Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) reinstate and (b) extend funding for opt-out testing for Hepatitis B and C in A&Es.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Emergency Department opt-out testing programme will continue to test individuals for bloodborne viruses, including HIV and viral hepatitis, in line with committed funding plans.
None of the funding already committed has been removed from sites offering opt-out testing for viral hepatitis. NHS England is currently reviewing its budgetary position, with a view to determining whether funding can be made available to extend the provision of opt-out testing for viral hepatitis. In particular, NHS England is reviewing this for sites whose committed funding will end during 2025.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to expand the emergency department bloodborne virus opt-out testing programme to (a) King’s Mill Hospital, (b) Lincoln County Hospital, (c) Pilgrim Hospital and (d) other sites in the East Midlands.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Emergency Department opt-out testing programme will continue to test individuals for bloodborne viruses, including HIV and viral hepatitis, in line with committed funding plans.
None of the funding already committed has been removed from sites offering opt-out testing for viral hepatitis. NHS England is currently reviewing its budgetary position, with a view to determining whether funding can be made available to extend the provision of opt-out testing for viral hepatitis. In particular, NHS England is reviewing this for sites whose committed funding will end during 2025.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will include within the remit of Skills England a requirement to help support (a) British National (Overseas) visa holders and (b) other migrants to access (i) training and (ii) employment.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Skills England will play a critical part in the government’s mission to drive growth across the country, support people to get better jobs and improve their standard of living.
Skills England will join the Labour Market Evidence (LME) Group to support a coherent approach to skills, migration and labour market policy. It will also shape technical education and apprenticeships to respond to skills needs.
It remains the case that eligible visa holders, including Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders, may be able to take an apprenticeship but must be able to complete the apprenticeship within the time they have available on their visa, including the end-point assessment.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support growth in domestic clean energy supply chains.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s upcoming Industrial Strategy will outline plans to boost high-potential sectors like Clean Energy, creating quality jobs. An initial £300 million via Great British Energy will accelerate offshore wind supply chains, attract private investment, and secure UK manufacturing. Up to £21.7 billion over 25 years has been made available for the first carbon capture projects, which are expected to support 4,000 direct jobs and up to 50,000 as the sector matures into the 2030s. The Solar Roadmap will soon outline steps for resilient solar supply chains. Government also continues to strengthen the nuclear supply chain in partnership with industry.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to align UK oil and gas production with climate targets.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels and meeting global climate targets.
The Government supports action on decarbonising oil and gas production and has already consulted on revised environmental guidance to take into account emissions from burning extracted oil and gas. We will respond to this consultation in due course and developers will be able to apply for consents under this revised regime.
The Government has also consulted on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields and will publish a response setting out our next steps in due course.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that autism is considered in delivery plans for the Get Britain Working White Paper, published on 26 November 2024.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A range of stakeholders have provided input and expertise to support policy development and delivery of the reforms outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper.
Our aim is to create an inclusive labour market in which everybody – including neurodivergent people – can participate and progress in work. We will do this by developing a new Jobs and Careers service, which will be accessible and inclusive for all users, and will provide personalised and tailored support to those looking to find or progress in work. It will also work in partnership with other local services, helping people to access the employment, health and skills support they need in their community.
Additionally, the Keep Britain Working review is exploring how employers can support healthy and inclusive workplaces. Findings from the initial discovery phase were published in March, and now the review Chair and team are engaging with a range of stakeholders to discuss the problems and how they can be addressed.
Finally, we have launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. Many of the panel are diagnosed or identify as neurodivergent and/or have familial experience alongside their professional experience and expertise. Recommendations are expected to include employer actions that can support the inclusion of neurodivergent people, including in recruitment and day to day workplace practices.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Almost million more pupils get access to mental health support, published on 16 May 2025, whether the mental health support measures for young people will apply up to the age of 18.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Mental health support teams cover school pupils and further education learners, including those up to the age of 18 years old.
They work directly with school and college staff, alongside National Health Services, to provide professional advice, easing the pressure on school staff and allowing them to help young people get the right support and stay in education.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide (a) guidance and (b) training to (i) local authority careers services and (ii) college course providers on the (A) rights and (B) eligibility of British National (Overseas) visa holders for post-16 (1) education and (2) adult learning programmes.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.
The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.
Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to expand access to English for Speakers of Other Languages provision for British National (Overseas) visa holders at (a) intermediate and (b) advanced levels and with a focus on (i) conversational and (ii) workplace English.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.
The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.
Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) combined authorities and (b) local English for Speakers of Other Languages hubs (i) monitor uptake of English language support by British National (Overseas) visa holders and (ii) improve referral pathways between providers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is spending £1.4 billion on the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2024/25 academic year, which funds English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision for adult learners.
The general principle within ASF rules is that adults must be ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years preceding their first day of learning, although there are exceptions set out in the department’s funding rules. The department’s guidance to ASF providers, including local authorities on residency eligibility is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-skills-fund-funding-rules/adult-skills-fund-funding-and-performance-management-rules-2024-to-2025.
Although British Nationals (Overseas) arriving from Hong Kong are not immediately eligible for ASF funding, funding of up to £850 per adult is available to support access to English language classes for those on the British Nationals (Overseas) route. For those aged 16-19, eligibility is explained in the student eligibility section of the statutory guidance ‘Advice: funding rules for 16 to 19 provision 2025 to 2026’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision/advice-funding-rules-for-16-to-19-provision-2025-to-2026#sectionthree.
Currently, 62% of the ASF is devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs). Devolution works because local leaders can use their mandate for change to take decisions needed to drive growth and convene local partners to tackle shared problems. While MSAs follow the department’s rules on residency, decisions around how they spend their devolved funding and their approach to monitoring are for them to make.