Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when will her planned timetable and proposed transitional funding for changes to SEND be communicated to schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government set out its planned reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system in the Schools White Paper published on 23 February 2026 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.
Further details on the distribution of that funding will be published in the due course.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that police forces in England remain independent from political agendas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Operational independence is a fundamental principle of British policing, and this Government is committed to ensuring the police can perform their role without fear or favour. At the same time, being able to scrutinise police decisions, and Chief Constables being able to account for the decisions they make, are essential especially when it comes to issues with clear implications for public safety and confidence
The Government’s recently published White Paper ‘From Local to National: A New Model for Policing’ announced plans to fundamentally reform the Policing Protocol Order 2023 and clarify the boundaries of operational independence to provide policing with direction and support to drive improvement where necessary.
Police officers take an oath of attestation on appointment which underscores the importance of policing with impartiality. They are required to act with impartiality, in accordance with their statutory standards of professional behaviour. The College of Policing sets standards and provides guidance for policing, including an updated Code of Ethics published in 2024 to support everyone in policing to act in a professional manner, reiterating the need for fairness and impartiality. Failure to act in accordance with relevant standards and guidance could result in formal disciplinary action being taken.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help ensure that NHS trusts assigned Advanced Foundation Trust status retain direct accountability and patient views are heard for Trusts where the requirement for a Council of Governors has been removed.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of NHS England’s assessment process, eligible National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts which apply for the Advanced Foundation Trust Programme will need to demonstrate effective mechanisms to engage meaningfully with patients, staff, and communities, and that involvement influences decisions.
The removal of councils of governors from NHS foundation trusts forms part of the wider aim of the 10-Year Health Plan to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. While governors have provided helpful advice and oversight for some foundation trusts, we now need to move to a more dynamic model of drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help uphold international law in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I provided on these issues at departmental oral questions on 20 January, and the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is the Government taking to help ensure that the ceasefire in Gaza is maintained.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I provided on these issues at departmental oral questions on 20 January, and the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to establish a dedicated resettlement route for Palestinians leaving Gaza.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely challenging. The UK committed £129 million in the last financial year, including £41 million for UNRWA. This supports vital infrastructure and ensures that those most in need across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as those in neighbouring countries, are able to access healthcare, shelter and food assistance.
In any humanitarian situation, the UK must carefully consider its approach in response. Any decision to implement a bespoke visa scheme would need to consider a range of factors, including assessing the unique crisis and relevant impacts on security, compliance and returns.
The Government is working with the Israeli, Jordanian and Egyptian authorities to identify safe routes for British nationals and other eligible people to leave Gaza. Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available which allow a person to apply to work, study, settle or join family in the UK. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website: UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing a medical evacuation team for children in Gaza requiring urgent treatment.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials from all relevant Whitehall departments are exploring avenues to ensure our support best meets the needs of the critically ill in Gaza, including children, and we continue to support the provision of healthcare in Gaza and the region. The Government is keeping our humanitarian programme and existing policies on medical evacuations and visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza.
We have announced £1 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, delivered through World Health Organisation (WHO) Egypt, to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. The UK is also supporting the provision of essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza, including support to UK-MED who have now provided vital care to over 330,000 Gazans since the start of the conflict.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk of famine in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The situation in Gaza is desperate. Many Palestinian civilians have been killed and there is an urgent need to get more aid to the people of Gaza to prevent a famine.
The UK is doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to provide additional funding to help tackle (a) knife and (b) gun crime.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government remains committed to providing the resources needed to tackle violent crime. This includes taking firm action to protect the public by addressing the threat of criminals gaining access to illegal firearms including implementing legislation to prevent legally held firearms getting into the hands of criminals.
In 2023/24 we allocated £55m to Violence Reduction Units, £12.9m to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty and £30m to ‘Grip’ hotspot policing patrols to tackle serious violence. Work is ongoing to continue this activity in 2024/25.
In the 2024 Spring Budget, the Chancellor committed an additional £75 million over 3-years from 2025 to upscale existing violence reduction units and expand activity across England and Wales, supporting a prevention first approach to serious violence.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to support Birmingham City Council’s efforts to tackle street cruising.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The exercise of powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 by local authorities is a local matter.