Written questions by Thomas.

What steps his Department is taking to support people who came to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

The UK has a moral obligation to assist our Afghan friends and allies who served for, with or alongside our Armed Forces in support of UK objectives in Afghanistan. We will honour that moral duty. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) offers a range of packages for those relocated under the ARAP upon their arrival. This includes transitional accommodation on the Defence Estate, orientation and cultural awareness briefings, safeguarding, and English language support, as well as help to register to access mainstream services (such as the NHS, education, employment, and universal credit). Working with Local Authorities and other Government Departments, the MOD has also supported families in moving into settled accommodation. This Government is fully committed to delivering on the pledge to those in Afghanistan who are eligible to relocate and resettle, and we continue to welcome these Afghans and their families to the UK through our Afghan resettlement schemes. This is why, as announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 18 December 2024, we are launching the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), which will draw together a single pipeline for Afghan resettlement, working cross-Government, to deliver greater efficiency and better outcomes. Further information on the resettlement offer under the ARP can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-resettlement-programme

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on the future of the garden communities programme.

Garden Communities are locally-led new settlements or urban extensions. The Garden Communities programme provides support to progress long-term housing projects from their earliest stages. It enables local authorities to recruit specialist staff, undertak...

For what reason the Government has increased vehicle excise duty for (a) electric and (b) low emission vehicles; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of this on trends in the level of consu

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on car ownership from which electric vehicles are currently exempt. As announced by the previous Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, electric and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles will begin to pay VED ...

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the backlog of Education, Health and Care Plans in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) England.

The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.Local...

What steps her Department is taking to (a) help tackle anti-social behaviour and (b) cooperate with the police in communities that host large-scale sporting events other than football.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Government recently announced Respect Orders which will be introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be app...

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to inheritance tax on (a) small family farm closures and (b) internal food production security.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. It is expected that up to around ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure animal welfare standards are (a) observed and (b) reviewed in the horse racing industry.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), British racing's governing and regulatory body, is responsible for the welfare of racehorses at British racecourses. The BHA works alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle extreme flooding in (a) Tewkesbury constituency and (b) rural communities.

This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences – benefitting both rural and urban communities. The Environment Agency is currently working with partn...

If her Department will take steps to ensure that additional funding for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in mainstream schools is equitably distributed in rural areas.

Local authorities are responsible for allocating additional funding from their high needs budgets to mainstream schools for their pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion f...