Sojan Joseph Portrait

Sojan Joseph

Labour - Ashford

1,779 (3.8%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


2 APPG memberships (as of 28 Mar 2025)
Adult Social Care, Mental Health
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
15th Jan 2025 - 25th Mar 2025


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Sojan Joseph has voted in 269 divisions, and 82 times against the majority of their Party.

29 Nov 2024 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 147 Labour No votes vs 234 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 330 Noes - 275
21 Jan 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (First sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
26 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Fifteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
26 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Fifteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
26 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Fifteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 14
26 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Fifteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
12 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eleventh sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
12 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eleventh sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
12 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eleventh sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
12 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eleventh sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
11 Feb 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 2 Labour Aye votes vs 11 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 4 Noes - 16
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 14
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 14
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Seventeenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 13
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Sixteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Sixteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Sixteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Sixteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Sixteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
4 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Sixteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
5 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Nineteeth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
5 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
5 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighteenth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 13
5 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Nineteeth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 11 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 15
5 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Nineteeth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
5 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Nineteeth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 12
11 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty First sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
11 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty First sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 13
11 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty First sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 13
11 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty First sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 15
11 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty First sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 1 Labour No votes vs 13 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 19 Noes - 2
11 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twentieth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 15
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 15
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 15
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 15
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 6 Noes - 16
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour No votes vs 9 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 17 Noes - 4
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 5 Noes - 16
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 7 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 12
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 6 Noes - 15
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 14
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 13
18 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fifth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 1 Labour Aye votes vs 12 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 3 Noes - 18
19 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-seventh sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 7 Noes - 13
19 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-seventh sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 6 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 13
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 9 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 14 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 14
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 14
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 7 Labour Aye votes vs 8 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 12 Noes - 11
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 14
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 14
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour No votes vs 10 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 15 Noes - 8
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 9 Noes - 14
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 6 Labour Aye votes vs 9 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 12 Noes - 11
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
25 Mar 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-ninth sitting) - View Vote Context
Sojan Joseph voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 5 Labour Aye votes vs 10 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 8 Noes - 15
View All Sojan Joseph Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Naz Shah (Labour)
(11 debate interactions)
Keir Starmer (Labour)
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
(8 debate interactions)
Stephen Kinnock (Labour)
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
(8 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(32 debate contributions)
Ministry of Justice
(24 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(4 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Water Bill 2024-26
(1,858 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Sojan Joseph's debates

Ashford Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Sojan Joseph has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Sojan Joseph

3rd February 2025
Sojan Joseph signed this EDM on Wednesday 5th February 2025

Renaming Heathrow Airport after Queen Elizabeth II

Tabled by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
That this House remembers with gratitude the 70 years of service Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth; gives thanks for her commitment and dedication over seven decades; acknowledges that Tuesday 21 April 2026 will be the 100th anniversary of Her late Majesty’s …
22 signatures
(Most recent: 13 Feb 2025)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 16
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Traditional Unionist Voice: 1
Conservative: 1
Ulster Unionist Party: 1
Alliance: 1
Independent: 1
2nd September 2024
Sojan Joseph signed this EDM on Thursday 30th January 2025

Accelerating construction work and lower carbon construction vehicles

Tabled by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
That this House recognises the benefits of the production of concrete with zero waste, fewer lorry movements and minimal water waste by greener volumetric mobile concrete plants (VCMs); acknowledges that since their invention in 1975 and following regulations in 2918, VCMs have operated safely in the UK at 38.4 tonnes …
28 signatures
(Most recent: 1 Apr 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 16
Labour: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 2
Independent: 2
Conservative: 1
View All Sojan Joseph's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Sojan Joseph, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Sojan Joseph has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Sojan Joseph has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Sojan Joseph has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Sojan Joseph has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
2 Other Department Questions
14th Jan 2025
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if her Department will publish a timeline for the introduction of mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.

As set out in the King’s Speech in July, the government is committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers. These measures will be part of the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which will be published in draft in this parliamentary session

We will shortly be consulting on our proposals to help us shape the legislation and will announce further details on timing in due course.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
8th Jan 2025
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to have discussions with EU counterparts on the introduction of the EU Pay Transparency Directive as part of the Government's plans to consult on the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.

This Government is committed to building on the historic achievements of the Equal Pay Act 1970 and Equality Act 2010 and tackle pay discrimination. The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers and extend the right to make equal pay claims to ethnic minority and disabled people. Additionally, as set out in the Plan to Make Work Pay, we will put in place measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay and improve enforcement by establishing an Equal Pay Regulatory and Enforcement Unit. These changes will strengthen and expand the existing legislative framework.

We are also committed to protecting the ability to draw on equal pay comparators where workers' terms and conditions can be attributed to a single source, ensuring those provisions that were previously derived from EU law remain enshrined in UK law.

Anneliese Dodds
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
12th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) tenants and (b) leaseholders are not adversely financially impacted by communal heating schemes.

The Department is introducing heat network regulation in January 2026 which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations.

Ofgem is being appointed as heat network regulator and will have powers to investigate and intervene where prices appear disproportionate or unfair.

We are exploring options on further price protections including potentially capping connection costs within heat network zones.

We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure heat network regulation works alongside existing leaseholder and tenant protections.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 for gaming services.

The Online Safety Act has been designed to be technology neutral and applies to all services which support user-to-user interactions online, including game services. Where gaming services fall in scope, they will need to take appropriate measures to protect their users against illegal harms and harms to children.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that public-facing (a) leisure and (b) sports staff participate in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training.

As set out in the cross-government autism strategy (2021-2026), we want to improve understanding and acceptance of autism, and for public sector services to become more autism-inclusive.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) is the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector. It is committed to supporting, developing and enabling professionals and organisations to inspire our nation to become more active.

CIMSPA provides access to many resources and training programmes which explore how people with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) can be supported in sport and physical activity.



Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department hold on the number of cases of adoption (a) disruption and (b) breakdown for each of the last five years; and if she will publish that data.

The department does not collect information centrally on the number of adoptions that have been disrupted or adoptions that breakdown. We only publish information on whether children starting to be looked after in any given year were known to have been previously adopted. This information is in table C1 of the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical release, which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/92f77d0d-7e95-45a1-f1db-08dd5cc661f7.

The department is providing funding of £3 million in this financial year to Adoption England to improve adoption support services in Regional Adoption Agencies. This includes developing more multi-disciplinary teams across the country to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families, and the development of national standards for adoption support. It also includes a new framework for an early support core offer, ‘Becoming a Family’, for the first twelve to eighteen months of placement, and an Adoption Support Plan to guide assessments of a family’s support needs. All are designed to improve support and reduce the risk of an adoption breakdown.

Adoption England are also planning work to develop a national protocol on how children’s services, front door services and adoption support teams work together to better support families at risk of adoption disruption.

Adoption England and Regional Adoption Agencies work closely with adopters on all of their projects to improve adoption support services. This includes considering the latest evidence of why adoption disruptions have occurred in their agencies and across the country.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) regional adoption agencies and (b) local authorities meet with representatives of parents affected by adoption (a) disruption and (b) breakdown to help prevent further cases.

The department does not collect information centrally on the number of adoptions that have been disrupted or adoptions that breakdown. We only publish information on whether children starting to be looked after in any given year were known to have been previously adopted. This information is in table C1 of the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical release, which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/92f77d0d-7e95-45a1-f1db-08dd5cc661f7.

The department is providing funding of £3 million in this financial year to Adoption England to improve adoption support services in Regional Adoption Agencies. This includes developing more multi-disciplinary teams across the country to provide specialist and therapeutic support to families, and the development of national standards for adoption support. It also includes a new framework for an early support core offer, ‘Becoming a Family’, for the first twelve to eighteen months of placement, and an Adoption Support Plan to guide assessments of a family’s support needs. All are designed to improve support and reduce the risk of an adoption breakdown.

Adoption England are also planning work to develop a national protocol on how children’s services, front door services and adoption support teams work together to better support families at risk of adoption disruption.

Adoption England and Regional Adoption Agencies work closely with adopters on all of their projects to improve adoption support services. This includes considering the latest evidence of why adoption disruptions have occurred in their agencies and across the country.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) teachers and (b) other teaching staff participating in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training.

As set out in the cross-government autism strategy (2021 to 2026), the government wants to improve understanding and acceptance of autism and for public sector services to become more autism-inclusive.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations, including schools, are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

There is work underway in the department to improve autism awareness. High quality, evidence-based teaching is critical in ensuring that the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are met effectively.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. The department funds the £12 million Universal Services Programme, which helps the school and further education workforce to identify the needs of pupils with SEND earlier and more effectively. The programme includes autism training, delivered by Autism Education Trust training partners, to over 200,000 education professionals so far.

Also, following the recent review, the initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), which was published in January 2024, contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND.

The department is committing to a full review of the delivery of the early career teacher (ECT) entitlement, including the content of the ITTECF, in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for ECTs based on the most up-to date-evidence. This review will focus on increasing support for mentors, as well as for teaching pupils with SEND.

In education settings, school staff can access a range of training as appropriate to their career stage. Training to support pupils with autism should include information on how to access health and social care as necessary.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
13th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including lessons on death and bereavement in the National Curriculum.

The department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe, and to equip them for adult life so they achieve and thrive.

The statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance makes clear that teachers should be aware of common adverse childhood experiences, including bereavement, and understand when and how these may be affecting of their pupils. This will help teachers to tailor their lessons accordingly, taking decisions on appropriate resources and support to enable them to teach the curriculum effectively. Teachers are free to draw on the support and expertise of subject associations and other providers of curriculum support.

The RSHE statutory guidance, which sets out the specific topics pupils should be taught, is currently under review. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that children's wellbeing will be the government's priority, in light of which the department is looking carefully at the responses from the period of public consultation which ended on 11 July, engage with stakeholders and consider the relevant evidence before setting out next steps. As part of this process, the department will explore whether any more or amended content is required, including on death and bereavement.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
28th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children diagnosed with dyslexia in Ashford constituency.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. There is already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and statutory assessments at the end of key stage 2.

Measures have also been introduced to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the English Hubs programme, the publication of the Reading Framework and an updated list of high quality phonics programmes for schools.

The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. As part of the continuous professional development provided by the English Hubs, the Reading Ambition for All programme has been launched to improve outcomes for children who need additional support with reading, including those with SEND.

Ashford’s local English Hub is Kingsnorth. Further information is available here: https://www.kingsnorth.kent.sch.uk/english-hub.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
13th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enforce the publication of real-time data on sewage released into (a) rivers (b) the sea and (c) other waterways in Kent.

Since 1 January 2025, water companies have been required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. The Secretary of State has authorised Ofwat to carry out enforcement action for this duty, in accordance with the powers conferred under sections 18 and 141DA (4) of the Water Industry Act 1991. Ofwat’s enforcement powers provide for a wide range of enforcement activity, including substantial penalties.

Ofwat is monitoring compliance with the duty to report relevant data in real time. Where it detects non-compliance, it will take appropriate enforcement action. In addition to this, the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 has introduced an equivalent duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. Once commenced, this duty will be enforced in the same way.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the measures in place to tackle (a) littering and (b) flytipping in Kent.

Fly-tipping and littering blight communities and harm the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to assess the measures in place to address the local littering and fly-tipping problems in their area. No specific assessment of the effectiveness of measures in place to tackle littering and fly-tipping in Kent has been made.

Local authorities have enforcement powers to tackle these issues, including fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 for fly-tipping and £500 for littering and prosecution action, which can lead to significant fine or even imprisonment. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are considering what further steps we can take to assist them in doing so.

We committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment, and other actions to tackle fly-tipping, in due course.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
8th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to include the recycling of small electrical items as part of household waste collections.

The Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) regulations make producers responsible for the electrical products they place on the market when they become waste. As part of this producers can pay into the WEEE Compliance Fee fund that provides project funding for local authorities seeking to provide more recycling opportunities for local residents. It also funds consumer awareness campaigns highlighting the importance of properly disposing of their electrical waste. According to Material Focus, 100 local authorities in the United Kingdom operate Kerbside collection for small electricals.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of adding XL Bullies to the list of prohibited dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 on the number of attacks by XL Bullies.

Defra is continuing to engage closely with the Police, local authorities, and rescue and rehoming organisations to monitor the impacts of the XL Bully dog ban. These measures are vital to protect the public and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
5th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to clear up water ways in Ashford constituency.

The Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill will the first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector, reducing pollution and cleaning up our waterways. The Government has also launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, anticipated to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation.

With respect to the Ashford constituency, this year Environment Agency (EA) officers have inspected four permitted water company assets, with more planned in the coming months as part an increased programme of regulatory visits. No significant issues have been found so far. Where significant permit breaches or issues are identified, the appropriate enforcement response will be pursued according to the EA’s enforcement policy.

EA Agricultural Officers have been focusing their regulatory efforts in the Great Stour catchment this year. These inspections ensure farmers are operating in ways that reduce polluting inputs into watercourses.

The EA is also an active participant of the Kentish Stour Catchment partnership which identifies and commissions projects to improve water quality and river habitats across the catchment.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the DVSA on the adequacy of its online booking system for booking practical driving tests.

As set out in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) 2024/25 business plan, DVSA is beginning the process of replacing its booking system.

DVSA also launched a call for evidence on 18 December 2024, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This closed on 11 February 2025 and will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
14th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the hours at which English National Concessionary Travel Scheme bus passes can be used in (a) Kent and (b) England.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel time criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.  The Government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders, and is currently considering next steps.

Currently, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Kent County Council has been allocated £23 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways is taking with (a) other road agencies, (b) utility companies and (c) local councils to help ensure minimal disruption when roadworks take place in (i) Ashford constituency and (ii) Kent.

National Highways is part of the Kent Corridor Coordination Group (KCCG), which was established as a collaborative forum to coordinate the delivery of multiple concurrent road improvement and maintenance schemes in Kent.

By adopting a ‘corridor approach,’ the group works with local authorities, businesses, and community stakeholders to minimise disruption, improve safety, and streamline project delivery.

This innovative model of collaboration has delivered significant efficiencies, reduced delays, and fostered stronger partnerships among stakeholders.

In addition to NH’s work in the KCCG, it holds quarterly meetings with major utility companies to discuss performance.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
10th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing blue badge holders to temporarily use an expired badge while its renewal is being processed.

The Department has no plans to allow the temporary use of an expired Blue Badge. It is an offence to use an expired badge which should be returned to the issuing local authority.

Allowing the use of expired badges would undermine the effective enforcement of the scheme.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
31st Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the provision of bus services in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent.

The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in Kent. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Kent County Council has been allocated over £23 million of this funding. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that all public-facing transport staff participate in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training.

This Government wants to focus on how transport can be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it – delivering on our pledge to put people at the heart of what we do on transport and enabling them to live healthy, fulfilling lives without barriers to opportunity.

The Government is committed to delivering a transport network which allows disabled people, including those with less visible impairments, such as autism, to travel easily and confidently, with dignity and without extra cost.

Having clear accountability and appropriately trained staff acting to support passengers, whether disabled or not, to make the journeys they want and need to make is essential. To support this, many staff working on our public transport network already undertake disability awareness training.

The Government expects Local Authorities and Transport Operators to lead this process and we want to empower them to do this. That is why we are bringing forward the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, and undertaking wider reform on our railway, including the establishment of Great British Railways with a customer-focused culture.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 21357 on Large Goods Vehicles: Concrete, what her Department's planned timetable is for publishing its findings.

The Department will publish its findings shortly.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
16th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of statutory safeguard training for (a) private hire and (b) taxi drivers under the Police and Crime Act 2017.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 enables the Secretary of State for Transport to issue statutory guidance to licensing authorities on exercising their taxi and private hire vehicle licensing functions to protect children and vulnerable adults. Statutory guidance was published in 2020 under these powers. This means that all licensing authorities should provide safeguarding advice and guidance to the sector and should require all taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Licensing authorities are responsible for deciding the content and format of such training.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
17th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve bus services for rural communities in Kent.

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into the hands of local leaders, including in Kent and other rural areas right across England. This will allow local areas to determine how best to design their bus services so that they have control over routes and schedules.

The government has also committed to increasing accountability by providing safeguards over local networks across the country and empowering local transport authorities through reforms to bus funding.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
17th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce driving test waiting times in Ashford constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

DVSA continues to take measures to increase test availability. These include the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays and buying back annual leave from DEs.

DVSA currently employs 7.33 full-time equivalent DEs at Ashford, Canterbury and Folkestone driving test centres (DTCs). It has made offers of employment to a further eight potential new DEs who, if successful in training, will join these DTCs.

In total DVSA has made offers to 15 potential new DEs in Kent. DVSA launched its latest recruitment campaign in September 2024. From this campaign DVSA aims to recruit a further eight DEs in the Kent area.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
15th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that potholes are fixed promptly in Ashford constituency.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. Kent County Council is the local highway authority for the Ashford constituency, and it is therefore responsible for the maintenance of its local road network. Kent County Council will receive £38.3 million from this Department during 2024/25 to help it carry out its local highway maintenance responsibilities: it is up to it to decide how that funding is used. For England as a whole, the Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities to fix up to a million more potholes a year.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
12th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the EU Entry/Exit System on road haulage.

Department for Transport Ministers and officials regularly meet colleagues from the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and FCDO to discuss the impacts of the EU Entry/Exit System on travel between the UK and the Schengen Area, including the impacts on freight. We are intensifying these discussions with our ministerial colleagues across government as we approach the implementation date.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that thistles and ragwort are removed from land owned by her Department between the village of Mersham and the Sevington inland border facility.

I can confirm that a cut of the field to remove the thistles and ragwort was completed by Sunday 8th September. The cut was started following an ecological walkover visit on Monday 2nd September to ensure that the works could go ahead without impacting nesting birds.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
29th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the criteria for the eligibility of the Winter Fuel allowance to include pensioners who have received a terminal diagnosis.

Linking Winter Fuel eligibility to Pension Credit and other means tested benefits for pensioners, ensures the least well-off pensioners still receive the help they need; this includes people with a terminal illness who are eligible. There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria.

The Department supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods. In most cases they receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules have applied to people who have six months or less to live and have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with local authorities on tackling youth unemployment in Ashford constituency.

The forthcoming Youth Guarantee is testament to our commitment to do more to help young people achieve their potential and how we intend to maximise the role of as wide a range of local partners as possible in helping us to achieve this goal.

Ashford Jobcentre has had several meetings with Ashford Borough Council with the Welfare team and the Economic Development Manager where they have been discussing the developments in Ashford and changes in the labour market and how the youth cohort can find employment.

Recent examples of positive collaboration in Ashford include strong support for Southeastern rail apprenticeships to close the skill gaps in that sector, and the Jobcentre is also looking for solutions with the local authority around transportation links.

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce levels of child poverty in Ashford constituency.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish the child poverty strategy in the Spring.

Our publication on 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we will develop the Strategy, harnessing all available levers to deliver a reduction in child poverty this Parliament.

The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Taskforce will hear directly from experts on each of the Strategy’s themes including children and families living in poverty and work with leading organisations, charities, and campaigners.

To support struggling families, we have already boosted the Household Support Fund by a further £421 million in England. The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage.

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
13th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of adults with severe mental illness who are currently waiting for treatment from community mental health services; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
10th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of HRT products in Kent.

The Department manages medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Kent is not held centrally.

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Previously there has been issues with the supply of a limited number of these products, primarily driven by very sharp increases in demand. Following the Department’s intensive engagement with industry, the supply position has improved considerably. As part of this we have met with suppliers on a very regular basis and have held seven HRT supply roundtables since April 2022, with the most recent in September 2024, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply position and actions being taken to address them, to share data, and to discuss relevant policy developments and potential impacts.

We are aware of the supply issues affecting Estradot (estradiol) 50 microgram/24 hour, 75 microgram/24 hour, and 100 microgram/24 hour patches, for which we have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service, including Serious Shortage Protocols allowing community pharmacists to supply the equivalent strength patch of an alternative brand without the need for a new prescription. Alternative brands of estradiol patches remain available. There are also shortages for Indivina® 1mg/2.5mg and 1mg/5mg tablets until mid-April and a discontinuation of Tridestra® tablets which we have also communicated to the NHS. Alternative combined continuous and cyclical preparations of oral HRT products remain available.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that adults aged over 60 with pre-existing conditions are included in the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programme.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps all vaccine programmes under review and will continue to update its advice as new evidence emerges. In October 2024, the JCVI agreed that it would need to formally review, in detail, the evidence for a potential extension to the programme for the very elderly and risk groups in those aged less than 75 years old. This review would be undertaken by the JCVI respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sub-committee.

The Department will consider any future JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation. Once published, minutes of JCVI meetings are available on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation#sub-committee-membership-and-minutes

14th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce accident and emergency waiting times in hospitals in East Kent.

The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service during the winter period and the impact this is having on accident and emergency waiting times, including in hospitals in East Kent.

We are committed to supporting the NHS to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution but must be clear that there are no quick fixes.

However, we are determined to turn things around through investment and reform. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £25.6 billion of additional healthcare funding over the next two years, and we will set out an urgent and emergency care improvement plan shortly, as well as a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
12th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18797 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, how many of the claims relating to Covid-19 vaccination that have gone to tribunal have resulted in the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme Payment being awarded to the applicant.

As of 1 December 2024, 49 appeals linked to COVID-19 vaccinations have been escalated to tribunal. Eight of these appeals have now concluded, with zero resulting in a payment being awarded.

12th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all integrated care boards meet the mental health investment standard.

The NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2024/25 makes clear that integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to dental services in Ashford constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment. For the Ashford constituency, this is the NHS Kent and Medway ICB.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce GP waiting times in Ashford constituency.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to fixing the the crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service.

Ashford sits within the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking, 79.4%, is 3.2% lower than the national average, which is 82.6%.

Our plan to restore GPs and improve the waiting times to see a GP will require both investment and reform. We have already invested £82 million to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement scheme, which will continue to increase the capacity in GPs, as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system. We have committed to train thousands more GPs and finally end the 8:00am scramble for GP appointments by introducing a modern booking system.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to enable GP surgeries to provide additional services in Ashford constituency.

Practices are able to provide additional services by opting in and will receive payment for these services separately to global sum payments. As commissioners of primary care, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning additional services locally, which are not agreed nationally and can vary in scope and funding to fit local needs.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Ashford constituency.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.

The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund includes grant conditions which require each local authority to submit an adult social care capacity plan. These were submitted to the Department in June 2024. The member’s local authority, Kent, submitted their 2024/25 capacity plan, which is currently undergoing processing and quality assurance.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.

To fix the chronic workforce shortages in the mental health workforce we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers, across both child and adult mental health services, to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment across all areas of England, including Kent and Medway.

We are working to consider options to deliver this expansion of the mental health workforce, including where they should be deployed to achieve maximum effect. NHS England is also working to improve retention through clearer career progression pathways.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
21st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that people aged between 65 and 70 who turned 65 before 1 September 2023 can access the shingles vaccine as soon as possible.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 July 2024 to Question 1397.

17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to improve the availability of (a) methylphenidate and (b) other ADHD medication.

The Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of our intensive work, some issues have been resolved. Many strengths of lisdexamfetamine and all strengths of atomoxetine capsules and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available. We are working to resolve medicine supply issues, where they remain, for some strengths of lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate. These are anticipated to resolve by August and October 2024, respectively.

We have engaged with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to discuss the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are asking suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.

The Department has worked with specialist clinicians to develop management advice for National Health Service clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance to offer rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further, we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients, which is available at the following link:

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd/

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to abolish parking charges for NHS staff.

There are no plans to abolish parking charges for National Health Service staff.

All trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking to ‘in-need groups’, which include NHS staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders, disabled people and parents of children staying overnight in hospital.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in Balochistan.

The UK is deeply concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Pakistan, including in Balochistan province. The British High Commission regularly raises these issues with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
11th Dec 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing pension abatement rules on (a) public sector pensions and (b) re-employment earnings for public sector employees.

Pension abatement rules formed part of the overall design of most legacy Public Service Pension Schemes. These rules worked as part of an overall package to safeguard against undesirable practices and ensure propriety and value for money. Reformed schemes were introduced in 2014/15 and do not contain abatement provisions.


The government has no plans to review the abatement rules. It is generally not appropriate to retrospectively improve the terms of public service pensions, as this would place costs on current employers for benefits that were not envisaged at the time such pensions were accrued.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury