Every parliamentary written question tabled by Afzal Khan this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 221–240 of 399 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure accuracy of method-of-production labelling for (a) domestic producers and (b) importers.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.
What steps she is taking to require educational leaders to take steps to narrow the gap between (a) disabled and (b) nondisabled children’s holistic experience of education.
We have been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people opportunities they need to achieve and thrive. All schools have a duty to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Settings are held to account for their support for pupils with SEND through Ofsted, who are focusing on inclusion in their new approach to inspection. Their renewed education inspection framework sets out expectations for how leaders should be aware of and responsive to some pupils’ increased need for help and protection, including those with SEND.There remains a crucial role for special schools, not only in supporting children and young people with particularly complex needs, but also in building capability across the system.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding to local authorities to support homelessness (a) prevention and (b) relief in Manchester Rusholme constituency.
The Government has increased funding for homelessness services by £316 million this year to a total of more than £1 billion. This includes an extra £84 million announced on 10 October 2025.Local authority allocations are published through gov.uk here.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce disparities in the number of people from ethnic minority communities experiencing (a) homelessness and (B) rough sleeping.
No one should be discriminated against when trying to access a safe, secure and affordable home. Councils should ensure that homelessness accommodation and support services are inclusive, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the specific needs of different communities, helping to build trust and improve engagement. The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending homelessness, and our cross-Government strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. We have already taken the first steps, investing more than £1 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year, a £316 million increase on the previous year. Councils can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their communities.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of ending routine flaring and venting of methane by oil and gas operators.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answers I gave on 22 July 2025 to Question 67438 and on 16 October 2024 to Question 7834.
What steps his Department is considering to implement robust leak detection and repair requirements to reduce wasted gas and methane emissions coming from North Sea oil and gas operators.
The UK environmental regulators have established a Methane Technical Working Group to share knowledge and identify best practices for leak detection and emissions monitoring across oil and gas regulators both onshore and offshore. My Department’s Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning (OPRED) will continue to work with OEUK (the lead industry trade body) and regulatory partners such as the North Sea Transition Authority to share findings and recommendations with industry to inform improvements to emissions reduction initiatives including methane action plans.
Whether he plans to take steps to encourage methane gas electricity generators to capture landfill gas when the renewables obligation certificates scheme are phased out in 2027.
The Government is aware that the operations of landfill gas generators may be affected by the phasing out of support under the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme. Environmental permits mean that landfill operators will be required to manage methane emissions in any event. Whilst emissions from waste are a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), officials from both DEFRA and DESNZ are assessing the impact that the end of RO accreditation will have on these generators to consider whether further action is required.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 63553 on Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control, what nitrogen dioxide concentrations were monitored in the Greater Manchester reporting zone at (a) A34 Bridge Street, (b) A34 Quay Street, (c) A664 Shudehill, (d) Lever Street in Manchester, (e) A49 Chapel Lane and (f) King Street West in Wigan.
Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Plan modelling predicted localised nitrogen dioxide (NO2) hotspots in 2026 at A34 Bridge St, A34 Quay St, A664 Shudehill and Lever St in Manchester, and at A49 Chapel Lane and King St West in Wigan. The monitored annual mean NO2 concentrations in 2023 on A34 Bridge Street, A664 Shudehill and Level Street in Manchester were 44.9, 58.6 and 55.7 µg/m³ respectively. Defra does not currently hold finalised 2023 monitoring data for the localised hotspots on A34 Quay Street in Manchester, and A49 Chapel Lane and King Street West in Wigan. We are working with Greater Manchester to obtain up to date monitoring data and this will be assessed as it becomes available.
What steps his Department is taking to help tackle childhood obesity rates in the North of England.
The Government is committed to supporting people to stay healthier for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. An important part of this will be alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.The 10-Year Health Plan outlines a range of actions to address childhood obesity. This includes restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16-year-olds, and using our revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We will work with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. By the end of the Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan we announced that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ regional teams support and work towards the Government’s Opportunity and Health Missions to give children the best start in life. The teams recognise the Food, Health and Nutrition in the North of England report and strive to address the challenges and inequalities our children and young people face in the region. Regional teams work closely with local partners, including local authorities and the National Health Service, to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the visa applications of students in Gaza accepted to British universities.
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. The Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and I are in regular contact on operationalising support. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging.
With reference to Nutrition North’s report entitled Food, Health and Nutrition in the North of England: Inequalities and opportunities published on 22 July 2025, what steps the Department is taking to help tackle (a) poverty and (b) childhood obesity in the North of England.
The Government is committed to supporting people to stay healthier for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. An important part of this will be alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.The 10-Year Health Plan outlines a range of actions to address childhood obesity. This includes restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16-year-olds, and using our revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We will work with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. By the end of the Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan we announced that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ regional teams support and work towards the Government’s Opportunity and Health Missions to give children the best start in life. The teams recognise the Food, Health and Nutrition in the North of England report and strive to address the challenges and inequalities our children and young people face in the region. Regional teams work closely with local partners, including local authorities and the National Health Service, to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.
If he will commit to increasing the value of the Healthy Start scheme to match the cost of (a) fresh fruit, (b) fresh vegetables, (c) infant formula and (d) other essential items.
Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme which aims to support those in greatest need. We recently announced in Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one years old and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50. The funding for Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries are also eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins.
What steps her Department is taking to help ensure the delivery of comprehensive SEND training in early years qualification routes.
Through our Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy, the department will make inclusive practice standard practice in the early years by embedding an inclusive approach in our workforce education, training and leadership opportunities.In 2023 the Early Years Educator level 3 qualification criteria were updated following a consultation with the sector. The new criteria include special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision as a standalone criterion, ensuring that there is now a greater focus on supporting children with SEND.The department is funding training for 1,000 early years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) to achieve their level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification by the end of the 2025/26 financial year, having already funded training for up to 7,000 early years SENCOs in previous years.We have also published new resources, including a free online training module and SEND assessment guidance, to help early educators to identify, assess and support children in their settings.
What steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities to (a) simplify and (b) standardise the process for accessing (i) SEND funding and (ii) Education, Health, and Care Plans in early years settings.
As part of our strategy to give every child the best start in life, the department is committed to make it easier for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access early education and childcare by investing in the support available to them in the early years and improving the way funding is distributed to providers.New early years inclusion funding will give providers additional resources to support inclusion and early intervention, helping to prevent needs from escalating. The department will work with local authorities to reduce bureaucracy, encourage greater consistency and ensure that support reaches the children who need it quickly.The department works closely with local authorities where education, health and care plan timeliness is a concern, supporting them to identify challenges and put in place effective recovery plans. This includes specialist SEND adviser support where needed.Further details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform, including for the early years, will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of business rates on (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) independent nurseries.
In April 2025, the Government removed eligibility of private schools in England for business rates charitable rate relief. Schools that satisfy the definition of a private school have lost entitlement to charitable rate relief entirely. This definition may include private schools with some nursery classes, which, despite the presence of some nursery provision will still be, by their nature, private schools.Standalone nursery schools, where they have their own business rates assessments, were excluded from the legislation and, where applicable, have retained their charitable rate relief. This approach best ensures consistency with the underlying policy intent.Analysis on the expected impact of this policy can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/removal-of-eligibility-of-private-schools-for-business-rates-charitable-relief/removal-of-eligibility-of-private-schools-for-business-rates-charitable-relief
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of business rates on (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) independent nurseries.
In April 2025, the Government removed eligibility of private schools in England for business rates charitable rate relief. Schools that satisfy the definition of a private school have lost entitlement to charitable rate relief entirely. This definition may include private schools with some nursery classes, which, despite the presence of some nursery provision will still be, by their nature, private schools.Standalone nursery schools, where they have their own business rates assessments, were excluded from the legislation and, where applicable, have retained their charitable rate relief. This approach best ensures consistency with the underlying policy intent.Analysis on the expected impact of this policy can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/removal-of-eligibility-of-private-schools-for-business-rates-charitable-relief/removal-of-eligibility-of-private-schools-for-business-rates-charitable-relief
Innovation and Technology, if he will commission research involving (a) young people, (b) parents and (c) carers on mobile phone use outside school hours.
The department is developing the evidence base around children’s online safety, including smartphone use, to continually inform our policy response. As part of this, DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research on the impact of smartphones and social media on children. This six-month study considered methods to gather causal evidence of any impact and a review of existing research. It was led by expert researchers from UK universities. We will publish the feasibility study report in due course. We are considering next steps based on the study’s findings. They will inform any future research involving young people, parents and carers.
Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle young people's (a) mobile phone use and (b) online safety beyond the school environment.
Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must protect all users, including children, from illegal content and criminal behaviour online.The child safety duties, which have been in force since July, require platforms to prevent children from encountering the most harmful legal content, including pornography and content that encourages, promotes or provides instructions for suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Platforms must also protect children from other types of harmful content.These laws are the foundation, and the government will continue to build on the Act to ensure that children are protected online.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to increase access to (a) affordable and (b) nutritious food in deprived communities through (i) subsidies, (ii) planning measures and (iii) local food programmes.
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK Government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK. The outcomes set out in the strategy include an improved food environment that supports healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales, and access to all for affordable, healthy food, particularly those on low incomes. The Government already supports some groups to be able to buy and eat fruit and vegetables, through policies like the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (for 4-6 year olds in state-funded schools throughout England) and Healthy Start (for pregnant women and parents/carers who have young children and are in receipt of benefits).
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a national public awareness campaign on (a) the role of early years education in child development and (b) its wider economic impact.
Ensuring every child has the best start in life is at the heart of this government’s Plan for Change. This is why we are expanding childcare and providing parents with support and information to help their child’s development.Children attending high quality early education for at least two years gain the equivalent of a higher grade in around seven GCSEs. For parents, particularly women, improved access to childcare enables employment, boosting family income and the wider economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility projects that by 2027/28, around 60,000 parents will enter employment as a result, with an equivalent effect from 1.5 million mothers already in work increasing their hours.The government is introducing a new Best Start in Life awareness campaign which will support improved outcomes for children and help achieve our goal of 75% of children reaching a good level of development by 2028.This campaign provides trusted advice for parents and carers from pregnancy through to starting school, covering healthy pregnancy, infant feeding, childcare, home learning, and school preparation which can be found here: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/. Communications activity will continue throughout the autumn.