The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are aware of the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, launched to help end childhood lead poisoning by 2040. The UK keeps opportunities to engage with relevant international initiatives under review, including where they align with our development, health and environmental objectives. No formal assessment has yet been made of the merits of UK membership of the Partnership, and no decision has been taken on whether the UK will join.

The Government’s motoring offences consultation, launched in January 2026, sought views on current penalties including whether alcohol ignition locks (alcolock) should be used as part of a drink drive rehabilitation process. We are currently analysing the responses and will then announce next steps.

Sentencing is a matter for the independent courts who will look at each case individually, including whether to disqualify an offender.

While we cannot comment on specific law enforcement investigations, the Government treats all allegations of international corruption, money laundering and illicit gold trading with the utmost seriousness.

The National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, investigates international bribery, corruption and related money‑laundering offences, including where there is a nexus involving UK nationals or financial systems. The Illicit Finance Summit, to be hosted by the UK in December, will strengthen international, public-private cooperation to tackle illicit gold.

My Lords, the last two decades have seen significant reductions of children in the formal youth justice system and in youth custody, and this is good news. We now have a much smaller but, perhaps unsurprisingly, more complex group of children in the justice system, and we need to adapt to deal with this. The youth justice White Paper, published on 18 May this year, sets out a comprehensive programme of reform through which we will modernise the youth justice system.

We recognise the concerns the Oxford Sudanese Student Society have regarding the visa brake and that this decision may be disappointing. However, the visa brake, which was data-driven, was ultimately required to ensure that the system remains fair, credible, and sustainable. Proportionality has been central to the development of this policy, with nationals of Sudan presenting not only high numbers of claims but also some of the highest proportions of asylum claims to visas issued on the Student route.

In the year ending September 2025, for Sudan nationals on the Student route, the proportion of asylum claims as a proportion of visas issued was 46%. This is consistent with a rise across the past five years. This is not sustainable, and has necessitated swift action to address this trend.

A formal Equality impact assessment of Official Development Assistance programme allocations for 2025 to 2026 was published on 2 September 2025, and is available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-official-development-assistance-programme-allocations-2025-to-2026-equality-impact-assessment/equality-impact-assessment-of-official-development-assistance-oda-programme-allocations-for-2025-to-2026).

As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the rights and wellbeing of children. These principles are embedded across our foreign, development, and humanitarian policies. We work with international partners to deliver better outcomes for children, including through education, health, and nutrition programmes. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, and we continue to support global initiatives that strengthen child protection systems and uphold children's rights in all contexts.

A formal Equality impact assessment of Official Development Assistance programme allocations for 2025 to 2026 was published on 2 September 2025, and is available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-official-development-assistance-programme-allocations-2025-to-2026-equality-impact-assessment/equality-impact-assessment-of-official-development-assistance-oda-programme-allocations-for-2025-to-2026).

The Solar Hospital Innovation project was funded by DSIT through UKRI’s Energy Catalyst programme, as part of the up to £1 billion Ayrton Fund for clean energy innovation. DSIT provided £298,497 in funding for this project, alongside £79,343 in matched funding from local sources. This contributes to the wider Ayrton Challenge on Inclusive Energy and Leave No-One Behind. The installed 228KW solar system provided 158MW of clean energy over six months, displacing around 100 tonnes of CO2. This will save the hospital $75,000 per year which has been reallocated to a cancer drugs fund.

The Solar Hospital Innovation project was funded by DSIT through UKRI’s Energy Catalyst programme, as part of the up to £1 billion Ayrton Fund for clean energy innovation. DSIT provided £298,497 in funding for this project, alongside £79,343 in matched funding from local sources. This contributes to the wider Ayrton Challenge on Inclusive Energy and Leave No-One Behind. The installed 228KW solar system provided 158MW of clean energy over six months, displacing around 100 tonnes of CO2. This will save the hospital $75,000 per year which has been reallocated to a cancer drugs fund.

International co-operation is vital to address organised immigration crime. The Home Secretary continues to engage with counterparts across the EU and further afield on what further can be done to tackle this issue. Most recently the Home Secretary chaired the 11^th Western Balkans Summit where the impact of illegal migration was discussed. This was attended by representatives of the European Union and its Member States including the Chancellor of Germany, alongside representatives from France and Italy.

My Lords, the Government remain committed to reducing the harms of illicit finance on developing countries and to holding those responsible to account. The National Crime Agency’s international corruption unit and international anti-corruption co-ordination centre provide critical assistance to help developing countries trace and recover stolen assets and pursue justice via the UK courts. The Government plan to publish a new anti-corruption strategy, which will set out ambitious actions and reforms in this area.

The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.

The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.

The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.

The UK is strongly committed to promoting access to clean energy in Africa. Investments by British International Investment (BII) currently provide clean energy access to over 26 million people. Our £11.6 billion UK international climate finance also supports clean energy access, along with multilateral initiatives like Mission 300, aiming to connect 300 million people in Africa by 2030. The UK remains a key contributor to the International Development Association (IDA) and the African Development Fund (ADF) concessional windows at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which will fund much of Mission 300.

Flagship bilateral programmes such as the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme also make a contribution. These initiatives received significant funding boosts at COP28 and COP29 to accelerate the adoption of clean energy solutions. We will continue to collaborate with African governments and international partners to deploy innovative technologies and business models, ensuring affordable, clean, and modern energy access in Africa.

DSIT’s departmental-level ODA allocation was confirmed by the Chancellor in June’s Spring Statement. The full detail of DSIT's spending plans from 2026 April are still being considered. We are unable to confirm whether a new funding round will be announced for the Energy Catalyst Programme. We expect to be in a position to provide further information on what activities DSIT’s ODA will support later on this year.

We have made no such assessment. The decision to close some of their branches is a matter for Samaritans.

We engage with Samaritans and other voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations closely and will continue to work with them in their important role in supporting suicide prevention efforts.

Department officials met recently with the Samaritans CEO, who set out this change programme and their plans.

We have made no such assessment. The decision to close some of their branches is a matter for Samaritans.

We engage with Samaritans and other voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations closely and will continue to work with them in their important role in supporting suicide prevention efforts.

Department officials met recently with the Samaritans CEO, who set out this change programme and their plans.

The information requested is not currently available from published data and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.