Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of free travel for carers on (a) improving access to essential services and (b) promoting inclusivity for (i) disabled people and (ii) people with chronic illnesses.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

An assessment has not been made of the potential impact of free travel for carers, however, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as offering companion passes for those travelling with someone eligible for the ENCTS.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing carers to accompany those they care for to travel free of charge on public transport.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

An assessment has not been made of the potential impact of free travel for carers, however, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as offering companion passes for those travelling with someone eligible for the ENCTS.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in West Papua.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK recognises there are significant challenges in the region, including human rights concerns, sporadic violence, and the security situation in some areas. The UK regularly raises our concerns, both with the Indonesian Embassy in London and directly with the government in Jakarta. Most recently, I visited Indonesia in January 2025 and raised the human rights situation in Papua with both the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigrations and corrections.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including Band 2 NHS workers in pay progression policies.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal between the Government, employers, and trade unions, there was a mutual agreement to uplift the value of the bottom pay point of band two to the same value as the top pay point, and this position was ratified by the NHS Staff Council.

Any further changes to the pay structure will be for the NHS Staff Council to ratify or agree to, as part of any future negotiations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is to publish the Government's new human rights strategy.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 10 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights, set out their five priorities for promoting and protecting human rights, rule of law and democratic governance: 1) defending civic space; 2) upholding the rule of law; 3) championing equal rights for all; 4) supporting accountable, effective, inclusive institutions; and 5) responding to global challenges, including climate, conflict and technology by prioritising human rights and governance principles. Lord Collins's speech was published on gov.uk on 11 December [https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/human-rights-day-2024-lord-collins-speech]. This government is now focused on operationalising this strategic approach.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his US counterpart on (a) compliance with international humanitarian law and (b) Palestinians’ rights to self-determination.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary look forward to working with President Trump, to continue our shared mission to ensure the prosperity and security of our two great nations. We will continue to work with the new US administration to ensure regional security and stability in the Middle East, including ensuring lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. The UK will continue working with partners to support a path to long term peace and stability with a two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on transnational repression.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly supports individuals' rights to expression without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction, both in the UK and overseas. During my visit to Pakistan in November, I raised the importance of upholding civil and political rights with senior Ministers, including the Minister for Human Rights and Interior Minister. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to respect these fundamental freedoms, underlining that any human rights violations should be fully investigated in line with international human rights law.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publishing the Maternity and Neonatal Estates Review.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England will publish the findings of the National Health Service maternity and neonatal estates survey, which examined compliance against the current standards for estates, including the requirements of neonatal parental accommodation. The Government’s response to the House of Lords Pre-term Birth Inquiry committed to publishing the survey in early 2025, and the ambition remains to publish it as soon as possible.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to enforce the ban on peat burning in England.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra takes any allegations of breaches of The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 seriously and has developed a robust triage and assessment process with the support of Natural England and Defra’s Counter Fraud and Investigations (CFI).

Natural England's Moorland Change Map demonstrates a significant reduction in burning and cutting activities on England's moorlands since the implementation of the Regulations.

Though there have been isolated instances of non-compliance, resulting in two successful prosecutions, the overwhelming majority of landowners in England are adhering to these regulations.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on a UK-EU youth mobility scheme.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department considers Afghanistan to be a safe country for asylum returns.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Our assessment of the general situation in Afghanistan is set out in the relevant country policy and information notes, which are available on the GOV.UK website.

All asylum and human rights claims from Afghan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims from Afghans were refused in 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality is published in table Asy_D02 the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

The latest data relates to the year ending September 2024. Data for October to December 2024 will be published on 27 February 2025.

Refusal of Citizenship to refugees who have made irregular crossings

Found: Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Uma Kumaran; Blair McDougall; Abtisam Mohamed

Found: Q40 Abtisam Mohamed: I have a very quick follow-up question.

Found: Q40 Abtisam Mohamed: I have a very quick follow-up question.

Found: Sobel (Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley), Lola McEvoy (Labour MP for Darlington) and Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: Byrne Siân Berry Sorcha Eastwood Sarah Hall Sarah Champion Dr Beccy Cooper Richard Burgon Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: Byrne Siân Berry Sorcha Eastwood Sarah Hall Sarah Champion Dr Beccy Cooper Richard Burgon Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: debate_NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC7 Ms Stella Creasy Charlotte Nichols Sorcha Eastwood Christine Jardine Abtisam Mohamed Alex Brewer

Found: Sobel (Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley), Lola McEvoy (Labour MP for Darlington) and Abtisam Mohamed

Found: _NC2 Dr Simon Opher Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Kim Johnson Neil Duncan-Jordan Kate Osborne Abtisam Mohamed

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