Every parliamentary written question tabled by Bell Ribeiro-Addy this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 841–860 of 1,057 · this parliament
What the average prison sentence is for cannabis possession offences.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the average sentence for cannabis possession offences, from 2010 to 2024, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2024.
Whether her Department has plans to extend its consultation entitled A railway fit for Britain's future, published on 18 February 2025.
We are not intending to extend the consultation ‘A railway fit for Britain’s future’. We understand that the eight-week timeline will be unwelcome for some, but we are also keenly aware that passengers and freight customers have waited far too long to see the improvements to the railway that they rightly expect and deserve. We need to move quickly to legislate in this Parliamentary session and start delivering these improvements. We believe the current timeframe strikes that balance effectively.
What steps he is taking to reduce disparities in maternity care outcomes for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic women.
It is unacceptable that there are stark inequalities for women and babies, and it is a priority for the Government to make sure all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity. This includes taking action before women reach maternity care, as well as after they go home, with action focusing on improving both women’s experiences and outcomes.The Government is committed to setting an explicit target to close the maternal mortality gap. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach to determining what targets are set, and that any targets set are women and baby-centred.The National Health Service’s Three-Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services sets national measures to improve maternity and neonatal services by making care more personalised and equitable. A key objective within the plan is to reduce inequalities for all in maternity access, experience, and outcomes, seeking to improve equity for mothers and babies.As part of the plan, all local areas have published Equity and Equality Action Plans, which set out tailored interventions that will tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and those living in the most deprived areas. Trusts are also implementing Version 3 of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with guidance and interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death, and preterm birth. The Department continues to work closely with the NHS as it delivers these initiatives.Maternal Medicine Networks have also been established across England, which provide expert care to women with complex medical conditions before, during, and after pregnancy. To address inequalities in maternal outcomes, networks should put pathways in place to ensure equal access to specialised care for all women, and that referral criteria reflect the increased vulnerability of women from ethnic minorities and those who are socially deprived.The Department is considering what longer term action can be taken to tackle disparities in outcomes and experience for black, Asian, and minority ethnic women. This includes working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions that will deliver the required change, both immediately, and in the future.
What steps her Department plans to take to improve rail accessibility via its consultation entitled A railway fit for Britain's future, published on 18 February 2025.
Accessibility is a priority for this Government and will be for Great British Railways (GBR), and we are committed to delivering a rail system which allows disabled people to travel easily, confidently and with dignity. The consultation states this, with accessibility listed as one of our six objectives. The consultation also includes proposals for a powerful passenger watchdog, with an explicit role on accessibility, that will act as a strong advocate for passengers. The proposed watchdog will have the ability to monitor how services are delivered to disabled passengers, escalate concerns to the regulator for enforcement, and could have a role in setting standards.
What steps he is taking to ensure that ethnic minority women are adequately represented in research on maternity care.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027 sets out how NIHR will become a more inclusive funder of research and widen access to participation in clinical trials for under-represented groups, such as pregnant women and ethnic minorities. In addition to these priorities, the NIHR will specifically consider intersectionality, recognising that multiple social identities overlap to exacerbate the experience of inequities.In March 2024, the NIHR launched a £50 million ‘Challenge’ funding call for research to tackle inequalities in maternity care, bringing together experts from across the country into a new consortium. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during, and after pregnancy, and will identify specific areas where measurable improvements can be made.Furthermore, the NIHR is currently funding two studies focussed on ensuring ethnic minority women are adequately represented in research on maternity care. The first aims to co-produce a toolkit or guidance which can be used to improve the inclusion of women from ethnic minority backgrounds in maternity research. The second aims to develop a guide to support research nurses and midwives to effectively communicate maternal and neonatal healthcare research opportunities to back women.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including research on improving the representation of women from ethnic minority backgrounds in research on maternity care.
What information his Department holds on the (a) number and proportion of maternity services that use tailored interventions to address the specific needs of ethnic minority groups and (b) effectiveness of tailored interventions in reducing racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.
No national data is collected on the number, proportion, and effectiveness of maternity services that use tailored interventions to address the specific needs of ethnic minority groups. It is, however, expected that all local areas fully implement their Equity and Equality Action Plans, which set out tailored interventions for tackling inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and for those living in the most deprived areas.
What steps he is taking to help tackle racial disparities in maternal mortality rates.
It is unacceptable that there are stark inequalities for women and babies, and it is a priority for the Government to make sure all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity. This includes taking action before women reach maternity care, as well as after they go home, with action focusing on improving both women’s experiences and outcomes.The Government is committed to setting an explicit target to close the maternal mortality gap. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach to determining what targets are set, and that any targets set are women and baby-centred.The National Health Service’s Three-Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services sets national measures to improve maternity and neonatal services by making care more personalised and equitable. A key objective within the plan is to reduce inequalities for all in maternity access, experience, and outcomes, seeking to improve equity for mothers and babies.As part of the plan, all local areas have published Equity and Equality Action Plans, which set out tailored interventions that will tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and those living in the most deprived areas. Trusts are also implementing Version 3 of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with guidance and interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death, and preterm birth. The Department continues to work closely with the NHS as it delivers these initiatives.Maternal Medicine Networks have also been established across England, which provide expert care to women with complex medical conditions before, during, and after pregnancy. To address inequalities in maternal outcomes, networks should put pathways in place to ensure equal access to specialised care for all women, and that referral criteria reflect the increased vulnerability of women from ethnic minorities and those who are socially deprived.The Department is considering what longer term action can be taken to tackle disparities in outcomes and experience for black, Asian, and minority ethnic women. This includes working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions that will deliver the required change, both immediately, and in the future.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of racial disparities in maternity care on the mental health and wellbeing of women from ethnic minority communities.
The Government recognises that women from ethnic minority backgrounds may face unique challenges when it comes to maternal mental health, and that perinatal mental health difficulties commonly affect both women and men, and can adversely impact parent-infant relationships.Significant progress has been made to ensure that women experiencing moderate to severe and complex perinatal mental health problems can access specialist perinatal mental health services. For example, mental health services are now available for women who have pre-existing mental health needs prior to their pregnancy, as well as for those who experience mental health difficulties during or as a result of their pregnancy or labour. This is delivered through specialist perinatal mental health services, maternal mental health services, and Mother and Baby Units. Work is also ongoing to modernise the Mental Health Act so that it is fit for the 21st century, redressing the balance of power from the system to the patient, and ensuring that people with the most severe mental health conditions get better, more personalised care.No overall assessment has been made on the potential impact of racial disparities in maternity care on the mental health and wellbeing of women from ethnic minority communities.
What steps he is taking to ensure that maternity services (a) are free from racial discrimination and (b) effectively meet the needs of women from all ethnic backgrounds.
Taking action to tackle racism experienced by both staff and patients is essential to providing safe services for everyone. It is right that the National Health Service takes proactive steps to address prejudice and discrimination where it exists across the NHS workforce.NHS England is ensuring maternity healthcare professionals receive training on unconscious bias and culturally competent care through the Core Competency Framework and the provision of the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Maternity Services e-learning course. Equity-focused leadership development is being embedded through the national Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme.In June 2023, NHS England published an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan, which sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination in the NHS workforce. The plan seeks to increase accountability for all leaders in delivering improvements, and to create an environment that eliminates the conditions in which bullying, discrimination, harassment, and physical violence at work occur.For maternity services specifically, all local areas, including those in urban and rural areas, are required to equip staff to provide culturally competent care through their local Equity and Equality Actions plans, such as by providing appropriate training to staff for their local population. NHS England is also developing a respectful and inclusive maternity care toolkit which aims to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for service users and to support staff to provide culturally sensitive care.
What data his Department collects on the (a) racial and (b) ethnic backgrounds of women experiencing adverse maternity outcomes; and how that data is used to inform policy on maternity care services.
Monitoring and utilising data and evidence is crucial to making evidence-based improvements to our maternity services. Data collected on the ethnic backgrounds of women experiencing adverse maternity outcomes can help identify areas that require targeted interventions and improvements in maternal and neonatal care. Monitoring the incidence and rate of adverse outcomes is a crucial step in implementing evidence-based strategies to preventing and mitigating such incidents.Data on a woman’s ethnic background is collected by services at various points on her maternity journey. National Health Service trusts are incentivised to collect this information, and levels of completeness are high, with 95% of women who gave birth in 2023/24 having had their ethnic group recorded. This information is used to identify differences in care pathways and outcomes experienced by women from different ethnic backgrounds.For example, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) reports the shocking disparity in maternal mortality rates for black and Asian women compared with white women. MBRRACE-UK has also performed a confidential enquiry into the care of black and Asian women who have experienced a stillbirth or neonatal death. These reviews include recommendations for improvements in clinical processes and policy that may reduce ethnic inequalities in adverse maternity outcomes.Monitoring the experiences women have of different aspects of maternity care is also crucial. The Care Quality Commission conducts an annual survey that asks pregnant women and new mothers about their experience of NHS maternity services. The 2024 survey found that women who reported their ethnicity as ‘Indian’, ‘Pakistani’ and ‘any other White background’ reported poorer experiences of maternity care, specifically around not feeling listened to and not receiving help during their antenatal and postnatal care. These insights inform local and national interventions.
What steps he is taking to improve access to culturally appropriate maternity care for women from diverse ethnic backgrounds in (a) urban and (b) rural areas.
Taking action to tackle racism experienced by both staff and patients is essential to providing safe services for everyone. It is right that the National Health Service takes proactive steps to address prejudice and discrimination where it exists across the NHS workforce.NHS England is ensuring maternity healthcare professionals receive training on unconscious bias and culturally competent care through the Core Competency Framework and the provision of the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Maternity Services e-learning course. Equity-focused leadership development is being embedded through the national Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme.In June 2023, NHS England published an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan, which sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination in the NHS workforce. The plan seeks to increase accountability for all leaders in delivering improvements, and to create an environment that eliminates the conditions in which bullying, discrimination, harassment, and physical violence at work occur.For maternity services specifically, all local areas, including those in urban and rural areas, are required to equip staff to provide culturally competent care through their local Equity and Equality Actions plans, such as by providing appropriate training to staff for their local population. NHS England is also developing a respectful and inclusive maternity care toolkit which aims to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for service users and to support staff to provide culturally sensitive care.
What steps he is taking to ensure that maternity healthcare professionals receive training on (a) unconscious bias and (b) culturally competent care.
Taking action to tackle racism experienced by both staff and patients is essential to providing safe services for everyone. It is right that the National Health Service takes proactive steps to address prejudice and discrimination where it exists across the NHS workforce.NHS England is ensuring maternity healthcare professionals receive training on unconscious bias and culturally competent care through the Core Competency Framework and the provision of the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Maternity Services e-learning course. Equity-focused leadership development is being embedded through the national Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme.In June 2023, NHS England published an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan, which sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination in the NHS workforce. The plan seeks to increase accountability for all leaders in delivering improvements, and to create an environment that eliminates the conditions in which bullying, discrimination, harassment, and physical violence at work occur.For maternity services specifically, all local areas, including those in urban and rural areas, are required to equip staff to provide culturally competent care through their local Equity and Equality Actions plans, such as by providing appropriate training to staff for their local population. NHS England is also developing a respectful and inclusive maternity care toolkit which aims to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for service users and to support staff to provide culturally sensitive care.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of recording actual rents on the new Private Rented Sector Database.
The Private Rented Sector Database will support local authority enforcement action, help landlords understand their legal obligations and give tenants the information they need to make informed choices before entering into a tenancy agreement.We intend for the Database to collect information about landlords and whether their rental property complies with key health and safety information.In addition to data about the ownership and standard of PRS properties, we are considering the feasibility and merits of recording a wider range of data, including rent levels.We will stipulate the specific requirements in regulations.
What steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) reduce racial disparities in the (i) experiences, (ii) levels of satisfaction and (iii) care outcomes of women during (A) antenatal, (B) labour and (C) postnatal care.
Monitoring and utilising data and evidence is crucial to making evidence-based improvements to our maternity services. Data collected on the ethnic backgrounds of women experiencing adverse maternity outcomes can help identify areas that require targeted interventions and improvements in maternal and neonatal care. Monitoring the incidence and rate of adverse outcomes is a crucial step in implementing evidence-based strategies to preventing and mitigating such incidents.Data on a woman’s ethnic background is collected by services at various points on her maternity journey. National Health Service trusts are incentivised to collect this information, and levels of completeness are high, with 95% of women who gave birth in 2023/24 having had their ethnic group recorded. This information is used to identify differences in care pathways and outcomes experienced by women from different ethnic backgrounds.For example, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) reports the shocking disparity in maternal mortality rates for black and Asian women compared with white women. MBRRACE-UK has also performed a confidential enquiry into the care of black and Asian women who have experienced a stillbirth or neonatal death. These reviews include recommendations for improvements in clinical processes and policy that may reduce ethnic inequalities in adverse maternity outcomes.Monitoring the experiences women have of different aspects of maternity care is also crucial. The Care Quality Commission conducts an annual survey that asks pregnant women and new mothers about their experience of NHS maternity services. The 2024 survey found that women who reported their ethnicity as ‘Indian’, ‘Pakistani’ and ‘any other White background’ reported poorer experiences of maternity care, specifically around not feeling listened to and not receiving help during their antenatal and postnatal care. These insights inform local and national interventions.
If her Department will publish an equality impact assessment on reforms set out in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.
We will publish the equality analysis for measures included in the Spring Statement alongside the Spring Statement, with equality analysis for other reforms, where possible, following shortly after.
What steps his Department is taking to prevent the sale of human remains (a) on e-commerce sites and (b) at auctions.
It is for businesses and auction rooms to consider the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act 2004. Those who sell or purchase human remains may also be subject to their own professional standards and codes of conduct.
What financial penalties have been imposed on G4S for failing to meet key performance indicators on officer deployment or site availability in the last twelve months.
DWP have applied the full contract performance management regime across the last 12 months, including service credits (pre-determined costs associated with a supplier failing to deliver a service or missing a target). Over the last 12 months, strike activity on the contract has increased the amount of Service Credits applied. DWP have worked with G4S collaboratively to mitigate the impact on front line services while G4S sought a resolution to the dispute with their workforce. The exact value of the service credits is commercially sensitive and I am therefore unable to set out exact amounts.
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the no recourse to public funds policy on people with long-term (a) conditions and (b) disabilities.
The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders, including groups representing people with long-term conditions and disabilities.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of restrictions on right to work on the health and safety of people seeking asylum.
Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we have continuously considered equality implications throughout the policy development process. Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can apply for permission to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List. Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy. It is important that we distinguish between individuals who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Asylum seekers do not need to make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the UK. The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system after it has been put under unprecedented pressure. We will ensure that the system operates fairly and with quicker processing of claims. This will ensure that genuine refugees can access the labour market faster rather than waiting for extended periods on the outcome of their claim.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of waiting 12 months before being allowed to apply for a right to work on asylum seekers.
Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we have continuously considered equality implications throughout the policy development process. Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can apply for permission to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List. Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy. It is important that we distinguish between individuals who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Asylum seekers do not need to make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the UK. The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system after it has been put under unprecedented pressure. We will ensure that the system operates fairly and with quicker processing of claims. This will ensure that genuine refugees can access the labour market faster rather than waiting for extended periods on the outcome of their claim.