Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to improve recognition of non-visible disabilities, including stoma use, in the design of public facilities.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 70255 which was answered on 4 September 2025.

Government policies relating to Building Regulations and how the accessibility and use of buildings is reflected in design are made in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Changes to the statutory guidance which accompanies the Building Regulations (Approved Document M Volume 2) made in January 2021 make provision for facilities, including Changing Places toilets, in new buildings (or those undergoing major redevelopment) other than dwellings, that fall above a certain size threshold. This aims to make accessibility a mainstream consideration in how public spaces are planned and built.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the cost of legal representation and court proceedings does not prevent individuals from accessing justice; and whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of legal aid eligibility thresholds in meeting that objective.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to the provision of legal aid, recognising the vital role that it plays in underpinning genuine access to justice.

We are considering our approach to eligibility across legal aid, including carefully assessing the impact of the recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts

This Government inherited a legal system in crisis, and we are taking steps to invest in legal aid.

We are providing additional funding of up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates alongside our commitment to match fund a number of criminal barrister pupillages. This is in addition to the investment of £92 million in the solicitor fee schemes.

Alongside this, we have also announced an uplift to immigration and housing legal aid fees. This amounts to a significant investment of £20 million a year once fully implemented – the first major increase since 1996.

Furthermore, we are delivering the largest expansion of civil legal aid in a decade, enabling bereaved families to access non-means tested legal aid at all inquests where a public authority is an interested person.

Beyond legal aid, this Government is also providing over £6 million of grant funding in 2025-2026 to support access to legal support services for people with social welfare problems. We have also announced nearly £20 million of multi-year funding to extend existing grant programmes to September 2026 and providing a new grant from October 2026 to March 2029.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Child Benefit rules on children in shared care arrangements.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The current system places Child Benefit in the hands of one parent or guardian and gives that person responsibility for allocating it between capital and day to day costs. This ensures that the family with priority of entitlement for a child is provided with a suitable level of support for any particular child at any one time.

It is vital especially for parents and families on lower incomes that enough support is directed to them to lift the child out of poverty or to keep the child out of poverty.

We recognise that where families share responsibility for a child there may be issues around the availability of support. However, payment of support to the person with priority of entitlement for a child is seen as the most appropriate way to deal with the majority of families with children.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average processing time is for the allocation of a civil servant’s death‑in‑service widow and widower's pension after the submission of a valid claim form; and what steps are being taken to improve timescales for finalising payments.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.

For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication to ensure members receive the support they deserve. While the immediate focus remains on stabilising the service through this intensive recovery plan, we are committed to ensuring all staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

We recognise the significant pressure on surviving spouses. Upon receipt of a valid, fully completed claim form from the spouse, the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for paying the lump sum is five working days, which is concurrent with the five-day SLA for setting up the spouse’s pension; however, the physical receipt of this first payment will be determined by the timing of the payroll cycle, and as of March 2026, this SLA is being met for new cases.

Possible exceptions to these timelines include circumstances where the spouse is not the named beneficiary, necessitating a wait for the Grant of Probate before a lump sum payment can be made, or where data issues requiring employer input prevent benefits from being accurately calculated, thereby extending the settlement period. Furthermore, where benefits include a Defined Contribution (DCU) option, the spouse will be issued the various options within the five-day period and must make a formal decision before any benefits can be paid.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update (2 March 2026) is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-update-2-march-2026

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking with Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority to help reduce children’s exposure to gambling advertising across broadcast, online and social media platforms.

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

The government recognises that children’s exposure to gambling advertising is a serious issue. We continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority, to further strengthen protections.

We have also redoubled efforts to work cross-government and with tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising, which poses the most immediate risk for children and young people.

Found: meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Mr Peter Bedford; Steve Darling; Damien Egan