Written questions by Jones.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the development of new padel facilities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel tennis in Britain. It receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.Sport policy is devolved but we continue to engage closely with partners in Wales across various areas including facilities investment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made any recent representations to Nigeria on the security situation for Christians in northern Nigeria.

The UK Government regularly advocates for the protections of all vulnerable communities, including religious minorities, through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as raising Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) directly with the Government of Nigeria. In his meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on 22 January, the Minister for Africa raised the importance of FoRB and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions. Additionally, through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme (SPRiNG) the UK is providing £38 million to help tackle the root causes of intercommunal conflict and reduce rural violence in northwest and north-central Nigeria, including by supporting collaboration and productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists, and strengthening conflict early warning, management and response.

With reference to Table 7.3 : Experimental procedures by species of animal: regulatory use by origin of legislative requirement, Great Britain 2014 to 2023 of her Department’s Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain: 2023, published on 11 September 2024, which UK legislative requirements were intended to be satisfied by the 12 procedures carried out on beagles.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2023, Table 7.3, the 12 procedures carried out on beagles were to satisfy legislative requirements on the testing of medicinal products for human use.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to ban deliberate breeding of domestic cats with any non-domestic felid species.

The Government welcomes the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices. We are carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on when the Animal Welfare Committee will start work on its project on the welfare of decapod crustaceans in the supply chain.

A project on the “welfare of decapod crustaceans across the supply chain in the UK” is included in the Animal Welfare Committee work plan (available on the AWC website).

What the cost to the Office for National Statistics was of (a) designing, (b) building and (c) running the winter covid infection survey in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1st April is attached.

Whether he has had discussions with the Office for National Statistics on the potential merits of consulting (a) patients, (b) carers, (c) academics, (d) clinicians and (e) devolved Administrations on the design of long covid survey questions.

No. The design of surveys is the responsibility of the ONS which is operationally independent and accountable to Parliament.

Whether he has had discussions with the Office for National Statistics on designing a standard set of long covid survey questions.

No. The design of surveys is the responsibility of the ONS which is operationally independent and accountable to Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to determine which countries are monitored for violations of freedom of religion or belief.

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora including the UN and Article 18 Alliance, our bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith and our programme funding.Our network of diplomatic posts around the world monitor and report on human rights, including FoRB. We also draw on other information sources including the regular reports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for FoRB.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help increase levels of innovation in the semiconductor industry in south Wales.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is actively driving innovation in South Wales' semiconductor industry through strategic investments, collaborative research funding, and robust international partnerships. Recent initiatives include Vishay Intertechnology’s £250 million investment in Newport, supported by the government's Automotive Transformation Fund, creating over 500 high-skilled jobs focused on advanced semiconductors critical to electric vehicle production. Additionally, UK businesses, including those in South Wales, can now participate in the EU Chips Joint Undertaking, gaining access to €1.3 billion of collaborative R&D funding. Other UK wide schemes, such as the government backed ChipStart scheme also offer extensive opportunities for start-ups, further boosting innovation in the semiconductor sector. This government remains firmly committed to working closely with the Welsh Government and industry partners, ensuring investments deliver sustained growth and strengthen economic resilience across South Wales and beyond.

Innovation and Technology, what the expected (a) timescale, (b) operating budget and (c) scale of the proposed National Semiconductor Institute are.

This government recognises the strategic importance of semiconductors as a critical technology for the future of the UK and a significant enabler of the government’s growth and clean energy missions. The Department recognises a number of challenges to growth of the UK semiconductor sector, including industry fragmentation and a lack of long-term innovation strategy. We are currently reviewing a range of options to address this, including a national semiconductor body that can bring together the industry and unlock growth in the sector. We will announce further details in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with international partners on fostering interfaith tolerance in Myanmar in light of the recent military attacks on churches, monasteries, and other religious sites; and what plans his Department has to integrate education on religious freedom and tolerance within its initiatives in the region.

The UK supports the protection of all religious minority groups in Myanmar. We consistently raise concerns about the discrimination of religious minorities and their places of worship in international fora, including co-sponsoring a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April 2024, which underlined the importance of addressing the root cause of violations against religious minorities. Additionally, we fund the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, and the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups. Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is incorporated within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's broader human rights training programme across the region, including workshops on religious engagement for our staff.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of differentiating the emissions associated between pre- and post-consumer scrap metal in the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

As set out in our response to the consultation on the introduction of a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), imported scrap products within the aluminum and iron & steel sectors will not be within scope of the CBAM, upon introduction from 1 January 2027.The use of scrap, either post-consumer products at the end of their useful life or pre-consumer products such as offcuts with no productive use other than as a feedstock for recycling, has a net benefit on emissions as it reduces the need for additional production. Therefore, the carbon leakage risk posed by such goods is low.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a nationwide kerbside collection for lithium-ion batteries and small Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy, including in electronic waste and batteries, as we develop our Strategy. Currently 100 local authorities in the United Kingdom operate Kerbside collection for small waste electricals and electronic equipment.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting minimum recycled content requirements for (a) new infrastructure projects and (b) finished steels.

The Government works with the Green Construction Board, part of the Construction Leadership Council, to reduce levels of waste within the industry, increase recycling, and support the transition to a circular economy. The Green Construction Board published its Zero Avoidable Waste Routemap in 2022, which covers issues such as designing out waste, encouraging refurbishment over demolition, reducing waste going to landfill and the recycling and reuse of energy intensive materials such as concrete and steel.

What estimate his Department has made of (a) the amount of scrap metal produced in the UK, (b) the maximum demand for scrap metal that can be used in the UK and (c) the impact that a ban on scrap metal exports would have on the UK economy and metals recycling sector.

My department funded a Warwick University report entitled ‘Domestic Scrap Steel Recycling – Economic, Environmental and Social Opportunities’, published February 2021, which shows that UK produces around 11.3mn tonnes of steel scrap and 1.1mn tonnes of aluminium per year. The Government has not conducted research into the volume of other types of metal scrap.The same report highlighted that in the years leading up to 2020, the UK’s demand for steel scrap was around 2.6mn tonnes and 800k tonnes for aluminium.My department is in close discussion with steel and aluminium producers and metal recyclers on a range of options to improve the supply of scrap, including export controls.

With reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to Question 24202 on Lead: Health and Safety, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the assessment of lead ammunition restrictions by the Health and Safety Executive.

For the period 1 March 2021 to 15 March 2025, HSE’s full economic cost estimate is £700,000. This includes the costs of both HSE and independent scientific experts engaged in this work but excludes work undertaken by the Environment Agency.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the call for investigations into the recent violence in Latakia, Syria, on religious communities by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

We welcome the interim authorities' establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence. We are in regular discussion with our UN and NGO partners, as well as with other international partners, to get a fuller understanding of the impact of the violence and to assess needs and responses. As my statement to the House on 10 March made clear, the interim authorities must ensure the protection of all Syrians, set out a clear path to transitional justice, and make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions and will continue to monitor closely the treatment of all civilians in Syria.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to Question 24202 on Lead: Health and Safety, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the work undertaken by the Environment Agency to asses the lead ammunition restriction.

Records show that the Environment Agency has spent approximately £425,000 on salary costs (including wages and direct overheads) for this work. This excludes wider organisational overheads (such as building maintenance and energy costs) and the Health and Safety Executive’s time and costs.

Whether her Department plans to align with recent changes to EU classification, labelling and packaging regulations requiring regular and timely updates on non-animal science.

The United Kingdom (UK) is no longer required to implement changes to European Union (EU) legislation automatically following our withdrawal from the EU. This includes Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of 23 October 2024, which amends the EU Classification Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation (CLP) Regulation. The assimilated Great Britain (GB) CLP Regulation aims to ensure the effective identification and communication of chemical hazards and the safe and secure packaging of chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment. The EU legislation will apply in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Windsor Framework. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which leads on CLP issues in the UK, is currently examining the scientific and technical basis and the wider policy context and it will advise the Government on whether any of these amendments have any merits that could be incorporated into the GB CLP regulations.