Written questions by Lowe.

If he will make it his policy to (a) initiate and (b) publish the findings of an emergency census in 2026.

In July the Government confirmed the next census of England and Wales will take place in 2031.

If he will set out the labelling requirements that apply at point-of-sale in Defence Academy catering outlets to identify halal-certified meat; and whether customers are informed when certification involves specific slaughter methods.

There is no requirement in law to inform customers of specific slaughter methods, and this practice is not commonplace within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the Defence Academy catering outlets, all halal-certified meat is explicitly labelled at the point of sale as ‘Halal Friendly’. Catering staff are also trained to provide dietary information upon request. Halal meat is not supplied by default across Defence contracts. The unit price, supply chain and wastage of supplying halal-certified or any other meat at the Defence Academy is not held by the MOD, as this is a matter for our contractors. Information on the audit and traceability checks undertaken to verify Halal certification is also the responsibility of the providing contractor. All halal meat supplied to the Defence Academy must comply with UK animal welfare legislation, including the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning. Certification bodies are not centrally mandated, but suppliers must meet MOD food safety and assurance standards.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on (a) the unit price (b) the supply chain and (c) wastage of supplying halal-certified meat by default at the Defence Academy.

There is no requirement in law to inform customers of specific slaughter methods, and this practice is not commonplace within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the Defence Academy catering outlets, all halal-certified meat is explicitly labelled at the point of sale as ‘Halal Friendly’. Catering staff are also trained to provide dietary information upon request. Halal meat is not supplied by default across Defence contracts. The unit price, supply chain and wastage of supplying halal-certified or any other meat at the Defence Academy is not held by the MOD, as this is a matter for our contractors. Information on the audit and traceability checks undertaken to verify Halal certification is also the responsibility of the providing contractor. All halal meat supplied to the Defence Academy must comply with UK animal welfare legislation, including the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning. Certification bodies are not centrally mandated, but suppliers must meet MOD food safety and assurance standards.

What guidance her Department provides to schools on obtaining parental consent before children participate in classroom sessions involving external speakers discussing their personal experiences of (a) irregular and (b) illegal migration.

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

What discussions her Department has had with the Quality First Education Trust regarding (a) classroom sessions and (b) external speaker events addressing (i) migration and (ii) asylum issues in the 2024/25 academic year.

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

What oversight her Department exercises over academy trusts that invite external speakers to address pupils on politically sensitive issues.

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the amount spent by Harrow Council on (a) No spitting signage and (b) related Public Space Protection Order enforcement campaigns since January 2024.

Local councils are responsible for their own spending. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Which local authorities have (a) received and (b) are housing (i) individuals and (ii) families evacuated from Gaza.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement HCWS899 made to the House on 1 September 2025 by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. As of 28 October 2025, four groups of patients have now arrived. The safety, privacy, and wellbeing of these severely ill and vulnerable patients and their families remains our absolute priority. We will not be providing further operational details, including their whereabouts, at this stage.

What funding his Department has made available to local authorities for (a) housing (b) other support to Gazan evacuees.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is funding local authorities, in the form of an accommodation tariff, so they can provide suitable accommodation for families from Gaza for up to two years in England.The Department of Health and Social Care is providing local authorities a fixed flat-rate tariff to fund wraparound services to families. Local authorities are also able to claim additional funding to cover exceptional adult social care, children’s social care, and educational costs.

With reference to her Department's Prevent learning review, whether her Department plans to change to the definition Islamic terrorism to international terrorism.

The Independent Review of Prevent recommended that the Government should keep the current terminology to describe Islamist and Extreme Right-Wing ideology to ensure language was accurate and accessible.The Government has accepted this recommendation and will retain the current terminology. The UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, is kept under constant review to ensure our approach remains fit for purpose in response to emerging risks and challenges.

How many and what proportion of people that entered the UK under the Gaza medical evacuation scheme have applied for asylum.

The information requested is not available from published statistics. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 81590 on Medical Treatments: Gaza, how many (a) children and (b) dependants have entered the UK under that scheme.

The information requested is not available from published statistics. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Communities and Local Government, what information the Department holds on the number of Somali citizens living in social housing as a proportion of the Somali population living in the UK for which the latest data is available.

My Department does not hold data on the type of housing tenure in which Somali nationals living in the UK reside.

Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the potential merits of barring non-UK nationals from (a) being the lead tenant for social housing (b) living in social housing.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19776 on 20 December 2024.

How questions were provided to the Prime Minister in advance of Prime Minister's questions since 5 July 2025, broken down by party.

In line with long-standing convention, MPs are responsible for what they say in the chamber.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the total cost of (a) translation and (b) interpretation for services related to social housing in each of the last ten financial years.

My Department does not hold data on the cost of translation and interpretation for services related to social housing.

What information his Department holds on abortion rates for (a) male and (b) female babies after 20 weeks by ethnicity.

In accordance with the Abortion Act 1967, registered medical practitioners must notify the Chief Medical Officer of abortions within 14 days. The Department collects information on abortions via the HSA4 abortion notification form. The form does not capture information on abortion rates by sex of the foetus, and so the Department does not hold this information.

What information his Department holds on the number of Safe Surgeries held by GPs in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold information regarding the number of Safe Surgeries.GPs are independent business that hold contracts with the National Health Service to perform essential services to the public, and as independent businesses, it is for each practice to decide whether to register as a Safe Surgery.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October to Question 81590 on Medical Treatments: Gaza, what wraparound support is offered through the Gaza injured children scheme.

Local authorities are responsible for delivering the wraparound services required to support the patients and their immediate family travelling with them from Gaza to settle in England.This includes providing support upon arrival, urgent health treatment, accommodation near treatment locations, school placements, essential items for the children, community integration support, casework assistance for accessing health and financial services, mental health support, and workforce entry assistance where feasible.The Government will provide funding to local authorities for delivery of these wraparound services.

What has been the cost to the public purse of the Gaza medical evacuation scheme for children.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2025 to Question 81587.