Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of auto-enrolling eligible children on to free school meals in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. It will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

To support take-up, the department provides an Eligibility Checking System so that eligibility can be checked as quickly and straightforwardly as possible. The department is pressing ahead with an upgraded Eligibility Checking System which will allow parents to check their own eligibility, making it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities, including in Stoke-on-Trent South, to register eligible children for FSM.

The department is aware of locally led approaches to boost take-up of free lunches. To support these approaches, we are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on data sharing that will make it easier to identify families who are eligible to make a claim. We expect to have these in place well ahead of the 2026 academic year.

Departmental officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider how enrolment may be supported through the Universal Credit claims process.

The department will monitor the impact of these policies and engage with local authorities to assess the impact that these changes are having on uptake of FSM.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of workplace disability adjustments for visually impaired employees.

Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides protection against disability discrimination. This protection ensures any person with a condition that meets the Act’s definition of disability - that is, “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-day activities” will be covered.

As is with all provisions under the Act, it is for a person who feels that they have been discriminated against (including an alleged failure to make a reasonable adjustment) to make a claim against a service provider or employer.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to (a) PIP eligibility and (b) the Daily Living component on claimants in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Estimates of the volumes of PIP claimants affected by the reform in the future are forecast for England and Wales only and therefore have not been broken down by Parliamentary Constituency or any other geographic area.

There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 subject to parliamentary approval.

PIP changes will only apply at to current claimants at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.

After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change. Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.

The proportion of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment daily living component who were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities, by Parliamentary Constituency, is available as part of the Pathways to Work Evidence Pack in Chapter 2, table 2.26.

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who did not score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment as conditions change over time.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I am leading, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress her Department has made on (a) preventing discrimination in (i) agencies and (ii) small recruiters when hiring disabled applicants and (b) monitoring employers' compliance with the Equal Opportunities Act.

Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)

The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal. The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace, including in recruitment. Guidance has been published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Acas, to help employers - including agencies and small businesses - follow the law and for employees and applicants to understand their rights.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for monitoring compliance with the legislation and providing guidance on reasonable workplace adjustments. Duties and protections under the Equality Act are ultimately enforceable through the courts, and anybody who meets the Act’s definition of a disabled person and who thinks that they have been discriminated against can take legal action to seek to resolve the issue, at an employment tribunal.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the performance of Severn Trent Water and (b) potential impact of water pollution on the environment.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Severn Trent has delivered a 4-star EPA performance for the past 5 years which is sector-leading. However, 2024 data demonstrated an increase in pollution incidents. The EA demands improved performance by implementing their action plans to improve their Water Resources and Waste License compliance.

The EA assesses compliance against environmental permits and takes enforcement action where failures occur.

Severn Trent’s AMP8 WINEP 2025-2030 will invest £6.4 billion into environmental schemes, which is significantly larger than other water companies. They are investing £566 million in their Green Recovery programme in innovative projects to improve the environment.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that new build estates include adequate provision of (a) bungalows, (b) ramp access and (c) other accessible housing needs.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 50375 on 23 May 2025 and UIN 53184, on 27 May 2025.

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Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Steve Race

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner

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Found: Marsha De Cordova Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Carla Denyer Mr Angus MacDonald Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Asato Marsha De Cordova Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Carla Denyer Mr Angus MacDonald Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Hinchliff Sarah Russell Michelle Welsh Connor Naismith Rachel Taylor Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Presented by Alex McIntyre supported by Jess Asato, Emily Darlington, Catherine Fookes, Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Hinchliff Sarah Russell Michelle Welsh Connor Naismith Rachel Taylor Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Charlotte Nichols Juliet Campbell Anna Dixon Jess Asato Kim Johnson Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Charlotte Nichols Juliet Campbell Anna Dixon Jess Asato Kim Johnson Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Charlotte Nichols Juliet Campbell Anna Dixon Jess Asato Kim Johnson Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Charlotte Nichols Juliet Campbell Anna Dixon Jess Asato Kim Johnson Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Asato Marsha De Cordova Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Carla Denyer Mr Angus MacDonald Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Charlotte Nichols Juliet Campbell Anna Dixon Jess Asato Kim Johnson Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Harding Tim Farron Lewis Cocking Sarah Olney Rebecca Paul Maya Ellis Jim Allister Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Barry Gardiner Tim Farron Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Liam Conlon Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Barry Gardiner Tim Farron Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Liam Conlon Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Charlotte Nichols Juliet Campbell Anna Dixon Jess Asato Kim Johnson Tonia Antoniazzi Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Ryan Ms Polly Billington Carla Denyer Danny Beales Charlotte Nichols Emily Darlington Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Withdrawn after debate_NC1 Gareth Snell Leigh Ingham Adam Jogee Jacob Collier Dr Allison Gardner