Written questions by Hussain.

Media and Sport, what criteria are used to determine allocations between national governing bodies and grassroots sport providers.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested. As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.

Media and Sport, what proportion of public funding for sport is allocated directly to grassroots clubs.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested. As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure grassroots sport funding reaches areas of high deprivation.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested. As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve transparency in the allocation of grassroots sport funding.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested. As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.

What steps his Department is taking to support the development of high-skilled jobs in sectors reliant on research and innovation in Bradford and West Yorkshire.

Our modern Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and create a highly skilled, economically prosperous country. Its key objectives are to drive up business investment and create high-quality jobs across the UK.We are directing £9 billion in research and innovation funding to Industrial Strategy sectors, with £4.5 billion directed towards innovative businesses. Additionally, the West of Yorkshire Combined Authority will benefit from targeted interventions, including: at least £30 million from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding, a strategic partnership with the National Wealth Fund and dedicated support from a British Business Bank Cluster Champion. Together, interventions like this are helping create the conditions to attract investment, support innovation and unlock opportunities for high-quality, high-skilled jobs.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of access to finance for start-ups in (a) Bradford and (b) West Yorkshire.

This government is committed to supporting startups to grow and thrive in every part of the country. Through the Small Business Plan, we are taking measures to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, including a £4bn finance boost to increase access to finance for SMEs.Startups across West-Yorkshire can access government-backed finance delivered by the British Business Bank, including Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme and free, tailored advice through the West Yorkshire Growth Hub. Over 11,000 loans (£113m funding) were issued across the Yorkshire and Humber between 2012 and 2025.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of existing business support programmes in reaching SMEs in deprived communities.

This government is committed to ensuring that small and medium sized businesses are able to access the support they need to start, grow and thrive in every community. Through the Small Business Plan, we are taking a holistic approach to strengthening the business support landscape, including reaching into underserved and deprived areas.Business support available includes the Business Growth Service, which works closely with the West Yorkshire Business Growth Hub. Working in tandem they provide free, tailored advice to all SMEs in the region, including amongst deprived communities.The Maple Review is an independent, government-backed initiative launched in Summer 2025 to identify and dismantle economic barriers to entrepreneurship in the UK. The Review’s final report and recommendations are anticipated for May/June 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) start-ups and (b) scale-ups in (i) Bradford and (ii) West Yorkshire.

Through the Industrial Strategy, Small Business Plan and Budget 2025, the government is backing small businesses to start, scale and stay in the UK.The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has integrated its support for businesses in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service. UK businesses, including those in West Yorkshire, can access our wide range of support via business.gov.uk. We're engaging more closely with founders and scaling firms, understanding the support required to unblock barriers and help scale-ups realise their full potential.The recent Made in West Yorkshire Sold to the World event provided a great opportunity to strengthen DBT’s partnerships across the region.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to export support services for SMEs in Bradford.

Under the umbrella of the Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support including the Business Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.DBT has built strong partnerships in West Yorkshire specifically, including Minister McDougall joining West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin at the recent Made in West Yorkshire Sold to the World event in Bradford.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the role of grassroots boxing clubs in youth diversion.

The Government recognises the transformative role that grassroots boxing clubs play in supporting the nation’s mental health and wellbeing. Our 'Team Up' campaign, which was designed to bolster the resilience and mental health of communities nationwide, also brought to attention the significant role boxing plays in supporting these vital areas for young men.Boxing clubs provide pastoral and educational support to young people and adults in need, and also help to promote social inclusion, tackle criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, and deliver improvements in physical and mental wellbeing.Through Sport England, England boxing will receive over £9 million of funding through the period 2022 - 2029. 75% of affiliated English Boxing clubs are located in deprived, urban neighborhoods, serving marginalised communities identified by Sport England as key target groups for increasing sports participation. These clubs operate at low cost, promoting community cohesion, and are often available where other sports are not.I recently met with the APPG for Boxing and members of the sector to discuss the positive impacts of boxing on participants and how the Government can support grassroots boxing.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the role of grassroots boxing clubs in supporting mental health and wellbeing.

The Government recognises the transformative role that grassroots boxing clubs play in supporting the nation’s mental health and wellbeing. Our 'Team Up' campaign, which was designed to bolster the resilience and mental health of communities nationwide, also brought to attention the significant role boxing plays in supporting these vital areas for young men.Boxing clubs provide pastoral and educational support to young people and adults in need, and also help to promote social inclusion, tackle criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, and deliver improvements in physical and mental wellbeing.Through Sport England, England boxing will receive over £9 million of funding through the period 2022 - 2029. 75% of affiliated English Boxing clubs are located in deprived, urban neighborhoods, serving marginalised communities identified by Sport England as key target groups for increasing sports participation. These clubs operate at low cost, promoting community cohesion, and are often available where other sports are not.I recently met with the APPG for Boxing and members of the sector to discuss the positive impacts of boxing on participants and how the Government can support grassroots boxing.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much aid has been allocated to education provision for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last five financial years.

We remain concerned by the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees and committed to improving their situation in Bangladesh. In September, the Foreign Secretary announced £27 million in new funding for these efforts, bringing the UK's total support to £447 million. This includes assistance to help refugees access to essential services. In December, the UK also announced joint funding with Saudi Arabia and Qatar of £6.96 million to support the response to the Rohingya crisis.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of sport-based diversionary activity in preventing anti-social behaviour among young people.

Sport can be a uniquely powerful tool to engage at-risk young people.The Government, through its arm’s-length body for grassroots sport, Sport England, invests in community-level sport and physical activity projects across the country. This includes investing in organisations like StreetGames, whose "doorstop approach” to sport has been evaluated as effective in reducing youth crime and anti-social behaviour, alongside improving health and boosting educational attainment and employability.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much aid has been allocated to programmes supporting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last five financial years.

We remain concerned by the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees and committed to improving their situation in Bangladesh. In September, the Foreign Secretary announced £27 million in new funding for these efforts, bringing the UK's total support to £447 million. This includes assistance to help refugees access to essential services. In December, the UK also announced joint funding with Saudi Arabia and Qatar of £6.96 million to support the response to the Rohingya crisis.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much aid has been allocated to child protection programmes for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last five financial years.

We remain concerned by the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees and committed to improving their situation in Bangladesh. In September, the Foreign Secretary announced £27 million in new funding for these efforts, bringing the UK's total support to £447 million. This includes assistance to help refugees access to essential services. In December, the UK also announced joint funding with Saudi Arabia and Qatar of £6.96 million to support the response to the Rohingya crisis.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for new grid connections for businesses in West Yorkshire.

The Department is working closely with Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator, and the network companies on a suite of reforms to improve grid access and reduce connection times across Great Britain, including West Yorkshire. This includes reforming the connections queue to prioritise projects that are ready and needed, strategically planning and accelerating network investment, and addressing wider barriers to speed up new grid infrastructure build such as planning delays, and skills and supply chain constraints.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the contribution of grassroots boxing clubs to community wellbeing.

The Government recognises the transformative role that grassroots boxing clubs play in supporting the nation’s mental health and wellbeing. Our 'Team Up' campaign, which was designed to bolster the resilience and mental health of communities nationwide, also brought to attention the significant role boxing plays in supporting these vital areas for young men.Boxing clubs provide pastoral and educational support to young people and adults in need, and also help to promote social inclusion, tackle criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, and deliver improvements in physical and mental wellbeing.Through Sport England, England boxing will receive over £9 million of funding through the period 2022 - 2029. 75% of affiliated English Boxing clubs are located in deprived, urban neighborhoods, serving marginalised communities identified by Sport England as key target groups for increasing sports participation. These clubs operate at low cost, promoting community cohesion, and are often available where other sports are not.I recently met with the APPG for Boxing and members of the sector to discuss the positive impacts of boxing on participants and how the Government can support grassroots boxing.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much aid has been allocated to (a) safeguarding and (b) gender-based violence prevention programmes for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last five financial years.

We remain concerned by the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees and committed to improving their situation in Bangladesh. In September, the Foreign Secretary announced £27 million in new funding for these efforts, bringing the UK's total support to £447 million. This includes assistance to help refugees access to essential services. In December, the UK also announced joint funding with Saudi Arabia and Qatar of £6.96 million to support the response to the Rohingya crisis.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding local renewable energy generation in Bradford and West Yorkshire.

This Government is hugely ambitious about the role that community energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. On 10 February 2026, we announced the Local Power Plan: a joint DESNZ-Great British Energy (GBE) publication setting out the UK’s largest ever public investment in community energy, up to £1 billion. GBE has funded rooftop solar for around 250 schools and 260 NHS sites. This is cutting bills for schools and hospitals, releasing money for frontline services. This includes Feversham Primary Academy in Bradford. GBE has also funded over £16 million to the Mayoral Renewables Fund, supporting solar on fire stations, leisure centres, police headquarters and schools across England. This includes Bradford Pool and Sports Centre in Bradford East. The Great British Energy Community Fund, a £5 million grant programme delivered by the five Local Net Zero Hubs, has supported projects in West Yorkshire. This includes the Sustainable Arts Centre in Leeds.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the electricity distribution network in Bradford and West Yorkshire to support new commercial and industrial connections.

We are committed to expanding the electricity network to support new commercial and industrial connections and are working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the investment at the scale and pace required. For the current distribution price control, RIIO‑ED2, Ofgem has allowed £22.2 billion for upfront network investment, including £3.1 billion for network upgrades. The next price control starting in 2028, ED3, will be informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans to enable long‑term, strategic investment driven by regional and local energy requirements.