Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to ensure that her Department is adequately prepared for Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 11 September.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ahead of Second Reading, the Department carried out standard preparations, including publishing an impact assessment and other bill products. That work has now ceased.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to support the economic empowerment of women and girls in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is dedicated to breaking down barriers to economic opportunity for women and girls in every part of the country, including Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, and to national initiatives that address the gender pay gap.
Through policies including the Invest in Women Taskforce and the Investing in Women Code, we want women-led businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across Staffordshire to gain fair access to finance, angel investment and venture funding.
Currently, the national gender pay gap stands at 12.8%. The Office for National Statistics releases annual data on the national gender pay gap, including breakdowns by region and constituency, which can be accessed at:
As part of the Employment Rights Act, we have launched action plans encouraging large employers to publish not just what their gender pay gap is, but the concrete actions they are taking to address it, as well as how they are supporting employees experiencing menopause. These action plans will help employers to tackle the barriers that women face in the workplace and better harness their skills.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the gender pay gap.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is dedicated to breaking down barriers to economic opportunity for women and girls in every part of the country, including Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, and to national initiatives that address the gender pay gap.
Through policies including the Invest in Women Taskforce and the Investing in Women Code, we want women-led businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across Staffordshire to gain fair access to finance, angel investment and venture funding.
Currently, the national gender pay gap stands at 12.8%. The Office for National Statistics releases annual data on the national gender pay gap, including breakdowns by region and constituency, which can be accessed at:
As part of the Employment Rights Act, we have launched action plans encouraging large employers to publish not just what their gender pay gap is, but the concrete actions they are taking to address it, as well as how they are supporting employees experiencing menopause. These action plans will help employers to tackle the barriers that women face in the workplace and better harness their skills.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help tackle pay disparities for ethnic minority people in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are committed to delivering our manifesto commitment to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers.
This will provide transparency and vital data to help businesses identify and address ethnicity and disability pay gaps within their workforces. We are working on this urgently and will introduce legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
We have also committed to making the right to equal pay effective for disabled people and those from ethnic minority groups. This will help fulfil our aim to ensure that hard work provides opportunities fairly. We recently launched a consultation on our equal pay and pay discrimination proposals to create legislation that works for everyone. The consultation will close on 27 October 2026.
These measures will help tackle pay disparities for ethnic minority groups and disabled people across Great Britain.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help tackle pay disparities for disabled people in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are committed to delivering our manifesto commitment to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers.
This will provide transparency and vital data to help businesses identify and address ethnicity and disability pay gaps within their workforces. We are working on this urgently and will introduce legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
We have also committed to making the right to equal pay effective for disabled people and those from ethnic minority groups. This will help fulfil our aim to ensure that hard work provides opportunities fairly. We recently launched a consultation on our equal pay and pay discrimination proposals to create legislation that works for everyone. The consultation will close on 27 October 2026.
These measures will help tackle pay disparities for ethnic minority groups and disabled people across Great Britain.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to tackle fraud in the welfare system since 1 January 2026.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since the Autumn Budget 2024 DWP has committed to delivering gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030-31 from fraud, error and debt activity
In 2026, the Department has continued to strengthen its approach to tackling fraud and error across the welfare system through increased operational activity, the use of new powers, and targeted interventions to identify incorrect claims. These activities include:
- investments to deploy up to 3,000 additional staff within counter fraud teams,
- delivering the extension of Targeted Case Reviews (TCR) in Universal Credit to check accuracy of claims at risk of being incorrect,
- introducing Pension Credit Claim Reviews (PCCR) to check claims at risk of being incorrect,
- the implementation of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 (PAFER) which introduces new powers to better identify, prevent and deter fraud and error
- and continuing to seek prosecutions in the courts for those who commit benefit fraud.
Overall, levels of benefit fraud are the lowest since the pandemic and currently stand at 2.2%, compared to a peak of 3.0% in FYE 2022.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England has taken to support people on low-incomes in rural communities since 1 January 2026.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to help tackle poverty in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent steps the Church of England has taken to support community cohesion in its parishes.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support a) youth democracy and b) the work of the UK Youth Parliament.
Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to strengthening young people’s participation in democratic processes and decision-making. Through the Be Seen and Heard chapter of Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy, we set out our ambition to strengthen young people’s participation in decision-making at both national and local levels.
This Government has committed to lowering the voting age to 16 for all elections, ensuring young people have the information and support they need to participate fully in the democratic process, and establishing new Youth Councils across England. We will also test and learn from different approaches to involving young people in local funding decisions.
Over the summer, my Department has worked directly with young people and the youth sector to understand what support young people need to influence decisions at both national and local levels. Their views will inform the development of our youth empowerment programmes and help ensure that young people can participate meaningfully as more decisions are taken closer to local communities.
My Department is also supporting the UK Youth Parliament during 2026/27. This provides young people from across the UK with opportunities to represent their peers, campaign on the issues that matter to them, and make their voices heard by decision-makers, including through its annual sitting in the House of Commons.