Every parliamentary written question tabled by Hannah Spencer this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 41 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to call for a Special Session of the UNSC to discuss breaches of UNSC 2286 on the protection of healthcare in conflict.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 June to Question 4402.
If she will suspend all new generic service licences for animal experiments whilst conducting a review of all currently held generic licenses to determine (a) the type and purpose of animal experiment
The Government will continue to grant service licences in accordance with the rigorous requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).Service licences support regulatory testing required to meet legal and international standards for t...
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the ruling by the European Committee of Social Rights entitled ECSR Conclusions XXIII-1, published on 23 January 2026; and if he will
Prison officers work in difficult environments every day, with some of the most challenging people in society. The Government recognises that the work of prison officers is of critical importance in keeping the public safe.Section 127 of the Criminal Just...
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Child Poverty Strategy in the absence of statutory targets for reducing child poverty.
Our Child Poverty Strategy sets out the steps we are taking to reduce child poverty this Parliament, lifting 550,000 children out of poverty in 2029/30. These interventions are set to lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliame...
Whether she has issued guidance to universities on the Employment Rights Act; and what steps she is taking to prevent university employers engaging in fire and rehire practices before January 2027.
Universities are autonomous institutions and, as such, like any other employer, are expected to comply with UK employment laws. The government has not issued specific guidance to universities on the Employment Rights Act, but clearly they should comply wi...
What recent estimate he has made of the number of older private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit whose rent exceeds the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate; and what assessment he has made of the im
Information on the number of older private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit, and if it covers rent (after application of Local Housing Allowance, reductions and deductions), is available on Stat-Xplore via the Housing Benefit official statistics. The...
With reference to UIN 114047 on Prescription Drugs: Cost Effectiveness answered on 4 March 2026, if he will provide a copy of the a) impact assessment and b) details of modelling for changes to the
There are no plans to provide an impact assessment or details of the modelling in relation to changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness threshold to the Health and Social Care Select Committee. Information inclu...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the extent and (b) impact on pig welfare of pig thumping in the pig industry.
Piglet thumping (a manual percussive blow to the head) it is not a permitted method for stunning or killing piglets due to serious concerns about the welfare consequences. The Department is engaging with the industry to encourage use of alternative humane...
Communities and Local Government, if he will take legislative steps to provide new powers for councils to help bring more long-term empty homes into use.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 104908 on 19 January 2026.
If she will ensure no compulsory redundancies among staff who cannot relocate from her Department's offices which are closing.
The department is committed to supporting colleagues affected by the closure of six office locations and have developed a package of mitigations to support those affected, resulting in the majority of colleagues accepting moves to one of our remaining eig...
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Ninth Report of the Environmental Audit Committee of Session 2024-26 on Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), HC 852, pu
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’, represent one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. On 3 February 2026, the Government fulfilled its commitment from the revised Environmental Improveme...
What metrics will be used to assess whether the next national Autism Strategy improves outcomes for autistic people across a) education b) health and c) employment.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the development of the next national Autism Strategy is co-produced with autistic people and their families.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the development of the next national Autism Strategy is aligned with (a) the Department for Education’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms, (b) the Department for Work and Pensions’ Young People and Work Review, and (c) the Department of Health and Social Care’s independent review into the prevalence and diagnosis of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
What the timeline is for publishing a new national Autism Strategy.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
How responsibility for delivering the next national Autism Strategy will be coordinated across the Department for a) Education, b) Health and Social Care) Work and Pensions d) other Government Departments.
The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.We are committed to publishing a new cross-Government autism strategy. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published. We are carefully considering our approach to developing a new autism strategy, including our plans to work with other Government departments and engage with stakeholders, including autistic people and their families, and will set out a position in due course.We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from other government and independent reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement takes time, so a balance will need to be struck on the extent of the further engagement required.
Pursuant to WPQ UIN 121674, tabled on 17 March 2026 on Asylum: Artificial Intelligence if people will be informed if their asylum case is being assessed with the input of AI under the ACS and APS schemes.
Both ACS and APS underwent user acceptance testing and evaluation was conducted following pilots of both tools. All caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised (to note ACS is not yet fully operational). A specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool.All questions asked of the tool, have and will be logged, and are auditable. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS. ACS has not yet been operationalised, but our Analysis and Insight team plan to conduct further follow up evaluations in due course.Existing quality control processes are followed alongside data capture, development and two-way feedback mechanisms.No process and/or tooling details are currently released to asylum claimants - this has not changed with the incorporation of AI elements into case working.
Pursuant to WPQ UIN 121674, tabled on 17 March 2026 on Asylum: Artificial Intelligence what a)steps were taken at the design stage to assess b)mechanisms are in place to monitor the i) accuracy ii) political neutrality of the information used by ACS and APS tools.
Both ACS and APS underwent user acceptance testing and evaluation was conducted following pilots of both tools. All caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised (to note ACS is not yet fully operational). A specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool.All questions asked of the tool, have and will be logged, and are auditable. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS. ACS has not yet been operationalised, but our Analysis and Insight team plan to conduct further follow up evaluations in due course.Existing quality control processes are followed alongside data capture, development and two-way feedback mechanisms.No process and/or tooling details are currently released to asylum claimants - this has not changed with the incorporation of AI elements into case working.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU SPS Agreement on the UK's ability to unilaterally ban the import and sale of fur products.
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement are underway. While those discussions are ongoing, we cannot provide a running commentary, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.
If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the recommendation on the competitiveness of teachers’ pay in The National Foundation for Educational Research report entitled The School Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2026 published on 19 March 2026.
The department notes the recent National Foundation for Educational Research report, which highlights some improvement in the competitiveness of teachers’ pay.The department values all teachers, which is why we have delivered two above inflation awards that, combined, will mean all schoolteachers will have seen an increase in their pay of almost 10% over the last two years.In making their recommendations on teacher pay in maintained schools each year, the School Teachers’ Review Body carries out rigorous assessments as part of its reports and considers a range of evidence, including key indicators for pay competitiveness.We are already seeing positive signs that our investment is delivering. The workforce has grown by 2,346 full-time equivalent between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, and our teacher pipeline is growing, with just under 32,600 new entrants to initial teacher training in autumn 2025, up 13% on the previous year.