theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make adherence to the Service Charge Residential Management Code mandatory for residential leasehold property managers. \p Matthew Pennycook: The current edition of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Service Charge Residential Management Code, approved in 2016 using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993, may be used as evidence by the First-tier Tribunal or County Court in any decisions they make. Failure to comply with the Code alone does not make a managing agent or landlord liable to court/tribunal proceedings.

We intend to strengthen the regulation of managing agents by introducing mandatory professional qualifications that will set a new basic standard that managing agents will be required to meet. Proposals to that effect are set out in our consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services, which can be found on gov.uk here.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including parking provision in the licensing criteria for Houses in Multiple Occupation. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department has made no such assessment.

Section 67 of the Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to impose conditions on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

We will keep the regulation of HMOs under review.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of (a) German-style Fertighäuser and (b) other prefabricated or modular housing to help tackle housing shortage. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government wants to see greater adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) as part of our Plan for Change commitment to deliver 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament.

MMC is key to boosting productivity in the construction sector – helping deliver homes faster, with improved energy performance, and creating new offsite jobs in the construction sector.

We have already acted through our planning reforms to provide the certainty developers and manufacturers need to invest in MMC; provided an additional £700 million of support through the Home Building Fund to help manufacturers looking to grow and expand; and published the Publicly Available Specification (PAS-8700) for residential MMC.

We will set out further details in the Long-Term Housing Strategy shortly.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a consultation on (a) reducing and (b) abolishing the 10% commission charge on the sale of park homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the affordability of (a) private and (b) social housing in Slough. \p Matthew Pennycook: According to 2024 Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, private renters in Slough spent on average 27.9% of their income on rent. This compares to 29.6% in the South East as a whole and 36.3% in England.

The ONS does not publish data on social housing affordability at a local authority level. However, according to the latest English Housing survey results from 2023/24 social renters spent on average 26.4% of their incomes on rent.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support Dorset Council to identify potential brownfield sites for housing development. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including the development of under-utilised land and buildings to meet the need for homes and other uses.

Through the revisions made to the NPPF on 12 December 2024 we broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas.

On 22 September 2024, the government published a ‘brownfield passport’ working paper inviting views on how we might further prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land. This included exploring the role of national policy in setting minimum density expectations for certain types of locations, to support intensification in the right places. Utilising the feedback provided, we intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making that will give effect to these proposals.

No brownfield land and infrastructure remediation funding is currently available in West Dorset. However, on 18 June 2025 my Department announced £5 billion of new capital grant funding for infrastructure and land. This funding will be administered by the new National Housing Delivery Fund, through which councils will be able to secure funding for prospective projects, to contribute to the Government’s priority of delivering 1.5 million homes.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Since the announcement at Spending Review of a new Local Growth Fund for Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has initiated work with the Northern Ireland Office to design a new fund that will drive growth in Northern Ireland’s unique economy and improve the lives of local people. I am clear that this new funding should have a bespoke design for Northern Ireland, working in partnership with the NI Executive.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with business representatives on levels of business confidence. \p Lucy Rigby: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Treasury Ministers and Senior Officials regularly meet with businesses and business representation organisations. These meetings provide an opportunity for the Government to hear the views of the business community, and aid in the formation of policy. These engagements are ongoing.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of multi-occupancy residential buildings insurance premiums. \p Lucy Rigby: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator of financial services, carried out a review into insurance for multi-occupancy buildings in 2022. The FCA had concerns about how certain elements of the market were working and in 2023 it introduced a number of regulatory changes to enhance consumer protection and improve the functioning of the market. The FCA has robust powers to take action against firms that do not comply with its rules.

The government continues to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the regulators, insurers, leaseholder representatives and trade bodies, to keep the market under review.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent mortgage providers from excluding Section 157 properties by default. \p Lucy Rigby: HM Treasury is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their mortgage business to understand their position and current lending conditions. However, the pricing of mortgages, including the availability of mortgage finance for particular properties, is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene.

I would encourage any prospective homeowner to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker in order to find the best possible mortgage product for their circumstances.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, published on 19 June 2025, how much funding her Department plans to provide for infrastructure projects in Lincolnshire in each of the next ten years. \p James Murray: UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy is core to delivering the government’s growth mission to boost living standards in every nation and region of the UK.  The Strategy will fund at least £725 billion for infrastructure nationally over the next decade and transform how projects are planned and delivered. For example, the Strategy outlined how the Lincolnshire Reservoir has now been awarded ‘nationally significant’ status to accelerate the planning process.

The Infrastructure Pipeline provides a forward look of infrastructure projects that are being progressed over the next decade, broken down by region. It will be updated regularly, initially every six months.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of employees who having received the National Living Wage increase in April 2025 have now begun to pay income tax. \p Dan Tomlinson: The information is not available. HMRC does not hold information on hourly pay rates of Pay As You Earn taxpayers and therefore cannot identify which employees are in receipt of the National Living Wage (NLW).
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to integrate unmanned surface vehicles into Royal Navy operations. \p Luke Pollard: Yes, the Royal Navy (RN) is transitioning to uncrewed autonomous systems for mine counter measures and has already introduced the first tranche of capabilities into service. For a number of years, the RN has also operated autonomous wave gliders to enhance the RN’s ability to collect oceanographic data. The Strategic Defence Review announced the Atlantic Bastion transformation programme, which should see the introduction of uncrewed surface vessels to support a wide variety of tasks for the Royal Navy.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated for research and development on unmanned surface vehicle technologies in the last five years. \p Luke Pollard: It will take time to collate the information needed to respond to the hon. Member’s Question. I will write to him and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve access to sport for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Stephanie Peacock: Every child should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.

On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.

In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for community sport, invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency and £1,924,805 into Lincolnshire to improve access to sport and physical activity.

I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.
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Sarah Owen:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding (a) her Department and (b) Sport England have allocated to support elite Deaf sportspeople to attend the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government, through the UK Sport grant, supports Olympic and Paralympic success. Beyond this the Government does not provide additional funding to performance sport, in line with our approach to a great many other areas of individual sporting performance.

Sport England are exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Minister for Rail plans to respond to the correspondence of 11 August 2025 from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells on accessibility at High Brooms Station. \p Keir Mather: On behalf of the Rail Minister, I apologise to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells for the delay in responding to his correspondence regarding accessibility at High Brooms Station. A full response to the hon. Member was issued on 16 September.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to announce the outcome of the feasibility study into step-free access at Dorchester South station. \p Keir Mather: We are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Since 2006 the Access for All programme has installed accessible, step free routes at over 270 stations plus a range of smaller scale access improvements at around 1500 stations.

In May 2024, the previous government agreed the publication of a list of 50 additional stations selected for initial feasibility work, which included Dorchester South railway station.

Network Rail have now completed all 50 feasibility studies and we will shortly be announcing which of those stations will progress.

I am pleased that Dorset Council have already pledged some funding for the project but would welcome any further contributions that could be found.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the threshold at which councils have to act upon road safety concerns. \p Lilian Greenwood: Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with the Local Authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. They will decide what measures may be appropriate to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents” and they are also responsible for the management of local roads, within the rules set by Government, including setting local speed limits where the national limit would not be appropriate.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. More details will be set out in due course.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the value for money of patching potholes rather than providing a permanent fix. \p Simon Lightwood: The department published a review into the value for money of investment in local highways maintenance, which also set out the cost benefits of proactive and preventative maintenance. The review is available online, at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-appraisal-for-investing-in-local-highways-maintenance

This year, the Government made available an additional £500 million for local highway authorities to maintain their highway network, bringing the total to a record investment of £1.6 billion. 25% of the additional funding is contingent upon local highway authorities complying with certain criteria aimed at driving best practice and continual improvement in highways maintenance. This includes local highway authorities having to demonstrate to Government how much they are spending on highways maintenance, incl. the balance of spend between preventative and reactive maintenance. In this context, the department has written to all local highway authorities to emphasise that when determining the balance between preventative and reactive maintenance, authorities should adopt the principle that prevention is better than cure, as also set out in the Code of Practice for well-managed highway infrastructure, available online, at: https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice/.
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Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will undertake a review of the timeline to bring the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 into force to allow an earlier rollout of proven supervised systems (a) to support older drivers seeking safe mobility and (b) in general. \p Simon Lightwood: The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act 2024 implementation timeline is designed to prioritise the development and implementation of a regulatory framework that maximises innovation, public safety, and public confidence by the second half of 2027. By incorporating opportunity for extensive consultation, the timeline will help facilitate the realisation of AV benefits to specific demographics and more broadly.

In June 2025, the Government announced an acceleration of the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme to spring 2026, subject to consultation. In deciding whether to grant a permit, the Secretary of State must have regard to whether, and to what extent, the granting of the permit is likely to lead to an improvement in the understanding of how automated passenger services should best be designed for, and provided to, older or disabled passengers. A consultation on the scheme is open until 28th September.

Alongside developing our domestic regulations, we are playing a leading role in work to harmonise international rules on self-driving; this work is anticipated to complete in early 2027.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support local bus routes in rural areas in (a) Newbury constituency and (b) other areas. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is committed to delivering the better, more reliable bus services that passengers deserve throughout the country, including in rural areas. The government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of our ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people.  West Berkshire Council was allocated £1.6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help create new jobs in the renewable energy sector in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Michael Shanks: Meeting the UK’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission is vital to enhancing our economic and energy security whilst driving economic growth across the country, including Surrey Heath.

In 2023, there were up to 468,000 full time equivalent employees (FTEs) working either directly in the UK low carbon and renewable economy or indirectly in the wider supply chain.

Government will be publishing its first Clean Energy Workforce Strategy in due course. This strategy will set out further actions to ensure that the workforce needed for clean energy delivery is in place, and that the jobs created across the country are high-quality, inclusive, and long-term. This will include regional analysis.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of solar power infrastructure in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Michael Shanks: Solar is at the heart of the Government’s clean energy mission, and we are taking steps to support rapid deployment.

In green-belt areas like Surrey Heath, solar infrastructure is more likely to be found on rooftops than in fields. Permitted development rights mean that the vast majority of rooftop projects no longer require an application for planning permission. New building standards will ensure that most new houses will be built with solar panels. We recently conducted a call for evidence about solar canopies in car parks. £13.2bn has been allocated to the Warm Homes Plan, to help people with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements, such as rooftop solar.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the number of rooftop solar panels in use in Lincolnshire. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not have data for the number of rooftop solar panels in total by parliamentary constituency; however, we do hold figures for domestic solar installations across parliamentary constituencies, and these are available online.

Our latest figures show that Lincolnshire, across all eight parliamentary constituencies, has 134MW of solar capacity across 34,060 domestic installations. Boston & Skegness is currently out in front with 23MW and 5,731 installs, and South Holland and The Deepings is not far behind with 18.9MW and 4,982 installs.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new housing developments have sufficient grid capacity to meet net zero requirements. \p Michael Shanks: To ensure there is sufficient grid capacity to meet net zero, the government is delivering a major expansion of electricity networks. We are working with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator to speed up delivery of new network infrastructure through reforms to planning, support for communities and strategic network design.

We are also working with Ofgem to ensure its price control framework supports proactive investment in the local distribution network. This will be informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans, which will consider local requirements including ensuring timely reinforcement of networks for new housing developments.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Minister has responsibility for the Post Office. \p Kate Dearden: Departmental Ministerial portfolios can be found at Department for Business and Trade - GOV.UK
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 72359 on Economic Situation: Subversion, what progress he has made on establishing an Economic Security Advisory Service. \p Chris Bryant: The Economic Security Advisory Service (ESAS) will streamline government expertise and guidance to help protect UK business competitiveness against economic security risks and threats. The Service is being piloted during the current financial year, with the ambition to scale up over the Spending Review period. To date, extensive engagement with industry and partners in the UK and overseas is being used to develop a digital offer, which will sit alongside bespoke sector specific support.

We will continue to monitor progress and draw on industry feedback to ensure that the Service meets user needs.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 72359 on Economic Situation: Subversion, what progress he has made in establishing a supply chain centre. \p Chris Bryant: The government has announced its intention to launch a Supply Chain Centre within the Department of Business and Trade. Work is now underway to establish the Centre, which is currently operating in shadow form. The Centre will lead work to strengthen the resilience of supply chains critical to the UK's economic growth and security, with particular emphasis on bolstering the resilience of high-growth industries identified in the Industrial Strategy.

The Centre will be formally launched in 2026, with more detail on these plans to be shared in due course.

.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many civil monetary penalties have been imposed by the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation since October 2024. \p Chris Bryant: None.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 36 of the National Security Strategy, published on 24 June 2025, what progress he has made in unlocking investment across a range of cutting-edge technologies via the Technology Security Initiative with India. \p Chris Bryant: The Technology Security Initiative (TSI) is a landmark agreement aimed at strengthening UK-India collaboration on critical and emerging technologies - such as AI - to drive growth and strengthen national security in both countries. It was launched by the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Modi in India in July 2024. Since then, it has enabled industry, academia, and government to deliver a number of new strategic opportunities - for example, a £7 million joint research programme on Future Telecoms.

For the sixth year running, India remains the second-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects into the UK. Last year, Indian FDI created over 6,000 jobs - with many of these in the tech sector. More than 300 Indian tech companies attended London Tech Week, with most of them expressing interest in AI, a key area within TSI.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of US tariffs on economic growth. \p Chris Bryant: My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the UK economy, in a rapidly changing global trading environment. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US. This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal, which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.

By securing and implementing this deal, we are supporting the conditions necessary for economic growth.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the sectoral economic impact of US tariffs. \p Chris Bryant: My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the economy. This includes sector-by-sector impact assessments and scenario modelling. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US and the ways that we support UK businesses in this rapidly changing environment.

This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the UK-India trade deal. \p Chris Bryant: I refer the member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer my predecessor gave to UIN 73978 on 5 September 2025.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date. \p Hilary Benn: The Northern Ireland Office is a tenant within two UK Government Hubs, one is located at Erskine House in Belfast, and the other at 1 Horse Guards Road London. Our Belfast office is managed by HM Revenue & Customs and our London office is managed by the Government Property Agency. As a tenant, the Northern Ireland Office does not hold information regarding flag flying in respect of these offices.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, on how many days during Summer Recess vehicle access was not available during normal working hours through Carriage Gates; and on how many days during normal working hours a traffic marshal was not on duty outside Carriage Gates. \p Nick Smith: Vehicle access through Carriage Gates has been limited to RaSP protected vehicles and those vehicles with an operational requirement to use Carriage Gates for the duration of the New Palace Yard project works. There was no vehicle access at Carriage Gates during working hours in the Summer Recess for this reason except in exceptional circumstances. Traffic Marshalls were not posted outside Carriage Gates in that timeframe.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_1

Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to (a) report on the consultation entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18th March 2025, and (b) publish recommendations on changes to the Access to Work Scheme. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Once the Pathways to Work Green Paper Consultation closes on 30 June 2025, a White Paper will follow later this year with final proposals ahead of future, further legislation required.

The consultation and subsequent White Paper will also inform the chosen future direction of Access to Work. Once this is established, we will consider implementation timelines and work closely with stakeholders to ensure an appropriate transition.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_3

Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposals outlined in the (a) Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work and (b) Spring Budget on (i) unpaid carers and (ii) people with caring responsibilities whose disability benefit entitlements may have changed. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_4

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on compensating people affected by the clawback feature of the Midland Bank pension scheme. \p Torsten Bell: Integrated pensions are intended to provide people who retire before their State Pension age with a similar pension income before and after their State Pension comes into payment. A member’s scheme pension is calculated so that the scheme pays a higher pension before the person reaches State Pension age, which is then reduced at State Pension age to take account of their State Pension.

If members of an integrated pension scheme believe that the scheme has not followed its rules or the relevant law (including clear communication what benefit the scheme provides), they should use the scheme’s internal dispute resolution service, which every scheme is required to have. If they are not satisfied with the outcome, they can take the matter to the Pensions Ombudsman who can consider if any redress is appropropriate.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_5

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many consolatory payments for gross inconvenience resulting from official error were made in each of the last five years; and what the (a) shortest and (b) average length of time for such a payment was in each of the last five years. \p Andrew Western: Although we collect data on the number of consolatory payments authorised, we do not systematically hold the information on the type of error (such as official error) and it would be too costly to review all these records. We do not keep a record of timescales taken on consolatory or any other special payments issued.

We have provided the number of consolatory payments authorised for maladministration for the last five years in the table below. We are unable to provide a figure for 2024/25 as this information is still currently being compiled.

Consolatory payments made 2019/2020 onwards

Year

No. of consolatory payments authorised

2019/20

5,109

2020/21

3,836

2021/22

8,013

2022/23

10,257

2023/24

9,753
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_6

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to publish the details of the transitional arrangements for people who will be adversely affected by the proposals in the Green Paper: Pathways to Work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Pathways to Work Green Paper announced a broad package of changes to health and disability benefits and employment support. We will always work to ensure that the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected and carefully consider how best we can support people as we develop our detailed proposals for change.

We are very mindful of the impacts of PIP eligibility changes and that is why we are consulting on how best to support those who may lose entitlement, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. Additionally, as we make changes to the health element of Universal Credit, we will protect existing claims by holding the health top up steady in cash terms, while they will also benefit from the new higher standard allowance.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_7

Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in her Department; and what the salary band is for each post. \p Andrew Western: Our Communications team is responsible for ensuring transparency and informing the public about vital policies and services that support citizens every day. We communicate about our services to over 20 million people, whether that's about paying benefits, pensions or helping people to move into and progress at work.

As one of the largest departments, our Communications team helps 90,000 colleagues deliver their important work by keeping them informed and engaged on our priorities and delivery, and promoting the support available to some of our most vulnerable households.

In the central DWP communications team, there are a total of 142 Government Communication Service professionals.

Of this total, 21 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.

This is the latest available data from 30 April 2025.

The salary bands are:

AIO/EO £36,211 - £41,092

IO/HEO £43,589 - £48,672

SIO/SEO £48,405 - £60,482

G7 £57,787 - £74,457

G6 £75,550 - £83,973

The SCS pay scale can be found in the DWP ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2023-24
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_8

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of maintaining the level of Housing Benefit until 2026 on the affordability of housing for people on Housing Benefit. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Both Housing Benefit and the housing element of Universal Credit provide support for renters in the private and social rented sectors.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for households claiming either benefit can receive if they are privately renting.

Ahead of Autumn Budget 2024, DWP Ministers looked at a range of factors when considering the LHA rates for 2025/26. This included rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, rate increases in April 2024, and the wider fiscal context. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25 and approximately £7bn over 5 years.

We have also invested £1bn in funding for both the Household Support Fund (HSF) and Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) (including Barnett impacts) for 2025/26 and the level of DHP funding has been maintained at current levels. DHPs are available from local authorities for those unable to meet a shortfall in their rent.

Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_9

Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing how student loans for maintenance are taken into account when calculating Universal Credit entitlement. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made.

The primary source of financial support for students must come from the system of student loans and grants designed for their needs. Where a student can acquire a maintenance loan (whether applied for or not) the amount will be considered as income in Universal Credit (UC) and will be taken into account when calculating the overall UC entitlement.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_10

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to personal independence payments on blind and partially blind people. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_11

Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming PIP, by main disabling condition in each region. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’, by filtering for region using the ‘Geography’ filter to select ‘National – Regional – LA – OAs’ and ‘DWP Policy ownership’.

For the primary health condition, the ‘Disability’ filter can be used.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-01 conversation_12

David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the merits of involving the (a) voluntary and (b) charitable sector to support people in need of employment support as part of her Department's proposed welfare reforms. support. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding

As the Green Paper notes, we are keen to engage widely on the design of this guarantee and the components needed to deliver it. To get this right, we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including devolved governments, local health systems, local government and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, organisations in the private, voluntary and charitable sectors, employers and potential users. We will confirm further details in due course after we have completed our consultation process.  We expect voluntary and charitable organisations to play a significant role in delivering employment support.