Written questions by Antoniazzi.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a ban on the import and sale of plastic flying rings.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of plastic flying rings on seal populations.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that charities for women and girls have updated their charitable purposes in line with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish

The Charity Commission for England and Wales is working at pace to update its guidance for charities to ensure it aligns with the new code when it is published by Parliament. As charities can have any combination of charitable purposes or stated beneficia...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the absence of a registered Treaty of Union between the Republic of Cameroon and the

The UK has historically recognised the outcome of the 1961 UN-organised plebiscite, in which the territories now forming the North-West and South-West regions voted to join the Republic of Cameroon, as endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly Resol...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department's policy is on the status of Southern Cameroon following the 2009 African Commission ruling in Gunme v Cameroon.

The UK has historically recognised the outcome of the 1961 UN-organised plebiscite, in which the territories now forming the North-West and South-West regions voted to join the Republic of Cameroon, as endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly Resol...

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the legal status of Southern Cameroons on the number of asylum applications from that region since 2021.

The Home Office has not made a specific assessment that the legal status of those from any part of Cameroon has driven changes in asylum intake since 2021. As with all nationalities, the number of asylum applications can fluctuate for a range of reasons, ...

How many people made asylum applications at Drumkeen House in Belfast in each of the last three years.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.

Immigration and asylum policy are reserved matters for the Home Office. I would encourage the Honourable Member to write to the Home Secretary on this matter.

How many asylum claimants there are in Northern Ireland for which the latest data is available.

The Home Office are unable to state how many asylum claimants there are in Northern Ireland as this information is not routinely collated.The Home Office publishes data on the number of individuals in receipt of asylum support. The most recent published s...

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of advising prophylactic antibiotics for those at risk of endocarditis from basic dental examinations.

No assessment has been made by the Department, however the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has guidance on the use of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent infective endocarditis in NICE Clinical Guideline CG64, which can be found at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg64 This guideline states that antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent infective endocarditis is not currently routinely recommended for people undergoing dental procedures, but it is recommended for a small number of people who are at increased risk of infective endocarditis, such as those with certain structural heart conditions. For these individuals, clinicians should provide clear information on the risks and benefits and may consider antibiotic prophylaxis on an individual basis following an informed discussion, rather than as part of routine care. Where used, prophylaxis is typically limited to a single, targeted dose, consistent with antimicrobial stewardship principles. From an antimicrobial resistance perspective, the Department’s position is that preventing infection in the first place, through good oral hygiene, timely access to dental care, and effective infection prevention and control, is the most sustainable way to reduce both endocarditis risk and the need for antibiotics. NICE has recently highlighted additional advice for high‑risk groups, but has confirmed that the evidence remains insufficient to change the overall recommendation against routine antibiotic prophylaxis, which can be found at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg64/chapter/recommendations

Whether users of LPG can access the £53 million emergency support package for vulnerable households.

The additional £53 million announced by the government to be targeted at heating oil includes £3.8 million support for Wales, which is being provided to the Welsh Government. It is for the Welsh Government to determine how this funding is allocated and delivered, in line with its devolved responsibilities and existing delivery mechanisms, including any support available for households reliant on LPG.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Portman Group’s report entitled Protecting Consumers and Supporting Producers: Regulatory Report 2025, published on 4 February 2026.

The Department has noted the publication of the report Protecting Consumers and Supporting Producers: Regulatory Report 2025, which provides the Portman Groups review of its regulation in 2025.The Portman Group are the alcohol industry’s self-regulatory body with responsibility for the application of two codes to regulate the sponsorship, naming, packaging, and marketing of alcoholic products.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2026 to Question 118047, which section of the most recent Block Grant Transparency publication details the Barnett consequentials allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive following increases in police funding to PCCs in England and Wales in each year since 2020.

The Barnett formula applies to all changes in UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limits, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes to the Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant funding since Spending Review 2015. The most recent report was published in October 2025. At spending reviews, the Barnett formula is applied to overall changes to department funding, rather than to individual programmes or specific funding streams. Therefore, it is not possible to identify or specify Barnett consequentials allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive for particular programmes where funding was provided at spending reviews, including increases in police funding to Police and Crime Commisioners in England and Wales.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 109187 and Question 109186 on Religious Buildings: Wales, what additional funding was agreed with the Treasury to support the Places of Worship Renewal Fund; and what amount of proportional funding was made available to the Welsh Government.

At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take. We are not therefore able to provide Barnett numbers relating to specific policy measures.

What estimate she has made of the Barnett consequentials allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive following increases in police funding to PCCs in England and Wales in each year since 2020.

The Barnett formula applies to all changes in UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limits, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes to the Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant funding since Spending Review 2015. The most recent report was published in October 2025.

What estimate he has made of UK Government funding allocated to the PSNI as Additional Security Funding in each financial year since 2011.

Recognising the unique security situation in Northern Ireland, the UK Government makes contributions to the PSNI through Additional Security Funding. The aim of the funding is to enable the PSNI to tackle terrorist threats while ensuring day-to-day policing is not compromised, allowing them to continue keeping people safe. This Government is providing the PSNI with £37.8 million in Additional Security Funding in the 2025/26 financial year, an increase from c£32m. The 2025 Spending Review confirmed the PSNI will be provided with £37.8 million in Additional Security Funding for each of the next 3 financial years. The amount provided to the PSNI in Additional Security funding in each full financial year since 2011 is shown below:Financial YearAmount2011/12£57.1m2012/13£53.3m2013/14£62.4m2014/15£26.7m2015/16c£32m2016/17c£32m2017/18c£32m2018/19c£32m2019/20c£32m2020/21c£32m2021/22c£32m2022/23c£32m2023/24c£32m2024/25c£32m2025/26£37.8

What estimate she has made of the Barnett consequentials allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive from the £750,000 uplift provided in 2019 for an increase in officer numbers to 20,000 in England and Wales.

The Barnett formula applies to all changes in UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limits, including the Home Office, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes to the Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant funding since Spending Review 2015. The most recent report was published in October 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Taliban's decision to permanently ban women and girls from education.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 January in response to Question 103187.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to secure adequate funding opportunities for places of worship in Wales.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is focused solely on England because heritage policy is devolved. Future capital funding for Wales is supported through Barnett allocations, which provide proportional funding to the Welsh Government. As these funds are not ring-fenced, it is for the devolved administrations to determine how this funding is allocated and spent according to their priorities. Therefore, we do not plan to assess the impact of this capital funding for places of worship in Wales.This contrasts with the previous Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS), which operated UK-wide as a VAT-rebate scheme. Tax policy is not devolved.To ensure continued support across the UK, we are working closely with sector funders to maximise opportunities for all nations. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) remains a vital resource, offering grants across the UK and investing £100 million over three years in places of worship. This includes a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support and build capacity, ensuring that places of worship in Wales have access to investment.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recently announced changes to capital funding for places of worship on places of worship in Wales.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is focused solely on England because heritage policy is devolved. Future capital funding for Wales is supported through Barnett allocations, which provide proportional funding to the Welsh Government. As these funds are not ring-fenced, it is for the devolved administrations to determine how this funding is allocated and spent according to their priorities. Therefore, we do not plan to assess the impact of this capital funding for places of worship in Wales.This contrasts with the previous Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS), which operated UK-wide as a VAT-rebate scheme. Tax policy is not devolved.To ensure continued support across the UK, we are working closely with sector funders to maximise opportunities for all nations. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) remains a vital resource, offering grants across the UK and investing £100 million over three years in places of worship. This includes a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support and build capacity, ensuring that places of worship in Wales have access to investment.