Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will create an Older People's Commissioner for England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has no current plans to appoint a Commissioner for Old People in England. Employment support, through the creation of our new Jobs and Careers Service, will enable everyone, including older people, to access good, meaningful work and support progression into work. More details are set out in our Get Britain Working White Paper published last year and additional employment support for eligible older jobseekers is already currently available through our UK network of Jobcentres.
To better hear the voices of older people and further develop the reforms set out in in our Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are committing to the establishment of ‘collaboration committees’. This will bring together groups of people, including older people, with civil servants to collaborate on discussions, challenges, and recommendations on specific areas of work.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what proportion of the funding announced for affordable and social housing will go to social housing; and what the Government's target is for social housing annually in the next five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm further details in due course.
The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we continue to keep the matter under review.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, on the employment of overseas workers in the social care sector.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, was collectively agreed across Government, and is available at the following link:
In the technical annex, published alongside the White Paper, the Home Office has estimated an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants as a result of ending overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers. This is based on their internal management information for entry visas granted covering the period March 2024 to February 2025. This estimate reflects that there was a drop in visa grants of more than 90% compared with the 12 months ending in March 2024, when more than 83,000 entry visas were granted to care workers and senior care workers. The analysis in the technical annex will be refined and included within the relevant impact assessments accompanying the rule changes, as appropriate. The technical annex is available at the following link:
As set out in the immigration White Paper, visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country and with working rights will be permitted for a transition period until 2028. This will be kept under review.
DHSC are providing up to £12.5m to regional partnerships in 2025/26 to respond to unethical international recruitment practices in the adult social care sector. This includes supporting international recruits impacted by sponsor licence revocations to find alternative employment.
Care workers are essential to those who draw on care and support, helping them to maintain their quality of life, independence, and connection to the things that matter to them. In England, as per the Care Act 2014, it is the responsibility of local government to develop a market that delivers a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, that will be available to their communities. English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.
The Department continues to monitor adult social care workforce capacity, bringing together national data sets from Skills for Care’s monthly tracking data, the Capacity Tracker tool, and intelligence from key sector partners.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has issued licences to RCV Engines to export to Israel.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
RCV engines have in the past been issued licences for the export of controlled goods to Israel. The most recent licences issued were in 2021 and expired in 2023.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the amount spent on providing (a) football, (b) pool, (c) table-tennis, (d) gym, (e) running, (f) yoga, (g) chess and (h) other sporting activities in prisons in the last year.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
H M Prison and Probation Service recognises the importance physical activity plays in the overall well-being of prisoners and the effect sport, exercise and movement can have on supporting other programmes designed to reduce offending behaviour.
Data on the amount spent in providing the activities specified are not held centrally, and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is planning to take to protect responsibilities for musculoskeletal conditions that currently sit within NHS England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver this government's missions to build a National Health Service fit for the future and kickstart economic growth. On 13 March 2025, it was announced that NHS England will be brought into the Department to form a new joint centre. We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations and options for future allocation. At this stage, it is too early to say what precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be. As we progress due process will be followed, including a comprehensive assessment of any impacts and risks associated with the reforms. We will ensure our decisions are guided by evidence, and above all, focused on improving care for all patients including those with a MSK condition.Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will seek legal advice on the potential impact of her Department’s proposal to remove the right to return to the UK from existing social care workers who fail to find an alternative sponsor after 60 days on the Human Rights Act 1998.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
When a sponsored worker loses their job, they are expected to either secure new sponsorship, switch into a different immigration route or leave the UK. Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care officials are working hard to ensure care workers seeking alternative employment due to exploitation by their employer or licence revocation have access to support. Information about the Regional Partnerships can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-offer-to-international-asc-workers-whose-employers-sponsor-licence-has-been-revoked/support-offer-to-international-asc-workers-whose-employers-sponsor-licence-has-been-revoked.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish monthly reports from each of the 15 local partnerships on re-matching social care workers to new employers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to publish monthly reports on the international recruitment regional fund.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of new vehicles manufactured (a) in the UK and (b) elsewhere that will be commissioned following the announcement of the allocations for the Transport for City Regions settlements between the 2027-28 and 2031-32 financial years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor announced the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions settlements for 9 eligible mayoral strategic authorities on 4 June 2025. As a devolved funding programme, it is for local areas to decide how to allocate this funding to address their local transport priorities. The longer-term funding certainty provided by this announcement will enable city regions to develop project pipelines, supporting market engagement.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether Dormant Assets Scheme funding will be used in part to support existing (a) Music Hubs and (b) other services and strategies.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As announced in the Dormant Assets Strategy, DCMS will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to design the specific programmes to be delivered by the youth portion of funding. These will take into account the missions and Plan for Change, as well as the additionality principle which is central to the ongoing success of the Scheme. Further details will be announced in due course.