Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the dissolution of NHS Protect on levels of violence against NHS workers.

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

NHS England’s Violence Prevention and Reduction (VPR) Standard was initiated in 2019 following the cessation of NHS Protect in 2017.

The VPR standard provides employers with guidance and resources to support them in their development of local strategies to prevent and reduce violence. The standard was refreshed in partnership with the Social Partnership Forum in December 2024. Additionally, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, accepted all recommendations related to additional action on violence prevention and reduction on 9 April 2025, as part of the Agenda for Change Pay Deal. These measures will be further strengthened by the introduction of a new set of staff standards at the national level, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the extent to which foster carers approved by independent fostering agencies receive equivalent support from local authorities compared with in house foster carers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Fostering is a challenging role that requires skills and dedication from those who foster, and it is crucial that foster carers receive the support they need to enable them to fulfil this role.

The National Minimum Standards (NMS) for fostering sets out the minimum expectations for the support, supervision and training that all fostering services must provide to foster carers, ensuring consistently high quality care for children. The NMS sets out the expectation that each foster carer receives at least the national minimum allowance for the child in their care.

We have committed to reviewing and updating the NMS as part of our wider programme of reforms. The government’s action plan published in February 2026, ‘Renewing Fostering: Homes for 10,000 More Children’, sets out our approach to recruiting more foster carers, and strengthening support for foster families. This includes the development of an enhanced training and support package for foster carers, which will be rolled out from 2026/27.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on developing the Able Humber Ports site at Killingholme following the awarding of the Industrial Strategy Zone Site Accelerator Grant funding.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As one of the twenty-two Industrial Strategy Zones across the UK, Humber Freeport was awarded £490,000 of Site Accelerator Grant to progress vital work to unlock a new quay and offshore wind supply‑chain hub at Immingham.

Alongside the private sector investment at Killingholme – this will unlock wider benefits for the region that will create jobs, support decarbonisation, and deliver long‑term economic growth across the Humber.

Found: Labour, Gateshead Central and Whickham) (added 28 Oct 2024; removed 3 Mar 2025) 6 of 6 (100.0%) Melanie Onn

Found: h-Eileanan an Iar) Graeme Downie (Labour; Dunfermline and Dollar) Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat; Bath) Melanie Onn

Found: Questions 1-11 Representations made I: Susan Murray II: Melanie Onn III: Baggy ShankerSusan Murray made

Found: : Bill Esterson (Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Lizzi Collinge; Torcuil Crichton; Graeme Downie; Melanie Onn

Found: Q37 Melanie Onn: Yes, I am.

Found: Q37 Melanie Onn: Yes, I am.