Written questions by Race.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio on the economy.

The Government has provided innovation funding through the £1.3 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and Advanced Nuclear Fund (ANF) to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative, low-carbon technologies, systems and business models in power, buildings and industry. The NZIP and ANF have supported over 600 projects, which has in turn supported 5,500 jobs and leveraged a further £750 million of private sector match funding in the UK. The portfolio funds a range of programmes from small scale grants with SMEs to large-scale programmes, such as the Low-Cost Nuclear Programme with Rolls Royce SMR Ltd. To date, £1.1 billion has been allocated from the portfolio with around half allocated to small businesses in the UK. A final Progress Report on the performance of the NZIP is expected to be published later this year.

What plans she has for funding the (a) Revenge Porn Helpline and (b) StopNCII.org website in the next five years.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG), including so-called ‘revenge porn’ can have devastating consequences on victims. We have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG in a decade, and we have committed to ban the creation of sexually explicit de...

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to take steps to support the UK Safer Internet Centre after March 2025.

The government recognises the important work of the three organisations that form the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) in improving online safety. We are committed to continued engagement with UKSIC in support of its aim to establish a sustainable funding...

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14217 on Loans: Developing Countries, how many loan commitments have been published under the Principles for Debt Transparency since June 2023; and if she will

The UK is a strong advocate for enhancing debt transparency, including for private sector debt. We have supported the Institute of International Finance (IIF) and the OECD Debt Transparency Initiative, set up in 2021, and the IIF’s Voluntary Principles fo...

How much funding his Department plans to provide for active travel infrastructure in each of the next three financial years.

This Government announced an additional £100 million investment in cycling and walking infrastructure in 2025-26 at the Autumn budget. Final levels of funding for 2025-26 will be confirmed following completion of the Department for Transport’s business pl...

Innovation and Technology, what progress he has made on the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband in urban areas.

Rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in urban areas is strong but there is still more to do, with coverage at 84% This is based on data collected up to January 2024 and is the most recent data we have breaking down coverage by urban and rural. Government ...

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of cycle commuting on (a) mental health and (b) healthy behaviours.

Public Health England’s 2018 cycling and walking evidence review confirms positive impacts on both mental health and healthy behaviours. This review is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5bf41840e5274a2af47c464e...

What steps she is taking to provide (a) residents and (b) workers with access to spaces for (i) shared bike schemes and (ii) other bike storage facilities.

As part of its statutory consultee role for large-scale planning applications, Active Travel England (ATE) assesses the quantity and quality of cycle parking in new residential, retail and business developments alongside measures that would secure access ...

If she will amend the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010 to make private sector loans to Global South countries (a) lawful and (b) transparent.

The UK is a strong advocate for sustainable lending and enhancing debt transparency, including across the private sector. In this regard, we firmly support the Principles for Debt Transparency published by the Institute for International Finance (IIF), wh...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to invest in (a) prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation, (b) breastfeeding (i) promotion and (ii) support, (c) vitamin A supplementation a

The FCDO supports the scale up of evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal and child malnutrition. Through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), the FCDO supports the procurement and distribution of micronutrient supplements - Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Fo...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that affected local people are included in the delivery of Official Development Assistance.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) takes a comprehensive and inclusive approach to the delivery of Overseas Development Aid, with a focus on ensuring that affected local people are actively involved in all stages of the programme cycl...

Innovation and Technology, if he will prioritise funding for research on the impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis on women.

UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested in research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, awarding £6.6 million in this area since 2012.This includes through DecodeME, the ...

Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to prioritise research funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis.

UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested in research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, awarding £6.6 million in this area since 2012.This includes through DecodeME, the ...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Fur (Import and Sale) Bill.

Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The report that they produce will support our understanding of the fur indus...

What steps her Department is taking to end the use of hotel accommodation for women and girls seeking asylum.

We are working to fix the asylum system, clearing the backlog to reduce demand on accommodation and ending the use of hotels, including for women and girls.

What steps he plans to take to promote awareness of World Hepatitis Testing Week in November 2024.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be supporting the World Hepatitis Testing Week’s drive to increase testing for hepatitis by promoting the campaign materials through our social and stakeholder channels. This will follow the publication of the la...

What steps his Department is taking to plan for the sustainable maintenance of hepatitis C elimination in England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) supports and monitors progress towards the World Health Organisation’s goal of eliminating the hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health threat by 2030. As part of disease surveillance, the UKHSA monitors HCV prevent...

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Independent review of protected site management on Dartmoor, published on 12 December 2023, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the design of the (

Our new moorland offer includes actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive, available now, and new and amended actions to be included in Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. We will confirm next steps in the rollout of Countryside Stewardship in due cou...

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government response to the Independent review of protected site management on Dartmoor, what his planned timescale is for (a) agreeing, (b) implementing and (c) c

We fully support the recommendations of the independent review, which includes the recommendation to tackle the over domination of Molinia in some places on Dartmoor. Defra is supporting the establishment of the Land Use Management Group (LUMG) in the com...

Whether he plans to continue the Hepatitis C opt-out testing programme beyond March 2025.

Opt-out testing in emergency departments for bloodborne viruses, including hepatitis C, is live at 34 sites in areas of extremely high prevalence of HIV, and is expanding to areas of high prevalence of HIV. A further 47 emergency department sites will be ...