Written questions by Shannon.

What steps she is taking to support sustainable transport initiatives.

Delivering greener transport is a departmental priority and we are focused on supporting a range of sustainable travel choices for people using public and private transport. More opportunities to walk, wheel and cycle will create happier and healthier communities and supporting the transition to electric vehicles will make our transport system cleaner and more resilient. Recent actions include: Announced on 25 March, the multi-year Depot Charging Scheme and Zero Emission Van and Truck Grants are providing a £1 billion boost for British businesses to roll out clean trucks and vans and install new electric vehicle chargers at depots – helping to build resilience against fuel price uncertainty.The Electric Car Grant has already helped over 80,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle since launching last year.A £4 million boost to the NHS chargepoint scheme has helped modernise the health service, will decarbonise 460 million journey miles a year and save millions in fuel costs.In March 2026 we announced up to £73 million in additional funding to support the delivery of approximately 484 zero emission buses across 10 projects in England, on top of £38 million announced last April.The Bus Services Act 2025 will place a requirement on bus operators not to use new diesel buses on local bus routes in England. It will not take effect prior to 2030 so that the sector has time to plan a smooth transition. We are currently engaging with the bus sector as to the date.A freeze on rail fares, saving passengers £600 million and easing cost‑of‑living pressures as we rebuild a better and more reliable railway with passengers at its heart through Great British Railways.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support persecuted Christians abroad.

The issues raised in the Hon Member's questions are all key priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and our work in these areas cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates about that work by following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or continuing to attend sessions of FCDO departmental questions.

What steps he is taking to promote ethical business practices.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote ethical business practices. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review of the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on addressing human rights abuses, labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains. The review is objective and evidence‑based, examining both existing policies and potential alternative approaches. We will update the House when the review is complete.

What steps she is taking to help prevent radicalisation in communities.

The Government is committed to ensuring all communities are safe from radicalisation. Prevent is about stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism and tackles the ideological causes of terrorism, as well as providing early intervention for people at risk of radicalisation.Prevent deals with all forms of terrorist ideologies, and works closely with communities and organisations to support them in safeguarding people at risk of being radicalised, as well as to disrupt groups that radicalise others, both online and in communities. As announced in the Protecting What Matters publication on the 9th March 2026, our Disruptions team, which horizon scans for extremist influence and events, will be expanded with additional resource to disrupt extremist networks at a national and local level.The Prevent programme also provides training for educators, healthcare professionals and other frontline staff to help them identify and protect those susceptible to radicalisation. A Prevent referral allows of a multi-agency safeguarding assessment to be conducted, and for a tailored package of support to be offered. This helps to support individuals to move away from radicalisation.

How universal credit payments are being managed to ensure timely support.

The latest monthly statistics on payment timeliness are available in the Households on Universal Credit section of the official quarterly Universal Credit Statistics published on 17 February 2026, with more detailed statistics available in tables 5 and 6 of the Households on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

What assistance his Department provides to families affected by long-term illness.

There is a wide range of support available through the benefits system for families who have a member affected by a long-term illness. Universal Credit can provide financial help for eligible households including additional support in respect of health conditions or caring responsibilities, depending on their circumstances. Additionally Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to help people aged 16 to state pension age with the extra costs arising from a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability. It is intended to support individuals in leading full, active, and independent lives.

How she supports arts programs in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department is committed to revitalising arts education in schools, including changes to the curriculum, qualifications, accountability and enrichment.We are consulting on an improved Progress 8 model, which balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. The current structure has hampered progress in subjects that strengthen our economy and society, including the arts. The improved version recognises the value of these subjects.The department is supporting arts in schools through a £13 million investment in the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will launch in September 2026 to provide strategic national leadership, support excellent teaching, and promote arts opportunities, ensuring every child can access a high‑quality arts education.The department provides significant funding for the Music Hub network, Music Opportunities Pilot, Music and Dance Scheme, and Dance and Drama Awards, all designed to improve equity in the arts, mainly in schools and colleges.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committed £22.5 million enrichment in up to 400 schools, across all types of enrichment activity, including arts and culture.Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of DCMS, provides funding to a range of programmes that support arts in schools. As part of the government’s recent response to the independent review of Arts Council England, the department has committed to enabling all children across the country to have access to excellent culture in both schools and communities.

How many prisoners have access to faith-based support services.

All prisoners in England and Wales have access to faith-based and pastoral support services. His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is required to make chaplaincy and faith provision available to prisoners of all faiths and beliefs, as well as to those who do not identify with a particular faith. This support is available on request in every establishment.

What steps she is taking to help improve road safety for children near schools.

The Department recognises the importance of safety for children near schools and the Road Safety Strategy (published January 2026) sets a goal of reducing the number of children under 16 killed or seriously injured on roads by 70% by 2035 in Great Britain. Active travel is a devolved matter for national governments. In England, the Department for Transport uses Active Travel England (ATE) to support authorities to develop a wide range walking and cycling schemes. ATE have developed and published specific guidance on how to improve safety around schools through implementation of School Streets. The Government is providing £626 million to local authorities in England for walking and cycling schemes for 2026/27 onwards across the spending review period, which may also be used for safety measures around schools amongst a range of other measures. More information on School Streets, the road safety strategy, and available funding can be found at the following links: Consolidated Active Travel Fund: final allocations - GOV.UKSchool Streets: how to set up and manage a scheme - GOV.UKRoad safety strategy - GOV.UK The Road Safety Strategy, published earlier this year, has also committed to publishing a new edition of the best practice guidance Setting local speed limits - GOV.UK which gives local authorities clearer, more up‑to‑date best‑practice standards.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to tackle online hate speech.

The Online Safety Act requires platforms to tackle illegal content and protect children from harmful content, including that which is hateful and abusive. For large user-to-user platforms, known as ‘Category 1’ services, it will also provide adult users with more protections from hate speech by offering them more choice over the types of content they engage with, filter content from non-verified accounts and hold platforms to account for their terms of service. Ofcom have robust enforcement powers to enforce these duties.

How food safety inspections are enforced in small businesses.

Food safety legislation, and the Food Law Code of Practice (England) (the Code) places a statutory duty on competent authorities to undertake official food controls that verify whether food businesses, including small and microbusinesses, comply with relevant food law requirements.Food safety official controls are carried out by appropriately authorised officers from local authorities and port health authorities. These are competent authorities and use a range of statutory powers set out in food legislation.Officers assess compliance with legal requirements by observing and discussing food handling practices, hygiene conditions, and by examining food safety management systems. Where noncompliance is identified, officers determine the most appropriate and proportionate course of action, taking account of the seriousness of the issue and any potential public health risk. This may include providing advice, issuing written requirements, or taking more formal enforcement action where necessary.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support biodiversity in rural communities.

This Government is committed to restoring and protecting nature in rural communities through delivering our legally binding biodiversity targets on species abundance, species extinction and habitat creation and restoration. The Land Use Framework (LUF) shows we have enough land to deliver all our targets and outcomes but need to be more strategic in its use. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are being prepared across the whole of England to enable local areas to set priorities for biodiversity and environmental improvement and to propose where action is most needed. Each strategy is being led by a local authority and co-developed with input from local communities, landowners, and stakeholders, ensuring that it reflects the unique environmental and social context of the local area, including rural areas.

What steps he is taking to improve rehabilitation programs in prisons.

His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has a unique opportunity, across prisons, probation and the Youth Custody Service, to help people turn their lives around. To do this successfully, it is important to ensure that the best conditions are created and the right services for rehabilitation provided.Fundamental to the rehabilitation offer is a supportive and rehabilitative organisational culture, coupled with positive support from skilled pro-social staff. We know from the evidence that this is likely to be the best approach to support those who are at lower risk to desist from future offending. Others, particularly those at a higher risk of re-offending, will need more. HMPPS is committed to ensuring that the right approach is adopted in relation to each individual.Rehabilitation services take many forms, ranging from accredited programmes and interventions that are aimed at giving people skills to change their attitudes, thinking and behaviour, to enabling a person to access education, healthcare, substance misuse support, suitable accommodation, and the means to earn a living pro-socially. Some rehabilitative activity is delivered in-house, and some via partner organisations. HMPPS keeps its work under constant review to ensure it is acting in accordance with the available evidence. It is committed to the ongoing development, monitoring, evaluation and review of accredited programmes in line with the aims of reducing re-offending and protecting the public.To help achieve this, HMPPS has implemented the Next Generation of Accredited Programmes change programme and rolled out the new Building Choices accredited programme, realising significant benefits in terms of staff training and development, programme assessment, evaluation, and quality assurance processes. In addition, HMPPS is deploying a range of resources and training courses as part of the Enable Programme, which is designed to build skills and boost confidence in front-line prison colleagues. Topics covered include security, safety, leadership, procedural justice, defensible decision making, incident management and relational practice.

What guidance is given to local authorities on supporting carers’ mental health.

In England, local authorities are required by the Care Act 2014 to undertake carers assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support at their request. As stipulated in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, a carer’s mental health must be considered when considering whether a carer has eligible needs.The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Part of this includes an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund. The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities, but this can certainly include support for carers’ mental health. Adults, including carers, who need support with common mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or be referred by their general practitioner. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029.

What recent assessment he has made of whether rural hospitals have adequate access to specialist medical equipment.

No specific assessment has been made. National Health Service providers, working with integrated care boards, are responsible for delivering NHS healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes the medical equipment needed to deliver those services.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK-UAE Illicit Finance Partnership Agreement on (a) Muhammad Tahir Lakhani and Muhammad Ali Lakhani and (b) other enforcement outcomes.

The UK–UAE Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows is focused on strengthening cooperation on illicit finance, fraud, asset recovery and the return of the proceeds of crime.Since the partnership was established in 2021, the UK and UAE have worked together to enhance operational collaboration, improve information sharing, and build stronger structures to support joint law enforcement activity.However, the Home Office is not able to comment on or make assessments regarding individual cases.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to engage with the Government of Iraq and regional authorities on the safe and voluntary return of displaced religious minorities, including Christians and Yazidis.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 March in response to Question 117286.

Whether her Department is taking steps to help protect UK (a) businesses and (b) investors from fraud where people found liable by UK courts are resident in jurisdictions like Dubai that do not consistently enforce UK judgments.

The Home Office published its new Fraud Strategy on 9 March. This enhanced plan focuses on disrupting fraud before it reaches a target, safeguarding individuals and businesses by building resilience and responding with victim support and justice. Backed by £250million of investment, the Government has made it clear it will work with partners at home and abroad to clamp down on the fraud epidemic.The strategy sets out how we will safeguard UK citizens and businesses. Working with the Federation of Small Businesses, the City of London Police, NCSC and the NCA, the Government has developed and published a checklist for businesses to protect themselves against fraud, which can be found on the Stop! Think Fraud website. This is in addition to personal and consumer advice for individuals, also provided on the website.International collaboration is also a critical part of our response, and we are committed to strengthening the global response on fraud. The UK sponsored a UNODC-INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit which took place on 16-17 March. This Summit brought together over 1,400 delegates, including 115 countries, 400 senior business leaders and 40 ministers. The Summit strengthened global standards on fraud and agreed a framework between governments and industry to facilitate greater international action to protect UK citizens and businesses.

What steps he is taking to expand defence-related apprenticeships.

The Ministry of Defence already supports over 460,000 jobs and 25,000 apprentices across the UK, providing sustainable, high-quality, well-paying jobs. Alongside the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence announced a £182 million skills package that includes a range of initiatives to support defence-oriented careers and apprenticeships UK-wide. This includes initiatives such as establishing five Defence Technical Excellence colleges in England, and the creation of the Apprenticeship and Graduate Clearing System which will become live in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the protection of religious minorities during the ongoing conflict.

The Government's position on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iran is unchanged, as set out in the answer of 6 August 2025 to Question 67802, and there remains no excuse for the Iranian authorities to target religious minority groups because of their faith, regardless of the current conflict. We continue to raise these issues alongside other human rights concerns.