Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the River Severn Partnership and Streetwave's Mobile Coverage Survey.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The River Severn Partnership commissioned the survey in support of its wider activities and projects as a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funded 5G Innovation Region.

The regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for measuring and reporting on network coverage. Ofcom’s improved consumer facing coverage checker, ‘Map Your Mobile’, went live on 26 June showing coverage data that should be more in line with people’s lived experience. More granular data, including at a local authority level, will be published as part of the Connected Nations 2025 report, expected later this year.

I am committed to continuing to work with Ofcom to improve the accuracy of reporting of mobile coverage across the UK. This remains a priority as set out in the proposed Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of access to work programmes for disabled people.

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

Numerous steps are being taken to improve the effectiveness of access to work programmes, so that more disabled people and those with health impairments are supported to thrive in employment. By the end of the Parliament, the Government will be investing £1 billion per year in employment support for these groups.

Connect to Work is being rolled out nationally, with the roll out due to be complete early next year. In a radical shift from previous schemes, programmes are being locally commissioned, but taking a high fidelity approach based on the Individual Placement and Support and Supported Employment Quality Framework approaches.

Access to Work aims to support the recruitment and retention of disabled people into employment. It is a personalised discretionary grant that provides support with workplace adjustments beyond an employer’s obligation as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. More details can be found at Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition - GOV.UK

As part of our Plan for Change, and as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published in March, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the programme to help more disabled people into work and support employers ensuring value for money for taxpayers. We will review all aspects of Access to Work after evaluating the findings of the Pathways to Work consultation.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published in November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.

We are discussing ideas for improving the Disability Confident Scheme, which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. More details can be found at Disability Confident employer scheme - GOV.UK. We have been discussing ideas for making the scheme criteria more robust, and officials are continuing to engage with stakeholders to discuss reform proposals.

In addition, DWP has a digital information service for employers, (www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk), which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health and other topics.

In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace and low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of cash intensive businesses for money laundering.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Cash intensive businesses can be exploited by criminals who seek to launder their cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, law enforcement may seize cash of £1,000 or more if they reasonably suspect it is derived from or intended for use in criminal activity, even without a criminal charge or conviction. In the financial year ending March 2024, £49.5 million in cash was seized.

Driving down money laundering is critical to this Government’s key missions to deliver safer streets and economic growth. Addressing cash-based money laundering is therefore one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), which sits within the National Crime Agency (NCA).

In March, the NECC, coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive business across England and Wales involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arrested 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.

This is the first phase of targeted action against criminals and organised crime groups who use high-street businesses to launder criminal monies. The Government is committed to working with the NCA and partners to reduce this threat.

Found: Independent; Canterbury) Kirith Entwistle (Labour; Bolton North East) Natalie Fleet (Labour; Bolsover) Catherine Fookes