Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for encouraging children with SEND into mainstream schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department has published independently commissioned insight from the Delivering Better Value programme. This research suggests that, if the system were extensively improved, including using early intervention and better resourcing mainstream schools, tens of thousands more children and young people could have their needs met without the need for lengthy waits and assessments, and have their needs met in a mainstream setting, rather than a specialist placement. Further detail on the research is available here: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63b6e5debb4b0114060dc226/66421eaae18cb50ccc378780_66421a046d5569ec0ad11674_DBV%20-%20Phase%201%20Insights%20Summary_Website%20v1.0_Final.pdf.
Further details of the government's intended approach to special educational needs and disabilities reform will be set out in a White Paper in the autumn.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has agreed a new two-year contract to put asylum seekers in the Mercure Stanwell Hotel.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
It has been the longstanding policy of the Home Office under successive governments not to disclose information about specific hotels which may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.
However, the Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels, by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to close the asylum hotel in Spelthorne constituency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
It has been the longstanding policy of the Home Office under successive governments not to disclose information about specific hotels which may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.
However, the Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels, by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent people residing in asylum hotels from taking up illegal employment.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is determined to tackle illegal working, and since coming to office, we have increased the number of raids, arrests and fines against offenders to their highest level in almost a decade.
We have also secured pledges from delivery firms to increase verification checks on their drivers, and introduced new legislation in the Border Security Bill to make employment checks mandatory in the gig economy. It remains very disappointing that the party opposite chose to vote against those crucial measures.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled UK to purchase F-35As and join NATO nuclear mission as Government steps up national security and delivers defence dividend, published on 24 June 2025, whether his Department plans to buy fewer F-35B aircraft.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence will initially purchase 12 F-35A aircraft from within previously agreed F-35B purchase schedules. Future F-35 purchases will be reviewed as part of the Defence Investment Plan, which will conclude in the autumn.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the average time was for an export license to be granted to a defence business from first application to approval in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
During 2024, the median processing time in SPIRE for all completed Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) applications was 16 working days. On average, completed SIEL applications account for around 95% of all completed licence applications. We do not gather the median processing time per sector.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the publication of the Strategic Defence Review on trading of shares in UK-listed defence companies.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Strategic Defence Review was published on 2 June 2025. It is not government policy to comment on the market impacts of policy announcements.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what stages of recruitment are still to be completed for the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration role.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Affairs Select Committee’s pre-appointment hearing with the Government’s preferred candidate took place on 11 February.
Once Ministers have finalised the appointment and the terms of appointment have been agreed, the new ICIBI will be announced in the normal way.
Ministers agreed to extend David Bolt’s appointment term as interim ICIBI for a further period of up to three months, to enable sufficient time to conclude the recruitment process for a permanent ICIBI and ensure a smooth transition.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of Chinese citizens deployed by Russia in the war on Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia's increasing recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its illegal invasion of Ukraine demonstrates its underlying weakness. We have noted recent reports of Chinese citizens deployed by Russia in Ukraine. We have seen no evidence of state sponsorship in relation to these recent reports, but we continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, If he will take steps to ensure the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on biological sex in Government department workplaces.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements.