theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Bambos Charalambous:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase research funding into new (a) tools and (b) other technologies for the earlier diagnosis of (i) pancreatic, (ii) lung, (iii) liver, (iv) stomach, (v) brain, (vi) oesophageal cancers and (vii) other the less survivable cancers. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

An example of this is the NIHR investing £2.4 million into the miONCO-Dx trial, which seeks to develop a blood test designed to detect 12 different cancers, that could transform how cancer is diagnosed in the National Health Service.

The NIHR is also funding a new artificial intelligence (AI) powered radiology analysis service, designed to develop and evaluate the use of AI in medical imaging to improve the detection of cancers, including for lung and brain tumours. The use of this technology will help to speed up response times and provide more accurate diagnoses and better-targeted treatments, ultimately improving outcomes for patients.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including all cancers. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with small businesses on the apprenticeship system. \p Andrew Western: Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and apprenticeship system. They provide valuable opportunities in priority sectors for young people and apprentices from disadvantaged areas.

The government engages with small employers regularly to promote apprenticeships. During National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we held a round table with small and medium employers and other key partners to better understand the challenges they are facing in recruiting apprentices. This insight allows us to better target engagement activities with small businesses.

The government pays the full training costs for young apprentices under 22 and eligible apprentices aged 22-24 undertaking apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers, also paying £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for eligible apprentices aged 19-24.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has considered removing the requirement for employment candidates to have education, health and care plans in order to obtain flexibility in apprenticeships. \p Andrew Western: All education and training providers (including apprenticeships), and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010.

Disability Rights UK have information available which describes how reasonable adjustments can be provided for students with disabilities.

We want all learners and apprentices to feel comfortable and confident to disclose and discuss their individual needs. The recent Post-16 Education and Skills white paper sets out how we aim to remove barriers to participation and progression for all learners, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD), by ensuring flexible pathways and tailored support.

The government provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been in care.

Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices who have LDD. Training providers can claim £150 per month where there is a cost involved in making adjustments to support their learning.

Where an apprentice has a LDD which is a barrier to them achieving the standard English and maths requirements there is the flexibility for them to achieve the lower Entry Level 3 qualification in the adjusted subject. From August 2024, this has been extended to apprentices with an LDD but no EHCP.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to expand the foundation apprenticeship scheme to include the (a) hospitality, (b) retails and (c) care sectors. \p Andrew Western: New foundation apprenticeships will give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.

The first seven foundation apprenticeships, which launched in August, focused on industrial strategy and priority areas, and include a health and social care foundation apprenticeship.

The department is working with Skills England to explore which other sectors and occupations would be most suitable for foundation apprenticeships. Further detail will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Staffordshire County Council has received in adult skills funding since July 2024. \p Andrew Western: Staffordshire County Council was allocated £1,404,490 of Adult Skills Fund funding from the Department for Education in the Academic Year 2024/25. This figure does not account for any reconciliation paid relating to delivery before August 2024.

There are other providers that also receive Adult Skills Funding from central government which deliver to learners in Staffordshire. Further information is published here: Funding allocations to training providers: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on levels of workforce (a) up-skilling and (b) productivity in (i) all sectors and (ii) the transport and aviation sectors; and how much and what proportion of the Growth and Skills Levy collected in the 2024-25 financial year has not been spent. \p Andrew Western: The government's decision on defunding Level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22 and over, including a summary of the evidence that informed that decision, is published here: Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament.

All UK employers with an annual pay bill above £3 million pay 0.5 per cent of their pay bill to invest in apprenticeship training. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for collecting the levy on behalf of the government.

The Department for Education is responsible for apprenticeships in England only. The department receives an annual protected apprenticeships budget which is agreed at Spending Reviews. Although closely linked, this is distinct from the total levy income collected and the funds in employer accounts.

In total, this apprenticeship budget covers the spend drawn down by all levy-paying employers, as well as apprenticeships for those who do not pay the levy, the costs of English and maths tuition for apprentices, and additional payments to employers, training providers and apprentices. It also covers the administrative costs of running the apprenticeships programme.

100% of the apprenticeships budget was spent in the 2024-25 financial year. The final outturn was £2,769m, in line with the budget.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of access to (a) lifelong learning and (b) reskilling opportunities for adults seeking employment in emerging industries. \p Andrew Western: We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults (19 and over) through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year, ensuring that adults can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work. The ASF supports a range of courses for adults of all ages including those relating to new and emerging industries, such as digital technologies.

Currently, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents, the allocation of the ASF to learning providers, and deciding how the ASF best meets the needs of the local economy. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas.

This government is also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and to learners throughout their careers.

From April 2026, the government will also enable employers to use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors. This new flexible offer will support employed learners to update or improve relevant aspects of their skills base, with the support of their employer.

Additionally, in August 2025 the government reduced the apprenticeship minimum duration to 8 months so that shorter duration apprenticeships are now possible. We expect this flexibility to open-up more opportunities, including where the apprentice already has relevant prior learning or experiences that reduces their time needed to train. This change will enable more adults with prior career experience to access apprenticeships and achieve occupational competence more quickly.

Lastly, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch in academic year 2026/27 and will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ask the Health and Safety Executive to respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Graham Faulkner. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) records indicate that a detailed response to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Graham Faulkner was sent by e-mail on 3 July 2024.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing specialist support measures to support unpaid carers into employment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and we recognise that for some this can be a significant commitment. We are committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible.

Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support unpaid carers into paid employment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income.

Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme.

Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities.

For unpaid carers who are entitled to Carer’s Allowance, we have introduced the largest increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976. The earnings limit is now 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels and over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30.

DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total amount of Universal Credit was paid to deceased recipients in each of the last ten financial years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: DWP does not hold this information over the requested period. DWP has operational data used to identify and recover UC overpayments from deceased recipients, although this does not cover the full time period requested and is not considered to be of suitable quality to accurately answer the question.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of spending a proportion of the funding increase for to the Connect to Work programme in Huntingdonshire on people in that area. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Connect to Work funding will cover all of England and Wales. Huntingdonshire is part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area for Connect to Work. Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority are the Lead Authority (Accountable Body) for this area, working in partnership with Cambridge County Council and Peterborough City Council. The Combined Authority’s Delivery Plan is currently in the final stages of approval, with funding expected to be announced shortly. We understand that the Connect to Work service for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is expected to be open for participants in early 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support unemployed young people into work. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people aged 18-21 can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work. As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England which are testing innovative, locally led approaches to improve support for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. We will use learning from these trailblazers to inform future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of Great Britain.

We have also announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months. This forms a key part of the government’s Youth Guarantee, and further details will be announced at the Budget 2025.

In Northern Ireland, all DWP policy areas are transferred, including employment support. This is the responsibility of the Department for Communities.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to (a) reform the National Careers Service and (b) review careers advice contracts. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.

In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers as well as better join-up between employability and careers provision.

The current National Careers Service contracts are due to expire on 30 September 2026. Therefore, a decision was required on how to deliver adult careers advice from that point.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has taken the decision to bring adult careers advice in-house into DWP from 1 October 2026. This means that National Careers Service contractors will no longer deliver this service after that date.

This change is designed to ensure maximum flexibility in developing an integrated employment support and careers advice service. It will enable the service to respond more effectively to customer needs, identify and embed improved operational practices, and bring together employment and careers advice to meet the ambitions of the Get Britain Working White Paper
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was overpaid to Universal Credit recipients in each of the last ten financial years. \p Andrew Western: This information was published earlier this year and can be found via the following link:

Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with industry representatives on ensuring qualifications meet the needs of hospitality businesses. \p Andrew Western: Skills England, as the national body for skills in England, meets regularly with representatives across sectors. Ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders. In addition, within the last two months representatives from Skills England have met with the Association of Employer and Learning Providers Hospitality and Catering Sector Forum, the Dorset and Somerset Training Providers Network and a regional Tourism and Hospitality Initiative in the North East to discuss the skills needs of hospitality businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of supported apprenticeships for neurodivergent people. \p Andrew Western: The government is working to ensure that a learning difficulty or disability is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits of an apprenticeship.

The Find an Apprenticeship service allows people to identify Disability Confident Employers offering opportunities and Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

The government also provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) or have been in care.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension, what recent assessment he has made of progress in increasing levels of apprenticeship (a) starts, (b) participation and (c) achievement. \p Andrew Western: The latest data on apprenticeship starts, participation and achievements are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication and can be found here:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09b15b1b-393d-40ff-f86a-08de0724494a

​

This has been available since 17 July 2025. Finalised figures for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in the Apprenticeships: November 2025 statistics publication.​
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many apprenticeship vacancies were advertised on the Find An Apprenticeship website in each month since 1 January 2020. \p Andrew Western: The requested data on apprenticeship vacancies that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship website are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication and can be found here:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/37950fb3-a95f-425c-f86d-08de0724494a

This has been available since 17 July 2025. The next update to these figures will be in the Apprenticeships: November 2025 statistics publication. ​
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Mr Toby Perkins:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of setting the age limit for funding of level 7 apprenticeships at 22 years old. \p Andrew Western: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by almost 40% over the last decade.

From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22, or those aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. This will enable apprenticeship opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people and create more opportunities for those entering the labour market, who need skills and training to get on in their careers.

This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. Skills England did not find a strong enough economic rationale to exempt any level 7 apprenticeship standards from defunding. While level 7 apprenticeships can be a valuable route for some disadvantaged learners, a significant proportion are from non-deprived backgrounds and are significantly less likely to be deprived than apprentices at lower levels.

Level 7 generally has a higher proportion of older learners than other apprenticeships, particularly the senior leader apprenticeship (where 99% are over 25) and standards with an embedded postgraduate qualification. Skills England also suggested that de-funding would be unlikely to lead to a significant fall in the supply of these skills in the long term.
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David Williams:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing private sector organisations to access the Tell Us Once service on (a) the administrative burden on bereaved families and (b) the level of communications from companies to deceased individuals. \p Andrew Western: Following previous discussions with the Minister for Lords and the Minister for Transformation, Tell Us Once is currently exploring opportunities to expand its existing service offering. The existing capabilities of the system are being investigated to assess whether wider expansion would be viable, or if further digital investment is needed. Digital improvements will assist the service to expand further into the Public Sector with potential opportunity for expansion outside of the Public Sector in the future.

Included in this system assessment is the existing citizen communication route for the bereaved and whether this is meeting user expectations and reducing the administration burden.

The most recent internal evaluations in February 2025 of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 92% for the online service.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to respond to correspondence from the Hon. Member for Newton Abbot sent on 19 August 2025, case ref MW09609. \p Andrew Western: A reply was sent to Martin Wrigley MP by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability on 22 October 2025.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what provisions his Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage. \p Andrew Western: The DWP maintains measures to ensure access to essential services remains available during disruptions to internet connectivity. The Department has contingency plans designed to manage such situations.

These plans provide for continuity of service and offer support through alternative methods if digital platforms are temporarily inaccessible. The DWP regularly reviews and updates its business continuity procedures to reduce disruption and maintain claimant and service user access, regardless of technical issues.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full time equivalent employees in his Department are working on tackling (a) benefit fraud and (b) error. \p Andrew Western: As civil servants, it is our duty to ensure that public funds are spent appropriately and deliver public services that represent value for the taxpayer. Fraud against the welfare system negatively impacts public services and taxpayers as it draws funds away from those who need them most. Within DWP, tackling fraud and error is everybody’s business, from Work Coaches in our Jobcentres through to Service Centre colleagues and as such, separating out the resource and costs spent on preventing and detecting fraud amongst these varying job roles is not feasible.
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) tableware and (b) crockery used in (a) his Department and (b) job centres is made by a British manufacturer. \p Andrew Western: The current FM supply chain who provide catering services (as of 1st October 2025) has inherited canteen crockery and cutlery from the previous supplier(s), therefore are unable to ascertain where these were manufactured.

Our suppliers have confirmed there are no plans in place currently to purchase any crockery or cutlery in the future.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Careers Service at providing young people with a broad range of career paths. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government regularly assesses the effectiveness of careers guidance for young people, including the role of the National Careers Service (NCS). While the NCS primarily focuses on adults, it also provides support to young people aged 13 and over.

According to the 2025 National Careers Service customer satisfaction and progression survey, 97% of young people surveyed aged 18–24 reported gaining some form of Personal Added Value, such as increased confidence, motivation, and a clearer understanding of their next steps, following contact with the service.

This support for young people complements that provided by schools and colleges, which are legally responsible for securing independent careers guidance for all 11- to 18-year-olds.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including young people.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met with representatives of the WASPI campaign. \p Torsten Bell: The previous Minister for Pensions met with representatives from WASPI on 5th September 2024 to hear their experiences directly, the first Minister to do so in eight years.
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Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing local housing allowance rates on levels of homelessness in (a) rural and (b) other areas. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex; they interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We do however work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) on homelessness are considered.

The Secretary of State considers LHA rates annually at Autumn Budget. Decisions on LHA will be taken in the round considering a range of factors such as rental data, the Government’s missions, its goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context.

LHA rates were restored to the 30th percentile of local market rents from April 2024 for one year, costing £1.2bn in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) can be paid by local authorities to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. DHPs include a ring-fenced pot for the most rural areas
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether veterans have their military compensation disregarded when means testing income for benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The honourable member has previously raised this broad issue and I refer her to the answer given on 8 July 63814
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes to the Access to Work scheme have been made during this parliamentary session. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed and the collaboration committees have been completed.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_72
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_72

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help improve safety at motorsport events. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations provide a framework for securing the health, safety and welfare of those working in the motorsports industry. Employers and the self-employed are required to comply with this law. A further duty is placed on them by Regulation 3 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires every employer to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks to those employees and non-employees in relation to risks arising from conduct of their undertaking and share the significant findings.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds the national policy lead for occupational health and safety in the leisure industry, including recreational motorsports, however, local authorities (LAs) are primarily responsible for enforcing health and safety law at individual events. HSE regularly liaises with colleagues from the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) who also have an interest in this topic.

HSE and DCMS attend the LA motorsports forum which meets quarterly online. A number of the motorsports authorising bodies have presented to this group to raise awareness of key topics. HSE and the forum have produced a best practice aide-memoire for LA regulatory visits. This document is under final LA consultation before moving to publication shortly.

HSE seeks to promote safety at events by making practical advice and guidance available for organisers of motorsport events. The HSE publication ‘Managing health and safety at motorsports events’ describes the main risks at motorsport events and some of the steps that can safeguard the health and safety of employees, participants, and spectators. This guidance is made freely available by HSE at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg112.pdf
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_73
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_73

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign. \p Torsten Bell: The previous Minister for Pensions met with representatives from WASPI on 5th September 2024 to hear their experiences directly, the first Minister to do so in eight years.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_74
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_74

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the membership is of the collaboration committees that were established in July 2025. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Collaboration Committees established in July 2025 are made up of a diverse group of members, including people with lived experience of DWP services, disabled people's organisations, charities, healthcare professionals, academics, support providers, and employer representatives. At least 50% of each committee is comprised of individuals with lived experience.

To maintain trust and ensure inclusive participation, it was agreed with participants that we are not publishing personal or organisational information about committee members.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_75
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_75

Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Climate Change Committee's letter to the Minister for Water and Flooding, dated 15 October 2025, if she will make it her policy to introduce measures before the release of the next National Adaptation Plan to help reduce the impact of weather extremes should global warming levels reach 2 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels by 2050. \p Emma Hardy: Defra is taking forward action on climate adaptation including developing stronger adaptation objectives, improving governance through the cross Government senior officials forum, the Climate Resilience Steering Board, enhancing monitoring and evaluation, and launching a fifth round of reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power covering key infrastructure. The Department is also supporting research through the £15 million Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change programme. These initiatives aim to improve preparedness and resilience across Government and society.

Defra recognises the urgency of preparing for climate change impacts and is committed to strengthening adaptation efforts. The Department is actively implementing the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), which includes activity across twelve departments and measures to improve resilience across sectors. Defra is also working to develop stronger adaptation objectives and delivery plans with these departments ahead of the fourth National Adaptation Programme (NAP4) in 2028 These efforts aim to reduce the risks posed by extreme weather events associated with a 2°C rise in global temperatures. Defra will respond to the advice from the Climate Change Committee letter on 15 October in due course.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_76
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_76

Paulette Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to assess the potential impact of climate-related risks to (a) health, (b) infrastructure and (c) the economy on the Government's (i) policies and (ii) spending plans. \p Emma Hardy: It is the Government’s statutory duty to assess climate risks to the UK every five years under the Climate Change Act, a process known as the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), followed by a National Adaptation Programme (NAP), setting out actions to address the risks identified in the CCRA.

The Government published CCRA3 in January 2022, identifying 61 climate risks and opportunities, including infrastructure, health and the wider economy. NAP 3 brings together policies and actions to address these uncertainties.

Government spending is subject to clear requirements through the Green Book to consider climate change impacts. At SR 2025 HMT set a requirement for capital bids to be assessed according to their climate and environmental impact, including their resilience to the effects of climate change.

The forthcoming publication of the Government’s response to the CCC’s latest adaptation progress report will set out the Government’s approach to managing climate risks.

CCRA4 is due to be laid in Parliament by the UK Government in January 2027. The CCC are coordinating the Independent Assessment (CCRA4-IA) that will be published in 2026 and will form the basis of CCRA4.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_77
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_77

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Environment Agency regulation on farm reservoirs, and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that on-farm water storage can be developed (a) effectively and (b) safely to support food production. \p Emma Hardy: The National Framework for Water Resources sets out the potential scale of action to secure sustainable levels of abstraction.

Many abstraction licences reservoirs are sustainable because they include conditions to protect the water environment. If not, the Environment Agency works collaboratively with abstractors to identify solutions, potentially removing the need for changes to abstraction licences, aiming to work with licence holders to allow adaptative measures to be implemented first where legally possible.

Reservoir safety regulation concerns ensuring reservoirs, their dams and embankments are safe. Government will consult on proposals to reform reservoir safety regulation, including tailoring requirements closer to the level of hazard.

Government supports farmers and growers with a Defra-funded programme of Local Resource Option studies to help them identify, screen and rank options to improve water supply resilience.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_78
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_78

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on the (a) statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator and (b) Farming Profitability Review. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The review considers the GCA’s effectiveness in enforcing the Groceries Code between 31 March 2022 and 1 April 2025.

The review commenced on 1 April and a consultation to gather stakeholder views and evidence was published on 13 May with a closing date of 5 August. The Government is currently analysing responses to the consultation and will publish a report as soon as practicable.

On the Farming Profitability Review, Baroness Minette Batters (BMB) was appointed in April as the lead reviewer. Baroness Batters will submit her report to the Secretary of State for consideration shortly.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_79
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_79

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of equitable supply chain practices on long-term food security. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Government is clear that fair, equitable and transparent supply chain practices are essential to the long-term resilience and security of the UK food system.

We remain committed to tackling any contractual unfairness that exists in the agri-food supply chain, including any practices related to cancellations and late payments.

Both the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) and the sector-specific ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations made under the Agriculture Act 2020 are subject to statutory reviews, which will assess their effectiveness and inform any future developments. We maintain a regular dialogue on the relationship between the GCA and ASCA, to ensure that the system remains proportionate and fit for purpose.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_80
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_80

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy of services provided to farmers by the Rural Payments Agency and (b) effectiveness of the work of that agency since 5 September 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Ensuring the adequacy of services provided by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and the effectiveness of the RPA is a priority. Since 5 September the RPA has opened the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Scheme and supported the recent announcement regarding extensions to Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements, which the RPA will now operationalise. I have met the interim CEO and the newly appointed permanent CEO of the RPA and will ensure there is regular and effective Ministerial oversight of the Agency’s performance.
wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_81
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_81

Barry Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has provided to (a) the Marine Management Organisation and (b) port health authorities on applying a risk-based approach to identifying seafood consignments for scrutiny under illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing regulations. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) provides training and guidance to port health authorities (PHAs) on implementing the UK’s IUU Regulation, which PHAs apply through their local risk-based approaches. Where concerns arise, the MMO engages with third-country authorities to resolve the issue or reject the consignment. Defra attends monthly PHA forums chaired by the MMO, where issues related to IUU imports and risk assessment are discussed. At these meetings, Defra provides policy advice to support the operational guidance shared by the MMO and PHAs.