Written questions by Caliskan.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of protective security schemes for religious places of worship.

This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer. The Government and police work closely together to review threats and strengthen protections for communities against terrorism and hate crime.The Home Office continuously reviews the effectiveness and proportionality of its protective security schemes for faith communities through evaluating information provided by policing and intelligence partners on threat and risk, monitoring data on uptake of the schemes, and reviewing feedback from faith communities and other stakeholders.Furthermore, protective security measures are provided to places of worship and other faith community sites following a thorough risk assessment process that takes into account the security requirements of individual sites and determines the most effective measures to implement. Regular reviews of these requirements are then undertaken for sites that receive ongoing security.

If she will publish the number of hate crime incidences recorded in (a) the Barking constituency and (b) London in each of the last 10 years.

The Home Office publishes official statistics on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level.Data for the Metropolitan and City of London Police forces, for the year ending March 2024, can be found in Open Data Tables here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK

What criteria her Department uses for allocating protective security funds to different religious groups under the places of worship protective security fund; and whether the number of reported religiously motivated hate crimes is a factor in that decision-making process.

Funding allocations for the Home Office's protective security schemes for faith communities are informed by threat and risk. We draw on a range of information, such as data on religiously motivated hate crime and assessments from policing and intelligence partners on wider security threats, to ensure that funding allocations remain proportionate and responsive to the needs of different communities.Funding allocations have previously been increased in response to specific incidents and emerging threats, and the Home Office continuously keeps these under review to ensure that support is directed where it is most needed.

What steps her Department is taking to help keep (a) mosques and (b) muslim faith schools secure.

This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer. The Government and police work closely together to review threats and strengthen protections for communities against terrorism and hate crime.The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides protective security measures (such as security personnel services, CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing) to mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres. Protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools. Up to £29.4 million per year is being made available for this work from 2024/25 to 2027/28.Work is also underway to develop a new Faith Security Training scheme to raise awareness amongst faith communities of how to improve their safety and security, and to help them prepare to mitigate any threats they may face. We are in the process of competitively tendering for a supplier to deliver this scheme and further details will be shared once the procurement process is complete.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of hate crime around places of worship.

This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer. The Government and police work closely together to review threats and strengthen protections for communities against terrorism and hate crime.In 2025/26, up to £50.9 million is available to protect faith communities and places of worship, including £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, and £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques scheme and for security at Muslim faith schools.As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding religious freedom and community safety, we are also introducing a new measure within the Crime and Policing Bill that strengthens police powers around all places of worship.Further to their existing powers, this measure will enable the police to place conditions on protests near places of worship, preventing disruptive tactics and ensuring worshippers can practise their faith peacefully.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support a political solution in Cyprus .

The UK is fully committed to supporting ongoing UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement. I represented the UK at the informal talks in Geneva in March chaired by the UN Secretary General, where I encouraged all sides to engage constructively towards a Settlement. I welcome the outcomes of the Geneva meeting, notably the Secretary General's appointment of a Personal Envoy on Cyprus and the agreement to six initiatives to build trust between the two communities. Ahead of the New York meeting, I am continuing to encourage all sides to engage constructively. I am in regular contact with the Republic of Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. I also both met Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and spoke to opposition leader Tufan Erhürman on 25 June. On 1 July, I met the Secretary General's Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, and we discussed how the UK can best support her efforts to bring progress towards a Settlement. The UK also continues to contribute to peace and stability in Cyprus through our deployment of military personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of lifting the trade embargo on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. Several UN Security Council Resolutions, other multilateral agreements and domestic and international court rulings limit links between the UK and the north. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not made a formal assessment of the merits of lifting the trade embargo. However, within the constraints outlined above, we support measures to reduce the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and, in the interests of working towards a just and lasting Settlement, to promote intercommunal contact. Increasing intra-island trade is an important part of such efforts and we urge both sides to continue to work to remove obstacles to it. FCDO officials have previously facilitated discussions between the Department for Business and Trade and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce about the onwards export to the UK of products crossing the Green Line.I recently met with the Turkish Cypriot leader to discuss the next round of talks at the United Nations later this month. I also met a range of business and civil society representatives from Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on my visit to Cyprus.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to increase maximum licensing fees for Track Betting Premises to local authorities.

The fees that licensing authorities collect for premises licence applications and annual renewals are used to cover administration and enforcement costs. In England and Wales, local authorities can set their own licensing fees for gambling premises, including track betting premises, up to a statutory maximum. In Scotland, licensing fees are set at a flat rate by Scottish Ministers. The 2023 gambling white paper proposed increasing the cap on licensing authority premises fees in England and Wales. We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to make decisions on key measures from the gambling white paper.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of PE provision in the national curriculum.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Barking, to the answer of 28 March to Question 40068.

Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on confirming the site for the planned Photographic Reconnaissance Unit Memorial.

The Royal Parks wrote to DCMS on 11 April 2025 regarding the site for the planned Photographic Reconnaissance Unit memorial. Officials from DCMS have since been in discussion with The Royal Parks regarding the proposed site, which is under The Royal Parks’ management.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in levels of improvements to diagnostic services for pancreatic cancer since July 2024.

We will support the National Health Service to transform diagnostic services by spending £1.65 billion on additional capacity, including new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, to support the delivery of over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.Performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard for upper gastrointestinal cancer for the period July 2024 to February 2025 was 76.2%. This is a 3.1% increase over the same period in the previous year, from July 2023 to February 2024.

Whether her Department plans to fund the Music and Dance Scheme in 2025-26.

The department will inform Music and Dance Scheme providers about funding for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the spending review in the spring.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the amount of UK aid that has reached Gaza since 15 January 2025.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not have a breakdown of the specific amount of UK aid that has reached Gaza since 15 January 2025, but the UN reports that over 4,000 trucks of aid entered Gaza per week during the ceasefire, reaching over 2 million people. In the first days of the ceasefire, we released £17 million in additional emergency humanitarian funding for the promised surge in aid, bringing our total support this financial year for Palestinians across the region to £129 million. The UK remains strongly opposed to Israel's halt of the flow of aid into Gaza since 2 March, which risks undoing the vital progress made during the ceasefire. Since 7 October 2023, UK support has meant over half a million people have received essential healthcare, over 647,000 have received food, and over 284,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20 March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities. We urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. More bloodshed is in no-one's interest. Hamas must release all the hostages and negotiations must resume. We want Israel and Hamas to re-engage with negotiations, we continue to condemn Hamas, of course, for their actions on 7 October 2023, their refusal to release the hostages, and their ongoing threat to Israel, but we are also resolute in calling on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the unacceptable restrictions on aid and demand the protection of civilians. Since the renewed outbreak of hostilities, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer on 20 March and to his Israeli counterpart Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 March.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide further aid to (a) the Occupied Palestinian Territories and (b) Gaza.

As the Prime Minister made clear in the House on 25 February, this Government is proud of the UK's pioneering record on overseas development, and we will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Gaza. As with all Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend, any new allocations to humanitarian partners will be announced in the usual way. The UK has now announced £129 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) this financial year, including £41 million for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), providing essential services to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestinian refugees across the region delivered through partner agencies.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Commonhold White Paper: The proposed new commonhold model for homeownership in England and Wales, published on 3 March 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of those proposals on commonhold on (a) existing leaseholders and (b) Right to Manage arrangements.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244) and 3 March 2025 (HCWS488).The government will consult this year on the best approach to banning new leasehold flats. We are also reviewing the Law Commission’s recommendations to make it easier for existing leaseholders to choose to convert to commonhold and will set out next steps in due course.We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing leaseholders with greater rights, powers and protections over their homes. Alongside the extensive programme of detailed secondary legislation that we are bringing forward to implement the remaining provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, we will further reform the existing leasehold system by legislating to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents; removing the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture; acting to protect leaseholders from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous managing agents; and enacting remaining Law Commission recommendations on enfranchisement and the Right to Manage.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the cap on Local Housing Allowance payable for temporary accommodation through the Housing Benefit subsidy system.

We continue to keep the rates used for Housing Benefit subsidy under review. We are working closely with MHCLG and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to explore the impacts of subsidy rates on local authorities and develop long and short-term policy solutions for the temporary accommodation sector. The Government will prioritise the best way to achieve its mission and goals within the current challenging fiscal situation at the appropriate fiscal event.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to give local authorities in London a formal decision-making role in future integrated settlements applied to the Greater London Authority.

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government committed to exploring how the Integrated Settlement policy could be applied for the Greater London Authority from the 2026-27 financial year onwards, taking into account the capital’s unique devolution arrangements. This work is currently taking place and the Government plans to announce further details following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025.

How the Business Growth Service will (a) work with local authorities in design and implementation and (b) progress wider government aims for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.

The Business Growth Service will provide a national service and brand with locally led delivery and local business support services at its core. Local authorities are therefore key partners in the design and implementation of the Business Growth Service as well as the development of the broader Small Business Strategy aimed at helping SMEs to thrive. DBT is currently consulting on these areas with the Mayoral Strategic Authorities, including the Greater London Authority, and other local government representatives via roundtables and other engagement routes, and this will continue as the Department prepares to the launch the Business Growth Service later this year.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the current Personal Independence Payments system for (a) supporting people with long-term illness and disability (b) adequate assessment of eligibility and (c) adapting to changing needs of recipients.

a). Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides extensive support to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to help them live independent lives, contributing up to £9,583 a year, tax free, to help cover extra costs. b) DWP has set standards for the quality of assessments and closely monitors all aspects of the process including the performance of the assessment suppliers. Our audit process considers the initial review, evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the advice within the assessment report completed by a health professional (HP). c) PIP award rates, and their durations, are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Award durations can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point. Award reviews remain an important feature of PIP to ensure customers receive the correct level of benefit. This government is committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits. We are working to develop proposals for reform and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the spring statement later this year.