Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to consult charities on SEND reform.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and I continue to engage with special educational needs and disabilities charities, stakeholders and parent carers, and are conducting weekly engagement sessions via webinars, meetings and visits. We are also engaging via roundtables with the voluntary, charity and community sectors, the most recent being in June 2025.
These engagements will carry on throughout the White Paper consultation period into the autumn and beyond.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of first-time applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy that were successful in (a) 2024 and (b) the first six months of 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) received 27,491 applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Additionally the Department reviewed and confirmed the ineligible outcome of 1,070 principal applications where the applicant had requested a review. Of those applications reviewed, seven were overturned. These figures include first time, duplicate and additional principal applications. The MOD also made decisions on 7,046 principal first time applications, with 375 (5.3%) being found eligible.
From 1 January to 30 June 2025, the MOD received 17,625 principal applications. The Department reviewed the ineligible outcome of 91 principal applications where the applicant had requested a review. Of those applications reviewed, six were overturned. These figures include first time, duplicate and additional principal application. The MOD also made decisions on 3,579 principal first time applications, with 73 being found eligible.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications were made to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy in (a) 2024 and (b) the first six months of 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) received 27,491 applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Additionally the Department reviewed and confirmed the ineligible outcome of 1,070 principal applications where the applicant had requested a review. Of those applications reviewed, seven were overturned. These figures include first time, duplicate and additional principal applications. The MOD also made decisions on 7,046 principal first time applications, with 375 (5.3%) being found eligible.
From 1 January to 30 June 2025, the MOD received 17,625 principal applications. The Department reviewed the ineligible outcome of 91 principal applications where the applicant had requested a review. Of those applications reviewed, six were overturned. These figures include first time, duplicate and additional principal application. The MOD also made decisions on 3,579 principal first time applications, with 73 being found eligible.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of rejected applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy that were judged eligible on review in (a) 2024 and (b) the first six months of 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) received 27,491 applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Additionally the Department reviewed and confirmed the ineligible outcome of 1,070 principal applications where the applicant had requested a review. Of those applications reviewed, seven were overturned. These figures include first time, duplicate and additional principal applications. The MOD also made decisions on 7,046 principal first time applications, with 375 (5.3%) being found eligible.
From 1 January to 30 June 2025, the MOD received 17,625 principal applications. The Department reviewed the ineligible outcome of 91 principal applications where the applicant had requested a review. Of those applications reviewed, six were overturned. These figures include first time, duplicate and additional principal application. The MOD also made decisions on 3,579 principal first time applications, with 73 being found eligible.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the F-35 programme partner nations on Israel’s (a) compliance with international humanitarian law and (b) use of F-35 fighter jets in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Conversations with F-35 Partners occur regularly and cover a range of issues, however we are unable to disclose details of confidential conversations held within an international programme.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the question from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend of 14 January 2025, Official Report, column 159, what recent assessment he has made of Israel's presence in the Golan Heights buffer zone.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to call on all parties to preserve Syria's territorial integrity and national unity. Continued Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) activity in the buffer zone is in violation of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces agreement and we have called on Israel to lay out timelines for their withdrawal. We expect Israel to adhere to their commitment that their presence in the buffer zone is both limited and temporary. We continue to support the work of United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) who remain vital for stability for Syria and the wider region, participating regularly in UN Security Council Meetings on UNDOF, most recently in consultations on 12 June 2025.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 53853, tabled by the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend on 21 May 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I can confirm that a response has been submitted to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend to Question 53853.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has had with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to discuss the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill since 11 November 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, has not had any meetings to discuss the Bill with any stakeholders, given the Government’s neutral position. The Bill, as it stands, contains various duties to consult relevant stakeholders, to consider how the operation of the Bill may impact different groups.
Should Parliament decide to pass the Bill, the Government recognises that the experience of key stakeholders will be integral to the design and delivery of an assisted dying service.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to engage with (a) disabled and (b) terminally ill children on the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on (i) their lives and (ii) sense of value.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, has not had any meetings to discuss the Bill with any stakeholders, given the Government’s neutral position. The Bill, as it stands, contains various duties to consult relevant stakeholders, to consider how the operation of the Bill may impact different groups.
Should Parliament decide to pass the Bill, the Government recognises that the experience of key stakeholders will be integral to the design and delivery of an assisted dying service.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of funding in the higher education sector on the performance of British universities in the QS World University Rankings 2026, published on 19 June 2025.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
To maintain the UK higher education (HE) sector's world-leading status, universities need a stable financial footing. This government is committed to securing our universities’ future, which is why we have acted quickly to address the sector’s financial challenges.
The Office for Students (OfS) continues to dedicate significant resources to ensure the sector's financial sustainability. The department has appointed Professor Edward Peck as OfS Chair, where he will play a key role in strengthening this commitment. Additionally, we made the difficult decision to uplift tuition fee limits by 3.1% (in line with inflation) from the 2025/26 academic year. The department will publish its plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper this summer.
We also recognise that research funding is integral to universities’ financial sustainability. This government has committed to record funding of research and development (R&D). The Department for Science, Technology and Innovation’s (DSIT) R&D budget has increased in real terms by 8.5% from 2024/25 to 2025/26, and DSIT's allocation to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is £8.8 billion, sustaining unprecedented levels of investment to support the UK’s R&D ambitions.
This government is determined to work with the sector to transition to sustainable research funding models, including by increasing research grant cost recovery, as announced by UKRI in March.