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I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement and the work done by my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester West (Liz Kendall) to finally take back control of our children’s safety online. Tackling misinformation and disinformation is also a part of creating safe online spaces. I have been leading,...
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement and the work done by my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester West (Liz Kendall) to finally take back control of our children’s safety online. Tackling misinformation and disinformation is also a part of creating safe online spaces. I have been leading,...
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Before the summer, I raised the concerns of my constituents in Hyndburn about the proposals for a Pennine-Lancs authority, which could become the most deprived in the country. As Ministers undertake the review, will they look at that issue very closely and consider...
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Before the summer, I raised the concerns of my constituents in Hyndburn about the proposals for a Pennine-Lancs authority, which could become the most deprived in the country. As Ministers undertake the review, will they look at that issue very closely and consider...
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of an equitable mobility arrangement, separate to the Freedom of Movement arrangement, between the UK and the EU.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of an equitable mobility arrangement, separate to the Freedom of Movement arrangement, between the UK and the EU.
This Government is committed to ensuring opportunities for young British citizens to live, work, study, and travel across the European Union. That is why at the 2025 UK-EU Summit, we agreed to negotiate a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU, providing an invaluable form of cultural exchange. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped, subject to a visa requirement, as well as time-limited, ensuring any impact of the scheme is controlled. This will give young people the opportunity to travel, work and study overseas. The exact parameters of the scheme are subject to ongoing negotiations.
The Secretary of State mentioned in his statement that part of the driver of the proposals is that he wants to do something about areas of high deprivation. However, the plans presented today would make East Lancashire one of the most deprived unitary authorities in the country. What will the...
The Secretary of State mentioned in his statement that part of the driver of the proposals is that he wants to do something about areas of high deprivation. However, the plans presented today would make East Lancashire one of the most deprived unitary authorities in the country. What will the...
Haslingden Old Road in my constituency has been shut for two years due to a landslip. Will the Minister support me in urging Reform-led Lancashire county council to get this road reopened, as it is such a vital backbone going through my constituency?
Haslingden Old Road in my constituency has been shut for two years due to a landslip. Will the Minister support me in urging Reform-led Lancashire county council to get this road reopened, as it is such a vital backbone going through my constituency?
I encourage the local authority to get a grip of this issue. Of course, Reform-led councils do not have a great record. It is the party with the most councils that are red-rated on potholes and so on, and I encourage it to take action on this issue.
Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that it is incredibly important that there is certainty that the reforms we are making will create a better system, rather than risk making things worse?
Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that it is incredibly important that there is certainty that the reforms we are making will create a better system, rather than risk making things worse?
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to universal credit migration, what steps the Department is taking to ensure complaints are resolved within the 25-working-day statutory timeframe, particularly where claimant health is at risk.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to universal credit migration, what steps the Department is taking to ensure complaints are resolved within the 25-working-day statutory timeframe, particularly where claimant health is at risk.
The Department is committed to resolving complaints relating to Move to Universal Credit as quickly and effectively as possible, particularly where a claimant's health or wellbeing may be at risk. Cases involving vulnerability, safeguarding concerns or health risks are prioritised and escalated where appropriate, and complaint handlers are trained to identify and support vulnerable customers.
The Department’s aims to respond to complaint within 15 working days or, where a case will take longer than 15 days to respond to, set a resolution plan with the customer where cases are complex and may take longer. A resolution plan is a clear outline of how we will address and resolve a complaint. It sets out what actions will be taken, who is responsible, and the expected timescales for completing these actions.
The Department recognises that complaint response times have not consistently met expected standards in recent months due to increased volumes and a rise in complex cases.
Improving timeliness of responses remains a key operational priority.
To address this, the Department has taken urgent action to deploy additional resources to complaints and correspondence teams, prioritised the reduction of backlogs, strengthened performance monitoring and senior oversight, and improved case management processes to support faster and more consistent responses.
The Department remains committed to providing a fair, timely and compassionate service, while ensuring that vulnerable customers and those whose health may be at risk receive appropriate support and attention.
Shabir Ahmed’s crimes are the worst imaginable, and we are all just horrified to learn that he has now been released. As the Government look at every option to remove this vile individual, can the Minister confirm when he expects to bring forward those options and legal solutions to this...
Shabir Ahmed’s crimes are the worst imaginable, and we are all just horrified to learn that he has now been released. As the Government look at every option to remove this vile individual, can the Minister confirm when he expects to bring forward those options and legal solutions to this...
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce delays and service issues with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce delays and service issues with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office.
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and GOV.UK.
We are making Capita work to restore, to contractual levels, administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme following its failed transition in December last year. Capita committed to restoring the service by the end of June. The Government is now undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the latest data provided by Capita post the end of June commitment.
We remain committed to holding Capita accountable. Should underperformance occur and the agreed firm end of June deadline not be met, the Government will not hesitate to take firm action, all commercial levers will be used and all options will be considered.
A dedicated 140-person government surge team was deployed to clear the 15,000 inherited unread emails and stabilise operations. Government has been clear that this support will remain in place until they are satisfied service levels have been restored, with an expectation of Capita picking up the cost (to be part of the post-recovery contractual settlement).
Does my hon. Friend agree that it would also give some comfort to my poor residents on both Ribblesdale Avenue in Accrington and Lyndon Park estate in Great Harwood, who are currently faced with the impending truth that FirstPort will shortly be their managing agent? They are rightly terrified about...
Does my hon. Friend agree that it would also give some comfort to my poor residents on both Ribblesdale Avenue in Accrington and Lyndon Park estate in Great Harwood, who are currently faced with the impending truth that FirstPort will shortly be their managing agent? They are rightly terrified about...
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken in response to delays and service issues in respect of the Teachers Pension Scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken in response to delays and service issues in respect of the Teachers Pension Scheme.
Providing a good quality of service for members is a key aim for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
The department consistently monitors the scheme administrator’s performance and maintains strong oversight through contract management processes and an independent Pension Board, which includes employer and member representatives, to ensure service standards are upheld.
Where examples of poor service are identified, the department’s contract management team engages directly with the scheme administrator to understand the issues and ensure improvements are made.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make Breaktime Plus more accessible to people; and if she will publish guidance on the running of Breaktime Plus.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make Breaktime Plus more accessible to people; and if she will publish guidance on the running of Breaktime Plus.
Breaktime Plus is a short breaks programme run by Lancashire County Council. Local authorities have a duty to publish their own short breaks offer, and the government has supported them in this by publishing the lessons learned from the Short Breaks Innovation Programme in February 2026. This report includes a range of approaches to improving the effectiveness, accessibility and efficiency of short breaks provision.
The government is also carefully considering the recommendations made by the Law Commission in its September 2025 report on disabled children's social care. The Commission highlighted the importance of short breaks as a key form of support for disabled children and their families. Ministers are considering the Commission's findings and recommendations and intend to publish the government's response in the autumn.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support people waiting for correct Remediable Service Statement and payment.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support people waiting for correct Remediable Service Statement and payment.
Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud remedy and for supporting their scheme’s members. I have written to scheme managers to remind them of their responsibilities to implement the remedy as quickly as possible and ensure that scheme members and the Pensions Regulator are kept informed of progress and plans.
Before being elected to this place, I spent many years looking at how we can tackle the NEET crisis. Does the Secretary of State agree that we should be ambitious for our young people and aim to have 0% NEETs?
Before being elected to this place, I spent many years looking at how we can tackle the NEET crisis. Does the Secretary of State agree that we should be ambitious for our young people and aim to have 0% NEETs?
I have discussed this with my hon. Friend. There are great schools I have visited that have a record of NEET zero. They do that by paying attention to employability and work right from year 7, so I believe there is more that can be done to reduce the figure and put work and opportunity at the heart of the reform of the system that we are bringing forward.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to help increase enrichment activities for children and young people in educational settings in Hyndburn.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to help increase enrichment activities for children and young people in educational settings in Hyndburn.
The department is committed to ensuring all young people across England can access a wide range of enrichment opportunities at school and college, as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure all children deserve a childhood with a wide range of things to do away from screens.
In our response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and in the Every Child Achieving and Thriving Schools White Paper, we set out our ambition to introduce an enrichment entitlement for every pupil, underpinned by a core enrichment offer that every school and college should aim to provide.
This is supported by the new Enrichment Framework, which sets out benchmarks, case studies and practical tools to help schools and colleges plan high-quality enrichment more strategically.
We are also putting in place support for wider provision, including through PE and School Sport Partnerships, Music Hubs, and the £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme, delivered with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, supporting up to 400 schools in the most deprived areas of England to meet these benchmarks. ‘Every Child Can’, funded through the Dormant Assets Scheme, will deliver £132.5 million for new activities programmes delivered through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision, structured around the same five categories as the Enrichment Framework.
While our brave servicemen and women were defending our national interests over the weekend, today it has been reported by the BBC that Russian state operatives were linked with arson attacks on our Prime Minister. Just last week, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was meeting Errol Musk in Russia, and the hon. Member...
While our brave servicemen and women were defending our national interests over the weekend, today it has been reported by the BBC that Russian state operatives were linked with arson attacks on our Prime Minister. Just last week, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was meeting Errol Musk in Russia, and the hon. Member...
What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of places that young people can go to outside school.
What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of places that young people can go to outside school.
It is an incredible honour to speak today in this debate on the life and legacy of Jo Cox, and particularly challenging to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) and her incredibly moving words. It just makes those of us who were not Jo’s...
It is an incredible honour to speak today in this debate on the life and legacy of Jo Cox, and particularly challenging to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) and her incredibly moving words. It just makes those of us who were not Jo’s...
I have similar fond memories, as I was also a member of the Tower Hamlets constituency Labour party for many years. I am sure that my hon. Friend remembers the important role Jo played there, not least because it has frankly been a difficult place to do politics for many...
I have similar fond memories, as I was also a member of the Tower Hamlets constituency Labour party for many years. I am sure that my hon. Friend remembers the important role Jo played there, not least because it has frankly been a difficult place to do politics for many...
Does my hon. Friend agree that we would be wise to heed the warning of what happened in the run-up to the first world war in Germany? Fundamentally, radio was a new media then, and there was no regulation of it. Where we landed was the first world war. If...
Does my hon. Friend agree that we would be wise to heed the warning of what happened in the run-up to the first world war in Germany? Fundamentally, radio was a new media then, and there was no regulation of it. Where we landed was the first world war. If...