Written questions by Champion.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the FCDO 2030 restructure on availability of qualified staff at gold, silver and bronze commander level to respond to the situation in the Middle East.

There is no shortage of available staff for the roles required at present, nor do we anticipate there will be after the completion of the FCDO 2030 programme.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the removal of funding from the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit on dedicated national policing funding for modern slavery activity.

We understand concerns about the lack of dedicated funding for the specialist Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Programme from April 2026, which has historically sat under the National Police Chief Council’s Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Lead.The modern slavery programme was established in 2017 as a transformation programme, with the long‑term intention of embedding modern slavery expertise and best practice into policing as business as usual. It has been instrumental in improving the law enforcement response to modern slavery, with more investigations and more prosecutions now than when the programme began.As with all transformation programmes, it is appropriate that it concludes once core objectives have been achieved. It is owing to the success of the programme, with forces better equipped to tackle modern slavery, that we must now ensure a consistent and standardised response to modern slavery across all forces to drive performance and hold the police accountable. This is in line with the Government’s wider ambitions to reform policing as set out in the White Paper, "From Local to National: A New Model for Policing".In its final year of funding, under the Ministerial Modern Slavery Action Plan for 2025/26, the modern slavery programme has developed a framework for investigating modern slavery, capturing the expertise and lessons learnt from the past eight years of the programme. The framework and related guidance material will be made available to all officers in England and Wales through an online knowledge hub and has been incorporated into the College of Policing’s Applied Professional Practice on Modern Slavery. This will ensure that policing retains a nationally consistent standard for modern slavery investigations and a clear basis for sustaining capability once the programme concludes.The department will continue to work with police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to identifying, disrupting, and tackling modern slavery, and to oversee an orderly transition as the central modern slavery policing capability comes to a close.

Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards will be included in the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement to ensure the UK maintains the ability to set animal welfare standards unilaterally, for example to ban the import of animal fur products.

I refer the hon Member to the reply previously given to her on 4 March 2026 to PQ UIN 115407.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions there have been with EU negotiators about what falls within scope of the term agri-food product for the purposes of the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement; and whether animal fur will be excluded from scope.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but the Government has been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards. While those negotiations are ongoing, Defra cannot comment further however parliament will be informed when they are concluded.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 90695, what further steps she is taking with international partners to support Official Development Assistance programming for sexual health and reproductive rights internationally in the context of the recent broadening of the scope of the US’s Mexico City Policy.

Details of all Official Development Assistance allocations for the period up to 2028/29 will be set out in the coming months, including for programmes related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

Media and Sport, with reference to the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, what assessment her Department has made of adequacy of training for reporting child sexual abuse for people that organise sporting and related activities for children.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm, including through adherence to statutory safeguarding guidance.The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), part funded by our arm’s length bodies UK Sport and Sport England, provides guidance and training about the recognition, response, and reporting of abuse, which includes specialised training on the mandatory reporting duty proposed in the Crime and Police Bill. We will continue to work with partners, including Sport England and the CPSU, to ensure appropriate training is available for the sector.

With reference to the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of training for reporting child sexual abuse for (a) school teachers and (b) people who volunteer to deliver services for children.

The government already sets clear expectations through statutory and non-statutory guidance that those engaging with children should make an immediate referral to the relevant local authority children’s social care or police if they are concerned about a child, including the reporting of child sexual abuse.Recognising that support is necessary, the Home Office provides funds to the independent Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to further strengthen the ability of professionals to understand, identify and respond appropriately to concerns of child sexual abuse through the provision of evidence-based training and practice resources.Everyone who is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children should receive appropriate training on such referral processes.Mandatory reporting introduces a legal duty for those who work with children in a relevant activity to report child sexual abuse to the police or social services. We have committed to delaying commencement of the duty to ensure sectors are prepared for its introduction.The government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty. We will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure the requirements of the new duty are clearly communicated ahead of implementation.

With reference to the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse for people undertaking key roles with children and young people are adequately trained to meet this duty.

Everyone who is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children should receive appropriate training on referral processes. The government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty, and we will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure the new duty is clearly communicated ahead of implementation.Each organisation will need to judge how best to support its own staff in in adhering to the requirements of the duty and developing their response to child sexual abuse.Recognising that support is necessary in this complex area, the Home Office funds the independent Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to further strengthen the ability of professionals to understand, identify and respond appropriately to concerns of child sexual abuse through the provision of evidence-based training and practice resources.

With reference to the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of training for reporting child sexual abuse for (a) healthcare professionals and (b) people who volunteer to deliver healthcare services for children.

The Government is committed to tackling the appalling crime of child sexual abuse. Every registered health professional working across the National Health Service has a professional duty of care to protect children from abuse, harm, or violence. This will be strengthened through the introduction of mandatory reporting, as part of the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, which introduces a legal duty for those who work with children, including volunteers, to report child sexual abuse to the police or social services.The Government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty, and we will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure that the new duty is clearly communicated ahead of implementation.All healthcare staff and volunteers working with NHS providers complete mandatory safeguarding training. This training is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and supporting victims of abuse.The Department and NHS England are developing standalone training on addressing child sexual abuse and exploitation for launch in 2026 to further support healthcare staff to identify victims and survivors and respond in a supportive and trauma-informed manner.

When he plans to make a decision on funding for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility.

The Government has not ruled out a future investment. We will continue to work together to explore options.

Which projects in Nigeria (a) receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund and (b) have ceased to receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund in the previous five financial years.

Since 1 April 2024 the cross-government Integrated Security Fund (ISF), and the previous Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) have funded projects in Nigeria led by several government departments. The CSSF and ISF has funded projects supporting Nigeria’s security and resilience in line with our priorities identified through the UK–Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue. This has included projects dedicated to security sector reform to better meet the security needs of communities in vulnerable areas, strengthen accountability, improve the inclusion of women and girls to advance peacebuilding efforts and improve regional and inter-agency coordination. The ISF also funds projects which improve Nigeria’s capability to counter terrorism, serious and organised crime and illicit finance which directly threaten the UK and our interests. Historically the CSSF and ISF have funded projects to enhance Nigeria’s cyber resilience and reduce the upstream drivers of illicit migration to the UK. The ISF is an agile fund, which directs its funding towards projects focused on tackling the top national security threats to the UK, and therefore ceases funding projects which have achieved their objectives, or when funding can be better directed to address more pressing threats. The Hon Member can find further details on Overseas Development Aid (ODA) programmes supported in Nigeria on the GOV.UK Development Tracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/).

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Seafish, Shellfish Association of Great Britain and the Crab and Lobster Management Group on the adequacy of the Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Crabs, Lobsters, Crawfish and Nephrops in helping to ensure the improvement of animal welfare standards.

The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting animal welfare standards for decapod crustaceans. As part of this, the Department has engaged with key stakeholders, such as the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, regarding current industry practices and standards.

Whether his Department has put processes in place to prioritise UK produced steel in procurement for small modular nuclear reactor projects.

Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) has selected Rolls-Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to develop the SMR project, subject to final government approvals. GBE-N’s ambition is to ensure that 70% of supply chain products are British built across the SMR fleet, creating thousands more jobs across the supply chain. The government will continue to engage with industry to address barriers to entry in the nuclear sector so that UK companies are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities created.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to work with the UK’s zoos and aquariums to provide opportunities for conservation translocations and the reintroduction of native species as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan.

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 requires zoos in Great Britain to undertake conservation work which can include where appropriate, the repopulation of an area with, or the reintroduction into the wild of, wild animals. Defra is committed to providing opportunities for the reintroduction of formerly native species where the benefits for the environment and people are clear.

Whether she plans to extend the scope of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to include decapod crustaceans; and what the timeline is for any work required prior to the decision.

The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognises decapod crustaceans as sentient beings. The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting welfare standards for decapod crustaceans, both for those caught for human consumption and those used in scientific research.The Home Office is carefully considering next steps, in collaboration with other relevant departments, on whether decapod crustaceans should be regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. No timeline has yet been set and decisions will follow further evidence gathering.The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption. The strategy is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods

What the assurance processes are under which the Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE) of Major Schemes are conducted.

National Highways follows its established “Analytical Assurance Framework” for assuring POPE reports, which includes fourth line independent external expert analytical assurance from DfT. As these are complex reports it is right that my officials take the time to provide summary advice of these reports in the round and undertake wider assurance to advise me on the quality of collective findings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government will be represented at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Egypt and at what ministerial level the UK will be represented; and whether the Government will make financial commitments at that Conference.

The level of attendance and nature of UK commitments at any future conference will be decided in due course once the timing and objectives of that conference have been decided.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the 3 Highly Protected Marine Areas that were designated in 2023 will be implemented.

The Marine Management Organisation has consulted on proposed byelaws to prohibit all commercial and recreational fishing within the three HPMAs and to prohibit anchoring within Allonby Bay HPMA. Decisions on these proposed HPMA byelaws will be taken in due course and any further management measures for the designated HPMAs will be introduced as necessary.

Whether her Department has received completed Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE) reports from National Highways since 2021.

National Highways publishes POPE reports once they have completed governance and assurance stages online at:https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/post-opening-project-evaluation-pope-of-major-schemes/ We will provide an update on the publication of POPE reports the Department has received from National Highways in due course and I will ensure my honourable Friend is made aware when that happens.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK bilateral aid was spent on tackling violence against women and girls in the 2024-5 financial year.

The requested figures are not yet available, but on the wider issue raised, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 March 2025 to Question 33985.