Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to engage with mental health service users on the development of mental health policy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A significant number of mental health service users have taken part in our 10-Year Health Plan engagement. 28% of participants on the Change NHS website reported waiting to access mental health services as a challenge they have experienced, while one in six said they had accessed mental health services in the last 12 months. Over 100 people with a mental health condition attended our public and staff deliberative events and 170 mental health organisations contributed to the Change NHS website, in addition to the organisations who attended our national partners council meetings and other meetings. The 10-Year Health Plan will be published shortly, and this will set out how the overall health system will run.
The Mental Health Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will modernise the Mental Health Act so that it is fit for the 21st century, ensuring that people with the most severe mental health conditions get better, more personalised care. The bill reflects the recommendations of Professor Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review into the Mental Health Act of 2018. The review’s advisory panel comprised of individuals with lived experience, advocacy organisations, professionals and representative bodies, and representatives from the statutory system. The Government ran an extensive public consultation on the proposals in the Mental Health Act White Paper, which received over 1,700 total responses and more than 1,119 individual responses. Since July 2024, we have further engaged with a range of key stakeholders and we will continue to engage, and consult widely, on the development of the Mental Health Act Code of Practice, the statutory guidance which will inform practice under the bill.
In addition, ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of stakeholders who represent the interests of mental health service users, about future plans for mental health services.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Independent Sentencing Review, published on 22 May 2025, whether the introduction of an identifier at sentencing for domestic abuse perpetrators will enable the Government to exclude offenders who have committed domestic abuse from being included in an early release scheme.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 22 May, the Lord Chancellor set out the Government’s in-principle response to the Independent Sentencing Review’s findings and recommendations, which will help to ensure that prisons never run out of space again and dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets. This includes a recommendation to introduce a statutory requirement for courts to record judicial findings of domestic abuse at sentencing to better identify them.
The Government remains committed to ensuring that this better identification leads to more effective risk management and stronger victim protection, as part of our landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent (a) hate crime and (b) harassment towards people with hidden disabilities.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are clear that all hate crimes, including those targeting disability, are completely unacceptable. There must be zero tolerance for every form of hate crime in Britain and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these appalling offences.
The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal called True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report what has happened to them. We also continue to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime.
The Equality Act 2010 provides strong protection from harassment for people who meet the Act's definition of disability, which can include hidden conditions. Protection from harassment related to a person's disability applies in a variety of settings such as employment and when accessing goods and services. A person who thinks they have been harassed may take their case to a court or an employment tribunal.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 help reduce delays in processing Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service.
We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant.
The latest statistics show that the average end-to-end journey has reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 16 weeks at the end of January 2025. This is because we’re:
In addition, the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services to create a more efficient service, to reduce processing times and improving trust in our services and decisions. As part of this, from July 2023, a limited number of claimants have been able to begin their claim for PIP entirely online.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools in response to recent changes to the Ofsted Inspection Framework.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The consultation on Ofsted’s new framework closed on 28 April, and the responses are currently being analysed. Ofsted’s new school report cards, which will be introduced from November, will provide more detailed and granular information about each school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They will provide a more complete picture of performance, which is needed to help support school improvement.
The department is also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams to break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. Supported by over £20 million in the 2025/26 financial year, RISE teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve, and a universal service which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 help support employers to create inclusive workplace environments that support people with hidden disabilities to (a) secure and (b) stay in work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce.
The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities.
In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.
In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations to employers and government in the summer.
The Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent review, considering how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver his final report in the autumn.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish evidence on the impact of puberty blockers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to supporting further research that delivers a robust, evidence-based understanding of the needs, and support and treatment options, for those with gender dysphoria, especially relating to children and young people. A joint partnership between NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is working to fund and deliver independent research that fulfils that aim.
The research programme already includes two initial studies: a commission for a living evidence review to maintain an up to date understanding of the findings from the latest United Kingdom and international research; and a priority setting partnership being led by the James Lind Alliance, which will enable a broad range of stakeholders to shape future research priorities. It includes a study looking at the experiences of the 9,000 adults who, as children, were cared for under a previous model of National Health Service care, and it also includes the PATHWAYS study. This is planned to have several elements, including a longitudinal observational study of children and young people attending NHS Gender Services, and a clinical trial into the potential benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones as a potential treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence/dysphoria.
The NIHR follows the World Health Organisation's recommendations for maximising clinical trial transparency, and therefore we would also expect the study’s findings to be published in a peer reviewed academic journal within 12 months of its completion.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reduction in international aid on (a) global poverty and (b) international relationships.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including the likely impact on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.
The government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners. Our mission remains to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Scottish offence of domestic assault in tackling violence against women and girls.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
There can be no place in our society for violence against women and girls - and this Government was elected on a commitment to halve such violence over the next decade.
Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission.
That is why last year the Secretary of State and I signed the “White Ribbon Pledge” to help end these atrocious crimes.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what proportion of cases a pre-sentence report was requested in each year since 2013.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Probation Service is responsible for producing Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) where they have been requested by the Court. The PSR assesses the offender’s behaviour, the risk they pose, and recommends sentencing options tailored to the individual. The report can suggest community sentences and specific requirements like treatment programmes. Ultimately, the PSR provides recommendations to the Court, but the final decision rests with the judge.
The Lord Chancellor has been clear that she wishes to see the widest possible use of pre-sentencing reports and in recent months she has taken steps to ensure that the probation service has more time for vital work such as this.
We cannot provide the proportion of cases where a pre-sentence report was requested in each year since 2013 as obtaining this information would incur disproportionate costs. However, we can provide the number of pre-sentence reports prepared by the Probation Service and presented to the criminal courts in England and Wales.
Year | Number of pre-sentence reports |
2013 | 163,799 |
2014 | 141,932 |
2015 | 159,278 |
2016 | 148,296 |
2017 | 129,642 |
2018 | 113,228 |
2019 | 103,004 |
2020 | 68,077 |
2021 | 88,657 |
2022 | 83,240 |
2023 | 91,368 |
Note, these figures are published every April in Table 6.24 of the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin. The latest figures are available within Probation: 2023 at Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2023 - GOV.UK. Figures for 2024 will be published on 24 April 2025.