Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on the number of care workers leaving the sector.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Home Office on issues relating to immigration and the adult social care sector, including the social care workforce.
The Government ran a public consultation on whether the existing pathway for settlement should be increased to 15 years for those admitted to the United Kingdom to work in occupations skilled below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6, under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes. This includes care workers and senior care workers.
The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks, opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The Home Office is now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.
Following analysis of the consultation responses, the necessary impact assessments will be undertaken.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on the supply of care workers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Home Office on issues relating to immigration and the adult social care sector, including the social care workforce.
The Government ran a public consultation on whether the existing pathway for settlement should be increased to 15 years for those admitted to the United Kingdom to work in occupations skilled below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6, under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes. This includes care workers and senior care workers.
The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks, opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The Home Office is now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.
Following analysis of the consultation responses, the necessary impact assessments will be undertaken.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on vacancy rates for adult social care workers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Home Office on issues relating to immigration and the adult social care sector, including the social care workforce.
The Government ran a public consultation on whether the existing pathway for settlement should be increased to 15 years for those admitted to the United Kingdom to work in occupations skilled below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6, under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes. This includes care workers and senior care workers.
The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks, opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The Home Office is now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.
Following analysis of the consultation responses, the necessary impact assessments will be undertaken.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of clearer pathways to settlement for Ukrainians, in addition to working visas.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Ukraine schemes are temporary humanitarian routes and do not provide a route to settlement. However, Ukrainians in the UK under any of the Ukraine Schemes may apply to switch into other immigration routes for which they meet the eligibility and suitability requirements, including work, study, family and private life routes.
The Government keeps the Ukraine schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under review and is actively considering the future position. I intend to make a further statement later this year to support Ukrainians in planning effectively for their futures.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether Perenco should pay further compensation for oil spill in Poole harbour.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has undertaken a full investigation into the March 2023 oil spill in Poole Harbour and rigorously assessed Perenco’s £6 million Enforcement Undertaking (EU) in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy. The package covers pollution clean‑up, compensation for verified claims, the development of a remediation plan, and funding for local environmental improvement projects. The EU was reviewed at both local and national levels within the EA to ensure it was proportionate, consistent, and reflected the operator’s level of responsibility.
Independent impact reports commissioned by the Recovery Co‑ordination Group found that the environmental harm from the incident was short‑lived and localised, with limited long‑term impacts on wildlife, community, and the local economy.
Perenco has additionally implemented operational improvements to reduce the risk of future incidents. Based on the EA’s assessment and the findings of the impact reports, the Secretary of State has not identified a need for further compensation.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the government has conducted an assessment of the number and availability of trained professionals needed to meet the Experts at Hand plan published in the Schools White Paper.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Poole to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121419.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) estimate her Department has made of the number and (b) assessment of the adequacy of availability of trained professionals required to meet the Experts at Hand plan.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Poole to the answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121419.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure access for pre-school children with additional needs to nursery places in the Poole constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We want every child, including those with additional needs, to be able to access a childcare setting where they can get the best start in life. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms we announced in February, will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. We are investing over £200 million to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to join up support across early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.
Alongside this, we will work with local authorities to strengthen their childcare sufficiency planning for children with SEND and improve data on the availability of suitable places. This will provide parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to ensure that nursery places are available to children with a range of special needs in Poole constituency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We want every child, including those with additional needs, to be able to access a childcare setting where they can get the best start in life. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms we announced in February, will give early years settings the training, evidence-based tools and expert input they need to welcome children with diverse needs into their settings and provide the right support from day one. We are investing over £200 million to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to join up support across early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.
Alongside this, we will work with local authorities to strengthen their childcare sufficiency planning for children with SEND and improve data on the availability of suitable places. This will provide parents greater confidence that their children can access the early education and childcare they are entitled to.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of SATs on levels of school attendance of children with SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has not identified evidence that SATs have a specific or disproportionate impact on the attendance of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Internal analysis indicates that overall attendance patterns for pupils with SEND remain consistent during the SATs assessment period.
Primary assessments are extensively trialled and reviewed by teachers and SEND specialists to ensure they are suitable for all and of appropriate difficulty, with modified papers and access arrangements available for pupils with SEND where needed.
The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance makes clear that pupils with SEND have the same right to education and the same attendance ambition as their peers, and that schools and local authorities should provide appropriate support to enable their attendance, including during assessment periods.
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