Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to help promote human rights in Guinea.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly raises concerns with the authorities in Guinea over human rights, democracy, freedom of expression, and the rule of law, including arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on political freedoms, civil society and peaceful protest.
Since the December 2025 elections, our Ambassador has pressed the Guinean authorities, including security officials, to ensure due process, and release detainees being held without charge. The UK is also continuing to support efforts to strengthen good governance and access to justice.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of arbitrary detentions in Guinea.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly raises concerns with the authorities in Guinea over human rights, democracy, freedom of expression, and the rule of law, including arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on political freedoms, civil society and peaceful protest.
Since the December 2025 elections, our Ambassador has pressed the Guinean authorities, including security officials, to ensure due process, and release detainees being held without charge. The UK is also continuing to support efforts to strengthen good governance and access to justice.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has issued to airports and transport authorities on allergy safety in public spaces, specifically latex allergy.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Food Standards Agency works with businesses and consumers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to improve allergen management and information, including offering free training and running awareness campaigns. It has recently published new guidance to help people with allergies eat out safely. The guidance sets out how businesses can provide clear allergen information, encourage communication about allergens between staff and consumers, and ensure that a consumer with allergies receives the right meal.
We would also encourage passengers travelling with a severe allergy to carry their medication with them in case of emergency, and it is recommended that they notify staff throughout their journey of their allergy. Guidance on travelling with an allergy is available from organisations such as Anaphylaxis UK or from the NHS.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with airports on allergy safety in public spaces.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Food Standards Agency works with businesses and consumers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to improve allergen management and information, including offering free training and running awareness campaigns. It has recently published new guidance to help people with allergies eat out safely. The guidance sets out how businesses can provide clear allergen information, encourage communication about allergens between staff and consumers, and ensure that a consumer with allergies receives the right meal.
We would also encourage passengers travelling with a severe allergy to carry their medication with them in case of emergency, and it is recommended that they notify staff throughout their journey of their allergy. Guidance on travelling with an allergy is available from organisations such as Anaphylaxis UK or from the NHS.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Physicians' report entitled A breath of fresh air: Responding to the health challenges of modern air pollution, published on 11 June 2025, what steps he is taking to support public awareness of ways to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As the Royal College of Physicians' report outlines, indoor air quality remains an important public health consideration.
Our 10-Year Health plan sets out Government actions to improve the quality of the air we breathe, with commitments to increase understanding of indoor and outdoor air pollution and improve communication of air quality information to the public.
We will continue to work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on commitments in the Government’s the Environmental Improvement Plan to help make air quality part of everyday conversations.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on tackling Islamophobia.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
To help inform policy development, Ministers and officials regularly engage with relevant stakeholders, such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including on tackling religious hatred.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for the rollout of Automatic Voter Registration as part of the Democratic Modernisation Strategy.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is exploring more automated approaches to electoral registration over the coming years. Any changes must be tested to ensure they have a positive outcome in an already complex system, which will take time to assess. Some of this work may also require legislative changes which can only be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to ensure national public awareness of recent Highway Code changes as part of the Road Safety Strategy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.
That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.
Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.
However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.
As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her a) Israeli and b) European counterparts on the decision to restrict the operations of international non-governmental organisations in Gaza and the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House I made on 5 January, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and several of her counterparts on 30 December, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatementon-the-gaza-humanitarian-response
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to conduct a review of collective worship in schools in England.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Collective worship remains an important part of school life, supporting pupils to reflect on the concept of belief and the role it plays in our country’s traditions and values.
Schools in England already have flexibility in how they meet this requirement and can deliver collective worship or assemblies in ways that reflect the diverse needs of their pupils and local communities. Students over 16 and parents of younger pupils also retain the right of withdrawal from collective worship.