Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of education on (a) relationships, (b) consent and (c) behaviour across different key stages.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We recognise that more needs to be done to support effective delivery of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools. That is why the department has published updated RSHE statutory guidance for teaching from September 2026 with strengthened guidance on building healthy relationships, and emphasis on addressing misogynistic attitudes and online harms.
Alongside this, the department is investing £16 million to pilot targeted interventions in schools from the next academic year, supporting the rollout of the updated RSHE curriculum and strengthening teaching on healthy relationships and harmful behaviours to ensure teachers and schools feel fully supported.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered (a) lessons from road safety education, and (b) circumstances where (i) sustained education and (ii) meaningful consequences for offenders reduced harm, in developing its approach to education on consent and relationships.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
We have published updated guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for teaching from September 2026, which includes a focus on developing skills for healthy relationships from the beginning of primary school and sets out that secondary schools should cover the role of consent, including how to recognise, respect and communicate consent and boundaries in both platonic and romantic relationships. Pupils should be made aware of the relevant legal provisions when relevant topics are being taught, including those relating to consent.
The focus for primary relationships education should be on teaching the skills and knowledge that form the building blocks of all positive relationships, supporting children from the start of their education to grow into kind, caring adults who have respect for others. Relationships and sex education in secondary schools should provide a clear progression from primary relationships education, providing young people with the information they need to develop healthy, safe and nurturing relationships of all kinds.
The department is investing £16 million to pilot targeted interventions in schools from the next academic year, supporting the rollout of the updated RSHE curriculum and strengthening teaching on healthy relationships and harmful behaviours to ensure teachers and schools feel fully supported.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that deaths connected to sexual violence and abuse, including suicides amongst those who have experienced prolonged abuse, are properly recorded and reflected in Government policy.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Sexual offences are among the most harmful crimes in society and can have devastating impacts on victims, their loved ones, and our communities.
Our ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-Government Strategy’ was published on 18 December 2025 and sets out our approach to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) in decade. It includes several commitments to transform the response to sexual offences, such as ensuring there are specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force by 2029, introducing free independent legal advice for adult victims of rape, and fast-tracking rape cases.
The Home Office collects data on the number of homicides, including those with a sexual element, recorded by police forces in England and Wales. We recognise the importance of building a more comprehensive understanding of deaths that have resulted from VAWG. That is why we have committed to exploring the possibility of expanding the Domestic Homicide Project, which currently captures information from police forces on deaths which have occurred following domestic abuse, to all forms of fatal VAWG, including sexual violence and abuse.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help tackle sexual offences; and what plans she has to update her Department's approach.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Sexual offences are among the most harmful crimes in society and can have devastating impacts on victims, their loved ones, and our communities.
Our ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-Government Strategy’ was published on 18 December 2025 and sets out our approach to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) in decade. It includes several commitments to transform the response to sexual offences, such as ensuring there are specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force by 2029, introducing free independent legal advice for adult victims of rape, and fast-tracking rape cases.
The Home Office collects data on the number of homicides, including those with a sexual element, recorded by police forces in England and Wales. We recognise the importance of building a more comprehensive understanding of deaths that have resulted from VAWG. That is why we have committed to exploring the possibility of expanding the Domestic Homicide Project, which currently captures information from police forces on deaths which have occurred following domestic abuse, to all forms of fatal VAWG, including sexual violence and abuse.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data are collected through the use of live facial recognition technology by police forces in England and Wales, where those data are stored, and how long they are retained.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology uses live video footage of people passing an LFR camera in a public place and compares their images to a specific list of people wanted by the police (known as a watchlist).
Police use of facial recognition is governed by data protection, equality, and human rights laws. In addition, they must also comply with the Surveillance Camera Code, College of Policing guidance and all published policing policies. This means the technology can only be used for a policing purpose, where necessary, proportionate, and fair.
Operational guidance is provided by the College of Policing in the form of an Authorised Professional Practice (APP), which sets out when the police can use LFR and the categories of people they can look for and where images they use to compile the watchlist. Following a possible LFR alert, there is a requirement for a specially trained police officer to review it and decide what action, if any, to take. The police must immediately delete the biometric data of anyone the system does not match to the watchlist. The watchlist itself is destroyed after each deployment.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on the storage, security, sharing, and deletion of data generated through the use of live facial recognition technology.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology uses live video footage of people passing an LFR camera in a public place and compares their images to a specific list of people wanted by the police (known as a watchlist).
Police use of facial recognition is governed by data protection, equality, and human rights laws. In addition, they must also comply with the Surveillance Camera Code, College of Policing guidance and all published policing policies. This means the technology can only be used for a policing purpose, where necessary, proportionate, and fair.
Operational guidance is provided by the College of Policing in the form of an Authorised Professional Practice (APP), which sets out when the police can use LFR and the categories of people they can look for and where images they use to compile the watchlist. Following a possible LFR alert, there is a requirement for a specially trained police officer to review it and decide what action, if any, to take. The police must immediately delete the biometric data of anyone the system does not match to the watchlist. The watchlist itself is destroyed after each deployment.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards are in place to ensure (a) lawful and (b) proportionate use of live facial recognition technology by police forces in England and Wales.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology uses live video footage of people passing an LFR camera in a public place and compares their images to a specific list of people wanted by the police (known as a watchlist).
Police use of facial recognition is governed by data protection, equality, and human rights laws. In addition, they must also comply with the Surveillance Camera Code, College of Policing guidance and all published policing policies. This means the technology can only be used for a policing purpose, where necessary, proportionate, and fair.
Operational guidance is provided by the College of Policing in the form of an Authorised Professional Practice (APP), which sets out when the police can use LFR and the categories of people they can look for and where images they use to compile the watchlist. Following a possible LFR alert, there is a requirement for a specially trained police officer to review it and decide what action, if any, to take. The police must immediately delete the biometric data of anyone the system does not match to the watchlist. The watchlist itself is destroyed after each deployment.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria are used to determine when prisoners may be prohibited from communicating with the media.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Prison Service Instruction 37/2010 Prisoners' Access to the Media sets out the contact that prisoners are allowed to have with the media. The instruction includes details of the restrictions that are in place and the criteria taken into account when considering applications.
A copy can be found at the following link: Prisoners' access to the media: PSI 37/2010 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Transport for London regarding the 1,435 hours of lift closures across 244 incidents at Wimbledon Park station in 2025 due solely to a lack of trained staff, including a continuous 424-hour closure between 20 November and 8 December 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London on a variety of issues including accessibility of their network. Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor, and TfL is responsible for managing the London Underground.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with TfL on the increase in lift closures due solely to a lack of trained staff on the London Underground to 6,365 hours in 2025, compared with 6,197 hours in 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London on a variety of issues including accessibility of their network. Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor, and TfL is responsible for managing the London Underground.