Written questions by Shannon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with Bangladeshi counterpart on the (a) proposed Islamist rally in Dhaka on 15 November and (b) protection of the Ahmadiyya community in that country.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided for question 87224.

What steps she is taking to promote more positive mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. In recognition of employer’s vital role in addressing health-related economic activity we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review, which was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC colleagues we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work, putting his key recommendations into action from day one, including working with Northern Ireland and the other Devolved Governments. In the review, Sir Charlie has recommended that mental health in young people should be a potential priority area as a deep dive for the Vanguards. Additionally, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.

What steps she is taking to uphold free speech in universities.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament plans for the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 earlier this year. The new approach will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.​​The following provisions came into force from 1 August 2025:​​Strengthened higher education (HE) provider duties in relation to securing freedom of speech and promoting the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom.​​A requirement for HE providers to put in place effective codes of practice on academic freedom and freedom of speech.​​A ban of non-disclosure agreements in HE for staff and students where there is a complaint about bullying, harassment, or sexual misconduct.​​ A requirement for the Office for Students to promote free speech and to provide advice and guidance in support of it.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle underage drug use.

This Government is committed to protecting young people from the harms of drug use through a range of universal and targeted prevention activity and are using the recent report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) ‘A Whole-System Response to Drug Prevention in the UK’ to inform our approach.The Home Office is also working with The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to deliver an Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances to help us build our longer term understanding of how to prevent and reduce drug use, prevent associated harms and facilitate behaviour change.Ketamine use in young people is increasing, so we have commissioned the ACMD to update their harms assessment on the drug, and DHSC have launched a media campaign to raise awareness of the risks posed by new drug trends and products. The campaign focusses on the adulteration of counterfeit medicines with other drugs like synthetic opioids, ketamine harms and adulteration of ‘THC vapes’.

What information her Department holds on the number of people who have been arrested for knife crime-related incidents in the last 12 months.

The Home Office collects data on arrests in England and Wales, by offence group, as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series. The latest available data, to the year ending March 2025 can be accessed here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UKHowever, data is collected by broader offence group, for example ‘Violence against the person’, therefore data on more specific offences such as knife crime-related incidents is not available.The Government does hold data on police recorded knife crime which sets out that in the year ending June 25, there were 51,527 selected violent and sexual offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the police, a 5% reduction on the previous year, this includes an 18% reduction in homicide and a 6% reduction in knife-enabled assault.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Estonian counterpart on reports that Russian jets entered Estonian airspace.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 81195 on 20 October 2025.

What steps she is taking to ensure police officers are able to perform day to day duties during protests outside hotels housing migrants.

The Government recognises the operational challenges posed by protests including those taking place outside hotels housing asylum seekers and remains committed to supporting policing so that forces can maintain core duties while managing public order.Routine abstraction of officers from core roles impacts policing teams’ ability to work with communities to tackle crime and local issues, as well as delivering a consistent and visible presence. However, the deployment of officers and force priorities are matters for the operationally independent Chief Constables.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recent murder of an Alawite school teacher in Homs, Syria.

We remain deeply concerned about incidents of violence in Syria, including the reports of Reham Hammouda's murder. We continue to advocate for an inclusive political transition, a greater focus in social cohesion, and protection of the rights of all Syrians, regardless of religious or ethnic background. When I met the Foreign Minister and Justice Minister in Damascus in August, I underlined the need for the Syrian Government to ensure that the justice system serves all Syrians.

What discussions he has had with PowerNI on electricity prices in autumn 2025.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of integrating psychological support into care pathways for people with rare diseases.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases and continues to make progress under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. Mental health and psychological support has featured as a focus area under England’s rare diseases action plans, the most recent of which was published in February 2025. Access to psychological support for people with rare diseases is underpinned by National Health Service service specifications. In addition, the NHS National Genomics Education Programme provides information to health care professionals, including on mental health and rare disease. This includes setting out how the mental health of rare disease patients requires assessment, and that monitoring should be an integral part of care plans, considered equally as important as physical health.More widely, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investing in mental health emergency departments and neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that rare autoimmune rheumatic disease patients have named care coordinators.

We are aware there remains unmet need on coordination of care for people with rare diseases and work is underway to improve this.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for working with their local communities to understand the needs of the local populations and make decisions about how best to commission services, including for those with rare autoimmune rheumatic disease.We are improving coordination of care for all rare diseases as a priority under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. England’s Rare Diseases Action Plans details a range of measures to improve coordination of care, including work against Action 37 on co-ordination of care for multi-system disorders. NHS England is also committed to include the definition of coordination of care in all new and revised services specifications for patients with rare diseases. The National Institute of Health and Care Research has commissioned research to provide the evidence needed to operationalise better co-ordination of care for rare diseases in the National Health Service.

How many men have been diagnosed with penile cancer by age in the last 12 months.

The latest available data that can be broken down by age reports 676 recorded cases of penile cancer in 2022. Data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2022The ‘Cancer Registration Statistics, England 2023’ indicates 634 diagnoses of penile cancer in 2023. However, age-specific data is not yet available. Data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2023

What recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on reducing remaining tariffs on British-produced steel.

Thanks to the strength of the UK-US partnership, the UK remains the only country to benefit from a preferential 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports to the US, avoiding the global rate of 50%. The UK is therefore uniquely positioned as the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a 25% competitive advantage over global competitors.We continue to work closely with our US counterparts to reduce tariffs further and secure the best possible outcomes for UK manufacturers.

Whether his Department has undertaken research into the potential impact of anti-depressants during pregnancy on unborn babies.

The Department through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has funded research into this topic. Examples of relevant research include a study exploring antidepressant use during pregnancy to assess the benefits to mothers and long-term neurodevelopmental risks to children, and a project which aimed to create a computerised decision support tool to guide discussions between doctors and pregnant women about medication risks and benefits, ensuring a balance between maternal health and foetal protection.In addition, the NIHR has supported research which investigated Neonatal Adaptation Syndrome, a cluster of symptoms like jitteriness and feeding difficulties, in babies exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors antidepressants in utero. This research aimed to understand the experiences of mothers and monitoring practices.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle recruitment to Palestine Action.

This Government is clear that encouragement of terrorism, including glorifying the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism, fundraising for the purposes of terrorism, and inviting support for a proscribed terrorism organisation, such as Palestine Action are all criminal offences. Those under the Prevent duty should not provide a platform for an offence to be committed, or facilitate this activity through provision of endorsement, funding or other forms of support. The Prevent Duty Guidance sets out how local partners should reduce permissive environments to disrupt those who radicalise others to terrorism.Through the Prevent programme, the Home Office works closely with local partners, policing, and other government departments to raise awareness of the signs of radicalisation and disrupt those groups that radicalise others, online and in communities. This includes ensuring that individuals, particularly those subject to the Prevent duty, are aware that a Prevent referral should be made if there are concerns that a person may be on a pathway that could lead to terrorism.More broadly, our efforts to counter extremism span a broad range of Government and law enforcement activity and we must persist in our efforts to challenge extremist narratives, disrupt the activity of radicalising groups, and directly tackle the causes of radicalisation.

What steps her Department is taking to help support working parents with childcare costs in Northern Ireland.

The early education and childcare entitlements are a devolved matter.Parents may be eligible for childcare support through Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare which are UK-wide offers. Tax-Free Childcare can help with an additional 20% contribution to their childcare costs outside the entitlements, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0 to 11 or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children until they are 17.Universal Credit Childcare aims to support parents to become financially resilient by moving into work and progressing in work. Eligible Universal Credit claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work.Support and guidance from pregnancy to early childhood is available here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

What steps her Department is taking to improve early intervention for SEN children.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.We know that early identification of needs is crucial to children’s development, health and life chances. This ensures that the right support is put in place as early as possible to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can get the best start in life.​On 7 July, we published our commitment to Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life. We have pledged to invest close to £1.5 billion over the next three years to realise the Opportunity Mission and ensure every child has the best start in life. Through this investment, we will expand and strengthen family services, make early education and childcare more accessible and affordable, and improve the quality of early education and childcare.The government has announced funding for Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or those with additional vulnerabilities, can access it.  Hubs will be open to all families, but we expect them to be located mainly in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed.​To support settings to identify need early, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches.

What steps her Department is taking to teach young people from disadvantaged backgrounds about (a) finance, (b)employment and (c) other life skills.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government’s response to the report includes a commitment to commits to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in maths and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. New statutory citizenship at key stages 1 and 2 will also ensure that primary aged children are introduced to key content on media literacy, financial literacy, law and rights, democracy and government and climate education. These principles will be extended to the secondary core content to reflect the age range of pupils and will focus on more complex content, particularly digital elements of financial literacy. The department expects schools to develop and improve their careers provision to be inclusive for all young people in line with the world-class Gatsby Benchmarks, including benchmark 3, which focuses on addressing the individual needs of each pupil.

What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on trade deals.

The Secretary of State met his Indian counterpart, Minister Goyal, in Mumbai as part of the recent trade mission led by the Prime Minister, and had productive discussions on our joint ambition to bring the UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) into force as soon as possible. I held meetings with German, Emerati, Saudi, Greek and Indian counterparts at the Berlin Global Dialogue and attended the GCC Trade Ministers Meeting in Kuwait in October, reaffirming shared, strong political will to conclude a UK-GCC trade deal. I visited Argentina and Brazil and discussed how best to strengthen our trading relationship with a series of ministerial counterparts, including potentially through an FTA. I have also held meetings with my Uruguayan, Paraguayan, and Ukrainian counterparts online. There have been further ministerial-level discussions with counterparts in the US, EU, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, and Turkey.

How many people have been prosecuted for espionage in the last 12 months.

From 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, eight people have been convicted of espionage offences.These convictions were contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 and conspiracy to spy offences contrary to section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.