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 to embed trauma-informed practice across the NHS, including in GP surgeries and refugee health clinics.

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

Recognising that asylum seekers may require additional mental health support, including for trauma-related mental health issues, the Department works together with NHS England and the Home Office to provide additional guidance and support where required.

Examples of national and local interventions aimed at maintaining and improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of individuals seeking asylum are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-mental-health-workstreams-tools-and-case-studies/workstreams-tools-and-case-studies-by-the-home-office-asylum-mental-health-and-wellbeing-team-accessible

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish an annual assessment of all government IT contracts, detailing what proportion is delivered offshore compared to the UK.

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

Departments are responsible for managing their own commercial arrangements in line with procurement regulations and value-for-money principles.

Information on government contracts, including suppliers and contract details, is publicly available through the Find a Tender Service for above-threshold procurements and Contracts Finder for below-threshold procurements in England and other non-devolved territories. For procurements that began before 24 February 2025, only above-threshold notices are published on Find a Tender.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department plans to provide to help improve IT skills in the next 12 months.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will spend up to £42m across the 2026/27 financial year and £187 million over the next four years delivering the TechFirst programme. As announced by the Prime Minister in June 2025, TechFirst is designed to strengthen the UK’s domestic tech talent pipeline by improving the IT and digital skills of children in secondary schools, as well as undergraduate, masters, and PhD students. The TechFirst programme also includes a grant fund to help skilled individuals into work.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend funding for BTEC Extended Diplomas until the full rollout of V Levels to prevent a gap in post-16 qualification options.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is currently consulting with the sector on the introduction of V Levels, including transitional arrangements to achieve the qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper. We will confirm the expected implementation timetable in due course.

The first V Level subjects are planned for teaching in 2027, with further batches of qualifications planned between then and by the 2030/31 academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a timetable for the introduction of V Levels and the overlap period with existing qualifications, including BTECs, to allow schools and colleges to plan effectively.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is currently consulting with the sector on the introduction of V Levels, including transitional arrangements to achieve the qualifications landscape set out in the Post-16 Skills White Paper. We will confirm the expected implementation timetable in due course.

The first V Level subjects are planned for teaching in 2027, with further batches of qualifications planned between then and by the 2030/31 academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that families who cannot afford private dyslexia assessments have access to timely diagnosis and support.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with dyslexia.

The department is supporting settings to identify needs early by strengthening the evidence base of what works. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices, as they highlight the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.

We also recently announced new government-backed research into special educational needs identification, which will be delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department. This will aim to develop and test trusted and effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing targeted educational support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to obtain national passports on the access by refugees to regulated professions; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that refugees with the right to work can access roles for which they are qualified.

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

Refugees do not automatically hold British nationality. Instead, they are typically granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, which allows them to live and work in the UK but does not confer British citizenship.

Refugees are not required to hold a British passport in order to work in the UK. Identity checks, including those for regulated professions, can be satisfied using alternative documentation such as a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).

Where international travel is required for work purposes, refugees may apply for a Refugee Travel Document rather than a national passport.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications submitted under the Super-Priority Visa Service have exceeded the 24-hour decision standard in the last 12 months; and what the longest waiting time has been.

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

While the Home Office does not produce stand along statistics to fully answer this question, some of the information requested can be found here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of reports that allegations of blasphemy are being used to incite mob violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns the murder of Dipu Chandra Das, and we extend our condolences to his family and friends. We welcome the public commitments made by the Government of Bangladesh to the safety of minorities and the arrests already made in this case. More widely, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November in response to Question 86282, and I can confirm that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of religious violence during her trip to Bangladesh in November.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking to encourage the Bangladeshi authorities to investigate and prosecute people responsible for mob violence against religious minorities.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns the murder of Dipu Chandra Das, and we extend our condolences to his family and friends. We welcome the public commitments made by the Government of Bangladesh to the safety of minorities and the arrests already made in this case. More widely, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November in response to Question 86282, and I can confirm that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of religious violence during her trip to Bangladesh in November.

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 the adequacy of levels of freedom of religion or belief for Hindu communities in Bangladesh.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns the murder of Dipu Chandra Das, and we extend our condolences to his family and friends. We welcome the public commitments made by the Government of Bangladesh to the safety of minorities and the arrests already made in this case. More widely, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November in response to Question 86282, and I can confirm that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of religious violence during her trip to Bangladesh in November.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Government of Bangladesh regarding reports of the killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh on 18 December 2025.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns the murder of Dipu Chandra Das, and we extend our condolences to his family and friends. We welcome the public commitments made by the Government of Bangladesh to the safety of minorities and the arrests already made in this case. More widely, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November in response to Question 86282, and I can confirm that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of religious violence during her trip to Bangladesh in November.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of support for pubs and breweries in light of the 40% business rates relief reducing in the same period as the VOA rate revaluation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to UIN 101363.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evidence is required for a former textile worker to demonstrate eligibility for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit where (a) exposure occurred several decades ago and (b) the employer has since ceased trading.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) may be payable to individuals who become disabled because of an accident at work or develop an illness because of their job. Accidents and diseases arising from self-employment are excluded.

There are several prescribed diseases that may apply to former textile workers depending on individual circumstances.

Eligibility is assessed in line with relevant legislation and requires:

• evidence of employment as an employed earner
• details of exposure to a relevant occupational hazard, and
• evidence of a loss of faculty persisting past the 90^th day

The Department may arrange a medical assessment, where necessary, to establish the extent of disablement.

Where exposure occurred many years ago, evidence may include historical employment records, National Insurance records, HMRC employment data, personal statements describing the nature of the work, and corroborative evidence from former colleagues or industry sources.

The fact that an employer has ceased trading does not affect eligibility for IIDB, as the benefit is paid by the Department rather than an employer.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to address potential unintended consequences of the new Winter Fuel Allowance criteria that result in single pensioners with lower incomes being excluded from support given to higher-income couples.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Winter Fuel Payments remain a simple scheme to provide a payment to the majority of pensioners quickly and automatically, as a contribution to heating costs in winter.

The personal tax system operates on an individual basis and, as such, any individual with an income of more than £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered. This means that the vast majority of pensioners will now benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Winter Fuel Allowance reforms include any safeguards for pensioners who have recently been widowed and whose household income has significantly reduced.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Winter Fuel Payments remain a simple scheme which provides a payment to the majority of pensioners quickly and automatically, as a contribution towards heating costs in winter - and around 9 million pensioners will benefit this winter.

Pensioners who experience a significant reduction in their household income may become eligible for much more significant financial support such as Pension Credit or Housing Benefit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any lung or respiratory conditions linked to exposure to jute or textile fibres are currently prescribed diseases for the purposes of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department keeps the list of prescribed diseases under review for the purposes of entitlement to Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. There are several prescribed diseases that may apply to lung or respiratory conditions depending on individual circumstances and the nature of occupational exposure, including work involving certain textile fibres.

Eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis in line with the relevant regulations.

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