Written questions by Bennett.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking in response to ongoing restrictions put on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Awaiting answer.

What steps she is taking to ensure equal access to education for children with additional learning needs.

Awaiting answer.

What steps she is taking to ensure that children from ethnic minority and working class backgrounds have equal access to education and future work opportunities.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure the provision of British Sign Language interpreters within emergency services.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department plans to take to support hospices prior to the implementation of the reforms outlined within the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.

We have supported the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing approximately £80 million of revenue funding for ...

How much his Department has spent on palliative care in each financial year since 2020–21; and how much funding has been budgeted for palliative care in (a) 2026-2027, (b) 2027-2028 and (c) 2028-20

Palliative care and end-of-life care services are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) and spend is not measured or held centrally in a way that allows a comprehensive breakdown by each financial year. Additionally, palliative care and en...

What steps he is taking to (a) introduce increased support and incentives for businesses that recruit and train apprentices, (b) help employers to meet the costs of apprenticeship provision and (c) expa

The government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one mil...

What information his Department holds on the number of people who died while waiting to receive end-of-life care in each financial year since 2020–21.

The Department does not hold data on the number of people who died while waiting to receive palliative or end‑of‑life care in England.Palliative care and end‑of‑life care are broad, holistic approaches delivered across a range of settings, including hospi...

Whether he plans to provide additional revenue funding to hospices in (a) 2026-27, (b) 2027-2028, and (c) 2028-2029 financial years.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end-of-life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in hospice services on NHS palliative and end-of-life care services.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end‑of‑life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in supporting people at the end of life a...

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the timetable for local government reorganisation in Sussex.

The Government remains committed to the indicative timeline published in July 2025, on GOV.UK under “Summary of the local government reorganisation process”. Sussex is now in line with the remaining 14 areas undergoing local government reorganisation, wit...

Communities and Local Government, what consideration is being given by his Department to improving guidance and standards for public toilet provision to better accommodate stoma users.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 70255 on 4 September 2025 and UIN 117465 on 11 March 2026. The Building Safety Regulator has a duty, under s.5 Building Safety Act 2022, to keep the standard of buildings under review. Governme...

What mental health support is available to judges, barristers and other court officials working in Crown Courts (a) during and after particularly distressing cases and (b) on an ongoing basis.

Judges have access to a range of confidential services delivered by our Judicial Assistance Provider, which are tailored to support them in their judicial roles including specific support for those judges hearing distressing cases in the Crown Court. This...

How many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.

This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities. Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to t...

How many times each maternity unit has been temporarily closed due to insufficient staffing levels to operate safely in each of the last three years; and what the longest duration of such a tempora

We do not hold this data centrally. National Health Service commissioning bodies such as integrated care boards are responsible for the delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for local services. This makes sure that decisions are made locally and...

How many mothers were transferred from maternity units to alternative units due to (a) lack of capacity and (b) staffing shortages in each of the last three years nationally.

We do not hold this data centrally. National Health Service commissioning bodies such as integrated care boards are responsible for the delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for local services. This makes sure that decisions are made locally and...

With reference the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings

Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to those linked to the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance, we inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselv...

What steps his Department is taking to improve the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy, including legal protections for the titles 'counsellor' and 'psychotherapist'.

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) operates a voluntary registers programme, which provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions, that sits between employer controls and statutory regulation by ...

With reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123423 on Hospices: Children, how much has NHS England advised integrated care boards to give to each children's hospice in 2026-27 financi

NHS England has informed all integrated care boards (ICBs) of their total allocation for children and young people’s hospices for 2026/27, amounting to approximately £27 million. Decisions on the distribution of this funding to individual hospices rest wi...

What mental health support is available to judges, barristers and other court officials working in Crown Courts both during or after particularly distressing cases and on an ongoing basis.

Awaiting answer.