Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her department is giving to women-led humanitarian and peace-building groups in Palestine.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In both Lebanon and Palestine, we ensure that our humanitarian and recovery efforts recognise and address the specific needs of women and girls. For instance, in Palestine, our funding to the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund and the United Nations Population Fund has supported women led organisations to deliver specialised interventions to support survivors of gender-based violence in Gaza. The UK will continue to advocate for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in political and peace processes in the region.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her department is giving to women-led humanitarian and peace-building groups in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In both Lebanon and Palestine, we ensure that our humanitarian and recovery efforts recognise and address the specific needs of women and girls. For instance, in Palestine, our funding to the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund and the United Nations Population Fund has supported women led organisations to deliver specialised interventions to support survivors of gender-based violence in Gaza. The UK will continue to advocate for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in political and peace processes in the region.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of defendants over the age of 18 who have been remanded by the police are released by the court at the first hearing on (a) sentence, (b) bail and (c) for other reasons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on pre court remands at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Remands data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.
However, data held centrally does not include details on the circumstances around the release of a defendant held on remand.
This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of defendants under the age of 18 who have been remanded by the police are released by the court at the first hearing on (a) sentence, (b) bail and (c) for other reasons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on pre-court remands at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Remand data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.
However, data held centrally does not include details on the circumstances around the release of a defendant held on remand.
The information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of access to 15 hours of government-funded childcare support by (a) single and (b) disabled parent families.
Answered by David Johnston
Working parent entitlements are aimed at supporting parents to get back into work, or to work more hours if they wish to. This is available to both two parent families and single parent families who meet the eligibility criteria.
The department is expanding the free childcare offer from September 2025 to enable eligible working parents in England to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from the term after their child turns 9 months old to when they start school.
Since April 2024, eligible working parents of two year olds have been able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year from the term after the child’s second birthday. Over 210,000 two year olds are now confirmed to have places for 15 hours a week of free childcare, as part of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England. Applications are now open for the September phase of the expansion, which will see the offer extended to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months.
The income eligibility criteria are applied on a per parent basis, so working parents who individually earn more than £9,518 but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year will be eligible. For families with two parents, both must be working to meet the criteria, unless one is receiving certain benefits such as carers allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Single parents in receipt of specified benefits will also need to be working and meet the income requirements in order to be eligible for the working parent entitlement.
Parents who claim Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment for themselves or their child may be eligible for this entitlement, if they are working and meet the income requirement. More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working.
However, parents who are already receiving some additional forms of government support can receive 15 hours of funded early education, including childcare, for two year olds. This is separate from the new entitlement for working parents and is available to parents whose child is entitled to Disability Living Allowance. All parents regardless of employment status or income levels are eligible for the universal 15 hours for three and four year olds.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase access to 15 hours of childcare support for (a) single and (b) disabled parent families.
Answered by David Johnston
Working parent entitlements are aimed at supporting parents to get back into work, or to work more hours if they wish to. This is available to both two parent families and single parent families who meet the eligibility criteria.
The department is expanding the free childcare offer from September 2025 to enable eligible working parents in England to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from the term after their child turns 9 months old to when they start school.
Since April 2024, eligible working parents of two year olds have been able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year from the term after the child’s second birthday. Over 210,000 two year olds are now confirmed to have places for 15 hours a week of free childcare, as part of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England. Applications are now open for the September phase of the expansion, which will see the offer extended to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months.
The income eligibility criteria are applied on a per parent basis, so working parents who individually earn more than £9,518 but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year will be eligible. For families with two parents, both must be working to meet the criteria, unless one is receiving certain benefits such as carers allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Single parents in receipt of specified benefits will also need to be working and meet the income requirements in order to be eligible for the working parent entitlement.
Parents who claim Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment for themselves or their child may be eligible for this entitlement, if they are working and meet the income requirement. More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working.
However, parents who are already receiving some additional forms of government support can receive 15 hours of funded early education, including childcare, for two year olds. This is separate from the new entitlement for working parents and is available to parents whose child is entitled to Disability Living Allowance. All parents regardless of employment status or income levels are eligible for the universal 15 hours for three and four year olds.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours inmates spent out of their cell was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in April 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar
The information requested regarding average time-out-of-room spent by children and young people in young offender institutions during April 2024 is shown in the table below.
| Cookham Wood | Feltham | Parc | Werrington | Wetherby |
Weekdays | 4:16 | 4:28 | 8:20 | 4:40 | 5:05 |
Weekends | 4:19 | 3:51 | 6:28 | 3:30 | 3:40 |
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision with a consistent daily programme of activities.
The Youth Custody Service is reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, creating as open a regime as can safely be managed, as well as providing education and enrichment for those who cannot safely be in a classroom setting. Additionally, work done to reduce conflict and manage behaviour, to increase the size of groups who are mixing in the regime, has increased time-out-of-room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in March 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar
The information requested regarding average time-out-of-room spent by children and young people in young offender institutions during March 2024 is shown in the table below.
|
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision with a consistent daily programme of activities.
The Youth Custody Service is reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time out of room, creating as open a regime as it is safe to do so, as well as providing education and enrichment for those who cannot safely be in a classroom setting. Additionally, work done to reduce conflict and manage behaviour, to increase the size of groups who are mixing in the regime, has increased time out of room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on what the average rental costs were for houses in multiple occupation in Lewisham East constituency in the last 12 months.
Answered by Jacob Young
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL2677 on 6 March 2024 and the answer to Question UIN 22233 on 22 April 2024. We are abolishing Section 21 evictions as part of the Renters (Reform) Bill.
No information is held centrally on the average rental costs of houses in multiple occupation in Lewisham East.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of section 21 evictions in Lewisham East constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL2677 on 6 March 2024 and the answer to Question UIN 22233 on 22 April 2024. We are abolishing Section 21 evictions as part of the Renters (Reform) Bill.
No information is held centrally on the average rental costs of houses in multiple occupation in Lewisham East.