Written questions by Tice.

What steps her Department is taking with police forces to (a) help prevent antisemitic marches and (b) ensure that public order legislation is effectively enforced where protests involve (i) incitement, (ii) intimidation and (iii) groups that are known to have previously perpetrated hate crimes; and if her Department will issue national guidance to police forces on the protection of Jewish communities from (A) harassment and (B) abuse during protests.

The Government is committed to tackling antisemitism and other forms of hate crimes and supports the police in taking robust action where protests cross the line into criminality. Where protest activity does involve criminality, the police have a broad range of powers to respond. The use of these powers and the management of demonstrations are operational matters for individual forces, and Government ministers are unable to intervene in these decisions.On the issue of antisemitism, I would also refer the Hon Member to the Speech given by the Home Secretary at the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust on 26 March, which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-speech-at-the-community-security-trust

Food and Rural Affairs, how many confirmed Avian Influenza outbreaks there have been in Boston and Skegness constituency, by site size; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) location of Avian Influenza testing in that area; what the (i) volume and (ii) origin of imported poultry and hatching eggs entering local markets is; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that restrictions are (A) proportionate and (B) fairly applied to small-scale producers and vendors in Boston and Skegness constituency.

During the current outbreak there has been one outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the Boston and Skegness constituency in a commercial duck rearing enterprise near Skegness, East Lindsay, Lincolnshire and was confirmed on the 28 January 2025. All diagnostic testing undertaken by HM Government for avian influenza is conducted at the avian influenza National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Weybridge laboratory using United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) validated tests. Testing is in line with World Animal Health Organisation (WOAH) standards as set out for Avian Influenza in the WOAH Terrestrial Manual. Defra have published further information on Avian influenza and influenza of avian origin diagnostic testing, controls and reporting obligations on gov.uk. Defra does not hold data on the volume and origin of imported poultry and hatching eggs entering local markets. To ensure controls are proportionate to the risk bird keepers face, Defra’s approach to avian influenza considers the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. Current policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that qualified (a) counsellors and (b) psychotherapists are (i) supported and (ii) distinguished from (A) psychiatric and (B) diagnostic services.

It is essential that all National Health Service staff, including counsellors and psychotherapists, can work in a supportive and compassionate environment that recognises and prioritises health and wellbeing. NHS England has a wide-ranging package of mental health and wellbeing support for all staff.All healthcare professionals should follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, which state that healthcare professionals directly involved in a patient's care should introduce themselves and explain their role to the patient.Counsellors and psychotherapists are not statutorily regulated in the United Kingdom. Health professionals that are not subject to statutory regulation can join voluntary registers accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), such as the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, who also provide support to their members.The organisations accredited by the PSA are independent, representative bodies and as such, they do not fall under Government oversight, and therefore any decisions about the practice requirements for the professions they represent are a matter for those organisations and their members.

What steps her Department is taking to strengthen (a) counter-extremism measures and (b) public order enforcement following the recent attack on the Israeli Embassy in London; and how the Department plans to ensure the continued safety of diplomatic (i) premises and (ii) staff from politically motivated violence.

The Government takes the protective security of diplomatic missions extremely seriously. The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' and sites' security.

How many Iranian nationals have been detected arriving in the United Kingdom via small boat crossings in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 to date.

The Home Office publishes statistics on detected small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on small boat arrivals by nationality and year is published in table Irr_02b of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK summary tables’, with the latest data up to the end of December 2024. Data up to the end of March 2025 will be published on 22 May 2025.

Innovation and Technology, for what reason funding was allocated to the Advanced Research and Invention Agency to support research into solar radiation modification techniques.

As set out in ARIA's Framework Agreement, ARIA has unique operational freedoms, including over its research and project choice and its procedures. This independence allows ARIA to take bold steps to better understand the world we live in, and the Government supports ARIA exploring critical areas like this.The Government is not in favour of using Solar Radiation Modification. ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of its risks and impacts. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

What steps the Department is taking to (a) improve value for money, (b) prevent profiteering, (c) remove conflicts of interest in referral practices and (d) otherwise improve (i) oversight and (ii) regulation of private companies delivering NHS-funded eye care.

All National Health Service patients must receive safe and high-quality care, whether being treated by private providers or directly by the NHS. While the independent sector has a role to play in tackling the waiting list backlog, we will not tolerate any overpriced or sub-par care. We will also not tolerate any distortion of patient choice, and the recently published Partnership Agreement between NHS England and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network commits to ending incentives that can lead to this, supporting equal access and genuine choice for all patients. We are now working together to deliver on this.Improving value for money is a priority across all NHS pathways, not just in eyecare. This has been emphasised in various documents such as the Provider Selection Regime, the NHS Standard Contract and most importantly the Independent Sector Agreement, published in January 2025.NHS-funded eye care is funded based on national prices and funded equitably across all providers with no opportunities to gain increased payment; prices are adjusted each year to reflect expected improvements in efficiency and are set to cover costs but not margins.To prevent profiteering, providers are paid based on national prices, based in turn on the average cost of providing the service and adjusted to reflect the complexity of the procedure and the patient. This ensures that the provider is appropriately reimbursed, and they do not make excess profits by targeting the simplest cases.NHS England expects all its providers to support patient choice and to act in accordance with the Law, with Good Practice and this is supported by the requirements of the NHS Standard Contract, the NHS Provider License, the General Ophthalmic Services contract and the Law itself. The NHS Standard Contract gives a useful overview of the Provider Selection Regime, which are the regulations the NHS must adhere to when commissioning health care services, including conflict of interest declarations.Finally, private companies are commissioned and managed by integrated care boards under the terms of the NHS Standard Contract which applies the same standards of oversight and regulation as are applied to NHS providers.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) solar radiation management initiatives and (b) other Government-funded geoengineering research projects on (i) the environment and (ii) public health; and whether he plans to (A) consult and (B) seek Parliamentary approval before any large-scale experimentation is undertaken.

The Government is not in favour of using Solar Radiation Modification. Given the significant uncertainty around the possible risks and impacts of deployment on the climate and environment, the Government is not deploying SRM and has no plans to do so.

Whether her Department is taking steps to review the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death process to speed up that process in (a) Boston and Skegness constituency and (b) the UK.

The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024, through the Death Certification Strategic Board and a cross-Government data strategy group. Since the introduction of the reforms, the median time taken to register a death appears to have risen by two days, from seven days to nine days. This figure is for all deaths, as it includes those certified by a doctor and those investigated by a coroner. Working with the Office for National Statistics, weekly data is now published on the time taken to register a death by region and also by setting. This is supporting NHS England and the Welsh administration to offer support and challenges.The median time taken to register a death varies depending on the type of certification. Deaths certified by a doctor, that comprise approximately 80% of deaths registered each week, have typically had a median time to registration of seven days, though there can be variation at a local level. It’s important to note that the medical examiner system was active on a non-statutory basis before the introduction of the statutory system on 9 September 2024, and this makes direct ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparisons challenging to draw conclusions from.The introduction of medical examiners is in part about making sure deaths are properly described and improving practice, but the impact on the bereaved is also central. The reforms aim to put the bereaved at the centre of the process, and the medical examiner’s office must offer a conversation with representatives of the deceased, so they can ask any questions they have about the death or raise any concerns. Ensuring the system is appropriately resourced and works for all those who interact with it is crucial, and something we will continue to monitor with NHS England.

What information her Department holds on the number of people (a) arrested and (b) charged following the trans rights demonstration on 19 April 2025; and what were the offences recorded.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested.This is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police.

Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to grant local authorities increased powers to remove unauthorised traveller encampments from public and private land.

Local planning authorities already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use to tackle all types of unauthorised development. We will keep the use of these powers under review.

Whether she has considered reallocating Child Tax Credit payments previously claimed by a child’s parents prior to their entering foster care to that child while in care.

Child Tax Credit has been fully replaced by Universal Credit and Pension Credit since 6 April 2025. The Department for Work and Pensions has invited all eligible customers to claim. There are consequently no plans to review past Child Tax Credit rules or arrangements.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on charitable organisations; and what steps she plans to take to fiscally support those organisations.

DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and are aware of their concerns about the National Insurance contributions (NICs) changes. We recognise the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change next year.We are expanding eligibility of the Employment Allowance by removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold, to simplify and reform employer NICs so that all eligible employers now benefit. Employers will also continue to benefit from employer NICs reliefs including for hiring those under 21 and apprentices under 25, where eligible.The government has taken a number of difficult decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the public finances, fund public services, and restore economic stability. The need to raise income required the government to make this tough financial choice; the Chancellor was clear in her open letter to the voluntary sector that raising the rate of employer NICs was one of the most difficult decisions in the budget.Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. The tax reliefs available to charities are a vital element in supporting charitable causes across the UK, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities and their donors. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of Personal Independence Payment recipients who would remain eligible for support under the proposed changes to the disability benefits system.

The publication ‘Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts’ provides some information on the numbers affected by the proposed changes to the disability benefits system. In particular, table A3 on page 8 shows the estimated impacts of the proposed changes on the working age Personal Independence Payment and Daily Living Allowance caseload, and table A4 on page 9 shows the volume of people in receipt of PIP estimated to be affected by the change, divided into the pre-implementation caseload, and people claiming from November 2026 onwards. More information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Whether she will consider introducing a (a) transitional period and (b) grace window for homebuyers who began the property purchase process before recent changes to Stamp Duty rates to help prevent transactions from falling through.

I refer the hon member to the answer given to UIN 38297.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department plans to provide to assist with the environmental clean-up of beaches in Boston and Skegness constituency following the recent North Sea oil tanker collision.

Now the overall situation has stabilised, the response has moved from a Major Incident Response into the recovery phase. Both ships remain afloat and normal maritime traffic has resumed. Though the situation is stable, recovery work will continue with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency continuing to coordinate operational partners and maintaining their vigilance of the situation to ensure a safe resolution. Defra is working with multiple organisations, including the Centre of Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) and the PREMIAM (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring) has been activated to assess the impact of this incident on water pollution and the marine environment. No chemical pollution from the initial fuel spill has been detected. Pollution in the form of nurdles and burnt plastic has shown up on beaches in NW Norfolk, Lincolnshire and at sea in The Wash. Vessels have been recovering the nurdles at sea and the ongoing beach clean-up in Lincolnshire is being co-ordinated by the relevant local authority. There has been no sign of any other pollution. The four Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) are working together in a Joint East Coast Recovery Management Group to lead counter-pollution activities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve livestock (a) registration and (b) inspection, in the context of (i) avian influenza and (ii) the recommendations in Dame Glenys Stacey's report entitled Farm Inspection and Regulation Review, published in December 2018.

Since the 1 September 2024 in Scotland and 1 October 2024 in England and Wales registration has been a legal requirement for anyone owning poultry or other captive birds, with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines, even if only kept as pets. This builds on the requirement for keepers to register if they kept 50 or more poultry in Great Britain which had been in force since 2005. New online registration services have been launched to minimise the burden where possible on keepers in complying with these new requirements. The new registration requirements address repeated recommendations from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak lessons identified reviews since at least 2016, as well as the 2018 Dame Glenys Stacey review. The requirements will aid in the prevention and control of notifiable avian disease outbreaks, by facilitating both surveillance activities and communication to bird keepers. In particular, getting biosecurity and outbreak messaging out to hard-to-reach groups including small flock keepers.

What steps her Department is taking to review the calculation of child maintenance payments, in the context of the use of gross salaries for assessments; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adjusting those calculations to reflect (a) the disposable income of paying parents after deductions and (b) any unusual expenses.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability. Generally, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) caseload is governed by broad administrative rules and does not provide bespoke solutions for individual cases. However, there is some scope to take account of specific situations. Variations allow the Child Maintenance Service to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. Either parent may apply for a variation at any time during the life of their case, provided enough information for an appropriate ground can be identified. If a variation application is successful, the maintenance calculation will be adjusted accordingly. The department is reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has included updating the underlying research and considering how we ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the difference between the rates of the (a) basic state pension and (b) new state pension on pensioners; and whether the Department has considered the potential merits of equalising these rates.

The Government has made a commitment to the Triple Lock for the entirety of this Parliament which will mean spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion. It is not possible to make direct, like for like comparisons between State Pension amounts under the new State Pension and the pre 2016 State Pension systems. While the headline full basic State Pension is £169.50 per week (2024/25 rates), people under the pre 2016 system may also receive Additional State Pension. If instead they had been contracted-out of the Additional State Pension, they will also have a workplace or private pension It is also the case that not everyone under the new State Pension system will receive the full headline amount of £221.20 per week. Although the systems are different, they both reflect the National Insurance contributions an individual has made. This is reflected in the average amounts that people receive.

If she will commission an independent investigation into the mortality rates of paying parents using the Child Maintenance Service.

There are currently no plans to commission an independent investigation into the mortality rates of paying parents using the Child Maintenance Service. The Child Maintenance Service is committed to delivering a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all parents who use it. We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly during separation. The Child Maintenance Service is well-prepared to respond quickly and effectively if it becomes aware that any customer's safety is at risk. All caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support vulnerable clients, including those at risk of suicide, self-harm, or domestic abuse. Our priority is to handle these cases sensitively and ensure vulnerable customers get the help and support they need to use the service safely. This may include signposting to support organizations or reporting to the police if necessary.