Written questions by Baker.

Media and Sport, what criteria is being used to assess the impact of (a) bingo clubs and (b) adult gaming centres on local communities.

The Government uses various data sources to assess policies and impacts. This includes data provided by the Gambling Commission and the industry, a range of research findings, and feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.The Government recognises the contributions that bingo clubs and adult gaming centres make to local communities such as seaside towns, including providing local employment and spaces where people can have fun and socialise. We will continue to work with the land-based gambling sector to mitigate the risks of gambling-related harm and strengthen player protections in venues and to support a growing gambling industry.

Media and Sport, what data her Department is using to assess upcoming policy reform for the land based adult gaming sector.

The Government uses various data sources to assess policies and impacts. This includes data provided by the Gambling Commission and the industry, a range of research findings, and feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.The Government recognises the contributions that bingo clubs and adult gaming centres make to local communities such as seaside towns, including providing local employment and spaces where people can have fun and socialise. We will continue to work with the land-based gambling sector to mitigate the risks of gambling-related harm and strengthen player protections in venues and to support a growing gambling industry.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to continue funding tennis facilities in (a) Fife, (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain following the conclusion of the Park Tennis Project.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Whether his Department plans to include decommissioning in its plan for the North Sea's energy transition.

The recent Government consultation on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’ recognised the importance of decommissioning and asked specific questions about changes that could be made to ensure an effective decommissioning framework is in place. The consultation is now closed, and we will respond in due course. The Government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good, long-term jobs.

What steps he is taking to ensure that Glenrothes and Mid Fife constituency benefits from nuclear decommissioning.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) mission is to clean up the nuclear legacy. Whilst the NDA do not have a site in Glenrothes and Mid Fife constituency, the decommissioning activity of the NDA and its supply chain provide social economic benefit to areas across Scotland. The longevity of their mission allows for positive economic benefits to be realised for years to come.

What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for clean energy projects in Wales.

The UK Government is delivering our clean energy mission in Wales as part of our Plan for Change. Earlier this month, The Crown Estate announced that three Welsh ports have been shortlisted to develop floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea. These windfarms will generate up to 4.5 gigawatts of renewable energy, create up to 5,000 jobs and deliver a £1.4 billion boost to the economy.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of UK industrial capacity to deliver floating dry docks required for Programme Euston.

Programme Euston is currently in the Concept Phase and no procurement decisions have been made. A detailed assessment of market capacity and capability will take place as the requirements develop.

What steps he is taking to ensure (a) supply chain resilience and (b) sovereign capability in the procurement strategy for Programme Euston.

Programme Euston will draw on a broad range of suppliers to deliver the infrastructure needs at HMNB Clyde. Programme Euston will engage with UK based and international suppliers to assess whether they have the required capability and capacity to deliver. No decisions have been made as this time.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of ensuring Programme Euston’s floating dry docks are manufactured in the UK on (a) economic growth and (b) skills development.

Following normal process, economic and social value benefits will be assessed by Programme Euston as it progresses through its business case approvals. No assessment has yet been undertaken.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to publish his Department's updated Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy.

The 2022 - 2030 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Disability Inclusion and Rights strategy provides a long-term framework for the FCDO's international approach to disability inclusion. When we published it, we committed to updating it at midpoint to ensure that it would remain current and reflective of Government priorities.On 25th February, the Prime Minister delivered the government's commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027, to be funded by a reduction to Official Development Assistance spending. While we had anticipated updating the strategy in advance of the Global Disability Summit in Berlin on 2-3 April, we will explore the options for updating it following the conclusion of the multi-year Spending Review and resource allocation processes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department plan to attend the Global Disability Summit in April 2025.

The 2025 Global Disability Summit is an important moment for the UK to reinforce our commitment to galvanising international efforts on disability inclusion and launch the refresh of our FCDO Disability Inclusion and Rights strategy (2022-30), setting out new priorities. The Cabinet Office and FCDO are working closely together to draw up the UK's delegation and final decisions will be made soon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his priorities are for the third Global Disability Summit in April 2025.

The UK is committed to accelerating the pace of progress on disability inclusion globally. In a context of increased conflict and crises in which people with disabilities are disproportionally affected, disability must not fall down the political agenda. At the Global Disability Summit in April 2025, the FCDO will reinforce our commitment to galvanising international efforts on disability inclusion and launch the refresh of our FCDO Disability Inclusion and Rights strategy, setting out new priorities. The voice and rights of people with disabilities will remain a core focus of the strategy and our global work on disability inclusion, as guided by the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with disabled people to help ensure that their views are represented at the Global Disability Summit in Berlin on 2-3 April 2025.

The FCDO Disability Inclusion and Rights strategy was developed in extensive consultation with the disability movement, including Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). The 2025 Global Disability Summit will be co-hosted by Germany, Jordan and the International Disability Alliance, which represents OPDs and works to amplify their voice around the world. FCDO officials have engaged with the Summit co-hosts to share the UK's experience of hosting the 2018 Global Disability Summit, reinforcing the importance of positioning the voice and rights of people with disabilities at its heart. I met the BOND Disability and Development Group in early January to discuss FCDO priorities and the Global Disability Summit. I also incorporated consultation with OPDs in my travel schedule, including meeting an organisation of women with disabilities in South Sudan.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps with the music industry to ensure performing artists have access to adequate mental health support.

This government recognises the importance of ensuring that everyone has access to support and resources for their mental health and wellbeing, including creative professionals such as musicians and performers.This government welcomes efforts by the music industry to support artists, such as the Musicians' Union's Wellbeing Support Service and Help Musicians' Music Minds Matter helpline. We would encourage more organisations across the sector to follow suit in order to foster an environment where mental health is prioritised, and artists are empowered to thrive both personally and professionally.We are working closely with industry stakeholders as they seek to address the recommendations of the Good Work Review, a sectoral deep dive funded by DCMS into job quality and working practice. This sets out a number of priorities to improve job quality in the sector, including developing dedicated support and guidance for self-employed creators.The arts and creative industries are also crucial to supporting peoples' health and wellbeing. As part of the Government's ‘an NHS fit for the future’ Mission, we will review the evidence and recommendations from stakeholders, including the National Centre for Creative Health. The Creative Industries Council has also established a Health and Wellbeing Forum, whose outputs we will consider.Additionally, the Arts Council England invests £145 million annually in National Portfolio Organisations to deliver projects including creative health, and in 2022 they published a Creative Health and Wellbeing Strategy to integrate health and wellbeing into the arts sector's core outcomes.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to maximise the benefits of rejoining the (a) Horizon and (b) Copernicus programmes.

It is our priority to make Horizon association a success. Government have launched a series of initiatives have been launched to help UK organisations engage with the programme. These include a marketing campaign and large-scale events around the country to promote Horizon Europe, and pump priming support to help increase application numbers, delivered by the British Academy and Innovate UK. On Copernicus, DSIT has been working closely with the UK Earth observation sector to promote the opportunities from renewed participation in the EU Copernicus programme. This includes hosting two Copernicus industry days, investing £250m to support industry and academics to stay at the forefront of Earth observation and through the UK Space Agency. For both programmes, the Department is actively working with European partners to promote UK expertise and capabilities and encouraging collaboration opportunities.

What steps she is taking to reduce administrative requirements for school groups visiting the UK from Europe.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.As the department for opportunity, we recognise the importance of school trips and the impact that this valuable learning experience can have on children and young people. The department also recognises the difficulties that schools have faced in recent years when it comes to organising trips between the UK and the EU. Departments across government are working to mitigate these challenges. The department is working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Home Office to improve border processing and facilitate school trips between the UK and the EU. The UK has an agreement with France which permits the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waives UK visa requirements for their classmates who are visa nationals.The Home Office has recently announced that children aged 18 and under travelling as part of a French school group will be temporarily exempt from the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme requirement until a group solution is developed.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to replace the Galileo scheme.

There are no plans to replace the EU’s Global Navigation Satellite System – Galileo – with a UK system. The Government is implementing the October 2023 Government Policy Framework for Greater Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Resilience, which will provide greater resilience for the PNT services that the UK relies upon in the event of any disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

What steps her Department is taking to help support students to study in the EU.

The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s global programme to provide grants for students to study and work anywhere in the world, including in the EU. Students can develop new skills, gain international experience and boost their employability. For the 2024/25 academic year, education providers and other eligible organisations from across the UK have been allocated over £105 million to send more than 43,000 students on study and work placements across the globe.Countries in the EU are popular destinations for UK students supported by the Turing Scheme, with EU countries making up five out of the top ten most popular destinations across both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.The Turing Scheme breaks down barriers to opportunity by prioritising the most disadvantaged students, requiring education providers to demonstrate how their project will support them and provide additional grant funding for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to travel and living costs, this funding covers items that students may need to be able to travel, including vaccinations, visa applications, passports and insurance costs.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support zoos in maintaining effective breeding programs with partners in Europe.

For zoo animal transfers from Great Britain (GB) to the European Union (EU), export requirements vary and must be agreed on a case-by-case basis with the importing country. On receipt of the requirements, Defra collaborates with officials in the importing country to ensure these are practical before producing an official certificate ensuring safe, compliant trade while safeguarding animal and public health. This minimizes the risk of live animals being delayed or returned at borders due to non-compliance. Border Control Points capacity at key locations within the EU can affect zoo animal movements, creating challenges for GB zoos participating in international conservation projects. The department engages with stakeholders, including the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and French authorities, to advocate for new border control posts and streamline processes where possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on UK-EU veterinary agreement negotiations.

The Prime Minister and President of the European Commission met on 7 November at the EPC in Budapest, where they discussed the strength of the UK-EU partnership and the need to work together to tackle the challenges facing Europe. Defra’s approach to UK-EU relations will always respect the role of devolved governments and legislatures. The Government knows that many aspects of the Withdrawal Agreement and UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement fall within devolved competence, and there are many reserved aspects of particular importance to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.