Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an analysis of areas with the highest levels of prosecutions for truancy, to examine the contributing social, economic, and institutional factors, to help inform evidence-based policy responses.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department conducts analysis of data received via its Parental Responsibility Measures for Attendance data collection, which provides information on the national use of legal interventions to improve school attendance, including prosecutions, by local authority. We will continue to use the results of this data analysis to inform conversations with local authorities on addressing barriers to attendance, using a ’support first’ approach to pupils’ attendance. The department’s guidance is clear that prosecutions should only be used as a last resort, where all other routes have been exhausted or deemed inappropriate in the circumstances of the individual case.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to help to minimise the potential impact on mothers who are prosecuted for their child’s truancy from school.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Absence is one of the biggest barriers to success for children and the government is committed to improving attendance through a support first approach.
The Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance sets out clear expectations for schools, trusts, local authorities to work collaboratively with families to identify and address the underlying reasons for non‑attendance, and put in place support. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.
Prosecution is a last resort, used only where support has been exhausted or not engaged with. In most instances, absences linked to illness, disability, mental health or special education needs should be authorised and not lead to prosecution. The decision to prosecute rests solely with the local authority, but paragraph 164 of the guidance sets out factors for their consideration, including public interest tests and equalities considerations.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact on mothers who are prosecuted for their child’s truancy from school.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Absence is one of the biggest barriers to success for children and the government is committed to improving attendance through a support first approach.
The Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance sets out clear expectations for schools, trusts, local authorities to work collaboratively with families to identify and address the underlying reasons for non‑attendance, and put in place support. This guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.
Prosecution is a last resort, used only where support has been exhausted or not engaged with. In most instances, absences linked to illness, disability, mental health or special education needs should be authorised and not lead to prosecution. The decision to prosecute rests solely with the local authority, but paragraph 164 of the guidance sets out factors for their consideration, including public interest tests and equalities considerations.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any police forces have instigated an investigation into trafficking crimes committed as part of the Epstein scandal.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has established a national coordination group and has appointed a senior investigator to support forces in reviewing the extensive material and progressing any resulting investigations.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to develop a National Trauma Strategy for England.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government recognises that trauma can have a profound impact on children’s lives and that addressing it requires support from the whole of society.
The NHS provides specialist assessment, talking therapies and medical treatment for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as self‑help resources and routes to urgent or ongoing psychological support.
Education settings also play an important role in identifying and supporting pupils affected by adversity, with the flexibility to choose the pastoral support that best meets their pupils’ needs. The department’s guidance emphasises creating safe, supportive environments and understanding the lasting impact trauma can have on wellbeing and learning.
The government is expanding mental health support teams to ensure access to specialist mental health professionals in all schools and colleges by 2029, alongside £13 million in pilots to enhance support for children with more complex needs, including those linked to trauma, neurodivergence and disordered eating.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making UK AISI / Thorn's guidance entitled Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention, published in December 2025, mandatory for AI developers to prevent the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 January 2026 to Question UIN 104313.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
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 ensure that the introduction of digital and AI tools in mental health care enhances rather than replaces the work of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, in line with guidance from professional bodies such as the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To deliver the shift from analogue to digital that is set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will create a digital front door for mental health care through the NHS App to boost access to early support and empower people to take steps to manage their symptoms.
Digital and artificial intelligence (AI) tools in mental health care can enhance and complement the work of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, not replace human-delivered care. These tools can help with routine tasks like managing appointments, answering basic queries, updating clinical notes, and booking sessions. This means that clinicians can spend more time providing care to patients and patients have an improved experience across the care pathway, for example through reduced waiting times. Any new tools are introduced within a comprehensive regulatory framework in the National Health Service, underpinned by rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, ethics, and data protection.
Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT and Character.AI, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using these technologies.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on the disproportionate impact Physical Infrastructure Access costs have on the deployment of fibre optic broadband in rural areas.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.
DSIT is engaging on this issue with Ofcom at an official level. In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when statutory guidance will be produced on the duty to collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024; and what plans the Government has to ensure its implementation following the decision to abolish PCCs and the upcoming changes to integrated care boards.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We will work closely with the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social care as Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Integrated Care Board reforms unfold and this will inform our consideration of implementation of the Duty to Collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. The Ministry of Justice has recently announced that it will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.
We are taking this opportunity to review and strengthen the commissioning and delivery of victims’ services. In light of the announcement to abolish the PCC function in May 2028, we will also explore changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has (a) implemented a domestic abuse policy for staff and (b) trained line managers to effectively respond to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has implemented employee and manager guidance for domestic abuse. The guidance offers support for
All employees and managers must hold regular one-to-one meetings to ensure personal and wellbeing needs are met and that access to the Employee Assistance Programme is clear and available.
Additional training is available on the internal Learning Hub and covers key leadership and management skills such as effective communication, handling sensitive conversations, supporting wellbeing, and managing people issues.
Once available, we will promote the take-up of the training product for managers currently being developed by the Cabinet Office.