Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with police forces on moving the criminal investigation by South Yorkshire Police into the alleged abuse of grooming gang victims by South Yorkshire Police officers to an independent body.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Following discussions between the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), South Yorkshire Police, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), it has been formally agreed that the investigation will now be carried out by the NCA under the direction and control of the IOPC.
In line with the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair of the National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, once appointed, will play a central role in shaping the inquiry’s Terms of Reference. These will be published in draft and consulted on with stakeholders, including victims and survivors, before being finalised. The Inquiry will have full statutory powers to investigate systemic and institutional failings wherever they are found. Where the Inquiry finds evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing, it will provide the material to the relevant police force for investigation.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the scope of the National Grooming Gang Inquiry will include investigations into alleged abuse inflicted on grooming gang victims by police officers.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Following discussions between the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), South Yorkshire Police, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), it has been formally agreed that the investigation will now be carried out by the NCA under the direction and control of the IOPC.
In line with the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair of the National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, once appointed, will play a central role in shaping the inquiry’s Terms of Reference. These will be published in draft and consulted on with stakeholders, including victims and survivors, before being finalised. The Inquiry will have full statutory powers to investigate systemic and institutional failings wherever they are found. Where the Inquiry finds evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing, it will provide the material to the relevant police force for investigation.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the Ambulance Response Programme in the East Midlands Ambulance Service .
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government accepts that urgent and emergency care performance has, in recent years, been short of the standards the public rightly expect. We are determined to put things right.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan for 2025/26 commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, ensuring ambulances are released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.
We have already seen improvements in response times across the country, including in the East Midlands. The latest national figures for the East Midlands show that Category 2 'emergency incidents' were responded to in 32 minutes 35 seconds on average. This is faster than the 36 minutes 8 seconds seen in July 2024.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20277 on Mohamed Iidow, what the immigration status was for Mohamed Lidow at the time he committed the manslaughter and rape of Natalie Shotter.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not comment on individual cases. We have a responsibility not to disclose any information relating to an individual's immigration or citizenship status, as well as complying with our general duty of confidentiality.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the immigration status was for Ayman Adams when he sentenced for a sexual assault in Wakefield.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not comment on individual cases. We have a responsibility not to disclose any information relating to an individual's immigration or citizenship status, as well as complying with our general duty of confidentiality.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has considered the potential merits of extending the access to work scheme to fund train tickets.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.
The grant provides personalised support and workplace assessments, travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment.
Access to work funding is used to support people’s ability to travel to work, it can fund a support worker, such as a travel buddy, to help on train journeys. Access to Work pays for the practical support that enables a person with eligible disabilities or health conditions to travel.
Access to Work wouldn’t normally consider making payments to a customer if they can use suitable public transport but consideration will be made on disability, illness or health condition that may improve or get worse over time.
The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application. Case managers will use the current guidance to ensure Access to Work principles are considered when making a decision on support.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has considered the potential merits of extending the period for additional claims on the War Pension Scheme to six months.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
There are no plans to change the time limits associated with claims under the War Pension Scheme to six months. It may be helpful to explain that this time limit does not prevent a claim for additional benefits being made after three months. If a claim for additional benefits is made after this time limit, the additional payments are made from the date of that claim. Whereas, if additional benefits are claimed within the time limit, payments will be backdated to the date of the original claim.
The current process ensures timely support for claimants, preserves administrative efficiency, and safeguards the fairness and sustainability of the scheme. Claimants are made aware of this timeframe, but exceptions to it exist, such as if the claimant was unable to make a claim due to exceptional circumstances, or if new evidence comes to light that was not previously available.