Written questions by Smith.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the funding of (a) the Global Fund and (b) other global HIV programmes, in the context of the planned reduction in Official Development Assistance spending.

The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. As part of this, we are proud to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with South Africa. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions to Official Development Assistance Spending on (a) Gavi, (b) the Global Fund and (c) other programmes.

The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. As part of this, we are proud to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with South Africa. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department plan to visit the official memorial in Girne in Northern Cyprus.

The Government reaffirms its highest respect for the memory and sacrifice of British and Cypriot service personnel and employees of the Crown who gave their lives, who lost family members or loved ones, and whose lives suffered permanent disruption as a result of the Cyprus Emergency. We recognise the significance of the British Cyprus memorial in Kyrenia to commemorate the sacrifices made by British soldiers in Cyprus. There are currently no plans for Ministers to visit the memorial but the British High Commission in Nicosia regularly honours those who bravely sacrificed their lives in Cyprus, including the annual laying of a wreath at the official Remembrance Day Service at the Nicosia War Cemetery where British soldiers are buried.

Whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department plan to visit the official memorial in Girne in Northern Cyprus.

While recognising the sacrifice of UK Service personnel who gave their lives during the ‘Cyprus Emergency’, Parliamentary and Ministerial commitments mean there are no plans to visit the memorial at The Old British Cemetery at Girne. However, when Parliamentary and Ministerial calendars allow, a Minister would be happy to visit.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38340 on Foreign Relations: China, how many meetings with Chinese government officials have taken place at her Department since September 2024, broken down by (a) month and (b) subject of meeting.

As stated in my Answers of 14 and 24 March, UK Officials regularly engage with Chinese counterparts in order to further UK interests, cooperating on areas of mutual interest and challenging on areas where we disagree. This government is taking a consistent, long-term and pragmatic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China. It is only right that we engage with China where there are clear UK and global interests, including on international stability, climate, health and bolstering our trade relationship.

Media and Sport, if she will withdrawn Bet365's UK operating licence for openly operating in China.

As the independent regulator, it is the Gambling Commission’s duty to ensure that operators comply with the requirements set out in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice and to take appropriate regulatory action against those operators which fail to comply. Any decision to withdraw an operator’s licence lies with the Gambling Commission.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to regulate unregulated legal gambling.

Gambling in Great Britain is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which operates a point of consumption licensing regime. Most legal gambling in Great Britain is regulated.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 March to Question 36039 on Foreign Relations: China, on what dates these meetings were held.

As stated in my Answer of 14 March, UK Officials regularly engage with Chinese counterparts in order to further UK interests, cooperating on areas of mutual interest and challenging on areas where we disagree.This government is taking a consistent, long-term and pragmatic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China. It is only right that we engage with China where there are clear UK and global interests, including on international stability, climate, health and bolstering our trade relationship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of impact of (a) indirect flights via Turkey and (b) other travel restrictions on UK nationals travelling to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

We recognise that the status quo in Cyprus creates serious challenges for the Turkish Cypriot community, including in relation to international travel. The Government believes a just and lasting settlement is the best way of resolving these challenges and improving the lives of all Cypriots. On 18 March, I attended talks in Geneva brokered by the UN Secretary General where I encouraged all sides to engage constructively towards a Cyprus Settlement.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the submission by Historic England on potential impact of the Royal Mint Court Development on the Tower of London.

An appointed Inspector held a public inquiry into the proposals in question, considering a range of evidence.As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment

How many meetings between Chinese and UK officials took place between October 1 2024 and March 1 2025.

UK officials regularly engage with Chinese counterparts in order to further UK interests, cooperating on areas of mutual interest and challenging on areas where we disagree. This government is taking a consistent, long-term and pragmatic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China. It is only right that we engage with China where there are clear UK and global interests, including on international stability, climate, health and bolstering our trade relationship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his polices of Taliban (a) restrictions on the practice of religion and (b) the targeting of (i) Shia Muslims, (ii) Sikhs, (ii) Hindus and (iv) other religious minorities in Afghanistan; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his support for international efforts to help ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld in that country.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. In October 2024, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution which extended the mandate of UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett to monitor and report on the human rights situation for another year, including on minority groups. Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the needs of the entire population. Without truly inclusive governance that reflects the religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity of Afghanistan, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will impose secondary sanctions on Hong Kong financial institutions found to be supporting sanction evasion.

UK sanctions bind UK nationals and entities everywhere. This is different to 'secondary sanctions' which are enforced outside of the sanctioning country's jurisdiction. The UK is committed to curtail Russia's use of the international financial system to support its war efforts and have powers to target foreign financial institutions facilitating this. On 24 February we designated a Kyrgyz based bank using these powers. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to keep potential sanctions designations under close review. It is not appropriate to speculate on future designations, as to do so could reduce their impact.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Hong Kong counterpart on Russian sanction evasion through Hong Kong.

In his recent meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs spoke about global stability, including in Ukraine, where Russia continues its illegal war. The UK has already sanctioned a range of entities operating in third countries over military supply to Russia. This includes 31 entities based in China and Hong Kong under the Russia sanctions regulations. The UK is continuously working to strengthen our sanctions regime. We will continue to close loopholes, come down hard on sanctions evaders, crack down on sanctions circumvention and work with our international partners to undermine Russia's attempts to build global resilience to Western sanctions.

Whether her Department has made air travel arrangements for direct flights with any self declared state recognised by other countries.

In order for an international direct flight to take place, the relevant airports need to be designated as international customs airports. Under the Chicago Convention, only the state with sovereignty over the territory in which an airport is located may designate that airport as an international customs airport, and grant permission for flights to operate between the UK and its territory. Making arrangements to operate direct flights to airports not so designated and without such permission would place the UK in breach of its obligations to respect that state’s rights under the Convention. Furthermore, rights to operate direct flights would require an Air Services Agreement to be in place between the UK and the state with sovereignty over the relevant territory.

Communities and Local Government, what representations she received from the Metropolitan Police Service on the People's Republic of China's application to develop Royal Mint Court between 1 November 2024 and 15 February 2025; and whether a copy of correspondence on this matter will be placed in the Library of the House.

No such representations have been received by the department from the Metropolitan Police Service.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the finding in the Transnational Repression Origin Country Case Study by Freedom House that an increase in the presence of state employees from the People's Republic of China in a particular country brings an attendant increase in transnational repression; and whether this will be taken into account when considering the application of the People's Republic of China to redevelop Royal Mint Court.

As set out in a joint letter by the Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary to the Planning Inspector on 14 January, the Home Office has considered the breadth of national security issues in relation to the planning application.It would not be appropriate to comment in further detail on specific matters relating to national security.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the report by Freedom from Torture entitled No Questions Asked: UK universities provide postgraduate security education to security personnel from torturing states, published in February 2025.

Universities are independent from government and manage their own admissions decisions. However, the department expects the higher education sector to be responsible and alert to regulatory risks when collaborating with international partners, conducting appropriate due diligence to comply with all legislation, including the Human Rights Act 1998, and the registration conditions set by the Office for Students (OfS). Any international arrangements made by registered higher education providers in England must be within the law and must comply with the registration conditions set by the OfS, including a commitment to their public interest governance principles.

Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth of 5 February 2025, Official Report, column 373WH, on account-based online play, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that online gambling operators are fully implementing protections for people experiencing harm.

The Gambling Commission is in the process of introducing a number of regulatory reforms that build on current account level player protections, including financial vulnerability checks, improved tools for financial limit setting and improved choice in direct marketing.Regulatory enforcement is the role of the Gambling Commission as set out in the Gambling Act 2005. Gambling operators are required to send the Commission a regulatory return for each type of activity for which they hold a licence. There are a variety of ways that the Commission can deal with non-compliance by licensees, ranging from enhanced compliance procedures and regulatory settlements to licence reviews and formal enforcement action.

Whether she had discussions with the Metropolitan Police on the cost of (a) overtime payments for officers, (b) additional resources, (c) equipment, (d) special measures and (e) mutual aid costs arising from the policing of the protest outside the Royal Mint court on 8 February 2025.

Public order policing is an operational matter for forces.We are in frequent contact with the MPS on a range of issues and have just agreed a funding settlement that will provide the force with up to £3.8 billion in 2025-26, an increase of up to £249.7 million. This includes the funding MPS receives through the National and International Capital City (NICC) Grant to support with the additional demands London faces as the nation’s capital and seat of Government, including additional protests. The NICC will be £248.7 million in 2025-26 an increase of £63.4 million.