Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-Birmingham residents have been placed in supported exempt accommodation in Birmingham by HM Prison and Probation Service in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Many placements of persons subject to probation supervision are made by local authorities. Without incurring disproportionate cost, it would not be possible to determine, in each case, whether a placement had been made by H M Prison & Probation Service.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds information on trends in the number of apprenticeship starts in the windows blinds manufacturing and installation sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on apprenticeship starts, including for the Level 2 Fenestration fabricator and Level 2 Fenestration installer standards, are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Supported Exempt Accommodation properties Ofsted inspected in Birmingham in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Supported Accommodation registered with Ofsted provides semi-independent living arrangements for 16 and 17-year-old looked after children and care leavers, as they transition towards adulthood.
The Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 came into effect in October 2023, with all providers of Supported Accommodation required to be registered with Ofsted.
Ofsted inspect registered Supported Accommodation providers at least once every three years, and during the inspection will visit a sample of accommodation premises owned by the provider.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will consult on draft regulations under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 later this year. The regulations will exempt accommodation from having to obtain a license from the local authority in which their housing it situated, if the property is already registered with Ofsted to accommodate 16 or 17-year-old looked after children or care leavers.
Ofsted only began inspecting registered providers from September 2024 and inspection is at provider level, not premises level. There is also no available breakdown of inspections at local authority level, so we are unable to provide data on inspections of any Supported Accommodation in Birmingham since inspections began. Ofsted publish data on the number of premises and inspections at a regional level. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-care-in-england-2025/main-findings-childrens-social-care-in-england-2025#supported-accommodation.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 publishing the Birmingham Commissioners' latest report to the Secretary of State.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government plans to publish the latest report from the Birmingham City Council Commissioners, together with a response, as soon as practicable. The report will be considered in line with the usual arrangements for statutory interventions before publication.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of latex glove usage in the food industry on individuals with a latex allergy.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Food Standards Agency recognises that the use of natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves in the food industry may pose a risk to individuals with a latex allergy, with reactions ranging from mild irritation to, in rare cases, severe allergic responses. Under United Kingdom food hygiene legislation, there is no requirement to use latex gloves, and businesses must implement a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, including assessing any risks associated with protective equipment. In addition, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to assess and, where reasonably practicable, replace hazardous substances such as latex with safer alternatives. In practice, many food businesses use non-latex gloves, such as nitrile or vinyl, alongside good hand hygiene, to effectively control both food safety and occupational health risks.
The Health and Safety Executive has recognised the risks to workers who suffer from NRL allergies and have produced a specific guidance page on their website which covers both the background to NRL allergies and the precautions to be taken by employers where they have employees who may be affected. There is specific guidance on latex gloves and the considerations to be taken by employers when selecting appropriate gloves. The guidance page is available at the following link:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/skin/employ/latex.htm
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average age and (b) number of deaths in service was for employees of (i) National Highways and (ii) Network Rail in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The tables below show the average age of all active employees at the start of each year and the number of employees who have died while in service across each year at both National Highways and Network Rail.
National Highways (NH) | ||
Year | Average age of all NH employees at the start of each year (rounded to the nearest whole number) | NH employees who have died in service |
2016 | 49 | 8 |
2017 | 45 | 5 |
2018 | 44 | 10 |
2019 | 44 | 5 |
2020 | 44 | 6 |
2021 | 45 | 6 |
2022 | 46 | 9 |
2023 | 47 | 8 |
2024 | 44 | 9 |
2025 | 44 | 8 |
2026 | 45 | 2 |
Network Rail (NR) | ||
Year | Average age of all NR employees at the start of each year (rounded to the nearest whole number) | NR employees who have died in service |
2016 | 43 | 40 |
2017 | 43 | 62 |
2018 | 43 | 50 |
2019 | 43 | 61 |
2020 | 43 | 74 |
2021 | 43 | 55 |
2022 | 43 | 61 |
2023 | 43 | 66 |
2024 | 43 | 50 |
2025 | 43 | 56 |
2026 | 43 | 27 |
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to launch the call for evidence on how gamebirds are reared in the gamebird sector.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As stated in the Animal Welfare Strategy the Government will launch a call for evidence to improve its understanding of the welfare issues on how gamebirds are reared. The Government will take this forward in due course.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 20 May to Question UIN 362, what her Department's proposed timetable is for introducing a consultation to ban the use of carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As set out in the response to UIN 362, further details will be shared later this year.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 22 of the Road Safety Strategy, what discussions her Department has had with trade unions on the development of the National Work-Related Road Safety Charter.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The National Work-Related Road Safety Charter is in the early stages of development with contributions from a range of stakeholders within industry and the public sector. There have not been specific discussions with unions at this point, but they will be invited to contribute as the Charter takes shape.
I expect unions will play an important part in not just representing their members but providing input in areas such as education and improving driver behaviour.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when HS2 Ltd will next publish minutes of its board meetings.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd Board minutes covering the period between August and November 2025 will be published by the end of May, following this week’s cost and schedule ranges announcement. HS2 Ltd Board minutes covering the period between December 2025 to March 2026 will be published shortly afterwards.