Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of women born in the 1950s who have died since 17 December 2024.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department has no such assessment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to bring forward a compensation scheme for women impacted by State Pension age changes.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department’s response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues, was published on the 17 December 2024 and is available here:

Government response to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Nine million pensioners to receive Winter Fuel Payments this winter, published on 9 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the resources HMRC will require to (a) undertake the recovery of payments and (b) respond to (i) queries and (ii) complaints relating to the recovery of winter fuel payments; and whether additional funding will be made available for this work.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government announced in June 2025 that the Winter Fuel Payment will be made universal in England and Wales from winter 2025. Subsequently, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have confirmed that they will mirror the approach for England and Wales.

Winter Fuel Payments of £200 will be made for a household with someone of State Pension age and £300 for a household with someone aged 80 or over. They will be paid automatically to anyone who has not opted out of getting a payment.

Individuals who are of State Pension age and have total income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered through the tax system. The amount recovered will be equal to the full value of the Winter Fuel Payment.

If a pensioner’s total income is above the income threshold, it will be automatically recovered through PAYE, or through their Self-Assessment return if they pay tax that way.

The Government will publish further details of the operational impacts on HM Revenue and Customs of making these changes in a Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2025, alongside draft Finance Bill legislation on the tax recovery of the Winter Fuel Payment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to introduce a 24/7 single point of access for (a) palliative and (b) end of life care (i) advice, (ii) guidance and (iii) support.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24 hour a day, seven day a week, and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.

NICE guidance on the service delivery of end of life care for adults also includes recommendations about 24 hour a day, seven day a week access to care. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.

I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for (a) journalism, (b) media studies, (c) publishing and (d) information services courses on (i) their commercial viability and (ii) trends in numbers of students studying those courses.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington to the answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 63373.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data she used to inform her decision to remove high-cost subject funding from (a) journalism, (b) media studies, (c) publishing and (d) information services.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington to the answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 63373.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to reverse her decision to reduce funding for (a) journalism and (b) media-related courses.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington to the answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 63373.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the Strategic Priorities Grant was allocated to (a) journalism and (b) other related courses in each of the last five years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). The department is prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to the delivery of our industrial strategy and for access to HE for disadvantaged groups.

Funding for all subjects, including journalism, will benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation.

Journalism remains an important and valued subject, and the government acknowledges its importance, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, mathematics and law.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many higher education providers received Strategic Priorities Grant funding for journalism courses in each year since 2019.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). The department is prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to the delivery of our industrial strategy and for access to HE for disadvantaged groups.

Funding for all subjects, including journalism, will benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation.

Journalism remains an important and valued subject, and the government acknowledges its importance, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, mathematics and law.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to journalism courses through the Strategic Priorities Grant in each of the last five years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). The department is prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to the delivery of our industrial strategy and for access to HE for disadvantaged groups.

Funding for all subjects, including journalism, will benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation.

Journalism remains an important and valued subject, and the government acknowledges its importance, alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, such as history, languages, economics, mathematics and law.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will enter into alternative dispute resolution with women impacted by changes to the State Pension age.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

This issue is now subject to live litigation and the High Court has granted permission for a full hearing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 year health plan, what steps his taking to provide (a) palliative and (b) end of life care in the community.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs, including the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, which covers the Stafford constituency, are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

As set out in the Government’s recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.

The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that, in future, services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the 10 year health plan enables equitable access to (a) palliative and (b) end of life care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

One of the three shifts that the 10-Year Health Plan will deliver is the shift of healthcare from the hospital into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.

I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Roshaan Khattak

Disciplinary action against protesting students by SOAS

Arrest of protestors in Liverpool

Proposal for a wealth tax

UK-based medical charities in Palestine

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules

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Found: REPORT STAGE Wednesday 23 July 2025 28 _NC25 Grahame Morris Kate Osborne John McDonnell Kim Johnson

Found: _NC25 Grahame Morris Kate Osborne John McDonnell Kim Johnson REPORT STAGE Wednesday 23 July 2025

Found: for health and disability benefits.67 The amendment was disagreed to by 401 votes to 175.68 • John McDonnell