Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to restore Official Development Assistance allocations in this Parliament; and if he will set out a path to do so.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) as soon as fiscal circumstances allow.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Pakistani authorities concerning the detention and wellbeing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While Pakistan's judicial processes are a domestic matter, we are clear that the Pakistani authorities need to respect fundamental freedoms, including the right to a fair trial, due process, humane detention and access to appropriate medical treatment. This applies to Imran Khan as it does to all Pakistan's citizens. I met Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar on 27 August to discuss a range of issues, including matters relating to Imran Khan.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people supported through the LGBT+ Financial Recognition Scheme; and what further steps he plans to take to ensure all eligible LGBT+ veterans are able to access this scheme.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
As of 1 September 2026, the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme had received 1,716 applications and paid out more than £58 million. With fewer than 100 days remaining before the Scheme closes, Defence has intensified its awareness campaign to reach as many veterans affected by the Ban as possible. This includes the launch of a new campaign website, refreshed Ally Pack and promotional materials, and continued engagement with local authorities, the NHS, veterans’ organisations, employers, regimental associations and charities to maximise awareness and encourage applications. We encourage organisations and individuals to help raise awareness of the Scheme by downloading and sharing the Ally Pack available at www.gov.uk/affected-by-the-ban.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce educational inequalities in (a) the South East and (b) nationally.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they are from. However, we know educational inequalities exist across the country. This is not acceptable in the South East or nationally.
The department is tackling inequalities in the system head-on through our plan for change. From September we will be rolling out 30 hours of funded childcare for working parents, saving eligible parents using their full entitlement an average of £7,500 a year. We are also rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school, expanding free school meals to all children on Universal Credit and have delivered the largest ever uplift to early years pupil premium.
We are recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers in our schools and colleges and are making good progress, with over 2,000 more teachers in our secondary and special schools.
The department will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education to begin the hard work needed.
We will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities, can access it. These hubs will be open to all families but will be located in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed, ensuring services are both inclusive and targeted.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to make SEND training mandatory for (a) Initial Teacher Training and (b) continual learning for qualified teachers.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is a mandatory part of initial teacher training and training for early career teachers, creating a strong foundation for those joining the profession. The new initial teacher training and early career framework comes into effect from September 2025 and sets out the minimum entitlement for teacher training and must cover adaptive teaching and SEND. The department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children.
We also recognise that continuous improvement is essential and have recently committed to a full review of the early career teacher entitlement in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible basis for initial teacher training and early career teacher support.
To further support teachers, in autumn 2024 the department began delivery of the national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). This is now the mandatory qualification for SENCOs. Participants will develop the essential knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of SEND policy in a school and the conditions in which pupils with SEND can thrive.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by The Sutton Trust entitled The Opportunity Index, published in May 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Sutton Trust’s valuable report highlights that too many children face barriers to success because of who they are or where they come from. This is why, through the Opportunity Mission, we will break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success, by tackling child poverty, ensuring all children have safe and loving homes, get the best start in life, achieve and thrive in school and develop skills to succeed in life.
We agree with the report that these challenges are multi-faceted and require a complex package of measures. That is why we have started to make progress by expanding free school meals to all children on Universal Credit, have delivered the largest ever uplift to early years pupil premium, are driving school improvement through our regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, and launched foundation apprenticeships as part of a Youth Guarantee so that all 18 to 21 year-olds in England have access to education, training or help to find a job or an apprenticeship.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on providing payments to LGBTQ+ veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns
The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) launched in December of 2024, and as of 9 June 2025, 44 applicants have received payment. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.
The Scheme continues to make progress with applications, with process capacity expected to increase in the coming months. The FRS is continually looking for opportunities to automate processes where possible, to streamline processing and to work as efficiently as possible processing applications, taking account of the complexity and need for careful consideration.
Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed.
There is no predetermined target for the number of claims that will be assessed at each sitting of the Independent Panel for the FRS. The volume of claims reviewed at each sitting will vary depending on the length and complexity of individual cases, so it is not possible to confirm in advance how many cases will be considered in any given meeting. The Department expects to increase the frequency of Independent Panel sittings, with the aim of holding up to two sittings per week.
No formal assessment has been made of trends in waiting times for the assessment of claims under the Scheme. However, the Department is currently working on how we can simplify the process to update applicants. Applicants can contact the Restorative Action Team at the following email address: [email protected]
The Department will continue to keep resourcing under close review to ensure the FRS is fully supported. This includes assessing whether additional staff are required to manage demand and maintain the timely assessment of claims. The Department continues to monitor the overall progress of claims and remains committed to ensuring the scheme is delivered as efficiently and fairly as possible.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
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 on clinical support staff of referring patients with long covid to ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome specialist services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
While no assessment has been made, NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-Covid services which sets out the principles of care for people with long COVID.
There is also specific advice for healthcare professionals to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance, such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the Royal College of General Practitioners. Whilst NICE guidelines are not mandatory, the Government does expect clinicians and healthcare commissioners to take them fully into account.
Commissioning, service provision and staffing for both myalgic encephalomyelitis services and long COVID services are the responsibility of local integrated care boards.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the World Health Organization's Air Quality Guidelines, whether his Department plans to introduce a Clean Air Bill.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Last year, the Government launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, to revise our plan for significantly improving the environment, including for air quality. We plan to develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery information to help meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets.
We are considering the World Health Organization's guidelines as part of an evidence-led process for considering future targets, however we are clear that these guidelines are not ready-made targets for direct adoption as they do not consider achievability or individual countries’ circumstances.
The Government does not currently have plans for a new Clean Air Act and is instead focusing on developing a series of interventions to ensure everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.
Asked by: Chris Ward (Labour - Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support community pharmacists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.
The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. To support contractors in delivering a quality NHS service, NHS England is providing fully funded national training opportunities.
We are working at pace with Community Pharmacy England to ensure that the funding we have available is used to support community pharmacy in the best way possible. We will announce the outcome in the normal manner, by letter to contractors, when the consultation has concluded.