Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of guaranteeing access to free banking services for small charitable groups at (a) Post Office branches and (b) banking hubs.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Charities and community groups make a valuable contribution across the country, and it is important that they can access suitable banking services in person and online.
Decisions about the provision of banking services, and associated fees, are primarily commercial matters for banks who must meet strict financial crime and customer due diligence obligations. Charities and community groups often have more complex account structures (for example, multiple trustees), making their banking needs more expensive and operationally demanding, which may explain the fees applied.
It is important for charities to shop around to ensure they pick the most appropriate banking product for their needs. UK Finance worked closely with the charity sector and Government to produce an ‘Account Finder’ tool designed exclusively for charities and voluntary organisations so they can browse providers and accounts easily, including their charges.
The Government understands the importance of banking services to communities and is committed to supporting the financial services industry’s roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 270 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 225 are already open.
Banking hubs provide personal and business customers with access to everyday counter services, including cash withdrawals and deposits, balance enquiries and bill payments. They also contain dedicated rooms where all customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out other banking services as they would in a traditional bank branch.
The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, and pay bills at over 10,000 of Post Office branches across the UK. Fees for these services remain a commercial decision for the bank providing the account.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on whether BNO partners and dependents can apply for ILR before the main BNO status holder becomes eligible, in circumstances where BNO partners and dependents have earlier BNO visa expiration dates than the main BNO status holder in their family.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The published guidance for BN(O) visa holders and their family members wishing to settle in the UK is published at: British National (Overseas) visa: Settle in the UK - GOV.UK.
The relevant guidance for caseworkers is available at: Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BNO) route: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on whether the BNO partners and dependents can apply for ILR with the main applicant before they become eligible, in circumstances where BNO partners and dependents have later BNO visa expiration dates than the main BNO status holder.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The published guidance for BN(O) visa holders and their family members wishing to settle in the UK is published at: British National (Overseas) visa: Settle in the UK - GOV.UK.
The relevant guidance for caseworkers is available at: Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BNO) route: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to enable local authorities to retain district and borough boundaries for the purpose of social housing allocation following the establishment of new unitary organisations.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities have discretion within the existing allocations framework to design allocation schemes that reflect local housing needs and priorities, including how stock is managed within a new unitary area.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March to Question 115912 on Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services, how many claimants have been put into housing arrears as a result of being migrated from ESA to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold the requested data. When someone transitions from Housing Benefit their first payment of Universal Credit will be made 5 weeks later. To help bridge this gap, an additional payment of two week’s Housing Benefit is made, resulting in a customer receiving two weeks more Housing Benefit than if they had not moved. The Department is committed to supporting customers moving from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit and aims to make this transition as smooth as possible. To help achieve this, Transitional Protection has been designed to prevent customers from experiencing a cliff-edge in their benefit entitlement and is applied to customers who would otherwise have a lower entitlement on Universal Credit than they previously received on their legacy benefits.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of divorce hearings that have had to be (a) adjourned and (b) rescheduled as a result of delays in receiving cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) statements from (i) teachers and (ii) civil service pension administrators.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government does not hold data regarding the number of financial remedy hearings that have been adjourned as a result of delays in receiving cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) statements from teachers and civil service pension administrators.
As part of its 2024 scoping report on financial remedies, the Law Commission considered whether there was scope for reform in relation to the treatment of pensions on the division of assets on divorce. This Spring, the Government will be consulting on the challenges raised by the Law Commission in its report.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the uptake of kidney function tests among at-risk populations in primary care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is supported through widespread access to blood and urine tests across the National Health Service. Phlebotomy is a key part of this pathway. The NHS delivers over one billion blood tests each year, supporting the diagnosis and monitoring of a wide range of conditions, including CKD.
Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are increasing diagnostic capacity and improving access to testing closer to patients’ homes. Phlebotomy services are currently available in 119 CDCs. CDCs have delivered approximately 1.6 million tests between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. In addition, non-obstetric ultrasound, also used to examine kidneys, is available in 152 CDCs and delivered approximately 1.01 million tests over the same period.
NHS England continues to work with integrated care boards to expand diagnostic capacity and improve referral pathways, helping clinicians access the tests needed to support earlier diagnosis and monitoring of long-term conditions, including CKD.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to help improve diagnosis of chronic kidney disease.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease. In 2023, NHS England published a renal services transformation toolkit to support earlier identification of chronic kidney disease and more joined-up services. These changes are intended to make it easier to deliver improvements along the whole patient pathway, including earlier diagnosis and treatment, that can potentially prevent or delay the need for dialysis and transplant further downstream in the pathway.
In addition, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework in spring. As part of its development, officials are considering opportunities for earlier identification and diagnosis of chronic kidney disease and are engaging widely to identify the best evidenced interventions.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the press release entitled Almost a million young people to benefit from expanded support, new training, and work experience opportunities, published on 6 December 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the Youth Guarantee to young people not in education, employment or training who (a) do not qualify for and (b) choose not to claim Universal Credit.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s ambition is to transform young people’s prospects, by ensuring every one of them, including those outside the benefits system, has the chance to earn or learn through the Youth Guarantee.
We are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations across Great Britain, so that all young people can access opportunities and wider support regardless of whether they are on benefits. This expansion will mean that every young person in Great Britain, regardless of where they live, can access high-quality, holistic support in their local area. This includes mental health, housing, essential and vocational skills, and employer engagement at every Hub.
In addition, we have launched eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, backed by £90m of funding, particularly to find innovative ways to reach young people outside the benefits system. The Trailblazers are bringing together national entitlements with locally tailored provision, strengthening local leadership and coordination, and working with partners including the voluntary sector, employers and colleges to reach and support young people who need additional help. Learning from these Trailblazers will inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain.
Alongside this, reforms to the Growth and Skills Levy will play an important role in reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training, including those outside the benefits system. The Government is investing an additional £725m to deliver more opportunities for young people and provide greater flexibility to employers in support of the industrial strategy. This includes a £140 million pilot with Mayors to work with local employers to connect young people, including those who are not in education, employment or training, to local apprenticeship opportunities. It will also enable us to fully fund apprenticeship training for all eligible young people aged under 25 in small and medium sized businesses from August 2026, removing the 5 per cent employer co investment requirement and making it easier for these employers to take on young talent. In addition, we will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors where young people are traditionally recruited, exploring occupations such as hospitality and retail.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77413 on Teachers: Workplace Pensions, how many unresolved cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) cases are outstanding as of 10 March 2026; and of those resolved since 17 October 2025 what is the (a) shortest, (b) mean average and (c) longest time taken to process requests.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As of 11 March 2026, 501 cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) cases were outstanding. There will always be a number of CETV cases in progress at any given time, as new CETV applications continue to be made.
Capita, the scheme administrator, is continuing to work through the most complex cases for members who have retired. 350 of the outstanding cases can only be processed clerically and the estimated average calculation times are between 20 and 30 hours per processed case.
Between 17 October 2025 and 11 March 2026, 1449 CETV cases were completed. Of these cases, in calendar days, the shortest processing length was zero days, applying to automated CETV cases completed on the day they were received. The longest processing length was 960 days, and the average time taken was 44 days.
The case that took 960 days to complete was subject to the government embargo on public pension schemes, as well as the Transitional Protection regulations coming into force on 1 October 2023, and the need to develop new guidance.