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Written Question
Overseas Students: Gaza
Tuesday 16th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish guidance to Hon. Members on how students in Gaza who are eligible for support to come to the UK can access this support; and if she will provide a dedicated communication pathway for Hon. Members to find out whether an eligible student is on the list of those to be provided with that help.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Home Secretary’s oral statement to the House on 1 September 2025 on strengthening border security and reforms to the asylum system. Further details will be set out in due course.

Members can continue to contact the Home Office via Ministers and the Direct Communications Unit. Further detail can be found on the Home Office GOV.UK website.


Written Question
Drugs: Crime
Thursday 11th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the value of the illegal drugs market for (a) cannabis, (b) cocaine, and (c) opioids.

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

The most recent estimate of the value of the illegal drugs market for cannabis, cocaine and opioids is available as a part of the Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs: Evidence Pack. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-drugs-phase-one-report

The evidence pack provides the following estimates for value of the illegal drugs market in England and Wales, measured by the amount spent on these drugs:

  • Powder cocaine: £1.9bn
  • Cannabis: £2.4bn
  • Crack cocaine: £1.3bn

Opiates: £3.8bn


Written Question
High Speed 2 Line: West Yorkshire
Wednesday 10th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her oral evidence to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on 22 July 2025, on what evidential basis the country has cared more about bats than about commuter times for people in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

In the past, our planning system has acted as a brake on growth, with consenting times for major infrastructure taking far too long and costing too much money. Environmental and planning compliance has meant projects like HS2 have suffered excessive costs and delays as referenced by James Stewart’s review of the problems in that programme and the approach to governance and assurance of major transport projects. This has damaged investment in the UK, costing us jobs and economic growth.

That’s why we are committed to creating a planning system that is an enabler of growth; delivering both the high-quality housing and critical infrastructure that communities need. We are reforming the National Planning Policy Framework and are taking a new growth-focused approach to the planning system with major reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The new Nature Restoration Fund will enable developers to meet their environment obligations quicker without compromising on environmental improvement.


Written Question
Tourism: Sustainable Development
Tuesday 9th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to publish a sustainable tourism plan.

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

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of a more sustainable and resilient tourism sector. We are in the process of developing a Visitor Economy Growth Strategy with the Visitor Economy Advisory Council which will map out plans to support the growth of the tourism industry. This will address continuing to work with Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to promote regenerative tourism practices and an approach where residents are involved in decision making and benefit directly from tourism.


Written Question
Apprentices: Solicitors
Tuesday 9th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to funding for level 7 solicitor apprenticeships on (a) equalities and (b) social mobility.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57823.


Written Question
Vocational Education: Qualifications
Tuesday 9th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the Protect Student Choice’s report entitled Causing gaps, creating uncertainty: why the government should lift the ban on AGQ diplomas and extended diplomas in T level subjects, published on 23 July 2025.

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

This government is fully committed to the future of T Levels, which are delivering fantastic results for thousands of young people. T Level learners who go directly into work are more likely to work in a sector related to their course than learners on other large level 3 qualifications. 71% of T Level learners agreed that their course prepared them for the workplace. This is greater than learners on comparable level 3 courses with differences of 10-15 percentage points. In 2023 and 2024, 97% of T Level learners who applied for higher education through UCAS received at least one offer.

The department’s plans for further reform to level 3 qualifications will be set out soon, informed by the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review.


Written Question
Travel: Disability
Monday 8th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 66780 on Transport: Disability, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting access panels to create a national network.

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

The Sustrans Transforming Mobility Report recommends that local leaders, who best understand their communities, use access panels to engage disabled people in shaping, reviewing, and monitoring transport policies and projects. Paid access panels are one potential method for ensuring meaningful involvement.

The government recognises that accessibility improvements require collaboration across national and local authorities, transport operators, and industry. Central to this effort is the voice of disabled people. For nearly 40 years, the Department for Transport has led by example, being advised by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, which mandates that at least half its members are disabled.

More broadly, the government is committed to making public transport more inclusive, enabling disabled people to travel safely, confidently, and with dignity. As part of this commitment, it is working with disabled people’s organisations, service providers, and stakeholders to develop an Accessible Transport Charter. This charter will set out clear, shared commitments based on the principles of accessible and inclusive travel.


Written Question
Active Travel: Finance
Monday 8th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish an update of recent progress in meeting the objectives of the second cycling and walking investment strategy.

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

The latest National Travel Survey figures published on the 27th August revealed that in 2024 43 percent of short journeys in towns and cities were walked or cycled; 339 walking stages were walked per person; the estimated total number of cycling stages was 0.94 billion stages and 51% of children aged 5 to 10 reported usually walking to school.


Written Question
IVF: Sussex
Monday 8th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Sussex ICB on the reduction of the number of IVF cycles they offer.

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

We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.

In light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.


Written Question
Fertility: Medical Treatments
Monday 8th September 2025

Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)

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 support Sussex Integrated Care Board to implement the Women's Health Strategy recommendations on access to fertility services for LGBTQ+ people.

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

We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.

In light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.