Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2025 to Question 52388 on Teachers: Religion, what the first degree subjects the 80 percent of entrants to RE Initial Teacher Training who did not have their first degree in Theology and Religious Studies were.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The following table shows the subject for the first degree of new entrants to religious education initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2024/25 academic year. Subject is as specified in the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy. Trainees with unknown first degree subject are excluded. Where trainees have more than one first degree subject, they are listed as “joint honours”. Note that some degree subjects, such as philosophy that are not included within theology and religious studies, may contain relevant content for religious education. It is the responsibility of the accredited ITT provider to determine the suitability of a candidate applying for ITT. The department publishes the ITT criteria which sets out the minimum requirements that a candidate must meet to be eligible for ITT.
Degree subject | Number of trainees | Percentage of trainees |
Theology and religious studies | 89 | 20% |
Philosophy | 82 | 18% |
Sociology | 52 | 12% |
Joint honours | 47 | 11% |
History | 30 | 7% |
Law | 29 | 7% |
Psychology (non-specific) | 23 | 5% |
Education | 18 | 4% |
Politics | 14 | 3% |
Anthropology | 5 | 1% |
Childhood and youth studies | 5 | 1% |
Others in psychology | 5 | 1% |
Liberal arts (non-specific) | 4 | 1% |
Classics | 3 | 1% |
Media studies | 3 | 1% |
Social work | 3 | 1% |
Cinematics and photography | 2 | <1% |
Health studies | 2 | <1% |
Literature in English | 2 | <1% |
Management studies | 2 | <1% |
Music | 2 | <1% |
Social sciences (non-specific) | 2 | <1% |
Sport and exercise sciences | 2 | <1% |
American and Australasian studies | 1 | <1% |
Art | 1 | <1% |
Business and management (non-specific) | 1 | <1% |
Combined, general or negotiated studies | 1 | <1% |
Counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy | 1 | <1% |
Creative writing | 1 | <1% |
Development studies | 1 | <1% |
Developmental psychology | 1 | <1% |
Drama | 1 | <1% |
Economics | 1 | <1% |
English language | 1 | <1% |
Forensic and archaeological sciences | 1 | <1% |
Geography (non-specific) | 1 | <1% |
Health sciences (non-specific) | 1 | <1% |
Nursing (non-specific) | 1 | <1% |
Polymers and textiles | 1 | <1% |
Social policy | 1 | <1% |
Tourism, transport and travel | 1 | <1% |
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government will release its publicly accessible dashboard that charts the progress of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to continuing to drive forward the implementation of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s 2024 recommendations, and the progress made on responding to these recommendations will be publicly available via a dashboard which is due to be published before summer recess.
For progress specifically on the delivery of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority is responsible for the delivery of compensation and publishes the latest compensation figures on its website every two weeks.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of religious education teacher trainees held degrees in subjects other than religious education in the 2024-25 academic year; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of removing the subject knowledge enhancement grant for religious education on the quality of religious education provision.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Religious education (RE) is not a degree subject recognised by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The closest subject in HESA’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy is theology and religious studies. In 2024/25, there were 444 new entrants to RE initial teacher training (ITT), for whom we have data on first degree subject. Of these, 89 (20%) had degrees in subjects categorised as theology and religious studies, and 355 (80%) had degrees in other subjects. Some degree subjects, such as philosophy, that are not included within theology and religious studies, may contain relevant content for RE. It is the responsibility of the accredited ITT provider to determine the suitability of a candidate applying for ITT. The department publishes the ITT criteria which sets out the minimum requirements that a candidate must meet to be eligible for ITT.
The department continually reviews the support available to trainee teachers and the annual review of the subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) package will take place before the new academic year to ensure that available SKE provision is focused on the candidates who need it the most.
The department remains committed to recruiting the teachers we need. We have announced an ITT financial incentives package worth up to £233 million for the 2025/26 ITT recruitment cycle, a £37 million increase on the last cycle. This includes a £10,000 tax-free bursary for RE trainee teachers.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times were the partners of women diagnosed with postnatal depression (a) engaged with and (b) assessed for their mental health by NHS mental health services in the most recent 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England collects some management data on the mental health service offers made to partners. However, this data is not centrally validated.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of routinely (a) recording and (b) matching new fathers’ health records to those of their children.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not carried out a recent assessment of the merits of routinely recording and matching new fathers’ health records to those of their children.
The Personal Demographics Service (PDS) can record many relationships, including 'mother', 'father' and 'parent'. If a baby is born in England, then the midwife will create a PDS record and grant them a National Health Service number. They will link the birth mother's record to the child, and if the local maternity system supports it, they could also add the second parent at that time.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
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 support the (a) mental and (b) physical health of (i) fathers and (ii) their (A) partners and (B) families in the perinatal period.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the support available to mothers, fathers, and partners who experience mental health difficulties, including postnatal depression, during the perinatal period.
Fathers and partners of women accessing specialist perinatal mental health services and maternal mental health services should be offered an evidence-based assessment for their mental health and signposted to sources of support as required. This can include NHS Talking Therapies services, which are available for anyone who needs support with their mental health. People can refer themselves online via the National Health Service website or by contacting their general practice.
In addition, in January 2025, the Department announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26 in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, including for fathers.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
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 (a) create a pathway for (i) expectant and (ii) new fathers and (b) ensure that NHS staff are trained to (A) engage with and (B) provide (1) information and (2) support to fathers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Listening and responding to all women and families, including expectant and new fathers, is an essential part of providing safe and high-quality care. There are multiple actions in place that recognise and involve new and expectant fathers. These include:
In addition, in January 2025, the Department announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26, in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, including for fathers.
Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.
To support employers, NHS England has launched a number of initiatives to ensure that NHS staff are trained to engage with and provide information and support to fathers. This includes an e-learning module on handling difficult situations, and a Core Competency Framework, which sets out clear expectations for all trusts, aiming to address known variations in training and competency assessments. The framework includes a module on equality, equity, and personalised care.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pregnant women were accompanied by (a) the child's father and (b) their partner during (i) antenatal booking-in appointments and (ii) antenatal scans in the most recent 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on how many pregnant women were accompanied by the child's father and their partner during antenatal booking-in appointments and antenatal scans.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. A key part of this will be delivering effective prosecutions, and we continue to see improvements in the prosecution of VAWG offences.
As Solicitor General, I superintend the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is continuing to transform its approach to adult rape prosecution through the implementation of its new national operating model, based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria. Through this work, the CPS has seen substantial increases in referral, charge, and prosecution volumes for adult rape.
These improvements have also informed the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing which launched in November 2024. Better partnership with policing has already led to modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements. Pilots are now underway in three CPS areas, to improve timeliness of investigations, efficiency of charging decisions and communication throughout cases.
To address the increasingly complexity of VAWG offending and the holistic needs of victims, the CPS will also begin implementation of its 2025-30 VAWG strategy. This will ensure prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
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 help tackle health inequalities linked to the (a) diagnosis and (b) management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis and increased access to treatments.
The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity
A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% patients who complete a programme.
The NHS England Core20PLUS5 approach strives to inform action that targets the most deprived 20% of the population and other inclusion health groups, with the aim of reducing health inequalities. The approach focuses on improving the 5 clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement, namely cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory, maternity and mental health outcomes, in the poorest 20 percent of the population, along with other disadvantaged population groups identified at a local level.
Within NHS Greater Manchester, steps to address health inequalities linked to COPD include: improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and FeNO, particularly for disadvantaged population groups; increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services; increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia; running smoking cessation services; and introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.
This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.