Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in Harrow constituency who will be exposed to aircraft noise above 43dB LAeq in the next five years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government does not routinely produce noise forecasts for airports. However, the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement Appraisal of Sustainability Noise Annex shows a comparison of 43dB LAeq noise contours for 2024 and 2055 and estimates the number of people exposed to this level of noise.
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 consistency of HM Government's application of targeted measures to (a) Israeli settlers and settlement-linked entities in the West Bank and (b) Turkish settlers and Turkish-linked entities in occupied Northern Cyprus; and what steps she has taken to apply the existing Cyprus sanctions framework to entities involved in Turkish settlement activity in Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has announced four rounds of sanctions since February 2024 against individuals and groups responsible for the violent expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, and against others responsible for inciting that violence. In each case, this has been done as a direct response to specific violent acts committed by the individuals and groups in question, or repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians.
We are not aware of any allegations of an equivalent nature against individuals and groups in the north of Cyprus, but the UK will continue to take decisions on sanctions designations on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the relevant legal framework and statutory requirements.
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, whether an equality impact assessment under the Public Sector Equality Duty was completed before each of HM Government's decisions to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers and settlement-linked entities in 2025 and 2026.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has announced four rounds of sanctions since February 2024 against individuals and groups responsible for the violent expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, and against others responsible for inciting that violence. In each case, this has been done as a direct response to specific violent acts committed by the individuals and groups in question, or repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians.
We are not aware of any allegations of an equivalent nature against individuals and groups in the north of Cyprus, but the UK will continue to take decisions on sanctions designations on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the relevant legal framework and statutory requirements.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance has the Department issued to local authorities on the mechanisms for scrutinise Housing Benefit claims in the period prior to the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Whilst DWP has responsibility for overall Housing Benefit policy and legislation, local authorities have statutory responsibility for the day-to-day administration and assessment of Housing Benefit claims.
The existing Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims provides advice for local authorities on how to assess and process Housing Benefit claims. We will be updating this manual early next year to reflect the measures being implemented within the Act.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of establishing and operating a dedicated, multilingual hotline for reporting transnational repression, staffed by personnel trained in state threats; and how that cost compares to the annual cost of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to ensuring that individuals who may be victims of transnational repression (TNR) can report concerns with confidence, and that those reports are handled effectively across policing. While it would not be appropriate to comment on individual security arrangements, support is always threat‑led and tailored to the specific circumstances of each case.
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is embedding a national reporting model to ensure that cases indicating potential foreign state involvement are identified and escalated to specialist teams. This is supported by training and guidance available to all forces, including call handlers, to recognise indicators of TNR.
Our understanding of TNR is informed by multiple sources, including engagement with victims and civil society (which continues at ministerial and official level), to ensure policy remains evidence led and proportionate.
The Government, in consultation with CTP, has assessed that existing reporting channels, including 101 and 999, are well established, operate 24/7, and allow for effective triage by trained professionals with onward referral to specialist teams. Language support, including translation services, is embedded within these mechanisms, and work is ongoing to ensure interpreters can support the accurate identification of TNR cases.
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, with reference to the Answer of 7 July 2026 to Question 13788 on Migraines: Drugs, whether NHS England's processes for reviewing and identifying themes from Prevention of Future Deaths reports have identified (a) propranolol toxicity and (b) psychiatric adverse drug reactions associated with migraine preventive medicines as a theme.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Individuals or organisations receiving a coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report have a statutory obligation to respond to the report and a deadline of 56 days to do so.
NHS England has processes in place to review and consider learning from PFD reports relevant to National Health Services. PFD reports may be considered alongside information from a range of sources, including patient safety incident data, clinical evidence, coroner recommendations, and medicines safety information from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Where PFD reports identify concerns relating to medicines, including potential toxicity or psychiatric adverse effects associated with preventive migraine treatments, these issues can inform patient safety activity and service improvement work as appropriate. The MHRA is responsible for monitoring the safety of medicines in the United Kingdom through the Yellow Card scheme and other pharmacovigilance processes, and works with partners across the health system to identify and assess emerging safety signals. NHS England and healthcare providers are expected to have regard to relevant safety advice issued by the MHRA.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has of the impact of the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 on the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government, in consultation with experts and business, has published 29 Impact Assessments which comprehensively outline the expected impacts of the Employment Rights Act: Employment Rights Act 2025: impact assessments - GOV.UK.
Our analysis shows that the Employment Rights Act will help increase employment and benefit over 18 million workers, with young workers being some of the largest beneficiaries of the Act.
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, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of psychotherapy and counselling not being under statutory regulation on public protection; and whether his Department plans to introduce such regulation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) operates a voluntary registry programme, which provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions. This sits between employer controls and statutory regulation by setting standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for unregulated health and social care occupations, such as counselling and psychotherapy. There are currently 10 organisations linked to the counselling profession, and eight organisations linked to the psychotherapy profession, listed on the PSA’s website as holding an accredited register.
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates the arts therapist profession, which has four protected titles linked to it: art psychotherapist; art therapist; drama therapist; and music therapist. The HCPC also regulates the practitioner psychologist profession, which has nine protected titles relating to the profession: practitioner psychologist; registered psychologist; clinical psychologist; forensic psychologist; counselling psychologist; health psychologist; educational psychologist; occupational psychologist; and sport and exercise psychologist.
The Department has no current plans to extend statutory regulation to the counselling and psychotherapy professions.
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, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of psychotherapy and counselling remaining outside statutory regulation on public protection, in the context that other psychological professionals, including psychology, art therapy and music therapy, are subject to statutory regulation; and whether the Department has plans to help tackle this.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) operates a voluntary registry programme, which provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions. This sits between employer controls and statutory regulation by setting standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for unregulated health and social care occupations, such as counselling and psychotherapy. There are currently 10 organisations linked to the counselling profession, and eight organisations linked to the psychotherapy profession, listed on the PSA’s website as holding an accredited register.
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates the arts therapist profession, which has four protected titles linked to it: art psychotherapist; art therapist; drama therapist; and music therapist. The HCPC also regulates the practitioner psychologist profession, which has nine protected titles relating to the profession: practitioner psychologist; registered psychologist; clinical psychologist; forensic psychologist; counselling psychologist; health psychologist; educational psychologist; occupational psychologist; and sport and exercise psychologist.
The Department has no current plans to extend statutory regulation to the counselling and psychotherapy professions.
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 recent assessment he has made of the total number of supported accommodation places available (a) overall and (b) specifically designed for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The most recent assessment of supported housing stock was published on 4 November 2024 in the Supported Housing Review 2023. This research estimated that in 2023 there were approximately 535,400 units of supported housing in England, and of that total 51,400 units were for single people experiencing homelessness and 24,900 units for families experiencing homelessness. The report is published on gov.uk here.