Written questions by Babarinde.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are transparent with other Councils receiving out-of-area placements.

The legislation and guidance set out that in the first instance, local authorities should try to place individuals within their own area, and when this is not possible, they should place the household as near as possible to the original local authority. On 11 November 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authority Chief Executives in England about out-of-area accommodation placements, including temporary accommodation and housing offers to end a homelessness duty. This letter referred to section 208 of the Housing Act 1996, and reminded local authorities that they are required by law to notify the receiving local authority of any out-of-area placement and that this should be happening in every case.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of rehabilitation practices used at HMP Latchmere House on reducing reoffending.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 31 March 2025 to Question 42652.

How many courts and tribunals have been closed since 2015.

Since 2015, 90 courts and 4 tribunals have been permanently closed. All of these closures took place under the previous Government.The figures do not include integrations, where workload remained in the local area by transferring to another building in close proximity, or courts that are temporarily closed.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that next of kin can swiftly access medical records of deceased relatives from (a) Yorkshire Ambulance Services NHS Trust and (b) other NHS trusts.

The Access to Health Records Act 1990 sets out the rights that individuals may have to access the health records of someone who is deceased, and applies to records made on or after 1 November 1991. While the UK General Data Protection Regulation does not apply, the common law duty of confidentiality still applies to the health and care records of the deceased. A relative can contact the health organisation and request access, and that organisation will carefully consider the request before reaching a decision.National Health Service organisations will not always grant access, and will need to take into account, for example, any wishes expressed by the individual before their death. Relatives should still receive a response within 40 days of making the request, and there is a set time limit.There is clear guidance for NHS staff, information governance specialists, and the public available to ensure a common understanding of how to request information and how the NHS should respond, which available at the following link:https://transform.england.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/access-to-the-health-and-care-records-of-deceased-people/#ig_professional

With reference to the Independent Sentencing Review, published on 22 May 2025, whether the introduction of an identifier at sentencing for domestic abuse perpetrators will enable the Government to exclude offenders who have committed domestic abuse from being included in an early release scheme.

On 22 May, the Lord Chancellor set out the Government’s in-principle response to the Independent Sentencing Review’s findings and recommendations, which will help to ensure that prisons never run out of space again and dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets. This includes a recommendation to introduce a statutory requirement for courts to record judicial findings of domestic abuse at sentencing to better identify them.The Government remains committed to ensuring that this better identification leads to more effective risk management and stronger victim protection, as part of our landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.

What steps her Department is taking to help support employers to create inclusive workplace environments that support people with hidden disabilities to (a) secure and (b) stay in work.

Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments. In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations to employers and government in the summer. The Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent review, considering how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver his final report in the autumn.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce delays in processing Personal Independence Payment assessments.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant. The latest statistics show that the average end-to-end journey has reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 16 weeks at the end of January 2025. This is because we’re: using a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments to support customers and deliver a more efficient and user-centred service;using customer information and supporting evidence, where possible, to make decisions without the need for a formal health assessment;continuing to recruit Assessment Provider health professional resource to meet demand; andprioritising new claims, whilst safeguarding claimants awaiting award reviews, who have returned their information as required, to ensure their payments continue until their review can be completed. In addition, the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services to create a more efficient service, to reduce processing times and improving trust in our services and decisions. As part of this, from July 2023, a limited number of claimants have been able to begin their claim for PIP entirely online.

What steps her Department is taking to help prevent (a) hate crime and (b) harassment towards people with hidden disabilities.

We are clear that all hate crimes, including those targeting disability, are completely unacceptable. There must be zero tolerance for every form of hate crime in Britain and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these appalling offences. The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal called True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report what has happened to them. We also continue to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Equality Act 2010 provides strong protection from harassment for people who meet the Act's definition of disability, which can include hidden conditions. Protection from harassment related to a person's disability applies in a variety of settings such as employment and when accessing goods and services. A person who thinks they have been harassed may take their case to a court or an employment tribunal.

What steps his Department has taken to engage with mental health service users on the development of mental health policy.

A significant number of mental health service users have taken part in our 10-Year Health Plan engagement. 28% of participants on the Change NHS website reported waiting to access mental health services as a challenge they have experienced, while one in six said they had accessed mental health services in the last 12 months. Over 100 people with a mental health condition attended our public and staff deliberative events and 170 mental health organisations contributed to the Change NHS website, in addition to the organisations who attended our national partners council meetings and other meetings. The 10-Year Health Plan will be published shortly, and this will set out how the overall health system will run.The Mental Health Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will modernise the Mental Health Act so that it is fit for the 21st century, ensuring that people with the most severe mental health conditions get better, more personalised care. The bill reflects the recommendations of Professor Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review into the Mental Health Act of 2018. The review’s advisory panel comprised of individuals with lived experience, advocacy organisations, professionals and representative bodies, and representatives from the statutory system. The Government ran an extensive public consultation on the proposals in the Mental Health Act White Paper, which received over 1,700 total responses and more than 1,119 individual responses. Since July 2024, we have further engaged with a range of key stakeholders and we will continue to engage, and consult widely, on the development of the Mental Health Act Code of Practice, the statutory guidance which will inform practice under the bill.In addition, ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of stakeholders who represent the interests of mental health service users, about future plans for mental health services.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools in response to recent changes to the Ofsted Inspection Framework.

The consultation on Ofsted’s new framework closed on 28 April, and the responses are currently being analysed. Ofsted’s new school report cards, which will be introduced from November, will provide more detailed and granular information about each school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They will provide a more complete picture of performance, which is needed to help support school improvement.The department is also strengthening our tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams to break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. Supported by over £20 million in the 2025/26 financial year, RISE teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve, and a universal service which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reduction in international aid on (a) global poverty and (b) international relationships.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including the likely impact on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.The government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners. Our mission remains to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.

When he plans to publish evidence on the impact of puberty blockers.

The Government is committed to supporting further research that delivers a robust, evidence-based understanding of the needs, and support and treatment options, for those with gender dysphoria, especially relating to children and young people. A joint partnership between NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is working to fund and deliver independent research that fulfils that aim.The research programme already includes two initial studies: a commission for a living evidence review to maintain an up to date understanding of the findings from the latest United Kingdom and international research; and a priority setting partnership being led by the James Lind Alliance, which will enable a broad range of stakeholders to shape future research priorities. It includes a study looking at the experiences of the 9,000 adults who, as children, were cared for under a previous model of National Health Service care, and it also includes the PATHWAYS study. This is planned to have several elements, including a longitudinal observational study of children and young people attending NHS Gender Services, and a clinical trial into the potential benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones as a potential treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence/dysphoria.The NIHR follows the World Health Organisation's recommendations for maximising clinical trial transparency, and therefore we would also expect the study’s findings to be published in a peer reviewed academic journal within 12 months of its completion.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Scottish offence of domestic assault in tackling violence against women and girls.

There can be no place in our society for violence against women and girls - and this Government was elected on a commitment to halve such violence over the next decade. Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission. That is why last year the Secretary of State and I signed the “White Ribbon Pledge” to help end these atrocious crimes.

In what proportion of cases a pre-sentence report was requested in each year since 2013.

The Probation Service is responsible for producing Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) where they have been requested by the Court. The PSR assesses the offender’s behaviour, the risk they pose, and recommends sentencing options tailored to the individual. The report can suggest community sentences and specific requirements like treatment programmes. Ultimately, the PSR provides recommendations to the Court, but the final decision rests with the judge.The Lord Chancellor has been clear that she wishes to see the widest possible use of pre-sentencing reports and in recent months she has taken steps to ensure that the probation service has more time for vital work such as this.We cannot provide the proportion of cases where a pre-sentence report was requested in each year since 2013 as obtaining this information would incur disproportionate costs. However, we can provide the number of pre-sentence reports prepared by the Probation Service and presented to the criminal courts in England and Wales.YearNumber of pre-sentence reports2013163,7992014141,9322015159,2782016148,2962017129,6422018113,2282019103,004202068,077202188,657202283,240202391,368Note, these figures are published every April in Table 6.24 of the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin. The latest figures are available within Probation: 2023 at Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2023 - GOV.UK. Figures for 2024 will be published on 24 April 2025.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to introduce measures to protect men and boys online.

The Online Safety Act requires all platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content, including illegal incitement to violence and sexual offences, including where these are targeted at men and boys.Services must employ age-appropriate measures to protect all children from legal abusive and hateful content, including misandry.Category 1 services will have extra duties where abuse is not illegal, requiring them to offer user empowerment tools, enabling all adult users greater control over their online experience. Category 1 services will also need to remove legal misandry content, when prohibited in their terms of service.

Whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of rehabilitation practices in HMP Latchmere House.

HMP Latchmere House is no longer operational.

Whether the Government plans to support the Domestic Abuse (Aggravated Offences) Bill.

This Government was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. Tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission. As discussed during the recent Adjournment Debate on Domestic Abuse Offences, the Government is actively considering various approaches to address the challenges posed by domestic abuse. However, there is a risk that proposals set out in the Domestic Abuse (Aggravated Offences) Bill could unwittingly create a system in which some offences are deemed serious enough to constitute offences that could be aggravated by domestic abuse, whereas other offences in which domestic abuse could play a part are not. For example, we should not return to the outdated view that domestic abuse only involves physical violence. We recognise the importance of ensuring that the harm caused by offences typically committed against women and girls is appropriately and proportionally reflected in the sentencing framework. The Sentencing Review, chaired by former Lord Chancellor David Gauke, is currently examining the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls. We are committed to engaging with the review to ensure the best outcomes for survivors of domestic abuse. We agree with the Honourable Member for Eastbourne that it is crucial that we are able to better protect victims of domestic abuse, and I have committed to discuss this with him in more detail.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of placing a ban on the import of lamb produced on farms that carry out mulesing without pain relief.

The Government is firmly committed to upholding our animal welfare standards and to promoting robust standards internationally. The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission considered, in the context of its report on the UK-Australia FTA, the issue of imports to the UK of lamb that has been subject to mulesing without pain relief. The Commission concluded that lambs reared for meat are not mulesed and the likelihood of mutton from mulesed sheep being imported into the UK is negligible.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to produce an animal protection strategy detailing steps to (a) increase animal welfare standards and (b) end the use of cages for farm animals.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail in due course. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

What the total value is of penalty charges imposed on Serco for underperformance in relation to its electronic tagging contract since November 2023.

Serco’s performance is not good enough, and last year’s backlog of outstanding visits has been substantially reduced. We will continue to hold Serco to account and will not hesitate to impose further contract penalties, where necessary, to drive performance improvement.The Ministry of Justice believes that the information is commercially sensitive and releasing this information would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.