Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will make it her policy to introduce a dedicated Standard Occupational Classification and Standard Industrial Classification codes for individuals working in the comedy sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 21 October is attached.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to develop a child health workforce action plan (a) in or (b) following the publication of the NHS Workforce Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no such plans at present, but we keep all such matters under review.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that electively home-educated children will be able to access the proposed Vocational GCSEs as private candidates, including any practical, controlled or non-exam assessment required as part of those qualifications.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As with existing GCSEs and other formal qualifications, electively home-educated children seeking to take a vocational GCSE as a private candidate would be expected to enter through an approved examination centre.
Any practical, controlled or non-exam assessment forming part of the qualification would need to be completed through that same centre.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps they she has taken to initiate the review of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) committed to for 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) are a critical tool in long term resilience. The Environment Agency completed a refresh of SMPs in 2024. This Government keeps SMPs under active review. That is why we strengthened coastal planning policies in the National Planning Policy Framework and provided £30m for Coastal Adaptation Pilots.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made in delivering Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts across England and Wales.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to enhancing support for victims of domestic abuse and improving the criminal court’s response to domestic abuse cases.
In our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Government committed to rolling out Domestic Abuse Protection Orders – our strongest order yet for domestic abuse - across England and Wales. We are also introducing a domestic abuse identifier at sentencing in criminal cases to enable police, prisons and probation to more consistently identify domestic abuse offenders. This Government has also made trauma-informed training available to all HMCTS court staff, helping them to better understand domestic abuse and apply trauma-informed practice in their interactions with victims.
We are actively considering how to expand the use of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts in the criminal division as part of our wider work to improve outcomes for victims of domestic abuse, in response to recommendations made by the Independent Sentencing Review.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to UIN HCWS144, what progress has his Department made in carrying out medical evacuations of children in Gaza.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 June, the UK will resume its support for critically ill and injured children alongside their immediate families to leave Gaza and receive specialist treatment in NHS hospitals across the UK. A cross-Government taskforce is progressing this work, but this is a sensitive and complex process. Due to the operational sensitivities, we are not in a position to provide further details.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are registered as veterans in England.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not maintain a running total of the number of patients receiving care across the full range of health services at any one time, and is not therefore in a position to say how many are registered veterans. However, NHS England has introduced several bespoke services to improve healthcare support available to veterans. This includes Op RESTORE, Op COURAGE, and Op NOVA.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adding a representative from the comedy industry to the Creative Industries Council.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the significant contribution comedy makes to our creative industries, cultural life and national wellbeing. Arts Council England (ACE) has awarded more than £12 million between 2010/11 and 2024/25 to projects or organisations identified with comedy. I have engaged extensively with the comedy sector in the last year, including hosting a roundtable discussion in March. Arts Council have also increased their engagement, running a session with the sector to ensure their better access to and knowledge of funding opportunities. We will continue to work closely with the sector to ensure it continues to be able to thrive as a fantastic British creative industry.
The Creative Industries Council includes representation from across the UK and covers the breadth of the creative industries. Members of the Council were appointed in 2025 for a term of up to three years and government will formally review and refresh its membership at that point. We are working with the sector to ensure they can contribute to the work of the CIC, including through CIC working groups on comedy sector representation at the Creative Industries Council. In the interim and as a first step, we are going to discuss with them their participation in our working groups that cover innovation, finance, skills and trade. The government has also appointed Freelance Champions and has committed to strengthening the evidence base regarding comedy's economic and social impact.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much money from central government grants has been allocated to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service in the 2026/27 financial year.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 9 February 2026, the Ministry published the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue.
Gloucestershire County Council is responsible for managing the allocation and use of funds for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, and in 2026/27 Gloucestershire County Council will have a core spending power of £660.17 million, an increase of 3.17% compared to 2025/26.
In addition to settlement funding, the Government has provided Fire and Rescue Authorities with several grants intended for specific purposes, such as the Pension SCAPE Rate Uplift Grant, New Dimensions Grant and Protection Uplift Grant.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make Palestinians in Gaza eligible for the new Named Community Sponsorship route.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Eligibility for the new Named Community Sponsorship route, including whether Palestinians in Gaza will be eligible, has not yet been finalised. Further details of the new route, including eligibility requirements, will be announced in due course.