theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support UK-based research into new forms of treatment for dementia. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department delivers dementia research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Government funders are investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention to treatment, care and support, including for carers.

The NIHR is investing almost £50 million to the UK Dementia Trials Network, which will deliver a coordinated network of early phase dementia trial sites. This will be complemented by the £20 million Dementia Clinical Trials Accelerator, designed to position the United Kingdom as the destination of choice for late phase clinical trials in dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dementia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on dementia to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with almost £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials and implementation. Some of this will be delivered through the Neurodegeneration Initiative which the programme is establishing, which will be a globally unique, not-for-profit, industry led public-private partnership that will work together across government, industry, academia, the National Health Service and third sector to deliver its objectives, including UK research organisations.

So far, the programme has invested £13 million into a range of biomarker innovation projects, many of which are being delivered by UK small and medium enterprises and UK research organisations.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating patients who have contracted malaria in each of the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: This information is not held centrally. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on all malaria cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the Malaria Reference Laboratory and Public Health Scotland. The UKHSA publishes annual reports on malaria in the UK, which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-in-the-uk-annual-report

The UKHSA does not collect data on the cost to the National Health Service of treating patients who have contracted malaria.

NHS England captures and publishes aggregated costs, the average unit cost of providing defined services to NHS patients in England, and patient-level costs, a cost based on the specific interactions a patient has and the events related to their healthcare activity, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to health boards on whether they should consider (a) the mental health impacts of alopecia and (b) other factors prior to prescribing Ritlecitinib. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that makes recommendations for the National Health Service in England on the use of new medicines, based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

The NICE issued guidance in March 2024 that recommends ritlecitinib, within its marketing authorisation, as an option for treating severe alopecia areata in people 12 years old and over. Whilst severity is not specifically defined in the guidance, the evidence submission by the medicine’s manufacturer defined ‘severe’ as a Severity of Alopecia Tool score of more than 50 out of 100. The guidance also acknowledges that living with severe alopecia areata can have a profound impact on psychosocial health. At the present time, there are no plans to update this guidance.

As health is a devolved issue, information relating to guidance on the use of ritlecitinib in Scotland would be held by the Scottish health authorities.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what factors health boards are advised to use in addition to Severity of Alopecia Tool scores when determining the correct treatment for alopecia. \p Karin Smyth: Healthcare is a devolved matter, and our response outlines information for England only. The Scottish Government is responsible for the activities and decisions of health boards in Scotland.

We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of the Severity of Alopecia Tool’s (SALT) scores in determining the correct treatment of alopecia areata. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for issuing clinical guidance in England, including clinical guidelines on the treatment and care for specific conditions, as well as health technology assessments on new and existing medicines and technologies. It develops its guidance and recommendations independently from the Government, informed by scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and stakeholder input.

Technology appraisal guidance published by the NICE in March 2024, code TA958, recommends ritlecitinib for treating severe alopecia areata in people aged 12 years old and over.

Whilst severity is not specifically defined in the guidance, the evidence submission by the medicine’s manufacturer defined ‘severe’ as a SALT score of more than 50 out of 100. The guidance also acknowledges that living with severe alopecia areata can have a profound impact on psychosocial health.

It is the responsibility of a clinician to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of their patient, while also ensuring they are taking account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards in England.

Responsible clinicians should work with their patients and decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration.
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Tony Vaughan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on sending letters to patients in the 2023-24 financial year. \p Karin Smyth: Data on National Health Service total spend sending letters to patients in the 2023/24 financial year in England is not held centrally, and will be held locally by individual trusts.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of adult social care provision in Slough. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to the need to ensure that it is aware of current and likely future demand for such services and to consider how providers might meet that demand.

The Government is supporting local authorities by making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support dementia-friendly adaptations in pubs and hospitality venues. \p Stephen Kinnock: We want people with dementia to live well and remain independent for as long as possible in their communities.

Through the Dementia Friendly Communities programme, we are making society more inclusive, with communities and organisations committing to support people to continue to do the things they want to do, including going to the pub or attending hospitality venues, for as long as possible.

For example, we continue to support initiatives, such as the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support initiative, which link people, their families, and carers with local support services.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support care homes to (a) address workforce shortages and (b) provide high-quality care for elderly people in Fylde constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care (ASC).

The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the ASC sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the ASC sector so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. CQC Regulation 18 states that providers must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Where the CQC finds a breach in this regulation, it can take regulatory action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) PET scans, (b) cerebrospinal fluid testing and (c) other bio-marker led tests to confirm Alzheimer's disease. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example investing almost £11 million to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme has already invested £13 million into a range of biomarker innovation projects which include biomarker technologies, ranging from an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia, to using retinal scans to detect early-onset dementia decades before symptoms. Some of these innovations could support improved diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to treatment for people with chronic migraine disease. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraine. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraine.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme. The GIRFT Programme published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving the recognition and diagnosis of migraine by general practitioners. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate between them.

Over the last four years, a new class of drugs, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, has been made available on the National Health Service for the prevention and treatment of episodic and chronic migraines. On 15 May 2024, Atogepant became the latest CGRP inhibitor for which the NICE has published guidance. The NICE recommended Atogepant for use as a preventive medication for the treatment of migraine on the NHS in England.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the online NHS Dentist checker information. \p Stephen Kinnock: National Health Service dentists are required to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients.

Integrated care boards can review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.

Patients in England are not registered with an NHS dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing medical exemptions to access NHS care for dental injuries caused as a result of epileptic seizures. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are currently no plans to extend the list of people eligible for free National Health Service dental care to include those with dental injuries caused by epileptic seizures.

Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet one of the following criteria: under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education; pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months; being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, keeping in mind that patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges; and receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.

Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges.

More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/

Community dental services provide specialised dental services to people with additional needs and are available in a variety of places to ensure everyone can have access to dental care. These include hospitals, specialists’ health centres and mobile clinics, as well as home visits or visits in nursing and care homes. These services may be available to people with epilepsy, depending on their needs.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of dentistry services in Farnham and Bordon constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Farnham and Bordon constituency, this is the NHS Frimley ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The NHS Frimley ICB is expected to deliver 6,626 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs have started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support the aims of Age Without Limits Day. \p Stephen Kinnock: Age Without Limits Day is the Centre for Healthy Aging’s event which aims to challenge ageism across the country through community and workplace activities. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.agewithoutlimits.org/about-the-campaign

The Department is committed to improving outcomes for older people through a range of cross-cutting strategies and initiatives. It is embedding a focus on health inequalities across its work, including through the Core20PLUS5 approach in the National Health Service, which includes older age-related conditions such as dementia. It is also supporting improvements in adult social care to promote choice and to help people live as independent and fulfilling lives as possible.
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Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to engage with independent pharmacies to establish the basis for a fair and equitable contract to be offered to community pharmacy. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government consults with Community Pharmacy England on arrangements for remunerating and reimbursing community pharmacy contractors. Community Pharmacy England represents all pharmacies in England including independent pharmacies.

For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. Any future contractual framework for community pharmacy will also be developed in consultation with Community Pharmacy England.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38924 on Chelsea Football Club: Sales, what progress the Financial Sanctions Implementation Office has made on ensuring that the frozen proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are sent to humanitarian causes in Ukraine. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion.

We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far.

While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this matter through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine receive the benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people claimed the remittance basis in each of the last five tax years. \p James Murray: The numbers of non-domiciled taxpayers taxed on the remittance basis are published in Table 5 of the latest Non Domicile Taxpayer Statistics accessible for download here. The latest available year for numbers taxed on the remittance basis is tax year ending 2022.
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Sir Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her Department’s policy to announce changes to winter fuel payments at fiscal events. \p Darren Jones: This Government remains absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.

The Government took the right action last July to support the public finances. Tough but fair decisions were taken, including making sure Winter Fuel Payments would be targeted at those with the highest need. That principle still stands.

As the economy improves, the Government wants to make sure people feel those improvements. The Government wants to ensure that more pensioners are eligible for Winter Fuel Payments.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of planned changes to business property relief on levels of investment made by affected family businesses in (a) Wales and (b) the UK in each of the next three years. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

Information from claims is not recorded to enable regional or national breakdowns of the number of estates expected to be affected. However, the Government has set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to pay more inheritance tax in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. These reforms mean that around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those estates only holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27.

The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent OBR certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will hold discussions with farmers in South Suffolk constituency on the changes to Inheritance Tax proposed in the Autumn Budget 2024. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, I have received representations on this subject from a number of Hon Members and I have participated in several debates in this House since Autumn Budget 2024. I have also met with Hon Members and several agricultural organisations to listen to their views.

The Government has been listening to the different views on this subject and continues to believe the approach we have set out is appropriate.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of administering cheque payments across government in 2024-25 financial year. \p Darren Jones: The information requested is not held by HM Treasury and could only be produced at a disproportionate cost due to the scope and complexity of analysis required.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department collects information on the number of cheques issued by (a) the Government and (b) central government public bodies in 2024-25. \p Darren Jones: Cheques are issued individually by Government Departments and other central government public bodies. HM Treasury does not collect information on the number of cheques issued.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was to HMRC of administering cheque payments to (a) people and (b) companies in 2024-25. \p James Murray: The cost of sending cheque payments to people and companies in 2024-5 was £1.7 million. HMRC does not keep separate figures for cheques sent to people and companies.
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Sir Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason her Department did not make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Double Contribution Convention with India on the public purse before agreeing to it. \p James Murray: The OBR will certify the impact of the trade deal including the Double Contributions Convention in the usual way at a fiscal event, once the deal is finalised and ratified. The agreement to negotiate a Double Contributions Convention was made in the context of the wider deal, which will bring billions into the economy.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cheques were issued by HMRC to (a) people and (b) companies in the 2024-25 financial year. \p James Murray: In 2024-25, HMRC issued 2,719,522 cheques to people and companies. HMRC does not keep separate figures for cheques sent to people and companies.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of people who claimed the remittance basis and will use the temporary repatriation facility in the last year. \p James Murray: The numbers of non-domiciled taxpayers taxed on the remittance basis are published in Table 5 of the latest Non Domicile Taxpayer Statistics accessible for download here. The latest available year for numbers taxed on the remittance basis is tax year ending 2022.

The Temporary Repatriation facility began in 2025/26 so no data is held for the past year.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of taxing high-polluting corporations to help support net zero initiatives. \p James Murray: The Government is committed to maintaining an ambitious carbon pricing scheme to ensure that polluters continue to pay for their emissions. The UK’s main carbon pricing scheme is the Emissions Trading Scheme, which covers emissions from power generation, energy intensive industries and aviation (domestic, UK-EEA and UK-Gibraltar flights). The ETS is one of the most cost-effective tools for promoting decarbonisation and plays a key role in helping the UK achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050.

The UK ETS raised approximately £3.5bn in revenue in 2024/25.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of international investors in the UK. \p James Murray: The ONS is responsible for collecting and publishing official statistics related to the economy, population, and society at national, regional and local levels.

The ONS publish annual statistics on inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which are available on their website. The ONS do not publish figures on the number of international investors in the UK.
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Tony Vaughan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of taxation on online gambling. \p James Murray: The Government is currently consulting on proposals to simplify the gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the (a) removal and (b) retention of police widows pensions when those in receipt of such pensions (i) cohabit and (ii) remarry. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.

Prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner. From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of legislation relating to peaceful protest. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, and this government keeps protest legislation under review.

Expedited post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 began last month, and we are also carefully considering the Court of Appeal judgment in relation to Serious Disruption Regulations.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system on British National (Overseas) visa holders. \p Seema Malhotra: The British National Overseas route reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up British National Overseas status.

We continue to uphold these commitments by supporting British National Overseas status holders to come to the UK through the British National Overseas route.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_133

Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of abolishing non-crime hate incidents. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Secretary has been clear about the priorities that she wants police forces across the country to focus on, and she has also been clear that a consistent and common-sense approach must be taken in relation to non-crime hate incidents.

As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate incidents, and we will update Parliament in due course on the findings of that review, and any changes that may be required to the current code of practice introduced by the Shadow Home Secretary in March 2023.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_134
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_134

Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the use of facial recognition and AI technologies by the police is transparent. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Facial recognition is an important tool that assists the police in protecting the public, and identifying the perpetrators of crime, and we want to ensure that we maximise the potential of that technology to support our Safer Streets mission.

At the same time, we recognise the importance of ensuring that facial recognition technology operates on a firm footing, and I have been meeting with the police, regulators, civil society groups, industry and others to discuss this matter carefully.

We will continue to have those discussions, and I will be meeting with MPs and Peers in the coming weeks.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_135
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_135

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle hate crime in rural areas. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime, wherever in the country it occurs, and whoever is responsible for committing it.

There is no excuse for violence or abuse driven by hatred and discrimination, and we support the police in taking strong action against those crimes.

We currently fund an online reporting portal to ensure victims do not have to visit a police station to report any hate crime they experience, and we also fund a National Hub which provides expert advice to police forces across the country on what they can do to tackle the increasing levels of online hate crime.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_136
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_136

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support the Metropolitan Police. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Metropolitan Police will receive up to 3.8 billion pounds in funding in the current financial year, an increase of more than 262 million when compared to last year’s police settlement.

That includes an increase of more than 63 million pounds in the National and International Capital City Grant, recognising the increased demands on the Met from policing the capital city.

We will continue to work closely with the Met and the Mayor’s Office to support them in keeping Londoners safe.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_137
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_137

Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether British National Overseas visa holders will be impacted by her Department's proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain. \p Seema Malhotra: The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.

Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_138
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_138

Wendy Chamberlain:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposed reforms to the Basic Compliance Assessment in the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, if she will consult with (a) sponsoring institutions and (b) bodies representing them on the implementation of those reforms. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office regularly engages with a range of stakeholders when developing policy. The implementation timetable, transitional arrangements, and further details of the reforms to the Basic Compliance Assessment will be confirmed in due course.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_139
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_139

Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Yazidis have been resettled to the UK from (a) Iraq and (b) Syria in each year since 2014. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK partners with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resettle refugees in accordance with their standard resettlement criteria.

Individual ethnic and religious backgrounds are not part of this consideration, and the Home Office does not therefore collate or publish this information.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_140
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_140

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has any plans to tackle after-school clubs that are required to register with Ofsted that fail to do so. \p Stephen Morgan: Ofsted’s enforcement powers are set out in the Childcare Act 2006. The law gives Ofsted a range of powers to deal with persons providing childcare without appropriate registration and registered providers that fail to meet the legal requirements for early years settings.

Ofsted’s early years and childcare enforcement policy sets out the actions that Ofsted can take, dependent on the register that the after school club is registered on. Before and after-school clubs can register with Ofsted on either or both the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register, depending on the type of provision and age of the children they intend to care for. Some providers are exempt from registration if they meet the exemptions set out in legislation. Depending on their registration, they must either meet the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage, or the general childcare register requirements. The requirements for both registers are set by the department.

Departmental officials also meet regularly with their Ofsted counterparts to ensure that the regulations that apply to Ofsted registered providers of after-school childcare remain fit for purpose. Ofsted takes appropriate action on information that they receive about unregistered services and provision on unapproved premises. Ofsted’s process for managing unregistered provision is outlined in their published enforcement policy, which is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-and-childcare-ofsteds-enforcement-policy/early-years-and-childcare-enforcement-policy#unregistered:~:text=in%20appropriate%20circumstances.-,Unregistered%20childcare%20providers%20and%20provision%20on%20unapproved%20premises,-Most%20childcare%20providers.

Information about Ofsted’s regulatory and enforcement activity in relation to unregistered provision is outlined in Ofsted’s annual report and accounts each year, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-corporate-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_141
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_141

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that disabled children have access to (a) effective and (b) suitable schooling. \p Catherine McKinnell: Schools have a range of duties under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to their disabled pupils, including to make reasonable adjustments and accessibility planning duties. These duties help ensure that all pupils with disabilities are able to access and thrive in their education. The accessibility duties require a planned approach to increasing accessibility so that, over time, pupils with disabilities are more comprehensively included in the whole life of the school and fewer adjustments are needed for individual disabled pupils.

Many children with disabilities also have special educational needs (SEN). The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sits with local authorities.

We know that many children and young people with SEND struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. We are committed to addressing this through improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and SEN units.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Thurrock Council has been allocated just under £2 million and Essex Council has been allocated just under £21 million for high needs capital investment in 2025/26. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.
wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_142
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-02 conversation_142

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure support staff in schools are supported in handling the (a) complex medical needs and (b) behavioural issues of children in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: Support staff in schools perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.

The statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear what is expected of schools in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. Policies should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.

All schools are required to have a behaviour policy that outlines effective strategies to promote good behaviour and specifies the sanctions for misbehaviour. This policy must be communicated to all pupils, school staff, including support staff, and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the high standards of behaviour expected. The behaviour policy should also reflect the school's culture and be supported by all staff and senior leaders, including the headteacher.

The department is establishing up to 90 new regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs. Hubs will be led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help improve their approach.