Written questions by Rosindell.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many zoos are operating in the UK; and how many of these are not registered charities.

In relation to zoos, Defra is responsible for the legislation that regulates the welfare and management of animals kept by zoos. Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, those collections of wild animals on exhibition in Britain that meet the appropriate criteria in the 1981 Act need to be licensed. Local authorities are responsible for licensing zoos that require a licence under the 1981 Act. Local authorities are not required to report to Defra how many collections they do not deem need a licence, and Defra does not maintain a list of zoos (licensed or unlicensed) in England – including whether any of those collections are registered charities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK Antarctic Strategy to 2035, what discussions she has had with Antarctic Parties on the protection of UK sovereign interests in the British Antarctic Territories.

All the issues raised by the Hon Member, including the protection of biosecurity, the prohibition of non-native species, and the impact of tourism, are important for the UK Government and are reflected in the objectives of our UK Antarctic Strategy published on 1 December 2025. We discuss and monitor these issues regularly alongside the international partners who share our interests in Antarctica, and we have invested heavily in the modern scientific research capabilities that help us to keep these issues under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to support the Turks and Caicos government with the procurement of outsourced professional services for the proposed expansion of the Providenciales International Airport.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 15 January in response to Question 104147.The UK is committed to expanding economic cooperation with the Overseas Territories, recognising that sustainable economic prosperity is central to our shared future. The 2025 Joint Ministerial Council included discussions with UK Export Finance regarding their infrastructure offer and credit finance opportunities in the UK, as well as a business engagement session alongside UK companies with infrastructure expertise, including in relation to airports. FCDO officials will continue to engage with their Turks and Caicos Island counterparts to understand their specific needs and plans.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help support the Turks and Caicos government with the procurement of outsourced professional services for the proposed expansion of the Providenciales International Airport.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 15 January in response to Question 104147.The UK is committed to expanding economic cooperation with the Overseas Territories, recognising that sustainable economic prosperity is central to our shared future. The 2025 Joint Ministerial Council included discussions with UK Export Finance regarding their infrastructure offer and credit finance opportunities in the UK, as well as a business engagement session alongside UK companies with infrastructure expertise, including in relation to airports. FCDO officials will continue to engage with their Turks and Caicos Island counterparts to understand their specific needs and plans.

How many exempt vignettes have been granted in the past five years to family members of consular officers who do not fall within the categories of spouses or civil partners or dependent children under the age of 18, as set out in paragraph 2.14 of the Exemption from Immigration Control (non armed forces) Guidance, but who were nonetheless treated as exempt from immigration control.

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

How many exempt vignettes issued to diplomats posted in the UK were granted between 2020 and 2025; and for what reasons those vignettes were issued.

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

Representing the Church Commissioners, which of the Anglican Churches in the British Overseas Territories remain in communion with the See of Canterbury.

All Provinces and Dioceses of the Anglican Communion that are active in the British Overseas Territories remain in communion with the See of Canterbury. These include the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, which is part of the Church of England; the Falklands and Bermuda, which are extra-provincial jurisdictions; St Helena, which comes under the Provinces of Southern Africa; and the churches in the remaining British Overseas Territories, which the Anglican Province of the West Indies administers.

Whether she plans to phase out the use of crustaceans in scientific experimentation.

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy which sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. 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-methodsThe strategy does not preclude the development of alternatives to the use of animal species not currently covered by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) protections, including decapod crustaceans.The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognised decapod crustaceans as sentient beings. The Government remains 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 brought within the scope of ASPA.

What steps she has taken to ensure the fire safety of train stations in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

Infrastructure managers are under statutory duties to ensure the safety of those using railways stations in Great Britain and are overseen by the Office of Rail and Road as the independent rail safety regulator. They must ensure that stations meet all legal requirements, including those relating to fire safety. Network Rail is the infrastructure manager for most of the mainline railway, but some stations in the Romford constituency are managed by Transport for London.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of microplastics in the British food chain.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to monitor and assess emerging data regarding microplastics in food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment (COT), an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the FSA and other Government departments, is currently considering the issue of microplastics. The FSA is keeping the issue of microplastics under review as new evidence becomes available.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22583 on Government Departments: Procurement, whether he has had further discussions with the Institution of Civil Engineers on releasing a new edition of the Construction Playbook.

A refreshed Construction Playbook is now due to be published in Summer 2026. Officials will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Institute of Civil Engineers, to ensure that the Playbook continues to reflect procurement best practice in the usual way.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken with industry leaders to help reduce the prevalence of microplastics in foodstuffs.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works with industry to ensure UK food safety, enforcing strict rules on plastic food contact materials to prevent contamination. Microplastics are not intentionally added to food but may appear due to pollution or plastic breakdown in general. The FSA monitors ongoing research, provides scientific advice, and supports strategies to reduce plastic pollution and microplastic entry into the food chain.

What steps she has taken to promote classical education within the state education sector.

The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Classical education, including classical studies and the study of ancient languages, offers valuable insights into history, language development, politics and art, and can enrich pupils’ understanding of the world today. All schools are free to include Classics within their curriculum, and GCSEs and A levels are available in this subject.The department continues to work with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of the free resources and support available to teach this subject.To further strengthen subject expertise, we provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including those training to teach ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to question UIN 104660, what the average time was between receipt of a regulation 21 change control application by the BSR and notification of the applicant of the approval of the application.

Notifiable or Major Change notifications are added to existing applications which are already in build and have been determined with approval granted. As such, Major or Notifiable works are not treated as new applications and the time taken is not reported upon.

What steps she has taken with police forces to tackle shoplifting in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges) in the year ending June 2025. As this was a higher rate of increase than the rise in shop thefts recorded (13%), this led to an increase in the charge rate from 17.7% to 19.1%.This Government is committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring this year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

What steps she has taken with police forces to tackle a) physical and b) verbal abuse against retail workers.

Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges) in the year ending June 2025. As this was a higher rate of increase than the rise in shop thefts recorded (13%), this led to an increase in the charge rate from 17.7% to 19.1%.This Government is committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring this year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

What his planned timeline is for the operational deployment of autonomous surface vessels by the Royal Navy.

The Royal Navy’s ‘Hybrid Navy’ proposition will embrace autonomy in the coming years with the future programme being developed in accordance with the Strategic Defence Review. Uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the domain capabilities over the next five years, with the exact numbers and levels of investment apportioned to these systems to be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

What steps she has taken to improve awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques amongst pupils in state a) primary and b) secondary schools in i) England and ii) Romford constituency.

I refer the hon. Member for Romford to the answer of 28 November 2025 to Question 92868.

What steps he has taken to reduce instances of hospital corridor care in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

We recognise that the provision of clinical care in corridors or other non-designated clinical areas is unacceptable and we are committed to eradicating it from our National Health Service.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements regarding the use of corridor care to drive improvement and data transparency. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.In December, NHS England published updated guidance on providing care in corridors to support trusts with making decisions on corridor care transparently, with clear governance and oversight to reduce impacts on patients and staff and to ensure the safety and dignity of patients.

How many NHS patients have been treated in hospital corridors in each year since 2010 in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

We recognise that the provision of clinical care in corridors or other non-designated clinical areas is unacceptable and we are committed to eradicating it from our National Health Service.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements regarding the use of corridor care to drive improvement and data transparency. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.In December, NHS England published updated guidance on providing care in corridors to support trusts with making decisions on corridor care transparently, with clear governance and oversight to reduce impacts on patients and staff and to ensure the safety and dignity of patients.