Andy McDonald

The Secretary of State publishes Design Standards for Accessible Railway Stations, which licenced operators must follow whenever they install, renew or replace infrastructure or facilities in Great Britain.

Train and station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which must be approved by the Office of Rail and Road.  An ATP sets out, among other things, the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using its services and to facilitate such use.

The guidance states that operators must set out their policies regarding the carriage of mobility scooters and other mobility aids for mobility-impaired people on their trains. Operators must make the reasoning behind their policies clear, particularly with regard to any policy excluding the carriage of some or all mobility scooters and mobility aids.

Operators must also provide as part of their ATP a separate document that gives details of services and facilities at all of the stations they manage, and other stations called at by their services, including relevant stations operated by Network Rail.

This government is committed to making the railway more accessible. Since 2006, the Access for All Programme has upgraded more than 250 stations to deliver step free access across Great Britain. Details on the accessibility and facilities for each station can be found on the National Rail Enquires or individual train operating company websites.

All trains in service meet the relevant accessibility requirements and are built around accommodating wheelchair dimensions of 1200mm by 700mm but not mobility scooters.

Operators may offer a scooter card scheme which allows passengers to apply for a permit for the carriage of their scooter based on its dimensions and other relevant information reasonably requested by the operator. This flexibility is allowed by the ORR given the variety of mobility scooters, different types rolling stock that may call at an operator’s station (often for different operators’ services), as well as the potential infrastructure restrictions at stations. ORR require operators to publish clear information about what mobility scooters they do / don’t accept, and where and this information is available on operators’ websites.

Since 2010, over 8,800 new vehicles out of a fleet of over 15,200 vehicles have been ordered by train operators to replace vehicles that did not meet modern accessibility requirements.

Train and station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which must be approved by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).  An ATP sets out, among other things, the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using its services and to facilitate such use.

Operators may offer a scooter card scheme which allows passengers to apply for a permit for the carriage of their scooter based on its dimensions and other relevant information reasonably requested by the operator. This flexibility is allowed by the ORR given the variety of mobility scooters, different types rolling stock that may call at an operator’s station (often for different operators’ services), as well as the potential infrastructure restrictions at stations. ORR require operators to publish clear information about what mobility scooters they do / don’t accept, and where and this information is available on operators’ websites.

• From January to September 2024, the courts issued 1 immediate and 5 suspended disqualifications for driving.

• From January to December 2023, the courts issued 4 suspended disqualifications for driving.

• From January to December 2022, the courts issued 1 immediate and 8 suspended disqualifications for driving.

• From January to December 2021, the courts issued 1 immediate and 4 suspended disqualifications for driving.

• From January to December 2020, the courts issued 2 suspended disqualifications for driving.

Current legislation for driving license and passport removal requires repayment of the debt within six months, whereas legislation covering commitment to prison allows the courts to order the paying parent to repay debt in instalments over a two-year period. This longer period is generally more appropriate, so the commitment to prison power is used more often.

It should also be noted that these are actions of last resort and are intended to have a deterrent effect. The low number of sentences given may not reflect the number of people persuaded to pay by the prospect of these powers being used.

The data requested is not held centrally. To extract this data would involve the manual review of all relevant cases to identify those deduction orders with an error and the reason which would be at a cost to the department and taxpayer.

CMS has taken positive steps to ensure the correct administration of deduction orders. Improvements include updates to CMS computer system 2012, amendments to operational procedures and inclusion in the Quality Assurance framework.

When any error is identified CMS undertake a thorough review of the case and action to correct the error. Each case is used as a learning opportunity with staff and to review and update our operational procedures to prevent future reoccurrences.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) encourages paying parents to pay their maintenance on time in order to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Service is committed to using its wide-ranging enforcement powers proportionately to recover the debt and re-establish compliance to ensure children receive the financial support they need and deserve.

When appropriate, CMS can implement one of two types of deduction order, Regular deduction order (RDO) or Lump sum deduction order (LSDO).

The Department has a range of safeguards in place to prevent deductions from pushing people in to poverty. Decisions about enforcement actions are made on a case-by-case basis, considering the welfare of all parties, potential financial hardship of paying parents, and the most appropriate action to give the greatest chance of securing money for children. RDOs should not exceed 40 per cent of the paying parent's gross weekly income, and LSDOs can only be made if the account has a credit balance above a minimum amount of £110.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the accessibility of the appeals process for Regular Deduction Order (RDO) or Lump Sum deduction Order (LSDO) seriously.

Guidance on how to appeal the deduction order is enclosed with the final lump sum deduction order letter when it is sent to the paying parent. The guidance clearly points out the time limits associated with an appeal.

The Family Court rules determine the 21 days afforded to appeal a deduction order is absolute. Neither CMS nor the courts have the power to extend the period to appeal beyond 21 Days.

The Judicial Review Team is aware that the Family Courts in England and Wales are experiencing unprecedented demand for their services and as such there is a delay in responding to customers’ deduction order appeals. To mitigate matters for the customer, measures have been put in place to hold the secured funds with the deposit taker for longer provided the customer can provide evidence the appeal was filed in the court within the 21-day appeal window.

The Judicial Review Team do investigate the lawfulness of the application of the deduction order. If errors are identified, action is taken to remedy those errors. This may involve reducing the amount of the sums frozen or discharging the funds completely. However, if the deduction order is lawful the Judicial Review Team will mount a defence to the appeal instructing a solicitor from the Government Legal Department to assist. Appeals are determined by a District Judge sitting in the Family Court.

Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024.

The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.

NHS England is currently working on the national ADHD data improvement plan, and is engaging with system and stakeholder partners to quality assure this work with a view to publication once it has been through NHS England’s internal assurance and governance processes.

People in prison are entitled to the same range and quality of health services that they would receive in the community. Offender health services are commissioned by NHS England.

All people in prison should receive an early health screening within the first 24 hours of entry, and a further health assessment within seven days. The initial assessment is fully comprehensive, to ensure that all physical and mental health needs are identified, including if the person has a brain injury, and where appropriate, that treatment is commenced at an early stage.

Health services in prison include health screening, primary care, secondary mental health, and substance misuse services. Where services cannot be provided in prison, prisoners are supported to access services with an appropriate escort.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.

Local authorities further have a duty to shape their care markets and commission a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.