Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 53118 on NHS: Workplace Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing NHS Professionals under the direct control of his Department to allow bank employees access to the NHS Pension Scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Professionals is constituted as a company that competes for business in a commercial market. The terms and conditions that it offers its employees, including access to pension schemes, are the equivalent to those of its market competitors. If access to the NHS Pension Scheme was provided, the company would be required to fully pass on any additional associated costs to its National Health Service customers. This would be counter to the Government’s ambition to eliminate agency use and reduce bank spend in the NHS.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of prisoner phone call charges included in current contracts for HMP Wandsworth on prisoners..
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government is aware of the importance of allowing prisoners to maintain contact with family and other positive relationships, and the positive influence this can have on their wellbeing and rehabilitation. Provision of in-cell telephony is one of several ways that we enable that contact to take place and we aim to make this affordable for prisoners.
We have negotiated a 20% reduction in call costs to all UK landline and UK mobile numbers which came into effect from 1 April 2025, which will make communication more affordable.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on waiting times for autism assessments a statutory requirement.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessment services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
NICE guidelines are not mandatory, but National Health Service commissioners and healthcare providers are expected to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local populations.
Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS, published in September 2024, highlighted that demand for autism assessments has grown significantly in recent years. Waiting times for an assessment will be impacted by a range of factors, which may differ between areas, including the level of demand and the capacity within autism assessment services to meet that demand.
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Sections 2.26 to 2.36 of the statutory guidance entitled Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015), published on 2 June 2025, on people who are victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and is intended as a means of fulfilling certain obligations from the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT).
The Home Office publishes relevant statutory guidance, legislation and national strategies to support professionals to identify and support victims, including those who have experienced sexual exploitation.
The Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland was updated in May 2024 to aid Competent Authority decision makers within the NRM process to more clearly indicate exploitative scenarios, and as such identify sexual exploitation victims of modern slavery for the purpose of the NRM.
The Government is fully committed to identifying, supporting and protecting victims, and tackling the devastating harm associated with modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, and keeps all policies and processes under review.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning the statutory guidance entitled Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland, published on 2 June 2025, with (a) the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and (b) other international regulations in the context of assessments of whether a person is likely to be a victim of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and is intended as a means of fulfilling certain obligations from the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT).
The Home Office publishes relevant statutory guidance, legislation and national strategies to support professionals to identify and support victims, including those who have experienced sexual exploitation.
The Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland was updated in May 2024 to aid Competent Authority decision makers within the NRM process to more clearly indicate exploitative scenarios, and as such identify sexual exploitation victims of modern slavery for the purpose of the NRM.
The Government is fully committed to identifying, supporting and protecting victims, and tackling the devastating harm associated with modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, and keeps all policies and processes under review.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to announce phase two of the non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government consulted on strengthening the non-domestic PRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to EPC C by 1 April 2027, and EPC B by 1 April 2030. We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. We plan to publish a response to the consultations as early as possible this year.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of proceeding with phase 2 of the non-domestic minimum energy efficiency standards.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards are a key tool in helping businesses reduce their energy bills and strengthen the UK’s energy security, with the potential to deliver £millions in annual energy bill savings from the proposed EPC B deadline. This policy is a part of government’s mission to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate to Net Zero. The standards required under the regulations will also generate demand for skilled building retrofit and energy assessor jobs, building on the existing grants for training.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing emergency planning in relation to infants and children.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office non-statutory guidance sets out that emergency planning should consider groups that require special consideration, including those who are dependent on others, such as children. All education, childcare, and children’s social care settings should have emergency plans in place. Plans should explain how to respond and take any temporary actions in the event of an emergency. This expectation is set out in DfE’s (non-statutory) emergency planning guidance for education, childcare and children’s social care settings. The guidance includes an expectation to evaluate and test plans. DfE also publishes statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve (a) response times and (b) service standards at Wandsworth County Court.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Wandsworth County Court is part of the London Civil and Family Cluster. Performance is discussed weekly, and the cluster priorities agreed. Work is moved around the cluster to ensure that the quickest possible service is delivered. Continuous Improvement exercises continue to be undertaken to ensure the best customer service.
Over the last 12 months, overall workload in the cluster has reduced by 30%, and in Wandsworth by 20%. This has been achieved by sharing work with other courts, additional judicial recruitment, sitting days and digitalisation of online money claims.
While there have been significant recruitment and retention issues at Wandsworth in the past, we have now filled all vacancies following a targeted recruitment campaign.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases were awaiting hearing at Wandsworth County Court as of 1 June 2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There were 145 cases awaiting listing for a hearing and 4479 cases already listed at the week commencing 2 June 2025.