Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help ensure the adequacy of wellbeing support for (a) officers and (b) other staff in police forces.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This Government takes very seriously the mental health of the police workforce and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant we have made significant progress on our initial priorities, including delivering pre-employment mental health support for the police workforce, launching a family support pack, improving occupational health standards in all forces and appointing a Chief Medical Officer for policing.
We also continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The service is helping forces and individuals to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.
The Home Office also provided funding to establish and run the first year of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support line for current and former members of the police workforce. The NPWS will introduce the new independent and confidential support line imminently. This will be a dedicated phone line for policing staffed by qualified counsellors who have specialised training in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The line will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region, with the view to expanding to all regions in England and Wales in 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mental health support is available to police officers in England; and what steps her Department takes to make police officers aware of that support.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This Government takes very seriously the mental health of the police workforce and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant we have made significant progress on our initial priorities, including delivering pre-employment mental health support for the police workforce, launching a family support pack, improving occupational health standards in all forces and appointing a Chief Medical Officer for policing.
We also continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The service is helping forces and individuals to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.
The Home Office also provided funding to establish and run the first year of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support line for current and former members of the police workforce. The NPWS will introduce the new independent and confidential support line imminently. This will be a dedicated phone line for policing staffed by qualified counsellors who have specialised training in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The line will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region, with the view to expanding to all regions in England and Wales in 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help ensure the adequacy of mental health support for staff in police forces.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This Government takes very seriously the mental health of the police workforce and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant we have made significant progress on our initial priorities, including delivering pre-employment mental health support for the police workforce, launching a family support pack, improving occupational health standards in all forces and appointing a Chief Medical Officer for policing.
We also continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The service is helping forces and individuals to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.
The Home Office also provided funding to establish and run the first year of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support line for current and former members of the police workforce. The NPWS will introduce the new independent and confidential support line imminently. This will be a dedicated phone line for policing staffed by qualified counsellors who have specialised training in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The line will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region, with the view to expanding to all regions in England and Wales in 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his planned timetable is for the commencement of a 24/7 mental health crisis support line for police forces staff.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This Government takes very seriously the mental health of the police workforce and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant we have made significant progress on our initial priorities, including delivering pre-employment mental health support for the police workforce, launching a family support pack, improving occupational health standards in all forces and appointing a Chief Medical Officer for policing.
We also continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The service is helping forces and individuals to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.
The Home Office also provided funding to establish and run the first year of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support line for current and former members of the police workforce. The NPWS will introduce the new independent and confidential support line imminently. This will be a dedicated phone line for policing staffed by qualified counsellors who have specialised training in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The line will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region, with the view to expanding to all regions in England and Wales in 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mental health support is available to police officers; and how that support is promoted to officers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This Government takes very seriously the mental health of the police workforce and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant we have made significant progress on our initial priorities, including delivering pre-employment mental health support for the police workforce, launching a family support pack, improving occupational health standards in all forces and appointing a Chief Medical Officer for policing.
We also continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The service is helping forces and individuals to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.
The Home Office also provided funding to establish and run the first year of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support line for current and former members of the police workforce. The NPWS will introduce the new independent and confidential support line imminently. This will be a dedicated phone line for policing staffed by qualified counsellors who have specialised training in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The line will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region, with the view to expanding to all regions in England and Wales in 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) collecting and (b) publishing data on the number and proportion of police officers taking sick leave who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of our police officers is a priority for this Government. Through the Police Covenant we are delivering meaningful changes that will support all who work in policing.
The Home Office collects data on the number of officers on long-term sickness absence, including any recognised medical condition, physical or psychological, as reported by the officer or a medical practitioner. The reason for long-term sickness is not collected. We recognise the importance of understanding what mental health or wellbeing challenges members of the police workforce may face. That is why we continue to the fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) to conduct the annual National Police Wellbeing Survey, the findings of which directly inform the ongoing development of the Police Covenant.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average Attainment 8 score was for (a) disadvantaged and (b) non-disadvantaged pupils who (i) were and (ii) were not entered for GCSE Religious Studies in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The data is included in the attached spreadsheet.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to update statutory guidance for schools on religious education following publication of Ofsted's report entitled Subject report series: religious education on 17 April 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
There are currently no plans to update the department’s non-statutory guidance on religious education (RE). The government believe that RE is an important subject, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society, as well as serving to inform their own values and behaviour.
To ensure that pupils have equal access to RE, it is a compulsory subject that must be taught in all mainstream state-funded schools, including academies, to all pupils up to the age of 18. In support of that aim, the Oak National Academy has commissioned the development of RE teaching resources to ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils, should schools opt to use them. Oak RE resources will be available for teaching from autumn 2024, with full packages expected to be available by autumn 2025. Additionally, the Religious Education Council has recently launched its ‘Religion and Worldviews Approach to RE’ Toolkit which consists of a handbook, exemplar frameworks and accompanying resources to assist curriculum developers in designing their own RE curricula.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor compliance with voluntary pauses on exports to sanctioned countries by UK companies.
Answered by Alan Mak
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that pupils have equal access to religious education.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
There are currently no plans to update the department’s non-statutory guidance on religious education (RE). The government believe that RE is an important subject, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society, as well as serving to inform their own values and behaviour.
To ensure that pupils have equal access to RE, it is a compulsory subject that must be taught in all mainstream state-funded schools, including academies, to all pupils up to the age of 18. In support of that aim, the Oak National Academy has commissioned the development of RE teaching resources to ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils, should schools opt to use them. Oak RE resources will be available for teaching from autumn 2024, with full packages expected to be available by autumn 2025. Additionally, the Religious Education Council has recently launched its ‘Religion and Worldviews Approach to RE’ Toolkit which consists of a handbook, exemplar frameworks and accompanying resources to assist curriculum developers in designing their own RE curricula.