Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of third sector organisations on support for refugees outside the UK.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.

The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.

The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Public and Commercial Services Union and Care4Calais report entitled, Safe and Secure Routes: Refugee Visa-to-Travel Proposal, published on 25 March 2025.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.

The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.

The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of Border Force on the potential impact of channel crossings on staff wellbeing.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We recognise the work of Border Force staff in relation to channel crossings and continue to ensure support is in place for them. All Border Force colleagues have access to peer support on a 24/7 basis, allowing them to speak to a volunteer who is trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) or Sustaining Resilience at Work (StRaW). All operational colleagues have access to the Police Treatment Centres, which support recovery from a variety of physical and mental ailments on a residential basis.

The Border Force Wellbeing team also manage the Border Force Wellbeing Hub and run a variety of events throughout the year on key wellbeing themes, including stress, anxiety, shift working and health. Border Force line managers are also trained with the information and tools to discuss wellbeing and mental health with their teams, how to spot the warning signs and how to refer a team member for further help.

All Home Office staff also have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which provides support for a wide variety of issues.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32013 on Asylum, whether she has commissioned any reports on expanding (a) safe and (b) legal routes for people seeking asylum within the last twelve months.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.

The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.

The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Paying the Price of Child Poverty, published by Action for Children on 19 March 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government values the insights provided by Action for Children and their recommendations have been noted.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Strategy will look at four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers.

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 increase the take up of means-tested benefits among households with children in poverty.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit including on GOV.UK that supports customers to identify what support may be available. Additionally, we signpost potential customers to external benefit calculators where they can identify what they are likely to be eligible for. We also work closely with Citizens Advice who provide Help to Claim support by phone and on-line for customers to apply for Universal Credit.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government. The Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy looking at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his American counterpart on the detention of Mahmoud Khalil.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This individual does not work for the FCDO and has not done so for over two years. We do not comment on personal matters relating to former members of staff

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve tuberculosis (a) screening, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment services for (i) people experiencing homelessness and (ii) asylum seekers.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department works collaboratively with Government departments, local authorities, and third-sector organisations to overcome barriers to healthcare access for people seeking asylum and those experiencing homelessness, ensuring they can access and receive necessary care.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) collects and publishes data on tuberculosis (TB). The UKHSA and NHS England’s joint TB Action Plan for England 2021 to 2026 outlines outcomes and indicators to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035, which is aligned with the World Health Organization’s elimination targets.

There are specific actions within the collaborative UKHSA and NHS England TB Action Plan 2021 to 2026 to strengthen the prevention and detection of active disease in groups at higher risk of TB, such as those experiencing homelessness and seeking asylum, through targeted screening and active engagement with local authorities, their public health teams, and the third sector.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of entry-level positions for newly qualified physiotherapists.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about the employment of newly qualified physiotherapists are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce competition ratios for specialty training for doctors.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.

We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.

To reform the NHS and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

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Found: _8 Paula Barker Siân Berry Neil Duncan-Jordan Alex Sobel Marsha De Cordova David Davis Kate Osamor

Found: John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith Kate Osamor

Found: _8 Paula Barker Siân Berry Neil Duncan-Jordan Alex Sobel Marsha De Cordova David Davis Kate Osamor

Found: John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith Kate Osamor

Found: 2025 _8 Paula Barker Siân Berry Neil Duncan-Jordan Alex Sobel Marsha De Cordova David Davis Kate Osamor

Found: John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith Kate Osamor

Found: _8 Paula Barker Siân Berry Neil Duncan-Jordan Alex Sobel Marsha De Cordova David Davis Kate Osamor

Found: John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith Kate Osamor

Found: John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith Kate Osamor

Found: _8 Paula Barker Siân Berry Neil Duncan-Jordan Alex Sobel Marsha De Cordova David Davis Kate Osamor