Written questions by Jones.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent reports that India forcibly deported over 80 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar; and what steps his Department is taking to raise concerns about the (a) religious freedom and (b) safety of Rohingya Muslims facing refoulement with his Indian counterpart.

The UK is firmly committed to the protection and promotion of human rights around the world. We are aware of reports concerning the deportation of Rohingya refugees from India to Myanmar, and we take such reports seriously.We regularly engage with the Government of India on a range of human rights issues, including the treatment of minority communities and international humanitarian principles. We continue to encourage all countries to ensure that the rights and safety of vulnerable populations, including the Rohingya, are respected and protected. The UK is a strong supporter of international efforts to assist Rohingya refugees. The long-term solution for Rohingya refugees remains a voluntary, safe and dignified return to Rakhine state in Myanmar, once the conditions there allow.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of access to adequate burial rights for members of the Bahá'í community in Egypt; and whether he has raised this issue with his Egyptian counterpart.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), for all. The Egyptian Government has stated its commitment to protecting the rights and freedom of worship as well as the protections enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. We continue to regularly raise rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities.

What recent discussions her Department has had with licence holders on reporting the number of animals bred for scientific purposes and not used in procedures at their establishment.

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures. This position has been communicated to all stakeholder groups, including the life science sector.

With reference to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 59099 on Animal Experiments, when she expects the review to conclude.

We intend for a position to be publicised later in 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on freedom of religion or belief of reports of official interference in peaceful gatherings of the Baha’i community in Iran.

Iran's abhorrent repression of Baha'is is unacceptable. We continue to take action in multilateral fora to spotlight abuses against Baha'is and hold Iran to account. On 18 March, at the Human Rights Council, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN, said: "The past year has seen an escalation in the arrest and detention of Baha'i women as authorities seek to suppress their religious identity and autonomy as women". We were integral to the delivery of a new Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which will investigate a broader range of abuses including against religious minorities, in an important step towards accountability. Our Ambassador to Iran continues to raise human rights directly with the Iranian Government.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to include the (a) Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and (b) Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy in its planned review of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

Defra is actively engaging with key stakeholders to review opportunities for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act. It’s really important that we do this together to have the best opportunity of delivering the best reform for the future of the whole of the veterinary profession. Defra is grateful for the engagement of lots of different representatives of Allied Veterinary Professionals in this process, and plan to continue engaging a diverse group of stakeholders.

What recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on plans for cross-border healthcare.

I meet with the First Minister of Wales regularly to discuss a range of issues, including health. We are working in a spirit of genuine collaboration to do everything possible to cut waiting lists and build an NHS fit for the future. A good example of our two Governments working together on health is the Interministerial Group (IMG) for Health and Social Care, which met on 30 April, chaired by the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. The IMG brought together Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Devolved Governments to discuss shared priorities across health in the UK. I welcome the news that waiting lists, including long waits, have fallen in recent months. These improvements come after we provided the Welsh Government with an additional £1.7 billion to invest in public services like the NHS at the Autumn Budget. An extra £600 million in funding has now been announced by the Welsh Government for health and social care in their Budget for 2025/26. Furthermore at the Spending Review last week, we announced a record £22.4 billion per year on average for the Welsh Government between 2026-27 and 2028-29, to invest in public services and drive down waiting lists. This is the largest budget settlement in the history of devolution.

What recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Wales on the implementation of plans for cross-border healthcare.

My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, regularly meets his devolved administration counterparts, both bilaterally and at Inter-Ministerial Groups on Health and Social Care. There is also significant official level engagement daily with the devolved administrations.There are special cross-border arrangements in place for patients who live on the England-Wales border to make sure they receive healthcare without confusion or delay, and patient data can be accessed by the relevant professionals. These arrangements have been implemented and are managed by the Department, NHS England, the Welsh Government and NHS Wales.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on the potential impact of the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 29 May 2025, on people with arthritis.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions and our mission-driven approach relies on regular cross-government collaboration. We are working across government and with the Devolved Governments to further assess the impacts of the Green Paper and will continue to do so as the package is developed in detail. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions met with the Welsh First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice on the 4 June to discuss the proposals and their impacts in Wales. I also continue to engage closely with my Ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders throughout the consultation period and beyond. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published in the impacts analysis and equality analysis on 26 March 2025 and the evidence pack on 2 May 2025 at:[https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper] The functional impact and severity of a condition can significantly vary across individuals, so we are not planning for specific conditions to be exempt from the changes. We recognise the challenges that people with arthritis face and our reforms will ensure the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected, while supporting those who can work to do so.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the frequency of the publication of statistics on the number of animals that are bred for use in scientific procedures but not used.

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of smart grids enabled by dedicated radio spectrum access on people in Newport West and Islwyn constituency.

Ofcom is responsible for the management of spectrum in the UK, including allocating spectrum. My officials are working with those in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and with regulators to help establish the evidence base for the future telecommunications requirements of the energy sector.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support faith-based organisations providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities impacted by recent conflict in Lebanon.

Whilst the UK does not currently directly support any faith-based organisations in Lebanon, we remain committed to supporting vulnerable Lebanese communities, including refugees, regardless of religion or nationality. The UK has played a leading role in addressing the humanitarian situation in Lebanon and provided £56 million in humanitarian aid to support thousands of people affected by the conflict in Financial Year 2024/25. This included support to both displaced and host communities, to help them meet their basic needs and support them to access essential services It also included £4.5 million to the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, which delivers multisectoral support through a network of local and international Non-Governmental Organisations, including faith-based organisations.We recognise that post-ceasefire needs in Lebanon remain high. The UK's ongoing response will continue, including our work with international partners to tackle immediate and long-term priorities.

Innovation and Technology, what his planned timeline is for phasing out the use of animal testing for regulatory and research purposes.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones. Any work to phase out animal testing, including the use of dogs in regulatory scientific procedures, must be science-led and in lock step with partners including regulators, so we will not be setting interim targets or arbitrary timelines for reducing their use.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a Ministerial position dedicated to non-animal New-Approach Methodologies.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing” and the Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.As the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Lord Vallance leads on this issue. He recognises this touches on a number of Departmental responsibilities and actively collaborates with fellow Ministers in relevant Departments to work together to support the delivery of important scientific research, including the development and implementation of alternative methods to animal testing.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has held with stakeholders in the life sciences and technology sectors on the potential for artificial intelligence to support the uptake of non-animal New Approach Methodologies.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives, including discussing the application of AI and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then. The Government is also co-funding seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two of which focus on AI which will support developing alternative methods.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) development and (b) deployment of artificial intelligence to accelerate the transition away from the use of animals in scientific research and testing.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support the development and application of approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research (the 3Rs), including via artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan in January which outlined 50 actions needed to drive up the development and deployment of AI.The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claims made on the grounds of religious persecution from (a) Nigeria, (b) Eritrea and c) Pakistan between December 2001 and December 2024; and what steps she is taken to ensure claims are processed (i) fairly and (ii) efficiently.

We do not publish the number of asylum claims that were granted based on religious persecution. This information is not recorded in a reportable format. Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset on GOV.UK at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially, and they receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that any future UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) veterinary agreement supports the vital role of (a) zoos and (b) aquariums in international conservation breeding programmes.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now negotiate the detail of an agreement that reduce administrative burden by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework. We continue to work with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges regarding EU trade– such as the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity. However, our primary focus is on securing a long-term, sustainable solution through a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement with the EU.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) zoos and (b) aquariums on the inclusion of conservation animal transfers in a future UK-EU veterinary agreement.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitate the safe and efficient movement of zoo animals. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now negotiate the detail of an agreement that reduces administrative burden by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework. We continue to work closely with zoos and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address challenges related to the movement of animals between the UK and the EU. This includes the availability of Export Health Certificates and to expedite requests for new EHCs, for breeding programmes where welfare concerns may arise. Ministers have actively engaged with the zoo and wildlife sector through multiple visits and discussions to understand its challenges and opportunities. This dialogue will continue as we work together to support ongoing improvements.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to (a) monitor violence against Christian communities in northern Nigeria and (b) support efforts to hold perpetrators to account.

The UK Government continues to monitor events in northern Nigeria closely. Terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, target all those who do not subscribe to their extremist views, including both Christians and Muslims. These incidents are distinct from the ongoing intercommunal violence across Nigeria. We regularly raise both issues with key stakeholders in Nigeria, most recently during Lord Collins's visit to Nigeria (28-30 May), where he held discussions with the Foreign Minister, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Head of the National Centre for Counter-Terrorism, and UN partners on these issues. Additionally, through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), the UK is working with Nigeria to tackle violence against all civilian communities, including those of different religious backgrounds and belief systems. As part of this dialogue, we previously welcomed a commitment from Nigeria on timely, effective, and human rights compliant investigations of, and prosecutions for, terrorism crimes.