Written questions by Jones.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the EU on enforcement of the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the EU-UK SPS agreement on (a) the Government's commitment to improve animal welfare and (b) the Government's forthcoming animal welfare strategy.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Whether his Department is taking steps to develop a modern service framework for neurological conditions other than dementia; and whether he plans to consult (a) the MS Society and (b) people with neurological conditions on future policy decisions.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the development of a new series of service frameworks to accelerate progress in conditions where there is potential for rapid improvements in the quality of care and productivity. The first wave of modern service frameworks will be published in 2026 and, following this, the 10-Year Health Plan allows for service frameworks to be developed for other conditions, including neurological conditions.We will continue to work closely with neurological charities like the MS Society, as this work progresses.

With reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what steps he is taking to increase staffing levels in (a) neurology, (b) multiple sclerosis nursing and (c) allied health professions in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the particular needs of different patient groups and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will request that the UK is able to diverge from the EU in relation to animal welfare standards in the dynamic alignment requirement of the EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken in the context of deaths among (a) political and (b) religious prisoners in Nicaragua.

The UK remains deeply concerned about the relentless deterioration of human rights in Nicaragua, including reports of the deaths of political and religious prisoners. We continue to raise concerns over arbitrary detentions and restrictions on freedom of religion, including at the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February, and at the Organisation of the American States General Assembly on 25 June. We will continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to restore democratic freedoms through our engagements in-country and with their Embassy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the animal welfare strategy.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Whether he plans to include non-disparagement clauses within the definition of contractual duties of confidentiality in Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill.

Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination.Where an agreement includes a non-disparagement clause, this would be void in so far as it limits a worker's ability to speak out about relevant harassment, discrimination or their employer's response to it.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to require that any confidentiality clause within an (a) employment and (b) settlement agreement (i) cannot be (A) requested and (B) required by an employer and (ii) may only be included at the request of the complainant.

Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination.The Government intends to consult on the regulations that will set out the criteria for when an NDA can still be validly entered into in the case of relevant harassment and discrimination. The regulations are aimed at shifting the balance of power away from employers who misuse NDAs.

What matters he plans to consult on in relation to the regulations required under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill.

Under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill, the Secretary of State will be able to set conditions for when an NDA can still be validly entered into in the case of relevant harassment and discrimination. ('excepted NDA'). Regulations can also be made to specify who workers with excepted NDAs can speak to, for which purposes and/or in which circumstances. Finally, they can also be made to expand the types of individuals the legislation applies to beyond the standard definitions of "employee" and "worker" in the Employment Rights Act 1996.The Government will consult on the regulations in respect of these powers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with international partners to defend vulnerable religious groups in north-east Syria.

Alongside our international partners the UK has consistently advocated and offered support to the Syrian Government to deliver an inclusive political transition. We have underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, including vulnerable religious groups in the north-east, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government, including during the Foreign Secretary's recent visit. We remain deeply concerned about tensions between communities in Syria and the impact this may have for Syria's stability. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) respond to threats to religious freedom for Christian and other minority faith communities in Iraq.

The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. On 8 July, the Government publicly set out its approach to FoRB, providing a framework for UK engagement, including for countries navigating the impact of conflict, both past and present, such as Iraq.In July 2025, the Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities into regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what initiatives his Department is funding to (a) monitor and (b) support the (i) registration and (ii) legal recognition of religious communities in Vietnam.

The UK Government is committed to promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) globally, including in Vietnam. During Vietnam's 2024 Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK put forward recommendations urging Vietnam to take steps to ensure the protection of the right to freedom of religion. Bilaterally, the UK raises FoRB concerns with Vietnamese counterparts. Our Embassy in Hanoi engages with the diplomatic community and civil society to monitor developments and support dialogue on religious freedom.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) devolved administrations, (b) conservation organisations and (c) local communities to facilitate effective species reintroduction programmes.

Defra enables and facilitates effective species reintroduction programmes through its arms-length bodies. Regarding (a), Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot meet quarterly to discuss species reintroductions. The England Species Reintroduction Taskforce and the National Species Reintroduction Forum (for Scotland) collaborate informally, with representatives attending each other's meetings to improve knowledge exchange. The Taskforce is beginning a formal collaboration with NatureScot on two key projects: developing a database for UK species reintroduction projects and developing a framework and guidance for conservation introduction. Regarding (b), Natural England has a key role in advising partners including conservation organisations on species reintroductions, including as formal partners and funding some projects through the Species Recovery Programme. Natural England advice ranges from ensuring the Reintroductions Code is being followed to bringing stakeholders together to discuss individual projects. Forestry England works in partnership with conservation organisations to deliver nature recovery projects – including species reintroductions - in the nation’s forests. Regarding (c), a requirement of the Code is to undertake effective engagement and consultation with stakeholders. This includes encouraging projects to engage with local communities to help create mutual understanding, offer a sense of shared purpose and benefits, and reduce the risk of future conflicts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian assistance his Department has provided to support religious minority communities affected by conflict in Syria.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not provide targeted humanitarian assistance for religious minority communities in Syria. The FCDO uses data and evidence to guide humanitarian allocations, ensuring that resources are directed to where they are most needed, in line with humanitarian principles. Our humanitarian funding in Syria provides urgent humanitarian aid to millions of Syrians across the country, as well as support for Syria's longer-term recovery through education and livelihoods initiatives. We continue to focus our diplomatic efforts on advocating and supporting the Syrian Government to ensure an inclusive, representative and non-sectarian political transition which respects the rights of all Syrians.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for artificial Intelligence to replace the use of animals in medical research.

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research, including via artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan in January to drive AI development and deployment. The Government co-funds seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two focusing on AI which will support alternative method development. Internal allocations of DSIT’s spending review settlement will determine future investment.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what proportion of the £22.6 billion increase to research and development funding by 2029-30 will be allocated to support the (a) development, (b) validation and (c) uptake of alternative methods to animal testing.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) invests to support research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. These are categorised as basic research, so calculating funding for alternative methods specifically is not possible. Future investment will be determined by internal allocations of DSIT’s spending review settlement announced on 11.06.25. UKRI also invests £10 million annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and is conducting a five-year review to guide future investment.The Government will publish a strategy to support non-animal alternatives later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to lay the Activity Regulations required to give effect to the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023; and which activities he plans to prioritise.

We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to take forward changes to low-welfare activities abroad.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on freedom of religion or belief of (a) reports of the escalation of violence against Hindu communities in Bangladesh since August 2024 and (b) the response of the interim government.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. We support the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and their report on the violations that occurred in Bangladesh in July and August 2024. In October 2024, we were pleased to see the establishment of a special policing unit by the Interim Government in the lead up to Durga Puja to protect Hindu worship sites.In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus and UK Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders visited Bangladesh in February. The UK-funded £27 million Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme is contributing to protecting and promoting freedom of religion or belief. Through this programme, the Hunger project has organised a range of initiatives to foster inter-ethnic and religious peace. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government on ensuring minority voices are meaningfully included in the reform process and that these communities feel both protected and represented.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of redevelopment plans impacting Sikh families in the Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar area of Mumbai.

The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the redevelopment of Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar in Mumbai, and its potential impact on Sikh families. While this is a matter for the Indian authorities, we continue to monitor developments affecting minority communities globally. We encourage all redevelopment efforts, wherever they occur, to be conducted transparently and with full consideration for the rights and welfare of affected residents.