Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of raising the bus cap to £3 on pensioners.

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

Those of state pension age, currently sixty-six, have access to free off-peak bus travel under the terms of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of sourcing military uniforms from China.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Tenders to supply items of military clothing are conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which ensure best value for the taxpayer in the delivery of Defence requirements. Through the Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation contract with Leidos Europe Limited, Defence Equipment & Support procures approximately 16,000 different clothing items, plus a further 1,300 supporting ceremonial accoutrements such as cuirasses and sabres that form a part of ceremonial uniforms. Uniforms are not purchased fully assembled but rather as individual items.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that halal products are clearly marked on food labelling.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are no regulations that require the labelling of halal meat, but where any information of this nature is provided it must be accurate and must not be misleading to the consumer. The Government respects religious freedoms and expects the industry, whether food producer or food outlet, to provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish data on welfare claimants by (a) nationality and (b) immigration status.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Non-UK / Irish citizens can only access benefits like Universal Credit if they have an immigration status that provides recourse to public funds. Those without immigration status or with a no recourse to public funds condition on their status are not entitled. An individual’s specific nationality is not relevant to their claim.

The Department checks immigration status when assessing eligibility, but this information is not collated centrally and hence not readily available. We are, however, exploring the feasibility of developing suitable statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish customers.

Found: Deirdre Costigan; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Joe Robertson; Gregory Stafford

Found: Deirdre Costigan; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Joe Robertson; Gregory Stafford

Submit Evidence (by 4 Feb 2025)

The Committee is undertaking an inquiry into community mental health services. The inquiry will examine what good looks like from the perspective of service users and their families/carers. The Committee would like the inquiry to shine a light on case studies of innovative practice and high-quality care across the country, and to undertake meaningful and impactful engagement with people accessing these services.