Written questions by Blackman.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make the approval of China’s new embassy conditional on the release of Jimmy Lai.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 14 July 2025 in response to Question 65869.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government will call for the removal of Chinese sanctions on British parliamentarians during the proposed trip to Beijing

The Prime Minister's travel will be confirmed in the usual way.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. We will co-operate where we can and challenge where we must.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will call for the removal of bounties placed on Hong Kong democracy activists living in the UK during the proposed trips to Beijing.

The Prime Minister's travel will be confirmed in the usual way.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. We will co-operate where we can and challenge where we must.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to meet with animal welfare organisations to discuss the promotion of responsible cat ownership and sourcing.

The department maintains regular contact with key stakeholders on companion animal welfare issues. This includes the Canine and Feline Sector Group, which brings together leading welfare charities, veterinary bodies, trade associations and representatives from local authorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether conditions haven been made as a prerequisite by his Chinese counterparts in advance of the Prime Minister’s trip to Beijing.

The Prime Minister's travel will be confirmed in the usual way.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. We will co-operate where we can and challenge where we must.

Whether her Department has made an assessments of the potential impact of approving a new Chines embassy on Hong Kongers in the UK.

The decision on whether or not to approve planning permission for the proposed Chinese Embassy site at the Royal Mint Court is an independent one for the Secretary of State for the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government in his quasi-judicial role.Protecting the public and our national security has been the key priority for the Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office during the planning process. We have made this clear in public representations to the inquiry throughout. The Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary confirmed in their 27 November representation to the planning enquiry that the public safety and national security concerns raised in previous representations have been addressed.This Government stands with members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and will continue to support them. Any attempt by China or any other foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. Wherever we identify such threats, we will use any and all measures, including through our world-class intelligence services, to mitigate risk to individuals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that cats are included in the Animal Welfare Strategy.

The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December and sets out priorities for animal welfare, focusing on the changes and improvements the Government aim to achieve by 2030. In the Strategy Defra has committed to take steps to improve the uptake of the pet selling licence by those who sell cats and kittens as pets. The department will also improve its understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector. Cats will benefit from broader measures outlined in the Strategy including tackling low welfare imports and implementing the measures contained in the Renters’ Rights Act to make it easier for tenants to keep pets in rented accommodation.

What steps he is taking to provide emergency day-to-day funding to hospices; and whether he will commit to releasing (a) £100 million in emergency funding now and (b) a further £100 million in April 2026 to stabilise hospice services and protect patient care.

Children and young people’s hospices have received £26 million of revenue funding for 2025/26 and we are also providing approximately £80 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients. In December 2024, we announced that we were providing £100 million of capital funding for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England. This was split across two financial years, with hospices receiving £25 million to spend in 2024/25 and £75 million to spend in 2025/26. We are pleased to say that we can now confirm we are providing a further £25 million in capital funding for hospices to spend in 2025/26. We are in a challenging fiscal position across the board. At this time, we are not in a position to offer any additional funding beyond that outlined above. However, we are supporting the hospice sector in other ways. The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. As part of the MSF, we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.

What estimate she has been of the number and proportion of hospitality businesses that will see an increase in their business rates liabilities between April 2025 and April 2028.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. Without this support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. However, because of the support the Government has put in place, this has fallen to just 4%. More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. The Government is paying for this tax cut through higher rates on the top one per cent of most expensive properties. Large distribution warehouses, such as those used by online giants, will pay around £100m more in 2026/27, with this going directly to lower bills for in-person retail. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, focuses on how reform of the business rates system can be used to incentivise and secure more investment by Britain’s businesses. This Call for Evidence builds on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asks stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions.

What estimate she has been of the cumulative change in business rates liabilities for hospitality businesses over the next three years.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. Without this support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. However, because of the support the Government has put in place, this has fallen to just 4%. More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. The Government is paying for this tax cut through higher rates on the top one per cent of most expensive properties. Large distribution warehouses, such as those used by online giants, will pay around £100m more in 2026/27, with this going directly to lower bills for in-person retail. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, focuses on how reform of the business rates system can be used to incentivise and secure more investment by Britain’s businesses. This Call for Evidence builds on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asks stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions.

On what date the Valuation Office Agency provided Ministers with its final advice relating to the 2026 business rates revaluation.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) published the draft 2026 Rating List on 26 November 2025 and regularly provided Ministers with advice on progress up to that date. The VOA provides advice throughout each stage of a revaluation and will continue to do so in the lead up to, and following, the publication of the compiled 2026 Rating List on 1 April 2026.

Whether she plans to publish an impact assessment of changes to business rates for the hospitality sector due to take effect from April 2026.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. Without this support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. However, because of the support the Government has put in place, this has fallen to just 4%. More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. The Government is paying for this tax cut through higher rates on the top one per cent of most expensive properties. Large distribution warehouses, such as those used by online giants, will pay around £100m more in 2026/27, with this going directly to lower bills for in-person retail. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, focuses on how reform of the business rates system can be used to incentivise and secure more investment by Britain’s businesses. This Call for Evidence builds on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asks stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the use of non-disclosure agreements during corporate restructuring in safety-critical sectors; and he plans to ensure that non-disclosure agreements cannot prevent employees and union representatives from participating in statutory consultation processes.

The Government is unable to assess sector-specific trends regarding the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) because they are private contractual arrangements, and data on their use is not collected.While NDAs can legally require one or more parties to maintain the confidentiality of certain information, such as trade secrets, there are a range of legal limitations on their use. For instance, NDAs cannot stop someone from making a whistleblowing disclosure, known as making a ‘protected disclosure’ or making a disclosure required by law.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to prevent British companies from selling hunting trips to British nationals to shoot so-called canned lions for sport and trophies.

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter. The department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he will take to remove barriers to accessing a social home for those most in need.

The government has already taken action to remove barriers for those most in need to access social housing including exempting care leavers under 25 years old and victims of domestic abuse from local connection tests. Local housing authorities and landlords may carry out pre-tenancy and affordability checks when considering a person's application for social housing and these can play an important role in ensuring that a tenancy is sustainable. We do, however, expect local authorities and landlords to show consideration for individual circumstances when considering these. The government has made clear that it intends to review and update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households. As part of that process, we will also consider ways that local authorities and landlords can work more cooperatively on these issues, including those at risk of homelessness. My Department does not collect data to enable us to assess the number of households being denied social homes due to affordability checks.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of pre-tenancy checks by housing associations on the ability of households experiencing or at risk of homelessness to access social housing.

The government has already taken action to remove barriers for those most in need to access social housing including exempting care leavers under 25 years old and victims of domestic abuse from local connection tests. Local housing authorities and landlords may carry out pre-tenancy and affordability checks when considering a person's application for social housing and these can play an important role in ensuring that a tenancy is sustainable. We do, however, expect local authorities and landlords to show consideration for individual circumstances when considering these. The government has made clear that it intends to review and update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households. As part of that process, we will also consider ways that local authorities and landlords can work more cooperatively on these issues, including those at risk of homelessness. My Department does not collect data to enable us to assess the number of households being denied social homes due to affordability checks.

Communities and Local Government, how many households have been denied applications for social homes due to affordability checks; and what alternative options are available for those households in order to avoid homelessness.

The government has already taken action to remove barriers for those most in need to access social housing including exempting care leavers under 25 years old and victims of domestic abuse from local connection tests. Local housing authorities and landlords may carry out pre-tenancy and affordability checks when considering a person's application for social housing and these can play an important role in ensuring that a tenancy is sustainable. We do, however, expect local authorities and landlords to show consideration for individual circumstances when considering these. The government has made clear that it intends to review and update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households. As part of that process, we will also consider ways that local authorities and landlords can work more cooperatively on these issues, including those at risk of homelessness. My Department does not collect data to enable us to assess the number of households being denied social homes due to affordability checks.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 79968, which organisation will conduct that audit; when it is scheduled to begin; and how its findings will be reported to the UK.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 December in response to Question 98592.

What assessment she has made of the potential equality impacts of the PATHWAYS puberty blocker trial.

The government is committed to supporting research that delivers robust, evidence-based understanding of gender incongruence issues, especially for children and young people. The PATHWAYS trial research protocol has rightly undergone a thorough independent review and has received all regulatory and ethical approvals. The published protocol sets out how the researchers will collect relevant demographic information, including sex at birth, ethnicity, and country of birth.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the recent detention of Baha’i, Aminollah Koushkbaghi; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure his release.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 67802 on 6 August 2025, and add that we are aware of the reported case concerning Aminollah Koushkbaghi, and are monitoring the situation for Baha'is more widely.