Paula Barker MP: written questions
70 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Social Security Benefits: DisqualificationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121448More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of benefit sanctions on people forced into prostitution due to destitution.
Answer: The core objective of Universal Credit is to support people who are out of work or on a low income to enter work, earn more, or to prepare for work in the future, and claimants are generally expected to undertake certain work-related activities in return ...
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordParental Leave and Parental PayDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on publicising entitlement to Neonatal Care Pay and Leave in hospitals and other health settings to parents who could potentially be eligible.
Answer: Neonatal Care Leave and Pay was introduced in April 2025 and as part of its introduction, my department has made strong efforts to raise awareness of the new entitlement to ensure eligible parents can access it. Charities, including Bliss, have supported ...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPaternity LeaveDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113189More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits to working families of extending the statutory entitlement to paternity leave.
Answer: Through the Employment Rights Act, we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right from 6 April this year. This will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement.However, we recognise that more can be done. That is why we launc...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113188More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the voluntary and community sector on providing employment support to help tackle the disability employment gap.
Answer: Evaluation is a key driver in delivering DWP’s priority outcomes and ensuring alignment with the Government’s Plan for Change. As set out in the DWP Evidence and Evaluation Strategy, ongoing evaluation of employment support programmes assesses whether the...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCivil Society: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113187More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether voluntary and community sector organisations are eligible for funding through the Local Growth Fund.
Answer: With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by t...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Shared Prosperity FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113186More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on bridging funding for voluntary and community organisations following the closure of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answer: With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by t...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Shared Prosperity FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113185More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on the capacity of the voluntary and community sector to support y
Answer: With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by t...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Shared Prosperity FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on the capacity of the voluntary and community sector to support p
Answer: With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by t...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s estimate is of the (a) total level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) total level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at the
Answer: The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.We do not hold a forecast for this average balance i...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Older PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112441More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure local authorities design local homelessness support services that meet the needs of older people when they experience homelessness.
Answer: Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Older PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of people over 65 owed a statutory homelessness prevention and relief duty by local authorities in England since July 2024.
Answer: Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNurses: StudentsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of freezing the Plan 2 repayment threshold on (a) nursing students with Plan 2 loans and (b) nursing students with Plan 2 loans who started their
Answer: Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their ea...
Answered 27 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and
Answer: Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their ea...
Answered 27 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112433More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and
Answer: Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their ea...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112432More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining thresholds for repayment of student loans between 2027-28 and 2029-30 for Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and
Answer: Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.Lower earning graduates remain protected by this change. Graduates only begin repaying once their ea...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112430More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is her Department’s estimate of the (a) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 and (b) average level of student loan debt of Plan 2 students at
Answer: The current mean average level of student loan balance of Plan 2 students who started their course between 2012 and 2023 to the nearest £100, as of 9 February, is £52,100 for England domiciled borrowers.We do not hold a forecast for this average balance i...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMilitary DecorationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112429More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of issuing a National Defence Medal to military personnel to recognise their service to their country.
Answer: This Government continues to hold those who serve, and who have served, in our Armed Forces, in the highest esteem. The question of whether a National Defence Medal should be introduced has previously been considered at length. The Committee on the Grant ...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSleeping Rough: WomenMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110107More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what work his Department is doing to help improve data collection on the number of women rough sleeping and to adopt a gender-informed methodology for measuring rough sleeping.
Answer: The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found o...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSleeping Rough: WomenMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to review the national definition of rough sleeping to help ensure it reflects the different ways women experience homelessness.
Answer: The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found o...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: WomenMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110105More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on levels of female homelessness.
Answer: The government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.In November 2025 the government published the Rough Sleeping Questionnaire deep dive on women’s homelessness. This can be found o...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: Child Sexual Abuse MaterialDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104313More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making UK AISI / Thorn's guidance, Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention, published in December 2025, mandator
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of tackling AI-generated CSAM. Creating, possessing, or distributing CSAM, including AI Generated CSAM, is illegal. The Online Safety Act requires services to proactively identify and remove this content. We are ta...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect data on the number of people who may have left or are at risk of leaving employment due to reductions in Access to Work awards upon renewal. Access to Work is only available to individuals who are star...
Answered 30 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100449More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that any proposals to amend the Access to Work scheme are subject to consultation with disabled people and piloted before implementation.
Answer: This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, their representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation. We are now carefully r...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPregnancy: MonitoringDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96320More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the effectiveness of the monitoring of early foetal development in patients by trusts and (b) trends in the level of variations in that monitoring by
Answer: Monitoring and reviewing Foetal Growth Restriction is a key safety component of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle (Care Bundle) which includes the Foetal Growth standard. NHS Resolution monitors this through the Maternity Incentive Scheme as part of the...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAspirin: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what national guidance is in place for cases of aspirin-allergic women at high risk of placental complications.
Answer: NHS England’s guidance states that there are a few absolute contraindications, that being, conditions that mean a certain treatment should not be used, to aspirin therapy. Pregnant women with a history of aspirin allergy, for example urticaria, or hyperse...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →