Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 81640 on Parking: Disability, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Kent County Council on its use of powers under Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to mark out disabled parking bays.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Kent County Council, as the traffic authority for Kent, are wholly responsible for exercising their powers under Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Whilst the Department does not typically intervene in local authority decision making on marking out disabled parking bays, it publishes guidance to local authorities to support them in carrying out their responsibilities. These can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of checks on goods coming into the UK at Sevington on the protection of a) public health and b) animal health.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Border checks undertaken by competent authorities at the Sevington SPS Border Control Post are an important element of the system designed to manage biosecurity risks.
The Sevington facility is enabling the implementation of SPS controls at the border on EU goods under the Border Target Operating Model which are providing assurance that the underlying systems of controls are working as intended. These controls include import conditions, certification signed by veterinarian and plant certification authorities in exporting countries, risk assessments, border checks, and other intelligence led controls.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 improve ambulance waiting times in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards patients should expect.
We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.
The latest National Health Service performance figures for the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which serves Ashford and Kent, show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 29 minutes 57 seconds on average, and the mean handover time was 18 minutes 10 seconds, meeting the targets set by the plan.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) University of Kent and (b) University of Greenwich on the potential impact of the formation of the London and South East University Group on courses available to students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department sees collaboration of this type as a positive pathway towards building greater resilience in the sector, especially where this will bring positive benefits to students.
Universities are autonomous and independent from government. As such, they must make their own decisions about their business model and sustainability, and this partnership has been led by the universities themselves. However, the department will continue to work with both universities on any regulatory barriers to the proposed changes.
Collaboration, if done effectively, can improve financial sustainability. This means providers may be better positioned to remain open, invest in their course provision, campus facilities and student support services, ultimately enhancing the overall student experience.
When undertaking significant transformative activity, it is essential that providers consider the potential impact on students and staff. We would expect providers to clearly and proactively communicate any changes, ensuring transparency and minimising uncertainty during periods of transition.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) University of Kent and (b) University of Greenwich on potential redundancies of (i) teaching and (ii) other staff following the formation of the London and South East University Group.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department sees collaboration of this type as a positive pathway towards building greater resilience in the sector, especially where this will bring positive benefits to students.
This partnership has been led by the universities themselves. However, the department will continue to work with both universities on any regulatory barriers to the proposed changes.
As independent institutions, universities are responsible for decisions around staffing. Nevertheless, we expect all universities to engage constructively with their workforce when making decisions which may affect them.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to announce the new membership of the National Quality Board.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In our 10-Year Health Plan we committed to reintroducing a new, rigorous focus on high-quality care for all, and that as part of this we will revitalise the National Quality Board. The next meeting of the National Quality Board is in December, and we continue to review its membership to ensure it is an effective decision-making body. The membership includes representatives from a wide range of organisations and arms-length bodies in the health and care sector.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the placement of children with new foster parents does not have a disruptive impact on their education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the importance of continuity and stability throughout a looked-after child’s life.
Under the care planning, placement and case review guidance and regulations, and Section 22c of the Children Act 1989, social workers, with the support of the local authority’s virtual school head, must minimise disruption to a child’s education. School changes should be minimised, and necessary transitions carefully planned and supported. Where change is unavoidable, their Personal Education Plan should outline arrangements to minimise disruption to education, especially during exam periods.
The department is supporting local authorities to recruit foster carers and committed an additional £25 million, on top of a previously announced £15 million, to support further recruitment. We also recognise the need to support foster carers properly, in order to retain the carers we already have. Ensuring foster carer sufficiency is vital to enabling local authorities to provide local fostering homes, and keep children close to their school and community.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the application of food safety regulations to (a) the vehicles and (b) the bags used by delivery drivers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Food safety regulations in the United Kingdom apply to all stages of the food supply chain, including the transport and delivery of food by vehicles and in bags. These requirements are set out in the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, which implement assimilated Regulation (EU) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Under these regulations:
- vehicles used for food delivery must be kept clean, maintained in good condition, and designed to prevent contamination. Where necessary, they must be capable of maintaining appropriate temperatures for chilled or frozen foods;
- hot food must be kept at 63˚C or above. However, limited periods outside temperature control are permitted, to accommodate the practicalities of handling during the preparation, transport, storage, display, and service of food, provided that it does not result in a risk to health; and
- delivery bags and containers must also be kept clean and made from materials that are easily maintained and suitable for food contact. They must protect food from contamination and, where required, maintain safe temperatures during transport.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides guidance to food businesses on how to meet these requirements, including advice on cleaning, temperature control, and preventing cross-contamination. Businesses are expected to assess and manage these risks through their food safety management systems.
The existing legal framework is considered sufficient to ensure food safety during delivery, provided businesses comply with their responsibilities.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing these food hygiene requirements as part of their role in regulating food businesses. Further information is available on the FSA’s website at the following link:
https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-safety-for-food-delivery
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has for (a) small boats, (b) dinghies and (c) other vessels that are seized for trying to transport migrants into the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
All vessels that have been subject to seizure, are held by Border Force until the completion of criminal investigations and any resulting legal proceedings. The majority of boats, dinghies and other vessels are not fit to ever go to sea again, as they arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process. The boats, dinghies and vessels are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure more GP practices join the veteran friendly GP accreditation programme.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners, is continuing to encourage general practices (GPs) to participate in the Armed Forces Veteran Friendly GP accreditation scheme. This voluntary initiative is available to GPs across England and is free to access. To date, over 99% of primary care networks have at least one accredited GP in their area.
100% of National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in England are now officially accredited as Veteran Aware. This achievement, led by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, reflects a national commitment to provide compassionate, personalised care to serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families.
In addition, the Department announced the National Training and Education Programme which will see NHS staff across England receiving dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds.