Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps in response to the recommendation issued by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in January 2025 on removing stigma, informational and technological barriers to access to health for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children misidentified as adults and detained under the one in, one out scheme have subsequently had their ages confirmed to be under-18 by (a) a local authority and (b) the National Age Assessment Board.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Unaccompanied children are not subject to the agreement between the United Kingdom and France on the prevention of dangerous journeys, also known as the one-in, one-out policy.
Upon arrival, where an individual claims to be a child without any credible and clear documentary evidence of age, and where there is reason to doubt their claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process.
The ‘Assessing Age’ guidance details the Home Office’s age assessment policy for immigration purposes. It provides that immigration officers may only treat an individual as an adult where they have no credible and clear documentary evidence proving their age, and two members of Home Office staff independently assess that their physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggest that the individual is ‘significantly over 18’.
This is a deliberately high threshold where the principle of the benefit of the doubt is key and if that threshold is not met, but there remains doubt about the individual’s age, they will be treated as a child and transferred to a local authority for further consideration of their age. This often involves a further, more comprehensive ‘Merton-compliant’ age assessment. This approach to initial decisions on age has been considered by the Supreme Court in BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38 and held to be lawful.
Where individuals are assessed to be significantly over 18, they are able to approach local authorities for further age assessment if they disagree with the Home Office’s decision. Individuals also have access to legal representation and can make legal challenges to age assessments. Individuals are not removed to France where their age is in dispute.
All information relevant to age is taken into consideration. However, operational details of the scheme are not disclosed outside of what has already been published as this may impact migrant behaviour or be exploited by organised crime gangs.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of recent research by the Jesuit Refugee Service UK and the Humans for Rights Network on the misidentification of children by the one in, one out scheme.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Unaccompanied children are not subject to the agreement between the United Kingdom and France on the prevention of dangerous journeys, also known as the one-in, one-out policy.
Upon arrival, where an individual claims to be a child without any credible and clear documentary evidence of age, and where there is reason to doubt their claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process.
The ‘Assessing Age’ guidance details the Home Office’s age assessment policy for immigration purposes. It provides that immigration officers may only treat an individual as an adult where they have no credible and clear documentary evidence proving their age, and two members of Home Office staff independently assess that their physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggest that the individual is ‘significantly over 18’.
This is a deliberately high threshold where the principle of the benefit of the doubt is key and if that threshold is not met, but there remains doubt about the individual’s age, they will be treated as a child and transferred to a local authority for further consideration of their age. This often involves a further, more comprehensive ‘Merton-compliant’ age assessment. This approach to initial decisions on age has been considered by the Supreme Court in BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38 and held to be lawful.
Where individuals are assessed to be significantly over 18, they are able to approach local authorities for further age assessment if they disagree with the Home Office’s decision. Individuals also have access to legal representation and can make legal challenges to age assessments. Individuals are not removed to France where their age is in dispute.
All information relevant to age is taken into consideration. However, operational details of the scheme are not disclosed outside of what has already been published as this may impact migrant behaviour or be exploited by organised crime gangs.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the antisocial use of motorbikes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are clear powers in place for the police to stop and seize vehicles, including motorbikes, used anti-socially. We further strengthened police enforcement powers through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, by removing the requirement for police to issue a warning before seizing motorbikes and other vehicles used antisocially. We have also consulted on measures to allow police to dispose of seized motorbikes and other seized vehicles, more quickly, to deter and prevent re-offending. The government response to the consultation will be issued shortly.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to enforce vehicle noise limits.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes the impact of excessive noise on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously. Strict vehicle noise regulations are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance before being placed on the UK market.
Once on the market, the Market Surveillance Unit (MSU) within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) ensures new vehicles and components in the UK comply with legislative requirements, including on noise.
The MSU is currently conducting surveillance to check the fit and supply of vehicle components relating to noise, and aftermarket motorcycle silencers available for sale. In 2023-24, two companies were successfully prosecuted for the fit and supply of defective components relating to noise. Further work in this area is ongoing and will be reported on the MSU’s website.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to devolve powers to the Mayor of London to limit rent increases in the private rented sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector or to devolve powers to the Mayor of London to do so in the capital.
Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.5% in the 12 months to April, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.0%.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to introduce a cap on rent increases in the private rented sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector or to devolve powers to the Mayor of London to do so in the capital.
Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.5% in the 12 months to April, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.0%.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to mitigate variations in pay and employment conditions arising from individual school negotiations with agencies under the Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework removes excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.
To ensure the cap on agency fees is effectively monitored and enforced, the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) holds responsibility for monitoring compliance to the agency fee caps, and all requirements of the framework agreement. As part of the framework terms and conditions, agencies must provide data reporting, with potential consequences of non-compliance resulting in removal from the framework agreement.
To support the GCA, the department will also keep under review and analyse spend across the sector, comparing it with the Management Information reported by suppliers to GCA through the framework.
The new framework does not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.
The current mix of supply models available in England, including agencies, direct hire and some local pools, gives schools choice over how they secure supply teachers.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that proposed agency fee caps under the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework are effectively monitored and enforced.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework removes excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.
To ensure the cap on agency fees is effectively monitored and enforced, the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) holds responsibility for monitoring compliance to the agency fee caps, and all requirements of the framework agreement. As part of the framework terms and conditions, agencies must provide data reporting, with potential consequences of non-compliance resulting in removal from the framework agreement.
To support the GCA, the department will also keep under review and analyse spend across the sector, comparing it with the Management Information reported by suppliers to GCA through the framework.
The new framework does not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.
The current mix of supply models available in England, including agencies, direct hire and some local pools, gives schools choice over how they secure supply teachers.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered encouraging the creation of (a) local authority and (b) employer-based pools of supply staff paying in accordance with national teacher pay scales and allowing pension access without incurring agency fees.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The new iteration of the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing framework removes excessive agency mark-ups through a cap on agency fees.
To ensure the cap on agency fees is effectively monitored and enforced, the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) holds responsibility for monitoring compliance to the agency fee caps, and all requirements of the framework agreement. As part of the framework terms and conditions, agencies must provide data reporting, with potential consequences of non-compliance resulting in removal from the framework agreement.
To support the GCA, the department will also keep under review and analyse spend across the sector, comparing it with the Management Information reported by suppliers to GCA through the framework.
The new framework does not affect pay for supply teachers employed through agencies. This will continue to be set by agencies in the first 12 weeks of an assignment, and supply teachers are free to register with multiple agencies to find the best pay and conditions to meet their own circumstances. The Agency Worker Regulations provides that all workers on assignments exceeding 12 weeks are paid on equal terms as permanent staff after the 12th week.
The current mix of supply models available in England, including agencies, direct hire and some local pools, gives schools choice over how they secure supply teachers.