Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will bring forward his planned timeline for consulting on the future of the Renewables Obligation Certificate scheme.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A number of generating stations under the Renewables Obligation scheme come to the end of their support in 2027. The Government is aware that may affect their commercial viability. We are assessing the impact that the end of support will have on security of supply, clean power 2030 and the environment. No decisions have been made on future support.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the sustainability of early years providers.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity. We want 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by the end of reception by 2028. By focusing on child development rather than just childcare, the government aims to ensure that children are better prepared for school and future learning.
In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements. This is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as we roll out the expansion of the entitlements.
As announced at the Spending Review, the government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents. Employment Allowance is being increased to protect businesses by providing relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance Contributions liabilities from 6 April 2025. Early years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Employment Allowance if they are private businesses or charities, and we expect the vast majority will be eligible to do so.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement on (a) higher education and (b) research.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
A technical annex has been published alongside the White Paper. It can be found at the following link: Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UK.
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time. An impact assessment will be developed alongside any finalised policy.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in prison convicted under joint enterprise law have autism.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not collect centrally information on whether a person in prison has autism, or whether their conviction related to joint enterprise.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement on trends in the level of NHS staffing levels.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
A technical annex has been published alongside the White Paper. It can be found at the following link: Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UK
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time. An impact assessment will be developed alongside any finalised policy.
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 the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years will apply retrospectively.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.
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, when the proposed increase to the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years will come into force.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.
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, when she will publish the consultation on the earned settlement scheme.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has reviewed the effectiveness of legislation relating to joint enterprise.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Joint enterprise is a complex area of law which is not set out in statute but evolves through case law. It is an important principle ensuring that those who act with others to commit crimes are held to account.
The Government is aware of concerns about the use of joint enterprise, and understands its importance, particularly in terms of the consequences that can result from convictions. The Crown Prosecution Service is collecting data on joint enterprise homicide/attempted homicide cases and will publish a report later this year. In addition, the Law Commission review of criminal appeals is considering the “out of time” appeals process which is an issue of relevance to historic joint enterprise cases decided before the 2016 case of Jogee.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on issuing payments to terminally ill veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has made significant progress in issuing payments to terminally ill Veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme. All eligible terminally ill Veterans who have applied for the Dismissed or Discharged payment have been paid.
We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.