Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) shortest, (2) longest, and (3) average, amount of time taken by Arts Council England to process requests to support global talent visa endorsement applications in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This data is not held by the Home Office or Arts Council as information regarding disability is not requested by the Home Office as part of the application process.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much was spent by Arts Council England to process requests to support global talent visa endorsement applications in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This data is not held by the Home Office or Arts Council as information regarding disability is not requested by the Home Office as part of the application process.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many global talent visa endorsement applications from (1) non-disabled, and (2) disabled, artists have been (a) endorsed, and (b) rejected, by Arts Council England in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This data is not held by the Home Office or Arts Council as information regarding disability is not requested by the Home Office as part of the application process.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps Arts Council England is taking to ensure that its endorsement criteria for the global talent visa comply with the provisions relating to disability in the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This data is not held by the Home Office or Arts Council as information regarding disability is not requested by the Home Office as part of the application process.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when Arts Council England last reviewed the endorsement criteria for the global talent visa; and what revisions were made as a result of that review.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This data is not held by the Home Office or Arts Council as information regarding disability is not requested by the Home Office as part of the application process.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of Arts Council England staff are disabled at each pay quartile.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The table outlines the proportion of disabled and non-disabled members of Arts Council England (ACE) staff in each quartile’ between April 2024 and March 2025. Unlike gender pay gap data, there are no requirements or guidance on how disability pay gap data must be collected or reported.
Quartile | Disabled % | Non-disabled % |
First (lower) quartile | 19.70% | 74.60% |
Second quartile | 19.10% | 75.70% |
Third quartile | 17.30% | 79.20% |
Fourth (upper) quartile | 9.30% | 87.80% |
ACE are only able to provide such data based on the information staff choose to disclose, and so these figures are based on those who have identified as one of i) disabled, ii) not disabled, or iii) prefer not to say. Please note that this data does not add up to 100% because a number of ACE staff chose ‘prefer not to say’ when asked to disclose their status.
ACE has undertaken a number of initiatives in recent years to increase recruitment prospects for disabled candidates at both the attraction and selection stages. For example, ACE explicitly welcomes applications from people with experience of disability for roles such as National Council positions, which shows their intention to broaden applicant pools at the attraction stage.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable accurate data capture on the number of rough sleeping veterans.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
MHCLG collects a range of data and research on veteran homelessness and rough sleeping, including through the Homelessness Case Level Collection (H-CLIC), Rough Sleeping Data Framework, Rough sleeping single night autumn snapshot, and Rough Sleeping Questionnaire (RSQ). These statistics and research are available (attached) at Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK and (attached) Rough sleeping questionnaire: initial findings - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make recognition of a Palestinian state contingent on (1) Hamas’ release of hostages, and (2) Hamas’ disarmament.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In her statements confirming the UK's decision to recognise the State of Palestine, the Foreign Secretary has made clear that there can and will be no role for Hamas terrorists in the future governance of Gaza. She has also welcomed the unanimous declaration by the Arab League calling for Hamas to release all hostages, lay down its arms and relinquish all power in Gaza. Those goals will remain a priority for the UK Government as we work with international partners to progress efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on the two states of Israel and Palestine living securely side by side.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to democratic reform.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to long-term stability in the region and making progress towards a two-state solution. The UK welcomes the Palestinian Authority's commitment to deliver its ambitious and necessary 'National Program for Development and Reform' in full as a matter of priority in the short, medium and long term. We welcome President Abbas' commitment to hold Presidential and Legislative elections within a year to be conducted under international auspices, supervision and support. Alongside our partners, the UK will continue to support the Palestinian Authority as it delivers its important reform agenda, including on democratic reform.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the 60th anniversary of the Race Relations Act 1965; and what steps they will take to reassure the British Jewish community that the police will take seriously racially-motivated crimes in all forms.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has a long and proud history of tackling race discrimination, with the first Race Relations Act 1965 introduced 60 years ago. The King's Speech announced our intention to build on this legacy through the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which we intend to publish in draft this session.
Making sure that British Jews are not only safe, but also feel safe, remains one of our top priorities. This year, the Government has allocated £18 million to the Community Security Trust through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant to provide protective security measures at synagogues, Jewish educational establishments and community sites.
The Government works closely with the Independent Adviser on Antisemitism along with Jewish community voices on the most effective methods to tackle antisemitism. We also recently established an Antisemitism Working Group to provide advice on antisemitism and how government should engage Jewish communities around international, national and local events affecting British Jews. We are committed to tackling antisemitism and support the police in taking robust action against all forms of hate crime, wherever these crimes occur and whoever is responsible.