Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to help speed up decision-making for asylum cases; and what targets her Department has set for improving decision-making times.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is investing in innovative techniques, including AI, to explore how we can improve productivity, speed up the processing of asylum cases awaiting an initial decision, and restore order in the asylum system.
The proportion of asylum claims receiving an initial decision within six months is at the highest level since Q3 2017 (60.6%).
Asylum decisions are subject to stringent quality checks to ensure that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, and protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.
We are working to improve the speed of decisions and reduce the number of outstanding claims; but there will always be complex cases, and it is right we take time to work through them carefully.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of co-designing adult social care to meet community needs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning social care. As part of this, local authorities should pursue the principle that market shaping and commissioning should be shared endeavours, with commissioners working alongside people with care and support needs, carers, family members, care providers, representatives of care workers, relevant voluntary, user and other support organisations, and the public to find shared and agreed solutions.
To support this aim, the Department funds Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) as part of its national improvement and support offer to the sector. Co-design of services is facilitated by local adoption of TLAP’s ‘Making it Real’ framework and principles, which ensure that people who draw on care and support are involved in shaping services. TLAP also helps with practical models of self-directed support and advice on the personalisation of services to areas that request it.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average timeframe is for decisions on fee waiver applications for partner visas.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Fee Waiver data is published in tables FW_01 – FW_03 of the ‘Immigration and Protection dataset’ found here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK,
However, the specific information requested is not currently available from the published statistics because fee waiver applications are not categorised by a specific route such as "partner", instead, fee waiver applications include everyone applying on Family and Private Life grounds. The requested data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider the potential merits of implementing service standards for visa applications expedited in cases of compassionate circumstances.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Visa, Status and Information Services have a range of premium services including; the Priority Services and Super Priority Services for visa applications where needed: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK. Visa applications are assessed on their individual merits and caseworkers will consider any compassionate grounds raised as part of the application assessment. Published policy guidance for each visa route will factor this where relevant. Caseworker guidance for each visa type can be found here: Visas and immigration operational guidance: Immigration staff guidance - detailed information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Those seeking to raise compassionate grounds to expedite their application should still apply and pay for their visa application online in the normal way. They should alert their request to their chosen Visa Application Centre or by contacting UKVI here: Contact UK Visas and Immigration for help - GOV.UK. Where a case may contain individual factors which make it compelling or compassionate then the case will be expedited by UKVI staff and considered under its own merits. The Department does not have a separate customer service standards for these cases, and if expedited they will be concluded as quickly as possible. Further information relating to Visa waiting times can be found on GOV.UK: Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of freezing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2026-27 on private renters.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
At Autumn Budget, the Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates and confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
The impacts on private renters were considered alongside a range of factors, including rent levels across Great Britain, the challenging fiscal context and welfare priorities which included our commitment to reduce child poverty by removing the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on increasing capacity for adult ADHD assessments in Leeds since 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those measures on waiting times.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE guideline does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.
NHS West Yorkshire ICB continues to prioritise improvements for adults with suspected ADHD, focusing on three key areas: expanding diagnostic capacity, strengthening early support within primary care, and improving pathway safety and responsiveness. These changes and improved clinical resilience are beginning to have a positive impact on waiting times for adults in Leeds.
More specifically, individuals transferred to accredited providers are being seen faster than if they had remained on the National Health Service trust waiting list. Additionally, Leeds NHS ADHD service waiting list growth, which had previously been rising rapidly, has now stabilised due to improved referral management and clearer access criteria. Urgent and complex patients are now prioritised more consistently by the NHS trust provider, improving safety and reducing risks associated with delayed assessment or medication oversight. Lastly, the ADHD referral hub is reducing unnecessary diagnostic demand through needs-led support; more than one quarter of adults supported through the hub have not required an onward referral for ADHD assessment.
For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan; and has released technical guidance to ICBs to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving data quality and publishing more localised data. NHS England intends to publish data at an ICB level in 2026/27. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs. More details on the improvement plan are available at the following link:
My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with mental health conditions, ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of creating a new brown tourist sign for ruined abbeys that excludes the depiction of a spire to prevent confusion between ruined abbeys and working churches.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of creating a new brown tourist sign for ruined abbeys.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps were taken to encourage housing associations to partake in the Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities scheme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities scheme is a specialist form of shared ownership and we have confirmed that it will continue to be funded under the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme where proposals meet programme requirements and deliver value for money.
To support housing association participation, my Department is working with Homes England to publish further guidance on eligibility and delivery, including for specialist shared ownership models such as the Home Ownership for People with Long‑term Disabilities scheme.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Home Ownership for people with a long-term disability scheme will receive funding for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities scheme is a specialist form of shared ownership and we have confirmed that it will continue to be funded under the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme where proposals meet programme requirements and deliver value for money.
To support housing association participation, my Department is working with Homes England to publish further guidance on eligibility and delivery, including for specialist shared ownership models such as the Home Ownership for People with Long‑term Disabilities scheme.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed Indefinite Leave to Remain reforms on existing labour and skills shortages in key sectors of the UK economy.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.
We are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement.
Details of the earned settlement scheme, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following that consultation.
The final model will also be subject to equality and economic impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.