theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_78
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_78

Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on ensuring that (a) voluntary and (b) community organisations are adequately funded to support the child poverty strategy. \p Alison McGovern: Local Authorities are key partners in tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Secretary of State, will bring forward a UK-wide child poverty strategy which supports and enables shared solutions. The Taskforce recognises that this is a complex landscape and has engaged extensively with Local Authorities about how the UK strategy can build from existing good practice and be based on understanding what matters to local communities. The September 2024 ministerial taskforce brought together local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway.

The Child Poverty Taskforce recognises the causes of child poverty are deep-rooted, with solutions that go beyond government, and will involve action from across society, including businesses, voluntary, community and social enterprises, working together in new and improved partnerships. A rolling programme of meetings between the Taskforce and experts, including from the voluntary and community sector, is supporting strategy development. Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is a member of the Taskforce.

The Taskforce will set out more details on the child poverty strategy in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Wendy Chamberlain:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the median processing time for Carer's Allowance applications was in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of potential impact of the potential impact of proposals to amend Carer's Allowance in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on costs to (a) local authority adult social care services and (b) NHS. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans to reform health and disability benefits and employment support. There are no proposals to amend Carer’s Allowance in the Pathways to Work Green Paper and therefore no such estimate has been made.

As the Green Paper sets out, we will consider any impacts our reforms might have on benefits for unpaid carers as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation and as we develop our detailed proposals for change. We will also continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure everyone’s health and care needs are met.

Our plans are designed to protect the most vulnerable and give disabled people equal chances and choices to work. They are backed by £1bn a year for employment support to give disabled people and people with health conditions help into work that they have been denied for too long. Evidence shows that good work is good for mental and physical health and reduces pressure and costs on the NHS.

We are taking other action to improve Carer’s Allowance separate to the Green Paper. We have pegged the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to 16 hours’ work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit increased to be £196 a week net earnings on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to review its policy on freezing state pensions for people who move abroad. \p Torsten Bell: The Department has no plans to review such reciprocal social security agreements.
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Mr Alex Barros-Curtis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what are the average time is for applications submitted to the Access to Work scheme between 1st November 2024 to 21st May 2025 to be (a) completed and (b) awarded. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The average time taken from an application being submitted to a decision being made for both support being approved and support not approved from November 2024 to April 2025 (May 2025 not available until month end)

November 2024 = 75.4 days

December 2024 = 77.3 days

January 2025 = 80.3 days

February 2025 = 84.6 days

March 2025 = 85.9 days

April 2025 = 94.2 days

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51421 on Students: Personal Independence Payment, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of consulting with students who receive Personal Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out a range of proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support and opened a public consultation on certain reforms. The consultation welcomes all views, and we hope that a wide range of voices, including students, will respond before it closes on the 30 June 2025.

We are also running a programme of accessible public events to further facilitate input. The series of both virtual and in-person events across the country, will help us to hear from people directly.

We are continuing to facilitate other ways to involve stakeholders and disabled people in our reforms. In addition to the consultation itself, we will establish ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups, including disabled people and other experts, together for specific work areas.

Our wider review of the PIP assessment, led by myself, will also bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience. Throughout the review, we will work closely with disabled people, the organisations that support them and others, to ensure that the voices of those who go through the PIP assessment and those with expertise in the system are embedded in the review.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 21 May 2025, Official Report, col.1015, when the revised eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment will come into effect. \p Torsten Bell: The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the potential cost per year of universally restoring the Winter Fuel Payment. \p Torsten Bell: Paying Winter Fuel Payments on a universal basis in England and Wales is estimated to cost an additional £1.3 billion in 2025/26 and £1.4 billion in 2026/27.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support the Government’s Open Data Agenda; and whether she plans to expand secure access to selected datasets for the purposes of reducing financial exclusion. \p Andrew Western: DWP promotes a culture of encouraging data sharing for public good whilst ensuring this is done in a secure, legal and ethical way. DWP requires both a lawful basis and legal power to share personal data. DWP already has over 1,300 live data shares with other government departments, agencies & public bodies. DWP also shares data with private companies where there is a need in support of the department’s priorities, for example, data sharing with utility companies to support reduced rates for DWP customers. These shares support operations, fraud & error, debt recovery, research & analysis and national statistics. Demand for DWP data is high, often because eligibility for a third party’s service is dependent on a citizen’s DWP benefit circumstances, for example, Warm Home Discount Scheme.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling data sharing between her Department's systems. \p Andrew Western: Whenever DWP determines to share personal data from one system to another system, several legal and ethical constraints must be considered, especially under the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. To comply with UK GDPR principles, data can only be reused if the new purpose is compatible with the original one, there is a lawful basis, we are transparent with individuals about the new use, we only share what is necessary and we protect the data appropriately. DWP already shares personal data between some systems and has the freedom to undertake further internal sharing where it is compliant with regulations.
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Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of child maintenance cases meet the two-year arrears recovery target. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service take proactive actions to influence Paying Parents who are not paying their child maintenance back into compliant behaviours as soon as a missed payment is identified. The service will initially negotiate repayment of arrears that is feasible for the parent to pay, taking into account the individual circumstances of each case.

The Debt Steer provides a policy-based framework for arrears negotiation. Its purpose is to ensure arrears are collected as promptly and reliably as possible, taking into account all relevant circumstances i.e. full arrears payment by one lump sum, partial lump sum payment and a schedule of on-going payments to recover any remaining arrears within a maximum of two years, and a schedule of on-going payments to recover the full arrears within two years.

Discretion can be applied to extend the timeframe of recovery. The Service first seeks to address the cause for non or partial payment and attempts to find a sustainable solution for the Paying payment which can then provide stability for a Receiving parent and enable the repayment of any arrears in the shortest possible period of time.

If this is unsuccessful the service will consider all available enforcement options including deduction from earnings orders or deductions direct from bank accounts.

If this is unsuccessful, the CMS will use further measures, including order for sale, where it can apply to the courts for the sale of the paying parent’s assets or property, removal of driving licences, disqualification of passports, and committal to prison.

Further we aim to provide fast, accurate and transparent assessments, based on the paying parent’s income, primarily their gross annual income provided by HM Revenue and Customs. If there are no significant changes in circumstances occurring, the maintenance calculation remains in place for a year at which point the Service calculates a new liability as part of the annual review service. However, the Service do continue to deal with unexpected events and major changes in year, in circumstances such as a move into or out of employment, or only where income changes by at least 25% from the latest annual income information provided by HM Revenue and Customs.

This helps to keep calculations up to date and reduces the need for changes in income to be reported during the year. Having a scheme with limited income changes during the year means more certainty for both parents. The paying parent knows for the year ahead how much they are expected to pay, and the receiving parent can budget with much more certainty.

The full information requested in relation to how many and what proportion of child maintenance cases meet two-year arrears recovery is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for the Child Maintenance Service phone line. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service are committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. We continuously monitor telephony performance and through this fully recognise that call waiting times are at times longer than we would like. To address this, we are working to improve the efficiency of our customer interactions through both the telephone and digital channels.

In September 2024, we introduced the Digital Assist Telephony Service, which has been a significant step forward in our mission to support and encourage customers to use our online services. In October, we restructured our call routing to make more caseworkers available to answer telephone calls. By promoting self-service options online and efficient call routing, we have freed up valuable resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. Additionally, we have extended the telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet demand and our online services are available to all customers 24/7. As a result, call volumes are reducing, and improved customer service being delivered through the combination of telephone and digital channels.

The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service and the latest statistics are currently available to December 2024. Table 12 of the latest National tables shows the percentage of calls to the CMS that were answered each quarter, from January 2015 to December 2024.

Latest published quarterly telephony performance for the period Oct to December 2024 was 75% for Percentage of calls answered.

We will continue to review, evaluate, and enhance our telephony service to meet demand and deliver a quality customer service.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Control of Major Accident Hazard sites are there within Cambridgeshire; and in which year was each designated as such. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The following 8 Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) sites lie within the local authority area Cambridgeshire County Council.

COMAH sites are split into either the 'Upper Tier' or 'Lower Tier' COMAH regime, which is dependent on the quantities of material the site processes. Upper Tier sites are those facilities that store, handle, or process significant quantities of hazardous substances, such as oil refiners including Buncefield.

Site COMAH Tier

COMAH start date

Company

Address

1.

Lower Tier

21/09/2006

Henkel UK Operations Limited

5 Cromwell Road, St Neotts, Cambridgeshire PE19 1QL

2.

Upper Tier

08/02/2004

H W Coates Limited

The Pines Depot, Fordham Road, Exning, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, CB8 7LG

Upper Tier

30/06/2005

Huntsman Advanced Materials (UK) Limited

Ickleton Road, Duxford, Cambridgeshire CB22 4XQ

Lower Tier

31/10/2024

H L Hutchinson Limited

31a Broad Piece, Soham, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 5EL

Lower Tier

21/06/2010

H L Hutchinson Limited

Weasenham Lane, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 2RN

Lower Tier

13/06/2016

IKO Insulations UK Limited

Alconbury Weald Enterprise Park, Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 4WX

7.

Lower Tier

08/02/2022

Local Generation Limited

Westry Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Wisbech Road, Westry, Cambridgeshire PE15 0BA

8.

Upper Tier

02/08/2004

United Agri Products Limited

The Crossways, Alconbury Hill, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 4WX

These further 2 COMAH sites do not lie within Cambridgeshire County Council area, but do form part of the traditional (ceremonial) Cambridgeshire area.

1.

Lower Tier

08/02/2004

Flogas Britain Limited

Newark Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5YD

2.

Upper Tier

07/11/2012

Safapac Limited

Units 1, 3, 4 & 5, Stapledon Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 6TB
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James McMurdock:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates on the viability of small businesses operating on the high street. \p James Murray: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street.

Over a third of properties (more than 700,000) already pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rates Relief, with an additional c.60,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27.

This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. To target support towards smaller RHL properties, the Government intends to give the biggest cut to RHL properties currently paying the small business multiplier – those with a rateable value less than £51,000. The rates for any new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes, as well as the economic and fiscal context.

Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that businesses will need support in 2025-26. As such, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. We have also frozen the small business multiplier, protecting over a million properties from inflationary bill increases.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Bank of England has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Chinese Embassy on security in the City of London. \p James Murray: It is not the Bank of England’s role to undertake this sort of impact assessment. National security is the first duty of Government and has been HM Government’s core priority throughout this process. A final decision on the application for the new Chinese embassy in Tower Hamlets will be made in due course by ministers in the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of inflation on average household disposable income in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p James Murray: Inflation has fallen from the peak of 11.1%, returning to the 2% target in September 2024, before increasing again to 3.5% in April. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that CPI inflation will peak at 3.8% in July this year before falling rapidly to around the 2.0% target from mid-2026 onwards.

Real household disposable income (RHDI) per person is a common measure of living standards. It includes the total income of households, in a given period, after direct taxes have been accounted for and adjusting for the effect of inflation. RHDI per person is only available at the UK wide level and cannot be disaggregated by county or constituency.

In the latest data, for Q4 2024, RHDI per person grew at its fastest quarterly rate in two years, rising by 1.5% compared to Q3 2024.

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 forecast, RHDI per person was forecast to grow at an annual average of 0.5% over this parliament (Q3 2024 – Q2 2029).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data HM Revenue and Customs holds on the house prices of second homes. \p James Murray: The VOA has a statutory duty to maintain the Council Tax lists in England and Wales by assessing the value of a domestic property and placing them in a Council Tax band. Whether a domestic property is a taxpayer’s second home is not considered during this process. The VOA obtains sales data to assist in their functions, but this data does not distinguish between whether a purchase is of a second home or not.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the mortgage guarantee scheme beyond 30 June 2025. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home, and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.

We committed in our manifesto to introduce a permanent and comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme to help buyers who struggle to save for a large deposit. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor confirmed our intention to introduce this scheme.

We will announce further details of this scheme in due course.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure employers are aware of the National Insurance relief when hiring apprentices under 25. \p James Murray: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to question 50506: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-05-07/50506
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Jo Platt:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the application of VAT to the hair and beauty sector, in the context of levels of competition with other self-employed businesses in (a) Leigh and Atherton constituency and (b) elsewhere. \p James Murray: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26.

The Government recognises the important social and economic role of the hair and beauty sector, which not only contributes to people’s well-being, but also plays a vital role in supporting local economies across the country.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information the Valuation Office Agency holds on the number of (a) private sector and (b) municipal public conveniences there are in each local authority in (i) England and (ii) Wales. \p James Murray: The VOA assess public conveniences for business rates purposes but they do not consider whether they are owned by a local authority or the private sector.

The number of public conveniences is published in the VOA’s Non- Domestic Rating stock of properties. The most recent release is at 31 March 2024 and can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-stock-of-properties-2024

The number of public conveniences assessed by the VOA in each local authority can be found by clicking ‘Stock SCat Tables by region, county, local authority district and rateable value band, 2024 (CSV)’ and viewing column ‘KY’ in the file named ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_counts_all’.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35636 on Agriculture and Business: Inheritance Tax, if her Department will publish its modelling for an alternative clawback mechanism for agricultural property relief and business property relief. \p Emma Reynolds: The Office for Budget Responsibility only certifies costings for the Exchequer impact of the Government’s tax policies. In accordance with standard practice, the Government does not publish modelling of alternative tax proposals that are not Government policy.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the average cost of an (a) import check and (b) export check since the UK's departure from the EU. \p Emma Reynolds: HMRC recently published a research report which explored the impact of border checks with around 35 traders and intermediaries. Businesses reported that moving goods across the border was generally a smooth process, and whilst this research did not ascertain data on the costs faced; their feedback is helping us explore further improvements we can make to support the flow of legitimate goods. HMRC is committed to making customs processes as simple as possible while ensuring effective checks are in place at the border.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) import and (b) export checks have taken place by (i) port of entry and (ii) commodity type since 1 January 2021. \p Emma Reynolds: HMRC and Border Force take a risk-based and intelligence-led approach to customs enforcement and have a strong track record in tackling all kinds of non-compliance.

HMRC takes a fair and proportionate approach to compliance, which considers trader behaviour, and the level of risk involved. It uses a range of data to identify customers who may need targeted support to ensure that they are meeting their obligations. HMRC takes appropriate enforcement action where cases of non-compliance or deliberate fraud are detected.

HMRC does not reveal details about its anti-smuggling or targeting methods or compliance techniques. Releasing details about such processes and arrangements and details of the checks carried out would allow opportunistic individuals or companies to arrange their activities in a way that might avoid HMRC’s checks and controls. This would prejudice HMRC's ability to collect customs duties and to prevent or detect crime, and could increase the likelihood of illicit trade.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce business rates for the owners and tenants of buildings containing market stalls. \p Emma Reynolds: Business rates are paid by the occupiers of commercial properties. In the event a property is unoccupied, the property owner is liable for the property’s business rates bill.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for qualifying retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including those on the high street, from 2026-27. Eligibility for these new RHL multipliers will broadly mirror the scope of the existing RHL relief scheme.

During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL businesses will receive a 40 per cent relief on their business rates up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 48451 on Shops: Valuations, how the Valuation Office Agency determines whether an improved energy efficiency rating results in an enhanced valuation. \p James Murray: For business rates, it is unlikely that an improved Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) alone would result in an increased Rateable Value (RV). However, the extent and type of works that resulted in the improved EPC rating, would be considered when determining whether they have an impact.

If the works were considered to have an impact on the rental value on the property, then the RV may be amended. For example, new installations such as heating and air conditioning are considered an improvement, and their installation may result in an increase.
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Markus Campbell-Savours:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of applying preferential (a) interest rates and (b) tax treatment for NS&I Green Savings bonds. \p James Murray: National Savings and Investments’ (NS&I) core remit is to raise cost-effective finance for the Government. In setting the interest rate on its products, NS&I must adhere to its operating framework. Specifically, this is to balance the interests of savers by offering a fair rate; the taxpayer by delivering cost-effective financing; and the financial services sector by acting transparently and supporting a fair and competitive market.

Green Savings Bonds (GSB) are a fixed-term savings product where deposits contribute to green initiatives as selected by the Government. GSBs sit alongside Green Gilts issued by the Debt Management Office, funds from which count towards meeting the Green Financing remit. The interest rate on GSBs is kept under regular review and changes are recommended by NS&I to HM Treasury as appropriate. In setting the interest rate, NS&I – as outlined above – seeks to balance the interest of savers, taxpayers, and financial services sector.

Interest earned on savings accounts, with the exception of ISAs, are subject to tax. Along with some other competitor accounts, GSBs are designed to be held for the full term and savers can only access their money, including compounded interest, at the end of the fixed-term, which is when any tax is due. HMRC outlines that any tax is paid on maturity when the saver benefits from the interest earned on the fixed-term product.
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Markus Campbell-Savours:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the purchase price limit of (a) lifetime ISAs and (b) help-to-buy ISAs. \p James Murray: This Government is committed to helping first time buyers own their own home and our plan to build1.5 million more homes is key to delivering this commitment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_106

Kate Osamor:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason her Department will not review the decision to provide full compensation to victims of the Equitable Life. \p Torsten Bell: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 and there are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_107
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_107

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 52199 on Taxation: Self-assessment, if she will add an option to specify national identity as British to the taxpayer residency status section of the online Self-Assessment tax return. \p James Murray: HMRC collects data for Self Assessment returns in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). These rules require that any personal data collected must be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.

National identity is not required for determining an individual’s residency status for tax purposes, and therefore is not collected as part of the Self Assessment process. This applies to the taxpayer residency status section as well as the return more broadly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_108

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to hold discussions with the International Monetary Fund on any future changes to the functions of the Office of Budget Responsibility. \p Emma Reynolds: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) independent scrutiny, via its economic and fiscal forecasts, underpins the credibility of the government’s fiscal policy. On coming into office, one of the first bills this Government passed was the fiscal lock to ensure that no future Government can sideline the Office for Budget Responsibility.

As part of ongoing engagement with many different stakeholders relevant to the conduct of economic and fiscal policy, the Government engages regularly and constructively with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and values their independent advice.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_109
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_109

Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the staff sickness rate for Asylum Decision Makers employed by the Home Office was (a) on 3 June 2025 and (b) in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Details of sickness absence and staff turnover are routinely published by the Home Office in the department’s annual report and accounts, but are not broken down by the individual tasks to which members of staff have been assigned over the previous year.

The training schedule for asylum decision-makers was revised in 2023, with the initial training period reduced from nine weeks to around three weeks, with further specialist training provided as the decision-maker progresses. As a general rule, asylum decision-makers will complete their initial training period prior to taking on casework.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_110
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_110

Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the highest number of further submissions was for an asylum application in last ten years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I welcome the Hon Member to her new role, and I wish her well representing the great people of Runcorn and Helsby.

The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work states that: “There is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold which is the level above which departments can decide not to answer a written question. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850.”

I regret that the information she has requested is not currently available from published statistics, and would require a manual trawl of case files to identify and collate, something that could only be done at disproportionate cost.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_111
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_111

Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many irregular migrants have absconded while their asylum applications were being considered in the last 10 years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I welcome the Hon Member to her new role, and I wish her well representing the great people of Runcorn and Helsby.

The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work states that: “There is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold which is the level above which departments can decide not to answer a written question. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850.”

I regret that the information she has requested is not currently available from published statistics, and would require a manual trawl of case files to identify and collate, something that could only be done at disproportionate cost.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_112
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_112

Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of considering asylum applications at the further submissions stage in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I welcome the Hon Member to her new role, and I wish her well representing the great people of Runcorn and Helsby.

The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work states that: “There is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold which is the level above which departments can decide not to answer a written question. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850.”

I regret that the information she has requested is not currently available from published statistics, and would require a manual trawl of case files to identify and collate, something that could only be done at disproportionate cost.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_113
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_113

Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken Watchlist and Information Control Unit checks on all asylum applications in the last 10 years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are routinely checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_114

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 8506 on Asylum: Employment, whether she plans to reduce the waiting time from 12 to six months for asylum seekers to apply for permission to work. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office’s priority remains to ensure that employers and employees who play by the rules are not undercut by people working illegally, or by unscrupulous employers exploiting their labour.

We have repeatedly resisted calls to relax our policy position on asylum seeker permission to work. Allowing asylum seekers the right to work sooner than under the current rules could enable migrants to bypass established work visa routes, and may act as an incentive for people to travel here illegally via dangerous routes. Asylum seekers do not need to make dangerous journeys to seek employment in the UK. There are various legal routes for those seeking to work in the UK under the Points Based System.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_115

Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claims made on the grounds of religious persecution from (a) Nigeria, (b) Eritrea and c) Pakistan between December 2001 and December 2024; and what steps she is taken to ensure claims are processed (i) fairly and (ii) efficiently. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We do not publish the number of asylum claims that were granted based on religious persecution. This information is not recorded in a reportable format. Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset on GOV.UK at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially, and they receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_116
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_116

Christine Jardine:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If she will take legislative steps to introduce a gender-neutral marker on passports. \p Seema Malhotra: The purpose of identity documents, including passports, is to verify a person’s identity and confirm they are the rightful holder of the document.

Current policy is that only ‘male’ and ‘female’ sexes are recognised for official purposes under UK law, which is reflected in UK passport policy.

There are no current plans to introduce a gender-neutral marker on passports.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_117
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_117

Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide an additional resettlement quota for Afghan refugees in Pakistan identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for resettlement. \p Seema Malhotra: Between 2021 and March 2025, over 34,000 individuals have been resettled and relocated through the Afghan Resettlement Programme. The latest immigration statistics can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2025.

The Government’s priority remains the resettlement and relocation of those already identified as eligible but who have not yet travelled.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_118
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_118

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any external contractors were procured by her Department in relation to her press conference at the Cambridgeshire Police headquarters on 10 April 2025. \p Dame Diana Johnson: No.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_119
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_119

Alistair Strathern:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the current police widow(er)s’ pension regulations. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.

For officers who joined policing prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner.

From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_120
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_120

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with (a) West Midlands Police and (b) the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner on (i) maintaining and (ii) increasing community policing levels in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency, following the closure of (A) Aldridge Police Station and (B) police stations across the West Midlands. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that by July, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities and local communities and businesses will also have ongoing opportunities to engage with neighbourhood teams and raise local concerns and priorities through regular local beat meetings.

The Government has also committed to boosting neighbourhood policing by 13,000 more policing personnel by the end of the Parliament and the Government will provide £200 million to police forces in financial year 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering this commitment.

West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 from the £200 million fund for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for West Midlands Police over 2025/26 will be 289 police officers (FTE) and 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).