Written questions by Harding.

How many people have been prosecuted under section 2 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991.

This Government is committed to preventing violence and disorder at football matches and works closely with stakeholders including the police and football authorities to ensure the police and courts are empowered to tackle football-related violence and disorder.Section 2 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 (‘the Act’) creates the offence of missile throwing at designated football matches in England and Wales.Published data on prosecutions and convictions for offences under section 2 of the Act for the last five years are shown in the table below and can be found on GOV.UK here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2024Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2024 - GOV.UK Year endingProsecutionsConvictionsJune 20203732June 202177June 20228175June 2023114103June 2024118113 We do not centrally collate data relating to the proportion of cases resulting in a conviction under section 2 of the Act that did not have a recorded (a) injury and (b) victim.We keep all legislation under review, but do not have any plans to reduce the scope of this Act.

What discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) others on section 2 of the Football Offences Act 1991.

This Government is committed to preventing violence and disorder at football matches and works closely with stakeholders including the police and football authorities to ensure the police and courts are empowered to tackle football-related violence and disorder.Section 2 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 (‘the Act’) creates the offence of missile throwing at designated football matches in England and Wales.Published data on prosecutions and convictions for offences under section 2 of the Act for the last five years are shown in the table below and can be found on GOV.UK here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2024Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2024 - GOV.UK Year endingProsecutionsConvictionsJune 20203732June 202177June 20228175June 2023114103June 2024118113 We do not centrally collate data relating to the proportion of cases resulting in a conviction under section 2 of the Act that did not have a recorded (a) injury and (b) victim.We keep all legislation under review, but do not have any plans to reduce the scope of this Act.

What proportion of cases brought under section 2 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 have resulted in a conviction since 2020.

This Government is committed to preventing violence and disorder at football matches and works closely with stakeholders including the police and football authorities to ensure the police and courts are empowered to tackle football-related violence and disorder.Section 2 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 (‘the Act’) creates the offence of missile throwing at designated football matches in England and Wales.Published data on prosecutions and convictions for offences under section 2 of the Act for the last five years are shown in the table below and can be found on GOV.UK here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2024Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2024 - GOV.UK Year endingProsecutionsConvictionsJune 20203732June 202177June 20228175June 2023114103June 2024118113 We do not centrally collate data relating to the proportion of cases resulting in a conviction under section 2 of the Act that did not have a recorded (a) injury and (b) victim.We keep all legislation under review, but do not have any plans to reduce the scope of this Act.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of section 2 of the Football Offences Act 1991; and whether she plans to reduce the scope of that Act.

This Government is committed to preventing violence and disorder at football matches and works closely with stakeholders including the police and football authorities to ensure the police and courts are empowered to tackle football-related violence and disorder.Section 2 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 (‘the Act’) creates the offence of missile throwing at designated football matches in England and Wales.Published data on prosecutions and convictions for offences under section 2 of the Act for the last five years are shown in the table below and can be found on GOV.UK here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2024Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2024 - GOV.UK Year endingProsecutionsConvictionsJune 20203732June 202177June 20228175June 2023114103June 2024118113 We do not centrally collate data relating to the proportion of cases resulting in a conviction under section 2 of the Act that did not have a recorded (a) injury and (b) victim.We keep all legislation under review, but do not have any plans to reduce the scope of this Act.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what percentage of Gross National Income he plans to allocate to overseas spending in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Given the multi-year nature of many international development spending commitments, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is currently reassessing its ODA spending plans for the financial year of 2025/26 to ensure they deliver maximum value for money in the context of the transition to spending 0.3 per cent of gross national income on ODA by 2027. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the value is of the humanitarian reserve (a) as of 17 March 2025 and (b) in each of the next three years.

The £50 million Humanitarian Crisis Reserve (HCR) has been fully allocated and spent for financial year 24/25. The value of the HCR in future years is yet to be determined.

Whether the 0.3% of Gross National Income figure for official development assistance is a (a) target figure or (b) minimum budget spend.

We are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of Europe. The peace dividend we have enjoyed for the past years is over and we need to raise defence spending to keep the UK safe. In order to remain committed to our fiscal rules, the government has taken the difficult decision to reduce Official Development Assistance (ODA) to fund this defence spending increase.We will fund ODA spending to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI by 2027.The Government remains committed to international development and to returning ODA to 0.7% of GNI when fiscal conditions allow but will adopt a measured approach in the interim. The UK will continue to be a champion for development finance, championing innovation and pushing for reforms of the international financial architecture to support vulnerable countries.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to retain his Department's role overseeing (a) in-country migration costs and (b) other official development assistance.

The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The Government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog, reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review period and increase detention capacity to facilitate more asylum removals. Whilst there will always be volatility in asylum forecasts, we expect these decisions to drive down overall in-donor refugee costs over the next Spending Review.Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments. The ODA Board's first meeting in February 2025 focused on in-donor refugee costs. The co-chairs, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and former Minister for Development, were joined by the Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which (a) geographical regions and (b) thematic programmes will be prioritised in the allocation of official development assistance.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of official development assistance will be allocated to in-donor refugee costs in each fiscal year up to and including 2026/27.

The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The Government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog, reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review period and increase detention capacity to facilitate more asylum removals.Whilst there will always be volatility in asylum forecasts, we expect these decisions to drive down overall in-donor refugee costs over the next Spending Review and the Home Office are well incentivised to deliver this.Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to prioritise (a) maintaining and extending financial commitments to multilateral organisations and (b) bilateral aid to partner countries, in the context of the reduction in ODA.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's top development priorities are.

The UK remains committed to investing internationally to build a safer world. Reducing the overall size of our Official Development Assistance budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. We will set out how our spending plans deliver on our priorities following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of specialist clinical provision for people with Huntington’s Disease in Surrey.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Huntington’s Disease.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 that meet those needs, including the treatment of Huntington’s Disease, in partnership with other local commissioners and organisations. Details on local clinical provisions are best answered by the ICB, in this case NHS Surrey Heartlands.

Whether his Department plans to establish a specialist Huntington’s Disease Centre in Surrey.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Huntington’s Disease.Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissions a specialist service that provides support to people with Huntington’s Disease. The service works closely with the Huntington’s Disease clinic at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As of November 2024, there are 18 full time equivalent neurology consultants employed in National Health Service trusts within the Surrey Heartlands ICB region. This is seven more than a year previously.At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including those with Huntington’s disease, such as the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The National Neurosciences Advisory Group developed clinical pathways for adults with movement disorders, including Huntington’s disease. This is being used to inform the proposed changes to the neurology service model, which will in turn be used to revise the service specification for neurology.

What steps he is taking to improve treatment outcomes for people with Huntington’s Disease; and what research his Department is supporting into that disease.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Huntington’s Disease. One of the priorities of the Framework is improving access to specialist care, treatment and drugs. In England, we published the 2025 Rare Diseases Action Plan on 28 February 2025, which provides further information.The Department funds research into Huntington’s disease via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Huntington’s disease. For example, the NIHR’s UCL Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) supported the TRACK-HD study. This identified biomarkers for Huntington’s disease and generated a database of brain scans available to scientists and led to the development of a rating scale to measure disease progression. BRC-funded researchers have also developed the first human test for the protein, which has now been validated and used as an endpoint in clinical trials.

What steps he (a) has taken and (b) is taking to (i) increase and (ii) improve the availability of specialist clinical provision for people with Huntington’s Disease.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Huntington’s Disease.Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissions a specialist service that provides support to people with Huntington’s Disease. The service works closely with the Huntington’s Disease clinic at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As of November 2024, there are 18 full time equivalent neurology consultants employed in National Health Service trusts within the Surrey Heartlands ICB region. This is seven more than a year previously.At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including those with Huntington’s disease, such as the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The National Neurosciences Advisory Group developed clinical pathways for adults with movement disorders, including Huntington’s disease. This is being used to inform the proposed changes to the neurology service model, which will in turn be used to revise the service specification for neurology.

How many and what proportion of integrated care boards have specialist clinicians for Huntington’s Disease; and whether Surrey Heartlands ICB has specialist clinicians for Huntington’s Disease.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Huntington’s Disease.Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissions a specialist service that provides support to people with Huntington’s Disease. The service works closely with the Huntington’s Disease clinic at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As of November 2024, there are 18 full time equivalent neurology consultants employed in National Health Service trusts within the Surrey Heartlands ICB region. This is seven more than a year previously.At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including those with Huntington’s disease, such as the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The National Neurosciences Advisory Group developed clinical pathways for adults with movement disorders, including Huntington’s disease. This is being used to inform the proposed changes to the neurology service model, which will in turn be used to revise the service specification for neurology.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help mitigate the potential impact of USAID’s funding pause on the UK’s international development programmes.

We are currently working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across development sectors. We welcome the news that emergency food aid and life-saving humanitarian assistance should be exempt from the pause in US foreign aid.The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme budget will be £9.24 billion in 2025/26. The FCDO will allocate budgets in line with UK priorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK aid programmes have been (a) paused and (b) otherwise affected by the USAID funding pause.

We are currently working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across development sectors. We welcome the news that emergency food aid and life-saving humanitarian assistance should be exempt from the pause in US foreign aid. We are assessing implications in other humanitarian and development sectors. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in other donor countries on responding to the decision to pause USAID funding.

Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partnerships toward that vision. We are currently working to assess the implications of the USAID funding pause and working with partners to gather information and analysis of the pause. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.