Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58980 on Information Commissioner's Office: Remote Working, what the strategic objectives are which the decision to relocate was based on.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.
The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.
In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Information Commissioner's Office made a comparative estimate of the cost of office space in (a) Wilmslow and (b) Manchester before deciding to relocate.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.
The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.
In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Information Commissioner's Office sought ministerial approval for the decision to approve the move from Wilmslow to Manchester.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.
The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.
In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to collect DNA samples from of all immigrants who enter the country illegally.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Biometrics, in the form of fingerprints and facial images, underpin the UK Immigration system to support identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control.
DNA does not form part of our biometric collection
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his department allocated to the indemnity schemes in place for Covid-19 vaccinations.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are unable to provide full information as requested regarding the valuation of the COVID-19 vaccine indemnities due to their commercial sensitivity.
The existence of the COVID-19 vaccination indemnities is disclosed in the contingent liabilities note within the Department’s group annual report and accounts (ARA). The value of the contingent liabilities was not disclosed due to their sensitive nature. There is also a provision for a COVID-19 vaccination indemnity included in the ARA as part of ‘other’ in the provisions note.
The most recently published ARA is available at the following link:
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to review how the Child Maintenance Service processes cases involving domestic abuse allegations.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely.
CMS domestic abuse training has been reviewed to ensure it reflects the Home Office’s updated statutory guidance on coercive and controlling behaviour, published in April 2023, to ensure CMS staff are equipped to recognise this form of domestic abuse and signpost parents appropriately.
The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, and a Domestic Abuse plan which includes clear steps to follow in order to support customers who are experiencing abuse. The list of resources and Domestic Abuse Plan is regularly reviewed.
As well as the domestic abuse plan, the CMS responds to cases involving domestic abuse in several ways, including by acting as an intermediary in Direct Pay cases, and providing advice on how to set up bank accounts with a centralised sort code to limit the risk of a parent’s location being traced.
The Department has introduced a domestic abuse specialist caseworker team which provides a discrete and tactful service. The CMS determines which cases are referred to the team and offer, if required, a ‘named caseworker’ to prevent customers having to retell their story at each interaction.
The CMS reviews its domestic abuse training regularly to ensure caseworkers are equipped to support parents in vulnerable situations and the Department will continue to meet stakeholders regularly to maintain an open dialogue on how to improve the service.
We believe planned reforms to the direct pay service, where all payments are collected and transferred on behalf of parents will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster, and better support victims and survivors of domestic abuse who use the CMS, reducing contact with the other parent and reducing the paying parent’s ability to financially control the receiving parent by paying too little or too late, as is currently the case on Direct Pay.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 69839 on Schools: Employers' Contributions, how the the £1 billion of support o schools was calculated; and what the total current cost is of the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions to date.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. We are also providing £25 million in respect of schools with early years provision and £155 million for post-16 schools and academies and further education colleges. Taken together, this is an increase of over £1.1 billion. This funding is designed to provide schools with support to manage NICs pressures. We recognise that the balance between funding and costs will vary between schools.
The amount of public sector support was based on an estimate of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. HM Treasury routinely uses the ONS classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, borrowing and debt.
This funding was then allocated to departments based on a weighted average of the headcount and wage/salary data that all departments submitted to HM Treasury.
Our funding system is not designed so that every school and college receives funding that fully matches their precise spending, as spending, including NICs costs, varies across institutions because of the decisions each takes on its staffing.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 69839 on Schools: Employers' Contributions, how much and what proportion of the cost of the increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions will be covered by the £1 billion additional funding that will be provided.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. We are also providing £25 million in respect of schools with early years provision and £155 million for post-16 schools and academies and further education colleges. Taken together, this is an increase of over £1.1 billion. This funding is designed to provide schools with support to manage NICs pressures. We recognise that the balance between funding and costs will vary between schools.
The amount of public sector support was based on an estimate of the proportion of employer NICs receipts paid by public sector organisations, using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary. HM Treasury routinely uses the ONS classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, borrowing and debt.
This funding was then allocated to departments based on a weighted average of the headcount and wage/salary data that all departments submitted to HM Treasury.
Our funding system is not designed so that every school and college receives funding that fully matches their precise spending, as spending, including NICs costs, varies across institutions because of the decisions each takes on its staffing.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 34608 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Appeals, whether past tribunal decisions are used to support assessments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) appeal cases are overseen by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and processed through the First-tier Tribunal. Upon conclusion of an appeal, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) receives a Statement of Reasons from the presiding judge. This document is reviewed by NHSBSA and used to inform and support continuous improvement initiatives within the organisation.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will consider reviewing the Allied Healthcare Professional status list to include chiropractors as part of the government’s wider review of the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of chiropractic treatment.
There are no plans by either the Department or NHS England to review the health and care professions that are classified as an allied health profession.