Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that the national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation is (a) independent and (b) led by survivors.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As previously announced, the national inquiry will be established as an independent statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005. While the Chair will determine the inquiry’s conduct and procedures, the Government remains firmly committed to placing victims and survivors at its heart. Further details, including the Terms of Reference, will be published in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the report by ActionAid UK entitled Who Pays the Price?, published in April 2025.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is restoring the global leadership needed to tackle the climate and nature crisis, and aiming to make Britain a clean energy superpower with zero carbon electricity by 2030.

At COP 29, the Prime Minister announced the UK’s ambitious and credible Nationally Determined Contribution target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, excluding international aviation and shipping emissions. We must unlock a much greater scale of climate and nature finance to support developing countries’ energy transitions and those most vulnerable to climate change and nature degradation.

While the UK government does not set out what private companies, including banks, should invest in, we are supportive of the standards published by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in June 2023 and are consulting on the UK version of these standards, UK Sustainability Reporting Standards. These aim to support long-term, sustainable decision-making by the business and investment community by providing high-quality information about the sustainability-related risks and opportunities that businesses face.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of disabled children not reinstated in school when an independent review panel has quashed a permanent exclusion.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not collect the pupil characteristics data for reinstated when an Independent Review Panel (IRP) has quashed a permanent exclusion.

The department is taking action to strengthen the oversight and monitoring of all exclusion data collected through the school census, particularly for pupils who may be disproportionately affected by exclusion. This includes strengthening the monitoring of IRP decisions, with a stronger focus on the reinstatement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to make changes to the collection of data in relation to (a) suspensions and (b) permanent exclusions in England.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not collect the pupil characteristics data for reinstated when an Independent Review Panel (IRP) has quashed a permanent exclusion.

The department is taking action to strengthen the oversight and monitoring of all exclusion data collected through the school census, particularly for pupils who may be disproportionately affected by exclusion. This includes strengthening the monitoring of IRP decisions, with a stronger focus on the reinstatement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of statutory sick pay.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is bringing in changes to Statutory Sick Pay through the Employment Rights Bill which will mean up to 1.3 million low-paid employees will now be entitled to SSP, and all eligible employees will be paid from the first day of sickness absence, benefitting millions of employees.

Removing the waiting period means that all employees will receive at least £60 extra at the start of their sickness absence, rising to £150 if they work two days per week, compared to the current system.

With these changes, we believe the current rate is fair and achieves the right balance between providing support for employees who are unable to work due to sickness or ill-health whilst limiting the cost to employers. We also know that many employees are eligible for more than the statutory minimum through contractual or occupational sick pay arrangements with their employer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to consult trade unions on the (a) award of public contracts and (b) appointment of strategic suppliers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is determined to ensure public money spent on public procurement delivers economic growth, supports small businesses, champions innovation, creates good jobs and skills opportunities across the country, and maximises social value.

Public sector procurement is subject to a legal framework set out by the Procurement Act, which encourages free and open competition and a focus on delivering value for money, in line with internationally and nationally agreed obligations and regulations. There is no specific legal requirement to consult trade unions on the award of public contracts or the selection of Strategic Suppliers. Individual Contracting Authorities are responsible for their own procurement and contract award decisions under the Act. Strategic Suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the National Procurement Policy Statement, published on 12 February 2025, when he plans to introduce a public interest test for contracting authorities to assess whether work should be outsourced.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is determined to deliver high quality public services and better value for money for the taxpayer. The Government is currently consulting on introducing a public interest test to assess whether expiring contracts could be better delivered, and drive better value for money, in-house. Contracting authorities are responsible for their own procurement decisions; introducing a public interest test will mean that authorities make evidenced-based decisions on the best way to deliver public services.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce delays to employment tribunal hearings.

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

We are working to reduce delays to employment tribunal hearings by investing in tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems and the use of remote hearing technology. This has delivered over 1,500 additional sitting days. As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March 2025 a sitting day allocation of 33,900 for the Employment Tribunals in the financial year 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit.

Following judicial recruitment, in 2024 we added 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and recruitment for up to a further 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee-paid employment judges were appointed in 2024, and recruitment will commence for another 50 judges in early 2026. Additionally, recruitment for 150 non-legal tribunal members will commence this year.

We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on the Employment Tribunals and will continue to work closely with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times in order to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 66249 on Pupil Exclusions, whether parents will retain their ability to hold local authorities and schools to account through the EHCP procedure and its safeguards.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and into adult life.

As we have set out, the department intends to retain the SEND tribunal. Any changes we make will improve support for children and parents, stop parents from having to fight for support, and protect provision currently in place.

As part of our Plan for Change, we will restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 66249 on Pupil Exclusions, what her planned timetable is for her Department's changes to data collection to be made.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The proposed changes to the data collection, aimed at strengthening the oversight and monitoring of all exclusion through the school census, will require legislative amendments. As such they are subject to parliamentary procedure and are expected to come into effect for the 2026/27 academic year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure that new tramway schemes use domestically produced tramway rails.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The responsibility for light rail and tramways is devolved, where each local authority owns and is responsible for the development and delivery of their own system. Therefore, it would be for local authorities to specify criteria for any future tram scheme, or tram extension, ensuring to adhere to the relevant procurement regulations when running their procurement competitions.

In addition, under the Government’s Social Value policy, public contracting authorities, such as local authorities, can set rigorous environmental and social standards, and other criteria that play to the strengths of local supply chains who can meet those standards. This is also subject to the requirement not to discriminate directly or indirectly against tenderers on grounds of nationality.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the report by the Migration Advisory Committee entitled Family Route: Financial Requirements Review, published June 2025.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

On 10 June the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their independent review of the financial requirements across the family routes. The report is now under review respond in due course.

Found: Tuesday 29 October 2024 Members present1 Emily Thornberry, in the Chair2 Aphra Brandreth Dan Carden

Found: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative; Chester South and Eddisbury) Phil Brickell (Labour; Bolton West) Dan Carden

Found: meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden

Found: meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden