It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

My thoughts continue to be with all the victims of the terrible attack that took place in Manchester Arena in 2017. I pay tribute to Figen Murray for her courage and the bravery of her campaigning in Martyn’s memory.

I spoke to Figen Murray after becoming Prime Minister to discuss Martyn’s Law, and more recently, she met the Minister for Security (my right hon. Friend, the Member for Tonbridge and Malling). As set out in The King’s Speech, this government is committed to bringing in Martyn’s Law.

Details of my official engagements will be announced by my Office is the usual way.

It has never been Government practice, for reasons of law enforcement, to comment on operational issues relating to border security and immigration controls. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates data specifically.

The Home Office has a number of contingency arrangements in the event of a system failure, including technical and business contingency measures.

In the UK, all arriving passengers need to establish their eligibility for admission. Every passenger is required to establish their nationality and identity. To maintain a safe and secure border, a passenger’s passport or national identity card is checked electronically.

The eGates and face-to-face checks are two methods of conducting the same process.

It has never been Government practice, for reasons of law enforcement, to comment on operational issues relating to border security and immigration controls. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates data specifically.

The Home Office has a number of contingency arrangements in the event of a system failure, including technical and business contingency measures.

In the UK, all arriving passengers need to establish their eligibility for admission. Every passenger is required to establish their nationality and identity. To maintain a safe and secure border, a passenger’s passport or national identity card is checked electronically. The eGates and face-to-face checks are two methods of conducting the same process.

The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.

It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.

The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.

It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.

The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.

It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.

The Government takes the threat disinformation and AI digitally manipulated content poses very seriously.

We have already seen examples of AI-driven election interference across the globe targeting elected leaders and seeking to influence democratic debate. To mitigate these risks, as part of the Defending Democracy Taskforce, DSIT is working across government to ensure we are ready to respond to risks to the UK’s democratic processes.

I highlight again the low-sensitivity map, which points out exactly the same things as the map the hon. Gentleman refers to. We have many funds focused in particular on urban areas—some come from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities —to encourage urban tree planting, because it is so important for our health and wellbeing. We have a whole list of funds available, and I urge people to look at them and plant trees.

Legislation and the government’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance state that a penalty notice can only be issued when the absence constitutes an offence under section 444 of the Education Act 1997. Where a pupil cannot attend due to illness, this is not an offence and so legal enforcement action cannot be taken. This position will not change when the new rules for penalty notices come into force on 19 August 2024. The full guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65f1b048133c22b8eecd38f7/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance__applies_from_19_August_2024_.pdf.

More generally, the department expects schools and local authorities to take a ‘support first’ approach to improving attendance, only using penalty notices for absence that is classed as unauthorised and when support has already been provided and not worked or been engaged with, or in the case of holidays taken in term-time, is not appropriate. The vast majority of penalty notices for unauthorised absence (89% in the 2022/2023 academic year) are issued for term time holidays.

Whatever the cause of absence from school, school staff should work with families and pupils to understand the barriers to attendance and provide support where possible. This might include providing pastoral support or making reasonable adjustments where a pupil has a disability. In the case of prolonged illness, as soon as it is clear that a child will be away from school for 15 school days or more because of their health needs, the local authority should arrange suitable alternative provision. It is important that all pupils’ right to a full-time education is protected, whilst acknowledging that some pupils require more support than others.

The department is providing a series of training events and webinars throughout the summer term for schools and local authorities to ensure that the new rules regarding penalty notices are understood and implemented in line with the ‘support first’ approach.

In 2022 the Defending Democracy Taskforce, chaired by the Security Minister, was established to further drive forward work to protect the UK from the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions and processes, including interference with the UK democratic process. The Taskforce engages across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society.

It would not be appropriate to comment publicly on the volume of information threats the departments which support the Taskforce team have responded to, in part because doing so would give malign actors insight into the scale of the UK’s capabilities to identify and tackle such threats to our democratic processes.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 23497. The Ministry of Defence is working hard to review ineligible decisions made against applications from the Triples and other specialist units where we hold credible evidence, and I will update the House when the review is complete.

When any individual is found eligible under ARAP the Ministry of Defence works to ensure relocation occurs as quickly as possible.

Cyber crime is a significant threat to the security and prosperity of the UK. The most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated that there were 984,000 ‘computer misuse’ offences against individuals in England and Wales in the year ending December 2023. The Government recognises ransomware as the most significant national security cyber threat.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) discourages paying ransoms, noting that such payments rarely ensure data recovery. The UK Government neither pays ransoms nor condones the payment of ransoms to criminals, always advising against such substantial concessions to hostage-takers or extortionists.

At the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) summit in Washington last year, we led a joint statement signed by 46 countries and Interpol, which pledged that “relevant institutions under the authority of our national government” should not be used to pay a ransomware demand. This was the first international statement of its kind. Our joint statement was a major milestone in achieving international consensus around the non-payment of ransoms.

The reassessment of applications from those with credible links to former Afghan specialist units began on March 26 and I can confirm that overturned decisions have already been communicated to applicants.

As I stated in my answer to Question 21043, my immediate priority is to process all cases as diligently and swiftly as is possible. I will update the House once the review is completed.

Last year the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes funding an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially this was limited to 10 police force areas, including South Yorkshire, but in 2024/25 of £66m will be allocated to every police force to support a hotspot approach across England and Wales.

We have also provided funding to establish Immediate Justice pathways aimed at delivering swift, visible punishment for anti-social behaviour. This started in 10 police force areas and is being rolled out across England and Wales in 2024.

In addition, since 2020, £150 million has been allocated to the Safer Streets and Safety of Women at Night (SWaN) Funds. This has enabled 413 projects across England and Wales to invest in communities through a range of preventative interventions.

The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life and supports them to achieve positive outcomes.

Mainstream schools and colleges should use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person with special educational needs gets the special educational provision they need. This might include tailored support to prepare for transitions.

In addition, for those with an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on preparing the young person for transitions as part of their plan’s annual review. Planning for the transitions should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious, stretching, and which are tailored to the needs and interests of the young person.

The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and for those in alternative provision (AP). This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings. This includes transitions into higher education, employment, adult services, and, for young people leaving AP at the end of key stage 4, building on learning from the recent Alternative Provision Transition Fund.

The department is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and key partners from the SEND and post-16 sectors, including the Association of Colleges and Natspec, to develop the guidance. The department is working with young people with different types of need, including those with and without EHC plans, to co-produce the guidance to ensure it improves experiences and outcomes. The department will also involve parents and carers.

That is a good question; it is something the Government continue to keep open and under review. The argument against doing so is that it could discourage companies that are subject to ransomware attacks from reporting them, for example to the National Cyber Security Centre. Those reports help us to gather intelligence on the nature of those threats and to work with victims to resolve them. It is not something I rule out totally, but that is the reason that we have not imposed it so far.

Improving media literacy is one of the government’s key tools in tackling the harm caused by misinformation and disinformation. To demonstrate how the Government is delivering against the objectives of the Online Media Literacy Strategy, we are publishing annual Action Plans each financial year until the end of 2024/25. Through media literacy grant schemes, we have provided almost £2 million in funding to a range of educational projects.

These projects seek to build the online safety and critical thinking skills of internet users, empowering them to respond effectively to the threats posed by mis- and disinformation, along with other online harms. All funded projects are evaluated robustly, including by independent experts, and findings will be published on gov.uk upon completion. This will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of future media literacy initiatives and inform government policy moving forward.

As part of this work, we established the Media Literacy Taskforce to bring together organisations in the media literacy landscape to amplify, increase and improve media literacy provision across underserved parts of the UK. Taskforce members advised the government on which projects should be awarded funding, and then helped grant recipients to maximise the impact of their projects.

Alongside the Strategy, the Online Safety Act updates Ofcom’s statutory media literacy duty to require it to take tangible steps to prioritise the public's awareness of and resilience to misinformation and disinformation online.

This is a tremendously serious issue. My Department and other Government Departments, led by the Security Minister in the Home Office, are spending a huge amount of time, effort and resource in ensuring the safety of candidates; the safety, security and robustness of the process; and that all those who wish to take part in our democratic functions, in whichever fora they happen to manifest themselves, can do so safely and securely. That is a very firm commitment. The hon. Member will know that we are dealing with that as a serious matter.