Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the sentencing of Morteza Faghanpour Sassi; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure his release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by Morteza Faghanpour Sassi's case and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the 60% of affordable homes provided through the new route at social rent are not renegotiated out at a later stage in the development process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 23 October 2025, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London. Details can be found on gov.uk here. A consultation on these London-specific measures will be launched in November 2025.
The package includes a new, time-limited planning route, which will sit alongside the Greater London Authority’s existing Fast Track and Viability Tested routes. This new route is designed to encourage schemes to come forward, and existing schemes to progress, in the near-term, in order to support a rapid recovery in housing delivery.
In order to access this time-limited route, schemes will be required to provide at least 20 per cent affordable housing, with a minimum of 60 per cent social rent (and the rest intermediate tenures in line with London Plan policy). Boroughs will be expected to consider applications that meet these minimum levels. This route will be available until 31 March 2028 or the publication of the revised London Plan, whichever is earlier. All planning decisions on applications will need to have been issued by the local planning authority by the deadline.
A gain-share review mechanism will be applicable where construction on the scheme has not reached a fixed milestone by the end of March 2030 – meaning that if additional returns result from improved market conditions, these benefit fairly both the developer and the community.
Any proposed reductions in affordable housing will be subject to full viability assessment and will no longer be eligible for the time limited planning route. In this case a review would then apply regardless of whether the delivery milestone was met to determine whether additional affordable housing contributions can be provided if viability improves over the lifetime of the development.
In respect of existing schemes, the GLA encourages partners to deliver affordable housing in excess of 20 per cent where possible, especially where planning consents are in place, and will make grant available at or above the announced benchmark grant rates for such projects where it provides value for money to do so. Projects consented at 35 per cent or more affordable housing, that are currently stalled due to viability reasons, are encouraged to assess the availability of grant where this is needed to support delivery and to increase the level of affordable housing above this. For bids providing less than 35 per cent affordable housing, where the grant requested is higher than the said benchmarks, the GLA will require Additionality Viability Assessments to be undertaken. In all cases, the GLA will undertake checks to ensure that any grant allocated is compliant with subsidy control rules
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will review the adequacy of her Department's position ahead of the next meeting at the UN on an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen the right to education in 2026; and if she will publish the (a) criteria, (b) timeline and (c) cross-Government process for that review.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 3 November 2025 to Question 84390.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the UK’s domestic provision of (a) a free reception year and (b) tuition-free secondary education with her Department's position on proposals at the United Nations to guarantee (i) at least one year of free pre-primary education and (ii) free secondary education in international law.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 3 November 2025 to Question 84390.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on the UK’s position on proposals at the United Nations to negotiate an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen the right to education.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 3 November 2025 to Question 84390.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the number of illegal vape imports that do not comply with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s notification and testing regime which have entered the UK market in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Before a nicotine vape can be placed on the United Kingdom consumer market, producers or manufacturers must first submit a notification to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in accordance with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. If the notification data is compliant, the notification will be published on the MHRA portal.
However, under the current system, there is no requirement to check a product against its notification. There is also no current testing regime for nicotine vapes – this is done on an ad hoc basis where there is concern a product does not meet regulations. Therefore, no estimate has been made.
Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will enable us to establish a new registration scheme and more rigorous testing regime for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products.
Enforcement agencies continue to take action to ensure that illegal vapes do not reach consumers. In 2024/25, over one million illicit vapes were seized inland, and over 1.2 million illicit vapes were detained at ports by Trading Standards in England.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the sentencing of Morteza Faghanpour Sassi; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure his release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by Morteza Faghanpour Sassi's case and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the Fire Brigades Union to discuss the safety of firefighters when tackling wildfires.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The health and safety of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The government recognises the risks that firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.
Fire and rescue authorities, as employers, must take action to protect firefighter physical and mental health, this includes ensuring that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need.
The government is proactively engaging with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) alongside other fire and rescue sector stakeholders both at Ministerial and at official level.
The FBU is also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform (MAGFRR) which has been established under this government. The MAGFRR brings together key fire and rescue sector leaders to discuss policy and key issues.