Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to extend the availability of DNA spit kits to licensed private hire drivers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Violence against transport workers is unacceptable and something I take very seriously. That is why my Department's best practice guidance to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England sets out my expectations for the sector including assessing risks to private hire vehicle drivers whilst they are at work. This could include the provision of 'spit kits' to help deter such repellent behaviour.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of protections for overseas (a) health and (b) social care workers on a visa sponsorship arrangement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government condemns the exploitation of international care workers by rogue employers in the adult social care sector and continues to take robust action against this unscrupulous behaviour.
We have recently implemented a prohibition on Skilled Worker sponsors recouping sponsorship costs from those they sponsor, and those doing so now risk losing their licence. We are also working to ensure sponsorship and employment systems are more strongly aligned.
On 9 April we further clarified our Skilled Worker salary assessment rules to make clear that sponsors cannot inflate wages by including loans for the worker’s immigration application.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes based on religion in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 37961 on 20 March 2025.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support jobs in the defence sector.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is not just the cornerstone of national security, but it is also an engine for growth.
The Defence Industrial Strategy will deliver good jobs and rewarding careers in Defence, that support communities across our nations.
I am also working with my Ministerial colleagues as part of a cross-Government effort to identify and grow the skills the UK defence sector will need for the future.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to reform the leasehold system.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve access to pension information and (b) introduce the Pension Dashboards Scheme.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government ensures everyone has access to free impartial pension guidance through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). Their MoneyHelper service provides guidance to the public on all areas of UK pensions. In September 2024, MaPS launched a new digital service to give individuals more choice on how to access guidance from Pension Wise, which is part of MoneyHelper.
Pensions dashboards will improve access to pensions information by allowing people to view information about their pensions, including the State Pension, securely and in one place online. This will help promote greater engagement with pensions information, empowering people to better prepare for retirement. MaPS oversees the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) which is responsible for designing and implementing the digital architecture that will make pensions dashboards work.
PDP continues to test the connection journeys of around 20 ‘voluntary participant’ organisations. This activity will help support the connection of pension schemes and providers to the dashboards digital architecture from April 2025, in line with the published timetable. The connection of schemes and providers in line with the dates in guidance will enable MaPS and PDP to undertake user testing, in turn helping to inform the launch of dashboard services at the earliest possible point. Further information on dashboards delivery progress is set out in PDP’s update report, published biannually on the Pensions Dashboards Programme website: www.pensionsdashboardsprogramme.org.uk/progress-update-report.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham & Beckton constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.
The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.
This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
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 GP provision in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve patient access.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that patients are struggling to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to improving GP provision and access to appointments across the country, including in the West Ham and Beckton constituency.
In October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will both increase the number of GPs employed and the number of appointments delivered in general practice, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to receive the care they desperately deserve. This will also secure the future supply of GPs and take pressure off the existing workforce. Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract for 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. We are currently consulting the profession on key proposals to improve access, continuity of care and GP recruitment.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
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 tackle health inequalities in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy varying widely across and within communities. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups.
Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services in England include NHS England’s ‘Core 20 Plus 5’, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20 percent of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.
The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities’ London Regional Team provides system leadership for population health and reducing health inequalities across London. Partners are working together to deliver the Health and Care Vision for London, which sets out a shared ambition to make London the healthiest global city, and the best global city in which to receive health and care services. The Vision aims to tackle issues that cause poor health and health inequalities.
The Mayor of London has set out his aims and objectives for addressing health inequalities in London. This sets the direction of travel for collaborative working by the Mayor of London, partners and communities to tackle health inequalities.
Newham Local Authority received £34.2 million in Public Health Grant funding in 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, health visiting/school nursing, sexual health, and NHS Health Checks among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities. Newham Local Authority, the National Health Service and other partners are working together to improve health equity and address the social determinants of health, including through the ‘50 Steps to a Healthier Newham’ Strategy and the Newham Centre for Health Equity.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
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 help prevent childhood obesity.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, and is particularly concentrated in the most deprived areas.
Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of our Health Mission. We face a childhood obesity crisis and this government is taking action.
We have acted to end the targeting of junk food ads at children. We’ve also given local authorities stronger powers to block applications for unhealthy takeaways near schools to put children first.