Written questions by Morton.

What assessment she has made of the challenges faced by the Ukrainian community in securing employment opportunities as a result of their immigration status.

The Home Office will continue engaging with our stakeholders and partners to ensure employers are fully informed and can continue to support Ukrainians. We have also updated the online guidance for employers with details of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme, which is available on Gov.uk.UPE provides the same rights and entitlements to access work as well as benefits, healthcare and education as the current Ukraine schemes. Where an in-time UPE application is made and the application is not decided before the person’s existing leave expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends the person’s existing leave, together with any existing rights (including a right to work), until the application has been determined.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on entering the premises of (a) animal shelters and (b) rescue homes to assess (ii) animal welfare and (ii) conditions.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities and the police have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare, including powers of entry to premises such as animal shelters and rescue homes. Section 18 of the Act allows animals to be seized where necessary to prevent suffering.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits for businesses in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency of the £10m grant issued to the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator this year.

We were delighted to extend the Innovation Accelerator pilot into 2025/26, investing an extra £30 million in growing high-potential clusters in the West Midlands, Glasgow City Region and Greater Manchester.The West Midlands Innovation Accelerators is supporting a range of projects focused on business innovation. For example, Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator is helping companies navigate “pinch-points” in the medical translation process, and Clean Futures is supporting SMEs to develop, demonstrate and grow clean-tech solutions in partnership with the wider ecosystem.Innovate UK will continue to work collaboratively with each regional partnership to maximise the impact on their regions.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing measures in connection with the Growth and Skills Levy to protect funding for (a) SMEs and (b) young people.

This government has committed to widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners and align with the industrial strategy.As a first step, this will include shorter duration apprenticeships and new foundation apprenticeships for young people. These will help more people learn high-quality skills at work, give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives, and support the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth.Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from foundation apprenticeships from August 2025, backed by an additional £40 million, and shorter duration apprenticeships will also be possible from August 2025.The government recognises the importance of ensuring the growth and skills offer supports small and medium-sized employers (SMEs) to access apprenticeships. Development of the offer will be informed by the results of Skills England’s analysis and engagement, including on where flexibilities will be most helpful for employers, including SMEs.

What steps he has taken to ensure employers are aware of the available National Insurance relief when hiring apprentices under the age of 25.

HMRC maintains comprehensive Gov.uk guidance to help employers understand the Class 1 NICs relief for apprentices under the age of 25, which has been in place since 2016. It can be found here: Paying employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25 - GOV.UK. Beyond the NICs relief, the Government is committed to supporting apprenticeships as a key component of its growth mission to achieve growth. The Autumn Budget provided £40 million to help to deliver new foundation and shorter apprenticeships in key sectors.

Whether (a) police authorities and (b) police and crime commissioners were required to submit a formal bid or proposal to access funding under the 2025-26 Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

The Government has provided £200 million for 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs by the end of the Parliament. Force-level allocations have been determined using the Police Funding Formula.The approach in 2025/26 is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. This means the precise workforce mix in the first year of the programme is a local decision.All 43 forces submitted delivery plans in line with their force level allocations outlining projected increase in neighbourhood officers for year one of the four-year programme. All forces’ plans are therefore informed by a force-level understanding of what can be achieved.The specific grant allocations and projections are available for each force on gov.uk through the following link: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK .The local force baseline that growth must be achieved from has been set at 31st March 2025. Forces have developed delivery plans to benefit their neighbourhood policing teams in 25/26. The details of West Midlands Police allocations can be found on gov.uk on the link shared above.To ensure that funding effectively contributes to neighbourhood policing aims and is limited to expenditure that is critical for the programme, funding must be used for personnel in roles that fulfil neighbourhood policing functions (defined by CIPFA Category 1A) and items that directly support them in their roles.

What estimate her Department has made of the per capita increase in neighbourhood policing across different police force areas; and if she will publish that data.

The Government has provided £200 million for 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs by the end of the Parliament. Force-level allocations have been determined using the Police Funding Formula.The approach in 2025/26 is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. This means the precise workforce mix in the first year of the programme is a local decision.All 43 forces submitted delivery plans in line with their force level allocations outlining projected increase in neighbourhood officers for year one of the four-year programme. All forces’ plans are therefore informed by a force-level understanding of what can be achieved.The specific grant allocations and projections are available for each force on gov.uk through the following link: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK .The local force baseline that growth must be achieved from has been set at 31st March 2025. Forces have developed delivery plans to benefit their neighbourhood policing teams in 25/26. The details of West Midlands Police allocations can be found on gov.uk on the link shared above.To ensure that funding effectively contributes to neighbourhood policing aims and is limited to expenditure that is critical for the programme, funding must be used for personnel in roles that fulfil neighbourhood policing functions (defined by CIPFA Category 1A) and items that directly support them in their roles.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing penalties for fly-tipping.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. There are no plans to increase the fixed penalty levels at this time. The Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

What steps she is taking to ensure that neighbourhood policing funding allocations are proportionate to the (a) population size and (b) specific urban needs of each police force area.

The Government has provided £200 million for 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs by the end of the Parliament. Force-level allocations have been determined using the Police Funding Formula.The approach in 2025/26 is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. This means the precise workforce mix in the first year of the programme is a local decision.All 43 forces submitted delivery plans in line with their force level allocations outlining projected increase in neighbourhood officers for year one of the four-year programme. All forces’ plans are therefore informed by a force-level understanding of what can be achieved.The specific grant allocations and projections are available for each force on gov.uk through the following link: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK .The local force baseline that growth must be achieved from has been set at 31st March 2025. Forces have developed delivery plans to benefit their neighbourhood policing teams in 25/26. The details of West Midlands Police allocations can be found on gov.uk on the link shared above.To ensure that funding effectively contributes to neighbourhood policing aims and is limited to expenditure that is critical for the programme, funding must be used for personnel in roles that fulfil neighbourhood policing functions (defined by CIPFA Category 1A) and items that directly support them in their roles.

If she will publish the framework or criteria used to assess police force eligibility and funding levels for neighbourhood policing allocations in 2025-26.

The Government has provided £200 million for 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs by the end of the Parliament. Force-level allocations have been determined using the Police Funding Formula.The approach in 2025/26 is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. This means the precise workforce mix in the first year of the programme is a local decision.All 43 forces submitted delivery plans in line with their force level allocations outlining projected increase in neighbourhood officers for year one of the four-year programme. All forces’ plans are therefore informed by a force-level understanding of what can be achieved.The specific grant allocations and projections are available for each force on gov.uk through the following link: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK .The local force baseline that growth must be achieved from has been set at 31st March 2025. Forces have developed delivery plans to benefit their neighbourhood policing teams in 25/26. The details of West Midlands Police allocations can be found on gov.uk on the link shared above.To ensure that funding effectively contributes to neighbourhood policing aims and is limited to expenditure that is critical for the programme, funding must be used for personnel in roles that fulfil neighbourhood policing functions (defined by CIPFA Category 1A) and items that directly support them in their roles.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) national debate and (b) action plan on fly-tipping.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of a national debate or action plan on fly-tipping. We are committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing vehicles and prosecution, and we are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support local authorities to consistently and effectively exercise these powers. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a litter and fly-tipping champion in Government.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a litter and fly-tipping champion in Government. Local authorities are usually best placed to respond to litter and fly-tipping problems in a way tailored to the communities in which they occur. Local authorities already they have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution. We encourage and support councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national litter awareness course.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national litter awareness course. Local councils have a range of enforcement powers to tackle littering, including civil penalties of up to £500 that can be issued to the keeper of a vehicle from which litter is thrown. Guidance for councils on littering enforcement explains that they are expected to combine enforcement with education in order to change behaviour.

What methodology was used to determine the allocation of neighbourhood policing funding to each police force area as part of the 2025-26 settlement.

The Government has provided £200 million for 2025/26 to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs by the end of the Parliament. Force-level allocations have been determined using the Police Funding Formula.The approach in 2025/26 is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. This means the precise workforce mix in the first year of the programme is a local decision.All 43 forces submitted delivery plans in line with their force level allocations outlining projected increase in neighbourhood officers for year one of the four-year programme. All forces’ plans are therefore informed by a force-level understanding of what can be achieved.The specific grant allocations and projections are available for each force on gov.uk through the following link: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK .The local force baseline that growth must be achieved from has been set at 31st March 2025. Forces have developed delivery plans to benefit their neighbourhood policing teams in 25/26. The details of West Midlands Police allocations can be found on gov.uk on the link shared above.To ensure that funding effectively contributes to neighbourhood policing aims and is limited to expenditure that is critical for the programme, funding must be used for personnel in roles that fulfil neighbourhood policing functions (defined by CIPFA Category 1A) and items that directly support them in their roles.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a fourth round of grants under the fly-tipping grant scheme.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of a fourth round of grants. The Government is making available £69 billion to council budgets across England – a 6.8% cash terms increase, to help fund key responsibilities like tackling fly-tipping. We will continue to work with the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group to highlight and share best practice with regards to tackling fly-tipping. Various practical tools, including case studies from previous grants, are available from their website https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to reduce in-donor refugee costs to meet Official Development Assistance budget allocations for (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.

The Government is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The Government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog, reform the asylum accommodation system to help end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review (SR) period and increase detention capacity to facilitate more asylum removals. Whilst there will always be volatility in asylum forecasts, we expect these decisions to drive down overall in-donor refugee costs over the next multi-year SR (2026/27- 2028/2029).Departmental Official Development Assistance allocations will be confirmed at the next Spending Review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of Official Development Assistance spending will be on domestic (a) administrative and (b) staffing costs in 2025-26.

The Department estimates that the proportion of Official Development Assistance spending on domestic (a) administrative and (b) staffing costs in 2025-26 will be approximately 3 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. The staffing costs are part of the total administrative costs. These figures are indicative estimates only.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42592 on Councillors: Planning, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of councillors on the planning process.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a regulation-making power to issue statutory guidance on a national scheme of delegation.The government intend to formally consult on proposals relating to the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside the Bill’s passage.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department undertakes Child's Rights impact assessments during the development of international development policies.

As a ratifier of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the rights and wellbeing of children. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not undertake mandatory Child Rights Impact Assessments, but it is FCDO policy to consider the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which includes age, and Safeguarding responsibilities across our policies and investments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 39011 on Sudan: Development Aid, how much has been allocated for the 2025-26 financial year.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to their previous Question, 47226.