Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to modernise the Inheritance Act to reflect a) common law partners and b) common law partners whose marriage plans were underway before one of those partners passed away.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
There is no legal status of “common law partners” in England and Wales. Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, cohabitants (where they were living together as if married or in a civil partnership for at least two years) may apply for reasonable financial provision from a deceased partner’s estate.
The Government recognises concerns about the current position and has committed to strengthening the rights of cohabitants. We will consult in due course on potential reforms, including enhancing inheritance rights for cohabitants.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what due diligence processes have been undertaken to assess the suitability of organisations in Malawi to receive UK funded aid.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK aid to Malawi is subject to robust due diligence, accountability and assurance processes to help ensure funding reaches its intended beneficiaries and delivers value for money for the UK taxpayer.
Before any UK aid funding is agreed, prospective delivery partners are assessed through proportionate due diligence checks covering financial management, governance, safeguarding, risk management and delivery capability. Where appropriate, UK aid is delivered through trusted multilateral organisations, drawing on their established fiduciary assurance systems and international accountability standards.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what forms of accountability are in place to help ensure that UK aid to Malawi reaches its intended destination.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK aid to Malawi is subject to robust due diligence, accountability and assurance processes to help ensure funding reaches its intended beneficiaries and delivers value for money for the UK taxpayer.
Before any UK aid funding is agreed, prospective delivery partners are assessed through proportionate due diligence checks covering financial management, governance, safeguarding, risk management and delivery capability. Where appropriate, UK aid is delivered through trusted multilateral organisations, drawing on their established fiduciary assurance systems and international accountability standards.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help strengthen complaints and whistleblowing processes with respect to the Teachers Regulation Authority.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate her Department has made of (a) private and (b) public elevator repair equipment stocks; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these stocks on people with access requirements.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to address delays in importing elevator parts to the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is working with border and customs authorities to ensure import processes for elevator components operate as efficiently as possible, including through clear guidance and the use of simplified and digital customs procedures.
If a company’s goods are delayed at customs, they should first contact their courier (e.g., DHL, FedEx, UPS) or customs broker, as they usually have the most direct information on the status. They can contact the HMRC Customs and International Trade Helpline on 0300 322 9434, or HMRC imports and exports enquiries for assistance.
We have taken further steps to make it easier for businesses to import products, including extending importer labelling easements and continuing the recognition of some EU rules including CE marking. These measures reduce duplicative regulatory requirements and administrative burdens for manufactured goods. In practice, this supports smoother, faster market access and helps minimise delays in supplying critical components, including lift components, into the market.
The Government maintains strong relationships with industry and international partners and is always looking at ways to reduce burdens and support supply chains.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Invisible Women "Made Visible": Learning from the Femicides of Black, Minoritised and Migrant Women published by Killed Women in October 2025.
Answered by Jess Phillips
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government, and we are treating it as the national emergency it is. The recently published ‘Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy’ sets out the steps we are taking to drive system-wide change, so that no life is lost to violence and abuse that could have been prevented. All victims, including Black and other minoritised ethnic groups, are integrated into our response, and every commitment set out in the Strategy will consider Black and other minoritised ethnic groups.
The report illustrates the stark picture of the risk of fatal violence faced by Black and ethnic minority women. The Government is absolutely committed to improving the response to all forms of violence, and femicide as part of that. I wholeheartedly thank the Killed Women network for their work to raise awareness of these appalling crimes and have written to them in response to this report.
The Home Office continues to build the evidence base on all domestic abuse related deaths through funding the Domestic Homicide Project, to capture information on these deaths from all 43 police forces in England and Wales and identify how the response can be improved. We are also exploring the possibility of expanding the project’s scope in future years to encompass all deaths that occur in the context of VAWG. This will enable a more comprehensive understanding of every death resulting from VAWG to improve our response and prevent further loss of life.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the advertising of vapes and tobacco products alongside items such as toys and sweets in retail settings; and what assessment he has made of the potential steps of further restricting advertisements to ensure such products are not marketed in a way that could appeal to children.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Evidence shows that comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising have had a significant impact on reducing consumption, but partial bans have had no significant effect. This is why most forms of advertising and promotion of tobacco products are already banned under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. These products are also hidden from display in most retail settings to protect children and young people from the harms of tobacco.
We know that vapes and other nicotine products are being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children, and it is concerning that youth vaping has more than doubled over the past five years.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children and will extend current tobacco advertising restrictions to vaping products and nicotine products. The bill also gives us the powers to make regulations to restrict the display of these products in stores. We will consult on display proposals later this year.
The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the bill, including on the prohibition on the advertising of vaping and nicotine products. The Government will monitor the impact of these restrictions following their implementation.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the number of qualified lift engineers in the UK.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper set out reforms to the skills system to ensure skills provision is aligned to the needs of the Industrial Strategy and supports people to train in sectors which support growth and meet priority skills needs.
The government has launched an engineering skills package which will provide £182 million over three years to support engineering skills in England, working with Skills England to determine how this can increase the pipeline of skills such as those needed for lift engineers.
We are also launching Technical Excellence Colleges to address shortages in engineering, which is critical to the skills needed in priority sectors.
Skills England supports occupational standards specialising in the installation, maintenance and repair of lifts, escalators and related systems. It also has a range of generic standards at different levels covering technologies and occupations that are relevant to employers working on those systems. It will continue to work with employers to ensure that content is relevant and up to date.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve elevator part manufacturing levels in the UK.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Manufacturing is crucial for the UK's economy, driving innovation, creating jobs, and boosting national security and resilience. Last year this government published our 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy, setting out our long-term approach to strengthening domestic capability. Alongside it we published the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which outlines both sector-specific and cross-cutting measures aimed at boosting manufacturing overall, including for component manufacturers. Our focus is on delivering against these strategies to make the UK the best place to start and grow a manufacturing business.