Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Clause 71 of the Railways Bill on private investment in the rail network, in particular from Open Access operators.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government does not anticipate that Clause 71 will have an adverse impact on private investment in the railways, including by open access operators. The power is not intended to negatively affect third-party operators or investors; rather, its purpose is to ensure that existing railway access contracts can continue to operate effectively following the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR). To provide reassurance to affected parties, the Government has consistently reinforced its commitment to preserving both the duration and the substantive Schedule 5 access rights contained in existing contracts, together with the charging determinations made by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for the remainder of the current control period.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing education provision in prisons under public ownership.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We recognise the vital role that education plays in rehabilitation and reducing re-offending. The Government remains committed to delivering high-quality prison education together with work opportunities, ensuring that prisoners can gain essential skills and vocational training to support their reintegration into society.
Prison education is currently delivered through a range of partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Contracts were awarded following a competitive and open process. Two of the three Core Education suppliers are public sector Further Education providers. The Prison Education Dynamic Purchasing System (PEDPS) sits alongside Core Education contracts and enables Governors to commission provision flexibly from a wide range of suppliers, including many voluntary sector organisations.
A comprehensive evaluation of the Prisoner Education Service is underway to inform ongoing delivery and future improvements.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support people addicted to ketamine.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer provided on 30 June 2025 in response to Question 61669, the Department is currently reviewing and updating the toolkit it provides to drug treatment services and other stakeholders, which includes information on ketamine-related harms, prevention, treatment, and healthcare system responses, including the importance of referral pathways and joint working to support integrated care.
In 2025, the Department also published a ketamine factsheet for local authority public health teams to cascade to health partners, providing information on the risks associated with ketamine use and supporting frontline professionals to identify problems early, make appropriate referrals, and provide integrated treatment. Finally, the Department is supporting work led by the British Association of Urological Surgeons to improve awareness of ketamine-associated bladder damage among urologists, and strengthen referral and treatment pathways between specialist healthcare services and drug treatment providers.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for local authorities to be placed in special measures if they fail to meet the legal deadlines set by the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 to fix severe damp and mould issues raised by their council tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Awaab’s Law forms part of social tenancy agreements, meaning social landlords are legally required to comply with its requirements. Where landlords fail to meet those requirements, tenants can seek redress through the courts for breach of contract. If the court finds a landlord in breach, it may order the landlord to remedy the issue and/or pay compensation. Tenants may also pursue complaints through their landlord’s complaints process and subsequently through the Housing Ombudsman Service.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of mould fogging, including the longevity of the results; and what guidance her Department provides on whether such treatments fulfil a landlord's obligation under the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 to make properties with damp and mould safe for their tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Awaab’s Law came into force in the social rented sector on 27 October 2025. As a result, all social landlords must repair all emergency hazards within 24 hours and fix dangerous damp and mould within fixed timescales.
It is for individual landlords to determine the most appropriate course of action to make a property safe, taking account of the circumstances in each case and ensuring they are fulfilling their legal obligations.
Awaab’s Law guidance for social landlords can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has revised the timetable for responding to the report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs entitled Ketamine: an updated review of use and harms, published on 28 January 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (‘ACMD’) published its review of the use and harms of ketamine on 28 January. The report provides a detailed assessment of the evidence on harms and trends in use and includes 15 recommendations.
Ministers have been considering the recommendations carefully and will respond to the report as soon as possible. In advance of that, in October 2025 the Department for Health and Social Care launched a campaign to raise awareness among young people about the dangers of ketamine misuse, and law enforcement is taking action against the threat from criminal gangs supplying the drug.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new Respect Orders introduced in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 on anti-social noise in the vicinity of war memorials.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Respect Orders provide the police and other relevant agencies with a stronger tool to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour. Courts will be able to impose prohibitions or positive requirements on adults who have engaged in, or threatened to engage in, anti-social behaviour, where necessary to prevent further such behaviour. This could include persistent anti-social noise where the statutory tests are met, including in the vicinity of war memorials.
Respect Orders will be available to relevant agencies on 26 October. The Government is developing a monitoring and evaluation approach with analysts and delivery partners to assess how Respect Orders are used and their impact on victims and communities. This will draw on operational data and wider measures of implementation and effectiveness to inform future policy.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 also provides specific protections for specified war memorials and other significant memorials, including a new offence of climbing on them.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy following the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review to include the British Empire and colonialism as statutory content in Key Stage 3 History.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The key stage 3 history curriculum includes the statutory theme, “ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901” through which pupils may study the British empire and colonialism. The flexibility of the history curriculum also allows schools to teach these topics, where relevant, across the 3 key stages.
As we reform the curriculum following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are clear that all pupils should develop a robust understanding of our nation’s history.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to allow people born prior to section 43 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 coming into force on 6th April 2009 to retrospectively amend their birth certificates to include both parents who are of the same sex, where only one parent is currently recorded.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to review these provisions in the act.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has an update on the timetable for responding to the report by the Migration Advisory Committee entitled 'Family visa financial requirements review', published in June 2025.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There is no set date for when we will publish a response to the Migration Advisory Committee’s report. The recommendations are being considered in detail alongside the work being carried out as a result of the Immigration White Paper which made clear that family migration would be reformed to tackle the overly complex family immigration arrangements, including the financial requirements.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill, introduced on 30 June, will deliver a fundamental reset of the balance between individual Article 8 rights and the public interest for those who do not fall within our family policy. This will reflect a fair balance between individual circumstances and the UK’s economic and social interest and is flexible enough to ensure that the most vulnerable are not excluded.
The Home Secretary will respond to the report in due course.