Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the her Department has taken to establish whether individuals convicted of serious people-smuggling offences overseas are present in the UK; and whether these individuals will be prevented from obtaining immigration status or protection in the UK.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

We take the issue of preventing foreign criminals entering the UK extremely seriously, and we continue to strengthen our borders so that we can prevent crime and protect the public, delivering on this Government’s commitment to tackle foreign criminality.

All applications for a visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation are checked against a range of police, security and immigration databases for details of any UK or overseas criminal record. All applicants are required to provide details of their criminal history. Where it is found that they failed to declare relevant offences/convictions, their application will be refused, and they will be subject to a ten-year ban from applying to enter the UK.

Anyone convicted of a particularly serious crime who is considered a danger to the UK will be excluded from protection and considered for removal from the UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether a state-funded school may require a pupil of primary-school age to wear religious clothing as part of its uniform without the express consent of the pupil's parent or guardian.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.

School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.

The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on how many state-funded schools in England require female pupils to wear a hijab as part of their school uniform.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.

School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.

The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted has a role in assessing whether a state-funded school's uniform policy is consistent with the (a) Equality Act 2010 and (b) school's obligations to promote fundamental British values.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.

School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.

The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what protections are in place to ensure that pupils of (a) no religion and (b) a religion other than that of a faith school are not required to wear religious clothing as part of the school's uniform.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.

School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.

The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to state-funded schools on the circumstances in which a pupil may decline to wear religious clothing required by a school's uniform policy.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not routinely gather data on individual schools’ uniform policies and does not hold information on schools requiring articles of religious clothing.

School leaders, including those of faith schools, are responsible for making decisions on the uniform requirements for their school.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ‘Developing school uniform policy, which sets out schools’ obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as general equality and discrimination considerations. This is available here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.

The department’s guidance is clear that schools should aim for their uniform policy to be as inclusive as possible so that all pupils are able to wear the uniform. They should engage with parents and pupils when developing the policy.

Found: Responding to the Education Secretary’s oral statement on the strategy, the Shadow Education Secretary, Laura Trott

Found: NE3 1AL Hospitality, leisure and tourism Committed North East, Cumbria and South West Scotland Laura Trott