Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 3 December 2024 (HL Deb col 395GC), what steps they are taking to upgrade the legacy technology systems in order to extend the operation of the Tell Us Once scheme in the future.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We undertake continuous upgrading of the system to ensure its stability and extensibility.

Currently, we are considering all the modernisation options for upgrading the Tell Us Once service, part of which includes what type of review might be necessary. It also means better understanding how the service might expand to meet the needs of wider government in future.

We will continue to work closely with government partners, third parties and citizens to ensure the Tell Us Once service meets citizens’ expectations. The most recent internal evaluations in February 2025 of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 92% for the online service.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to produce a timeline for conducting a review of the Tell Us Once service.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We undertake continuous upgrading of the system to ensure its stability and extensibility.

Currently, we are considering all the modernisation options for upgrading the Tell Us Once service, part of which includes what type of review might be necessary. It also means better understanding how the service might expand to meet the needs of wider government in future.

We will continue to work closely with government partners, third parties and citizens to ensure the Tell Us Once service meets citizens’ expectations. The most recent internal evaluations in February 2025 of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 92% for the online service.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the introduction of a universal priority services register for utility services.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government recognises the importance of identification and support for the vulnerable in utility services. My officials in the Department for Business and Trade are engaging with regulators and other government departments to establish the best way to achieve this and encourage regulators to progress work in this important area.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Church-owned hospices.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

Thanks to the pioneering work of Dame Cicely Saunders, many modern hospices started off as church-affiliated institutions. The majority of these organisations and charities have now become affiliated to Hospice UK, which supports over 200 hospices across the UK. Adult hospices in the UK receive on average only a third of their funding from the state, and for the rest, many rely on charitable support.

Professional bodies in the hospice sector have given written and oral evidence to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee to highlight their concerns about the legislation.

The precarious funding of palliative and end of life care means not everyone has full and equal access to the care that they need, which is one of the reasons why it is wrong to legislate for assisted suicide. It is crucial that the public funding that hospices currently receive does not come into question in relation to the provision of assisted suicide, should the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill pass.

Most recently, the Rt Revd Lord Bishop of London gave written evidence to the Bill Committee on behalf of the Church of England. The evidence can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmpublic/TerminallyIllAdults/memo/TIAB28.htm

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England has had with the leaders of other faith groups on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The Church of England General Synod voted on this issue in 2012 and 2022 and on both occasions there was near-unanimous opposition to a change in the law. The position of the Church has always been grounded in a concern for the welfare of the most vulnerable and the theological principles set out in scripture to care for those in need, the widow, orphan and stranger. The precarious funding of palliative and end of life care means not everyone has full and equal access to the care that they need, which is one of the reasons why it is wrong to legislate for assisted suicide. Most recently, the Rt Revd Lord Bishop of London gave written evidence to the Bill Committee on behalf of the Church of England. This evidence can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmpublic/TerminallyIllAdults/memo/TIAB28.htm

The House of Bishops and National Church Institutions are in regular dialogue with other churches and faiths in the UK. Leaders from a variety of faith traditions, including the Church of England, issued a joint statement in November 2024 against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and expressed their shared concerns with the legislation. You can read their letter here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/faith-leaders-join-oppose-bill-legalise-assisted-suicide

In April 2025 the Bishops of London, Gloucester, Bristol, Dover, Stepney, Croydon and Aston issued a joint letter with 105 other senior women of faith to highlight the impact of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill on vulnerable women

https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/in-the-news/2025/04/04/open-letter-from-women-of-faith-on-assisted-dying