave to Remain applications is six months, and in cases where this is not possible, we contact our customers within that time to explain the reasons for this. Safeguarding, including where there are mental health issues, is an issue that we take extremely seriously and we will expedite applications if there are compelling and compassionate reasons to do so.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his department has plans to increase funding for (a) NGOs and (b) human rights defenders operating in Afghanistan who are promoting the human rights of (i) women, (ii) girls, (iii) LGBTQ+ people and (iv) religious and (v)non-religious minorities.

Ministers are reviewing the FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to ensure it delivers on our priorities. We are committed to transparency and will publish ODA allocations for 2024-25. We are planning £161 million in aid this financial year (2024-25), with 50 per cent targeted for women and girls. UK funding supports several NGOs who promote human rights in Afghanistan, including those of women and minorities. We also contribute to an Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund project that supports civil society, particularly women-led organisations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the treaty on the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will guarantee Chagossians (a) the right to return to the outer islands, (b) restitution of the islands and (ci) an independent award of compensation after consultation with the Chagossian people.

We recognise the importance of the Chagos Archipelago to Chagossians and have worked to ensure the agreement with Mauritius reflects their interests. Under the terms of the agreement, Mauritius will be free to implement a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia, and we will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius in support of Chagossians. Separate to the agreement, we will increase our support to Chagossians in the UK and will work with Mauritius to restart visits to the islands at the earliest opportunity, including Diego Garcia, for Chagossians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to facilitate the return of Chagossians to Diego Garcia.

Following the agreement reached on 3 October, we will work with Mauritius to restart visits to the islands as soon as possible, including Diego Garcia, for Chagossians. In addition, Mauritius will be free to implement a programme of resettlement on the islands other than Diego Garcia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that Chagossians (a) in the UK and (b) globally are consulted before conclusion of a treaty on the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Ministers and officials will continue to regularly engage with members of the Chagossian community on a range of issues, including on the implementation of the agreement reached between the United Kingdom and Mauritius. We recognise the huge importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure this agreement reflects their interests.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) equalising capital gains tax with income tax, (b) applying national insurance to dividends from (i) shares, (ii) rent from property and (iii) interest on savings, (c) reviewing the effectiveness of (A) assets placed in trust, (B) business relief on AIM-listed shares, (C) agricultural and business relief and (D) other inheritance tax exemptions, (d) introducing a tax on share buybacks and (e) introducing a 2% wealth tax for assets of more than £10 million.

The government will set out any changes to taxation at fiscal events. Its plans at the Budget on October 30th will support its objectives of restoring fiscal responsibility whilst protecting working people.

With reference to Prostate Cancer UK's study entitled Using real world data to bridge the evidence gap left by prostate cancer screening trials, published in October 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the finding relating to the reduction in potential harm following prostate-specific antigen testing.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer. This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test for the condition, the prostate specific antigen test.A UK NSC evidence review for prostate cancer screening is already underway. We welcome the study by Prostate Cancer UK, and will make sure it is fed into the UK NSC’s review of prostate screening.