Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of Israeli strikes on Lebanon since 27 November 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 20 November to Question 91653.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of refusing new oil developments at Rosebank.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The development is subject to the regulatory process. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging more businesses to become certified B corporations.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Purpose-driven businesses, including B Corporations, have a unique and powerful ability to innovate and scale solutions to the big social and environmental challenges that we face as a country. The Government recently launched the Office for Impact Economy, which will look at the vital role of policy levers in helping the UK Government to harness and grow the impact economy, including B Corporations and other purpose-driven businesses. This builds on our manifesto commitment to support diverse business models which bring innovation and new products to the market, and to double the UK’s co-operative and mutuals sector. As part of the Autumn Budget, DBT launched a Call for Evidence on business support for Co-operatives and Non-Financial Mutuals which will be open across Great Britian for 12 weeks.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the number of young people arrested at protests.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest as well as balancing the need to protect the life of a community in the development of public order legislation. The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy, and people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.
The government has published a human rights memorandum on the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, here: ECHRMemo.pdf
The memorandum provides a detailed consideration of each provision’s compatibility with Convention rights.
An equalities impact assessment for these measures in the Bill will be published in due course, this will assess the potential impact of the measures on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the right to protest without fear of criminal sanction.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest as well as balancing the need to protect the life of a community in the development of public order legislation. The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy, and people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.
The government has published a human rights memorandum on the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, here: ECHRMemo.pdf
The memorandum provides a detailed consideration of each provision’s compatibility with Convention rights.
An equalities impact assessment for these measures in the Bill will be published in due course, this will assess the potential impact of the measures on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what definition of inclusive education her Department uses.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department believes every child in our country deserves an education that meets their needs - one that is academically stretching, where every child feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.
We want to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting all children and young people to achieve and thrive in mainstream settings, through early identification, access to the right support at the right time, high-quality adaptive teaching and effective allocation of resources.
This government is determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time and rebuilds the confidence of families which is why the department is holding a further period of listening and engagement, gathering information and views from parents, teachers and experts in every region of the country.
We will set out our full vision for an inclusive education system in the Schools White Paper in the new year.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, entitled Database of all business enterprises involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, published on 26 September 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our clear position is that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. We are aware of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) database but do not comment on individual businesses.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory disability pay gap reporting for companies with over fifty employees.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recently held a public consultation on introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting. Our consultation closed on June 10th and we are now considering those responses, including views on which employers should be in scope of the requirements, and we will report back to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department’s proposed refugee and asylum policies on community cohesion.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The principle that people genuinely fleeing danger and persecution should be welcomed, is one this government will always defend. The Asylum Policy Statement sets out a fair and firm approach to restoring order to the system, which is essential for building community cohesion. By increasing public confidence in the integrity of the asylum system, the reforms will help build trust and reduce tensions within communities. At the same time, they support successful integration for those granted protection, enabling them to contribute positively to society. Integration brings significant benefits for individuals, taxpayers, and communities. These measures will encourage and enable people granted protection to become self-sufficient, law-abiding members of UK society.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the document entitled Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams, published in March 2020, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of that review on her Department’s refugee and asylum policies.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are grateful for the recommendations and insights provided in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams.
The UK has a long-standing commitment to protecting those in need, in line with our international obligations. We will never remove anyone to a country where they would face persecution or serious harm, and we remain firmly committed to this principle.
The reforms set out in the Asylum Policy Statement (Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy - GOV.UK) introduce a comprehensive package of measures designed to restore order, control, fairness, and public confidence in the system. These reforms are fully compliant with our international obligations.
Further policy development is needed on the details of these reforms. We will consult meaningfully with affected stakeholders and carefully assess equalities impacts.