Written questions by Cadbury.

How many armed forces personnel were court-martialled due to their sexuality in the most recent period for which data is available prior to 2001.

Due to the broad range of offences applied to same-sex sexual acts and the record keeping practices prior to 2000, there is no way of conducting a search for data on sexuality based convictions. Court martials were held on a single Service basis until 2009, with the results of such cases being recorded in district court martial books and individuals’ Service records until the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration database in 2006. Therefore, the data from prior to 2006 is not centrally held in a way which would enable this type of analysis. The Government encourages anyone who was convicted based on their sexuality to apply for a disregard through the Home Office’s Disregard and Pardon scheme.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the amount of compensation available to LGBT veterans following the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, published in May 2023.

The Government acknowledges the historic policy prohibiting homosexuality in the Armed Forces was regrettable, wrong and completely unacceptable. The treatment of LGBT Serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect today’s Armed Forces. All 49 recommendations made in Lord Etherton’s report have been accepted and to date, 32 of the 49 recommendations have already been implemented demonstrating the Government’s commitment to supporting our veterans and the LGBT+ community. Full details about these recommendations and the non-financial restorative measures already available can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-apply-for-restorative-measures. Lord Etherton’s report demonstrated the broad range of ways that personnel were impacted by the Ban. The financial redress scheme has been designed with this in mind, intending to provide a sense of closure to all those affected. Defence has worked with experts across Government to design an appropriate scheme where applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, enabling appropriate distribution of the available funds. I hope this helps explain Defence’s position and reassures you that we are committed to welcoming back LGBT veterans into the Armed Forces community, where they have always belonged.

What steps the Child Poverty Taskforce will take to estimate levels of hygiene poverty in England.

The Child Poverty Taskforce has started urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The taskforce is exploring a range of metrics and will make decisions alongside the publication of the strategy in Spring 2025.

What steps she is taking to reduce hygiene poverty in (a) London and (b) England.

Tackling poverty in all forms, from reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels to ensuring people can afford essentials like hygiene products, is a priority for this government. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, but too many people are being denied the security and dignity that comes with being in good work. The Get Britain Working White Paper, to be set out in the Autumn, will develop measures to reduce inactivity and help people to find better paid and more secure jobs. We need a modern and effective social security system that is fit for purpose which is why we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit and listening to the full range of views on potential changes. For those most in need, we have extended the Household Support Fund (HSF) for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual. As has been done for previous schemes, the Fund is available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the cost of essentials. The Fund can be used to provide support with food, energy, water and wider essentials including hygiene products.

How many appeals against SEND decisions by people in each Greater London Borough were heard at tribunals in each of the last five years; and how many and what proportion of those cases were won by parents.

The information requested is not available for each individual Greater London Borough and could only be obtained with further data engineering work which would be disproportionate cost.Information about Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) appeals is published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.However, it is not available in the specific format requested.Success rates at appeal in the SEND Tribunal include if a parent or young person is successful at appeal for a part or in full. Hearing information is held on each individual appeal record. Each appeal would need to be accessed, the decision recording the outcome obtained for all records held within each of the 33 London Boroughs for the past 5 years.

What steps officials in her Department have taken to introduce a reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement with Kosovo.

Following a request from the Kosovan Embassy to consider a possible reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement, officials have carried out a full assessment of the information provided by the Kosovan authorities. This assessment concluded that driver testing and licensing arrangements in place in Kosovo are comparable with those in this country. The department is now progressing the work required to achieve an exchange agreement. All driving licence exchange agreements are subject to a legally required public consultation and the introduction of the relevant legislation.