Hannah Spencer
Green Party - Gorton and Denton
2026-02-26 Gorton and Denton By-electionFirst elected: 26th February 2026
Division Voting information
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(3 debate interactions)
(2 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(6 debate contributions)
(3 debate contributions)
(2 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
Hannah Spencer has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debateGorton and Denton Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
of 9,167 signatures (1.94%)
of 53,050 signatures (0.69%)
of 31,497 signatures (0.67%)
of 113,712 signatures (0.49%)
of 49,079 signatures (0.27%)
of 113,712 signatures (0.49%)
of 53,050 signatures (0.69%)
of 201,943 signatures (0.18%)
of 117,265 signatures (0.26%)
of 203,488 signatures (0.14%)
Petition Closed
Mandatory collection and publication of certain child sexual offender data
Gov Responded - 5 Dec 2025 Debated on - 1 Jun 2026 View Hannah Spencer's petition debate contributionsclosed 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Place a statutory requirement on councils, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and all other related institutions to collect, record and publish the nationality, ethnicity, immigration status and religion of child sexual offenders, including gang based crime.
Latest EDMs signed by Hannah Spencer
Steel import tariffs and further education colleges
Tabled by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)That this House is concerned about the impact of steel price increases resulting from upcoming steel import tariffs on further education colleges which purchase the metal for vocational courses such as welding, plumbing, fabrication, and engineering; notes that without support institutions such as Crawley College, whose welding department alone spent …
(Most recent: 8 Jun 2026)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Rough sleeping, homelessness prevention and long-term housing support
Tabled by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)That this House recognises there is a rough sleeping emergency; highlights with concern the findings of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee's rough sleeping inquiry, published on 14 February 2025, of gaps between public institutions and housing support which put vulnerable people at greater risk of rough sleeping following …
(Most recent: 9 Jun 2026)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 26
Green Party: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Hannah Spencer, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Hannah Spencer has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Hannah Spencer has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Hannah Spencer has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Hannah Spencer has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 31 Written Questions
(View all written questions)The department takes the health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff very seriously. All schools need to be safe, well-maintained, and compliant with all relevant regulations. This is the responsibility of those running our schools, which includes local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies.
All schools must ensure their water supply meets the requirements of either the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 or the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, for maintained schools and academies respectively.
These Regulations set strict requirements that schools must provide suitable drinking water facilities and that they are clearly labelled and readily accessible at all times when schools are in use. The Water Supply Regulations 2016 requires water to be wholesome at the point of consumption and the School Premises Regulations reinforces this requirement.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has received the School Teachers’ Review Body’s 36th Report. As is the case each year once the report is received, the government is now in the process of discussing the recommendations and will publish the report, in addition to the government’s response, and launch the statutory consultation as soon as those discussions have concluded, making every effort to give schools as much notice of the impact on school budgets as is possible.
Minister of State (Education)
The department notes the recent National Foundation for Educational Research report, which highlights some improvement in the competitiveness of teachers’ pay.
The department values all teachers, which is why we have delivered two above inflation awards that, combined, will mean all schoolteachers will have seen an increase in their pay of almost 10% over the last two years.
In making their recommendations on teacher pay in maintained schools each year, the School Teachers’ Review Body carries out rigorous assessments as part of its reports and considers a range of evidence, including key indicators for pay competitiveness.
We are already seeing positive signs that our investment is delivering. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, and our teacher pipeline is growing, with just under 32,600 new entrants to initial teacher training in autumn 2025, up 13% on the previous year.
Minister of State (Education)
4 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Hannah Spencer's Defra questions)The recipients of the Water Restoration Fund were announced in October 2025, with projects due to be completed by March 2028.
The most recent tranche of water company fines, as announced alongside the White Paper in January, is being allocated to catchment partnerships, the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) and Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) Programme. Further details on future tranches of water company announced in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Piglet thumping (a manual percussive blow to the head) it is not a permitted method for stunning or killing piglets due to serious concerns about the welfare consequences. The Department is engaging with the industry to encourage use of alternative humane methods.
Allegations of animal welfare abuses are investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). The local authority, as the appropriate enforcement agency, may initiate prosecution action for animal welfare offences where there is sufficient evidence.
The Department does not hold centrally recorded information on the number of farms where a manual percussive blow to the head was used for killing piglets, nor is data on prosecutions recorded in a way that would enable cases to be identified.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’, represent one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
On 3 February 2026, the Government fulfilled its commitment from the revised Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, by publishing the UK’s first-ever PFAS Plan. This sets out how we will work across government, industry, regulators, agencies, the scientific community and the public to understand the sources of these chemicals; tackle how they move around in the environment; and act to reduce public and environmental exposure.
The plan reflects Defra’s commitment to protect public health and the environment while supporting innovation and economic growth. Our long-term vision is to work in partnership, taking a science-based and proportionate approach, to reduce and minimise the impacts of harmful PFAS on public health and the environment, including through the transition to safer alternatives.
Defra also welcomes the recent EAC report HC 852 and its recommendations. Defra will provide a response from Government in line with usual procedures.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement are underway. While those discussions are ongoing, we cannot provide a running commentary, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers and officials are engaging with the sector and other stakeholders to consider the reforms necessary to modernise taxi and private hire vehicle legislation to make everyday journeys safer, fairer and easier; strengthening public safety, removing barriers for disabled passengers, and reflecting how people travel today. A draft Bill for parliamentary scrutiny will be brought forward during this parliamentary session.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Information on the number of older private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit, and if it covers rent (after application of Local Housing Allowance, reductions and deductions), is available on Stat-Xplore via the Housing Benefit official statistics. The information can be found in the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset and is currently available to February 2026. https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/).
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA rates and confirmed in his written ministerial statement on 26 November 2025 that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for discretionary support through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) Housing Payments from local authorities in England. In Wales and Scotland Discretionary Housing Payments apply.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information from different systems across the National Health Service into a single, secure environment. This allows staff to co-ordinate care to improve outcomes for patients.
The NHS FDP is delivering for the NHS, helping people get the care they need quicker and more efficiently. Since March 2024, more than 100,000 additional patients have been supported to undergo procedures in theatres partly by increasing theatre utilisation. Nearly 94,000 people have been supported on their cancer journey, with 7% seeing a reduction in the time it took to diagnose their cancer. There has been a 14% decrease in delays discharging patients staying in hospital for more than seven days, freeing up beds for those who need it most. NHS England publishes quarterly information on benefits realised from the FDP, which is available at the following link:
To date, 24 integrated care board clusters and 168 NHS trusts have signed up to the NHS FDP, including the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, and the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
Officials have been discussing with NHS England the arrangements in place for access to identifiable patient information for the purposes of responding to parliamentary questions and recent media enquiries.
The National Data Integration Tenant (NDIT) is a secure platform for collecting and managing national health and care data. It replaces multiple legacy systems with one unified, secure process, reducing burden for NHS teams while ensuring the right data is available at the right time to support faster decisions and safer care. Data is pseudonymised using Privacy Enhancing Technologies and then routed to the national NHS FDP where it is used for analysis, insights, and decision-making.
All access is governed by strong safeguards including encryption, role based access controls, and comprehensive audit trails. The suppliers of the NHS FDP and NDIT will only operate under limited project-based access under the instruction of NHS England. Individual access is strictly role based, depending on project, and is time limited. The NDIT and NHS FDP contracts have strict stipulations about confidentiality, and there is governance in place to monitor delivery and usage.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to provide an impact assessment or details of the modelling in relation to changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness threshold to the Health and Social Care Select Committee. Information included in the impact assessment is commercially sensitive.
The United Kingdom and United States’ pharmaceutical arrangement is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our National Health Service and world leading life sciences sector.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.
We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.
We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.
We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.
We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.
We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.
We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.
We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.
We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
On 3 June British diplomats visited the community in Khan al-Ahmar. We continue to follow developments in the West Bank closely. On the wider issue of illegal settlements, I refer the Hon Member to the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Oral Questions on 21 April.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response provided on 3 June to Question 4531 about the NAHA directives, and also to the speech and accompanying statement made by the Foreign Secretary to the UN Security Council about the UN Fact-Finding Mission on 19 February, links to which can be found below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretarys-statement-on-the-un-fact-finding-mission-report-on-el-fasher
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/let-this-be-the-time-that-the-world-comes-together-to-end-the-cycle-of-bloodshed-in-sudan-uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response provided on 3 June to Question 4531 about the NAHA directives, and also to the speech and accompanying statement made by the Foreign Secretary to the UN Security Council about the UN Fact-Finding Mission on 19 February, links to which can be found below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretarys-statement-on-the-un-fact-finding-mission-report-on-el-fasher
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/let-this-be-the-time-that-the-world-comes-together-to-end-the-cycle-of-bloodshed-in-sudan-uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response provided on 3 June to Question 4531 about the NAHA directives, and also to the speech and accompanying statement made by the Foreign Secretary to the UN Security Council about the UN Fact-Finding Mission on 19 February, links to which can be found below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretarys-statement-on-the-un-fact-finding-mission-report-on-el-fasher
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/let-this-be-the-time-that-the-world-comes-together-to-end-the-cycle-of-bloodshed-in-sudan-uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 June to Question 4402.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Unaccompanied children are not subject to the agreement between the United Kingdom and France on the prevention of dangerous journeys, also known as the one-in, one-out policy.
Upon arrival, where an individual claims to be a child without any credible and clear documentary evidence of age, and where there is reason to doubt their claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process.
The ‘Assessing Age’ guidance details the Home Office’s age assessment policy for immigration purposes. It provides that immigration officers may only treat an individual as an adult where they have no credible and clear documentary evidence proving their age, and two members of Home Office staff independently assess that their physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggest that the individual is ‘significantly over 18’.
This is a deliberately high threshold where the principle of the benefit of the doubt is key and if that threshold is not met, but there remains doubt about the individual’s age, they will be treated as a child and transferred to a local authority for further consideration of their age. This often involves a further, more comprehensive ‘Merton-compliant’ age assessment. This approach to initial decisions on age has been considered by the Supreme Court in BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38 and held to be lawful.
Where individuals are assessed to be significantly over 18, they are able to approach local authorities for further age assessment if they disagree with the Home Office’s decision. Individuals also have access to legal representation and can make legal challenges to age assessments. Individuals are not removed to France where their age is in dispute.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government will continue to grant service licences in accordance with the rigorous requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
Service licences support regulatory testing required to meet legal and international standards for the authorisation of medicines and the appropriate regulatory routes for other products, materials and devices. These studies provide essential non-clinical safety data, including on toxicity, how substances are processed in the body, and their effects on organs, to support safe progression to first-in-human trials.
All project licence applications, including generic service licences, are subject to a rigorous harm–benefit analysis as required under ASPA. Where licences cover a class of studies rather than named substances, the assessment focuses on the scientific objectives and regulatory safety questions being addressed, and the extent to which the work is likely to deliver benefits, such as supporting the safe development and use of medicines.
The 3Rs, replacement, reduction and refinement, are a legal requirement under ASPA and must be fully applied in every project. Applicants must demonstrate consideration of the 3Rs before submission, and all applications are assessed by Home Office Inspectors to ensure that no viable non-animal alternatives exist, that animal numbers are minimised, and that methods are refined to reduce suffering. This assessment is supported by continuous scrutiny after a licence is granted. ASRU conducts announced and unannounced audits, reviewing records and practices to ensure the 3Rs continue to be applied and that licence conditions remain appropriate.
In November 2025, the Government published its strategy, “Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods
Minister of State (Home Office)
Both ACS and APS underwent user acceptance testing and evaluation was conducted following pilots of both tools. All caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised (to note ACS is not yet fully operational). A specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool.
All questions asked of the tool, have and will be logged, and are auditable. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS. ACS has not yet been operationalised, but our Analysis and Insight team plan to conduct further follow up evaluations in due course.
Existing quality control processes are followed alongside data capture, development and two-way feedback mechanisms.
No process and/or tooling details are currently released to asylum claimants - this has not changed with the incorporation of AI elements into case working.
Minister of State (Home Office)
Both ACS and APS underwent user acceptance testing and evaluation was conducted following pilots of both tools. All caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised (to note ACS is not yet fully operational). A specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool.
All questions asked of the tool, have and will be logged, and are auditable. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS. ACS has not yet been operationalised, but our Analysis and Insight team plan to conduct further follow up evaluations in due course.
Existing quality control processes are followed alongside data capture, development and two-way feedback mechanisms.
No process and/or tooling details are currently released to asylum claimants - this has not changed with the incorporation of AI elements into case working.
Minister of State (Home Office)
4 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions
(View all Hannah Spencer's MHCLG questions)The government publishes data on local authority homelessness assessments, including the age of main applicants owed a duty. You can find this in table A6 of the latest homelessness statistics, published here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Housing authorities have a duty to assess all eligible applicants and must work with them to develop a personalised housing plan to prevent or relieve their homelessness.
The government is providing £3.6 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, including more than £2.2 billion for local authorities to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant. Councils can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their areas, including young people. You can find local authority level allocations on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government publishes data on local authority homelessness assessments, including the age of main applicants owed a duty. You can find this in table A6 of the latest homelessness statistics, published here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 104908 on 19 January 2026.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Prison officers work in difficult environments every day, with some of the most challenging people in society. The Government recognises that the work of prison officers is of critical importance in keeping the public safe.
Section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) makes it unlawful for anyone to induce a prison officer to take (or continue to take) industrial action or to commit a breach of discipline. This applies to frontline operational prison staff from Band 3 prison officers to Band 11 governors in England and Wales. Industrial action in prisons, even if only partial, would create unsustainable and significant risks to safety and security. This would in turn impact on the courts, police and public safety. As the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights are potentially relevant to ongoing legal proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights, it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment at this time.
HMPPS has a comprehensive engagement and consultation framework in place with the Prison Officer’s Association (POA), as well as dispute resolution processes, which ensures they have the full opportunity to raise any issues affecting their members. This has enabled collective agreement on a range of issues. HMPPS also has the ‘Whitley’ meeting structure in place for raising and escalating matters at both national and local levels and a collectively agreed National Disputes Resolution Procedure, introduced in 2011, which provides a direct route for the POA, including an escalation route to independent conciliation and arbitration, to seek resolution on issues which may impact on the existing terms and conditions of prison officers.
We are committed to ensuring the right of everyone who works in a prison to decent conditions and a fair reward for their hard work, and we believe we can do so without the need for legislative change.
We believe the work of the Prison Service Pay Review Body provides a robust, independent compensatory mechanism. Therefore, we have no plans to review the current legislation. We will continue to engage regularly with our recognised trade unions and welcome the constructive contribution they continue to make in ensuring that the views of staff are fully represented.
Assistant Whip