Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures her Department is taking to protect people living in the UK against (a) harassment (b) abuse (c) intimidation and (d) other forms of harm carried out by other states engaged in transnational repression in the UK.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and we are committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated.

We have a broad suite of powers available to counter transnational repression, and we continue to implement measures in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts. On 4 March, I announced a new package of training for frontline police officers and staff to increase their understanding of foreign state threats. This training will improve law enforcement’s ability to detect and investigate incidents which may be state-directed.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s existing response to transnational repression to ensure it is robust and joined across government and law enforcement. In the interim, anyone who thinks they might be at risk should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.

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 potential implications for his policies of the Institute of Cancer Research's report entitled Cost-utility analysis of adding abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone to long-term hormone therapy in newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer in England: Lifetime decision model based on STAMPEDE trial data, published on 2 June 2022.

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

Abiraterone has a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for the treatment of metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer before chemotherapy is indicated, and for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen. It has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use within these licensed indications. It is currently routinely funded by the National Health Service in England for its NICE-recommended indications, in line with the legal requirement.

Abiraterone does not have a UK marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of hormone sensitive, non-metastatic prostate cancer. Decisions on routine NHS funding for cancer medicines outside of their licensed indications, or “off-label”, are taken by NHS England through its specialised commissioning function, taking into account the available evidence and affordability.

NHS England considered abiraterone as an off-label treatment for hormone sensitive, non-metastatic prostate cancer through its clinical policy development process in 2024/25. Through this process, NHS England confirmed that there was sufficient supporting evidence to support the routine commissioning of abiraterone in this indication, and it was ranked in the highest priority level. However, NHS England could not identify the necessary recurrent funding to support commissioning of abiraterone, or any other treatments within the prioritisation round.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help close the education attainment gap.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. However, this government knows that too many children and young people face barriers to learning. This is not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success, helping all children achieve and thrive.

High and rising standards across education are at the heart of this mission and the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for children and young people. The department aims to deliver these improvements through excellent teaching and leadership, a high quality curriculum and a system that removes barriers to learning, all of which will be underpinned by strong and clear accountability.

The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is why the department is committed to recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers.

The department has also launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.

To strengthen school improvement, the new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools.

Recognising the importance of supporting children’s attendance and attainment, the government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state funded school with primary-aged children.

The pupil premium grant also provides funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. Pupil premium funding will rise to over £3 billion in 2025/26, an increase of almost 5% from 2024/25.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered removing the exemption for both parties being within the dwelling in section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1988.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government regularly reviews legislation to ensure it safeguards the public and adequately reflects challenges that are likely to be faced today. Where we identify gaps in the legislation, we will seek to address them.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle nursery staff recruitment and retention shortages.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to giving children the best start in life and has set the ambition through the government’s Plan for Change for a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. The department will measure our progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage by 2028. A high quality and sufficient workforce is fundamental to this.

The department is supporting early years providers to attract talented staff by creating conditions for improved recruitment. Our national recruitment campaign is encouraging the public to ‘Do something Big’ and start a career working with small children. A dedicated campaign website is also helping people find out more about gaining qualifications and search existing job vacancies. We are also piloting whether £1,000 financial incentives may boost recruitment and running Skills Bootcamps for early years which can lead to accelerated apprenticeships.

The department recently announced the experience-based route, which enables early years providers to maximise the potential of staff who have the right skills and experience but do not hold an approved qualification. We have also taken steps to increase the graduate workforce via the early years teacher degree apprenticeship, providing a new undergraduate route to gaining early years teacher status.

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 access to NHS dental services for people in wheelchairs.

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

The Government’s ambition is to make sure that everyone who needs a dentist can get one, and we are tackling the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and by recruiting new dentists to areas that need them most.

Community dental services are available to people whose additional needs may mean they are not able to be treated at high street dental practices. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and are therefore able to decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations.

Integrated care boards are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and to determine the local priorities for investment.

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 accessibility to NHS dental services for disabled users without access to transport.

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

The Government’s ambition is to make sure that everyone who needs a dentist can get one, and we are tackling the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and by recruiting new dentists to areas that need them most.

Community dental services are available to people whose additional needs may mean they are not able to be treated at high street dental practices. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and are therefore able to decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations.

Integrated care boards are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and to determine the local priorities for investment.

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 access to specialist NHS dental services for people with disabilities.

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

We are committed to ensuring National Health Service dental services are available to all who need them. The January 2025 Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) report on community dental services (CDS) highlighted several known challenges in the operation and monitoring of CDS. NHS England and the Department have taken the recommendations on board and are working to improve the data reporting process to increase oversight of CDS activity, including current waiting lists and performance reporting.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and determine the local priorities for investment.

On 5 October 2024, NHS England announced a new dental check-up service for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The dental check-ups will be offered to all special residential schools and colleges across England from next year and will reach around 18,000 children and young people. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/10/nhs-rolls-out-free-eyesight-hearing-and-dental-checks-for-children-at-residential-special-schools/

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase awareness that military compensation should not be treated as income in means tests for statutory support.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) collaborate closely to ensure the current practice of how their respective schemes and benefits work together, and any proposed changes, are communicated and considered. Advice is available on gov.uk for those seeking further guidance - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/veterans-uk-contact-us

The DWP already applies different treatment for Armed Forces compensation payments across the benefit system in comparison to other groups. This reflects the nature of the payments to compensate those who have made significant sacrifices for our country.

For example, Universal Credit fully disregards War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation payments. This means that payments under these Schemes do not impact the eligibility or amount of benefit to which individuals might be entitled. Other social security benefits may partially or fully disregard Armed Forces-related compensation payments. This will be dependent on the type of benefit being considered, as different benefits have different criteria.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department provides to (a) service personnel and their families and (b) people leaving the services to improve financial resilience.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works in close partnership with several financial institutions including three not-for-profit Credit Unions which make up the MOD’s Joining Forces Credit Union initiative. Joining Forces Credit Union provides Service personnel, their partners, families, and dependants, with access face-to-face and online financial awareness briefings to help improve financial resilience with an emphasis on encouraging a savings culture and deterring the use of ‘pay day loan companies’.

All Service leavers are entitled to support from the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). Service leavers are encouraged to attend The Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) brief which is a single day course designed to help them access financial awareness and long-term planning information, tax, pensions, and benefits advice. There are 11 resettlement hubs around the UK, located in areas where the majority of Service personnel choose to settle.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Thames Water on the use of their emergency loan.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government and Ofwat – the financial regulator for the water sector – are carefully monitoring the situation, and Ofwat is working closely with the company to strengthen their long-term financial resilience within the context of its license and broader statutory obligations.

Fundamentally it is for the company to solve their issues of financial resilience. It is not for the Government to tell a private company how to manage their finances.

It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. We prepare for a range of scenarios across our regulated industries – including water – like any responsible Government would.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a legal right to consular assistance for British nationals.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is committed to strengthening consular services, including the introduction of a right in cases of human rights violations. Ministers are currently considering options to achieve this, which we will announce in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will introduce a ban on pavement parking in town centres outside of London.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation in 2020 and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS community dental services for people with disabilities.

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

We are committed to ensuring National Health Service dental services are available to all who need them. The January 2025 Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) report on community dental services (CDS) highlighted several known challenges in the operation and monitoring of CDS. NHS England and the Department have taken the recommendations on board and are working to improve the data reporting process to increase oversight of CDS activity, including current waiting lists and performance reporting.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and determine the local priorities for investment.

On 5 October 2024, NHS England announced a new dental check-up service for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The dental check-ups will be offered to all special residential schools and colleges across England from next year and will reach around 18,000 children and young people. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/10/nhs-rolls-out-free-eyesight-hearing-and-dental-checks-for-children-at-residential-special-schools/

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of army recruits participating in the long course at the Army Foundation College left the army before completing the course in 2024.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Of the 707 Junior Entry trainees that were due to complete training in 2024 as a result of starting the long course at the Army Foundation College in 2023, 198 left and discharged from training prior to completing the course. This equated to 28% of the total discharging from the course prior to completion.

The main reason for early discharge was individuals exercising their “Discharge As Of Right”, i.e. voluntary discharge. An average of 167 personnel discharged voluntarily between 2013 and 2023.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will apply to armed forces initial training establishments that accept under-18-year-olds.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will strengthen multi-agency working between local authorities, health, police and education and childcare settings, and those settings will be designated in regulations. The department expects safeguarding partners to work together with relevant agencies to promote the welfare of children in their local area regardless of what type of education or training establishment they are attending.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what percentage of NHS dental appointments for people with disabilities were (i) missed, (ii) cancelled and (iii) delayed in the year 2024 and (b) if he will provide comparative figures for the same year on these metrics for non-disabled people that used NHS dental services.

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

Data is not held on the percentage of National Health Service dental appointments that were missed, cancelled or delayed. The Government recognises that certain groups of patients such as people with disabilities may find it difficult to access dental care. We are committed to ensuring NHS dental services are available to all who need them.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the (a) two-child cap and (b) benefit cap for families in receipt of Universal Credit.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including considering social security reforms, before publishing a strategy that will deliver lasting change.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of environmental contamination caused by sewage discharges by water companies in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

To further support understanding of the impact that sewage discharges have on the receiving watercourse, a programme to rollout Continuous Water Quality Monitors is beginning in Price Review period (PR24), which runs from 2025-2030. Monitors will be installed near 25% of storm overflows and sewage treatment works in scope for the programme in this period. Sites prioritised for monitoring will be based on Defra’s priority areas.

During PR24, Thames Water will invest £784 million to reduce the use of storm overflows, including in the Epsom and Ewell constituency. Additional improvement actions also include increasing treatment capacity at sewage works, providing storage for high flows, reducing flows entering the system and provision of treatment for storm overflows which are separate from the main treatment route.

There are no sewage treatment works in the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

Access to football pitches for women and girls

Congratulating Barry Ahearn

Dementia strategy for Devon

Ukrainian Action Team Devon

Abduction of Ukrainian children

Work of the Royal British Legion in Stratford-on-Avon

Israeli Defence Force attacks on humanitarian workers

Protecting children from data exploitation

Disability hate crime

Festival Medical Services and Ukraine

Strode College awarded the CyberFirst Silver Award

Libraries in state primary schools

Whitchurch banking hub

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Scams and fraud

Radiotherapy (No. 2)

Funding for the BBC World Service

Support for the World Health Organization

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Second anniversary of Eco Action Hub for Maidenhead and Windsor

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance 25th anniversary

Renewal of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Safety regulations for large-scale battery storage facilities

Funding for schools in South Cambridgeshire

Support for young disabled people after education

Snares

DARC in Wales

Bank closures

Support for Saturday clubs

Honouring the life of Ray Merlin Rutter

Sharrington phone box

Banking hubs

Solar panels at Deanland Wood Park

10th anniversary of the English Riviera Film Festival

The Alban Bun

Rowcroft Hospice

Found: _NC1 Wera Hobhouse Steve Darling Ian Sollom Caroline Voaden Daisy Cooper Helen Morgan Helen Maguire

Found: _NC1 Wera Hobhouse Steve Darling Ian Sollom Caroline Voaden Daisy Cooper Helen Morgan Helen Maguire

Found: _NC1 Wera Hobhouse Steve Darling Ian Sollom Caroline Voaden Daisy Cooper Helen Morgan Helen Maguire

Found: Negatived on division_363 Wera Hobhouse Naz Shah Sarah Olney Peter Lamb Margaret Mullane Helen Maguire

Found: Negatived on division_363 Wera Hobhouse Naz Shah Sarah Olney Peter Lamb Margaret Mullane Helen Maguire

Found: Negatived on division_363 Wera Hobhouse Naz Shah Sarah Olney Peter Lamb Margaret Mullane Helen Maguire

Found: Richard Quigley Ian Byrne Nadia Whittome Ellie Chowns Chris Law Dr Simon Opher Jon Trickett Helen Maguire

Found: Richard Quigley Ian Byrne Nadia Whittome Ellie Chowns Chris Law Dr Simon Opher Jon Trickett Helen Maguire