Written questions by Khan.

What funding was allocated to family hubs in the Spending Review 2025.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps she is taking to ensure that family hubs are available in all areas.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps she is taking to tackle (a) extremist radicalisation and (b) forms of non-ideological violence.

The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism. To understand such threats, we maintain expertise and capabilities to understand terrorist and extremist online communications, in order to produce rapid, high-quality assessments designed to support the Prevent programme.The Prevent programme tackles the ideological causes of terrorism and provides early intervention for people at risk of radicalisation. The programme deals with all forms of terrorist ideology, including Islamist, Extreme Right-Wing, other threats.We work closely with law enforcement and multi-agency partners to respond to any such activity which may pose a threat.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of mobile phone use on (a) student behaviour and (b) academic performance in schools.

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

Whether she has commissioned research on the use of mobile phones by young people outside of school.

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

What steps she is taking to ensure that that integrated family hubs are available to support families in local communities.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps her Department is taking to support (a) teachers and (b) school leaders to enforce mobile phone usage policies in schools.

​Mobile phones have no place in our schools.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that most schools (99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools) already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.We will continue to build a robust evidence base on the effectiveness on school mobile phone policies.The department engages regularly with parents, teachers and pupils on a range of issues, including pupil behaviour and mobile phone use.

If she will require local authorities to provide family hubs in communities.

On 11 June 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.On 7 July 2025, the government published the policy paper ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.This outlines the government’s commitment to delivering a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services.

What steps her Department is taking to promote digital literacy education in schools to encourage the responsible use of mobile technology.

Within the computing curriculum pupils are taught to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, to keep personal information private, to recognise unacceptable behaviour, and to understand where to seek support.Within citizenship and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), pupils learn how to identify misleading and malicious information and to counter the effects of negative and harmful news, events and information online.The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report states a renewed focus on digital literacy is key to responding to the rise of artificial intelligence. The department will consider how best to implement the Review’s recommendations following the final report.The department’s ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day to prevent disruption to pupils’ learning.

What assessment he has made of the UK fashion industry’s contribution to (a) economic growth and (b) employment in the UK.

The department engages with key businesses and trade associations across the UK to support the fashion and textiles industry’s resilience and growth, including export support. The department has strong relationships with the British Fashion Council and the UK Fashion and Textiles Association (UKFT). The latest report from the UKFT estimates the industry contributed around £62 billion to UK GDP in 2021, supporting 1.3 million jobs across the country.Our Industrial Strategy will support fashion and the whole economy through an improved operating environment, long-term stability and greater dynamism for new entrants to emerge.

Whether funding for family hubs will be included in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce meeting in January focused on the crucial role of local services, including family hubs, in reducing the impact of poverty.Our new publication ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’ sets out that we are making a significant investment of over £500 million which will build back crucial family services and provide high quality support to parents and children from pregnancy to age five. Proposals include:A new Best Start Family Hub programme that will take the best of the Sure Start, Family Hub and Start for Life programme approaches to create Best Start Family Hubs, bringing together the trusted advice and guidance all parents need in one place, and linking families to their local services.Funding for Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority, so these services will reach the children and families who will benefit most from this support including those from lower-income families and with additional vulnerabilities.This publication is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.The Hubs will help tackle the stain of child poverty ahead of our ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, due to be published in the autumn.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of practising (a) dentists and (b) dental (i) hygienists, (ii) therapists and (iii) nurses.

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry and deliver a dentistry service fit for the future.No recent assessment has been made. The 10-Year Health Plan has set out a new service model for the NHS. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will assess what this means for the workforce, and will ensure we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.We are regularly engaging with the sector on a range of issues, including workforce recruitment and retention. For instance, the Department has held two roundtables in the last month with dentists, dental nurses, dental therapists and dental hygienists sharing their views on the changes we are making to NHS dentistry.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to establish the AI Security Institute as the primary regulator for artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence is the defining opportunity of our generation, and the Government is taking action to harness its economic benefits for UK citizens. As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs. Through well-designed and implemented regulation, we can fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI.

How much her Department has spent on enhanced housing benefit in each year since 2010.

We interpret ‘enhanced housing benefit’ as Housing Benefit payable for exempt accommodation (a category of specified accommodation in Housing Benefit regulations). The time series information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost. The estimated annual cost to the benefits system for all accommodation costs associated with supported housing in 2023 is £4.1 billion per year; estimated at just over 10% of total housing support (AME); of which £2.72 billion is for Specified Accommodation through Housing Benefit.

What proportion of enhanced housing benefit was paid to (a) for-profit landlords, (b) not-for-profit landlords and (c) charities in each year since 2010.

We interpret ‘enhanced housing benefit’ as Housing Benefit payable for exempt accommodation (a category of specified accommodation in the Housing Benefit regulations). For Housing Benefit claims assessed as exempt accommodation, we do not hold data on whether a landlord is a not-for-profit organisation or a charity. DWP does not form contractual relationships with supported housing landlords or charities in relation to Housing Benefit expenditure. Housing Benefit for specified accommodation is typically paid directly to the landlord at the request of the customer. Housing Benefit regulations for specified accommodation outline that Housing Benefit cannot be paid for claims where the landlord is for-profit.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the needs and wellbeing of (a) infants, (b) children and (c) young people are central to the priorities in the NHS 10-Year Plan.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and the 10-Year Health Plan is central to achieving this ambition. The three strategic shifts in the Plan set out how we are prioritising them.Hospital to community will mean parents and children will have better access to care and treatment in their local areas, meaning less time taken out of school to make appointments and fewer hospital visits.Analogue to digital will see delivery of My Children function on the NHS App. This will enable parents to have access to their child/children’s complete medical history. It will also enable parents to book appointments for their children and be signposted through artificial intelligence to advice for urgent and non-urgent medical questions.Sickness to prevention will see a greater emphasis on ensuring children develop and maintain healthy habits throughout their childhood and into adulthood. Children turning 16 years old or younger this year will never legally be sold tobacco, and we intend to strengthen the existing ban on smoking in public places to reduce the harms of passive smoking to children. All children will see less junk food advertising and will be given healthy nutritious food in schools.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the recycling rate of glass beverage containers.

This Government has set ambitious recycling targets under the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) regulations, with annual increases to glass packaging. The packaging recycling target for glass in 2025 is 74% and will increase to 85% by 2030. Modulation of pEPR fees, which will be introduced from year two of the scheme, will be used to disincentivise packaging formats that are not readily recyclable by placing higher fees on these packaging materials.The Government has also introduced the Simpler Recycling reforms, which will ensure that every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials, including glass.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of breakage rate of glass beverage containers in kerbside collections.

Defra has not made an assessment on the breakage rate of glass beverage contains in kerbside collections.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that reductions in the adult skills fund allocations does not disproportionately impact (a) people in receipt of benefits and (b) young people not in education, employment or training.

We are facing a challenging fiscal context. Fixing the foundations of the economy will take time, and tough decisions are needed across the public sector to get our finances under control to ensure we deliver on our priorities through our Plan for Change. It is against this backdrop that the decision was made to make a small reduction to the Adult Skills Fund (ASF).We have launched a Youth Guarantee of support for all 18 to 21-year-olds to access training, an apprenticeship, or help to find work and prevent them from becoming excluded from education or work at a young age. £45 million has been allocated to eight Mayoral Strategic Authority Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. We will work with local areas on future expansion.Currently 62% of the ASF is devolved to nine Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF to their learners and the department is responsible for the remaining ASF.In non-devolved areas, learners claiming benefits or who earn less than £25,000, are eligible for full funding. This supports social mobility by enabling individuals to move into employment or progress further in their career.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of recycling rates for (a) plastic, (b) metal and (c) glass beverage containers.

Defra has not made an assessment of trends in the levels of recycling rates for plastic, metal and glass beverage containers.However, Defra’s Impact Assessment for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) uses external estimates of the recycling rates for beverage containers made of specific materials for specific years –https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/217/pdfs/ukia_20240217_en.pdfDefra more routinely publishes annual statistics on the total amount of UK packaging waste that is recycled broken down by material types. The following table shows the amount of packing waste recycled by material types for 2023. The amount of recycled packaging is based on tonnages reported by accredited reprocessors and exporters under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. Table1: Packaging waste and recycling, split by material, UK 2023 (thousand tonnes and % rate)MaterialPackaging waste arisingTotal recycledAchieved recycling rateMetal77455171.2%— of which: Aluminium27716258.6%— of which: Steel49738978.3%Paper and cardboard5,4223,98073.4%Glass2,6801,81867.8%Plastic2,2591,18652.5%Wood1,50466844.4%Other* materials2300.0%Total 12,6628,20464.8%Notes* ‘Other’ includes materials such as cloth, corks, gel, glue, hessian sacks and wax used as packagingArisings estimates made at point of manufacture.UK packaging waste figures by material types for 2012 to 2023 can be found in the UK statistics on waste dataset: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data.