Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department taking to increase domestic recruitment of social care staff.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

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.

However, the Government recognises the scale of the reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the recruitment of the domestic workforce.

That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding, to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce. This won’t just improve pay for some of the lowest paid workers in our economy but will also drive critical improvements in recruitment and retention in the sector.

Ensuring staff have the skills and training needed to work in social care is also essential, both to attract people to join and remain in the workforce, and for the provision of high-quality care and support. That is why we have developed the Care Workforce Pathway, the first national career framework for adult social care, and we are investing £12 million in learning and development through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, to enable eligible staff to complete eligible courses and qualifications.

We have also launched the 2025/26 adult social care recruitment campaign, which is running throughout October and January with advertising appearing on television, social media, radio, and online, showcasing authentic moments in care careers and driving people with the right skills and values to apply for paid vacancies in the sector.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the maximum residency period for UK citizens in the EU from 90 days to 180 days.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

HMG officials and Ministers, including myself, regularly engage EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals.

The EU allows for travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the merits of (a) television licensing and (b) the BBC Charter.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The current BBC Royal Charter is due to expire on 31 December 2027.

As the media landscape undergoes the next generational shift, the BBC too must adapt and be supported to do so. This Charter Review is a key opportunity to set the BBC up for success long into the future. It will consider a range of issues, including how the BBC can continue to prosper supported by a sustainable funding model.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for work visas for social care staff since July 2024.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics,and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose ofanswering this question at disproportionate cost.

However, it should be noted that those applying under the Health and Care Visabenefit from faster in-country processing times; are exempt from paying theImmigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and pay a lower fee for visas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include targets to improve the diagnosis times for myeloma in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published in the new year. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including myeloma and other blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

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 October 2025 to Question 78992, how much meat was processed by each slaughterhouse using the (a) halal and (b) shechita methods in each year since 2020.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Data regarding the amount of meat resulting from animals slaughtered using the halal method or the shechita method is not collected.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with European Union counterparts on the residency rights of UK citizens in the EU.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Residency in the EU is primarily a matter for individual Member States, but ministers and officials frequently engage with a range of Member State counterparts to advocate for the rights and interests of British citizens living and working across the EU.

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 for suicide prevention training for (a) police officers, (b) paramedics, (c) firefighters and (d) other emergency responders.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Significant work is underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of training across the system.

NHS England published ‘Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management’ to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. The guidance requires all mental health practitioners to align their practice to the latest evidence in suicide prevention, and is available at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide.

The NHS England Medium Term Planning Framework states that in 2026/27, all integrated care boards must ensure mental health practitioners across all providers undertake training and deliver care in line with the ‘Staying safe from suicide’ guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve funding for speech and language (a) support and (b) specialists for children in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department, in collaboration with NHS England, has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme, to strengthen early identification and intervention for children with speech, language and communication needs in early years settings and primary schools.

Under the Best Start in Life strategy, the department continues to invest in evidence-based initiatives such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which has demonstrated significant impact on oral language and early literacy, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

Recognising the critical role of speech and language therapists, the department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.