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 the Gaza injured children scheme on NHS capacity in the regions hosting treated patients.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The United Kingdom Government is partnered with the World Health Organisation who provide a list of potential patients compiled by Gazan medical specialists for a team of expert National Health Service clinical leaders to review and match Gazan children needing highly specialist medical care, with where capacity exists within the NHS for treatment.

Each child will be assessed based on their individual medical needs. This is a considered process to ensure that treatment in the UK is in the best interests of each individual child.

NHS treatment for a very small number of Gazan children should not impact the day to day running of the NHS service.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an estimate of annual tax loss from untaxed remittances sent abroad by non-UK nationals.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints have been made to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office on (a) bias against and (b) unfair treatment of fathers in family law proceedings in the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Our judges swear an oath to act "without fear or favour, affection or ill will". Judges make decisions based on the evidence and arguments presented to them, applying the law as it stands.

To uphold the important principle of judicial independence that is a cornerstone of the UK constitution, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) can only consider complaints about the personal behaviour of a judge. Allegations of bias or unfairness in a judge’s decision or case management must be addressed through the appeals process.

The JCIO does not collect or report details of the type of proceedings that are being complained about. Its annual reports includes information about the number and subject matter of complaints received (https://www.complaints.judicialconduct.gov.uk/reportsandpublications/).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided funding to universities for schemes that exclude white applicants.

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

The department has not directly awarded funding to any such schemes within higher education.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of (a) fathers and (b) mothers received legal aid support in family court proceedings relating to child custody and access in the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The requested information is not centrally held.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of custody arrangements ordered by family courts that resulted in the father being granted equal or majority care of the child in the last five years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice holds data on child arrangements that might help answer the questions relating to:

• The number of custody arrangements ordered by family courts that resulted in the father being granted equal or majority care of the child in the last five years.

• The average waiting time for fathers seeking access to their children through the family courts after a separation.

• The number of fathers prevented from seeing their children following court proceedings in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.  It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs

The Ministry of Justice is not able to estimate the average cost to fathers of making child arrangements in court as this data is not available.

We are committed to ensuring that the family justice system supports all parents – including fathers – and children and reflects the realities of modern family life, and we recognise the importance of ensuring that both parents have the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with their children where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle. There is no automatic assumption of shared custody, as decisions about whom a child is to live or spend time with are based on the child’s best interests. This principle applies equally to mothers and fathers.

The Government is already taking steps to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent parents from engaging with the family court system. To support access to justice, the Help with Fees scheme provides full or partial remission of court and tribunal fees for those who cannot otherwise afford them. This includes applications made in the family courts such as applications for child arrangements orders.

We are also working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children – and the parents seeking to support them – can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the new Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

The Government does not have any plans to commission a cross-departmental review as suggested, and we have committed to long-term reform of the family courts to deliver better outcomes for families.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for fathers seeking access to their children through the family courts after a separation.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice holds data on child arrangements that might help answer the questions relating to:

• The number of custody arrangements ordered by family courts that resulted in the father being granted equal or majority care of the child in the last five years.

• The average waiting time for fathers seeking access to their children through the family courts after a separation.

• The number of fathers prevented from seeing their children following court proceedings in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.  It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs

The Ministry of Justice is not able to estimate the average cost to fathers of making child arrangements in court as this data is not available.

We are committed to ensuring that the family justice system supports all parents – including fathers – and children and reflects the realities of modern family life, and we recognise the importance of ensuring that both parents have the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with their children where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle. There is no automatic assumption of shared custody, as decisions about whom a child is to live or spend time with are based on the child’s best interests. This principle applies equally to mothers and fathers.

The Government is already taking steps to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent parents from engaging with the family court system. To support access to justice, the Help with Fees scheme provides full or partial remission of court and tribunal fees for those who cannot otherwise afford them. This includes applications made in the family courts such as applications for child arrangements orders.

We are also working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children – and the parents seeking to support them – can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the new Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

The Government does not have any plans to commission a cross-departmental review as suggested, and we have committed to long-term reform of the family courts to deliver better outcomes for families.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Government will commission a cross-departmental review across (a) justice, (b) education and (c) welfare on (i) improving support for and (ii) empowering fathers in maintaining active roles in children’s lives.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice holds data on child arrangements that might help answer the questions relating to:

• The number of custody arrangements ordered by family courts that resulted in the father being granted equal or majority care of the child in the last five years.

• The average waiting time for fathers seeking access to their children through the family courts after a separation.

• The number of fathers prevented from seeing their children following court proceedings in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.  It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs

The Ministry of Justice is not able to estimate the average cost to fathers of making child arrangements in court as this data is not available.

We are committed to ensuring that the family justice system supports all parents – including fathers – and children and reflects the realities of modern family life, and we recognise the importance of ensuring that both parents have the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with their children where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle. There is no automatic assumption of shared custody, as decisions about whom a child is to live or spend time with are based on the child’s best interests. This principle applies equally to mothers and fathers.

The Government is already taking steps to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent parents from engaging with the family court system. To support access to justice, the Help with Fees scheme provides full or partial remission of court and tribunal fees for those who cannot otherwise afford them. This includes applications made in the family courts such as applications for child arrangements orders.

We are also working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children – and the parents seeking to support them – can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the new Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

The Government does not have any plans to commission a cross-departmental review as suggested, and we have committed to long-term reform of the family courts to deliver better outcomes for families.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the average cost to fathers of pursuing access to children through the family court system; and whether he plans to make that process more affordable.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice holds data on child arrangements that might help answer the questions relating to:

• The number of custody arrangements ordered by family courts that resulted in the father being granted equal or majority care of the child in the last five years.

• The average waiting time for fathers seeking access to their children through the family courts after a separation.

• The number of fathers prevented from seeing their children following court proceedings in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.  It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs

The Ministry of Justice is not able to estimate the average cost to fathers of making child arrangements in court as this data is not available.

We are committed to ensuring that the family justice system supports all parents – including fathers – and children and reflects the realities of modern family life, and we recognise the importance of ensuring that both parents have the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with their children where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle. There is no automatic assumption of shared custody, as decisions about whom a child is to live or spend time with are based on the child’s best interests. This principle applies equally to mothers and fathers.

The Government is already taking steps to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent parents from engaging with the family court system. To support access to justice, the Help with Fees scheme provides full or partial remission of court and tribunal fees for those who cannot otherwise afford them. This includes applications made in the family courts such as applications for child arrangements orders.

We are also working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children – and the parents seeking to support them – can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the new Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

The Government does not have any plans to commission a cross-departmental review as suggested, and we have committed to long-term reform of the family courts to deliver better outcomes for families.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of fathers prevented from seeing their children following court proceedings in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice holds data on child arrangements that might help answer the questions relating to:

• The number of custody arrangements ordered by family courts that resulted in the father being granted equal or majority care of the child in the last five years.

• The average waiting time for fathers seeking access to their children through the family courts after a separation.

• The number of fathers prevented from seeing their children following court proceedings in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally.  It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs

The Ministry of Justice is not able to estimate the average cost to fathers of making child arrangements in court as this data is not available.

We are committed to ensuring that the family justice system supports all parents – including fathers – and children and reflects the realities of modern family life, and we recognise the importance of ensuring that both parents have the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with their children where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle. There is no automatic assumption of shared custody, as decisions about whom a child is to live or spend time with are based on the child’s best interests. This principle applies equally to mothers and fathers.

The Government is already taking steps to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent parents from engaging with the family court system. To support access to justice, the Help with Fees scheme provides full or partial remission of court and tribunal fees for those who cannot otherwise afford them. This includes applications made in the family courts such as applications for child arrangements orders.

We are also working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children – and the parents seeking to support them – can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the new Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

The Government does not have any plans to commission a cross-departmental review as suggested, and we have committed to long-term reform of the family courts to deliver better outcomes for families.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to NHS trusts on ensuring that (a) reception and (b) administrative staff are proficient in English.

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

National Health Service trusts are independent bodies and as such have responsibility for their own recruitment policies and for ensuring their appointment procedures are aligned with employment law and good human resources practice.

Employers have responsibility for assuring that individuals have the necessary written and verbal linguistic skills in line with the English language requirement for public sector workers: code of practice, in addition to any necessary professional skills and qualifications, when recruiting to NHS roles. The English language requirement for public sector workers: code of practice is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirement-for-public-sector-workers-code-of-practice

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) prevalence and (b) potential impact of parental alienation on fathers’ ability to maintain a relationship with their children.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not think it is capable of diagnosis and has therefore not undertaken an assessment of the prevalence of “parental alienation” or its impact on fathers’ ability to maintain a relationship with their children.

The Government does recognise the important role that fathers play in their children’s lives and supports a father’s involvement in their child’s lives where that involvement is safe, meaningful and positive. The family court must make decisions in the child’s best interests; this includes having particular regard to the factors set in the ‘welfare checklist’ in the Children Act 1989, such as the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child concerned (considered in light of their age and understanding), the impact on the child of any change in circumstances, and how capable each parent is of meeting the child’s needs.

In December 2024, the Family Justice Council published guidance on “responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour”. The guidance provides a comprehensive overview of the reasons a child may reject a parent, including harmful parenting, and provides a clear framework for assessing whether alienating behaviours are present. Where alienating behaviours are found the guidance provides clear next steps.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) translators and (b) interpreters have worked in the prison estate since 2018; and what the total cost to the public purse was for their services.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

HMPPS uses translation services provided under contract. These services provide translation by phone and do not require translators to physically come onto the prison estate. There may be specific occasions where in person translators are required but we do not hold a central record for these and to collect the information would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish (a) all recreational activities provided to inmates and (b) the total cost to the public purse for providing those activities in (i) HMP Maidstone, (ii) HMP Huntercombe and (iii) HMP Morton Hall since 2018.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The requested data is not held centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on abortion rates for (a) male and (b) female babies after 20 weeks by ethnicity.

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

In accordance with the Abortion Act 1967, registered medical practitioners must notify the Chief Medical Officer of abortions within 14 days. The Department collects information on abortions via the HSA4 abortion notification form. The form does not capture information on abortion rates by sex of the foetus, and so the Department does not hold this information.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police officers are qualitied to use firearms in each year since 2018.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of armed officers, and the proportion of armed officers relative to the total number of police officers, in the statistical publication on the police use of firearms.

The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2025 and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-use-of-firearms-statistics-april-2024-to-march-2025

Data on the number of armed officers in England and Wales, as at 31 March each year since 2018, is available in data table 3. The proportion of operationally deployable armed officers relative to the total number of police officers can be found in figure 5 for the same period.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) Confederation of British Industry and (b) other trade associations on anti-white discrimination in workplace diversity schemes.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Equality Act 2010 provides protections in the workplace and in society which generally make it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of, or in relation to, their protected characteristics. For example, if an employer were to discriminate against someone because of their ethnicity, this would be unlawful discrimination on the basis of the protected characteristic of race.

The Equality Act 2010 does allow employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation for groups of people who share a protected characteristic, where that is in order to level the playing field.

If an action treating a particular group more favourably does not meet the statutory requirements in the Equality Act 2010, then it is likely to be unlawful direct discrimination. Guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers.

The Government engages closely with the CBI and a range of other trade bodies on numerous policy areas.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individuals released through the early release scheme were foreign nationals.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. On 10 September 2024, the Government therefore took the unavoidable step to move the release point for certain standard determinate sentences from 50% to 40% (SDS40).

We have published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency. This includes data on the number of foreign national offenders released under SDS40.

Please find statistics on SDS40 releases by nationality group in Table 5: Standard Determinate Sentence 40 (SDS40) : September 2024 to June 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of Safe Surgeries held by GPs in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold information regarding the number of Safe Surgeries.

GPs are independent business that hold contracts with the National Health Service to perform essential services to the public, and as independent businesses, it is for each practice to decide whether to register as a Safe Surgery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS staff have not met minimum English language proficiency standards in the last five years.

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

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English as part of the regulator’s assessment of their healthcare qualifications, knowledge, and skills. The process and accepted evidence for demonstrating English language proficiency varies according to regulator.

The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. There may also be tests undertaken as part of the process of visa applications where these are applicable to staff. The Department does not hold information on the rate of success or failure of any of these tests.

Roles undertaken in the National Health Service by staff who are not required to be registered healthcare professionals may have language and communications skills defined and assessed locally as part of recruitment processes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 83176 on Universal Credit, how many and what proportion of claims were made by people with the support of a paid interpreter; and what was the the total cost of (a) translation and (b) interpretation for supporting claimants in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not retain data on how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims were made by people requiring the support of paid interpretation services. The breakdown of costs for translation and interpretation across all benefits including Universal Credit, from 2019/2020 to present is shown below. This data is not available prior to 2019.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) agency staff, (b) overseas recruits and (c) other NHS staff can communicate effectively in English.

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

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English. This process varies according to regulator, the healthcare role, and the circumstances of applicants

The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants.

General practitioners, dentists, and opticians delivering NHS primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process.

For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an NHS England assessor or with satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.

In regard to care workers, since February 2022, the main route for care workers wishing to come to the UK has been through the Health and Care visa. To qualify for this visa, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the B1 standard of English language. On 14 October 2025, the Home Office laid rules changes to increase the English Language requirement to Level B2. These changes will come into effect from 8 January 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce annual English language reassessments for NHS staff trained overseas.

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

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English. This process varies according to regulator, the healthcare role, and the circumstances of applicants

The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants.

General practitioners, dentists, and opticians delivering NHS primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process.

For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an NHS England assessor or with satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.

In regard to care workers, since February 2022, the main route for care workers wishing to come to the UK has been through the Health and Care visa. To qualify for this visa, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the B1 standard of English language. On 14 October 2025, the Home Office laid rules changes to increase the English Language requirement to Level B2. These changes will come into effect from 8 January 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has provided any (a) grants, (b) contracts and (c) other funding to (i) Stand Up to Racism, (ii) Unite the Union,(ii) Migrants Organise, (iv) the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, (v) the Refugee Council and (vi) Care4Calais since 2020; and how much funding was provided to each for what purposes.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Home Office made grant payments to the Refugee Council totalling £ 3.2m for the purpose of Children’s Advisory Projects to support Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) through the asylum process., with a further £ 215,244 for Asylum Seeker Mental Health and Wellbeing Grant to provide assistance to vulnerable adult asylum seekers.

The figures represent budgeted values which may not have been spent in full.

Since 2020 the Home Office has provided contract and other funding payments to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants totalling £47,015.

Further, the Home Office provided contract and other funding to the Refugee Council totalling £8,026,673 for the same time period.

Information on purpose has been withheld and related contracts as it would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Outside of Home Office funding, for the period FY 21/22 to FY 24/25 inclusive Home Office facilitated £5.37m of EU financed AMIF Integration Funding to the Refugee Council.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing detention capacity to a level that would facilitate the deportation of between 100,000 and 150,000 people per year.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office (specifically Immigration Enforcement), is currently expanding detention capacity through an active programme that will deliver an additional 1,000 beds over the coming years at Campsfield (Oxfordshire) and Haslar (Hampshire). This expansion will significantly increase the number of enforced returns once operational.

Decisions on the required estate size will be based on several factors, including:

• The number of individuals eligible for removal;
• Opportunities to increase throughput within the current system through casework transformation;
• The need to deliver additional capacity in the most cost-effective way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of diverting spending on foreign aid towards establishing a veterans support network including (a) guaranteed fast-track treatment and mental health support, (b) ring fenced housing priority funds for veterans in every local authority and (c) an employment fund to retrain and reintegrate people leaving the armed forces.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is completely dedicated to recognising our veterans and is keenly aware of the debt that we as a country owe to them for their service and sacrifice. Just this week we launched a new cross government Veterans' Strategy to fundamentally reset how we, as a nation think about these remarkable men and women. At its heart is VALOUR, a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access the care and support they deserve, with £27 million in VALOUR development funding programme to deliver support hubs across the country for veterans who need them.

In England, NHS England provides Op COURAGE, providing a broad range of specialist mental health wellbeing care and support for service leavers, reservists, and veterans. Op RESTORE provides specialist care and support to veterans who have physical health problems as a result of their time in the Armed Forces. Separate provision is available for veterans living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For veterans in need of housing support, existing regulations state they must be given 'additional priority' status when there is an urgent housing need. We also changed the law to exempt all veterans of the Regular Armed Forces from local connection tests when applying for social housing in England. We recently committed an additional £12 million to vital homelessness services through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme, and awarded £4.5 million to organisations supporting hundreds of veterans across the UK, to ensure there is a sustainable supply of veteran accommodation in the long term. Moreover, we have extended Op FORTITUDE, the single referral pathway for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness, which has already housed over 1,000 veterans.

For employment support, the Ministry of Defence-hosted Career Transition Partnership provides support for those within two years before and after leaving service. Op ASCEND is the employment pathway for veterans, available from two years post-service. As of 13 June 2025, Op ASCEND has already successfully engaged over 420 employers and supported over 4600 veterans and family members.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review data-sharing systems between the Prison Service and immigration enforcement.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We keep all data sharing systems and agreements between the Home Office and MoJ under review. We will be mindful of any recommendations or proposals for improvement that might flow from Dame Lynne Owens' review into the incident at Chelmsford and any wider learning on releases in error.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86454 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, if he will publish any information that would not prejudice commercial interests.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Influencers are an effective channel to reach audiences. Their work with the Cabinet Office is primarily supported by agencies OmniGov and Pablo Unlimited via the Campaign Solutions 2 framework, link below:

https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6125

Channels are chosen based on audience engagement and alignment with government objectives. The Cabinet Office monitors communication spending to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and best value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department tracks the locations of foreign national offenders following release.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Foreign national offenders (FNOs), if not detained under immigration powers, are released on licence at the conclusion of the custodial element of their sentence, under the supervision of the Probation Service.

They are subject to licence conditions to protect the public, reduce re-offending, and enable them to be supervised effectively in the community. These conditions can be varied during the licence period, if necessary, to reflect any change in level of risk.

The licence conditions include a requirement for FNOs to inform the Probation Service of their address and obtain prior approval for any change. The Probation Service liaises with the police during the address approval process, to ensure the address is suitable, and to safeguard the public. Any unauthorised change of address would constitute a breach of licence. Enforcement action may include recall to custody.

Where standard conditions are insufficient to manage risk, additional licence conditions may be imposed, such as restrictions on movement, contact, or residence, and the use of GPS tagging. GPS tagging is applied only where it is assessed as necessary and proportionate to the individual’s level of risk.

The Probation Service’s supervision of FNOs runs in parallel with any action on deportation being undertaken by the Home Office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officials in his Department have faced disciplinary action following the mistaken release of asylum seekers convicted of criminal offences in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of foreign national offenders released in error were awaiting deportation at the time of release in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We regularly publish information on releases in error but this does not show how many of these releases relate to foreign nationals or the proportion of such offenders who were awaiting deportation at the time of release.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected. We are also rightly deporting foreign national offenders faster than ever.

Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. Where appropriate, the Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025, over 5,000 FNOs were removed. This is an increase of 14% compared to the 4,532 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals have been released from prison in error in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We regularly publish information on releases in error but this does not show how many of these releases relate to foreign nationals or the proportion of such offenders who were awaiting deportation at the time of release.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected. We are also rightly deporting foreign national offenders faster than ever.

Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. Where appropriate, the Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025, over 5,000 FNOs were removed. This is an increase of 14% compared to the 4,532 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what communications protocols exist between his Department and the Home Office to prevent the erroneous release of asylum-seeker prisoners.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

We are focused on fixing release and discharge processes and have already brought in the strongest ever release checks with more direct senior accountability. Going further, we have established a new Justice Performance Board to provide a comprehensive view of prison and criminal court performance including releases in error. Dame Lynne Owens is conducting an independent review to identify what further action we can take.

A team of data scientists are reviewing releases in error to gain a clear picture of what is going wrong and as part of crucial improvements to court processes, an Urgent Warrant Query Unit is being set up, staffed by court experts, so prisons can get urgent answers on what sentences have been imposed. A digital rapid response unit has already been in HMP Wandsworth to use cutting-edge technology in place of manual systems and reduce the potential for human error. These are our initial steps and we will continue to take action to stop these errors and continue the existing close co-operation that exists between the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the police.

On the issue of public notification when a foreign national offender is released from custody, decisions about public statements rest with the police.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the the mistaken release of asylum seekers convicted of criminal offences on public safety.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

We are focused on fixing release and discharge processes and have already brought in the strongest ever release checks with more direct senior accountability. Going further, we have established a new Justice Performance Board to provide a comprehensive view of prison and criminal court performance including releases in error. Dame Lynne Owens is conducting an independent review to identify what further action we can take.

A team of data scientists are reviewing releases in error to gain a clear picture of what is going wrong and as part of crucial improvements to court processes, an Urgent Warrant Query Unit is being set up, staffed by court experts, so prisons can get urgent answers on what sentences have been imposed. A digital rapid response unit has already been in HMP Wandsworth to use cutting-edge technology in place of manual systems and reduce the potential for human error. These are our initial steps and we will continue to take action to stop these errors and continue the existing close co-operation that exists between the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the police.

On the issue of public notification when a foreign national offender is released from custody, decisions about public statements rest with the police.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what processes are in place to prevent the accidental release of foreign national offenders from prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

We are focused on fixing release and discharge processes and have already brought in the strongest ever release checks with more direct senior accountability. Going further, we have established a new Justice Performance Board to provide a comprehensive view of prison and criminal court performance including releases in error. Dame Lynne Owens is conducting an independent review to identify what further action we can take.

A team of data scientists are reviewing releases in error to gain a clear picture of what is going wrong and as part of crucial improvements to court processes, an Urgent Warrant Query Unit is being set up, staffed by court experts, so prisons can get urgent answers on what sentences have been imposed. A digital rapid response unit has already been in HMP Wandsworth to use cutting-edge technology in place of manual systems and reduce the potential for human error. These are our initial steps and we will continue to take action to stop these errors and continue the existing close co-operation that exists between the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the police.

On the issue of public notification when a foreign national offender is released from custody, decisions about public statements rest with the police.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the public is notified when a foreign national offender is mistakenly released from custody.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

We are focused on fixing release and discharge processes and have already brought in the strongest ever release checks with more direct senior accountability. Going further, we have established a new Justice Performance Board to provide a comprehensive view of prison and criminal court performance including releases in error. Dame Lynne Owens is conducting an independent review to identify what further action we can take.

A team of data scientists are reviewing releases in error to gain a clear picture of what is going wrong and as part of crucial improvements to court processes, an Urgent Warrant Query Unit is being set up, staffed by court experts, so prisons can get urgent answers on what sentences have been imposed. A digital rapid response unit has already been in HMP Wandsworth to use cutting-edge technology in place of manual systems and reduce the potential for human error. These are our initial steps and we will continue to take action to stop these errors and continue the existing close co-operation that exists between the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the police.

On the issue of public notification when a foreign national offender is released from custody, decisions about public statements rest with the police.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many yellow card reports there have been on covid-19 vaccines.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The number of Yellow Card reports received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for COVID-19 vaccines can be found in the Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles on the Yellow Card website, which is available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idaps

The Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles contain complete listings of suspected adverse reactions for all medicines and vaccines reported through the scheme. On this platform, individuals can search for the specified vaccine of interest in order to find data displayed in graphs and tables, which include information such as patient age, sex and ethnicity. The number of reports for each vaccine of interest is provided on the “Overview” tab of the profile. As the data does not necessarily refer to proven side effects, individuals should refer to the product information for details on the possible side effects, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc

When considering spontaneous data for medicinal products, it is important to be aware that a reported reaction has not necessarily been caused by the vaccine, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have been. Each year, millions of doses of routine vaccinations are given in the United Kingdom alone, and when any vaccine is administered to large numbers of people, some recipients will inevitably experience illness following vaccination. The fact that symptoms occur after the use of a vaccine or medicine, and are reported via the Yellow Card scheme, does not in itself mean that they are proven to have been caused by it. Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible, and such events can also be coincidental.

It is also important to note that the number of reports received via the Yellow Card scheme does not directly equate to the number of people who suffer adverse reactions, and therefore the reports cannot be used to determine the incidence of a reaction. Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting rates are influenced by the seriousness of the ADRs, their ease of recognition, and the extent of the use of a particular vaccine. They may also be stimulated by awareness and publicity about a vaccine. Reporting tends to be highest for newly introduced medicines during the first one to two years on the market, and then falls over time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS funding has been spent on the treatment of children brought from Gaza under the medical evacuation scheme since its launch; and what proportion of this expenditure has been reimbursed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to funding the costs associated with evacuating Gazan children for treatment in the United Kingdom. Departments will share the costs for the process by funding their specific areas of responsibility from their existing budgets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many accompanying adults have entered the UK under the Gaza injured children scheme; and what the estimated total cost per individual has been for (a) transport, (b) accommodation and (c) subsistence.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to funding the costs associated with evacuating Gazan children for treatment in the United Kingdom. Departments will share the costs for the process by funding their specific areas of responsibility from their existing budgets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse is of the scheme to evacuate and treat injured children from Gaza in the United Kingdom.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to funding the costs associated with evacuating Gazan children for treatment in the United Kingdom. Departments will share the costs for the process by funding their specific areas of responsibility from their existing budgets.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the total number of licence fee enforcement letters sent by the BBC in the last financial year.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The TV Licensing website states that in 2024/25, approximately 72 million items of mail for TV Licensing were sent. This information is published at https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-administering-the-licence-fee-AB20

The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations and we do not hold exact information on the number of letters it sends to households, or how many of these would relate to enforcement.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of how much money was sent abroad in remittance payments in 2024 by destination country.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Treasury does not collect or report data on the flow of remittances out of the UK and has not under previous governments.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of food served in his Department that is British.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government, in line with manifesto commitments, is considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. In order to understand where we are starting from, we are currently assessing what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. In due course, this will tell us the proportion of food served by public sector organisations, including Defra, that is British.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2025 to Question 86469 Ministry of Justice: Social Media, if he will publish a breakdown of all non-commercially sensitive information on (a) influencers paid and (b) amount paid to each influencer in the last five financial years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Given the nature of working with influencers, there are sensitivities surrounding all aspects of this expenditure. Sharing any information could compromise commercial interests, as the Department has engaged with only 10 influencers where it has enhanced our communications. All influencer activity is subject to strict Cabinet Office spending controls to ensure that we achieve an appropriate balance between effectiveness and value for money for taxpayers.

The Ministry of Justice uses social media influencers to help deliver its communications and operational priorities. This includes activity to support recruitment campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and magistrates, ensuring that frontline services are effectively staffed to maintain public safety and deliver swift access to justice. Our digital comms team are also increasingly collaborating with content creators/influencers to help reach new audiences with justice content on a no-cost basis.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the UK Government has contributed funding towards a (a) wall and (b) barrier near (i) Dunkirk and (ii) Calais.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UK

We continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of litigation on the implementation of the one-in, one-out migrant returns agreement with France; and whether policy changes have been made in response.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Litigation related to the UK-France Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys was anticipated and our policies, processes and operational practices were developed accordingly and designed to be lawful.

Litigation is a standard element of all returns processes from the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which French (a) ministries, (b) local authorities and (c) private contractors have received UK funding for (i) border security and (ii) migration control infrastructure since 2023.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UK

We continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, through which (a) programmes and (b) funds the UK has supported border-infrastructure projects in France since 2023; and how that expenditure is monitored.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UK

We continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

Trial by jury

Pink Ladies of Essex

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe

Found: I also welcome our newest member, Rupert Lowe.

Found: I also welcome our newest member, Rupert Lowe.

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe