theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

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Will Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) digitising and (b) introducing an online portal for the Child Maintenance Service. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) offers a range of digital services designed to support separated families. These include 'Child Maintenance Calculator’, ‘Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance’ and ‘My Child Maintenance Case’(MCMC). Through these services, parents can explore their options, calculate potential payments and submit an online application to the CMS to receive or pay child maintenance. For customers with existing cases, the online services allow them to report changes, check progress, view correspondence and make payments online 24/7.

Digital services were developed and will continue to evolve based on research and feedback from charities supporting separated families, victims of domestic abuse, and users with assisted digital needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the value of Carer’s Allowance overpayment debts in relation to earnings. \p Andrew Western: Data on fraud and error overpayments was published earlier this year: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK. 2024/25 estimates show that Carer's Allowance Overpayments relating to earnings / employment represented 1.3% of the £4.2bn expenditure on Carer’s Allowance.

This Government commissioned Liz Sayce OBE to lead an Independent Review into these overpayments. We are carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how they occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of them occurring in future. We have committed to publish the review and the Government’s response to it by the end of this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unqualified operatives performing gas works on levels of public safety. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) accepts that unqualified operatives performing gas work pose significant risks to gas safety and believes focusing on the prevention of unsafe gas work through installation, regular servicing and maintenance by qualified, Gas Safe Registered engineers is key to achieving safer homes.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) enabled the establishment of the Gas Safe Register (GSR) and places a legal requirement on all those conducting gas work in homes to be competent to do so and Gas Safe Registered. HSE will consider enforcement action against those who do not comply with this legal obligation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle unsafe gas works in homes. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) forms the basis of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) approach to ensuring safe gas work in homes within Great Britain. This includes taking enforcement action against those who do not comply with their legal obligations, including carrying out gas work whilst not competent to do so.

GSIUR also allowed for the establishment of the Gas Safe Register (GSR) which aims to protect the public from unsafe gas work through:

GSR will apply appropriate sanctions on those businesses found carrying out unsafe gas work as per their Sanctions Policy.

GSR can pass concerns to HSE who will consider the concern in line with the HSE Enforcement Policy statement available to view here HSE - Enforcement action.

The best way to maintain gas safety is by ensuring that only competent, registered engineers undertake gas work. HSE encourages consumers to ask to see Gas Safe Registration ID before permitting engineers to enter their homes. This can also be checked on the Gas Safe Register website: Find or check a Gas Safe registered business.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide an adequate allocation of funding through the Youth Guarantee Scheme for people not in work, employment or training in North Shropshire constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: 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 who are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to 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 the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain, including North Shropshire.

We have also recently announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to eligible 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 in due course.

We also continue to deliver targeted support through the Youth Offer, which provides tailored assistance to 16–24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit. In North Shropshire, this includes a local Youth Hub offering the 6 Steps to Succeed programme – a six-week course that builds confidence, communication, and customer service skills, leading to formal qualifications.

We also want to ensure we provide support for young people with health conditions and disabled young people. If you take UC health and ESA for example, the number of young people claiming these has increased by more than 50% in the last five years from 156,000 to 239,000, with 80% of young people on the UC Health element currently citing mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions.

We are currently organising talking therapies to be delivered from the Youth Hub to support young people with Mental Health challenges. We are also delivering Sector-Based Work Academies for roles in Teaching Assistance, Hospitality, Warehouse, Logistics, and HGV driving. Additionally, we have run employment sessions for customers with health conditions promoting Access to Work, Adjustment Passports, and Disability Confident Employers.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to ensure that low paid workers have adequate income in retirement. \p Torsten Bell: This government is committed to enabling tomorrow’s pensioners to have security in retirement. The Pensions Commission has been revived to consider what is required in the long term to deliver a pensions framework that is stronger, fairer and more sustainable. Amongst other things, the Commission will look at how to improve retirement outcomes, especially for those on the lowest incomes and at the greatest risk of poverty or under-saving.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to (a) review and (b) amend carer's allowance. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Government keeps all aspects of Carer’s Allowance (CA) under review to see if it is meeting its objectives.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has a statutory duty to review State Pension and benefit rates each year based on a review of trends in prices and earnings growth in the preceding year. In April 2025 the rate of Carer’s Allowance increased by 1.7% to £83.30 per week.

We have taken steps to improve the way CA operates and to support those who can combine their caring responsibilities with some paid work, including changing the weekly CA earnings limit to match 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since CA was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive CA between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result of investment worth around £500 million.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of PIP reassessments for chronic conditions on the mental health of families affected. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Other than for claims made under the special rules for people nearing the end of their life, all claims to PIP are treated in the same way. Entitlement to PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition and so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances, including age and the ability to manage a condition without supervision or assistance.

I have launched the Timms Review with the aim of ensuring we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends.

The Timms Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on working class people in Newton Abbot constituency. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children are published annually and provide various breakdowns including by households with someone earning.

The latest publication, with April 2025 data, is published here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK data by Parliamentary Constituencies can be found in tables 12A, 12B, 12C in the published spreadsheet.

All previous releases of these statistics are published here: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children - GOV.UK
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many vehicles were leased through the mobility scheme in each year since 2020; and how many of those vehicles were British made. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Motability Foundation is an independent charitable organisation with oversight of the Motability Scheme. DWP is responsible for the main disability benefits (excluding Scottish disability benefits) that provide a gateway to the Scheme. If a claimant chooses to join the Scheme, DWP facilitates the transfer of these benefits to Motability Operations.

Whilst the Department works closely with Motability Foundation, responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme, including the choice of vehicles, sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. Motability Foundation publish annual reports which set out the number of customers on the Scheme as a whole and can be found on this link: Annual Reports and Accounts | About Us | Motability Foundation.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many training materials (a) produced and (b) utilised by his Department include examples of income from OnlyFans creating. \p Andrew Western: DWP technical learning is only available internally to DWP staff.

Work coach role-specific learning includes examples to illustrate various self-employed income streams. This learning supports work coaches to build competence, assessing income for customers’ benefit award. Two references to income from OnlyFans creating were produced as part of wider learning but were subsequently removed from utilisation.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process Access to Work applications. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We are committed to reducing the time taken to process Access to Work applications and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work applications. We prioritise applications from customers who are about to start a job or are renewing existing support. In March 2025, DWP published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. Alongside this, we are exploring further changes within the current policy framework to reduce the time taken to process Access to Work applications.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will require NHS employers to provide ongoing (a) education, (b) training and (c) health surveillance for staff who (i) handle and (ii) may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84444.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to (a) employers and (b) service providers on making reasonable adjustments for people with (i) misophonia and (ii) other sensory conditions. \p Sir Stephen Timms: All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled employee, would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.

Employers have a key role to play in supporting workers with long term health conditions or disabilities in the workplace. DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/ which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Work Coaches have been trained to understand domestic abuse; and who that training is provided by. \p Sir Stephen Timms: All staff new to DWP complete learning on Domestic Abuse as part of their induction.

Work Coaches then complete role specific learning which includes further learning on domestic abuse which will build their knowledge to develop the relevant skills to help all customers, by tailoring their support to their individual needs. All learning is delivered by DWP staff.

In total 27,714 work coach staff have completed domestic abuse learning over the last five years. Please note that the number of trained staff may include individuals who have since moved roles or left the organisation.
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Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) monitoring and (b) reporting arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure that repeated non-compliance by local authorities in the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) is escalated to (i) the Department for Education, (ii) the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, (iii) Ofsted, (iv) the Care Quality Commission and (v) other relevant oversight bodies; and where this information is published. \p Sarah Sackman: Data about whether any barring orders have been made by the First Tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) in each of the last three years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Data on non-compliance, following a decision made by the Tribunal is not held centrally. The Tribunal does not have powers of enforcement over local authorities. Escalation of non-compliance of a Tribunal’s decision is to the Local Authority. If the decision is still not been complied with, this could be escalated to the Local Authority Ombudsman. Guidance about this is provided to appellants.
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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to increase legal aid fees. \p Sarah Sackman: We have confirmed we will be uplifting fees for housing and immigration legal aid, the first increase since 1996, and worth £20 million when implemented.

We have also recently consulted on funding of up to £92 million a year for criminal legal aid and prison solicitors to help address the ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system. This money is in addition to the £24 million uplift the Government introduced to the criminal duty solicitor scheme.

Following the cyber security incident, our focus has been on restoring Legal Aid Agency services, ensuring access to justice through business continuity, including delegating authority to providers and offering weekly average civil payments. These contingency measures have supported providers to continue to operate and support the public. However, we are committed to implementing the significant fee uplifts in civil and criminal legal aid as soon as operationally possible.
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Mike Reader:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to provide adequate funding to the Probation Service for meeting its additional responsibilities in the Sentencing Bill. \p Jake Richards: We continue to invest in Probation to ensure workloads are manageable and the changes from the Independent Sentencing Review are sustainable.

The Probation and community services budget will increase by up to £700 million (a 45% rise) by 2028/2029.

An initial £8 million will be invested in technology to reduce administration and free up officers to focus on managing risk and reducing reoffending.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of safeguards for preventing harm to children during court-ordered contact arrangements. \p Alex Davies-Jones: This Government has been clear – child safety during court-ordered contact is vital.

The recently published review of court’s application of the presumption of parental involvement found a high incidence of ordered contact. In some instances, this could have negative implications for children.

That is why this Government plans to repeal the presumption from the Children Act 1989. This will be part of a package of reforms to the family courts – including the further expansion of the Pathfinder model.
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Sarah Owen:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of rape and sexual violence through the court system. \p Alex Davies-Jones: I recognise that the experience of attending court can be distressing, particularly for vulnerable victims, such as those of rape and sexual violence.

Special measures can help vulnerable witnesses who may otherwise feel unable to give evidence.

The Ministry of Justice-funded Witness Service also provides on-the-day support to victims at court.
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Mr Gagan Mohindra:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help support victims of crime through the criminal justice system. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice provides funding for services that support victims and witnesses as they engage with the criminal justice system.

The Victims’ Code also sets out the minimum level of service that victims of crime should receive.

We will consult on a new Code to make sure we get the foundations for victims right.

We are supporting victims through the introduction of the Victims and Courts Bill. The Bill will help victims get the justice they deserve.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what visits he has conducted to (a) HMP Pentonville and (b) HMP Manchester since he became Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor. \p Jake Richards: Since his appointment in September, HMP Pentonville and HMP Manchester are not prisons the Secretary of State for Justice has visited although he has been to HMP Belmarsh and HMP Gartree. Ministers visit prisons regularly and in recent months this has included both HMP Manchester and HMP Pentonville.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) translators and (b) interpreters have worked in the prison estate since 2018; and what the total cost to the public purse was for their services. \p Jake Richards: HMPPS uses translation services provided under contract. These services provide translation by phone and do not require translators to physically come onto the prison estate. There may be specific occasions where in person translators are required but we do not hold a central record for these and to collect the information would incur disproportionate cost.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish (a) all recreational activities provided to inmates and (b) the total cost to the public purse for providing those activities in (i) HMP Maidstone, (ii) HMP Huntercombe and (iii) HMP Morton Hall since 2018. \p Jake Richards: The requested data is not held centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 82447 on Ministry of Justice: ICT, how many of the 1026 devices lost were (a) secure laptops, (b) secure mobile phones and (c) authentication devices. \p Jake Richards: Of the 1026 devices lost, 317 were laptops (30.9%), and 709 were mobile phones (69.1%). There were 0 authentication devices.

All of these devices were secured to HMG standards, using encryption and other methods to ensure that data on them remains inaccessible if the device is lost or stolen.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) prevalence and (b) potential impact of parental alienation on fathers’ ability to maintain a relationship with their children. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not think it is capable of diagnosis and has therefore not undertaken an assessment of the prevalence of “parental alienation” or its impact on fathers’ ability to maintain a relationship with their children.

The Government does recognise the important role that fathers play in their children’s lives and supports a father’s involvement in their child’s lives where that involvement is safe, meaningful and positive. The family court must make decisions in the child’s best interests; this includes having particular regard to the factors set in the ‘welfare checklist’ in the Children Act 1989, such as the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child concerned (considered in light of their age and understanding), the impact on the child of any change in circumstances, and how capable each parent is of meeting the child’s needs.

In December 2024, the Family Justice Council published guidance on “responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour”. The guidance provides a comprehensive overview of the reasons a child may reject a parent, including harmful parenting, and provides a clear framework for assessing whether alienating behaviours are present. Where alienating behaviours are found the guidance provides clear next steps.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 20th October 2025 to question 79734 on Prison Accommodation: Procurement, by when a programme is planned to be developed to recommence delivery. \p Jake Richards: Pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79734, new replacement contractors have been appointed on all the projects previously supplied by ISG and ESS across the Houseblocks and Refurbishments and Category D Expansion Programmes in line with contingency plans.

Work is underway to enable us to recommence delivery across these projects. We are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and are on track to do so by 2031, with places fully operational by 2032. We have already delivered c.2,600 of these since taking office.
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Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the additional number of offenders will be entitled to release from prison on each day of the 28 days and then each month of the subsequent 11 months following the day of enactment of the Sentencing Bill alterations to automatic release points, broken down by offence. \p Jake Richards: Around 17,000 prisoners are entirely excluded from the release point changes being brought forward in the Sentencing Bill. We are working across agencies to prepare and plan for implementation of the changes, and this Government is committed to ensuring that measures impacting sentencing and release are introduced safely, transparently and in a way that protects the public.

Release volumes will depend on the crimes committed, the sentences given by the Court and whether the prisoner is given added days for bad behaviour.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled Major safety boost for frontline prison staff, published on 21 September 2025, how many stab vests have been issued to frontline prison staff since that announcement. \p Jake Richards: I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the reply I gave to the hon Member for Fylde on 20 October 2025 to PQ 79110.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish an update on plans to trial chemical castration for sexual offenders. \p Jake Richards: As the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 16 September, the innovative pilot of Medication to Manage Problematic Sexual Arousal for sex offenders will continue in the South West and will be expanded to two new regions – the North West and North East of England. This will extend the service across to twenty prisons in three regions, up from the current four, as the first step towards a national rollout.

We are continuing to work closely with our partners across health and justice agencies to inform our plans for implementation of the new pilot regions in 2026. We are also continuing to explore whether we might mandate this treatment in future.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of subjecting prison officers to security checks upon entering prisons. \p Jake Richards: The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated; however, HMPPS recognises the risk of corruption and is committed to tackling it at all levels. We have a range of physical security measures in place to reduce the conveyance of illicit items into prisons.

Airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, comprising of metal detectors and X-ray baggage scanners, is used in 54 high-risk prison sites (both private and public sector), enabling routine searching of prison officers.

In addition, local security strategies allow for routine and random rub-down searches of prison officers and other staff and visitors upon entry to, or within, prisons.

Prison security must be dynamic and be able to respond to shifting risks as they manifest. We regularly review our security countermeasures capabilities and use all the tools at our disposal. We will not hesitate to adjust our approach as needed.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of instances of prisoners bring transferred from prison to court late in the last 12 months. \p Jake Richards: In the 12 months to 30 September, 134,536 prisoners were escorted to court from prison, 99.8% of whom were delivered on time by the Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS) contractors. There were 2151 reported instances of delayed arrival in court. Of these, 832 (39%) were attributable to delays at the prison, and 1119 to the PECS contractor (in 814 of the PECS cases, no resulting trial delay was reported). The remaining 200 reported instances are attributable to wider system issues.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been wrongly released from prison since July 2024. \p Jake Richards: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.

We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.

Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK, and provide data up to March 2025.

The number of people who have been released in error since April 2025 cannot be provided because it would form a subset of releases in error data which underpins future versions of these Official Statistics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individuals released through the early release scheme were foreign nationals. \p Jake Richards: This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. On 10 September 2024, the Government therefore took the unavoidable step to move the release point for certain standard determinate sentences from 50% to 40% (SDS40).

We have published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency. This includes data on the number of foreign national offenders released under SDS40.

Please find statistics on SDS40 releases by nationality group in Table 5: Standard Determinate Sentence 40 (SDS40) : September 2024 to June 2025 - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_112

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timeline is for the implementation of the uplift of (a) housing and (b) immigration legal aid. \p Sarah Sackman: The Government announced in July this year that legal aid fees for housing and immigration legal aid will be uplifted.

Following the criminal attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s digital systems, the Government’s priority has been to maintain access to justice through the rapid implementation of contingency measures and the restoration of critical systems.

We remain fully committed to introducing the fee uplifts as soon as it is operationally feasible.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_113
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_113

Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many County Court Judgements were related to vehicle infringements in each of the last five years. \p Sarah Sackman: The information requested is not centrally held. It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_114
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_114

Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many stage (a) one, and (b) two, complaints were submitted to HM Courts and Tribunals Service in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025. \p Sarah Sackman: HM Courts and Tribunals Service holds the following data on how many stage (a) one and (b) two complaints were submitted in 2024 and 2025. For context, the annual HMCTS report published for the period 2024/5 reports states HMCTS received over 4.2 million cases.

Year

Stage One (First Contact)

Stage Two (Review)

2024

33,552

4,373

2025*

26,411

3,974

*Data for 2025 is for the period 1 January – 30 September inclusive
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_115
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_115

Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 68347 on Immigration: Appeals, when the recruitment exercise commenced in 2024 for the First Tier Tribunal will be completed; and how many vacant posts at the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal will (a) be filled and (b) remain unfilled. \p Sarah Sackman: The recruitment for salaried judges of the First-tier Tribunal (FtT) closed for applications in November 2024. The recruitment for fee-paid judges of the First-tier Tribunal closed for applications in June 2024. Both exercises included recruitment for judges to be assigned to the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (IAC), Social Entitlement Chamber (SEC), Health, Education and Social Care Chamber (HESC) and War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Chamber (WPAFCC).

Following appointment, assignment to specific First-tier Tribunal Chambers is the responsibility of the Senior President of Tribunals. This process is still underway for both the salaried and fee-paid appointments and so we cannot confirm the final numbers. It is also not yet known how many judges will be assigned to the IAC from both the fee-paid and salaried exercises.

The independent Judicial Appointments Commission publishes updated data quarterly on applications and the number of selections made for appointment once recruitment is completed: Completed exercises 2022-2025 - Judicial Appointments Commission. Information on the number of judges in post, leavers, new appointments and promotions is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/judicial-diversity-statistics.

To increase IAC capacity, further specific recruitment for up to 70 IAC fee paid judges of the First-tier Tribunal recruitment is underway and recruitment for up to 30 IAC salaried judges of the First-tier Tribunal will commence shortly this calendar year.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_116
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_116

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 84309 on High Speed 2, what her Department’s latest estimate is of (a) the additional cost arising from the four-year deferral of works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction, (b) the revised total cost of the HS2 programme and (c) the expected date for completion of the final connection between High Speed 2 and the West Coast Main Line. \p Simon Lightwood: The previous Government paused works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction in March 2023. HS2 Ltd provided an estimate at the time in 2023 that the cost of demobilisation of these works was c.£35m (2019 prices). Further deferral will not incur demobilisation costs as the work has already been demobilised.

Any additional costs are being considered as part of Mark Wild’s comprehensive review of HS2. As part of his reset work, he will advise on a revised cost estimate and schedule for HS2, including the scope between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_117
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_117

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the net Government funding of the rail sector was per passenger, per journey in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year; and what estimate her Department has made of the net Government funding of the rail sector was per passenger, per journey in each financial year between 2025-26 and 2029-30. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £9.60 per passenger journey in 2023/24 and £8.47 in 2024/25.  It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to circa £7.40 in 2028/29, primarily driven by a declining rail passenger services subsidy as passenger ridership and revenue continue to recover post COVID-19 and efficiencies and savings are made through public ownership.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_118
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_118

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to retain the rail freight growth target of 75% growth in freight carried by rail by 2050; and whether she plans to (a) put that target on a statutory footing, (b) introduce interim milestones and (c) adopt regional targets. \p Keir Mather: The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to the target of at least a 75% increase in freight moved by rail by 2050. The recently published draft Railways Bill sets out a duty on the Secretary of State to set a growth target and for GBR to have regard to it.

The Secretary of State is currently considering whether to set interim targets for 2040 and what those targets will be.

In addition, Network Rail has the target of a 7.5% increase in rail freight growth by the end of March 2029.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_119
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_119

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on (a) capacity on the West Coast Main Line and (b) passenger services into central Birmingham; and what discussions she has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on the use of devolved transport funding to develop those proposals. \p Keir Mather: Midlands Rail Hub supports economic and housing growth in the region by creating capacity for more trains in central Birmingham. The additional capacity will support improved reliability of services running through New Street station, including trains that use the West Coast Main Line and will also mean more services from Worcester, South Wales and the South West.

The West Midlands Combined Authority and West Midlands Rail Executive are closely involved in the development, design and delivery of Midlands Rail Hub.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_120
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_120

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83840 on Railways: West Midlands, if her Department will explore the use of the Sutton Park freight line for passenger services; and whether its inclusion in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline was considered. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport is not actively exploring this proposal for the Sutton Park freight line, but local authorities, such as West Midlands Combined Authority, are free to develop local proposals for investment using their own devolved transport funding.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_121
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_121

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82733 on Mobility Scooters: Pedestrian Areas, when her Department plans to commence the powered mobility device review; and what its objectives will be. \p Simon Lightwood: The powered mobility device review is already underway, and we intend to consult with the public before the end of the year, to ensure regulations are designed with, not for, disabled people. The consultation will also gather views on the Department’s proposed objectives for the review. We will work with a wide range of stakeholders once the consultation is published to ensure it reaches everyone who would like to contribute.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_122
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_122

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many concessionary bus journeys were available in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department publishes statistics on concessionary travel in England in the Concessionary Travel Statistics release, which are based on survey data collected from Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs). Concessionary travel relates to when eligible people travel on reduced (or free) fares.

The latest concessionary travel statistics, including figures on concessionary bus passenger journeys in England for the year ending March 2019 to the year ending March 2024 for older and disabled people are provided in the table below:

Table: Older and Disabled Concessionary Bus Journeys, millions

Year ending March

England

England outside London

London

English metropolitan areas

English non-metropolitan areas

2019

861

592

269

226

366

2020

802

550

252

209

340

2021

270

179

92

76

103

2022

491

322

169

129

193

2023

570

372

198

141

231

2024

604

389

215

144

245

More information can be found in the Department’s Concessionary Travel Statistics release, which is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/concessionary-travel-statistics-year-ending-march-2024

The Department does not currently hold data separately for elderly and disabled concessionary passenger journeys.

Data for the year ending March 2025 is not currently available but is scheduled for publication on GOV.UK on 26 November 2025.
wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_123
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-11 conversation_123

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to Question 69838 on Railway Stations: Aldridge, if she will publish details of any (a) discussions and (b) correspondence that (i) she and (ii) her Department has had with (A) Mayor Parker and (B) his office on Aldridge station. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department has regular meetings with Mayor Richard Parker and his officials, with discussions covering a range of transport issues.

My officials are in regular contact with West Midlands Combined Authority about the continuing design work for Aldridge, which is forecast to complete next year.