Written questions by Evans.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle homophobia in boxing.

Sport must be open to everyone. There is absolutely no place for homophobia, or discrimination of any kind, in sport or society.The Government expects sports bodies, including the boxing authorities, to take robust action to tackle discrimination whenever and wherever it occurs. The Government will continue to work with National Governing Bodies and sector organisations to fight all forms of discrimination at all levels of sport.

Whether she plans to amend the list of protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 to include hair colour.

The Government has no such plans.

What steps she is taking to support the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.That is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which plays a vital role in providing intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK.Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of standards of (a) maintenance and (b) repair work to (i) Single Living and (ii) Service Families Accommodation.

Within each Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contract, there is an embedded assurance and verification process to check the adequacy of the maintenance and repair service provided to Single Living and Service Families Accommodation. The assessments are made against Acceptable Levels of Performance (ALP). We continue to robustly challenge supplier performance against agreed levels. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation Chief Executive and his Officials hold monthly scrutiny meetings with contractor Chief Executives to continue to hold them to account, drive performance improvements and deliver the best possible service to Service personnel and their families. Where performance falls short of that ALP, specific performance Rectification Plans are put in place to recover performance and any subsequent contractual performance withholds applied. Each Region manages this performance rectification with suppliers back to an acceptable level of performance with oversight from the Health Check Forum.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of making wildlife crimes notifiable offences.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.That is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which plays a vital role in providing intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK.Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Releasing Mortgage Prisoners: proposed solutions and illustrative costings, published by the LSE in February 2023; and whether she plans to implement those recommendations.

This Government understands the challenges that mortgage prisoners face and will work with regulators and the industry to ensure that this issue is properly considered, including looking at the recommendations of the 2023 LSE report. There are significant measures in place to protect vulnerable mortgage borrowers across the mortgage market, including mortgage prisoners. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments in order to provide tailored support. Closed book lenders must also comply with the FCA’s Consumer Duty, which ensures firms prioritise fair treatment and good outcomes for their customers. Additionally, the Government has a number of measures in place to help people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit; the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS); and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with charities and advocacy groups on the impact of fireworks on (a) wild animals and (b) pets.

The Department regularly engages with stakeholders on a wide range of issues. Government officials intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on issues with and impacts of fireworks, including on animal welfare. Officials have already been working with Combat Stress, Help for Heroes and the Dogs Trust to share information about safe and considerate use of fireworks. The government launched an awareness campaign during the fireworks season to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks on people and animals to encourage responsible use - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/my-safety-fireworks.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on protecting sport participants from (a) concussion and (b) chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

The Government takes the issue of head injuries very seriously. The first national guidance for concussion in grassroots sport was introduced in 2023, developed by international experts on concussion and acquired brain injury to better identify, manage and prevent the issue. We continue to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the guidance to their own sport where appropriate.The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety with relevant stakeholders and the sports sector in the coming months to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to promote community cohesion.

The Government has made £15 million available to the places most severely affected by the violent disorder of the summer through the Community Recovery Fund. Officials from my department have also carried out an extensive engagement process with these places to understand and address the underlying causes of the unrest.This Government is determined to take a long-term, strategic approach to building social cohesion. This is a priority and I have stood up a cross-government Communities & Recovery Steering Group to oversee this work.This Government is committed to ensuring that communities across Britain are safe, resilient, and united.

What steps his Department is taking to support UK defence manufacturing jobs through government procurement.

The UK’s defence manufacturing industry is vital not only to our national security but to our prosperity and economic growth. This Government is committed to supporting UK manufacturing jobs and will bring forward a new Defence Industrial Strategy to align the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support Welsh National Opera.

I have held a series of very productive meetings with the Wales Office, Welsh Government, Arts Council England, and Welsh National Opera to understand the issue in more detail and to see how, within the parameters of the arm’s length principle, I can best help ensure a strong and secure future for the WNO.The core point of commonality across all these meetings and across all partners was a recognition of the value of the Welsh National Opera and its work - for the people of England as well as for the people of Wales. It was clear that all partners are keen to achieve a positive long-term future for the organisation, and are working towards that goal.I was pleased that this series of meetings was able to reassure everyone that all partners wanted to see a positive future for Welsh National Opera, that the funding bodies across the border will work more collaboratively in future and that the new leadership at the WNO have a clear idea of how to progress. Everyone wants to burnish and sustain the WNO so that as many people as possible in Wales and England have a chance to enjoy world class opera close to home. Funding decisions are for the Welsh Arts Council and Arts Council England, but I am confident that the WNO is in a strong place to succeed.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with (a) industry, (b) civil society and (c) other relevant stakeholders on facilitating the end of animal testing.

The Government is committed to supporting alternative methods to the use of animals in science and the Labour Manifesto included a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing.” The Government has already held roundtables with stakeholders from businesses, regulators and across Government on how to best support the uptake, validation and development of alternative methods, and further discussions with civil society organisations will take place in December.

What plans his Department has to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

Remembrance is the annual national commemoration to mark all conflicts and pay respects to all who have suffered at the hands of oppression and dictatorship and on Sunday 17 November 2024, Lord Coaker, Minister of State in the House of Lords, joined the AJEX (Armed Forces Jewish Ex Service Personnel) community who paraded at the Cenotaph in their own act of remembrance. As the Chancellor announced in the Budget, the government will provide funding to the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to commemorate a variety of occasions. In addition, the Ministry of Defence will mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2025 and recognises that 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with stakeholders on helping to reduce the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy amongst sportspeople.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to help ensure the safety of all participants in sport.The Sports Concussion Research Forum, established by DCMS and chaired by the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, published its independent report into the key research questions in this important area in September 2024 - https://www.ukri.org/publications/concussion-in-sport/The Government remains committed to working with sports stakeholders to build on the positive work that is already taking place to mitigate the causes and effects of concussion in sport.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has undertaken research into the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in (a) professional athletes and (b) recreational players of sport.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to help ensure the safety of all participants in sport.The Sports Concussion Research Forum, established by DCMS and chaired by the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, published its independent report into the key research questions in this important area in September 2024 - https://www.ukri.org/publications/concussion-in-sport/The Government remains committed to working with sports stakeholders to build on the positive work that is already taking place to mitigate the causes and effects of concussion in sport.

What steps his Department is taking to use digital technology to improve defence outputs.

Defence’s goal is to continually evolve a secure, singular, modern Digital Backbone to connect sensors, effectors, and deciders across military and business domains and with partners, driving integration and interoperability across domains and platforms. Through this, we are exploiting digital technology and data to revolutionise warfare and transform defence.

What steps he is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the armed forces.

The new Government’s work in improving retention and recruitment is part of a package of measures aimed to renew the contract between the nation and those who serve. We are modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract, and then retain the best possible talent, highlighting that Defence is a modern, forward-facing employer which offers a valuable and rewarding career. Our aim is to attract and recruit more, as well as maximise the number of applicants that successfully enter and remain in Armed Forces employment.We have already awarded the largest Armed Forces pay increase in 22 years, ensuring that the starting Armed Forces’ salary is in line with the National Living Wage, and have set a new ambition for the Armed Forces to make a conditional offer of employment to candidates within 10 days and to give people a provisional training start date within 30 days. We have reviewed and implemented changes to the Armed Forces’ Entry Medical Employment Standards, setting new regulations for a range of conditions including asthma and eczema. Furthermore, Defence is creating a new military direct-entry cyber pathway. This will help boost our cyber resilience and support the UK’s ability to conduct operations in cyberspace.