Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking through the criminal justice system to protect children who become victims of stalking.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims, including children, living in fear just going about their daily lives. Recognising children as victims in their own right is vital and this Government will go further to ensure this is put into practice. This Government is fully committed to tackling stalking and doing all that it can to protect victims, including children.

We have appointed Richard Wright KC to lead a review of the stalking legislation to determine whether the law should be changed to support a better understanding and better identification of stalking. It will examine the extent to which the legislation helps or hinders the effective management of stalking cases through the criminal justice system from identification to investigation and prosecution. The full review, including any recommendations, must be submitted to the Secretary of State by the end of March 2026.

We are also delivering on the manifesto commitment to strengthen Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are introducing provisions which, once implemented, would provide for the courts to impose SPOs on conviction and acquittal of their own volition. SPOs are an essential tool designed to protect all victims of stalking at the earliest possible opportunity and address the perpetrator’s behaviours before they become entrenched or escalate in severity. SPOs support existing tools to ensure there are robust protections available to victims, including children.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are also introducing statutory guidance to set out the process by which the police should release identifying information about stalking perpetrators to victims so appropriate safeguards can be put in place, including for any relevant children.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to establish accessible, non-police reporting pathways for (a) children and (b) young people who experience online harassment.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act requires services in scope to take steps to protect children from both illegal content and harmful content, including abusive and bullying content. These services must implement easy-to-use reporting mechanisms for users to report illegal content and content harmful to children. Providers should respond quickly and effectively and signpost children to appropriate support.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans into suitable employment in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Employment support from the Ministry of Defence is available to veterans in Greater Manchester, including the Career Transition Partnership, which can be accessed two years before and two years after leaving Service. In the last year, 88% using this service secured employment within six months. Op ASCEND, available two years after leaving, has helped support over 5,000 veterans and family members into sustainable careers.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to address the role of social media companies in enabling (a) harassment and (b) stalking through their platforms.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act since its implementation in 2023 places legal duties on social media companies to tackle online harms, including harassment and stalking. Platforms must assess risks, swiftly remove illegal content, and implement measures to prevent abuse. They are also required to provide clear reporting tools. Ofcom, the independent regulator, is responsible for ensuring services are complying with their safety duties. The Act also introduced new communications offences, including cyber-flashing and threatening communications, strengthening protections against online harassment and stalking. The Secretary of State is taking steps to make cyberflashing, and assisting and encouraging self-harm priority offences, in addition to stalking and harassment already being priority offences, to strengthen the act further.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include measures to support children in the deepest poverty in the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Heywood and Middleton North, to the answer of [DATE] to Question 82529.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to publish details of (a) findings, (b) good practice and (c) value-for-money assessments from Trailblazer schemes.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.

The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.

The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.

In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) performance metrics and (b) outcome indicators his Department is using to assess Trailblazer schemes; and what role (i) improving mental health, (ii) tackling social isolation and (ii) supporting sustained employment have in those.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.

The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.

The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.

In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to undertake formal evaluation of the Trailblazer schemes currently in operation; and when that will be published.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.

The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.

The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.

In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the appropriate amount of (a) iron and (b) vitamins is in food marketed for children under 36 months.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influence many aspects of wellbeing in later life.

The Department has regulations in place that set nutritional, compositional, and labelling standards for commercial baby food for children from six to 36 months. These include maximum levels of iron, and minimum and maximum levels of some vitamins that can be added to commercial baby food. We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure that the composition of infant food and drinks reflect the latest scientific advice and dietary guidelines. It is the responsibility of individual businesses to ensure they comply with the law and the responsibility of local authorities to enforce the law.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that industry follows Commercial Food and Drink Voluntary Industry Guidelines on health claims.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Voluntary guidelines published in August 2025 require commercial baby food and drink businesses for children under 36 months to restrict implied nutrition and health claims on labels. These claims can lead to parents overestimating the healthiness of the product. Businesses are expected to comply by February 2027.

We will monitor progress after that time, to ensure businesses have the maximum time available to make these changes.

The Government will consider additional or alternative measures if businesses fail to implement these guidelines.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Mrs Elsie Blundell: I have one more. Chair: Sorry, Elsie.

Found: Aquarone (Liberal Democrat; North Norfolk) Dr Scott Arthur (Labour; Edinburgh South West) Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob

The Government has introduced the Railways Bill to Parliament to legislate for its commitment to unify network operations with infrastructure management under a single organisation – Great British Railways.