Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce mandatory epilepsy training for (a) employers and (b) employees.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Employers have a key role to play in supporting workers with long-term health conditions or disabilities in the workplace and it is for employers to assess the training requirements for their workforce. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has no plans to introduce mandatory epilepsy training.
The Department for Work and Pensions’ current offer to employers includes a digital information service which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees, including epileptic employees, to remain in work.
The service was developed with user-centred design principles. It offers a simple, interactive, and highly usable resource which helps employers to feel more confident having conversations with their employees about health and disability as well as understanding and fulfilling their legal obligations.
This digital service provides tailored guidance on supporting employees in common workplace scenarios involving health and disability. This enables small businesses to self-serve, by guiding them through key processes. Employers are also able to access links to related government products and services as well as links to sources of external expert support including Epilepsy Action and Epilepsy Society.
The digital information service is available at the following link:
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that police officers receive adequate training and guidance to enable them to maintain public order while respecting freedom of (a) expression, (b) religion and belief and (c) thought.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to protecting freedom of expression while ensuring that individuals can access abortion services without harassment or intimidation.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO), as introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, allow local authorities to deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which apply to everyone. It is an offence for a person, without a reasonable excuse, to do anything they are prohibited from doing by a PSPO or to fail to comply with a requirement in the PSPO. PSPOs have previously been applied by local authorities within the vicinity of abortion facilities, as a decision independent of government.
On 31 October 2024, Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 came into force, introducing safe access zones of 150 metres around all abortion clinics in England and Wales. Within these zones, it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly influence someone’s decision to use or provide abortion services, obstruct them, or cause harassment or distress. Ministers cannot comment on individual cases.
The legislation on safe access zones does not specify behaviours; it is for the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and courts, who are operationally independent, to determine whether an act meets the threshold. CPS guidance confirms that vigils or silent prayer could fall within scope depending on intent and circumstances (in annex A): https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offences-during-protests-demonstrations-or-campaigns.
The Home Office works with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure officers receive appropriate training and guidance on public order powers and human rights obligations. The College of Policing produces the Public Order Public Safety authorised professional practice (APP) which covers policing of safe access zones.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has provided guidance to police forces on their approach towards (a) Isabel Vaughan-Spruce and (b) people engaging in silent thought, absent of any accompanying behaviour, near to abortion facilities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to protecting freedom of expression while ensuring that individuals can access abortion services without harassment or intimidation.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO), as introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, allow local authorities to deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which apply to everyone. It is an offence for a person, without a reasonable excuse, to do anything they are prohibited from doing by a PSPO or to fail to comply with a requirement in the PSPO. PSPOs have previously been applied by local authorities within the vicinity of abortion facilities, as a decision independent of government.
On 31 October 2024, Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 came into force, introducing safe access zones of 150 metres around all abortion clinics in England and Wales. Within these zones, it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly influence someone’s decision to use or provide abortion services, obstruct them, or cause harassment or distress. Ministers cannot comment on individual cases.
The legislation on safe access zones does not specify behaviours; it is for the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and courts, who are operationally independent, to determine whether an act meets the threshold. CPS guidance confirms that vigils or silent prayer could fall within scope depending on intent and circumstances (in annex A): https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offences-during-protests-demonstrations-or-campaigns.
The Home Office works with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure officers receive appropriate training and guidance on public order powers and human rights obligations. The College of Policing produces the Public Order Public Safety authorised professional practice (APP) which covers policing of safe access zones.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on silent prayer and silent thought.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to protecting freedom of expression while ensuring that individuals can access abortion services without harassment or intimidation.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO), as introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, allow local authorities to deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which apply to everyone. It is an offence for a person, without a reasonable excuse, to do anything they are prohibited from doing by a PSPO or to fail to comply with a requirement in the PSPO. PSPOs have previously been applied by local authorities within the vicinity of abortion facilities, as a decision independent of government.
On 31 October 2024, Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 came into force, introducing safe access zones of 150 metres around all abortion clinics in England and Wales. Within these zones, it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly influence someone’s decision to use or provide abortion services, obstruct them, or cause harassment or distress. Ministers cannot comment on individual cases.
The legislation on safe access zones does not specify behaviours; it is for the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and courts, who are operationally independent, to determine whether an act meets the threshold. CPS guidance confirms that vigils or silent prayer could fall within scope depending on intent and circumstances (in annex A): https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offences-during-protests-demonstrations-or-campaigns.
The Home Office works with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure officers receive appropriate training and guidance on public order powers and human rights obligations. The College of Policing produces the Public Order Public Safety authorised professional practice (APP) which covers policing of safe access zones.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will review the classification of neighbour harassment involving intrusive CCTV surveillance.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The police have a range of powers to deal with any behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to others. The Government fully supports the police in their use of these powers to maintain public order and keep communities safe.
Individuals that use CCTV to film outside their property boundary have to comply fully with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance which details the obligations the CCTV user will need to comply with: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/home-cctv-systems/.
Where there is sufficient evidence of harassment or stalking from a domestic camera system, this may lead to prosecution for a criminal offence of harassment or stalking under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. In addition to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, another potential remedy in civil law is the tort of private nuisance, which is a common law tort that relates to a person’s private rights in relation to land.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken for the Crown Prosecution Service to reach charging decisions in cases involving alleged breaches of Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 in (a) general and (b) the case of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service has issued proceedings under Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, in relation to one case, since it was commenced on 31 October 2024.
As a former Home Secretary, she will understand that the Government cannot comment on any live investigations or criminal proceedings.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of piloting a national early-detection scheme for Type 1 Diabetes, in the context of seeking to deliver long-term savings and reducing unplanned hospital admissions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which sets out what good quality diabetes care looks like for children and young adults and which includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people with type 1 diabetes.
Through our National Institute for Health and Care Research, we have supported the establishment of the Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes, or the “ELSA” study. This study is exploring the feasibility and benefits of screening for type 1 diabetes.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 implementation of national early-detection programmes for Type 1 Diabetes in England compared to other countries such as Italy, in the context of around a third of people experiencing life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A national Task and Finish Group has been established by NHS England which brings together key experts from across the health system, including academia/research and leading national clinicians, to jointly assess the opportunities and challenges that are associated with a national screening programme for diabetes and to inform the national direction of travel with regard to the development of national policy in this area.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what action the Government is taking to end regional disparities in access to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To reduce variation and health inequalities, data on the uptake of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for diabetics is collected as part of the National Diabetes Audit (NDA).
NHS England plans to routinely publish this data in the NDA Core Quarterly dashboard in 2025/26, which will provide the data insights integrated care boards require to deliver CGM to their populations.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent the misdiagnosis of adults over 30 with Type 1 Diabetes as Type 2 within the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To coincide with World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2025, NHS England, in partnership with other key national stakeholders, launched a national awareness campaign to promote health care professionals in their identification and diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.
This included a call to action to healthcare professionals, signposting to information, and action to take if a person is displaying any of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes, as well as supportive resources.