George Galloway

All applications to register new party descriptions are assessed against the criteria set out in law. The criteria are designed to ensure voters can mark the ballot paper with confidence.

The description referenced was registered 23 years ago. The Commission has since updated its approach to descriptions that feature individuals’ names, to ensure the statutory criteria which prevent voters from being misled or confused are met.

The Commission periodically reviews the registers of political parties to ensure registered details continue to meet the statutory tests. It will consider descriptions that include an individual’s name as part of its programme of future reviews.

Parties have the option to register descriptions which can appear on the ballot paper, instead of the party name. As the registrar for political parties, electoral law requires the Commission to assess whether a party’s description meets the requirements set out in law. If it does not, the description cannot be registered.

If a person, other than the candidate, is named in a description and thus appeared on the ballot paper, it is likely to mislead a voter about the candidate standing in their area. It would not therefore meet the legal requirements for a description, and the Commission would be required to refuse it.

The allocation of postcodes is an operational matter for Royal Mail as an independent business. The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s operational decisions.

This government is committed to providing a world class education system for all children and has invested significantly in education to achieve that. Overall school funding, including the recently announced additional pensions funding, is rising to £60.7 billion in 2024/25, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This means that real terms funding for schools in England has increased rather than decreased since 2010.

Through the National Funding Formula (NFF), funding is distributed fairly based on the needs of each school and their pupils and all schools attract a per pupil increase in funding. Mainstream schools in the Rochdale Constituency are attracting an extra £1 million in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24 through the schools NFF, which is an increase of 1.9% per pupil in their pupil-led funding. This means schools in the Rochdale Constituency will attract over £112.1 million, based on the schools NFF. Constituency figures are based on an aggregation of school-level allocations through the NFF, and final allocations will depend on the local authority’s funding formula.

The Government is committed to eliminating illiteracy and wants all children to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our new English curriculum places a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to learn to read through systematic synthetic phonics, as evidence shows this is the most effective approach to early reading. We do not have plans to introduce a national task force for literacy as we believe poor reading outcomes are best addressed through the implementation of the English curriculum and the other steps we have taken to improve literacy levels for all children, alongside measures to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department believes that good headteachers are best placed to support the needs of their pupils.

To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we have provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. We have also introduced a phonics screening check. The first three years of the check have enabled teachers to identify nearly 568,000 six-year-olds who needed extra support.

For pupils who do not reach the expected level in reading by the end of primary school, we have introduced the Year 7 Catch-up Premium. This funding – £500 per pupil – enables secondary schools to deliver additional support for those pupils that most need it.

The Government has also committed £8.8 billion of pupil premium funding for schools in England for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The pupil premium gives schools the extra resources they need to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds, including in reading outcomes.

The 2014 Key Stage Two results show that our reforms are already having an effect: a record proportion of children (89%) reached the expected standard of reading (up three percentage points from last year). Attainment in reading has increased for disadvantaged pupils from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, an increase of five percentage points.

Unfortunately, pressures on the diary of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, mean she cannot promise to visit Bradford.

The Government is committed to eliminating illiteracy and wants all children to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our new English curriculum places a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to learn to read through systematic synthetic phonics, as evidence shows this is the most effective approach to early reading. We do not have plans to introduce a national task force for literacy as we believe poor reading outcomes are best addressed through the implementation of the English curriculum and the other steps we have taken to improve literacy levels for all children, alongside measures to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department believes that good headteachers are best placed to support the needs of their pupils.

To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we have provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. We have also introduced a phonics screening check. The first three years of the check have enabled teachers to identify nearly 568,000 six-year-olds who needed extra support.

For pupils who do not reach the expected level in reading by the end of primary school, we have introduced the Year 7 Catch-up Premium. This funding – £500 per pupil – enables secondary schools to deliver additional support for those pupils that most need it.

The Government has also committed £8.8 billion of pupil premium funding for schools in England for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The pupil premium gives schools the extra resources they need to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds, including in reading outcomes.

The 2014 Key Stage Two results show that our reforms are already having an effect: a record proportion of children (89%) reached the expected standard of reading (up three percentage points from last year). Attainment in reading has increased for disadvantaged pupils from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, an increase of five percentage points.

Unfortunately, pressures on the diary of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, mean she cannot promise to visit Bradford.

The Government is committed to eliminating illiteracy and wants all children to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our new English curriculum places a renewed focus on the requirement for pupils to learn to read through systematic synthetic phonics, as evidence shows this is the most effective approach to early reading. We do not have plans to introduce a national task force for literacy as we believe poor reading outcomes are best addressed through the implementation of the English curriculum and the other steps we have taken to improve literacy levels for all children, alongside measures to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department believes that good headteachers are best placed to support the needs of their pupils.

To boost the quality of phonics teaching, we have provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. We have also introduced a phonics screening check. The first three years of the check have enabled teachers to identify nearly 568,000 six-year-olds who needed extra support.

For pupils who do not reach the expected level in reading by the end of primary school, we have introduced the Year 7 Catch-up Premium. This funding – £500 per pupil – enables secondary schools to deliver additional support for those pupils that most need it.

The Government has also committed £8.8 billion of pupil premium funding for schools in England for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The pupil premium gives schools the extra resources they need to close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds, including in reading outcomes.

The 2014 Key Stage Two results show that our reforms are already having an effect: a record proportion of children (89%) reached the expected standard of reading (up three percentage points from last year). Attainment in reading has increased for disadvantaged pupils from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, an increase of five percentage points.

Unfortunately, pressures on the diary of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, mean she cannot promise to visit Bradford.

The Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how we want to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042 and move towards a circular economy. In 2023 we published the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) which set out our progress in this area and future plans.

Where the evidence supports the case, we will not hesitate to introduce bans and other measures to limit its use. We have brought in multiple bans and restrictions, including most recently in October 2023, on the supply of many unnecessary single-use plastic items. To tackle the use of virgin plastic and incentivise the use of recycled plastic, the Government brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022.

Meanwhile, our Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging reforms will incentivise businesses to use packaging that is more easily recyclable and where possible, eliminate single-use plastic.

We do not currently intend to publish any further strategies as we continue to work on our plans laid out in the EIP.

National Highways are responsible for litter collection on motorways and some trunk roads. Local authorities manage litter collection on the rest of the roads in England including junctions and verges.

National Highways inspect and grade the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in accordance with Defra’s Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse and litter is picked almost every day on their roads. Their activities are reported and monitored via its corporate Performance Indicator outlined in the Roads Investment Strategy. The Office for Road and Rail also play an important role in monitoring on behalf of the Secretary of State, by ensuring that National Highways’ deliver its commitments.

There are no plans to make such an assessment.

In laying the report before Parliament at the end of March, the Ombudsman has brought matters to the attention of this House, and a further update to the House will be provided once the report's findings have been fully considered.

The information requested in respect of JSA sanctions data is published at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance for users is available at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social

Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

The Department does not remove benefits. A claimant may incur a sanction or become disentitled to their benefit if they do not meet their conditionality requirements.

As with all our policies, we will continue to keep the operation of the sanctions system under review to ensure that it continues to operate effectively and as fairly as possible. We also continue to make improvements as committed to in the Oakley Review, which goes further than the scope of the Review, to include all jobseekers allowance and all employment and support allowance.

We will continue to publish sanctions statistics on a quarterly basis.

The information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Alcohol or drug dependence is rare in young people under the age of 18 years old, although they may be drinking problematically. The most effective and sustainable approach to reducing alcohol and drug harms in young people is by giving them the best start in life, the best education possible, and keeping them safe, well, and happy.

Statutory guidance on relationships, sex, and health education requires all primary and secondary school pupils to be taught the key facts and risks of alcohol and drug use, as well as how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. The Department has worked with the PSHE Association to develop the lesson plans on alcohol and is currently commissioning an update of the resources, to be published later this year. Current resources are available at the following link:

https://pshe-association.org.uk/drugeducation

Through the cross-Government Drug Strategy, the Department has allocated £532 million of additional funding through to 2024/25, to support improvements in alcohol and drug treatment, including facilitating 5,000 more young people into age-appropriate treatment by 2024/25. Local authorities can also invest their allocation in options from a menu of interventions, some of which include strengthening the services available to young people and families.

The Government also has an information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents and concerned others:

https://www.talktofrank.com/

I would be happy to meet with the hon. Member for Rochdale to discuss maternity services at Rochdale Infirmary.

This Government has taken tough decisions to increase the National Health Service budget by £12.7 billion between 2010-11 and 2014-15. During this period, the Government’s NHS reforms will enable total administration costs to reduce by one-third in real terms, to release funding to NHS front-line services. Already, savings arising from the reforms released £1.5 billion last year and £1 billion in 2012-13 to front-line services.

Administration costs as a proportion of total NHS expenditure in the financial year 2013-14 was 2.9%. In 2010-11 the equivalent proportion was 4.3%.

From 2010 to July 2014, the number of infrastructure support staff in the NHS has reduced by from 205,695 to 183,685 a decrease of 21,010 (10.3%) including a decrease of 7,488 (17.7%) in managers and senior managers combined.

Before introducing administration costs in the Spending Review 2010, the Department collected data on NHS “management costs”, part of which now forms a sub-set of the current administration cost definition.

Management costs in primary care trusts/strategic health authorities and NHS trusts as a share of total NHS expenditure in 2003-04 was 3.7%.

Data for years 1984 and 1994 is not available.

This Government remains committed to reducing both management costs within the NHS and administration costs across the system in order to reduce bureaucracy and increase frontline care staff.

We are grateful to Turkey for the close cooperation on all aspects of counter-terrorism work. We continue to work closely with the Turkish National Police Force and Turkish Embassy on this case. It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

The US gave UK Agencies limited sight of some sections of the executive summary prior to its publication.

Our Agencies highlighted a small number of issues in the proposed text where changes would be necessary solely to protect UK national security and intelligence operations. None of these redactions related to allegations of UK involvement in detainee mistreatment.

We did not lobby, at any level, to have information removed or redacted in relation to UK involvement in rendition or mistreatment of detainees. The UK Government did not receive an advance copy of the report before publication.

In July 2010, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) asked Sir Peter Gibson to lead an inquiry into whether Britain was implicated in the improper treatment, or rendition, of detainees held by other countries in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. In December 2013 the Detainee Inquiry published a report on its preparatory work setting out a series of questions which the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament is now considering. This Committee will report to Parliament and to the public on the completion of its work.

The US gave UK Agencies limited sight of some sections of the executive summary prior to its publication. Our Agencies highlighted a small number of issues in the proposed text where changes would be necessary solely to protect UK national security and intelligence operations. None of these redactions related to allegations of UK involvement in detainee mistreatment. We did not lobby, at any level, to have information removed or redacted in relation to UK involvement in rendition or mistreatment of detainees. The UK Government did not receive an advance copy of the report before publication. In July 2010, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) asked Sir Peter Gibson to lead an inquiry into whether Britain was implicated in the improper treatment, or rendition, of detainees held by other countries in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. In December 2013 the Detainee Inquiry published a report on its preparatory work setting out a series of questions which the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament is now considering. This Committee will report to Parliament and to the public on the completion of its work.

The Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to "research
the labour market, social and public service impacts of non-EEA migration; and
to advise on the use of such evidence in cost-benefit analyses of migration
policy decisions". The MAC's report published in 2012 called ‘Analysis of the
Impact of Migration'
(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/25723
5/analysis-of-the-impacts.pdf), suggested that "between 1995 and 2010 an
additional 100 non-EU migrants were associated with a reduction in employment
of 23 native workers".

Recently, the Government published a report on the ‘Impacts of migration on UK
native employment: An analytical review of the evidence'
(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/28708
6/occ109.pdf). This report is a comprehensive review of the evidence around
the displacement effect of migrants on UK native employment and builds on the
MAC 2012 report.

In addition, a report on the ‘Employment and Occupational skill levels among UK
and foreign nationals'
(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/28250
3/occ108.pdf) finds that over most of the last decade, employment levels in the
UK rose faster among foreign nationals than among UK nationals. However, this
pattern has reversed, and over the last year around 90 per cent of employment
growth was accounted for by UK nationals.

Dependants of British citizens from non-EU countries who wish to enter the UK
are required to apply for entry under the Immigration Rules. In line with its
legislative powers, the Home Office sets immigration and nationality fees to
reflect the administrative cost of processing an application as well as
benefits and entitlements that may accrue if an applicant is successful. These
fees apply to foreign national family members of British citizens applying for
entry under the Immigration Rules. The Home Office believes that it is right
that those who use and benefit most from the immigration system contribute to
its running costs.

The rights of EU nationals to live and work in other European Union Member
States, and to be accompanied by their non-EU family members, are set out in
European Union law, in Directive 2004/38/EC ("the Free Movement Directive"), by
which all EU Member States are bound. The Free Movement Directive does not
cover the rights of EU citizens living in their country of nationality, so it
does not apply to British nationals living in the UK. The Free Movement
Directive requires Member States to issue entry clearance visas to non-EU
family members of EU nationals free of charge.

Dependants of British citizens from non-EU countries who wish to enter the UK
are required to apply for entry under the Immigration Rules. In line with its
legislative powers, the Home Office sets immigration and nationality fees to
reflect the administrative cost of processing an application as well as
benefits and entitlements that may accrue if an applicant is successful. These
fees apply to foreign national family members of British citizens applying for
entry under the Immigration Rules. The Home Office believes that it is right
that those who use and benefit most from the immigration system contribute to
its running costs.

The rights of EU nationals to live and work in other European Union Member
States, and to be accompanied by their non-EU family members, are set out in
European Union law, in Directive 2004/38/EC ("the Free Movement Directive"), by
which all EU Member States are bound. The Free Movement Directive does not
cover the rights of EU citizens living in their country of nationality, so it
does not apply to British nationals living in the UK. The Free Movement
Directive requires Member States to issue entry clearance visas to non-EU
family members of EU nationals free of charge.

The Net Additional Costs of Military Operations will be identified and reported in the Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 24417 on 8 May 2024.

As set out in my answer to Question UIN 24168 on 3 May 2024, the English Housing Survey sets out levels of damp and mould in all tenures of residential accommodation. Details are available online.

For more information on the health impacts of damp and mould in homes, please see our consolidated guidance developed with the Department of Health and Social Care. It can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers.

Following the tragic death of the two-year-old Awaab Ishak, due to the appalling housing conditions that Awaab Ishak and his family had to live in, the Secretary of State summoned the leadership of their landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, to explain why such catastrophic failures had been allowed to happen. The Government has also legislated for ‘Awaab’s law’, introduced via the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.

In his written statement of 9 January 2024 (HCWS174) the Secretary of State launched a consultation on how ‘Awaab’s law’ will operate in practice, including the specific requirements on social landlords. The consultation closed on 5 March 2024 and we are analysing the responses. Once this has been completed, we will bring forward secondary legislation as soon as possible.

The department, last year, provided £15 million of funding to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to tackle the worst cases of damp and mould. They have now completed improvements to around 4,000 homes.