Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the outcomes of the pilot launched in October 2024 to provide free mental health support for jurors who hear distressing cases in Crown Courts across England and Wales will be published.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Jury service is an important civic duty. Whilst many people find it worthwhile, we recognise that some trials can be challenging. There is no formal process for keeping in touch with jurors following service, and if a juror is left distressed by any aspect of their service, they are encouraged to seek specialist support through their GP, the NHS 111 helpline which includes a dedicated mental health option, or the Samaritans.
The enhanced support for jurors pilot concluded in March 2025 and the evaluation is expected to be published soon. The Government recognises the important role jurors play and is considering how best to strengthen support in light of the pilot evaluation.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HMCTS, the Ministry or another body has a formal process for keeping in contact with jurors hearing the most distressing cases after their jury service is complete.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Jury service is an important civic duty. Whilst many people find it worthwhile, we recognise that some trials can be challenging. There is no formal process for keeping in touch with jurors following service, and if a juror is left distressed by any aspect of their service, they are encouraged to seek specialist support through their GP, the NHS 111 helpline which includes a dedicated mental health option, or the Samaritans.
The enhanced support for jurors pilot concluded in March 2025 and the evaluation is expected to be published soon. The Government recognises the important role jurors play and is considering how best to strengthen support in light of the pilot evaluation.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support mental health support is available to jurors in Crown Courts that were not part of the pilot launched in October 2024.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Jury service is an important civic duty. Whilst many people find it worthwhile, we recognise that some trials can be challenging. There is no formal process for keeping in touch with jurors following service, and if a juror is left distressed by any aspect of their service, they are encouraged to seek specialist support through their GP, the NHS 111 helpline which includes a dedicated mental health option, or the Samaritans.
The enhanced support for jurors pilot concluded in March 2025 and the evaluation is expected to be published soon. The Government recognises the important role jurors play and is considering how best to strengthen support in light of the pilot evaluation.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of distressing cases on the health of jurors who hear those cases.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Jury service is an important civic duty. Whilst many people find it worthwhile, we recognise that some trials can be challenging. There is no formal process for keeping in touch with jurors following service, and if a juror is left distressed by any aspect of their service, they are encouraged to seek specialist support through their GP, the NHS 111 helpline which includes a dedicated mental health option, or the Samaritans.
The enhanced support for jurors pilot concluded in March 2025 and the evaluation is expected to be published soon. The Government recognises the important role jurors play and is considering how best to strengthen support in light of the pilot evaluation.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all paediatric departments have access to specialists trained in the diagnosis and treatment of Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS).
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) can be distressing conditions for children, young people, and their families, and that assessment and management can be clinically complex.
NHS England welcomes the formation of the PANS PANDAS Steering Group (PPSG), which includes representatives from key royal colleges, specialist clinical bodies, and the national charity PANS PANDAS UK. Since its establishment, the PPSG has launched several strategic initiatives to improve awareness, understanding, and care for affected children and young people. This includes the development of United Kingdom clinical guidelines and the formation of the PANS PANDAS Research Group and the Education, Social Care and Health Group.
Responsibility for commissioning and planning local health services sits with integrated care boards, which are expected to ensure local services have access to the appropriate clinical expertise to meet the needs of their populations and to consider emerging evidence and guidance as it develops.
The Department continues to support research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which welcomes funding applications into all aspects of human health, including PANS and PANDAS. As the evidence base strengthens, bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will consider whether updates to national guidance are appropriate.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123423 on Hospices: Children, how much has NHS England advised integrated care boards to give to each children's hospice in 2026/27 from the £80 million of NHS funding allocated for children’s hospices over the next three years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has informed all integrated care boards of their allocation for children and young people’s hospices for 2026/27, with a total allocation of approximately £27 million. The Department is not yet in a position to share those individual allocations publicly.
A similar value, adjusted for pay inflation, will be made available in each of the subsequent two years, 2027/28 and 2028/29. Communications regarding future allocations will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what detailed breakdown he has made of planned expenditure of allocated funding for the Carer's Allowance review of £20m in 2026-27, £35m in 2027-28 and £20m in 2028-29, including (a) reductions in overpayments made to carers, (b) staffing and administrative costs associated with the reassessment of overpayments and (c) IT and system changes following recommendations made by the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance overpayments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Available information is set out on page 19 of the Treasury Budget 2025 Policy Costings: Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many clearances for Carer's Allowance claims have been made involving carers' earnings being averaged since 3 September 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual claims and could be done only at disproportionate cost.