Written questions by Shannon.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Glastonbury organisers on comments made at the festival by Kneecap.

The Culture Secretary has made clear that previous comments made by Kneecap are appalling, and that celebrating and promoting prescribed terrorist organisations is a criminal offence. This Government unequivocally condemns threatening remarks made towards any individual, and political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society.Following conversations between the Secretary of State and members of the Jewish community on concerns about imagery and slogans on display at the festival, DCMS officials have met with Glastonbury organisers for detailed discussions on their procedures to monitor imagery on site, and the due diligence processes undertaken for festival acts.

What steps she is taking to ensure children have access to drama education in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Drama is included in the current English national curriculum, compulsory up to age 16 (key stages 1 to 4). At key stage 4, all pupils in maintained schools have an entitlement to study an arts subject, including drama, if they wish.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum, including drama. The final report and government response will be published this autumn.To help meet our ambitions for improved and more equitable arts education, we will be launching a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will promote arts opportunities to children and young people, support excellent teacher training in the arts, and boost partnerships between schools and arts organisations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department provides consular support for Christian missionaries in (a) Kenya and (b) other countries.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and our Embassies, High Commissions and consulates provide consular support to British nationals abroad in line with published guidance on gov.uk. In Kenya we have staff based in Nairobi who provide consular assistance to British nationals. We are contactable 24/7, 365 days a year, globally, whatever the purpose of travel.

What steps he is taking to support people who served in Operation Banner.

We owe the people who served on Operation Banner a huge debt of gratitude. Their professionalism and in many cases personal sacrifices saved many lives and helped to bring about peace in Northern Ireland. I will continue to champion their cause as we deal with Northern Ireland’s legacy. We are working hard to ensure that veterans’ interests are fully considered in any future legislation on this matter. I am acutely aware of the impact that military service can have on veterans and their families. Where a veteran (or serving member of the Armed Forces) faces allegations arising from activities related to their duties, they are offered appropriate legal support at public expense. The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, and their families, with a national network of welfare managers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. More broadly, in England, Op COURAGE provides support with mental health and wellbeing for veterans, and Op RESTORE is the veterans’ physical health and wellbeing service, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway connecting veterans with support

What steps her Department is taking to support the aviation sector.

This Government has shown that it will support the UK aviation sector by backing airport expansions that promote economic growth while meeting climate and environmental standards, as well as ending years of uncertainty by inviting proposals for a third runway at Heathrow. We have introduced a package of measures to encourage the production and use of homegrown Sustainable Aviation Fuel, positioning the UK as a world leading destination for this new market.  The new revenue certainty mechanism will provide a price guarantee for SAF producers that will boost jobs across the country. This delivers on the UK’s clean energy and growth missions. We have also recently announced the go ahead for the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) which will improve confidence in the delivery of airspace modernisation in the UK, fulfilling a key manifesto commitment to enable quicker, quieter and cleaner flights.

What leadership skills training is provided by the military to corporate leaders seeking assistance with upskilling their leadership teams.

The Ministry of Defence does not provide leadership training specifically for corporate leaders. There are some opportunities for industry partners to attend courses which include Leadership themes.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of making Apolipoprotein M available through the NHS on the prevention of macular degeneration.

The Department has not made an assessment. There are no approved medicinal products in the United Kingdom with apolipoprotein M, and there is no specifically approved product for macular degeneration that is known to act mainly by increasing apolipoprotein M.If a company were to develop such a medicine, they would need to apply for a licence to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The medicine would be assessed for safety, quality, and efficacy before it could be granted a marketing authorisation in order to be appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for routine National Health Service use.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of anti-conversion laws in India.

The UK is firmly committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, as a fundamental human right. We are aware of concerns regarding anti-conversion laws in India, and their potential impact on religious minorities. Where issues arise, we raise them directly with the Government of India, both at national and state levels. Our diplomatic network across India monitor developments closely.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve HMRC investigation times.

As part of our transformation of HMRC, we are improving our compliance learning offer to build the capability of both new trainees and established colleagues. Our Compliance Professional Standards reinforce that all colleagues should be mindful to avoid unnecessary delay in dealing with cases and keep customers informed throughout the compliance activity. HMRC’s new Interactive Compliance Guidance tool, launched in April 2025, is designed to help businesses and individuals understand HMRC compliance checks, improving our support for customers. This promotes a better experience for the customer.

What recent progress his Department has made on fitting military vehicles with direct energy weapons to help protect from swarm drone attacks.

This Government has announced nearly £1 billion in further investment for Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) to bring these capabilities into service, including a new DEW for the British Army by the end of the decade.We have recently completed trials of both radio frequency and laser DEW demonstrators mounted on British Army vehicles, putting DEW in the hands of the warfighter so we can learn from their experience and shape the development of future systems. This included the first use of DEW by the Army to counter drone swarms as part of live testing against targets.DragonFire, our high energy laser for Type 45 destroyers, recently completed a trial that saw us fire 300 times, proving consistency and reliability, and included 30 drone defeats and firings in adverse weather conditions. This is critical to system development, meeting our plan to put it into service from 2027.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of trials of a test designed to identify pregnant women at risk of miscarriage; and whether his Department plans to roll this out on the NHS.

The Government is committed to considering the latest research and evidence that will improve the experiences and outcomes for women at risk of miscarriage. The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £1 million award focused on a device that delivers vital doses of progesterone to women with threatened miscarriage. If approved, this would become the world’s first drug-device combination product to treat threatened miscarriage. The new technology could help over 150,000 women in the United Kingdom who experience threatened miscarriage each year. Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage and Research at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire is piloting a new test to identify women with an abnormal womb lining that increases their risk of miscarriage. We will carefully consider the findings of this pilot when it concludes.

Whether she has any plans to upgrade cannabis to a class A controlled substance.

The Government has no current plans to review the classification of cannabis.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of seizures of cocaine at (a) ports and (b) airports on the supply of the drug.

In 2023/24, 28.3 tonnes of powder cocaine was seized by police and Border Force in England and Wales. This was an increase from 18.6 tonnes the previous year and the largest recorded quantity of cocaine seized since the time series began in 1973.However, serious criminals are constantly developing their approaches to traffic cocaine into the UK in response to our efforts at the border. This includes changing their trafficking routes and evolving their methodologies to evade detection, for example, diversifying importation methods through at-sea-drop-offs.We therefore recognise that we must continue to adapt our strategy and work more closely with law enforcement partners upstream to stop cocaine trafficking at source and all across the supply chain, targeting the gangs responsible, and bringing them to justice. Officials will continue to assess the impact of global drug trafficking on the UK and implement new approaches to respond to this threat.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on people imprisoned under blasphemy laws for exercising religious beliefs in that country.

This Government remains deeply concerned by the misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, particularly where they are used to target individuals for peacefully exercising their religion or belief. We regularly raise this issue at senior levels, urging Pakistani authorities to uphold due process, ensure fair trials, and protect those at risk. In March and June 2025, I raised concerns about freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) with Pakistani ministers. Working with the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, we are committed to championing the right to FoRB for all around the world - promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.

What steps she plans to take to roll out integrated family hubs.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

With reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, when she plans to publish the (a) eligibility criteria and (b) application process for (i) employers and (ii) sectors for occupations listed on the proposed Temporary Shortage List; and if she will set out the criteria for inclusion on the proposed Temporary Shortage List.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to UIN 63590 on 8 July.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of first-time buyers in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold official data on the total number of first-time buyers over the past five years and is therefore unable to provide an official estimate.However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the number of first-time buyer mortgage sales by Local Authority across the UK, which can be found on gov.uk here. This data set does not include cash sales.In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) provides UK-wide totals for the same data, available here.

If he will make an estimate of the number of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes a liver disease profile that compares local areas within England. Data on the number of people in the population, or the prevalence of people, with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not collected.The liver disease profile provides NAFLD hospital admission and mortality rates. However, these rates underestimate the level of NAFLD in the population as the great majority of people with NAFLD never experience any symptoms from the condition. Only a minority may progress to more serious forms of the disease that require hospital admission. It is unclear what proportion of people experience this serious disease, and therefore we cannot make a reasonable estimate of the number of people with NAFLD.

What steps she is taking to tackle child poverty.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in autumn that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year (including Barnett impact), investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. These commitments come on top of the existing action we have taken which includes expanding free breakfast clubs, capping the number of branded school uniform items children are expected to wear, increasing the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

What steps she plans to take to ensure a wide roll out the Family Hubs programme.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.