Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she expects the Equality and Human Rights Commission to update its code of practice following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Bridget Phillipson - Minister for Women and Equalities
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. The EHRC are currently updating their Code of Practice to reflect the ruling. The Government is engaging with them on this and expect them to work quickly and thoroughly, hearing from a wide range of voices. Ministers will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the efficiency of Veterans UK in processing injured veterans' claims.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I regularly meet the Chief Executive of Defence Business Services, most recently on 29 April 2025 to discuss performance and related issues. The average clearance times for Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and War Pension Scheme (WPS) claims are currently higher than target, and we are focused on bringing these down. I am pleased to say volumes and clearance times of AFCS claims have begun to fall.
The digitalisation and consolidation of claimants' data from hardcopy records and the thirty-year-old legacy database into a single, whole-scheme IT system will lead to improving long-term efficiency and service delivery for Serving personnel, Veterans and their dependants. However, this has unfortunately led in the short term to disruptions processing claims during the transition period, and officials are working hard to clear the backlog.
Whilst we continue to make every effort to improve processing times, some aspects such as requirements to obtain supporting evidence from third parties outside the department can contribute to longer processing times.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to increase the amount of support it provides to injured veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure Veterans get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. This year, we will set out our plans for Veterans in our updated Veterans’ Strategy. This Government will always stand up for those who have served our country.
Veterans who are resident in England can access specialist care for physical and mental health conditions via Op RESTORE and Op COURAGE respectively. Alternative provision is available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as responsibility for health is devolved.
Veterans UK, which is part of the Ministry of Defence, provides free support for Veterans and their families, including a helpline, Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and injury/bereavement compensation scheme payments.
The Ministry of Defence runs two main compensation schemes – Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pension Scheme. Both Schemes provide compensation for injury or illness caused by Service. Eligible Veterans are entitled to make a claim, the details of which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-armed-forces-compensation-or-a-war-pension
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of indecent exposure to women were reported in rural areas in each of the latest years for which data is available.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) on the prevalence of indecent exposure experienced by adults in England and Wales. The most recent statistics can be found in tables S41 and S42 of the Annual Supplementary Tables for the year ending March 2024, split by men and women, and by whether the respondent experienced indecent exposure any time since age 16, or within the last year. A time series for the prevalence of indecent exposure in the last year back to the year ending March 2013, split by men and women, can be found in tables S43a, S43b, and S43c. These can be accessed at:
More detailed statistics from the CSEW on indecent exposure and other VAWG related offences broken down by output area classification and area type, including rural areas, can be found in table 8 of the Sexual offending: Crime Survey for England and Wales appendix tables. These data cover the period up to the year ending March 2018, and can be accessed at:
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of indecent exposure offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales. This information can be accessed at:
This does not include a breakdown on the location of crimes, which is not published by the Home Office.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support women's safety in rural areas.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Ensuring women and girls’ safety is a top priority for this Government. We have set out an unprecedented mission to halve the level of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. That means working across Government to tackle threats to women’s safety in all areas of their lives and across the country including in rural areas.
The Safer Streets Mission is driving delivery across Government to achieve this. We are spearheading a cross-Government approach to preventing and tackling VAWG through the Safer Streets Mission Board, ensuring that all of Government is focused on achieving our mission.
We will set out concrete measures to halving VAWG in a new cross-Government VAWG strategy to be published later this year. Our aim is to deliver transformative change to all areas of society.
It is vital that victims of VAWG have access to the support they need when they need it most, including those living in rural areas. That is why the Home Office continues to fund organisations providing vital frontline support to victims of VAWG nationally, including a range of specialist national helplines which provide guidance and support to all victims.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of violence against women and girls were reported in rural areas in each of the latest years for which data is available.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) on the prevalence of indecent exposure experienced by adults in England and Wales. The most recent statistics can be found in tables S41 and S42 of the Annual Supplementary Tables for the year ending March 2024, split by men and women, and by whether the respondent experienced indecent exposure any time since age 16, or within the last year. A time series for the prevalence of indecent exposure in the last year back to the year ending March 2013, split by men and women, can be found in tables S43a, S43b, and S43c. These can be accessed at:
More detailed statistics from the CSEW on indecent exposure and other VAWG related offences broken down by output area classification and area type, including rural areas, can be found in table 8 of the Sexual offending: Crime Survey for England and Wales appendix tables. These data cover the period up to the year ending March 2018, and can be accessed at:
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of indecent exposure offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales. This information can be accessed at:
This does not include a breakdown on the location of crimes, which is not published by the Home Office.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of indecent exposure to women were reported in each of the latest years for which data is available.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) on the prevalence of indecent exposure experienced by adults in England and Wales. The most recent statistics can be found in tables S41 and S42 of the Annual Supplementary Tables for the year ending March 2024, split by men and women, and by whether the respondent experienced indecent exposure any time since age 16, or within the last year. A time series for the prevalence of indecent exposure in the last year back to the year ending March 2013, split by men and women, can be found in tables S43a, S43b, and S43c. These can be accessed at:
More detailed statistics from the CSEW on indecent exposure and other VAWG related offences broken down by output area classification and area type, including rural areas, can be found in table 8 of the Sexual offending: Crime Survey for England and Wales appendix tables. These data cover the period up to the year ending March 2018, and can be accessed at:
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of indecent exposure offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales. This information can be accessed at:
This does not include a breakdown on the location of crimes, which is not published by the Home Office.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's home-to-school travel policy of the Children's Walking and Cycling Index, published by Sustrans on 26 February 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities already have a duty to promote the use of sustainable travel on journeys to and from places of education in their area. This includes children who are not eligible for free school travel provided by the local authority. Local authorities must publish a ‘sustainable modes of travel’ strategy which sets out their vision for improving the infrastructure for sustainable travel and promoting sustainable travel to places of education. It should aim to provide health benefits for children and their families through active journeys and environmental improvements through reduced congestion and improved air quality. Further information is available in the department's statutory guidance for local authorities, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.
Active Travel England is the government’s executive agency responsible for promoting walking, wheeling and cycling as the preferred choice of travel in England. They support local authorities with grant funding for the development and construction of walking, wheeling and cycling facilities and are responsible for a number of schemes which promote active travel to school. Further information can be found at: https://www.activetravelengland.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support the introduction of the School Streets scheme.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England and the Department for Transport have jointly published School Streets guidance to enable local authorities to deliver effective School Streets. Local authorities can use active travel revenue and capital funding to deliver School Streets, with more than 180 school streets already funded by Active Travel England.
School Streets are one of a range of measures that local authorities can deliver to make it safer and easier for children to walk, wheel and cycle to school. Other interventions supported by Active Travel England include infrastructure improvements on school routes and training and engagement activities such as Bikeability cycle training and Living Streets Walk to School Outreach programme.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of profits earned by (a) supermarkets and (b) food multinationals in the last five years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is not for the Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses.
We continue to monitor all key agricultural commodities. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.