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Written Question
General Practitioners: Travellers
Wednesday 30th October 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that nomadic Gypsy and Traveller patients are not wrongfully refused access to GP services.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

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.

Additionally, 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.

Practices also have a contractual duty to provide emergency treatment and immediately necessary treatment free of charge for up to 14 days to anyone within their practice area who isn’t registered with another provider of essential services.


Written Question
Primary Health Care: Travellers
Wednesday 30th October 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to improve access to digital primary healthcare services for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that patients are struggling to access general practice, and that these struggles can be particularly acute in inclusion health groups such as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

We want to ensure digital healthcare services are available to those who need them. and all practices are now required to offer online and video consultation tools, secure electronic communication methods, and online facilities to provide and update personal information.

However, we are clear that all online tools must be provided as an additional option, not as a replacement for more accessible channels like telephone or reception services. This ensures that individuals without access to digital technology, including those from disadvantaged groups, are not excluded and can choose the method of communication that works best for them. All patients should be treated equitably no matter what route they access general practice.


Written Question
NHS: Travellers
Friday 25th October 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in updating the NHS Data ethnicity categories in line with the 2021 Census categories, to include Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has continued to work at a national level on behalf of the Department, as part of a wider equality monitoring review programme, to explore options for how best to update equality monitoring arrangements by reference to the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. This review for the National Health Service includes consideration of equality monitoring in relation to ethnicity and consideration of the 2021 ethnic group census categories, which includes gypsy, Irish traveller, and Roma. Once the report recommendations are made to the Department, ministers will review and consider next steps.


Written Question
Suicide: Travellers
Friday 25th October 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their statement in the Suicide prevention in England: 5-year cross-sector strategy, published on 11 September 2023, that "there needs to be comprehensive research on, and better understanding of national trends and suicide rates in particular groups, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people", what research they have carried out on the national trends of suicide rates of those groups; and what results they have found.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

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.


Written Question
Suicide: Travellers
Friday 25th October 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their statement in the Suicide prevention in England: 5-year cross-sector strategy, published on 11 September 2023, that "there needs to be comprehensive research on, and better understanding of national trends and suicide rates in particular groups, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people", what steps they are taking to address the higher rate of suicide among Gypsy and Irish Traveller people.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

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.


Written Question
Schools: Attendance
Monday 5th August 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consultation with Gypsy and Traveller families they undertook with regard to the use and implications of the term "mobile child" in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

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.


Written Question
Schools: Attendance
Monday 5th August 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to provide clarity and support to local authorities with regard to the implementation of obligations associated with the concept of "mobile child" as used in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

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.


Written Question
Schools: Attendance
Monday 5th August 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the use of the term "mobile child" in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February, does not adversely and unfairly affect Traveller children.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

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.


Written Question
Schools: Attendance
Monday 5th August 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to ensure that Traveller families understand what the term "mobile child" means, as used in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

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.


Written Question
Mubarak Bala
Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made recent representations to the government of Nigeria in relation to (1) the ongoing detention of Mubarak Bala, President of the Nigerian Humanist Association; and (2) securing his unconditional and immediate release.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The UK Government is aware that the Court of Appeal in Kano has reduced the sentence of Mubarak Bala, from 24 years to five. The UK Government continues to raise Mr Bala's case with the Nigerian authorities. In August 2023, the British High Commissioner handed over a letter from Fiona Bruce MP, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, on Mubarak Bala's case, to the Kano State Governor, and in January 2024, FCDO officials raised the case again with the Deputy Kano State governor. In the UK, officials remain in communication with Humanists UK and received an update on Mr Bala's case from them on 16 May. The right of individuals to express opinions, including expressing their non-belief, is essential to a free and open society. Dialogue on human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, will remain an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria.