Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will consider including those veterans who were exposed to asbestos pre-1987 whilst on active service and who later contract lung cancer in the 2016 lump sum compensation scheme payable currently only to those who contract mesothelioma.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The lump sum provision under the War Pensions Scheme applies only to veterans suffering from diffuse mesothelioma. Diffuse mesothelioma has a unique causal link to asbestos exposure, and the inexorable nature of the disease coupled with the lack of effective treatment leads to poor life expectancy.
Service personnel who develop lung cancer or asbestos-related diseases including before 1987 may be eligible to claim compensation under the War Pension Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme provided there is a causal link to Service.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help make the process of moving geological samples between the UK and the EU (a) faster and (b) easier.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are no plans at present to amend the regulatory regime.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an active member of European GeoSurveys (EGS). The EGS constitution is based on facilitating geological survey collaboration to support development and implementation of EU policy.
As such, BGS is part of a major project with multiple EU geological survey partners to prepare foundational research, knowledge, and data frameworks for a possible Geological Service for Europe. Making available harmonised and accessible transnational geological data is a key element of a future geological service for Europe.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support is available for first-time buyers in Cornwall.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. This government is determined to change that, ensuring that young families and hardworking renters can buy a home of their own.
Boosting the supply of homes of all tenures must be at the heart of any strategy to improve housing affordability which is why the government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.
In addition, a number of initiatives are in place to support people into home ownership, including through the shared ownership scheme - which will continue to be delivered through the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme - and the Lifetime ISA. The government has also introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers. First-time buyers in Cornwall may also benefit from home ownership initiatives offered at the local level.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has considered the potential merits of allowing Palestinians to (a) apply for visas online and (b) provide biometrics after arrival in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is keeping all existing visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza. Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available. More information on all routes available for a person to apply to work, study or settle/join family in the UK can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK.
People requiring a visa will need to make an online visa application and submit their biometrics (digital photograph and fingerprint) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), prior to travel to the UK.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on supporting Palestinians with UK job offers to leave Gaza.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is keeping all existing visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza. Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available. More information on all routes available for a person to apply to work, study or settle/join family in the UK can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK.
People requiring a visa will need to make an online visa application and submit their biometrics (digital photograph and fingerprint) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), prior to travel to the UK.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support landlords to ensure their properties comply with the Decent Homes Standard.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is imperative that homes are decent, safe and warm. The current Decent Homes Standard (DHS) plays a key role in setting a minimum quality standard that all social homes should meet.
The primary source of funding to support landlords in meeting the DHS and to manage the repair and maintenance of existing social homes is rental income. This amounted to £24.5bn in 2023/24.
From April 2026, social housing rents will be permitted to increase by CPI+1% annually as part of a new 10-year rent settlement announced at the Spending Review. In addition, we completed a focused consultation on how we will implement social rent convergence, ahead of a final decision to be announced at Autumn Budget.
Social housing landlords are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory consumer standards, which includes the DHS, set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The RSH proactively seeks assurances that registered providers are meeting the outcomes of the consumer standards through routine inspections of large landlords (those with more than 1,000 homes).
The government is extending the DHS to apply to the private rented sector for the first time through the Renters’ Rights Bill. Alongside its introduction to the private rented sector, the government recently consulted on a modernised DHS for private and social rent homes. The consultation closed on 12 September 2025. My Department is now considering the responses to that consultation, and we will set out our response in due course focused on ensuring that the new DHS is proportionate and deliverable.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered the potential merits of targeting the £400 million grassroots sports fund on swimming pools.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.
The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.
In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered introducing additional measures to support first-time buyers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60807 on 30 June 2025.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has make of the potential impact of the requirement for letting agents to carry out money laundering checks on landlords and tenants on the number of rental properties available.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The impact of compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) for letting agents was assessed as part of the Impact Assessment for the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019, which brought certain letting agents into scope of the MLRs. This is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1511/impacts
The Government keeps the MLRs under review in order to ensure the requirements remain effective and proportionate for all regulated sectors, including letting agents.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure school bus travel is (a) affordable and (b) accessible in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to get to education, particularly in rural areas. On 1 January, we introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers continue to access cheaper bus services and better opportunities. At the Spending Review we announced the cap would be extended until March 2027.
At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.
As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Cornwall Council has been allocated £10.6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people.