Written questions by Jones.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of (a) health certification requirements, (b) other veterinary and (c) customs requirements on cross-border movement of endangered species between the UK and the EU.

An SPS Agreement will establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. Our ambition is to reach 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. Defra continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges to the cross-border movement of endangered species, including the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity.

What plans he has to include tidal lagoons in the 2030-50 clean energy mix.

The UK possesses tremendous tidal resource which could play a role in balancing the intermittency of wind and solar generation as we transition towards a carbon-neutral power sector. The Government's position on tidal range generation, is that we remain open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including lagoons and other alternatives.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the treatment of Christian (a) leaders and (b) communities in Nicaragua.

We share widespread international concern about the relentless suppression of human rights in Nicaragua, including in relation to freedom of religion or belief, which the UK remains committed to championing for all. We continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to re-establish democratic freedoms through our engagements in country and with the Nicaraguan Embassy in London, and through our public statements in international fora. We most recently raised these concerns on 28 February 2025 at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the semiconductor skills package increases skills in science sectors.

The £4.75 million semiconductor skills package will increase the supply of skilled science and engineering workers. It includes school outreach in regional clusters, chip design courses for undergraduates, and a flagship semiconductor bursary scheme for 300 students starting Electronics and Electrical Engineering degrees, all of which will increase skill supply for the UK’s sector. This initiative will help key growth hubs like the South Wales Compound Semiconductor Cluster access the expertise needed to thrive and for the UK sector to achieve projected revenues of £16.7 billion by 2030.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help develop supply chains for (a) compound semiconductors and (b) other critical semiconductor materials.

This Government is supporting the development of supply chains for compound semiconductors and other critical semiconductor materials as part of our work to deliver the upcoming Industrial Strategy, which includes Digital and Technologies as a priority growth-driving sector. We recently secured a £250 million investment from one of the world’s largest manufacturers of semiconductors - Vishay Technologies – into the UK’s largest semiconductor facility as part of plans to develop large-scale compound semiconductor manufacturing in the UK, supported by the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund. Investments such as this will help develop UK supply chains in this high growth area of technology.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Lethal Dose 50 test on animals.

The UK continues to lead the way in seeking the international adoption of improved test methods that replace, reduce or refine the use of animals in scientific procedures.Some authorised medicines in the UK include quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. These tests account for the LD50 cases still conducted.Within the UK framework, regulators follow the principles of the 3Rs - to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in tests. This is a legal requirement for all work conducted. However, it is not presently possible to replace all of the existing animal tests with non-animal replacements.The Government invests £10m annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to accelerate the development and adoption of 3Rs approaches.Through the forthcoming alternatives strategy, the Government will seek to accelerate the validation of alternative methods and their uptake for regulatory decision making.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the US Food and Drug Administration's publication entitled Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies, published on 10 April 2025.

It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements for their use. The Government has reviewed the FDA roadmap and is engaging with the MHRA on how to accelerate the science-led adoption of alternatives to the use of animals for drug development and testing. The Government will publish a strategy later this year that will support this ambition and accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods across the biosciences.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) regulatory alignment with the European Union on chemicals regulation and (b) seeking associate membership of the European Chemicals Agency at the UK-EU summit on 19 May.

This Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU across a range of areas. It is too early to discuss scope or specific areas in any greater detail.

Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to ensure that (a) Newport West and Islwyn, (b) Welsh communities and (c) Britain has access to (i) affordable and (ii) covered tennis and padel facilities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel tennis in Britain. It receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.Sport policy is devolved but we continue to engage closely with partners in Wales across various areas including facilities investment.

Media and Sport, whether the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme will provide funding for (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel tennis in Britain. It receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.Sport policy is devolved but we continue to engage closely with partners in Wales across various areas including facilities investment.

Media and Sport, what plans she has to provide funding for (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel tennis in Britain. It receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.Sport policy is devolved but we continue to engage closely with partners in Wales across various areas including facilities investment.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the development of new padel facilities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel tennis in Britain. It receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.Sport policy is devolved but we continue to engage closely with partners in Wales across various areas including facilities investment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made any recent representations to Nigeria on the security situation for Christians in northern Nigeria.

The UK Government regularly advocates for the protections of all vulnerable communities, including religious minorities, through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as raising Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) directly with the Government of Nigeria. In his meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on 22 January, the Minister for Africa raised the importance of FoRB and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions. Additionally, through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme (SPRiNG) the UK is providing £38 million to help tackle the root causes of intercommunal conflict and reduce rural violence in northwest and north-central Nigeria, including by supporting collaboration and productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists, and strengthening conflict early warning, management and response.

With reference to Table 7.3 : Experimental procedures by species of animal: regulatory use by origin of legislative requirement, Great Britain 2014 to 2023 of her Department’s Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain: 2023, published on 11 September 2024, which UK legislative requirements were intended to be satisfied by the 12 procedures carried out on beagles.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2023, Table 7.3, the 12 procedures carried out on beagles were to satisfy legislative requirements on the testing of medicinal products for human use.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to ban deliberate breeding of domestic cats with any non-domestic felid species.

The Government welcomes the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices. We are carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on when the Animal Welfare Committee will start work on its project on the welfare of decapod crustaceans in the supply chain.

A project on the “welfare of decapod crustaceans across the supply chain in the UK” is included in the Animal Welfare Committee work plan (available on the AWC website).

What the cost to the Office for National Statistics was of (a) designing, (b) building and (c) running the winter covid infection survey in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1st April is attached.

Whether he has had discussions with the Office for National Statistics on the potential merits of consulting (a) patients, (b) carers, (c) academics, (d) clinicians and (e) devolved Administrations on the design of long covid survey questions.

No. The design of surveys is the responsibility of the ONS which is operationally independent and accountable to Parliament.

Whether he has had discussions with the Office for National Statistics on designing a standard set of long covid survey questions.

No. The design of surveys is the responsibility of the ONS which is operationally independent and accountable to Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to determine which countries are monitored for violations of freedom of religion or belief.

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora including the UN and Article 18 Alliance, our bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith and our programme funding.Our network of diplomatic posts around the world monitor and report on human rights, including FoRB. We also draw on other information sources including the regular reports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for FoRB.