Written questions by Davies.

What her planned timetable is for establishing specialist rape courts in every Crown Court location in England and Wales.

We know that, due to the complexity of the cases, victims of rape can wait longer than victims of other offence types for their case to complete in court. We remain committed to delivering our manifesto pledge to fast-track rape cases.The fast-tracking of rape cases has dependencies with, and impacts on, the rest of the criminal justice system, including the wider Crown Court caseload and the capacity of the rape and serious sexual offences specialist legal workforce. We are carefully considering how best to deliver this. We plan to work closely with the judiciary and will be able to say more in due course.We are also considering what changes could make victims feel better supported at court. Over 400 professionals, including court staff, CPS and the police, have already received trauma-informed training at Snaresbrook, Leeds and Newcastle Crown Courts. In some courts, witness waiting rooms and in-court technology have also been upgraded.

Whether her Department’s sentencing review will include sexual violence offences.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. This Government has made a clear commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.Our manifesto committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. In October 2024, the Government launched an independent Sentencing Review, chaired by David Gauke.The Sentencing Review will be guided by three principles. Firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public – there must always be space in prison for the most dangerous offenders.Secondly, sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime, cutting crime by reducing reoffending. Thirdly, we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison.The Review has a broad remit. It will be up to the chair to decide on the areas of focus, but we have asked the Review to specifically look at the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.

Whether her Department’s sentencing review will consider the potential merits of designating misogyny as a hate crime.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. This Government has made a clear commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.Our manifesto committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. In October 2024, the Government launched an independent Sentencing Review, chaired by David Gauke.The Sentencing Review will be guided by three principles. Firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public – there must always be space in prison for the most dangerous offenders.Secondly, sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime, cutting crime by reducing reoffending. Thirdly, we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison.The Review has a broad remit. It will be up to the chair to decide on the areas of focus, but we have asked the Review to specifically look at the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.

What timetable she has set for establishing specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force.

This Government recognises the devastating impact of sexual violence and that’s why tackling rape and sexual offences is a key part of our mission to halve Violence Against Women and Girls.It is essential for police forces to have the right specialist capability to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice. This is why we are working closely with policing to ensure every force has a specialist rape and sexual offences team.Further details will be announced in due course.

Whether she plans to amend police funding to help tackle extreme misogyny.

The Home Office announced the 2025-2026 police funding settlement before Christmas. It provides funding of up to £19.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales, an overall increase of up to £1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement, and equating to a 5.5% cash increase, and 3% real terms increase in funding. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024-25 settlement. Decisions on how funding is used is an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners.We are also working closely with the policing sector to deliver improvements in the police response to violence against women and girls (VAWG), including by embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms.

Whether her Department’s sentencing review consider the suitability of sentences for doxing offences.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. This Government has made a clear commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.Our manifesto committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. In October 2024, the Government launched an independent Sentencing Review, chaired by David Gauke.The Sentencing Review will be guided by three principles. Firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public – there must always be space in prison for the most dangerous offenders.Secondly, sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime, cutting crime by reducing reoffending. Thirdly, we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison.The Review has a broad remit. It will be up to the chair to decide on the areas of focus, but we have asked the Review to specifically look at the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.

What timetable she has set to introduce a victims’ legal advocate in every police force area.

We remain committed to delivering our manifesto commitment to introduce free independent legal advisors for victims and survivors of adult rape.The Government plans to launch a single national service which will serve all police force areas. Once the service is rolled out in full, every victim of adult rape will have the opportunity to access a legal advisor no matter where they live.We plan to introduce the service later this year, with a phased rollout. A phased rollout will enable us to better understand the costs, demand, benefits for victims, and wider impacts on the justice system. We are currently in the process of designing how this phased rollout will take place.

What role the Fair Work Agency will play in ensuring businesses observe best practice when granting their employees maternity leave.

We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of workers’ rights. The Fair Work Agency will work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), which already provides guidance for both employers and workers in these specific areas, to deliver appropriate support to the majority of businesses who want to comply with the law.

What the role of the Fair Work Agency will be in helping to ensure businesses observe best practice in granting paternity leave.

We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of workers’ rights. The Fair Work Agency will work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), which already provides guidance for both employers and workers in these specific areas, to deliver appropriate support to the majority of businesses who want to comply with the law.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of providing white, working-class boys with access to targeted outreach programmes.

Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action. The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of providing white, working-class boys with access to vocational training.

Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action. The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of access to internship opportunities for white, working-class boys.

Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action. The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of access to training opportunities for white, working-class boys.

Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action. The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.

When she next plans to review the departmental ministerial disability champions programme.

Ministerial Disability Champions were an initiative of the previous administration.On 3 December 2024, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I was pleased to announce new Lead Ministers for Disability in every Government department. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/lead-ministers-for-disabilityThe Lead Ministers for Disability will help to break down barriers to opportunity right across our long-term missions, and to fulfil the manifesto commitment to ensure the views and voices of disabled people are properly heard.I chaired our first meeting on 17 December and we will meet regularly to make sure that this Government is delivering on that manifesto commitment and our missions, right across every department.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the level of National Insurance contributions on victims support services.

The Government publishes Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) for tax policy changes. TIINs give a clear explanation of the policy objective and an assessment of the impacts including on the Exchequer, individuals and families, businesses including civil society organisations and others. The TIIN for the employer NICs changes was published on 13 November 2024.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 in the context of access to recruitment opportunities for white, working-class boys.

Section 158 of the Equality Act 2010 permits the use of positive action measures to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people who share a protected characteristic, reduce their under-representation in relation to particular activities, and meet their particular needs. It allows measures to be targeted to particular groups, including internships and training, to enable them to gain employment.Section 159 permits an employer to take a protected characteristic into consideration when deciding whom to recruit or promote, where people who hold the protected characteristic are at a disadvantage or are under-represented. This can only be done where the candidates are as qualified as each other. The question of whether one person is as qualified as another is not a matter only of academic qualification, but a judgement based on the criteria the employer uses to establish who is best for the job. This could include matters such as suitability, competence and professional performance. Section 159 does not allow employers to have a policy or practice of automatically treating people who share a protected characteristic more favourably than those who do not have it in these circumstances; each case must be considered on its merits.Any action taken in light of either Section 158 or 159 must be a proportionate means of addressing such disadvantage or under-representation. The Equality Act 2010 provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society which make it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. There are currently no plans to issue further guidance on positive action. The Department for Education is working on a number of initiatives and schemes to provide young people with a clear progression into further work-based training and employment.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to employers' National Insurance contributions on women-owned businesses.

The Government publishes Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) for tax policy changes. TIINs give a clear explanation of the policy objective and an assessment of the impacts including on the Exchequer, individuals and families, businesses including civil society organisations and others. The TIIN for the employer NICs changes was published on 13 November 2024. The Government is partnering with business to maximise women’s contribution to the economy. In line with the ambition of the Invest in Women Taskforce to expand access to funding for female entrepreneurs, the British Business Bank is investing £50 million in women-led funds. HMT’s Women in Finance Charter is supporting financial services firms to make the most of their female talent.

If he will make it his policy to appoint a men's health champion.

On 28 November 2024, my Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced plans for England’s first Men’s Health Strategy at the Men’s Health Summit, held in partnership with Movember and hosted by Arsenal and the Premier League.We will shortly be launching a call for evidence to seek views on what is currently working and what more needs to be done to support the health of all men. Through the strategy, we will explore all avenues to improve men’s health, including on leadership.

How many hotels are (a) providing and (b) in negotiations to provide accommodation to asylum seekers in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency.

This government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Home Office has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. But this is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed.It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

How many youth hubs led by her Department are still in place.

Youth Hubs bring together employment support from a Jobcentre work coach alongside external partners on external-partner premises for up to six months. Wider support available from partners in the Hubs is place-based, but could include skills and training provision, mental health, budgeting, and housing support. As of January 2025, there were 111 Youth Hubs fully opened across Great Britain with a further three in development. Youth Hubs are based in external-partner-owned premises. Local DWP teams and external partners delivering Youth Hubs jointly discuss the ongoing need for the hubs in particular areas. These discussions take account of a range of factors, notably the number of young people claiming Universal Credit who are searching for employment in that local area, consequently, the number of operational Youth Hubs may fluctuate month by month. The ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper sets out this government’s plan to Get Britain Working and includes a new Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education led Youth Guarantee for all young people in England aged 18-21. Our approach to the Youth Guarantee is to help all young people aged 18-21 in England to earn or learn. We will work in partnership with organisations at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include apprenticeships, work experience, training courses or employability programmes. Work is underway on the design and delivery of the new Youth Guarantee. Starting in spring 2025, eight Mayoral Authorities in England will pilot the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. These 12-month Trailblazers are an opportunity to develop the Youth Guarantee and test different interventions ahead of a national roll out. We will assess and incorporate our findings for future delivery and rollout of the Youth Guarantee across the rest of England, working with Mayoral Authorities and Local Authorities in our roll out plans.