theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the preparedness of NHS hospitals for extreme weather conditions. \p Karin Smyth: The Government continues to support the resilience of the healthcare estate through substantial capital investment. National Health Service trusts are responsible for maintaining their estate, including adapting premises to reduce risks associated with climate change and severe weather, as set out in the NHS Standard Contract. The Department is supporting the improvement of NHS sites by investing £30 billion over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair, with £5 billion allocated specifically to address the most critical building issues. We are also continuing delivery through the New Hospital Programme, where schemes will achieve a minimum Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method rating of ‘Excellent’ for new builds, and ‘Very Good’ for refurbishments, including a key focus on climate adaptation. In addition, all NHS investments in new buildings and upgrades to existing facilities that are subject to the HM Treasury business case approval process must align with the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, which includes a focus on overheating risks.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67568 on Obesity: Drugs, whether his Department has issued any guidance to the public on the risks of obtaining weight loss medications through online-only providers. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continually monitors the safety of all medicines, including weight loss drugs such as GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs).

Patient safety is our top priority, and no medicine would be approved unless it met the MHRA’s expected standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. The MHRA has safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place, and when a safety issue is confirmed, the MHRA will act promptly to inform patients and healthcare professionals and take appropriate steps to mitigate any identified risk.

In December 2024, January 2025, and June 2025, the MHRA published communications on the safe use of GLP-1Ras, namely:

The first communication advised healthcare professionals on the safe use of GLP-1 RAs, including being alert to the potential for misuse and that the benefit risk is only positive when used within the approved indications as detailed in the product information. The MHRA also advised that those purchasing privately online should do so from an authorised source such as a registered pharmacy.

The second communication was aimed towards the public with similar messaging, warning the public of the dangers of accessing medicines from unregulated sources, such as online-only, unverified providers, and emphasised that GLP-1 RAs should only be used with a valid prescription and under clinical supervision. The guidance also urged healthcare professionals to advise patients on recognised side effects and to report misuse via the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme, with further information available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

Most recently, the MHRA issued some general guidance to the public on how to safely and effectively use GLP-1 RAs. The MHRA strongly emphasised the importance of obtaining these medicines from a legitimate pharmacy, including those trading online, with a prescription issued by a healthcare professional. The guidance directed the public in Great Britain to check on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) website that it is properly registered, and for Northern Ireland to refer to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) website. Further information on the GPhC and the PSNI is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/registers

https://registers.psni.org.uk/

The MHRA continues to keep the safety of these medicines under continual review.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve the mental well-being of NHS staff. \p Karin Smyth: Looking after the mental health of our hardworking National Health Service staff is a priority for the Government.

The 10-Year Health Plan committed to roll out staff treatment hubs. These hubs will provide a high-quality occupational health service for all NHS staff, including support for mental health issues. It will build on work that NHS England has led to strengthen occupational health in the NHS and on existing mental health provision such as the Practitioner Health service.

We will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help reduce levels of (a) violent and (b) sexual crime against NHS staff. \p Karin Smyth: Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work.

All NHS organisations should have robust policies and procedures in place to manage sexual misconduct in the workplace. In September 2023, NHS England launched the healthcare system’s first organisational Sexual Safety Charter. There are over 400 signatories to the charter across the health system who have committed to taking and enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to any unwanted, inappropriate, or harmful sexual behaviours in the workplace.

In April 2025, the Government announced that the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations on tackling and reducing violence, as part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal, have been accepted. These include significant commitments to tackle violence and aggression against NHS staff, including improving data and the reporting of incidences, and ensuring strengthened risk assessment, training, and support for victims. This will be strengthened by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan, which will cover issues including tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how may dentists offering NHS treatment to adults there are per 1,000 people in (a) Bolsover constituency, (b) Derbyshire and (c) England. \p Stephen Kinnock: In 2023/24, there were 49 dentists per 100,000 people in the NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) area. This is compared to an average across ICBs of 50 dentists per 100,000 people in England. It should be noted that the published figure for England is 42 dentists per 100,000 people. This differs from the ICB average as dentists can perform National Health Service dentistry in multiple ICBs, leading to some being double counted at a sub national level. We have provided the average across ICBs which is better for direct comparisons at an ICB level.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to ICBs across England. For the Bolsover constituency, this is the Derby and Derbyshire ICB.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67568 on Obesity: Drugs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of adverse health incidents associated with weight loss medications obtained through online private providers in the last 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from their independent advisory committee, the Commission on Human Medicines, where appropriate to inform regulatory decisions.

Information collected via the Yellow Card scheme in relation to where the medicine was obtained cannot differentiate private providers specifically. A question regarding where the patient obtained their medicine is included on a Yellow Card report, however this is not mandatory and is a free text field. This free text information is therefore available to support signal detection and assessment, but cannot be extracted or analysed in an aggregated format.

The MHRA publishes data received via the Yellow Card scheme in the form of interactive Drug Analysis Profiles (iDAPs). These interactive profiles display a complete listing of all suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) that have been reported to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme for particular drug substances. This includes all reports received from healthcare professionals, members of the public, and pharmaceutical companies. On iDAPS it’s possible to find information for several different data points such as the number of ADR reports by year, age, and sex, as well as information on the types of reactions included in the reports. Guidance concerning the interpretation of the information included is provided at the bottom of each iDAP page. It is particularly important to note that reports are not confirmed side effects to a medication, and that incidence cannot be derived since a number of factors influence the reporting of ADRs. Further information on iDAPs is available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idaps
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67568 on Obesity: Drugs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that private online clinics prescribing weight loss drugs are compliant with (a) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and (b) General Medical Council guidance. \p Karin Smyth: The safest way to access medicines privately is to do so via a United Kingdom-registered prescriber and pharmacy, whether in-person or online. All UK prescribers, whether employed privately or by the National Health Service, are expected to take account of appropriate national guidance, and are regulated by UK regulators. Using UK-registered pharmacies also means that the medicines received will meet UK standards of safety and efficacy. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reminded prescribers to explain the possible side effects of these medicines, and the risks around falsified products.

Any UK prescriber operating in a private capacity must be a healthcare professional who is regulated by a professional regulator such as the General Medical Council (GMC) for doctors, or the General Pharmaceutical Council or Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, for pharmacists.

When prescribing, doctors are expected to follow the GMC’s Good practice in proposing, prescribing, providing and managing medicines and devices, which refers to guidance from the MHRA. The General Pharmaceutical Council has strengthened safeguards for online pharmacies, including the need for extra checks to verify eligibility for obesity medicines. Guidance for registered pharmacies providing pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet, is available at the following link:

https://assets.pharmacyregulation.org/files/2025-02/gphc-guidance-registered-pharmacies-providing-pharmacy-services-distance-february-2025.pdf

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care providers in England. Private online clinics that prescribe weight loss medicines need to register with the CQC for the regulated activity of Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury as set out by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

The CQC can take regulatory or enforcement action where they find fundamental standards have been breached.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to increase prosecution rates for cases involving coercive and controlling behaviour. \p Lucy Rigby: Domestic Abuse (DA) causes severe and lasting harm to victims, particularly controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB) which can permeate all aspects of their lives. Bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice is a core priority for this Government and supports our landmark ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG).

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is committed to securing prosecutions for CCB. The number of CCB cases to have reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ court has increased year on year since this legislation was introduced: increasing from 5 cases in 2015-16 to 5,254 cases in 2024-25.

However, we know that more must be done to improve the identification and understanding of this complex form of offending. To support this, the CPS has integrated a CCB case study into its face-to-face domestic abuse training, which has now been delivered to 3133 prosecutors.

The CPS and National Police Chiefs’ Council launched the DA Joint Justice Plan in November 2024. This includes a shared commitment between police and CPS to improve the identification of behaviour-driven offending such as CCB. It also aims to ensure that victims are heard, supported, and protected throughout their journey in the criminal justice process.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing employer National Insurance contributions for employees returning to work after a year or more of unemployment. \p Dan Tomlinson: There are a wide range of factors to take into consideration when introducing a tax relief. These include how effective the relief would be at achieving the policy intent, how targeted support would be, whether it adds complexity to the tax system, and the cost.

The Government is committed to providing people who are out of work with the personalised support they need to find work, aiding the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. At the Spending Review, the Government increased funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, helping people to access the skills they need to progress, tackling unemployment and inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with pension funds on investing in infrastructure improvements in (a) towns, (b) Crewe and (c) Nantwich. \p Torsten Bell: The Chancellor routinely engages with a wide range of stakeholders – including pension funds – to ensure that government policy is robust and deliverable.

The government introduced the Pension Schemes Bill on 5 June 2025. The Bill provides the necessary legislative framework to implement the government's ambitious reforms for the pensions market. We will expect to see benefits for both members and the wider economy through productive investment.

These reforms include measures to drive scale and consolidation in the defined contribution workplace pensions market and the Local Government Pension Scheme (England and Wales). These reforms will unlock billions of pounds in investment for productive assets, improve efficiency in the LGPS, and deliver better returns for savers.

As part of these reforms, each LGPS Administering Authority will be required to specify a target allocation for local investment , which their asset pool will be expected to implement. Pools will also be required to work in partnership with Local and Mayoral Combined Authorities in identifying investment opportunities in support of local growth.

The measures in the Pension Schemes Bill will also ensure pension schemes have the scale and expertise to access a wider range of investments. The Chancellor is clear that she wants to see more investments flowing into high growth companies and infrastructure.

Additionally, on 13 May, 17 of the largest workplace pension providers signed the Mansion House Accord and voluntarily committed to invest at least 10 per cent of their defined contribution main default funds in private markets by 2030, with at least half of that invested in UK private assets.

This is expected to unlock £50 billion of additional private market investment by 2030, including £25 billion for the UK. As providers work towards meeting these commitments, they will be investing more in private, illiquid assets such as infrastructure projects.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to reform Carer's Allowance. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We are grateful to Liz Sayce for her Independent Review of earnings related overpayments of Carers' Allowance, who's findings we are now considering. We have made the highest ever increase to the Carers' Allowance earning limit, and are looking longer term at the feasibility of an earnings taper.
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Johanna Baxter:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of statutory sick pay. \p Alison McGovern: I know that my honourable friends will welcome the changes this Government is making to Statutory Sick Pay through the Employment Rights Bill, including extending eligibility to up to 1.3 million of the lowest paid employees and removing the waiting period.

We believe the current rate achieves the right balance between providing support for employees who are unable to work due to sickness whilst limiting the cost to employers.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of children in poverty in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency. \p Liz Kendall: No child should be in poverty, and we are determined to ensure a better start for every child in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where nearly a quarter are in relative poverty.

Ahead of our Child Poverty Strategy, we have tripled our investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million in 2025/26, and I’m pleased that Langdale Primary School and The Meadows Primary were selected to take part in the early adopter programme. 4,760 children in Newcastle-under-Lyme will also benefit from our extension of Free School Meals.

It’s my personal priority to reduce child poverty not just in Newcastle-under-Lyme but across the whole country.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have become unemployed in each region of the United Kingdom since 4 July 2024. \p Alison McGovern: The number of people who have become unemployed in each region of the United Kingdom can be found here: HI00 Regional labour market: headline Labour Force Survey indicators for all regions - Office for National Statistics
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason she plans to implement changes to the Access to Work scheme in phases from May 2025, prior to the conclusion of her Department’s consultation. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No changes have been made to Access to Work policy. We will announce any changes before they are implemented. Current operational guidance is published online at GOV.UK. Following the consultation, which concluded on 30 June, we will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme.
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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of children in the Dundee City Council local authority area that live in households (a) in receipt of (i) Universal Credit and (ii) Child Tax Credit and (b) that include three or more children and do not receive the child element amount for at least one child. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department publishes Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, with the latest statistics available to April 2025. The accompanying tables provide breakdowns by country, region, local authority and parliamentary constituency. Child Tax Credit closed in April 2025
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review existing workplace temperature guidance; and if she will take legislative steps to set a maximum working temperature to protect employees’ (a) health and (b) safety. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Government is committed to ensuring workplaces are safe in the modern world and in our Next Steps to Make Work Pay publication, we committed to look at how to modernise health and safety guidance for extreme temperatures. As part of this, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reviewing the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 to ensure it is fit for purpose for a modern workplace.

HSE will be consulting on review of the ACOP and there will be an opportunity to respond in due course.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many asbestos-related deaths have occurred in England in the last year; and what steps the Health and Safety Executive is taking to help reduce the number of asbestos-related deaths in England. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Government recognises the devasting impact on those who have asbestos related disease and their families.

In total, there were over 4000 deaths due to asbestos-related diseases in England in 2023, the latest year for which statistics are available, due to past exposures to asbestos. This total includes 1975 mesothelioma deaths, and a similar estimated number due to asbestos-related lung cancer. There were in addition 401 deaths where the death certificate mentioned the non-malignant asbestos-related disease of asbestosis.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is actively tackling Great Britain’s asbestos legacy using a variety of regulatory interventions including licencing of removal contractors and inspection of the management of asbestos in situ, stakeholder engagement, public campaigns (including, ‘Asbestos & You’ for trades people to know what to watch for and what to do when they come across asbestos) as well as research activities.

Collectively, this supports dutyholders and other stakeholders to manage asbestos safely to avoid further exposure to risk and work towards an asbestos-free built environment. HSE is giving further consideration to the recommendations in the 2022 Work and Pensions Select Committee report, “The Health and Safety Executive’s Approach to asbestos management”.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to make reasonable adjustments for people with complex learning difficulties to complete Universal Credit applications. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department is committed to ensuring that Universal Credit is accessible to all, including individuals with complex learning difficulties. We recognise that some claimants may require additional support to make and maintain their claim. A range of reasonable adjustments and tailored support is available, including:

These measures are part of our broader commitment to equality and inclusion, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged in accessing the support they are entitled to. Where individuals cannot manage their own affairs sufficiently, DWP allows an appointee to undertake actions on the claimant’s behalf.

A range of reasonable adjustments are embedded across the UC service, supported by recent enhancements to improve visibility, responsiveness, and operational delivery.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Access to Work funding on disabled people in West Dorset. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of Access to Work funding on disabled people in West Dorset and currently does not have plans to do so.

Access to Work spending has however increased every year since 2021/22. In 2023/24, the average amount an individual received across all Access to Work provision was around £4,180, which is around a 6% increase in real terms compared to the previous year.

Demand for the service has increased - in 2023/24 Access to Work provision was approved for 67,720 people, an increase of 32% in real terms in comparison to the previous year.

We are pleased to confirm that Access to Work will continue to be funded as part of the Spending Review 2025.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to address the impact of Access to Work delays on disabled people in (a) West Dorset and (b) other rural areas. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Access to Work Scheme is centrally administered and makes no distinction between the processing of applications from different regions.

Demand for Access to Work has been growing. In 2023-2024, 67,720 people were approved for Access to Work provision. This is around a 32% increase when compared to the previous year.

We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

Despite this, the number of Access to Work applications waiting to be processed is continuing to grow, with over 62,000 applications outstanding as of February 2025. In addition, the average processing time for Access to Work applications was 92 days from April 2025 to June 2025. We are prioritising customers who are making new applications, those who are due to start a job within the next 4 weeks, or those whose existing grant requires renewal.

We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them.

This combination of delays, poor experience and perceived inconsistency by some customers means the Access to Work scheme needs reform in order to support disabled people starting or continuing in employment better, and to support their employers more effectively.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the Access to Work scheme on the ability of disabled people to (a) enter, (b) remain and (c) succeed in employment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Access to Work has not been substantially changed since its introduction in 1994. There is a strong case for updating the role it plays in making work accessible for disabled people.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the Access to Work scheme. We also considered the role of employers in creating accessible and inclusive workplaces as well as how we can shape the market for aids, appliances and assistive technology, to reduce their cost and spread their adoption.

We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course. The Green Paper launched a consultation that will inform the chosen future direction of Access to Work. Once this is established, we will consider timelines and work closely with stakeholders to ensure an appropriate transition.

This government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, in addition to the 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 reviewing responses to the Green Paper as we further develop proposals, alongside facilitating other ways to involve disabled people in the reforms.

One such way is through the Collaboration Committees, which we launched on the 2 July, which bring together groups of disabled people and other experts for specific work areas, including Access to Work, to collaborate and provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to make reasonable adjustments for people with dyslexia to complete Universal Credit applications. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department is committed to ensuring that Universal Credit is accessible to all claimants, including those with dyslexia.

We recognise that some individuals may require reasonable adjustments to complete their Universal Credit application. A range of support is available to help claimants with additional needs:

Third party Support: The claimant can give explicit consent for Universal Credit to speak with a third party to help with the management of a claim. The Department continues to review and improve the Universal Credit service to ensure it is inclusive and responsive to the needs of all users. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments where required, in line with our duties under the Equality Act 2010.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to make reasonable adjustments for autistic people to complete Universal Credit applications. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department is committed to ensuring that the Universal Credit (UC) service is accessible to all, including autistic people and others with complex needs.

We recognise that some customers may require additional support to make and maintain a UC claim. A range of reasonable adjustments and tailored support is available, including:

The Department continues to work with stakeholders and user groups to improve accessibility and ensure that the UC service meets the needs of all claimants.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of video call health assessments provided by Ingeus. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The department is committed to delivering health assessments that are accessible, efficient, and represent value for money. Video assessments, including those delivered by Ingeus, form part of a modernised service designed to improve flexibility and claimant experience. The department continues to monitor supplier performance and assess delivery models to ensure they meet contractual standards, providing a quality service to claimants and the best value for money for the taxpayer.

To safeguard claimants, robust procedures are in place to mitigate the impact of any technical problems during video assessments. These may include prompt rescheduling of appointments or the consideration of an alternative assessment method if appropriate, ensuring that no claimant is disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control. The department remains focused on ensuring timely access to benefits for all eligible individuals.

From the commencement of the Ingeus contract on 9 September 2024 to 21 July 2025, a total of 1,839 Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance were completed via video.

During the same period, 11 video assessment appointments were cancelled/rescheduled due to technical problems. These issues could include problems with broadband connectivity, DWP system issues such as the Medical Services Referral System (MSRS) or the Document Repository System (DRS) etc.

Information on delays specifically caused by technical problems is not held.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by The Big Issue entitled Poverty Zero, published in June 2025. \p Alison McGovern: The Government is committed to tackling poverty, including deep poverty across the UK.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious child poverty strategy which we will publish in the autumn. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

Good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach to delivering lasting change, as reflected in the proposals in our plan for Making Work Pay and our Get Britain Working White Paper. We have also commenced reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have begun this work by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit and announcing the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We also announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation and £13.2bn including Barnett impact across the Parliament for the Warm Homes Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

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Sir Mel Stride:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it has ever been her Department's policy to treat moving into employment as a change of circumstances which triggers a reassessment for (a) personal independence payment and (b) the work capability assessment; and whether her Department has made an estimate of how many claimants may have been subject to reassessment due to a change in circumstances associated with a change in employment status. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Being in work, of itself, is not a change of circumstances for the purposes of triggering an award review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or the Work Capability Assessment determination. We are legislating for this approach and believe it is the right approach to give customers the confidence to try work at any time without fear of reassessment and enable more people to move into work.

Given that employment status is not linked to reassessment, we are not able estimate how many claimants may have been subject to reassessment due to a change in circumstances associated with a change in employment status.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to establish a joint committee of both Houses to scrutinise the draft Bill on conversion practices. \p Dame Nia Griffith: This Government’s position is that conversion practices are abuse.

We remain committed to bringing forward legislation that protects LGBT+ individuals from these harmful practices, starting with publishing our draft Bill later this session for pre-legislative scrutiny.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

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Siân Berry:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Equality and Human Rights Commission (a) is using and (b) has commissioned external teams to use artificial intelligence tools in analysis of the responses to its consultation on the Draft Code of Practice for the Equality Act. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. The matter of consultation analysis is a decision for EHRC. This question has been passed to the EHRC who will be providing a written response to Sian Berry MP.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_150

Lee Anderson:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department are taking to help tackle ageism in society. \p Dame Nia Griffith: The UK has a strong history of protecting against direct and indirect discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) has protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including the provision of services, employment and recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_151

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. \p Janet Daby: The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all our young people and transform their life chances. A key pillar of the government’s opportunity mission is to ensure there are clear pathways through further and higher education and into employment, including technical training.

In the ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper, the government set out its commitment to establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or to find work for all 18 to 21 year-olds. £45 million has been allocated to Youth Guarantee trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The department and the Department for Work and Pensions are working at pace with strategic authorities in initially eight areas, including in the hon. Member for Stockton West’s constituency in the Tees Valley.

The Youth Guarantee builds on entitlements that young people have to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_152

Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the minimum beneficial amount of enrichment activity for children. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department, working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has committed to publishing a new enrichment framework by the end of 2025. The framework is being developed alongside a working group consisting of experts from schools, youth, sports, arts and research organisations, to identify and reflect effective practice in schools.

The working group will consider how the framework can support equal access and support all pupils to engage with a school’s offer. The department expects the framework to set out benchmarks for high quality enrichment offers and to provide advice for schools on how to plan their offer strategically and intentionally. The framework is still in development, and we are considering all evidence, including examples of what works for a range of different schools.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the availability of childcare places for children under two years of age in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Stephen Morgan: Local authorities are legally responsible for securing sufficient childcare to meet the needs of parents in their area, under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006. The Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance (Part B) further requires them to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting this duty and to make these reports accessible to parents.

The department provides local authorities with a range of tools and data to complement local assessments and help them plan strategically for sufficiency. This includes:

There are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements than last year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018. This comes alongside an 18,000 increase in the number of staff delivering the entitlements in private, voluntary and independent providers. This is backed by significant government investment totalling over £8 billion for early years entitlements in 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_154

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that approved funding for SEND school facility upgrades is released without delay. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department know that many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. The government committed to addressing this by improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs.

Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units. We are encouraging schools and local authorities to set up more of these provisions to increase capacity in mainstream schools. We will work with the sector to increase capacity and extend best practice across the system, so that every child or young person with SEND can access a suitable school placement.

The department has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Of this funding, Dorset has received £5 million in July. We also continue to work very closely with the local authority and trust leaders on proposals to establish, and expand, high quality resource bases and SEN unit provision.

The department has also invested £22 million in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces in mainstream primary schools. The aim is to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, including pupils with autism. The PINS programme is being evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Across the Dorset integrated care board (ICB) footprint, 37 schools took part in PINS in 2024/25 and will continue to receive support to embed their learning over 2025/26. The ICB is in the process of recruiting an additional 30 new schools for 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of early years and childcare provision in areas experiencing significant housing development. \p Stephen Morgan: It is this government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26, we plan to provide over £8 billion as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements. This represents an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25. Additionally, the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 legal agreements allow local authorities to raise funds from new developments to support infrastructure needs in their area.

The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.