Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made in reforming the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government has committed to a series of reforms to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).
These include the intention to remove Direct Pay and move to a single, enhanced Collect and Pay system. This will enable the CMS to monitor all payments, identify non-compliance more quickly and take faster enforcement action. It is estimated that these changes could lift around 20,000 children out of poverty on the relative low-income after housing costs measure. This requires legislation; we will pass such legislation and implement this reform when Parliamentary time allows.
To improve arrears collection, the Government will introduce administrative liability orders to replace the current court-based process, streamlining enforcement and reducing delays. The new process is expected to reduce the time taken to secure a liability order in most cases and allow the CMS to take enforcement action more quickly against parents who do not meet their responsibilities. Work with His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government is ongoing, and the necessary regulations will be brought forward as soon as possible.
The Department has also recently completed a review of the child maintenance calculation. Following the review, we plan to reduce the income tolerance from 25 per cent to 15 per cent, so that changes in income are reflected more quickly in maintenance calculations. We also plan to include unearned income within the standard calculation, helping to ensure liabilities more accurately reflect a parent’s financial circumstances and that more money reaches children. Similarly, these changes are dependent upon legislation and we are exploring different options in order to pass these reforms in Parliament and implement when possible.
These legislative changes are running alongside ongoing CMS modernisation which are enhancing online services, delivering improved case handling and customer communications across multiple channels.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the United Kingdom joining the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future; and whether she plans to do so.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK keeps opportunities to engage with relevant international initiatives under review, including where they align with our development, health and environmental objectives. No formal assessment has yet been made of the merits of UK membership of the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, but we will confirm any decision to participate in the usual way in due course.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) improve rural digital inclusion and (b) to address the specific needs of older people.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government’s ambition is simple: everyone, whatever their circumstances, should be able to get connected and get online, safely and with confidence.
In the year since the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, over a million people have been supported to get online, more than 22,000 people have received a free device, and communities across the UK have benefited from the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. This includes the Rural Media Charity, engaging rural West Midlands communities and supporting older people to benefit from being online, and Age UK’s Digital Champion Programme providing digital skills and devices across England.
Government remains committed to our target to deliver gigabit broadband coverage to 99% of UK premises by 2032.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to WPQ UIN 129429 answered on 28 April 2026, whether he has had recent discussions with Ofgem on the adequacy of the non-financial support offered by energy companies to people living with brain injuries, including conditions such as aphasia, and registered on the Priority Services Register, to make provision for the communication challenges experienced by people with aphasia and to adopt aphasia friendly communication channels.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Ministerial team and I meet with Ofgem regularly to discuss a range of issues, including how the retail market works for vulnerable consumers.
Ofgem require suppliers to identify and support vulnerable domestic consumers’ needs, make it easy for them to update their circumstances, and provide accessible support with tailored, easy-to-understand communications that are specific to their needs so they can engage with suppliers without facing exclusion.
Ofgem’s recent Call for Input on Consumer Outcomes has also signalled a move away from prescriptive regulation to a more outcomes-focused approach, including improving support for vulnerable consumers.
The consultation closes on 22 July 2026, with a final decision expected in early 2027. If this approach is adopted, suppliers would have to operate within these requirements, as they are intended to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate consumers with a wide range of communication and support needs.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children in school are not exposed to excessively high temperatures during periods of hot weather.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for North Herefordshire to the answer of 30 June 2026 to Question 13129.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how he plans to ensure that the Armed Forces Covenant is interpreted and delivered consistently by public bodies.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty is designed to be flexible and does not prescribe specific outcomes, allowing public bodies to respond in a way that reflects their local context and circumstances. It ensures that policy development and implementation is informed by greater awareness of the Covenant and the unique sacrifices and disadvantages faced by the Armed Forces Community.
To support consistent interpretation of the Duty, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working with local authorities and stakeholders across government to develop updated statutory guidance, alongside practical materials such as case studies, decision-recording templates, quick reference guides, and online learning. These resources will help bodies in scope understand and apply the requirement to give due regard to the Covenant principles consistently.
The MOD also supports the sharing of best practice through hosting an annual Covenant conference, which brings together attendees from across the Armed Forces Community to share learning and examples of effective Covenant delivery. Alongside this, the MOD co-chairs the Covenant Community Action Group which provides a forum for local authority champions to share their work, knowledge and experiences, helping to promote a more consistent approach to the interpretation and application of the Covenant.
VALOUR, our groundbreaking programme to tackle the current fragmented nature of support for the Armed Forces community, will strengthen consistency by sharing best practice through field officers and recognised centres, providing further support for local Covenant champions, and actively addressing inconsistencies in how the Duty is applied. VALOUR centres will bring together data and insights to support more joined-up working.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the New Zealand Government's proposed prohibition on findings of tort liability for greenhouse gas emissions on the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department for Business and Trade monitors developments that may affect the implementation of the UK–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), including through its continued compliance monitoring processes.
We are committed to ensuring the effective implementation of the environmental and climate provisions under the FTA and maintain regular engagement with New Zealand officials through the FTA’s established engagement mechanisms.
The Department continues to keep this matter under review and work closely with colleagues at the British High Commission Wellington.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to help ensure that an existing claimant with a new or worsening health condition can request a review of their capability for work and have it reassessed with the same priority given to a new claimant.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
We prioritise initial assessments for new benefit customers to ensure that people receive the correct entitlement and employment related support as early as possible. Reassessments are carried out when there is capacity in the system to do them. We have no immediate plans to change this approach. We are, however, taking steps to extend the period between PIP assessments, to increase the amount of assessment resource available for WCA reassessments.
When an individual is reassessed, if the outcome of the assessment means they are entitled to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated accordingly.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in increasing local audit market supply since his department published its paper on 'Local audit reform: A strategy for overhauling the local audit system in England' in December 2024.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since publication of the local audit strategy, Public Sector Audit Appointments has secured two-year contract extensions with firms. This has helped to stabilise local audit market supply while the Government implements wider reforms to strengthen market resilience over the longer term.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act will establish the Local Audit Office to oversee the local audit system from autumn this year. The Local Audit Office’s statutory objectives include securing a suitable supply of local audit services, placing market capacity and sustainability at the heart of its responsibilities.
The Government will also work with the Local Audit Office on further measures to support market capacity, including developing public provision and simplifying local authority financial reporting.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the adaptation measures identified in the Met Office's May 2026 report entitled Climate Impacts and Adaptations in the UK Food System; and whether she is taking steps to support their uptake by farmers and food producers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation.
The National Adaptation Programme sets out the actions that government and others will take to adapt to the impacts of climate change across all sectors in England, including the food supply and farming sector. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes.