Afzal Khan MP: written questions 2026
167 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Asylum: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her written statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, what the target number of resettlements is under a Named Community Sponsorship scheme.
Answer: In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced pers...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her written statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, what assessment her department has made of the adequacy of the timeline for establishing a Named Community Sponsorship scheme.
Answer: In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced pers...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEnergy: StandardsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with energy providers, including Bunch Energy, on improving customer services.
Answer: The Government takes the issue of the quality of customer service offered by suppliers very seriously. The Supplier Licence conditions set down by the industry regulator Ofgem require suppliers to meet certain conditions with respect of customer enquiries...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120950More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of current move-on and eviction notice periods from asylum accommodation on refugee homelessness.
Answer: For individuals granted leave to remain, we are committed to successfully transitioning them from asylum accommodation, which is why we have extended the grace period to 42 days, from 28 days. In limited circumstances, the 42 day period can be extended on...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSleeping Rough: TemperatureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120949More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities have the resources to activate the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol promptly and provide sufficient saf
Answer: Local authorities should plan services which meet the needs of people in their area, which includes planning for periods of extreme cold. The government is providing more than £3.3 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping funding from 2026/27 to 2028/29...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: Conditions of Employment and PayDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120946More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with the Communication Workers Union and Royal Mail on proposals to equalise pay, terms and conditions between existing and newly recruited postal workers.
Answer: The Secretary of State met Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, on 16 February and again on 19 March.The terms and working conditions of Royal Mail employees are the subject of ongoing negotiations between ...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: Labour TurnoverDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120945More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of trends in the level of workforce retention at Royal Mail since 2022.
Answer: I have been clear that Royal Mail’s recent delivery performance has not been good enough. Workforce retention plays an important role in quality of service, as Royal Mail has said itself in the past in response to Ofcom investigations. I met Ofcom on 11 M...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChevening Scholarships ProgrammeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will provide a breakdown of the number people in the UK on Chevening scholarships in each of the last ten years by nationality.
Answer: I thank the Hon Member for his question. I will deposit in the library the full requested breakdown of Chevening scholarships by year and by country, but as a summary of the top-line findings, the table below sets out the top 20 countries for scholarships...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: Chevening Scholarships ProgrammeHome OfficeTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Chevening scholars have claimed asylum in the UK in each of the last ten years by nationality.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum claims by nationality and the number of people claiming asylum where the latest leave held prior to claim was a study visa is p...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: Food PovertyDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the prevalence of child morning hunger in (a) early years, (b) primary and (c) secondary school settings in England on school (i) readine
Answer: The department appreciates the publication of the report and look forward to giving it our full consideration. This government is committed to tackling child poverty and delivering meaningful action to support children and families. The removal of the two...
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEnergy: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support customers with the cost of their energy bills.
Answer: At the Budget we committed to taking money off energy bills and we have. Ofgem has confirmed that the price cap will fall by 7% or £117 annually for the period covering April to June. The price cap for that period is fixed and will not change. In addition...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDevelopment AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions to levels of spending on Official Development Assistance one year-on from when those reductions were
Answer: An Equalities Impact Assessment was published in September 2025 relating to Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations in 2025/26. We will soon publish the multi-year ODA allocations for the period from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and ...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117872More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce a cap on individual political donations to political parties.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97817 on 11 December 2025.
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSchools: Physical Education and SportsDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117399More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact on schools of ongoing uncertainty around future national funding for physical education and school sports.
Answer: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Manchester Rusholme, to the answer of 03 March 2026 to Question 115304.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration he has given to the potential merits of establishing a National Commission on Electoral Reform to examine reforms to the UK’s voting system and improve democra
Answer: The government has no plans to establish a National Commission on Electoral Reform. Through the Representation of the People Bill 2026, the government is taking action to improve democratic participation and public trust in politics, including improving r...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordVisitor LevyTreasuryTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115549More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a visitor levy on the affordability of domestic holidays for UK families; and whether she plans to mitigate additional costs for lower income families.
Answer: The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth including through support for the local visitor economy, if they so choose.At Budget, the Government...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: Conditions of EmploymentTreasuryTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114240More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to investigate salons that may not be paying employer National Insurance contributions, VAT liabilities, or pension obligations through the misclassification of staff as self-employed.
Answer: HMRC’s priority is to ensure that everyone pays the tax they are legally required to pay including those in the hair and beauty sector. HMRC’s approach focuses on preventing non‑compliance from arising in the first place by providing clear guidance and to...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: Self-EmployedDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has met with representatives of the Salon Employers Association or other industry bodies to discuss employment status compliance and fair competition within the hairdressing industry.
Answer: While the Secretary of State has not held specific meetings with representatives of the Salon Employers Association, this Department regularly engages with hair salons on a range of issues such as employment status and compliance, including through Person...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: Self-EmployedDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that salons operating rent-a-chair arrangements comply with employment status law where working practices may indicate worker or employee status.
Answer: While the Secretary of State has not held specific meetings with representatives of the Salon Employers Association, this Department regularly engages with hair salons on a range of issues such as employment status and compliance, including through Person...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: Self-EmployedDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the levels of disguised self-employment in the hairdressing sector, particularly in salons operating rent-a-chair models.
Answer: While the Secretary of State has not held specific meetings with representatives of the Salon Employers Association, this Department regularly engages with hair salons on a range of issues such as employment status and compliance, including through Person...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the cultural and heritage value of public houses and the potential impact of planning deregulation on that sector.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114233More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of public houses that could lose planning protection under proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114232More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on local communities of restricting planning protections for public houses to cases where they are the final pub in an area.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordIndependent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and AutismDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114229More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the findings of the Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism improve service provision and reduce waiting times.
Answer: The Government is concerned that many adults, young people and children with mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving tailored, personalised or timely assessm...
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAutism: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations of the House of Lords' Time to Deliver report of 23 November 2025, HL 205, whether the Department plans to develop and publish a new comprehensive autism strat
Answer: On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We welcomed the committee’s report, and are carefully considering its recommen...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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