Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 80AA(1) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing Georgia from the list of safe states for the purposes of section 80A.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Section 80AA of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (as amended and inserted by section 59 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023) provides for a list of generally safe states for whom asylum and human rights claims would be declared inadmissible; Georgia was added to that list by regulations.

Our current assessment of the situation in Georgia is set out in the relevant Country Policy and Information Notes, which are available on the gov.uk website.

We will continue to monitor the situation, working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Should we consider that Georgia – or any other designated state – no longer meets the relevant criteria, we would ask Parliament to make the necessary amendments to the list.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support LGBT people seeking asylum.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum and human rights claims admitted to the UK system, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity, are considered in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

With specific respect to LGBT+ asylum seekers, whilst they are registering their claim, the Home Office ensures that these claimants are signposted to relevant NGOs specialising in the support of LGBT+ individuals. This is done through an information leaflet given to all asylum claimants at the point of claim which includes sections on legal advice, additional help and assistance with links to relevant legal bodies and support organisations.

The Home Office remains committed to delivering an asylum system that is responsive to all forms of persecution including those based on sexuality or gender identity and which supports claimants in providing all information relevant to their claim to facilitate fair and sustainable asylum decisions.

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 greater accessibility to healthcare for deaf people.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are required to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss, including deaf people.

NHS England has undertaken a review of the AIS. The review considered its effectiveness, how it is implemented and enforced in practice, and identified recommendations for improvement.

The revised standard is being reviewed with a view to publication, in the meantime NHS England will continue work to support implementation with awareness raising, communication and engagement and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure by several routes that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the current standard implemented in 2016 and the importance of meeting the needs of disabled people using services.

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 improve the accessibility of healthcare (a) information and (b) communication for deaf patients using British Sign Language.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are required to comply with the Accessible Information Standard and meet the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment or sensory loss, including patients using British Sign Language (BSL).

NHS England has undertaken a review of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), and a revised standard is being reviewed with a view to publication. Within the revised standard and implementation guide, there is specific mention of BSL in ‘requirements to implementing the standard’. These include organisations identifying and recording needs and ensuring that BSL interpreters meet the appropriate professional registrations.

The British Sign Language Act 2022 provides the legal recognition of BSL and helps to promote and facilitate its use. The Act also provides a specific duty on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to prepare and publish a "British Sign Language report". This is a report describing what each named ministerial department has done to promote and facilitate the use of British Sign Language in their public communications. The Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people, including Deaf BSL users, and will publish this data in the coming months.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to revise the Accessible Information Standard to improve accessibility to healthcare for deaf people.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are required to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss.

NHS England has completed a review as part of its revision of the AIS. The review considered the effectiveness of the current AIS, how the standard is implemented and enforced in practice, and identified recommendations for improvement.

Once the revised standard receives publishing approval, NHS England will support implementation of it to ensure NHS staff are better aware of the standard and their roles and responsibilities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to publish the sixth stage of the Accessible Information Standard.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A revised Accessible Information Standard (AIS) is being reviewed with a view to publication, and will include the sixth stage. The sixth stage requires consistent and regular reviews of people’s information and communication needs in patient or service user records on clinical management or administration systems.

In the meantime, NHS England is continuing to work to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the National Health Service are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using these services.

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 help ensure greater accessibility to healthcare (a) information and (b) communication for people with sensory impairments.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers a required to adhere to the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. The AIS conformance criteria, published in 2016, set out how organisations should comply with the AIS, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/patient-equalities-programme/equality-frameworks-and-information-standards/accessibleinfo/resources/assess-conformance/

The responsibility for monitoring compliance with the AIS sits with the commissioner of the service.

NHS England has completed a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision.

A revised AIS is being reviewed with a view to publication, and in the meantime NHS England is continuing to work to support implementation with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using these services.

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 support Start for Life services in Sheffield; and if he will make it his policy to extend funding beyond 1 April 2025.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is central to the Government’s commitments to give every baby the best start in life, and to deliver the healthiest generation of children ever.

Sheffield is one of 75 local authorities the Government is funding to ensure parents and carers can access Start for Life services from conception to the age of two years old. We work closely with them to support programme implementation across all funded strands, and they have opened seven Family Hub sites with Start for Life services at their heart since 2023. We also signpost policy toolkits, provide guidance, and facilitate the sharing of good practice between local authorities.

The Autumn Budget announcement included £69 million to continue delivery of a network of Family Hubs in 2025/26. The Department will confirm Start for Life funding in due course.

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Written questions (WPQs) allow MPs to ask for information on the work, policy and activities of Government departments, related bodies, and the administration of Parliament.

On 23 October 2024, the House agreed to reintroduce proxy voting arrangements for serious long-term illness and injury by making changes to Standing Order No. 39A. These arrangements mirror those that were in place at the end of the last Parliament. They are, however, time limited, and will expire at the end of the present Session of Parliament.  

In the July 2024 General Election, a record six independent candidates were elected to the House of Commons. In September 2024, five of those MPs informed the Speaker that they were forming an independent grouping in Parliament as a ‘technical group’, rather than a political party.  This letter has given rise to questions about the status of parliamentary groupings under House of Commons procedures, and the status of independent MPs as a whole.

Reforms introduced following the publication of the 2009 Report of the Reform of the House of Commons Committee, Rebuilding the House (‘the Wright Report’, so named after the Chair of the Committee, Tony Wright MP) included the election by the whole House for positions such as some select committee chairs and the Deputy Speakers.

Call lists, or speakers lists, exist in many legislatures around the world, and were employed in the House of Commons during the Covid-19 pandemic to regulate the flow of debates in virtual/hybrid proceedings. Call lists can be a helpful tool in giving Members an indication of when they will be called to speak in a debate, and thus to plan their days more effectively, and in enabling the chair of a debate to decide time limits. However, there are also concerns about their impact on the flow of the debate.