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1653781

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff in her Department worked in the trade negotiations group as of 18 July 2023.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	194770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2023 answer text <p>As of 30/06/23 the Department for Business and Trade (ex-DIT only) had 527 members of staff working on free trade negotiations. Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, this figure does not include staff from the former Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) who have transferred to the Department of Business and Trade. In addition, our headcount figures are updated monthly, and therefore the most recent headcount figure is accurate as of 30/06/23.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 26/07/2023 15:49:32 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1653783

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the then Department for International Trade spent (a) negotiating and (b) implementing free trade agreements in financial year 2022-23.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	194772
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2023 answer text <p>The then Department for International Trade spent £46.2m in 2022-23 on the negotiation and implementation of Free Trade Agreements.</p><p>This enabled the Government to ratify new trade deals with Australia and New Zealand, which could lead to a £10.4 billion and £1.7 billion long run increase in bilateral trade respectively, conclude negotiations with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and progress negotiations with India, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Canada, Mexico, Israel, and Switzerland.</p> answering member constituency Wealden answering member printed Ms Nusrat Ghani question first answered 02/08/2023 14:06:22 answering member 4460 label Biography information for Ms Nusrat Ghani
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1653784

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2023 to Question 193678, what advice her Department provides to students living in the UK on a student visa and who need to apply for a new student visa without departing the UK because the award for their current course has been deferred as a result of the University and College Union marking and assessment boycott.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	194773
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2023 answer text <p>Students and sponsors should refer to paragraph 5.32 onwards of the sponsorship duties guidance. Where a formal award has not yet been issued, a student on a course at degree level or above at a sponsor which is a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance, can request formal written confirmation from their sponsor stating that they are highly likely to complete their course successfully.</p><p>The Department for Education will continue to engage with the HE sector over the coming weeks to help better understand the boycott’s impact on students and the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students’ interests.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 26/07/2023 11:56:10 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1653790

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	STEM Subjects: Women
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding for women and girls from lower advantaged backgrounds to study STEM subjects.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their background or where they live, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The Department funds a number of diversity and inclusion programmes to increase women and girls’ participation in STEM courses and careers.</p><p>In schools, girls’ participation in STEM is already increasing. Girls made up 44% of all STEM entries at A level in 2022 and 51% of all science entries at A level in 2022. Since 2010, there has been a 35% increase in the number of STEM A level entries from girls in England.<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup> The Department is boosting the take up of STEM subjects by delivering the Prime Minister’s ambition of ensuring all pupils in England study mathematics to 18.</p><p>The Department funds a number of programmes to inspire pupils, including girls, to take STEM subjects and support their engagement. This includes tailored mathematics support for students and teachers through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme and an Inclusion in Schools project to increase the uptake of A level physics from pupils in underrepresented groups, including girls.</p><p>The Department’s programmes also include £100 million for the National Centre for Computing Education to increase participation in computer science at GCSE and A level, including funding for research on gender balance in computing, the results of which will inform a gender insights programme to support schools’ awareness of barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and help them improve take up of computer science qualifications. Other programmes include a national research trial on improving gender balance for physics, the results of which will be published in 2024, and the STEM Ambassadors programme, which inspires young people from underrepresented backgrounds to engage with STEM subjects. Approximately 45% of ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models.</p><p>The Department aims to maximise opportunities for participation in STEM at every level of education. STEM apprenticeship starts by women and girls continue to increase year on year, with 14,110 starts in 2021/22, up 23.3% from 2020/21 (11,440 starts). <br> <br> The Department supports women and girls’ participation in STEM apprenticeships through the Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network. The Department is also establishing a network of 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to help close skills gaps in STEM sectors. One aim of IoTs is increasing participation from underrepresented groups at the local level.</p><p>The Department is working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on new postgraduate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science conversion courses to boost skills and diversity in AI jobs. In the programme’s first year, 76% of scholarships were awarded to women, 45% to black students, and 24% to students with disabilities. 2,000 additional scholarships are available to be delivered between 2023 and 2025.</p><p>[1] House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (2023), Diversity and inclusion in STEM: Government Response to the Committee’s Fifth Report, p. 8: <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-innovation-and-technology-committee/publications/" target="_blank">https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-innovation-and-technology-committee/publications/</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/07/2023 09:46:16 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1653795

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Butterflies: Conservation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has held with representatives from the RSPCA on long-term trends in the numbers of butterfly species.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The Secretary of State meets with relevant stakeholders frequently.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s indicators of the abundance of UK butterflies show that since 1976, populations of habitat specialists have declined significantly, though species of the wider countryside show no significant change. Since 2014, both trends show no significant change. We are keeping these trends under review as encouraging but not yet definitive signs of progress.</p><p> </p><p>In England, we have now set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. By 2030 we have committed to halt the decline in species abundance and by 2042 we aim to reverse species decline; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 25/07/2023 16:06:37 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1653797

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Gender Based Violence: Convictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to improve the conviction rate for cases relating to violence against women and girls.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194713
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2023 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of this government’s top priorities.  The CPS has already undertaken significant work on rape and domestic abuse (DA) designed to improve the investigation and prosecution of these offences. Last month the new national operating model for adult rape was launched, which focuses on building stronger cases at an earlier stage, through joint working with police. Increases in specialist RASSO workforce will further support the prosecution of these crimes. A new VAWG strategy for 2023-2025 is being developed for publication later this year. This will create a framework to address the challenges of these crimes across the criminal justice system. Since our significant investment in improving the handling of rape cases, not least through the Joint National Action Plan (JNAP), the national operating model and the publication of the Rape Review in 2021, more cases are getting to court.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson question first answered 26/07/2023 07:47:41 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1653799

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Fraud: Telephones
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has held with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on tackling telephone fraud.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>This Government is committed to doing everything we can to stop criminals abusing telecommunications networks. As a part of the Fraud Strategy, we announced a consultation on extending the ban on cold calls to include all financial products. We have also consulted on stopping criminals from getting hold of SIM farms. We are currently considering what action needs to be taken to prevent criminals from abusing mass texting services.</p><p>These actions are in addition to the Telecommunications Fraud Charter, which is a voluntary agreement with the telecommunication sector that has resulted in over 600 million scam texts and tens of millions of scam calls being blocked. It is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-fraud-taskforce-telecommunications-charter" target="_blank">Fraud sector charter: telecommunications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>We continue to regularly engage with officials from the devolved governments, including Northern Ireland, on tackling fraud. This includes a discussion on fraud at the National Policing Board on 8 March 2023, chaired by the Home Secretary and attended by the Chief Constable of PSNI. Agenda and minutes are available online: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/national-policing-board#agendas-and-minutes" target="_blank">National Policing Board - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 25/07/2023 15:59:03 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1653802

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	National Security: China
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the impact of China's policies towards the UK on national security.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>As the Integrated Review Refresh (IRR) 2023 made clear, China poses an epoch-defining challenge to the type of international order we want to see, both in terms of security and values. As you would expect, we continually assess threats to UK national security and we will continue to strengthen our national security protections in those areas where the actions of the CCP pose a threat to our people prosperity and security.</p><p>The National Security Act 2023 will enable our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to deter, detect, and disrupt the full range of modern day state threats, including from China.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 25/07/2023 15:56:52 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1653803

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	World Bank: Agriculture
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the agricultural investment policies of the World Bank on trends in the level of global (a) poverty and (b) food security.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2023 answer text <p>The World Bank has helped protect farmers, local production, and food security in developing countries. Its agricultural investment policies have helped to boost food and nutrition security and support vulnerable households, from increasing market access for smallholder farmers, to investing in green fertiliser production and supporting the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices. The UK supports the World Bank's goals and we are holding the Bank to account through the Board. We are complementing, in support of developing countries, a transition to sustainable agriculture production through UK aid programmes like the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness programme and by contributing to multi-donor and multilateral funds such as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme. Together with the World Bank, the UK also convenes a Policy Dialogue on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture through redirecting public policies and support and scaling innovation.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell grouped question UIN 194720 question first answered 26/07/2023 13:10:38 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1653804

registered interest
date	18/07/2023
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	World Bank: Agriculture
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the World Bank’s support for sustainable agricultural production in low-income countries.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	194720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2023 answer text <p>The World Bank has helped protect farmers, local production, and food security in developing countries. Its agricultural investment policies have helped to boost food and nutrition security and support vulnerable households, from increasing market access for smallholder farmers, to investing in green fertiliser production and supporting the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices. The UK supports the World Bank's goals and we are holding the Bank to account through the Board. We are complementing, in support of developing countries, a transition to sustainable agriculture production through UK aid programmes like the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness programme and by contributing to multi-donor and multilateral funds such as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme. Together with the World Bank, the UK also convenes a Policy Dialogue on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture through redirecting public policies and support and scaling innovation.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell grouped question UIN 194719 question first answered 26/07/2023 13:10:38 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon