The Government has introduced the Homelessness Reduction Act, which places a legal duty on councils to provide accommodation support to families and individuals, including women, who are vulnerable as a result of fleeing domestic abuse.

Since 2014 my Department has invested £55.5 million in services to support victims of domestic abuse, including refuges, and we recently announced the successful projects from our 2018/2020 £22 million fund to support victims of domestic abuse. The fund will support 63 projects covering 254 local areas across England and will provide support to over 25,000 victims and their families, and more than 2,200 additional bed spaces in accommodation-based services, including refuges.

We recognise that mainstream provision may not always meet the needs of women who sleep rough. That is why we are providing funding through the Rough Sleeping Initiative to ensure rough sleeping frontline workers receive training to support victims of domestic abuse.

We are also providing funding through the Rapid Rehousing Pathway, for specific, targeted support for women. For example, a new Somewhere Safe to Stay two-hub model in Brighton will include a women only hub, delivered by domestic abuse charity partners RISE, which will focus on , tackling complex needs.

We are also working across government to support vulnerable women such as with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on this year’s £15 million Tampon Tax Fund, which includes a core theme of female homelessness and rough sleeping.

As part of the response to the consultation Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market the Government committed to legislate to ensure that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness.

We set out our proposed approach to implementing these measures in part 4 of the recent consultation, Implementing reforms to the leasehold system in England, which was published on 15 October this year.

We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard

There are no plans to separately recognise freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate and those who do not. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager.

The consultation has now closed, and my officials are now analysing the responses. The Government intends to bring forward legislation to implement the changes as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The Government has asked the Law Commission to review the existing Right to Manage legislation with a view to making the procedure simpler, quicker and more flexible. The Law Commission has been told about difficulties with managing shared property such as access roads and gardens used by other properties on the estate. They will therefore consider the qualifying criteria for Right to Manage applications to be extended to include freehold estates. The Law Commission will publish its consultation in January 2017

On 12 October, the Government announced the formation of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group, chaired by Lord Best. Its principal aim will be to advise the Government on a new regulatory approach to letting, managing and estate agents

The Minister for Housing and Homelessness has asked the working group to look into whether fees and charges which affect both leaseholders and freeholders are justified, or whether they should be capped or banned.

As part of the response to the consultation Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market the Government committed to legislate to ensure that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness.

We set out our proposed approach to implementing these measures in part 4 of the recent consultation, Implementing reforms to the leasehold system in England, which was published on 15 October this year.

We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard

There are no plans to separately recognise freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate and those who do not. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager.

The consultation has now closed, and my officials are now analysing the responses. The Government intends to bring forward legislation to implement the changes as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The Government has asked the Law Commission to review the existing Right to Manage legislation with a view to making the procedure simpler, quicker and more flexible. The Law Commission has been told about difficulties with managing shared property such as access roads and gardens used by other properties on the estate. They will therefore consider the qualifying criteria for Right to Manage applications to be extended to include freehold estates. The Law Commission will publish its consultation in January 2017

On 12 October, the Government announced the formation of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group, chaired by Lord Best. Its principal aim will be to advise the Government on a new regulatory approach to letting, managing and estate agents

The Minister for Housing and Homelessness has asked the working group to look into whether fees and charges which affect both leaseholders and freeholders are justified, or whether they should be capped or banned.

As part of the response to the consultation Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market the Government committed to legislate to ensure that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness.

We set out our proposed approach to implementing these measures in part 4 of the recent consultation, Implementing reforms to the leasehold system in England, which was published on 15 October this year.

We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard

There are no plans to separately recognise freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate and those who do not. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager.

The consultation has now closed, and my officials are now analysing the responses. The Government intends to bring forward legislation to implement the changes as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The Government has asked the Law Commission to review the existing Right to Manage legislation with a view to making the procedure simpler, quicker and more flexible. The Law Commission has been told about difficulties with managing shared property such as access roads and gardens used by other properties on the estate. They will therefore consider the qualifying criteria for Right to Manage applications to be extended to include freehold estates. The Law Commission will publish its consultation in January 2017

On 12 October, the Government announced the formation of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group, chaired by Lord Best. Its principal aim will be to advise the Government on a new regulatory approach to letting, managing and estate agents

The Minister for Housing and Homelessness has asked the working group to look into whether fees and charges which affect both leaseholders and freeholders are justified, or whether they should be capped or banned.

The educational outcomes for children who experience abuse and neglect are markedly worse than for all children and these children face long term challenges in education and beyond. Three fifths (61%) of children starting to be looked-after during the year ending 31 March 2018 were identified as having a primary need of abuse or neglect[1]. The average Attainment 8 score for all looked-after children was 19.3 in 2017 compared to 44.5 for non-looked after children[2]. In addition, two fifths (39%) of all care leavers aged 19 to 21 were not in education, employment or training during the year ending 31 March 2018 compared to around 12% of young people of a similar age[3].

Research evidence suggests that the care system generally provides a protective factor for vulnerable children with early admission to care being associated with better educational outcomes than later entry[4]. This is why we have increased spending on the most vulnerable children by over £1.5 billion since 2010 and at the budget we announced an extra £410 million next year for social care, including children – alongside £84 million over the next five years to keep more children safely at home with their families.

[1] Children looked-after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018.

[2] Outcomes for children looked-after by local authorities: 31 March 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2017.

[3] Not in education, employment or training statistics quarterly brief: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-neet.

[4] The Educational Progress of Looked-After Children in England: Linking Care and Educational Data, Rees Centre Oxford, 2015.

We have raised concerns following reports of civilian casualties and displacement resulting from recent Taliban attacks in districts predominantly populated by Hazaras. We continue to monitor the situation closely, especially in Ghazni and Uruzgan districts. We understand that the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) are working to stabilise the security situation in both provinces.

We urge the Government of Afghanistan to protect the rights of all ethnic and religious groups, including the Hazaras, in line with the Afghan constitution. The UK provides a range of support which aims to enhance the Afghan Government’s ability to protect all Afghan citizens. Through DFID, we have contributed £42 million towards lifesaving humanitarian aid in Afghanistan this year. The UK is also committed to supporting the Afghan Security Forces to ensure their capability continues to improve in order to protect all ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan. We contribute to this through the UK’s contribution to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission.

The UK is fully committed to the promotion of media freedom and the protection of journalists. The Foreign Secretary has announced our intention to launch in 2019 an international campaign to end the climate of impunity and mobilise a consensus behind the protection of journalists worldwide. We are currently considering how this campaign can best add value and reinforce existing mechanisms, including those of the UN and other international organisations. We have held discussions with Reporters Without Borders and are actively reviewing their proposal for a dedicated UN postion on this issue. ​

The most common factors that present themselves in children’s social care assessments are domestic abuse, neglect and mental health. Data on this is available in Tables B3 and C3 of statistical release ‘Characteristics of children in need 2017-18’ here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2017-to-2018.

Children living through conflict and crisis are particularly vulnerable to violence, including violent attacks against their schools. That’s why the UK is proud to have signed up to the Safe Schools Declaration and is a leading donor to Education Cannot Wait – a fund to provide education in emergencies with the protection of children at its core.

As set out in DFID’s Education Policy ‘Get Children Learning’, preventing and responding to violence against children in schools is a key priority for DFID. This has the potential for positive impacts beyond increasing child safety at school, through achieving better-quality education, and safer, more stable societies. As such DFID welcomes the policy priorities set out in the Send My Friend to School report ‘Safe from harm: Protecting every child and teacher at school.’

DFID has a long history of work to make schools safe. Through the Girls’ Education Challenge and What Works to Prevent Violence programmes, in particular, we have prevented and responded to physical, emotional and sexual violence in schools in countries all over the world and established the evidence base for what works. DFID is also partnering with the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, the United Nations Children’s Fund and others to launch the international ‘Safe to Learn’ campaign in 2019. This campaign intends to spark and accelerate action to end all violence in schools.

The department considers a range of information when considering applications to open and take over an academy, free school and faith school in England, including information relating to the public sector equality duty.

The department does not always specifically request or record information on the impact of the change on the education and protection of girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender+ pupils, unless it is relevant to a particular application. We do not hold sufficient information on applications rejected on these grounds to provide an estimate.

Defra officials are working closely with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) on the Government’s seasonal workers pilot. The oversight and protection of workers was a central element of the selection process for Pilot Operators. The selected Pilot Operators were first publically announced in the Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, which was laid on 11 December and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1779-11-december-2018.

Officials will continue working closely with the GLAA over the two year operation of the Pilot. A key objective of the pilot is to ensure that migrant workers are adequately protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses. The operators of the scheme will be licensed by the GLAA. They will ensure that all workers are placed with farms who adhere to all relevant legislation, including paying the National Minimum Wage. Farmers will also be vetted to ensure that living and working conditions are of a suitable quality.