Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has plans to pause the onboarding of further GOV.UK Login services and identity verification requirements pending a proper independent review; and whether the Government has plans to introduce a statutory guarantee of free and equivalent non-digital alternatives.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
GOV.UK One Login’s rollout will continue because it simplifies access to government services for users and delivers significant benefits to the government.
The programme's delivery is tightly governed through departmental controls, HM Treasury oversight and independent assurance by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) as part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). GOV.UK One Login is also independently assured and certified under the UK Digital Verification Services Trust Framework.
One Login is not mandatory to use. Users who do not wish to or can’t use One Login also have alternative routes to accessing government services. The alternative route is decided by the relevant government service.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to review planning consents in the event of emergency drought orders.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Emergency drought orders are short-term measures used during an exceptional shortage of rain where a serious deficiency of water supplies exists. They enable water companies to restrict water use or provide emergency supplies through standpipes or water tanks.
Wider reforms to the water sector will strengthen regional planning by bringing together local authorities, water companies and developers to coordinate action on water resources and housing growth. We are also streamlining infrastructure delivery through planning reform, providing support for stronger supply chains and better regulatory oversight.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of attacks on higher education institutions in Gaza on access to education in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what steps he is taking to protect, support and help rebuild Palestinian universities.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict has caused catastrophic damage to Gaza's education system. The UK recognises the profound impact this has had on Palestinians' access to education.
The UK is supporting Gaza's early recovery and reconstruction, including through £10 million for the UN Horizon Fund, which supports a Palestinian-led, UN-coordinated approach to early recovery in critical sectors including education. We are also continuing to support eligible students from Gaza to take up places at UK universities.
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 Carer's Allowance claims were stopped in 2025, 2024 and 2023 because the person they look after went into hospital.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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 the current processing times are for new Carer's Allowance applications and what the processing times were on average in 2025 and 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Currently average processing time is 26.8 days. In parts of 2024 the average was as high as 38 days. However, this was reduced to 16.5 working days in 2025.
We are working to reduce the timeline. We are balancing current work pressures and the supply of experience Decision Makers (DM) to support the Carers Independent review (CA IR) which has meant that these times have been extended more recently.
Resourcing discussions are underway to ensure backfill is in place. However, decision maker training time is longer and can be 12 months to become fully productive for brand new staff.
In the meantime, 20 experienced AO-grade staff have been upskilled to undertake Decision Maker duties and provide additional support when available. Their deployment is considered alongside current pressures to ensure resources are directed to the highest priority areas.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to require Openreach to publish firm delivery dates for Full Fibre and reasons for delays where work has already begun.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Openreach and other broadband network suppliers are asked to report on their delivery plans to Building Digital UK (BDUK) via the broadband Open Market Reviews which currently take place three times per year. Openreach always provides a response to these reviews. The outcomes are published by BDUK in tabular format at Open Market Review (OMR) determinations and BDUK plans - GOV.UK.
The data is also available, along with information on planned delivery through Project Gigabit, via the government's broadband address checker at www.gov.uk/check-your-gigabit-broadband-availability.
All Project Gigabit contracts include measures and obligations regarding time and budget against which suppliers’ performance is monitored. However, broadband suppliers including Openreach are not required to publish reasons for any delays to their own commercial roll-outs.
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 steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of arrears owed through the Child Maintenance Service; and how much in arrears was collected in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a strong range of enforcement powers to address non-compliance, including deductions from earnings and bank accounts, the use of Enforcement Agents, disqualification from driving, passport disqualification, and committal to prison in the most serious cases.
But the Government is not complacent and has a comprehensive reform programme planned. It has confirmed its intention to remove Direct Pay and move to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay service.
There are also plans to introduce Administrative Liability Orders. These will replace the current requirement for the CMS to apply to the court for a liability order. Introducing a simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and will get money to children more quickly.
These changes combined will enable the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments more quickly, and take faster enforcement action.
We can confirm that in the year ending June 2026, the CMS collected £235.4 million in current maintenance and arrears through civil and administrative enforcement action, the highest amount recorded, compared with £202.1 million in the year ending June 2025 and £173.1 million in the year ending June 2024. In addition, only 7% of all maintenance that has been arranged since the launch of the 2012 scheme remains to be collected through Collect and Pay.
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 steps his Department is taking to prevent the Child Maintenance Service being used as a means of economic abuse.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes domestic abuse, including economic abuse, seriously and is committed to helping victims and survivors use the service safely. Caseworkers are trained to recognise domestic abuse, including coercive and financial control, and signpost parents to appropriate support. This training is reviewed every six months, with the CMS working with external organisations to ensure it remains effective and up to date.
The Government plans to reform child maintenance by removing Direct Pay and moving to a single service where the CMS monitors and transfers all payments. This will reduce opportunities for child maintenance payments to be used as a means of economic abuse, reduce the need for direct contact between parents, and enable the CMS to identify non-compliance and intervene more quickly when payments break down.
Ahead of these reforms, the CMS is making it easier for parents to move from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay, improving information about available support, and working with stakeholders to identify further support for victims and survivors throughout their CMS journey.
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, if they have plans to review the practical support that the Government intends to provide for people approaching retirement who are struggling financially or cannot continue working until State Pension age.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government recognises that some people approaching State Pension age may face financial hardship or be unable to continue working due to disabilities, health conditions, caring responsibilities or other barriers.
People who are struggling financially and have not yet reached State Pension age may be eligible for Universal Credit. Additional support is also available for disabled people, people with health conditions, or caring responsibilities that limits their ability to work.
Where people are facing financial hardship due to being unemployed but are able to work, the Department for Work and Pensions provides additional dedicated support for customers aged 50 and over in jobcentres. This includes through our 50PLUS Champions, who ensure that the specific needs of this age group are recognised and met by facilitating engagement with local employers, promoting age inclusive policies, and supporting work coaches to deliver activity locally. We also offer the Midlife MOT, which helps individuals assess their health, skills and finances, and directs them to appropriate guidance to support their return to work. In addition, our Employer and Partnership Teams work closely with local employers and partners to expand the opportunities, training and employment support available to customers aged 50 and over.
As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are creating a new Jobs and Careers Service, with an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Support will be more inclusive and tailored to individual needs, including those aged 50 and over, to help them find secure, meaningful work, develop skills and progress in work.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support households in Wales which rely on heating oil.
Answered by Anna McMorrin - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
This Government is providing breathing space to families in Wales who are reliant on heating oil.
Last week, we announced that we would suspend the 4% tariff on heating oil which will support the 105,000 Welsh households that rely on it to heat their homes. We have also provided £53 million to support low-income households with heating oil costs, including £3.8 million to support households in Wales.