Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) ministers and (b) special advisers from her Department have received briefings on analyses of (a) tax contributions and (b) benefits of people by (i) ethnicity, (ii) nationality and (iii) country of birth since 2020.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury does not routinely publish information which is released in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The FOI was answered in accordance with the Freedom of Information principles.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the (a) figures, (b) charts and (c) underlying data tables on (i) income tax and (ii) indirect tax contributions by ethnicity referenced in her Department's Freedom of Information response FOI2025/18562.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury does not routinely publish information which is released in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The FOI was answered in accordance with the Freedom of Information principles.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment her Department has made of (a) tax and (b) benefit contributions of people by (i) nationality and (ii) country of birth since 2020.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury does not routinely publish information which is released in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The FOI was answered in accordance with the Freedom of Information principles.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for crimes committed against (a) churches and (b) other Christian places of worship in England and Wales since 2010; and what proportion of all religious-premises offences this represents.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) his Department and (b) other Government departments distinguish between offences committed against (i) Christian, (ii) Muslim, (iii) Jewish and (iv) other places of worship in its (A) crime and (B) conviction data collections.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds data on the (a) age, (b) sex, (c) ethnicity and (d) nationality of offenders convicted of criminal offences against Christian places of worship since 2010.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recording and (b) categorisation of crimes against (i) Christian churches and (ii) other religious sites.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including violence against the person by defendant’s age, sex and ethnicity, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data to identify individuals who were convicted of offences committed against a person from specific religious backgrounds including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian churches/other places of worship nor the nationality of the offender. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. In December 2024, Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration enforcement raids have taken place in each of the last five years.

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

The relevant statistical figures can be accessed via the official government website at the following link: Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025 - GOV.UK

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personal data breaches were reported by his Department to the Information Commissioner’s Office in each year since 2020; and how of those resulted in enforcement action.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

22 personal data incidents have been reported by the Ministry of Defence to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) since 2020.

Three of those resulted in enforcement action.

The personal data incidents reported to the ICO are listed in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts:

The Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-2025 has not yet been published. This report will include an additional incident identified in 2023 which happened in February 2022 but was not reported previously due to an injunction being in place.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of benefits claimants who require translation support during appointments; and at what cost to the public purse.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not hold data on the number of individual claimants who require interpreter support.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date (a) Ministers in his Department were informed of the data breach affecting Afghan nationals who worked with UK forces and (b) that breach was escalated to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Officials were alerted to the data incident on 14 August 2023, and it was reported the next day to Ministry of Defence (MOD) Head Office and Ministers in the previous Government. Immediate action was taken to ensure that the compromised dataset, which had appeared online, was removed and an internal investigation was conducted. The incident was reported to the Metropolitan Police and the Information Commissioner’s Office on 17 August 2025, within 72 hours of first learning about the data incident. The Information Commissioner’s Office has continued to work with the Department on this matter and on improvements to MOD data handling and protection.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded (a) hate crimes and (b) religiously motivated offences have involved (i) Christian places of worship and (ii) other religious premises since 2010.

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

The Home Office collects and publishes data on hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, including information on religious hate crimes by the targeted religion of the victim. Information is not collected on whether or not the offence took place at a place of worship or other religious premises.

The latest official statistics can be found here: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department cited (a) national security and (b) public interest exemptions under the Data Protection Act 2018 in relation to the Afghan data breach disclosed in 2021.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reported several personal data incidents to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2021, under the previous administration, in which individuals seeking Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) support were identified to each other by the sender using the “to” rather than the “bcc” email field.

When MOD engaged with the ICO in relation to these incidents, the Department highlighted the national security context and the ICO accepted the urgent and pressurised circumstances under which the incidents occurred, although they decided that a monetary penalty notice was still justified. The MOD cooperated extensively with the ICO in addressing these incidents, recognising the severity of what happened and working to improve compliance going forward.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to question 82834 on Social Security Benefits: English Language, how many claimants have been required to attend English language courses as a work preparation activity in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83161 on Prisoners’ Release: Reoffenders, when this data will be included in statistical releases

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The next proven reoffending statistics publication where SDS40 releases will fall within the overall cohort is currently scheduled for 30 July 2026. The content of this release, as with all future statistical releases, remains under review.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on (a) the average call answer time and (b) time spent on hold for people calling the HMRC employers general enquiries line in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The below table provides the average call answer time (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s employers helpline in each of the last five years:

Overall, HMRC’s telephony performance was better in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24. However, HMRC’s employer helpline was affected by industrial action from December 2024, and this impacted wait times. The industrial action concluded in June 2025 and calls to the employer helpline are now being answered more quickly compared to 2024-25.

The average time spent on hold measures when a call has been answered by an adviser and the individual has subsequently been put on hold.

The below table provides the average time spent on hold (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s employers helpline in each of the last five years:

The below table provides the average call answer time (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s Self Assessment helpline in each of the last five years:

Call volumes to HMRC vary widely throughout the year and wait times can increase during busy periods. Calls to the Self Assessment helpline were generally answered more quickly in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24.

The below table provides the average time spent on hold (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s Self Assessment helpline in each of the last five years:

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.

In 2024-25, HMRC handled 71.5% of adviser attempts across their helplines and had an average call answer time of 18 minutes 38 seconds. So far this year (April – August 2025), they have handled 83.5% of adviser attempts and call wait times have decreased to 13 minutes 38 seconds.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the average (a) waiting time for people calling and (b) time spent on hold to the HMRC self-assessment line in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The below table provides the average call answer time (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s employers helpline in each of the last five years:

Overall, HMRC’s telephony performance was better in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24. However, HMRC’s employer helpline was affected by industrial action from December 2024, and this impacted wait times. The industrial action concluded in June 2025 and calls to the employer helpline are now being answered more quickly compared to 2024-25.

The average time spent on hold measures when a call has been answered by an adviser and the individual has subsequently been put on hold.

The below table provides the average time spent on hold (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s employers helpline in each of the last five years:

The below table provides the average call answer time (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s Self Assessment helpline in each of the last five years:

Call volumes to HMRC vary widely throughout the year and wait times can increase during busy periods. Calls to the Self Assessment helpline were generally answered more quickly in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24.

The below table provides the average time spent on hold (minutes: seconds) for HMRC’s Self Assessment helpline in each of the last five years:

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.

In 2024-25, HMRC handled 71.5% of adviser attempts across their helplines and had an average call answer time of 18 minutes 38 seconds. So far this year (April – August 2025), they have handled 83.5% of adviser attempts and call wait times have decreased to 13 minutes 38 seconds.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the amount spent by Harrow Council on (a) No spitting signage and (b) related Public Space Protection Order enforcement campaigns since January 2024.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local councils are responsible for their own spending. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department communicates with NHS trusts on Category F patients.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS Trusts, share information with the Home Office to tackle NHS debt accrued by patients who fall under Charging Category F.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average proportion of income paid in tax is for a full-time worker earning the national median salary.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

According to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data, median gross annual earnings for full-time employees were £39,039 in April 2025. The average employee would pay the basic rate of income tax (20%) and 8% in National Insurance Contributions on all earnings above the tax-free Personal Allowance of £12,570.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 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 Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The department has spent £0 on social media advertising in the last 5 financial years.

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 Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84798 on Driving Licences, how many code 70s were issued in each of the last ten years.

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

The number of GB driving licences issued in exchange for a licence issued in a non-UK country (which will have code 70 shown on the licence) in each of the last ten years is shown in the table below:

To be eligible to exchange a foreign licence for a GB equivalent, the applicant would have to have passed their test in a European Union/European Economic Area country or a country designated for driving licence exchange.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the administrative cost of collecting Inheritance Tax as a proportion of total revenue.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The figure for the cost of collecting Inheritance Tax (pence per pound collected) for 2024/25 is 0.78. This means as a proportion of total Inheritance Tax revenue, the administrative cost of collecting Inheritance Tax was 0.78% in that year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost to the economy of compliance with VAT regulations for small businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s VAT rate of 20 per cent is close to the OECD average of 19.3 per cent. The UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD, at £90,000. This keeps the majority of small businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, 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 Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83627 on Refugees: Social Rented Housing, how many lead tenants there are in (a) social and (b) rented housing by the nationality of those tenants.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Housing Survey (EHS) collects information about the characteristics of households, including the nationality of the household reference person (equivalent to lead tenant). Breakdowns by housing tenure can be found in Annex Table 1.1 of the EHS 2023-24: rented sectors on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 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 Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2025 to PQ 81251.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, 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 Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 83336. All spending is subject to standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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 Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

A full Departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The majority of Departmental advertising expenditure is undertaken by the three branches of the Armed Forces to aid recruitment. Generic advertising expenditure outside of this remit is not held centrally. The most recent available information on tri service recruitment advertising can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament and here Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 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 Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office has spent the following on social media advertising in the last five years:

2024/25 (to date): £0

2023/24: £0

2022/23: £29,395.01

2021/22: £10,500.00

Please note there was no spend on influencer marketing during this period.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, 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 Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

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 for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, 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 Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade used influencers as part of the National Minimum and National Living Wage campaign in 2025 and 2026. We are unable to provide details of how much was paid to each influencer due to confidentiality provisions in the individual agreements. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, 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 Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

Over the last five financial years, the department has spent the following on social media promotion and online advertising:

2024-25: £20,248.40

2025-26 to date: £26,751.60

This spend was on the joint UK Government/Welsh Government campaign to promote the availability of Tata Steel transition funding. The campaign aimed to raise awareness of the support available to steelworkers affected by the decarbonisation transition at Tata Steel UK in Port Talbot, including access to skills funding for those leaving the business. It also highlighted funding opportunities for local businesses impacted by the transition.

There has been no spend on social media advertising using an influencer during this period.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, 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 Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

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 Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department holds (a) final business cases and (b) data protection impact assessments for (i) the Gov.uk One Login programme and (ii) other digital identity schemes.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

GOV.UK One Login has a full business case which has been approved by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury ministers. GOV.UK One Login has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), which we continue to develop with any new identity verification journeys. A business case and DPIA are currently being conducted for the GOV.UK Wallet.

The Government has announced plans for a new digital ID to be available to UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over. We will consult and engage on the practical operation of the scheme and the data structures underpinning it, as it is developed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, 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 Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

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 Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, 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 Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The department has spent £0 on social media advertising in the last 5 financial years. All spend in these areas are subject to standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, 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 Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

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.

Some sensitivities exist around aspects of this expenditure, as disclosure could prejudice commercial interests. All influencer activity is subject to strict Cabinet Office spending controls to ensure we balance effectiveness with value for money for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had correspondence with Wandsworth Council on external-speaker sessions in local schools on (a) migration and (b) asylum since January 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.

To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.

The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.

Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on obtaining parental consent before children participate in classroom sessions involving external speakers discussing their personal experiences of (a) irregular and (b) illegal migration.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.

To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.

The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.

Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to schools on ensuring that classroom discussions involving people who have entered the UK illegally do not (a) compromise safeguarding standards and (b) expose pupils to political messaging.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.

To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.

The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.

Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the Quality First Education Trust regarding (a) classroom sessions and (b) external speaker events addressing (i) migration and (ii) asylum issues in the 2024/25 academic year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.

To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.

The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.

Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight her Department exercises over academy trusts that invite external speakers to address pupils on politically sensitive issues.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.

To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.

The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.

Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office for National Statistics has provided (a) data, (b) technical support and (c) modelling assistance her Department in connection with analyses of (i) tax contributions and (ii) benefit claims by (A) ethnicity, (B) nationality, and (C) country of birth.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces the Living Costs and Food survey which is one of the household microdata sets used regularly for analysis of tax and welfare measures by protected characteristics to fulfil the requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010. The ONS has not provided any technical support or modelling assistance.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold to Jobcentres was in the last year.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We cannot provide the data requested for this Parliamentary Question. Jobcentres span multiple benefit streams and business functions and therefore we do not retain telephony data specifically relating to Jobcentres.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, 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 Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office has not spent on social media advertising with influencers in the last five financial years.

The Office has spent the following on social media advertising over the past five financial years.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82834 on Social Security Benefits: English Language, what the total cost was for English language courses as a work preparation activity in each of the last five years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which UK-registered (a) non-Governmental organisations, (b) charities and (c) UN agencies have received more than £10 million in funding for projects involving (i) norm change, (ii) gender ideology and (iii) climate justice since 2021.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2021, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has used the Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) to guide decisions on how UK foreign aid is spent effectively. The PrOF sets out mandatory rules and principles to ensure programmes align with strategic priorities, deliver measurable impact, and represent value for money. The latest edition of the PrOF is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework/fcdo-programme-operating-framework-overview.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that overseas aid funding is not used to promote (a) social transformation, (b) gender ideology, (c) climate justice and (d) other ideological or political objectives.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2021, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has used the Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) to guide decisions on how UK foreign aid is spent effectively. The PrOF sets out mandatory rules and principles to ensure programmes align with strategic priorities, deliver measurable impact, and represent value for money. The latest edition of the PrOF is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework/fcdo-programme-operating-framework-overview.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department undertakes (a) risk and (b) equality impact assessments on aid projects whose stated objectives include (i) influencing norms and (ii) gender ideology.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2021, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has used the Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) to guide decisions on how UK foreign aid is spent effectively. The PrOF sets out mandatory rules and principles to ensure programmes align with strategic priorities, deliver measurable impact, and represent value for money. The latest edition of the PrOF is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework/fcdo-programme-operating-framework-overview.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much overseas aid funding has been allocated to projects or programmes aimed at promoting (a) climate justice, (b) social transformation and (c) norm change since 2021.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2021, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has used the Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) to guide decisions on how UK foreign aid is spent effectively. The PrOF sets out mandatory rules and principles to ensure programmes align with strategic priorities, deliver measurable impact, and represent value for money. The latest edition of the PrOF is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework/fcdo-programme-operating-framework-overview.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what strategic reasons aid is used to fund projects described as aiming to (a) influence social norms and (b) achieve social transformation overseas.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2021, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has used the Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) to guide decisions on how UK foreign aid is spent effectively. The PrOF sets out mandatory rules and principles to ensure programmes align with strategic priorities, deliver measurable impact, and represent value for money. The latest edition of the PrOF is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework/fcdo-programme-operating-framework-overview.

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.

English language and translation policy in the NHS

Death of Wayne Broadhurst

Cost of asylum seeker accommodation

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