Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of the availability of statutory sick pay from the first day of sickness absence on trends in the levels of employment, specifically with regard to a) young people and b) low-paid workers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Prior to the introduction of the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reforms, the Government published an impact assessment which can be found at Impact assessment: Improve access Statutory Sick Pay removing Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period. The Government will also monitor and evaluate the impact of the SSP changes and consider the experiences of employers and employees, as part of the post implementation review.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the availability of statutory sick pay from the first day of sickness absence on costs to businesses, particularly those relying on low-income workers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Prior to the introduction of the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reforms, the Government published an impact assessment which can be found at Impact assessment: Improve access Statutory Sick Pay removing Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period. The Government will also monitor and evaluate the impact of the SSP changes and consider the experiences of employers and employees, as part of the post implementation review.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a statutory sick pay rebate for businesses.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 July 2026 to Question UIN 17890.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including controlled burning for wildfire prevention as part of the definition of favourable conservation status for blanket bogs.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The 2025 Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for Blanket Bog describes conditions in which blanket bog thrives across its natural range. It states that both prescribed burning and wildfire can damage blanket peat hydrology. Fully functioning blanket bog is a self-sustaining climax habitat that requires no management intervention and is naturally resilient to wildfire. However, restoration measures may be needed on degraded sites to recover hydrological function. The Heather and Grass Management Code 2025 provides relevant guidance. The government recognises that prescribed burning may be necessary in limited circumstances, and managers can apply for a licence where wildfire risk is evidenced and no practical alternatives exist.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of the national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services (2023) on a) the quality of autism assessments and b) the average waiting time for autism assessments.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon Member has highlighted a number of key issues for the Department which cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates on that work by following our news feed on the GOV.UK website, or by attending sessions of departmental questions.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system of quality control for autism assessments.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon Member has highlighted a number of key issues for the Department which cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates on that work by following our news feed on the GOV.UK website, or by attending sessions of departmental questions.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that autism assessments are a) comprehensive and b) completed in a timely manner.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon Member has highlighted a number of key issues for the Department which cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates on that work by following our news feed on the GOV.UK website, or by attending sessions of departmental questions.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging autism assessment providers to conduct face-to-face autism assessments.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon Member has highlighted a number of key issues for the Department which cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates on that work by following our news feed on the GOV.UK website, or by attending sessions of departmental questions.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of face-to-face rather than remote autism assessments on the quality of such assessments.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon Member has highlighted a number of key issues for the Department which cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates on that work by following our news feed on the GOV.UK website, or by attending sessions of departmental questions.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Social Care Excellence recommendation of an autism assessment within 3 months of referral is fulfilled.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon Member has highlighted a number of key issues for the Department which cannot adequately be summarised in a single answer. However, he can find regular updates on that work by following our news feed on the GOV.UK website, or by attending sessions of departmental questions.