Every parliamentary written question tabled by Simon Opher this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 101–120 of 299 · this parliament
For what reason there are currently no service standards in place for Family route visa applications.
Family visa applications have a service standard of 12 weeks. Further information on our Family visa service standards can be found here: Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK.
Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase political engagement amongst young people.
The government, in its manifesto, committed to increasing the engagement of young people in our democracy, by giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections. The government believes that enabling 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in all UK elections will foster early and sustained participation in civic life and enhance engagement in our democratic processes. We want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote – registering to vote is a vital first step towards doing that.
Whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban sponsorship of sports events by unhealthy food brands.
The Government is taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and raise the healthiest generation of children ever.We are progressing with the implementation of the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink products on television and online, which evidence shows are the media that children engage with the most. The restrictions include a 9:00pm watershed on television and a 24-hour restriction on paid-for advertising online, and are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets per year.We have no current plans to ban the sponsorship of sports events by food brands associated with less healthy food or drink products or ban the advertising of less healthy food or drink products at sports events. We continue to review the evidence of the impacts on children of less healthy food or drink product advertising, and will consider where further action is needed.
Whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban advertising of unhealthy foods at sports events.
The Government is taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and raise the healthiest generation of children ever.We are progressing with the implementation of the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink products on television and online, which evidence shows are the media that children engage with the most. The restrictions include a 9:00pm watershed on television and a 24-hour restriction on paid-for advertising online, and are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets per year.We have no current plans to ban the sponsorship of sports events by food brands associated with less healthy food or drink products or ban the advertising of less healthy food or drink products at sports events. We continue to review the evidence of the impacts on children of less healthy food or drink product advertising, and will consider where further action is needed.
What steps he is taking to reduce the occurrences of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transformation Programme.One of the key focuses of the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit is reducing epilepsy-related deaths, including Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). The toolkit includes several recommendations regarding identifying those who are most at risk of an epilepsy-related death and preventing SUDEP.In addition, the Royal College of General Practitioners aims to raise awareness of SUDEP amongst general practitioners and other primary care professionals, through its e-learning modules on SUDEP and seizure safety, which were developed in collaboration with SUDEP Action and last updated in December 2024.Health Education England, now part of NHS England, has also developed an Epilepsy Programme in collaboration with SUDEP Action, which is designed to enable healthcare professionals, particularly those who are not specialists in epilepsy, to better understand SUDEP and how the risk of SUDEP can be reduced.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on epilepsy recommends that clinicians should discuss the risk of SUDEP with patients newly diagnosed with epilepsy and ensure their understanding of the risk.
What steps he is taking to increase awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transformation Programme.One of the key focuses of the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit is reducing epilepsy-related deaths, including Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). The toolkit includes several recommendations regarding identifying those who are most at risk of an epilepsy-related death and preventing SUDEP.In addition, the Royal College of General Practitioners aims to raise awareness of SUDEP amongst general practitioners and other primary care professionals, through its e-learning modules on SUDEP and seizure safety, which were developed in collaboration with SUDEP Action and last updated in December 2024.Health Education England, now part of NHS England, has also developed an Epilepsy Programme in collaboration with SUDEP Action, which is designed to enable healthcare professionals, particularly those who are not specialists in epilepsy, to better understand SUDEP and how the risk of SUDEP can be reduced.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on epilepsy recommends that clinicians should discuss the risk of SUDEP with patients newly diagnosed with epilepsy and ensure their understanding of the risk.
What steps she is taking to improve transport links between Bristol and Stroud.
Funding has been allocated to local authorities to improve bus services in the regions, which includes £8 million of funding for Gloucestershire County Council. Rail journeys between Bristol and Stroud require passengers to change at Gloucester or Swindon. Whilst there are currently no plans to change service patterns in the area Great Western Railway (GWR) increased services between Gloucester and Bristol from 2023 which provides more journey opportunities for passengers seeking to travel between Stroud and Bristol.
Whether she has considered including water-only policies in updated school food standards.
The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the school food standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history. Schedule 1 of the school food standards outlines the permitted drinks. These include a variety of drinks such as plain water, milk and plain soya, rice or oat drinks. Beyond the school food standards, headteachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, including drinks policies. As with all aspects of the school food standards review, we will consider our approaches to drinks.
What steps her Department is taking to help ensure the provision of (a) clear and (b) consistent statutory guidance on educational guardianship.
All independent and state boarding schools must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance and must meet the national minimum standards for boarding schools. Section 22 of those standards sets out the requirements of schools in relation to educational guardians appointed by a school.Parents of international child students who make private educational guardianship arrangements for their children should ensure that they apply due diligence to any arrangements.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a compensation scheme for veterans who have experienced ill health as a result of exposure to radiation while on active service.
Veterans, including those who may have been exposed to radiation while on active service, who believe they have suffered ill health due to Service already have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. There are, therefore, no plans to introduce a discreet compensation scheme for such individuals.
What steps he is taking to help support (a) veterans and (b) their families who have experienced ill health as a result of exposure to radiation while on active service.
This Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK's security. Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme. I continue to meet regularly with nuclear test veterans and their families, as well as Parliamentarians and organisations that represent them, to discuss a range of topics relating to their experiences and issues.
Pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 8506 on Asylum: Employment, whether she plans to reduce the waiting time from 12 to six months for asylum seekers to apply for permission to work.
The Home Office’s priority remains to ensure that employers and employees who play by the rules are not undercut by people working illegally, or by unscrupulous employers exploiting their labour.We have repeatedly resisted calls to relax our policy position on asylum seeker permission to work. Allowing asylum seekers the right to work sooner than under the current rules could enable migrants to bypass established work visa routes, and may act as an incentive for people to travel here illegally via dangerous routes. Asylum seekers do not need to make dangerous journeys to seek employment in the UK. There are various legal routes for those seeking to work in the UK under the Points Based System.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce environmental pollution caused by the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural land.
The Government recognises that wastewater treatment practices have changed in recent years and new risks may be emerging from the spread of treated sewage sludge to agricultural land. The Government has been working with water companies on the Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP) to improve the evidence base contaminants in wastewater treatment. Phase 4 of CIP will investigate the impact of sludge application on soil, surface and groundwater. The results will help inform future policy. The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the water environment. However, further work is required before any proposal for change may be progressed. The Government has also launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, which is the largest review of the industry since privatisation. The Independent Commission’s Call for Evidence, published in February 2025, highlighted the Environment Agency’s recommendation to strengthen the regulatory framework for sludge application on land by incorporating the Sludge Use in Agriculture Regulations 1989 into the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. A set of recommendations will be delivered by Q2 of this year. The UK government and Welsh Government will then respond and consult on proposals we intend to take forward.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that company directors align the interests of (a) workers, (b) the environment and (c) wider society with shareholder returns.
Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have been required to report annually on how they have met this duty.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to ensure company directors’ align the interests of (a) people and (b) planet with profit.
Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have been required to report annually on how they have met this duty.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of self-care on demand on NHS services; and whether this will be reflected in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Support for self-care is an essential service that all pharmacies must provide, and can include provision of advice, information, and where appropriate, the sale of over-the counter-medicines to patients, carers, and the general public, to support their self-care for minor ailments. This gives patients easy access to advice from highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals in the community and relieves pressure on other areas of the National Health Service.Under Pharmacy First, NHS 111, general practitioners, and accident and emergency departments can refer patients to see a pharmacist for advice on a minor illness, which may include the sale of over-the-counter medicines. They can also refer patients to one of the Pharmacy First seven clinical pathways, as part of which pharmacies can supply prescription-only medicines to patients. Patients can also walk into a pharmacy for treatment as part of the seven clinical pathways.The 10-Year Health Plan will describe a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement that has been undertaken with the public, patients, and staff. The plan will include how care models and pathways will need to change or evolve to better meet their needs, and the cultural and behavioural changes we want to see.
What his planned timetable is for consulting on the long term future of the Post Office.
We will publish a Green Paper later this year which will set out proposals for discussion on the future direction of the Post Office.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Nigeria on support for Christians that country.
The UK Government regularly advocates for the protections of all vulnerable communities, including religious minorities, through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as raising Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) bilaterally with the Government of Nigeria and other influential parties. In his meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on 22 January, the Minister for Africa raised the importance of FoRB and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions. The UK Government is committed to upholding the right to FoRB and our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, remains an important part of our partnership with Nigeria.
If she will take steps to incorporate soil health education into the National Curriculum.
The national curriculum provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Soil health can be taught within both the geography and science curricula.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published an interim report on 18 March, and the final report with recommendations will be published in the autumn.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to implement a national soil health monitoring programme.
Yes, national soil monitoring began in October 2023 under the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme. This 5-year survey will deliver a baseline of soil health in England, with Analysis Ready Data from earlier years of the sample being released from December 2025. This data will enable us to understand how well our soils are functioning and inform efforts to improve soil health.