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 suspension of refugee family reunion and the introduction of income-threshold requirements for family reunification on women and children.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The decision on whether to publish equality impact assessments, considered through the development of the announced asylum reforms, will be taken by Ministers once the policy development stage has concluded.

The Government recognises the importance of family, including for this vulnerable group of individuals. However, as a responsible Government, we have to recognise the pressures that are being placed on public services, in part as a result of the number of people arriving under refugee family reunion.

The current pressures are not sustainable and we have to take urgent action to help manage the burdens that are being felt by local authorities and public services more generally. Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.

The Government is committed to meeting its obligations and to providing effective support to ensure that victims are assisted in their recovery from their experiences of exploitation or trafficking. We are carefully considering the impact of proposed reforms on victims of trafficking and exploitation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish equality impact assessments for new asylum reforms.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The decision on whether to publish equality impact assessments, considered through the development of the announced asylum reforms, will be taken by Ministers once the policy development stage has concluded.

The Government recognises the importance of family, including for this vulnerable group of individuals. However, as a responsible Government, we have to recognise the pressures that are being placed on public services, in part as a result of the number of people arriving under refugee family reunion.

The current pressures are not sustainable and we have to take urgent action to help manage the burdens that are being felt by local authorities and public services more generally. Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.

The Government is committed to meeting its obligations and to providing effective support to ensure that victims are assisted in their recovery from their experiences of exploitation or trafficking. We are carefully considering the impact of proposed reforms on victims of trafficking and exploitation.

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 compliance with legal requirements in proposed asylum reforms on victims of trafficking.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The decision on whether to publish equality impact assessments, considered through the development of the announced asylum reforms, will be taken by Ministers once the policy development stage has concluded.

The Government recognises the importance of family, including for this vulnerable group of individuals. However, as a responsible Government, we have to recognise the pressures that are being placed on public services, in part as a result of the number of people arriving under refugee family reunion.

The current pressures are not sustainable and we have to take urgent action to help manage the burdens that are being felt by local authorities and public services more generally. Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.

The Government is committed to meeting its obligations and to providing effective support to ensure that victims are assisted in their recovery from their experiences of exploitation or trafficking. We are carefully considering the impact of proposed reforms on victims of trafficking and exploitation.

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 visa brake on nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan on women at risk of gender-based and sexual violence.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Equality Impact Assessments have been completed in line with the Equality Act 2010 for the visa brakes on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.

The UK takes its humanitarian, development, and conflict prevention work seriously and remains committed to supporting countries affected by conflict, instability, and poverty. In Afghanistan, the UK’s £151 million aid programme (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides lifesaving support to vulnerable communities, with a commitment that at least half of those reached are women and girls.

The UK is committed to supporting people in Sudan, Myanmar, and neighbouring regions. The UK provides £146 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan this financial year, assisting over 2.5 million people since the conflict began in 2023. In Myanmar, the UK continues to support a more stable future for the population, providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1.4 million people in the past year and essential health services to 1.3 million. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has supplied over £190 million in assistance to help address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.

As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. Work is underway to develop these routes, including confirming the eligibility criteria and the number of places to be made available for each new safe and legal route.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what programmes are available to encourage businesses to provide industrial secondments to university lecturers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

The government encourages work experience through various initiatives spanning various departments. The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s Industrial, Trade and Small Business Strategies, which were developed in partnership with business, with positive feedback from leading business organisations. For example, the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2 billion of investment in the skills system by 2028/29.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

It is for individual universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assistance is being provided to businesses to help them offer work placements to undergraduates.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Economic growth is the central mission of this government and is vital to give the next generation the opportunities to thrive.

The government encourages work experience through various initiatives spanning various departments. The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s Industrial, Trade and Small Business Strategies, which were developed in partnership with business, with positive feedback from leading business organisations. For example, the Industrial Strategy will provide an additional £1.2 billion of investment in the skills system by 2028/29.

Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own courses. This includes decisions on whether to offer internships, work placements or industrial secondments.

It is for individual universities to work with businesses to develop and manage these opportunities in ways that best meet the needs of their students, employers and academic staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the funding per student in English further education colleges in 2010, 2024 and 2025-26.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The table below uses the published 16 to 19 funding allocations to derive the average total programme funding per student in general further education (FE) colleges, for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years. The figures are not available for 2010 to 2011.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with exam boards on offering GCSEs in Tamil.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC – rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Tamil GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Professional Standards Authority regarding the effectiveness of the i) General Medical Council ii) Health and Care Professions Council to protect patient safety.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) oversees the 10 statutory bodies that regulate healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom and social workers in England. This includes the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

It scrutinises the work of the regulatory bodies by monitoring and reporting on their performance against its Standards of Good Regulation, auditing decisions made during investigations into complaints about registrants’ practise, and making referrals or appeals to the relevant court if it considers that a final fitness to practise decision is insufficient to protect the public. In its 2024/25 performance review assessments, the PSA reported that the HCPC had met 17 out of 18 Standards of Good Regulation and the GMC had met all 18 standards.

Professional regulators are not subject to the statutory Duty of Candour, which applies to health and social care providers, nor to the professional Duty of Candour, which applies to individual registrants. However, the PSA expects regulators to operate in ways that reflect the principles underpinning the Duty of Candour, including openness, transparency, and accountability. In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the PSA, are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

In January, I met with the PSA to discuss how it carries out its oversight role and the PSA’s new Standards for regulators and Accredited registers. The updated standards will strengthen requirements on regulators and Accredited Registers with regards to public protection, learning, and improvement. The new standards will also strengthen expectations that regulators’ governing bodies and senior leaders promote openness, transparency, and learning, including how organisations respond when things go wrong and how they maintain public confidence through clear accountability and reporting.

Officials from the Department hold regular meetings with the PSA to discuss all aspects of its work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Professional Standards Authority regarding the extent to which Duty of Candour principles are embedded in the conduct of i) General Medical Council ii) Health and Care Professions Council.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) oversees the 10 statutory bodies that regulate healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom and social workers in England. This includes the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

It scrutinises the work of the regulatory bodies by monitoring and reporting on their performance against its Standards of Good Regulation, auditing decisions made during investigations into complaints about registrants’ practise, and making referrals or appeals to the relevant court if it considers that a final fitness to practise decision is insufficient to protect the public. In its 2024/25 performance review assessments, the PSA reported that the HCPC had met 17 out of 18 Standards of Good Regulation and the GMC had met all 18 standards.

Professional regulators are not subject to the statutory Duty of Candour, which applies to health and social care providers, nor to the professional Duty of Candour, which applies to individual registrants. However, the PSA expects regulators to operate in ways that reflect the principles underpinning the Duty of Candour, including openness, transparency, and accountability. In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the PSA, are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

In January, I met with the PSA to discuss how it carries out its oversight role and the PSA’s new Standards for regulators and Accredited registers. The updated standards will strengthen requirements on regulators and Accredited Registers with regards to public protection, learning, and improvement. The new standards will also strengthen expectations that regulators’ governing bodies and senior leaders promote openness, transparency, and learning, including how organisations respond when things go wrong and how they maintain public confidence through clear accountability and reporting.

Officials from the Department hold regular meetings with the PSA to discuss all aspects of its work.

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 Health and Care Professions Council meets the Professional Standards Authority Standard 15 on the time taken to conclude cases.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government takes the performance of the health and care professional regulators, including the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), very seriously.

On 27 June 2025, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) published its 2024/25 performance review of the HCPC. The HCPC met 17 out of 18 of the PSA’s standards of good regulation but failed to meet standard 15.

On 29 October 2025, I met with the Chair and Chief Executive of the HCPC to discuss the PSA’s performance review of the HCPC. I expect the HCPC to improve its performance against standard 15.

During this parliamentary term, the Government will reform the HCPC’s legislative framework, which will allow it to operate a more efficient fitness to practise process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider standardising the disciplinary sanctions available to healthcare regulators at the closure of cases.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to modernising the regulation of all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom. As a first step, on 24 March 2026, we published our Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, which sets out proposals to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework. The consultation runs until 23 June 2026. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-general-medical-council-legislative-framework/reforming-the-general-medical-council-legislative-framework-consultation-document

The draft General Medical Council Order 2026 includes a modernised fitness to practise process, including standardising the final registration measures that should be available to case examiners and fitness to practise panels at the end of fitness to practise proceedings.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation and the parliamentary process, the Government plans to roll out this fitness to practise process to the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council during this UK parliamentary term, and to all regulators in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the provision for i) patients ii) family members of deceased patients to contribute to Fitness to Practice proceedings overseen by i) General Medical Council ii) Health and Care Professions Council.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The regulators of registered healthcare professionals, including the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), are independent of the Government, as they are directly accountable to Parliament and responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.

Anyone can raise concerns directly with the relevant regulator and contribute information or evidence as part of Fitness to Practise proceedings. This includes patients, family members, and third parties. Both the GMC and HCPC publish guidance and provide support for such witnesses who are involved in these proceedings.

While the Department regularly engages with the GMC and HCPC on a range of issues, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not made a separate assessment of these provisions, which sit within the regulators’ statutory responsibilities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendation for the creation of a single assurance body proposed by the Professional Standards Authority in its report Regulation Rethought.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has no plans to implement the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care’s proposal to create a single assurance body for all healthcare professionals, as set out in its 2016 Regulation Rethought report.

The Government is committed to reforming the regulation of healthcare professionals across the United Kingdom, and on 24 March published its Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, which sets out proposals to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework. The consultation runs until 23 June 2026, and further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-general-medical-council-legislative-framework/reforming-the-general-medical-council-legislative-framework-consultation-document

We also plan to deliver legislative reform for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council during this UK parliamentary term.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of information to (a) patients and (b) family members of deceased patients about making a formal complaint in the event of (i) injury and (ii) death following medical treatment.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are a wide range of sources of information for patients and family members about making a complaint about any aspect of National Health Service care, treatment, or services.

Under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009, NHS organisations must make information available on their arrangements for handling complaints, and those arrangements should ensure complainants receive assistance to enable them to understand the complaints procedure.

Patient Advice and Liaison Services is a free, confidential service, available in most NHS hospitals, that provides information, advice, and support to resolve issues affecting NHS patients, including how to make a formal complaint. Other sources of independent advocacy are available to support those thinking about making a complaint about NHS services, including the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service, which local authorities have a legal duty to provide.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging education employers to promote membership of a credit union to teachers and non-teaching staff.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is a strong supporter of the mutual sector, including credit unions. The department is not the employer of any school staff, and it would therefore be inappropriate to encourage or recommend membership to specific financial products or institutions.