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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of sanctions available to local government standards committees for the actions of town and parish councillors.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In December the Government launched a consultation seeking views on a range of measures to strengthen the standards and conduct framework that applies to all types and tiers of local authorities in England. The proposals consulted upon included a requirement for all principal authorities to convene formal standards committees to make decisions on code of conduct breaches, and the introduction of suspension of members for serious misconduct. We are now in the process of analysing the responses to the consultation to ensure we are taking full account of sector views on all of the measures proposed, and the Government Response will be issued in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing town and parish councils into scope of the local government ombudsman.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) provides members of the public with a vital complaints resolution service for when things go wrong with the public services they rely on. Their investigations provide the public with personal redress and improve the delivery of these services by local authorities. Most of their complaints are about key public services, such as children’s services, adult social care and homelessness.

The Government has no plans to bring town and parish councils within the LGSCO’s scope.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of audit requirements for town and parish councils following the abolition of the Audit Commission in 2015.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In December 2024, the government launched a strategy to overhaul the local audit system in England. Through the strategy and subsequent consultation response, the government has committed to a number of measures in relation to smaller bodies including to review the effectiveness of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return process for smaller bodies. The government will introduce legislation to move away from audit regimes based solely on thresholds to ensure a risk based and proportionate approach. As part of the wider reforms, the government is establishing the Local Audit Office (LAO) to streamline and oversee the currently fragmented system. In the longer term, the LAO’s appointment and contract management function will expand to include the smaller authorities’ appointment and assurance framework to minimise fragmentation in the system.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the average time taken to process claims for transport support through the Access to Work scheme; and what steps she is taking to reduce that time.

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

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. Access to Work does not differentiate between applications. Applications are processed in date order except for applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing, these are prioritised.

We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

In March 2025, DWP published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. Alongside this, we are considering further changes within the existing policy framework to reduce the backlog of applications.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) level of use of AI by students to complete assessments in (i) secondary, (ii) further and (iii) higher education and (b) the potential impact of use on the validity of academic qualifications.

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

The department policy paper on generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education sets out some of the opportunities and risks education establishments should be aware of when considering generative AI technologies, including use of AI in assessments. The policy paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-artificial-intelligence-in-education/generative-artificial-intelligence-ai-in-education.

The department is working to ensure teachers are equipped and supported to promote safe and appropriate use of AI.

Schools, colleges and awarding organisations need to continue taking reasonable steps, where applicable, to prevent malpractice involving the use of generative AI. Teachers know their pupils best and are experienced in identifying their individual pupils’ work.

A new departmental group will advise on digital, AI and technology to prepare children and young people for an AI and tech-enabled world, as well as promoting the use of AI and Edtech for better teaching and learning. Expert and evidence-informed recommendations will be produced.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has published guidance on AI use in assessments. This guidance provides teachers and exam centres with information to help them prevent and identify potential malpractice involving the misuse of AI. The JCQ guidance can be found here: https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/malpractice/artificial-intelligence/.

Ofsted and Ofqual both published policy papers in April 2024 outlining their approach to AI and Ofsted are currently updating their AI Strategy. The Office for Students will be including actions relating to AI in its upcoming 2025 to 2028 Strategy.

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis Amanda

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis James

Found: _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham Mrs Sarah Russell Daniel Francis James

Found: COMMITTEE STAGE Friday 25 April 2025 48 _NC40 Andrew Cooper Anna Dixon Connor Naismith Leigh Ingham

Found: installed at least 1.8m under agricultural land. 45 COMMITTEE STAGE Thursday 24 April 2025 _NC40 Andrew Cooper