Written questions by Raja.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the import of hunting trophies of (a) endangered, (b) vulnerable and (c) other species; and whether he plans to include a ban on such imports.

The import of hunting trophies is regulated through the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations, which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its manifesto and we will deliver on this. Defra is engaging with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can deliver a ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern in the most effective way.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency programme entitled Exploring Climate Cooling on levels of solar power generation.

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.ARIA have put in place an independent oversight committee, made up of international experts, to support effective governance of outdoor experiments and communication of their findings. Projects with field trial components will be subjected to risk and impact assessment by an independent team of experts and subjected to a degree of co-design with local communities; the results of both exercises will be publicly available prior to any outdoor experiment taking place. An independent assessment will also take place on completion of any outdoor experiment, also to be made publicly available.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the findings of his Department's consultation entitled Consultation on fairer food labelling, which closed on 7 May 2024; and what his planned timetable is for introducing mandatory labelling to support (a) informed consumer choice and (b) higher animal welfare standards.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Gareth Snell on 23 December 2024, PQ UIN 20692.

If his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of placing phlebotomists in band two of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale, in the context of their clinical responsibilities; and whether he plans to review the criteria used to determine their pay banding.

Phlebotomists are paid under the Agenda for Change pay scale, which is underpinned by the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES). The JES is a structured method of comparing job demands as set out in the job documentation, for example the job description, to determine the appropriate Agenda for Change pay band for any given role.The model of weighting and scoring job documentation via the JES has been legally tested and proven to be robust, therefore we have no current plans to review the system.Employers are responsible for correctly and consistently implementing the JES locally, to ensure staff are paid correctly for the work they are asked to deliver.

What recent assessment his Department has make of the adequacy of the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme (a) matrices and (b) formulae used to determine Agenda for Change pay bandings; and whether he has plans to update the assessment framework.

The Job Evaluation Scheme (JES) underpins pay for National Health Service staff under the Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions. The JES model of weighting and scoring job documentation has been legally tested and proven to be robust, therefore we have no plans to review the system at this time.The NHS Staff Council’s Job Evaluation Group periodically reviews and updates the national role profiles that are used to support job evaluation practice to ensure their accuracy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that consular support is available to British tourists travelling in Pahalgam following the attack near Pahalgam on 22 April 2025.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has processed over 2000 consular enquiries since the escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. We continue to monitor developments closely and British nationals should stay up to date with our travel advice and follow the advice of local authorities. British nationals affected can contact the FCDO for emergency help both in country and from the UK, 24/7. Travel Advice advises against all travel to the region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pahalgam.

How many complaints her Department has received relating to the passport photograph software cropping or rejecting images of individuals wearing (a) turbans and (b) other religious head coverings in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to increase security cooperation with India to help tackle terrorism.

The UK condemns the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April. Our thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones and the people of India. The UK and India have a long-standing security relationship, including on counter-terrorism and we work together both bilaterally and through multilateral mechanisms. We continue to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to take decisive and concerted action against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities. India hosted the sixteenth meeting of the UK-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in New Delhi in May 2024. We look forward to hosting the seventeenth Joint Working Group this year in London.Ensuring the utmost safety of British nationals - and the protection of British interests - in India will continue to inform our deepening relationship with the Government of India.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to maintain (a) community centres, (b) libraries and (c) other community assets in (i) Leicester East constituency and (ii) England.

The Government recognises the vital role of community spaces in Leicester and in England as a whole and wants to see them thrive. The Assets of Community Value (ACV) scheme provides communities with a route to nominate any building or land which furthers the social wellbeing or interests of the community and bid to buy the ACV to protect it for community use. Alongside this the Community Asset Transfer scheme, which supports the transfer of ownership and/or management of publicly owned land and assets from a local authority to a community organisation. As part of the English Devolution Bill, we will legislate to introduce a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets which will empower local people to bring community spaces back into community ownership.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the photograph software used for passport applications; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the software does not discriminate against people wearing (a) turbans and (b) other religious head coverings.

The initial check to guide if a photo meets the internationally agreed standards for passports utilises an algorithm provided by a leading technology provider.The testing of the photo checker was extensive and included wearers of religious headwear to optimise the algorithm for passport purposes. However, feedback is welcomed from across the approximately seven million people who apply online for a passport each year, and their experiences continue to help inform further refinement to best meet the needs of HM Passport Office and all of its customers.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of public libraries on adult education.

Public libraries are an important part of our local communities, providing people with knowledge to help with education, social skills, boosting employment and capturing the imagination of readers of all ages and backgrounds.The DCMS Participation Survey 2023-24 found that 30% of adults had engaged with public libraries in England in the previous 12 months. This is a 6 percent point increase from the previous year.Libraries are used as a venue for local authority adult learning provision funded through the Department for Education's Adult Skills Fund. Libraries enable providers to offer courses in local communities which are often targeted at learners with barriers to learning. The Department for Education does not collect data on the use of libraries or other venues for adult learning.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to improve accountability measures against (a) state and (b) non-state actors that sponsor terrorism.

The UK's Counter-Terrorism strategy, CONTEST, seeks to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas, so people can live freely and with confidence. The UK, thus, prioritises international terrorism that affects us and our interests. The overwhelming majority of the terrorist threat to the UK is from non-state actors such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda. However, the lines are increasingly blurred between state and non-state threats. The UK has multiple tools to reduce terrorism risk under the four CONTEST pillars of Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare, and these can be applied in certain cases in a threat agnostic manner. Accountability measures come under Pursue: to disrupt and degrade. We work with and through bilateral and international partners to build capacity to support the investigation and prosecution of terrorists in a rule of law and human rights compliant manner, in efforts to hold them accountable by bringing them to justice. Another tool in Pursue is multilateral (UN Security Council Resolution 1267) and sovereign 'CT2' sanctions, which we use to build international solidarity and to disrupt terrorists' activities. Significant international terrorist threats to the UK, regardless of ideology, are listed under the CT2 regime.

What steps his Department is taking to improve support for people with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; and whether he plans to consult (a) the MS Society and (b) people with those conditions on future policy decisions.

Initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP). NHS England’s NTP is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services.NHS England is also updating its specialised neurology service specification, which includes multiple sclerosis. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.Involving relevant patient advocacy organisations, including people with lived experience, like the Multiple Sclerosis Society, is central to developing our policies for the National Health Service.The consultation for our 10-Year Health Plan received over 190,000 responses, including responses from staff and patients. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. We also plan to publish our refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and treat patients, including those with multiple sclerosis, on time again The Department has convened a new United Kingdom-wide neuro forum, which brings together the devolved administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learning across the UK, and will discuss important neurology service transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) access to prostate cancer screening and (b) waiting times for prostate cancer treatment.

The Government understands that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for all patients with prostate cancer. Currently, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend a national prostate cancer screening programme due to the limitations of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, which may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would not have caused harm during a man’s lifetime. However, the UK NSC is undertaking a comprehensive evidence review to assess six potential approaches to targeted screening for those at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Recommendations will be published upon the conclusion of this review.In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms.Improving access to timely treatment and care remains a key priority for all cancer types, including prostate cancer. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further measures to improve cancer outcomes, including efforts to reduce waiting times and improve cancer treatment for all patients, including for prostate cancer.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to (a) adult education and (b) lifelong learning opportunities; and whether she plans to increase funding to support (i) adult learners and (ii) local education providers.

This government recognises the value of lifelong learning and the department is investing in education and skills training for adults through the adult skills fund (ASF).Currently, approximately 62% of the ASF is devolved to nine Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas.In non-devolved areas, learners in receipt of a low wage are eligible for full funding, which directly supports social mobility. The ASF also funds Learner Support, which provides assistance to learners with specific financial hardships.The department has also committed to introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), a transformation to the existing higher education student finance system. The LLE will launch in the 2026/27 academic year for learners studying courses starting on or after 1 January 2027.Under the LLE, new learners will be able to access a full entitlement equal to 4 years of full-time tuition. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of using carbon neutral backup power sources on infrastructure in (a) Leicester East constituency and (b) England.

Annex O of the Energy and Emission Projections [1] presents Net Zero consistent scenarios for the power sector, including estimates of the low carbon power sources required to ensure security of supply out to 2050.[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6464ac150b72d30013344604/annex-o-net-zero-power-sector-scenarios.pdf

Whether she has made an estimate of the number of pubs that will close in (a) Leicester East and (b) the United Kingdom as a result of employer National Insurance contribution rises.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. It means employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying employer NICs. Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase youth participation in (a) civil society and (b) sport.

DCMS is committed to the inclusion of young people in civil society, particularly through youth social action and youth voice. DCMS funds the direct youth participation programme #iwill, which supports young people to engage in social action in their communities. DCMS also encourages participation through other funded programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh and the Uniformed Youth Fund. We are developing a National Youth Strategy and this is an opportunity to look afresh at youth participation in volunteering and civil society.The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active. The majority of our funding for grassroots sport is through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year to improve opportunities for local communities to access sport, including children and young people. The Government has also confirmed funding for the School Games Organisers network up to the end of the Financial Year 25/26, which provides over 2 million opportunities for school children to engage in local and inclusive sporting competitions across 40 different sports and activities.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of additional lorry drivers required after the reduction in volumetric concrete mixers weight limits.

The call for evidence conducted from October to December 2023 was an opportunity for respondents to present evidence, but it did not reveal significant new evidence supporting a change in policy.The outcome of my department’s review into VCMs was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with additional needs and without an Education, Health and Care Plan receive adequate SEN support in schools; and whether she plans to increase (a) funding and (b) access to specialist support to improve inclusive mainstream education.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has special educational needs (SEN), receives the support they need. The SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEN does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.We are committed to improving expertise and inclusivity in mainstream schools.This includes building a robust and credible evidence base on what works to drive inclusive education. To support this, an Expert Advisory Group for inclusion has been established, led by Tom Rees, that consists of experts across the SEND sector.Following the 2024 Autumn Budget, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND, including those in mainstream schools, to over £12 billion. Of that total, Leicester City Council is being allocated over £88 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £6.6 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula.