Written questions by Anderson.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of funding from the international climate finance funding will be allocated to each recipient country.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 17 September to Question 71017.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which countries will receive funding from the £11.6 billion international climate finance funding.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 17 September to Question 71017.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67468 on Diseases: Undocumented Migrants, what information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants who were found to have an infectious disease upon arrival in each of the last three years.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not routinely collect or hold data on communicable disease by visa status for new arrivals to the United Kingdom. However, if an outbreak occurs, data associated with outbreak cases may be collected.There was an outbreak of diphtheria among this group in 2022 and 2023. Monthly data on these cases is published by UKHSA and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-2022/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-weekly-data-tablesNo cases were reported in 2024, and two cases have been confirmed so far in 2025.

If she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the repurposing of hotels as asylum accommodation on the number of jobs in the accommodation sector in each of the last three years.

The Home Office has a legal obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered.There is no obligation for hotels to contract with Home Office accommodation providers. This Government is delivering on its pledge to close asylum hotels; drastically reducing taxpayer costs and giving control back to local communities.From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9 million a day, there are now less than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help tackle anti-Christian violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We are deeply concerned by an escalation in attacks by Islamic State - Democratic Republic of the Congo (IS-DRC), also known as the Allied Democratic Forces, who primarily target Christians. The UK has repeatedly raised the actions of IS-DRC in the United Nations, including at the United Nations Security Council and Human Rights Council, and have sanctioned them through the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

What steps she is taking to ensure coordination between her Department and the Department for Work and Pensions when monitoring foreign nationals' eligibility for Universal Credit.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) applies strict compliance and benefit eligibility checks to all claimants regardless of their nationality. In addition to verifying a claimant’s identity, DWP always checks a person’s immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. The DWP verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks, which the Home Office is increasingly rolling out to other Government departments and public authorities.The data made available through those system-to-system checks is specific to the need of each department and contains only the necessary information to inform their decision making.No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a standard condition applied to most categories of temporary immigration permission, which prevents those who are subject to immigration control from accessing certain services or benefits.Those who are in the UK without lawful status are also prevented from accessing public funds. This includes access to Universal Credit.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of (a) agriculture, (b) forestry and (c) fishing business closures since 2017.

Defra is aware of the Office for National Statistics' quarterly business openings and closures data. There are many factors unrelated to government policy that might explain why businesses would be shown as "closing" in the data source, including purely statistical factors. Defra monitors data on the number of farm businesses registered with Defra for England published here Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June - GOV.UK. This Government is committed to supporting economic growth. We continue to work closely with our agriculture, fishing, seafood and forestry sectors to ensure they are vibrant, profitable, and sustainable.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban foreign supertrawlers from UK waters.

The UK is committed to protecting our marine environment and ensuring sustainable fisheries. We are taking action through Marine Protected Area management and Fisheries Management Plans, which apply to all vessels in UK waters. Any policy changes must be evidence-based and consistent with our international obligations, including the non-discrimination provisions of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. We continue to monitor fishing activity closely and will act where there is evidence of harm or non-compliance.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of crime on inbound tourism to the UK.

While DCMS has not made a specific assessment of the impact of crime on inbound tourism, we work closely with the Home Office, police and local partners to ensure that visitors to the UK have a safe and enjoyable experience.Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles. This will provide a more visible and effective service to the public, with each neighbourhood having a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues, including robbery and theft from the person.The Government recognises the serious impact that crime has on public safety, both in terms of the harm caused to victims and the wider implications for tourism.

How her Department allocated the extra money returned to the Government by local authorities from fines for taking children out of school in each of the last three financial years.

Over the past three financial years, the department has not received revenue from penalty notices issued for school absences. This reflects the system’s design. It is not intended to generate profit, and local authorities must not set income targets. All revenue must be ring-fenced for attendance-related purposes.Funds should first cover penalty notice administration and prosecution costs. Any surplus must support attendance initiatives that do not involve issuing penalty notices or prosecutions, in line with the statutory attendance guidance.This revenue must not be absorbed into wider budgets or used for core attendance duties or legal services. It must remain dedicated to attendance functions.While any surplus at year end must be returned to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, in line with expectation, no surpluses have been returned during the period in question.

What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The Department does not record remote workdays. Data on office attendance is published on the Civil Service HQ occupancy data - GOV.UK page.

What discussions her Department has had with local transport authorities on the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of bus drivers.

The Department for Transport regularly meets with stakeholders, including local transport authorities, to discuss bus policy issues. Bus services in England are predominantly run on a commercial basis by private operators who are ultimately responsible for effectively managing their workforce and the recruitment of bus drivers. However, the government will continue to work with the bus sector to support them in being able to meet both their current and future labour requirements.

What steps his Department is taking to support post offices.

The Post Office provides critical services that are valued by communities across the UK and the Government is committed to strengthening the network.We are backing that commitment with over £500 million of investment during this Parliament, including this financial year up to £136m to invest in new technology and replace Horizon.Government recently published a Green Paper which seeks to open a dialogue on the Post Office, from the services it provides, how we modernise and strengthen the network, through to how we change the culture at the Post Office. We want to hear from everyone with a stake in the Post Office’s future.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle ageism in the workplace.

The UK has a strong history of protecting against direct and indirect discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) has protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including the provision of services, employment and recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enforce the ban on glue traps.

The Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 bans glue trap use in England in all but the most exceptional, licensable circumstances. It came into force in 2024. Nothing in the law prevents sale of glue traps in England. However, only pest controllers with a licence can legally use them for rodent control. The police enforce against illegal use of glue traps. All wildlife crime police officers in England are able to access the National Wildlife Crime Unit’s (NWCU) DISC Hub which provides updates regarding national wildlife crime issues. Comprehensive briefing on glue traps legislation has been available on this Hub since the Act came into force. If a police officer needs to urgently know the legislation, they have the correct pathway to the information they need and should take the appropriate enforcement action. Natural England meanwhile is the licensing authority for the use of glue traps for rodent control. Its officers will enforce against breaches of licensed use and Natural England is suitably resourced to fulfil this function.

Which delegates the Government plans to take to the COP30 climate change summit.

The size and composition of the UK delegation is still being determined. In keeping with previous years, the UNFCCC is expected to publish a provisional list of registered participants as COP30 begins, with a final list published a few weeks after COP concludes. This will list all UK delegates who attended COP30.

What the cost to the UK taxpayer is for the COP30 climate summit.

The size and composition of the UK delegation is still being determined, along with various logistical elements. Some costs will only be finalised after the summit concludes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to introduce a public awareness campaign on the impact of domestic pesticide usage on wildlife.

All authorised plant protection products have statutory conditions of use that must be followed by all users, and strict, science-based regulation is supplemented with policies to encourage safe and minimal use. In March this year, the government published the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) 2025, which sets out the actions that all four UK governments will take to reduce the potential harm from pesticide use. Through events such as Bees Needs Week, the government highlights what the public can do to help pollinators – including thinking carefully about whether to use pesticides.

How many delegates the Government plans to take to the COP30 climate change summit.

The size and composition of the UK delegation is still being determined. In keeping with previous years, the UNFCCC is expected to publish a provisional list of registered participants as COP30 begins, with a final list published a few weeks after COP concludes. This will list all UK delegates who attended COP30.