The FCDO is not working through partners in Israel, but is working with partners across government directly to identify information manipulation, hold hostile actors to account for malign activity and increase access to factual information.

President Erdogan made an election campaign speech on 21 March which covered several areas, including the conflict in Gaza and the strengthening economy. On Gaza, the UK will maintain a dialogue with Turkey as a NATO ally and key actor on several conflicts in the region. On the economy, the UK has now launched negotiations for an upgraded Free Trade Agreement that will benefit both our economies.

The department recognises the importance of ensuring learners and employees gain all the skills that businesses need to succeed and grow. The need for communication skills and resilience was also a theme that came through strongly in the employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP) that were published in August 2023.

Each of the 38 LSIPs are led by a designated employer representative body (ERB), for example a local Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Business, or other local employer body. This puts employers at the heart of the skills system and supports the government’s long-term priority to drive local economic growth by better aligning provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs.

The department’s LSIPs statutory guidance makes clear that a range of national and local bodies and organisations can play an important role in supporting and facilitating the development and implementation of LSIPs. These could include youth sector organisations or schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The department recognises that opportunities provided by these organisations can help young people develop a range of skills that can support them in the workplace, such as resilience, adaptability, creativity, problem solving, decision-making and communication skills.

It is for the designated ERB in each area to determine the most relevant stakeholders to work with to deliver effective solutions to meet employer-identified local labour market needs. However, the department will review the LSIP statutory guidance ahead of the next round of LSIP development.

The department recognises the importance of ensuring learners and employees gain all the skills that businesses need to succeed and grow. The need for communication skills and resilience was also a theme that came through strongly in the employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP) that were published in August 2023.

Each of the 38 LSIPs are led by a designated employer representative body (ERB), for example a local Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Business, or other local employer body. This puts employers at the heart of the skills system and supports the government’s long-term priority to drive local economic growth by better aligning provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs.

The department’s LSIPs statutory guidance makes clear that a range of national and local bodies and organisations can play an important role in supporting and facilitating the development and implementation of LSIPs. These could include youth sector organisations or schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The department recognises that opportunities provided by these organisations can help young people develop a range of skills that can support them in the workplace, such as resilience, adaptability, creativity, problem solving, decision-making and communication skills.

It is for the designated ERB in each area to determine the most relevant stakeholders to work with to deliver effective solutions to meet employer-identified local labour market needs. However, the department will review the LSIP statutory guidance ahead of the next round of LSIP development.

My department has published a ‘Plain English Guide to Council Tax’ setting out the discounts and support available in the council tax system. This guide is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/paying-the-right-level-of-council-tax-a-plain-english-guide-to-council-tax.

As set out in local government finance law, a full council tax bill is payable if there are two or more adults living in a dwelling. If there is only one adult (other than disregarded individuals – e.g. full-time students), and it is their sole or main residence, the individual can claim the single person discount of 25% on their council tax bill. A second or empty home would not be eligible for this discount.

Further guidance has been published given by the Valuation Tribunal Service’s ‘Council Tax Manual’, which is available at: https://valuationtribunal.gov.uk/guidance-booklets/.

The manual includes guidance on single person discount, and the tests of a sole or main residence. For example, the Manual cites the case law of Cox v London South West Valuation Tribunal HC (RVR 1994 171). They observe: “the taxpayer spent time at two dwellings. The High Court concluded that the sole or main residence was the home where the wife and family resided.”

The Government provides guidance on the Right to Buy scheme for tenants and local authorities in England. See for example Page 43 of the guidance for local authorities: Right to Buy: a guide for local authorities - GOV.UK.

The Electoral Commission, as the independent electoral regulator, holds responsibility for issuance of guidance on electoral registration, voting and second homes.

This can be found at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote/other-registration-options/voting-and-second-homes.

A person is entitled to be registered as a parliamentary elector for a constituency - or in the case of local elections, as a local government elector for an electoral area - if on the date they submit their application they meet the criteria for registration.

Those criteria include a requirement (except, regarding Parliamentary elections, in respect of a British citizen living overseas) that the applicant is resident in the constituency or electoral area. It is for the Electoral Registration Officer to determine whether the applicant meets this residency requirement by reference to the factors set out in section 5 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (and in some cases sections 6 to 7C of that Act also). Ownership of a property is not sufficient on its own, the ERO must determine that an individual is resident. Case law suggests this will involve a degree of permanence.

This means that some citizens are entitled to register to vote in respect of more than one address in certain circumstances.

However, it may be noted that it is a criminal offence for a registered elector to vote more than once in the same constituency at a parliamentary election or in the same electoral division or ward at a local government election. It is also a criminal offence for a registered elector to vote in more than one constituency at a parliamentary general election, or in more than once electoral division or ward at an ordinary election of councillors for county, London Borough or district.

Local authorities are required to put in place and administer council tax reduction schemes for low-income households. Support for working age people is designed by authorities and support for people of pension age must follow criterial prescribed in regulations by the Secretary of State in the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012.

In the case of pension-age local council tax reductions schemes, the Secretary of State has prescribed that a person must be resident in a property to claim support. In addition, the capital value of additional properties will be considered in determining eligibility, unless there are mitigating circumstances such as if the property is in the process of being sold. A pension age person with more than £16,000 of capital is not entitled to council tax reduction.

Eligibility for working age council tax reduction and the treatment of capital such as additional properties is decided by local authorities.

Mr Speaker, I have been asked to reply. I know that Members across the House will wish to join me in offering condolences to the family and friends of Lord Frank Field. He was an outstanding parliamentarian who worked tirelessly to make society a better place.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is in Berlin. He has announced the biggest strengthening of our defence in a generation.

I am sure that Members will want to join me in wishing the Jewish community a happy Passover, a celebration of freedom. Of course, we remember the empty chairs of those hostages still being held captive in Gaza and call for their immediate release.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

HMRC capital gains tax (CGT) guidance in connection with selling a home is available on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/tax-sell-home.

Self-assessment Helpsheets 281 and 283 also contain information about the amount of CGT private residence relief available when a person sells a property that has been their only or main residence at some time during their ownership, including how the relief applies to married couples and civil partnerships. These are available, respectively, at www.gov.uk/government/publications/husband-and-wife-civil-partners-divorce-dissolution-and-separation-hs281-self-assessment-helpsheet and www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-residence-relief-hs283-self-assessment-helpsheet.

More detailed information on CGT is available in HMRC’s Capital Gains Tax Manual at www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/capital-gains-manual.

There are no separate CGT rules for properties acquired under the Right to Buy arrangements.

To be eligible for support with housing costs in Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, claimants must be liable for making payment of rent on a commercial basis. A claimant can receive support with housing costs if that test is satisfied and liability is to a close relative, but only where that relative does not live in the same property as the claimant.

Guidance setting this out is available on Gov.uk.

The apprenticeship levy supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. Transfers are a great way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities, to help meet local or sector skills needs. This could include businesses in their supply chain.

The department continues to promote the benefits of levy transfers and has increased the proportion of their funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to support more apprenticeships in other businesses from 25% to 50%. This will help SMEs hire more apprentices by reducing their costs and enabling them to benefit from the support and experience that larger employers can provide.

Hundreds of large levy-paying employers have already taken advantage of the opportunity to transfer their unused levy funds to other businesses. Since September 2021 over 550 employers, including ASDA, HomeServe, and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes. It is also encouraging to see regional schemes to support local businesses through transfers, including in the West Midlands.

SMEs can also access funding directly from the apprenticeships budget. The department has increased investment in the apprenticeships system in England to over £2.7 billion this financial year to support employers of all sizes, including SMEs. In addition, last year, the department removed the limit to the number of apprentices that SMEs can take on, making it easier for them to grow their businesses. This has already benefitted almost 350 SMEs. The department also now fully funds the costs of training and assessment for new apprentices aged 16 to 21 in small businesses.

The apprenticeship levy supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. Transfers are a great way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities, to help meet local or sector skills needs. This could include businesses in their supply chain.

The department continues to promote the benefits of levy transfers and has increased the proportion of their funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to support more apprenticeships in other businesses from 25% to 50%. This will help SMEs hire more apprentices by reducing their costs and enabling them to benefit from the support and experience that larger employers can provide.

Hundreds of large levy-paying employers have already taken advantage of the opportunity to transfer their unused levy funds to other businesses. Since September 2021 over 550 employers, including ASDA, HomeServe, and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes. It is also encouraging to see regional schemes to support local businesses through transfers, including in the West Midlands.

SMEs can also access funding directly from the apprenticeships budget. The department has increased investment in the apprenticeships system in England to over £2.7 billion this financial year to support employers of all sizes, including SMEs. In addition, last year, the department removed the limit to the number of apprentices that SMEs can take on, making it easier for them to grow their businesses. This has already benefitted almost 350 SMEs. The department also now fully funds the costs of training and assessment for new apprentices aged 16 to 21 in small businesses.

The Home Office publishes data on irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ release. Data on detected irregular arrivals is published in table Irr_01 and data on returns of small boat arrivals is published in table Irr_02e of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK summary tables’, with the latest data up to the end of December 2023. Data on all returns is published in table Ret_D01 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets’ as part of the ‘Immigration system statistics’ quarterly release.

These statistics should not be used to infer the size of the irregular population in the UK, nor the total number of people entering the UK irregularly. The location of irregular arrivals is not published. However, the Home Office does publish data on asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority, some of whom will have entered the UK through irregular methods, in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement data tables’ as part of the ‘Immigration system statistics’ quarterly release.

The Stoke Local Authority school private finance initiative (PFI) contract was signed in the year 2000 and covers 88 schools in the area. The contracts were commonplace from 1998 to 2009. The department recognises that some schools with PFI contracts face higher costs.

The department supports schools that have unavoidable extra costs related to their PFI contracts through the ‘PFI factor’ in the schools national funding formula.

Local authorities determine individual schools’ final funding allocations through their own local formula. Local authorities can choose if, and how, to operate a PFI factor in their local funding formula. How they do this will vary between local authorities, reflecting in each case the specific nature of the PFI contract in question.

The purpose of the factor is to fund the additional costs to a school of being in a PFI contract, but not necessarily the full cost, as some costs may be covered within other factors and are not unique to PFI schools.

In 2024/25, the department is allocating £3.1 million in funding through the PFI factors for schools in Stoke.

The Stoke Local Authority school private finance initiative (PFI) contract was signed in the year 2000 and covers 88 schools in the area. The contracts were commonplace from 1998 to 2009. The department recognises that some schools with PFI contracts face higher costs.

Information on the Stoke-on-Trent schools in the PFI contract with Transform Schools (Stoke) Limited was provided by the local authority and can be found in the attached PDF.

The Stoke Local Authority school private finance initiative (PFI) contract was signed in the year 2000 and covers 88 schools in the area. The contracts were commonplace from 1998 to 2009. The department recognises that some schools with PFI contracts face higher costs.

No payments are made by the department directly to Transform Schools (Stoke) Ltd in relation to the Stoke PFI contract. All payments under this PFI contract to Transform Schools (Stoke) Ltd are made by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Departmental funding for the Stoke PFI contract is sent via other organisations, rather than directly to schools, and for each of the last ten years is set out in the table attached.