Kevin Bonavia

Kinship carers play an extremely important role in both their kin children’s lives and in the children’s social care system.

The government is committed to working in partnership with local government to support children in care, whether they are being looked after by their community or kinship, foster carers and adoptive parents. The department recognises the challenges many kinship carers face. The government will consider how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system so that it is better delivering for children and families. This will include considering how best to support kinship carers and children in kinship care.

The department will recruit the first ever National Kinship Care Ambassador to advocate for kinship carers and work directly with local authorities to improve services. The ambassador will be appointed in 2024 and will support government and local authorities to keep kinship carers at the heart of their services.

The government is extending the delivery of peer support groups, which will sustain over 140 peer support groups across England where all types of kinship carers, including private foster carers, can come together to share stories, support each other, and exchange advice.

The department is also funding a package of in person and online training and support that all kinship carers across England may access. The service went live in April 2024 and is being delivered by the charity, Kinship.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality.

The policy on the uprating of UK State Pensions paid overseas is a longstanding one.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so - for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating.

There are no plans to widen Bilateral Social Security Agreements to include the uprating of State Pensions paid to recipients abroad.

In September 2024, my Department announced new funding opportunities for brain tumour research to make sure promising treatments are made available to patients.

This Government recognises the vital role Defence plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the United Kingdom.

The Government is committed to delivering a new Defence Industrial Strategy, working in partnership with our domestic defence industry across the UK, to support UK innovation and resilience.

In the first days of this Government, the Prime Minister and I met Mayors in Downing Street to discuss devolution and the critical role for mayors in delivering our Mission of Economic Growth.

Building on the last Labour Government’s legacy of the devolution in Scotland and Wales, the Prime Minister and I are determined to see devolution extended to every corner of England and I have invited local areas without a devolution agreement to come forward.

We will continue to work with local leaders, councils, Members of Parliament and stakeholders to deepen and widen devolution across England.

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many young people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.

The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls. We have made clear that we intend to use the Renters’ Rights Bill to provide tenants with greater protections against unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 199 on 26 July 2024.