Written questions by Lowe.

Whether her Department has provided funding to universities for schemes that exclude white applicants.

The department has not directly awarded funding to any such schemes within higher education.

Whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) Confederation of British Industry and (b) other trade associations on anti-white discrimination in workplace diversity schemes.

The Equality Act 2010 provides protections in the workplace and in society which generally make it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of, or in relation to, their protected characteristics. For example, if an employer were to discriminate against someone because of their ethnicity, this would be unlawful discrimination on the basis of the protected characteristic of race. The Equality Act 2010 does allow employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation for groups of people who share a protected characteristic, where that is in order to level the playing field. If an action treating a particular group more favourably does not meet the statutory requirements in the Equality Act 2010, then it is likely to be unlawful direct discrimination. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. The Government engages closely with the CBI and a range of other trade bodies on numerous policy areas.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency have had since January 2023 with (a) the Carbon Trust and (b) major food retailers on the introduction of carbon ratings on (i) food labels, (ii) menus and (iii) product packaging; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on consumers of introducing such a rating system.

Eco-labels on food are used by some businesses on a voluntary basis to help consumers make more sustainable choices. Eco-labels based on robust environmental impact data could support informed consumer choices and business competition based on sustainability. Through the Food Data Transparency Partnership, Defra and the Food Standards Agency have conducted engagement on eco-labelling across the food and drink sector in a range of settings including packaging and menus.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the local elections in Norfolk take place on 7 May 2026.

The starting point is for all elections to go ahead, unless there is strong justification. We intend for the mayoral election for the new strategic authority to take place in May 2026, alongside the scheduled elections to Norwich City Council and the County Council elections postponed from May 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of animals were slaughtered without being stunned for the production of Halal meat in the UK in each year since 2005.

UK data regarding the number or proportion of animals slaughtered using the halal method without prior stunning is not collected. The Food Standards Agency carries out a periodic slaughter sector survey in England and Wales, which started in 2011. The latest 2024 survey is available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/farm-animals-slaughter-sector-survey-2024.

Whether her Department has had (a) discussions and (b) correspondence with Oldham Council on the proposed grooming gang inquiry since January 2024; and whether her Department has issued any guidance to local authorities concerning the structure or format of such projects.

In June this year, Baroness Casey published her independent audit into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the Government accepted every recommendation it made, including establishing a new national inquiry. The national inquiry, equipped with statutory powers under the Inquiries Act 2005, will direct targeted local reviews in specific areas.The former Home Secretary previously committed in January to provide guidance and establish a £5 million fund which would have supported non-statutory local inquiries. Our new approach of establishing a national statutory inquiry, will be strengthened through its statutory powers – therefore, we have discontinued work related to the previously announced guidance and £5 million fund.In relation to Oldham specifically, the former Home Secretary made a commitment to support Oldham Council in undertaking their own local inquiry. The Department has been in discussions with Oldham Council about the right approach for Oldham, in light of the Government’s commitment to a new national inquiry. We also intend to consult the prospective chair of the national inquiry once appointed. We therefore intend to confirm the proposed approach for Oldham alongside further details about the national inquiry in due course.

How many compliance investigations were (a) opened and (b) closed by HM Revenue and Customs on businesses classified under Standard Industrial Classification codes (a) 96020 (hairdressing and barbering) and (b) 96090 (nail and beauty services) in each year since 2020; and what the total (A) number and (b) value was of (1) penalties issued, (2) cash seizures and (3) civil recovery actions taken under the Proceeds of Crime Act in those sectors.

HMRC does not hold specific data showing the number of hairdressers and nail salons investigated for tax non-compliance. HMRC’s approach to tax compliance includes a range of activities that aim to both detect and tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. HMRC aims to help and support customers to understand their tax obligations and provides clear guidance to make it easy for them to get things right. HMRC is aware that some workers and businesses in the hairdressing and beauty sector find it hard to understand their tax obligations. To help support these customers, HMRC has worked with trade bodies for this sector to develop new educational material including a YouTube video and has published guidance on GOV.UK to better explain the employment status and tax implications of different business models. Details can be found at: https://youtu.be/5o3au6PyXG8 and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-if-you-work-in-hair-and-beauty Closing the Tax Gap is one of HMRC’s three priorities. The government is committed to measures which will raise over £7.5 billion additional tax revenue per year by 2029 to 2030. This includes the package to close the tax gap at Autumn Budget 2024 (£6.5 billion) and further messages at Spring Statement 2025 (over £1 billion). As part of these packages, HMRC will receive extra funding over the next five years to recruit an additional 5,500 compliance staff and to fund 2,400 debt management staff. HMRC has led multiple operations in the hair and beauty sector, specifically barbers and nail bars. For example, during March 2025, HMRC undertook a series of unannounced visits (including Turkish style barbers) across the West Midlands as part of a three-week operation conducted jointly with the NCA and other agencies. This exercise resulted in Police seizures under Proceeds of Crime provisions of more than £500k in cash and illegal funds.

How much was overpaid to Universal Credit recipients in each of the last ten financial years.

This information was published earlier this year and can be found via the following link:Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK.

What guidance her Department has issued to police forces on maintaining political neutrality whilst on duty.

All police officers are required by law to act with impartiality in discharging their duties, under the Police Regulations 2003. This is underlined in the oath of attestation that all police officers personally take on appointment and the Policing Protocol is clear that each Chief Constable is accountable for leading their force in a way that is consistent with that duty of impartiality.The College of Policing sets standards and provides guidance for policing, including an updated Code of Ethics published in 2024 and a complementary statutory Code of Practice for Ethical Policing.

How many hotels are being used as contingency accommodation for irregular migrants as at 20 October 2025.

The Home Office has been clear that the use of hotels is a temporary and short-term measure to ensure we meet our statutory obligation to accommodate destitute asylum seekers, while we tackle the systemic challenges due to the previous government’s decisions.Accommodation data is published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels which can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)

What the cost to the public purse was of Universal Credit payments made to people with refugee status in each of the last ten financial years.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Communities and Local Government, how many people with refugee status are resident in (a) council and (b) social housing by local authority.

My Department does not hold information on people claiming council or social housing who were formally granted refugee status and/or settlement. Our social housing lettings in England statistical series, which can be found on gov.uk here, includes information on new social lettings only, based on the tenant’s self-reported main reason for leaving their last settled home. It shows that 2.0% of all new social housing lettings in 2023/24 were to households who self-reported as refugees (4,100 households). Care should be taken when considering figures for new social lettings to refugees. The data is based on specific definitions and there may be overlaps and households missing from the statistics presented above.

What the total amount of Universal Credit was paid to deceased recipients in each of the last ten financial years.

DWP does not hold this information over the requested period. DWP has operational data used to identify and recover UC overpayments from deceased recipients, although this does not cover the full time period requested and is not considered to be of suitable quality to accurately answer the question.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department records the (a) nationality and (b) immigration status of tenants who purchase their homes under the Right to Buy scheme; and how many Right to Buy sales have been made by non-British nationals in each of the last five years.

My Department does not record the nationality or immigration status of tenants who have purchased their homes under the Right to Buy scheme, nor how many Right to Buy sales have been made to non-British nationals. Eligibility for social housing is already tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Migrants arriving in the UK on student or work visas are not eligible and nor are those who arrive in the country illegally with no leave to remain. On 2 July, the government announced further reforms to the Right to Buy, including increasing the length of time someone needs to have been a public sector tenant to qualify for Right to Buy from 3 to 10 years. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on that day (HCWS771).

What information her Department holds on the (a) age, (b) religion, (c) ethnicity and (d) country of birth of people (i) referred to the Prevent programme and (ii) convicted of terrorism-related offences in the UK in each of the last five years.

Prevent aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It works to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are offered appropriate interventions and support, and that communities areWe have provided data for the financial years 2019/20 to 2023/24. Data for the latest financial year 2024/25 will be released 6th November 2025 at Gov.uk.Information on individuals convicted of terrorism-related offences in the UK is published quarterly by the Home Office in the statistical release titled Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation. This includes detailed data tables for Great Britain, covering a range of individual and offence-related characteristics, such as:Age (Table A.10)Data on religion is not available for all convicted individuals. However, religious affiliation is reported for those held in custody for terrorism-related offences in England and Wales and Scotland at the time of publication. (Table P.04)Ethnicity (Table A.11)Data on country of birth is not held by the Home Office. However, information on nationality is available. (Table A.12c)Annual and quarterly breakdowns for the last five years and prior and are accessible via Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 statistics - GOV.UK.

Whether her Department has provided any (a) grants, (b) contracts and (c) other funding to (i) Stand Up to Racism, (ii) Unite the Union,(ii) Migrants Organise, (iv) the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, (v) the Refugee Council and (vi) Care4Calais since 2020; and how much funding was provided to each for what purposes.

Home Office made grant payments to the Refugee Council totalling £ 3.2m for the purpose of Children’s Advisory Projects to support Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) through the asylum process., with a further £ 215,244 for Asylum Seeker Mental Health and Wellbeing Grant to provide assistance to vulnerable adult asylum seekers.The figures represent budgeted values which may not have been spent in full.Since 2020 the Home Office has provided contract and other funding payments to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants totalling £47,015.Further, the Home Office provided contract and other funding to the Refugee Council totalling £8,026,673 for the same time period.Information on purpose has been withheld and related contracts as it would only be available at disproportionate cost.Outside of Home Office funding, for the period FY 21/22 to FY 24/25 inclusive Home Office facilitated £5.37m of EU financed AMIF Integration Funding to the Refugee Council.

How many slaughterhouses were (a) suspended and (b) permanently closed due to breaches of animal welfare regulations in each calendar year from 2015 to 2025; how many (i) improvement notices, (ii) formal warnings, (iii) prosecutions and (iv) other enforcement actions were issued to slaughterhouses for animal welfare breaches in each of those years; and how many site inspections were carried out by the Food Standards Agency in each year over the same period.

In 2015, two slaughterhouses had approval withdrawn. In 2016, one slaughterhouse had approval withdrawn. In 2017, one slaughterhouse had approval withdrawn and two had approval suspended.The reasons for the withdrawals and suspensions between 2015 and 2017 are no longer retained. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) retains approval documents of establishments for up to six years beyond their closure.In 2020, one slaughterhouse had approval suspended for welfare concerns. In 2025, two slaughterhouses had approval withdrawn for non-compliances, which included welfare concerns.The following table shows the number of formal warnings issued to business operators and plant operatives following investigation by the FSA into alleged animal welfare offences at approved slaughterhouses, from 2015 to 2024:YearFormal warning to business operatorFormal warning to plant operatives201520201611201776201832201955202010202111202210202300202400 In addition, the following table shows the number of prosecution cases and the number of business operators and plant operatives convicted following investigations undertaken by the FSA into alleged animal welfare offences at approved slaughterhouses, from 2015 to 2024:YearProsecution casesBusiness operators convictedPlant operatives convicted2015000201643220172202018317201911420201012021316202242220234382024433 Improvement notices and other enforcement action over the 10 year period is included in open data published quarterly by the FSA, and available at the following link:https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/92ee0c84-d680-400c-a560-94a3a1a100a6/animal-welfare-enforcement-non-complianceThe FSA has a presence at every site during processing hours. To complement the inspections carried out by official veterinarians and veterinary auditors, the Welfare Assurance Team carries out welfare-themed inspections across all operating plants in England and Wales. Similar to the veterinary auditors, the frequency of these inspections depends upon the previous inspection outcome. It is not possible to confirm how many site inspections were undertaken specifically on animal welfare grounds over this period.

Whether any NHS Trusts (a) employ specialist staff or (b) operate dedicated services to address genetic disorders associated with consanguinity.

The National Health Service in England supports patients with a variety of conditions related to genetics. NHS England is piloting and evaluating new models of care to improve the equity of access to genetic services for the small proportion of couples at increased genetic risk due to close relative marriage. NHS England is funding additional capacity in several professions, including midwifery, genomics associates, and neonatal nurses, in nine pilot sites through the Genetic Risk Equity Project. 3.8 whole time equivalent (WTE) midwives and one WTE neonatal nurse were in post in 2024/25 to deliver the Genetic Risk Equity Project.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many visits to farms have been undertaken by (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (b) the Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs since their appointments.

Defra Ministers regularly visit a range of farms across the UK, and meet with farming stakeholders in London and on site to hear directly from industry.

What the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for HMRC was in the last year.

HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a regular basis and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates The definition of ‘average speed of answering a customer’s call’ is the average time spent waiting in the queue for an adviser. This is from the time that the customer finished listening to HMRC’s automated messages and completed their selection from HMRC’s automated menu to the time when they get to speak to an adviser. The below table shows the average amount of time people spent on hold with HMRC – this is when a call has been answered by an adviser and the individual has subsequently been put on hold. The data covers the past year, broken down by quarter: 2024-25 Q12024-25 Q22024-25 Q32024-25 Q41min 4s1min 25s1min 16s1min 15s HMRC are taking steps to make sure more of their services are digital, so customers can self-serve online. HMRC online services and the HMRC app are convenient to access and receive high customer satisfaction ratings. As more people use HMRC online services, advisers are freed up to support those with more complex queries and those who are digitally excluded.