Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring the Border Force to (a) check and (b) record the identities of people leaving the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Home Office reintroduced exit checks in April 2015. Working with carriers, exit checks routinely provide us with vital information that confirm a person’s exit from the UK. Details are set out at this link: Exit checks fact sheet - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase the effectiveness of the assessment process for Personal Independence Payments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health Transformation Programme is transforming the entire Personal Independence Payment service, from finding out about benefits through to decisions, eligibility, and payments. It will modernise the service to improve efficiency and customer experience. This includes introducing new options to apply online, improving how we gather health information, and tailoring the process to the customer’s needs and circumstances.
We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we will, in future, record assessments by default, unless the claimant asks that the assessment should not be recorded. This will give us the means to check what happened when an assessment is found later to have been incorrect, and, we expect, an effective lever for improvement
We have also launched a review of the PIP assessment, which I am leading. Through the review, we want to make sure the PIP assessment is fit for the future. We have now begun the first phase of this work which includes speaking to stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which organisations she plans to have discussions with during the review of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Through the review of the PIP assessment, we want to make sure that the PIP assessment is fit for the future. We have now begun the first phase of this review, during which I am speaking to stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review.
We will work closely with disabled people, the organisations that support them and other experts, to ensure that the voices of those who go through the PIP assessment and those with expertise in the system are embedded in the review.
We are committed to listening to and learning from people with a range of expertise and experience. As part of the review process, we will be engaging extensively with a variety of stakeholders to input and shape the direction of the review.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to introduce reforms to the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments before the conclusion of her Department's review of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the proposed reforms will take effect only at the point of a claimant’s next scheduled award review after November 2026.
In parallel, we have launched a comprehensive review of the PIP assessment process, which I shall lead. The review aims to ensure the assessment remains fit for the future and continues to support those with the greatest needs. We are currently in the first phase of this work, engaging with disabled people, representative organisations, and other stakeholders to shape the scope, timings, and approach of the review. The Terms of Reference will be published once this initial engagement is complete.
We envisage the Review as the vehicle for any changes to be made to the assessment.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of building the first British small modular reactor outside the UK on the UK manufacturing sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) has selected Rolls Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to deploy the UK's first SMRs, subject to final government approvals and contract signature.
Further details will follow in due course, but the government's long-term ambition is to bring forward one of Europe's first SMR fleets, with GBE-N's ambition being to deliver over 70% UK content across the fleet.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that British suppliers are used for Government-funded small modular reactors.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) has selected Rolls Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to deploy the UK's first SMRs, subject to final government approvals and contract signature.
Further details will follow in due course, but the government's long-term ambition is to bring forward one of Europe's first SMR fleets, with GBE-N's ambition being to deliver over 70% UK content across the fleet.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the construction of the first British-built small modular reactor on the UK’s manufacturing sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) has selected Rolls Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to deploy the UK's first SMRs, subject to final government approvals and contract signature.
Further details will follow in due course, but the government's long-term ambition is to bring forward one of Europe's first SMR fleets, with GBE-N's ambition being to deliver over 70% UK content across the fleet.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity, (b) capability and (c) competitiveness of the nuclear supply chain in the UK for the production of small modular reactors.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As the UK enters the new golden age of nuclear, the government will accelerate the growth of a robust and secure sector, collaborating across the supply chain to mitigate barriers to entry, develop policies that maximise domestic opportunities, and support access to international markets to drive exports.
Following a robust, two-year procurement process, Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) has selected Rolls Royce SMR as its preferred bidder to partner with to build the UK’s first small modular reactors, subject to final government approvals and contract signature. It is expected that an SMR project could support up to 3,000 skilled jobs.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue guidance to integrated care boards requiring them to protect the local place parts of their organisations when they are making their required spending reductions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce in size. The Government is supportive of NHS England’s decision and will work with NHS England to make the necessary choices that are needed to get the NHS back on its feet. We expect ICBs to continue to deliver their responsibilities, including the planning and delivery of health and care services. Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that the expected hundreds of millions of pounds savings made will be reinvested into frontline services to deliver better care for patients.
Further detail on the future of ICBs was provided in a letter issued to all ICBs and NHS trusts and foundation trusts on 1 April 2025. This letter is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/
Places are crucial for supporting the delivery of neighbourhood health, the three shifts, and the Health Mission. The Government continues to see place as a vital commissioning footprint within integrated care systems. Further details on this will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is her expected timetable for local authorities being given powers to licence exempt accommodation.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 39537, tabled on 19 March 2025.