Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve (a) enforcement and (b) arrears recovery in child maintenance cases where the paying parent resides abroad.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can only be used where the receiving parent, paying parent and any qualifying children are all habitually resident in the United Kingdom (UK). The CMS does not have jurisdiction where this does not apply.
The process for handling cases where the paying parent may be non-resident in the UK is managed according to a range of international treaties under the umbrella term REMO (Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders).
The UK has arrangements with a number of other countries and territories that allow a parent with care to claim maintenance from a non-resident parent resident in one of those countries. REMO can be used to register and enforce child maintenance orders internationally, or for example, when the paying parent is habitually resident in the UK but has assets and/or income in another country. If the paying parent has moved to an EU country, The CMS may be able to enforce collection of outstanding child maintenance arrears.
The CMS works closely with the Ministry of Justice, with whom the process is managed by, and the CMS's caseworkers are trained to signpost parents to that department for advice.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for agreeing the final funding arrangements for rebuilding Weybridge Health Centre.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The business case for the rebuild of Weybridge Health Centre has recently been submitted by Surrey Heartlands ICB to NHS England for review. In parallel, the NHS Property Services Board will be asked to approve the capital funding for this project and authority to enter into the contract. Subject to these approvals the new health centre will be fully completed in 2027.Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The Government has a responsibility to make sure that any legislation that passes through Parliament is effective and enforceable. Assessments were made of individual amendments to the bill to inform advice to Parliament on their workability, where major workability concerns were identified.
The bill, and decisions on amendments, remains a matter for Parliament.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 60552 on Prime Minister: Social Media, whether large language models are used in the preparation of the Prime Minister's social media posts.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 24 June 2025, Official Report, PQ 60552.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) the prevalence of the use of large language models in the preparation of UCAS personal statements and (b) the potential impact of the use of large language models in UCAS personal statements on the likelihood of applications being successful.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The personal statement is an opportunity for applicants to showcase their ambitions, skills and experiences. As such, it is important that students use their own words to accurately reflect their unique qualifications and suitability for the chosen course.
The department is in regular contact with UCAS and have been assured that plagiarism is taken seriously, with methods and guidance in place to caution against using artificial intelligence tools, including large language models, to write personal statements.
UCAS have also consulted on future reform of the personal statement, and have worked with students, teachers and universities to devise a new format. In splitting the statement into a series of sections, this reform is aimed to simplify the process for students, and to ensure that universities hear from students in their own words.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister uses large language model software to help in drafting his social media posts.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
No, the Prime Minister does not use large language model software to help in drafting social media posts.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on the operation of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The Government also has a duty to the statute book and to ensure that the legislation, if passed, is effective, robust, and workable. This includes analysing the bill’s workability in relation to existing legislation, such as the Mental Health Act 1983. The bill also provides powers to issue guidance and codes of practice which could be used to ensure that there are no unintended effects on other legislation.
The Government has made a renewed focus on suicide prevention, and mental health is a key priority in its health mission within the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of level crossings on the economy, broken down by (a) region and (b) the UK's GDP.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Level crossings form part of the rail system of Great Britain, which plays a critical role in the development, economic growth, and social wellbeing of communities across the UK. By connecting communities and providing safe access to essential services and places of work, they also provide important benefits to local businesses and communities.
Given their integral role within the national rail network, the Department does not hold information on the specific impacts of level crossings on the UK or regional economies. However, Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Great Britain’s railways, will take account of the impact on local businesses and communities of any decisions it takes that affect level crossings.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister's post on X, dated 11 June 2025, whether she plans to use revenue raised from VAT on school fees for purposes other than education.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has taken a number of decisions on tax to stabilise the public finances and support public services. Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year.
To raise school standards for every child, and break down the barriers to opportunity, the government will increase the core schools budget by £2.0bn in real terms over this Spending Review (2023-24 to 2028-29). This provides a £4.7bn cash increase per year by 2028-29 (compared to 2025-26), which ensures average real terms growth of 1.1% a year per pupil.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of the use of large language models in the preparation of (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level course work; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of coursework as an effective and fair means of assessing candidates’ attainment.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Ofqual is the independent regulator of qualifications and assessments for England and is responsible for setting relevant rules and guidance, including in relation to malpractice. Ofqual published its approach to regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the qualifications sector in 2024, including its approach to managing malpractice risks associated with coursework. The policy document is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofquals-approach-to-regulating-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence-in-the-qualifications-sector/ofquals-approach-to-regulating-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence-in-the-qualifications-sector.
The Joint Council for Qualifications has also published guidance to give clarity to schools and colleges about the role they play in securing the authenticity of students’ work. This guidance, last updated in April 2025, provides schools and colleges with recommendations for both secure delivery of assessments and approaches for detection of where AI may have been inappropriately used.