Baroness Whitaker

The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and accompanying statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ use the term ‘mobile child’ to describe a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode and whose parent is engaged in a trade or business that requires them to move from place to place. This is a new term, but covers the same children as section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996.

Parents of mobile children have longstanding protection in attendance law and guidance, including how absence is recorded in the register, but feedback from parents, schools and local authorities suggested inconsistency in how these are applied. The term ‘mobile child’ is intended to clarify that the provisions are for all pupils who meet the definition as set out in regulation 3 of the 2024 Pupil Registration Regulations (and the statutory guidance) and that they concern the child’s mobility rather than ethnicity.

A draft of the new Regulations and guidance was subject to full public consultation in 2022 and training has been provided both to schools and local authorities to improve consistency and support implementation. The department will continue to monitor feedback on implementation during the 2024/25 academic year.

The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and accompanying statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ use the term ‘mobile child’ to describe a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode and whose parent is engaged in a trade or business that requires them to move from place to place. This is a new term, but covers the same children as section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996.

Parents of mobile children have longstanding protection in attendance law and guidance, including how absence is recorded in the register, but feedback from parents, schools and local authorities suggested inconsistency in how these are applied. The term ‘mobile child’ is intended to clarify that the provisions are for all pupils who meet the definition as set out in regulation 3 of the 2024 Pupil Registration Regulations (and the statutory guidance) and that they concern the child’s mobility rather than ethnicity.

A draft of the new Regulations and guidance was subject to full public consultation in 2022 and training has been provided both to schools and local authorities to improve consistency and support implementation. The department will continue to monitor feedback on implementation during the 2024/25 academic year.

The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and accompanying statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ use the term ‘mobile child’ to describe a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode and whose parent is engaged in a trade or business that requires them to move from place to place. This is a new term, but covers the same children as section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996.

Parents of mobile children have longstanding protection in attendance law and guidance, including how absence is recorded in the register, but feedback from parents, schools and local authorities suggested inconsistency in how these are applied. The term ‘mobile child’ is intended to clarify that the provisions are for all pupils who meet the definition as set out in regulation 3 of the 2024 Pupil Registration Regulations (and the statutory guidance) and that they concern the child’s mobility rather than ethnicity.

A draft of the new Regulations and guidance was subject to full public consultation in 2022 and training has been provided both to schools and local authorities to improve consistency and support implementation. The department will continue to monitor feedback on implementation during the 2024/25 academic year.

The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and accompanying statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ use the term ‘mobile child’ to describe a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode and whose parent is engaged in a trade or business that requires them to move from place to place. This is a new term, but covers the same children as section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996.

Parents of mobile children have longstanding protection in attendance law and guidance, including how absence is recorded in the register, but feedback from parents, schools and local authorities suggested inconsistency in how these are applied. The term ‘mobile child’ is intended to clarify that the provisions are for all pupils who meet the definition as set out in regulation 3 of the 2024 Pupil Registration Regulations (and the statutory guidance) and that they concern the child’s mobility rather than ethnicity.

A draft of the new Regulations and guidance was subject to full public consultation in 2022 and training has been provided both to schools and local authorities to improve consistency and support implementation. The department will continue to monitor feedback on implementation during the 2024/25 academic year.

The purpose of the strategy was to set a direction for suicide prevention for all organisations to consider (national and local government, researchers and VCSE sectors). The ambitions outlined in the Suicide Prevention Strategy of September 2023 cover five years and include research on and better understanding of national trends and suicide rates in particular groups, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people.

A qualitative research project exploring the lived experiences of Roma people in England and Wales, including priorities, needs and access to services, will shortly be starting. This project is led by the Qualitative Research Team, within the Centre for Equalities and Inclusion at the Office for National Statistics, delivered in partnership with Migration Yorkshire, Roma Support Group and the University of Sheffield, and in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education and Cabinet Office.

This project will provide insights into how Roma communities’ needs change over their lifetime and identify barriers to accessing services, including for maternal and mental health. Depending on the findings, this research may give us insight into the factors contributing to suicide risk within Roma communities and enable us to develop more targeted prevention strategies that resonate with the Roma community’s unique experiences and challenges, address the unique needs of the young Roma population in England and anticipate how migration and settlement patterns may influence their future healthcare requirements.

More broadly, our Inclusion Health initiative aims to support the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities and other inclusion health groups. This program is specifically designed to address the unique needs of socially excluded groups.

Enablers of digital inclusion in primary care for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities recommends that primary care services offer flexibility and choice, including non-digital access routes, and that accessibility should be prioritised when designing digital services.

We will ensure patients have multiple routes of access to primary care by guaranteeing a face-to-face general practice appointment to anyone who wants one, and by implementing a modern booking system to end the 8:00am rush. Digital tools used in primary care settings must meet required minimum standards of functionality set by NHS England, ensuring a consistent quality of service for patients, and all organisations providing National Health Services, including primary care providers, must follow the Accessible Information Standard.

We are very clear that a general practice (GP) cannot refuse registering a patient based on the race or ethnicity, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability, or medical conditions of the patient. This encompasses patients from gypsy, Roma, and traveller communities.

GPs have a responsibility to register people who are homeless, have no fixed abode, or are legitimately unable to provide documentation as proof of living within the catchment area. An individual should not be refused registration or appointments because they do not have a proof of address or personal identification. It is not considered a reasonable ground to refuse registration.

The General Medical Services Regulations were updated to require practices to use a standardised registration system that doesn't require identification or an address. Additionally, the regulations now require GPs to provide an online consultation tool, allowing patients to manage appointments, and view and request repeat prescriptions digitally. This service also simplifies electronic registration with GP surgeries. Digital registration is designed to accommodate diverse patient needs, enhancing accessibility, and making it easier for patients to register without visiting the practice in person.

However, to ensure that patients aren’t digitally excluded, the GP contract is clear that patients should always have the option of visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.

We know that patients are struggling to access general practice (GP), and that these struggles can be particularly acute in inclusion health groups such as gypsy, Roma, and traveller communities.

We want to ensure that digital healthcare services are available to those who need them. The GP contract requires GPs to provide an online consultation tool, allowing patients to manage appointments, and view and request repeat prescriptions digitally. This service also simplifies electronic registration with GP surgeries. Digital registration is designed to accommodate diverse patient needs, enhancing accessibility, and making it easier for patients to register without visiting the practice in person.

However, to ensure that patients aren’t digitally excluded, the GP contract is clear that patients should always have the option of visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing GPs. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to a telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.

The ambitions outlined in the Suicide Prevention Strategy of September 2023 cover five years. The purpose of the strategy was to set a direction for suicide prevention for all organisations to consider, including national and local government, researchers, and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sectors.

The Department has sponsored qualitative research from the Health and Wellbeing Alliance Consortium on this topic, which led to the publication in May 2024 of Tackling Mental Health Inequalities for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller People.

As part of this, we have so far sponsored projects exploring gypsy, Roma, and traveller communities’ experiences of suicide and mental health. These projects have been delivered as part of a Department, UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England led Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

The UK condemns Iran's restrictions against Freedom of Religion or Belief. Baha'is face particularly acute repression by the authorities in Iran, which includes but is not limited to unfair arrest, detention and lengthy prison sentences. We are aware of the UN Special Rapporteurs' joint letter - the increased targeting of Baha'i women is an alarming escalation. We are committed to working with international partners to hold Iran to account for its repression of the Bahai's, and other religious minorities, including at the UN Third Committee.