Every parliamentary written question tabled by Paula Barker this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 346 · this parliament
How many deportations have taken place to Somalia since 8 July 2024.
Statistics on returns from the UK by nationality and destination are published on a quarterly basis. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, and are currently available to the end of March 2025, available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
What the reporting rate is of failed asylum seekers to her Department.
There is no specific figure available of the type described in these questions.
What proportion of failed asylum seekers scheduled for deportation are known to have mental health issues.
There is no specific figure available of the type described in these questions.
How many failed asylum seekers still in the UK hold criminal records.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 19 June to Question 58400.
What proportion of schools reported finding students in possession of illegal drugs.
The department does not collect such information centrally.The Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance emphasises the importance of the school’s duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils. Searching can play a critical role in ensuring that schools are safe environments. Authorised members of school staff have the statutory power to search a pupil when they have reasonable grounds to suspect them to be in possession of prohibited items, such as illegal drugs. At all times, schools must ensure they continue to adhere to their statutory safeguarding duties as outlined in the Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance documents.The relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance states that, in both primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including drug-taking. To support schools to deliver this content, the department has published a suite of teacher training modules, including one on drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
What guidance her Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) teaching bodies on using vapes in school settings.
In the UK, it is against the law to sell nicotine vaping products to under 18s or for adults to buy them on their behalf. Young people should not have these products in schools.Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including which items are banned from school premises. School staff can search pupils for banned items as outlined in the department’s Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance.Schools have an important role in educating pupils about the dangers of harmful substances. Primary pupils should be taught about legal and illegal harmful substances while secondary pupils are also taught about the associated legal and psychological risks. The relationships, sex and health education curriculum is currently being reviewed and will consider vaping as part of the review of the statutory guidance.FRANK, the government-funded national drug and alcohol advisory service, has also been updated with relevant information on vapes, including the risks, physical effects and addictiveness of nicotine vapes.
What estimate his Department has made of the number of children aged between 12 and 16 years inclusive that have taken illegal drugs.
There are two official national surveys on illicit drug use among children. NHS England’s Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People surveys pupils aged between 11 and 15 years old in England. In 2023, 13% of pupils reported that they had taken drugs.The Crime Survey for England and Wales, published by the Office for National Statistics, reported that in the year ending March 2024, 15% of young people aged 16 to 19 years old reported using any drugs in the past 12 months.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the situation of the Armenian community in Jerusalem.
The UK recognises that Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meet with members of the Christian community and Churches in Jerusalem, including the Armenian Patriarchate, to understand the impact of issues affecting their community.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will send a formal delegation to (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories to (i) visit the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, (ii) meet the Armenian community and (iii) meet with the Save the Arq movement.
The UK recognises that Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meet with members of the Christian community and Churches in Jerusalem, including the Armenian Patriarchate, to understand the impact of issues affecting their community.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the intimidation against Armenian Christians in Jerusalem; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help preserve their presence in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The UK recognises that Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meet with members of the Christian community and Churches in Jerusalem, including the Armenian Patriarchate, to understand the impact of issues affecting their community.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Israeli counterpart on (a) threats and (b) attempts by Israeli settlers to forcibly take over parcels of land in (i) Goverou Bardez and (ii) other parts of the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The UK recognises that Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meet with members of the Christian community and Churches in Jerusalem, including the Armenian Patriarchate, to understand the impact of issues affecting their community.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce reliance on temporary accommodation.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 51683 on 19 May 2025.
With reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to Question 24352 on Dietetics: Prescriptions, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the report by the University of Surrey entitled Innovation in the Allied Health Professions: Evaluation of supplementary prescribing by dietitians and independent prescribing by therapeutic radiographers, published in December 2024, on the (a) safety and (b) efficacy of dietitians prescribing; and whether he plans to extend independent prescribing rights to dietitians.
The Department remains committed to exploring the extension of medicines responsibilities for non-medical professionals. This will support the aim that patients are cared for, and treated by, the most appropriate healthcare professional to meet their needs, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. Many regulated healthcare professionals have already received extended medicines responsibilities and prescribing rights, and the Department is committed to assessing the impact that these changes have had on patient care.Regarding the extension of prescribing rights to dietitians, there is a process in place for making changes to prescribing responsibilities to ensure proposals are safe and beneficial for patients. Officials are carefully considering proposals relating to a range of healthcare professionals, including dietitians, as part of wider work concerning non-medical prescribing. This will include consideration of literature relevant to the profession being assessed.
Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to involve young people with lived experience of homelessness in the development of the cross-departmental homelessness strategy.
As part of the development of the cross-Government homelessness strategy the Government has engaged representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts, including those who have lived experience. The Government hosted a series of lived experience forums to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are reflected in the strategy. Young people with lived experience of homelessness were included in this work.
Communities and Local Government, if she will meet with representatives from the youth homelessness sector to discuss a dedicated chapter on youth homelessness in the proposed policy paper on homelessness.
Homelessness levels are far too high, and I recognise the unique challenges young people face in securing stable housing. The Government has engaged with stakeholders within the youth homelessness sector to discuss the needs of this cohort as we work to develop a long-term, cross-Government homelessness strategy to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. I will be continuing this engagement with stakeholders to discuss what is needed to address youth homelessness.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of homelessness since July 2024.
Local housing authorities report their homelessness activities under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) by completing the quarterly Homelessness Case Level Information Collection (H-CLIC) statistical return. You can find a link to the latest data, commentary and technical notes on collections here Research and statistics - GOV.UK.
Communities and Local Government, how often the inter-ministerial group on homelessness meets.
The Inter-Ministerial Group on homelessness meets as often as is required to develop the Government’s long-term homelessness strategy. The most recent meeting took place on Tuesday 13 May 2025.
Communities and Local Government, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national Supporting People programme.
Local authorities are best placed to decide how their funding is spent locally. The Government has a delivered a Settlement that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment redirecting funding towards the services and places that need it most. The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.
Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of houses that will be built by the end of 2025.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36228 on 14 March 2025.
What estimate her Department has made on people who will no longer be eligible to receive Personal Independence Payment by age.
Our intention is that the new eligibility requirement in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in which people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component, will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. In keeping with existing policy, people of State Pension Age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by the proposed changes. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.