Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to discuss concerns about the former legal firm WW&J McClure Ltd with the Law Society of Scotland and Police Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Secretary of State is aware that the closure of WW & J McClure Limited has caused anguish and worry to many of its clients, and hopes the matter can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. As crime and justice are devolved in Scotland, it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to discuss this matter with the Law Society of Scotland as the regulator and Police Scotland as the investigating authority.
I am aware however that the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman have been responding to the implications for clients in England and Wales of the firm’s closure.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to extend eligibility to Help to Save to people of pension age and in receipt of (a) carers allowance, (b) pension credit and (c) housing benefit after 2027.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Help to Save scheme supports financial resilience for working people on low incomes by encouraging consistent, long-term saving and helping them build a financial buffer to plan and prepare for the future.
In April 2025, the government widened the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme to all Universal Credit claimants in work, rather than only those earning above a specified threshold. This expansion means around 550,000 additional people can benefit from the scheme, increasing the eligible population to approximately 3 million.
The government recognises that further groups may also benefit from Help to Save. Any future changes would need to be carefully assessed to ensure the scheme continues to be well targeted and deliverable.
The government has recently consulted on reforms to the delivery of Help to Save after 2027 and we continue to engage with a range of third-party financial institutions, including credit unions, as part of this process.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether credit unions will be allowed to offer Help to Save accounts from 2027.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Help to Save scheme supports financial resilience for working people on low incomes by encouraging consistent, long-term saving and helping them build a financial buffer to plan and prepare for the future.
In April 2025, the government widened the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme to all Universal Credit claimants in work, rather than only those earning above a specified threshold. This expansion means around 550,000 additional people can benefit from the scheme, increasing the eligible population to approximately 3 million.
The government recognises that further groups may also benefit from Help to Save. Any future changes would need to be carefully assessed to ensure the scheme continues to be well targeted and deliverable.
The government has recently consulted on reforms to the delivery of Help to Save after 2027 and we continue to engage with a range of third-party financial institutions, including credit unions, as part of this process.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will ask the Prudential Regulation Authority to ease the rules on credit unions being able to lend to other credit unions.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
According to Section 11 of the Credit Unions Act 1979, credit unions are able to lend to other credit unions.
Credit unions are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a way that ensures the stability and soundness of the sector. The PRA and FCA are independent regulators and take decisions on the regulation of credit unions in line with their statutory objectives.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help prevent (a) products or (b) services produced in illegal settlements in the West Bank from entering the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I provided on 15 October 2025 to Question 77510.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects the Court of Appeal to consider the 1998 conviction of former subpostmistress Patricia Owen.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The case of Patricia Owen has been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) under section 9 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995.
Following approval for her daughter to act on her behalf, solicitors have been directed to lodge Grounds of Appeal by 3 December 2025.
Once these are received, and the Respondent’s Notice is filed, the case will be prepared for listing before the Court.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will require NHS Trusts to offer payroll savings schemes for staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local employers across the National Health Service are best placed to understand their staff’s needs and circumstances. NHS staff have access to a range of support for financial wellbeing including credit union membership, savings schemes, and access to discount schemes such as the ‘Blue Light Card’.
NHS Employers has also published guidance for employers on salary sacrifice arrangements and tax-free childcare, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/salary-sacrifice-schemes
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has commissioned research from National Institute of Economic and Social Research in the last three years on (a) international lending rates and (b) levels international lending to SMEs.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has commissioned research on the alternatives to commercial lending in the SME Business Market. The research, undertaken by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, intends to study the characteristics of debt finance and lending markets within and outside the UK to identify market failures in the UK system and potential changes that could support businesses, especially SMEs.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will request that the Financial Conduct Authority assess whether people living in the 244 neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation are paying above average rates for (a) home, (b) car and (c) travel insurance.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government expects that insurers deliver good outcomes to consumers and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. These rules require firms to ensure their products offer fair value. This means the price paid by consumers must be reasonable compared to the benefits they receive. The FCA monitors firms and has robust powers to act against firms that breach its rules.
The government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, recognises that insurance has an important part to play in financial resilience and wellbeing, and sets out a range of interventions to improve access. This includes a total signposting initiative which will help underserved consumers find insurance policies which meet their needs.
The government also plans to publish the final report of the cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in the autumn. As part of the taskforce’s work to understand how the cost of motor insurance impacts on particular groups of customers, the FCA is conducting statistical analysis to evaluate the impacts on different age groups and consumers living in areas with a higher proportion of minority ethnic residents. The FCA will publish its findings later this year.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will require banks to (a) publish lending data by postcode and (b) identify the neighbourhoods where the (i) least and (ii) most lending takes place.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to require banks to publish lending data by postcode or to identify neighbourhoods with the least and most lending. However, as I outlined in my answers to PQs 86597 (5 November) and 77972 (16 October), and as set out in the recently published Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government is committed to ensuring that access to finance is available for individuals and businesses across the UK and to tackle barriers where these exist. The Strategy presents an ambitious programme of measures to improve access to credit, among them new funding for the credit union sector in England and a small sum lending pilot.