First elected: 7th May 2015
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Kirsty Blackman, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Kirsty Blackman has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Kirsty Blackman has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress.
Universal Jurisdiction (Extension) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Brendan O'Hara (SNP)
Miscarriage Leave Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Angela Crawley (SNP)
Employee Share Ownership (Reform) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - George Howarth (Lab)
Arms (Exports and Remote Warfare) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Alyn Smith (SNP)
Workers (Definition and Rights) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Chris Stephens (SNP)
Universal Credit (Application, Advice and Assistance) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Philippa Whitford (SNP)
Feeding Products for Babies and Children (Advertising and Promotion) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Alison Thewliss (SNP)
The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. The EHRC has already committed to supporting organisations, including workplaces, with its updated statutory Code of Practice following consultation; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.
The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity and confidence for women and single-sex services providers. The Government will work closely with the EHRC as they develop definitive guidance. All government departments should follow the clarity the ruling provides.
We are committed to delivering better life chances for all - breaking the link between background and success.
At the Budget, the Chancellor announced increases to both the National Minimum Wage (16.3% for those aged 18-20) and the National Living Wage (6.7% for those 21 and over), as well as a £240 million Get Britain Working package to improve support for people who want to develop their careers (as well as for those who are economically inactive or unemployed).Through our Mission-driven Government, we will build the skills people need for opportunity and growth.
The Government will continue to draw on the work of the Office for National Statistics and others, such as the independent Social Mobility Commission, to understand the links between pay and socio-economic background.
In the central Cabinet Office communications team, there are a total of 37 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 14 are in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available data from June 2024.
Information on Cabinet Office salary bands can be found in the Statistical tables - Civil Service Statistics: 2024 found here.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Cabinet Office commissions each Government department and agency individually to request data to be included in the reports titled ‘Data on responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers’ that are published on GOV.UK.
The Department for Work and Pensions complies with correspondence reporting and data requests from the Cabinet Office. The data on responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers 2023 includes performance when responding to correspondence from members of devolved Parliaments and Assemblies. This information has not been separated out in this or previous reports. Correspondence performance data for 2024 will be published in due course.
The Department for Work and Pensions complies with correspondence reporting and data requests from the Cabinet Office. The data on responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers 2023 includes performance when responding to correspondence from members of devolved Parliaments and Assemblies. This information has not been separated out in this or previous reports. Correspondence performance data for 2024 will be published in due course.
The Guide to Handling Correspondence, owned by the Cabinet Office and published on GOV.UK, sets out the guidance for Government departments to follow when handling correspondence from MPs and Members of the devolved Parliaments and Assemblies. The guidance was last updated in 2021.
In the central Department for Business and Trade communications team, there are a total of 115 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 22 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities. This is the latest available data from June 2024.
The Department has not undertaken any such assessment. Companies are already required to disclose employee matters and can choose to include socioeconomic aspects where relevant to their business. For example, all large companies in the UK must include information on employees as part of their Annual Report’s Section 172(1) Statement. This should detail how employees are consulted, and their views considered, in decision making, ensuring employees of all backgrounds feel involved in how the company is run. It is a matter of good practice to collect data on employee background that the company can choose to communicate its workforce inclusivity.
In the central Communications team of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, there are a total of 86 Full Time Equivalent Government Communications Service posts.
Of this 24 work in media relations.
This is the latest available data from March 2025.
The Office for Clean Energy Jobs is supporting the delivery of an industry-led Energy Skills Passport as part of a fair, orderly and prosperous transition. This is an important step to help workers transition from carbon-intensive industries to new clean energy sectors as part of the Government's clean energy mission 2030.
The government is working with the Scottish government, Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK, to identify how to expand the passport in the future, offering strategic direction based on policy ambition such as the Clean Power 2030 target, which could include incorporating clean energy sectors like CCUS and hydrogen.
Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, recognising the expertise, skilled workforce, and diversity of projects already in place.
We are committed to supporting UK industry to decarbonise, enabling the country to take advantage of new opportunities that can promote growth and wealth creation, and protecting thousands of jobs in regions and industries across the UK. The Scottish Cluster Acorn has received £40 million in development funding in recent years, and officials continue to engage with the cluster to understand their plans. Following the announcement in October 2024 of funding for the initial Track 1 cluster configurations, further decisions for continued CCUS deployment, including for Track 2 clusters, will be taken in due course.
We are committed to supporting UK industry to decarbonise, enabling the country to take advantage of new opportunities that can promote growth and wealth creation, and protecting thousands of jobs in regions and industries across the UK. The Scottish Cluster Acorn has received £40 million in development funding in recent years, and officials continue to engage with the cluster to understand their plans. Following the announcement in October 2024 of funding for the initial Track 1 cluster configurations, further decisions for continued CCUS deployment, including for Track 2 clusters, will be taken in due course.
The Government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good, long-term jobs, with no community left behind.
The Office for Clean Energy Jobs is supporting the delivery of an industry-led Energy Skills Passport as part of this transition. It is an important step to help workers transition from carbon-intensive industries to new clean energy sectors as part of the Government's Clean Power 2030 mission.
Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, recognising the expertise, skilled workforce, and diversity of projects already in place.
In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research. Ofcom’s latest staff numbers will be available as part the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25, which will be presented to Parliament.
The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This decision followed a business case process that included Ofcom submitting its requirements.
In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research. Ofcom’s latest staff numbers will be available as part the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25, which will be presented to Parliament.
The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This decision followed a business case process that included Ofcom submitting its requirements.
In the central Department for Culture, Media & Sport communications team, there are a total of 43.54 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 13 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available data from June 2024.
In the central Department for Transport communications team, there are a total of 91.01 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 31.82 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available data from June 2024.
Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the Government. We have set the ambitious target to halve this figure in the next decade using every lever available to us. The Department is working closely with the central mission delivery unit in the Cabinet Office to achieve the aims set out in the Government’s Safer Streets mission.
The British Transport Police will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership to prevent and investigate crime, and in particular to tackle violence against women and girls.
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. As such, there is no reason to expect any adverse impacts. The Government expects publicly owned train operators to focus relentlessly on the interests of passengers rather than shareholders, resulting in better outcomes for passengers across a range of areas, which will include personal security on trains.
The National Travel Attitudes Survey on perceptions of safety when walking, cycling and using public transport, found that a ‘poorly lit vehicle or carriage’ was the joint seventh most popular reason for feeling unsafe when travelling on a public transport vehicle. The Rail Safety and Standards Board sets requirements around lighting for new rolling stock. We continue to work with the rail industry including the Rail Delivery Group and the British Transport Police to ensure the rail network remains a safe environment for the travelling public.
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. Tackling crime is the responsibility of the British Transport Police, who will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership. Safety regulation will remain the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
We aim to investigate issues raised by complainants, and MPs on their behalf, within 15 working days, but where the case is complex, we may need to take longer.
We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9th April 2025 and will provide a reply shortly.
In last year's Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) waivers were included as part of the losses and special payments section on page 258: DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK.
Information regarding Secretary of State discretion to waive recovery of debt can be found in Chapter 8 of the Benefit Overpayment Recovery Guide which is published on gov.uk. Benefit overpayment recovery guide - GOV.UK
No assessment has yet been made.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
No assessment has been made.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
No assessment has been made.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Estimating the impact of deductions on trends in poverty is complex as stopping deductions would result in a build-up of arrears of the range of debts a customer has and stop vital obligations such as child maintenance being paid.
The government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty across the UK. As announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget, a new Fair Repayment Rate has now been introduced from 30 April 2025, reducing the Universal Credit (UC) overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s UC standard allowance. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year.
DWP strives to set affordable and sustainable repayment plans and encourages customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate. When a customer makes contact because they are experiencing financial hardship, the rate of repayment can be reduced or, depending on the customer’s financial circumstances, a temporary suspension of repayment can be agreed. In exceptional circumstances a waiver can be considered. Customers are never pressured to pay more than they can afford. DWP has strengthened customer notifications encouraging anyone who cannot afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact the Department to discuss an affordable repayment plan. All appropriate debt notifications also provide signposting to relevant external support.
DWP has also introduced the new Fair Repayment Rate (FRR) which has reduced the Universal Credit (UC) overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s UC standard allowance. This measure will help customers retain more of their UC award.
Our Communications team is responsible for ensuring transparency and informing the public about vital policies and services that support citizens every day. We communicate about our services to over 20 million people, whether that's about paying benefits, pensions or helping people to move into and progress at work.
As one of the largest departments, our Communications team helps 90,000 colleagues deliver their important work by keeping them informed and engaged on our priorities and delivery, and promoting the support available to some of our most vulnerable households.
In the central DWP communications team, there are a total of 142 Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 21 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available data from 30 April 2025.
The salary bands are:
AIO/EO £36,211 - £41,092
IO/HEO £43,589 - £48,672
SIO/SEO £48,405 - £60,482
G7 £57,787 - £74,457
G6 £75,550 - £83,973
The SCS pay scale can be found in the DWP ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2023-24
Work Coach staffing numbers for 2018-19 are unavailable. We have therefore compared Work Coach staffing numbers between March 2020 and the latest position (February 2025).
The following Jobcentres in Scotland have seen reductions in Work Coach levels between the two periods of March 2020 and February 2025:
Airdrie Stirling Street
Forfar Service Road
Forres Tytler Street
Fraserburgh South Harbour Road
Glasgow Radnor House
Greenock Dalrymple Street
Leven Waggon Road
Paisley High Street
The following Jobcentres in Scotland have seen reductions in Work Coach levels between the two periods of March 2024 and February 2025:
Annan Murray Street
Ayr Wallacetoun House
Dumfries Irish Street
Forfar Service Road
Fraserburgh South Harbour Road
Glasgow Radnor House
Leven Waggon Road
Paisley High Street
As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, Trailblazers to test more localised delivery of the Youth Guarantee and support for people who are economically inactive are due to launch starting from April 2025. We are working closely with the Trailblazer delivery areas to develop their plans, which includes evaluation and performance information ahead of rollout.
The Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) (formerly Unit) was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to improve employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions.
The goal of the JWHD is to open up opportunities to good work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions to: get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.
The JWHD works to join up the health and employment systems, including the addition of employment support in existing care pathways, such as placing Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapy services and WorkWell, which is part of the plan to Get Britain Working and enables local areas to lead, design and deliver work and health support that meets the needs of their communities.
It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, JWHD is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025. Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.
The department receives and responds to enquiries from Members of Parliament and Members of devolved Parliaments or Assemblies but does not collate, report or produce statistics on this.
The Department does not keep this information centrally and therefore it is not readily available. Providing the information that the Department does hold would incur disproportionate costs.
In Scotland, as of the 2022 census there were the following numbers of 1950s-born women in each Scottish constituency:
Constituency | Females aged 63 to 72 in 2022 |
East Renfrewshire | 6,086 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 1,914 |
Midlothian | 5,569 |
North Ayrshire and Arran | 6,866 |
Orkney and Shetland | 2,901 |
Aberdeen North | 6,079 |
Aberdeen South | 5,144 |
Aberdeenshire North and Moray East | 6,279 |
Airdrie and Shotts | 5,342 |
Alloa and Grangemouth | 5,716 |
Angus and Perthshire Glens | 7,146 |
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry | 6,507 |
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber | 7,029 |
Bathgate and Linlithgow | 5,286 |
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | 6,977 |
Coatbridge and Bellshill | 5,540 |
Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy | 5,976 |
Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch | 5,585 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 7,212 |
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | 6,432 |
Dundee Central | 5,094 |
Dunfermline and Dollar | 5,543 |
East Kilbride and Strathaven | 5,921 |
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh | 4,895 |
Edinburgh North and Leith | 4,363 |
Edinburgh South | 5,203 |
Edinburgh South West | 4,699 |
Edinburgh West | 5,847 |
Falkirk | 5,732 |
Glasgow East | 4,516 |
Glasgow North | 3,995 |
Glasgow North East | 4,823 |
Glasgow South | 4,754 |
Glasgow South West | 4,648 |
Glasgow West | 4,880 |
Glenrothes and Mid Fife | 5,958 |
Gordon and Buchan | 5,696 |
Hamilton and Clyde Valley | 5,982 |
Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West | 6,209 |
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire | 6,686 |
Livingston | 5,600 |
Lothian East | 6,023 |
Mid Dunbartonshire | 6,639 |
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey | 6,736 |
Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke | 5,589 |
North East Fife | 6,248 |
Paisley and Renfrewshire North | 5,749 |
Paisley and Renfrewshire South | 5,439 |
Perth and Kinross-shire | 6,664 |
Rutherglen | 6,004 |
Stirling and Strathallan | 5,965 |
West Dunbartonshire | 5,905 |
Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | 6,619 |
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | 7,240 |
Central Ayrshire | 6,245 |
Kilmarnock and Loudoun | 6,100 |
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | 6,004 |
The relevant Scottish census data is available here in table UV102a, broken down by United Kingdom Parliamentary Constituency 2024: SuperWEB2(tm) - Table View.
In Northern Ireland, as of the 2021 census there were the following numbers of 1950s-born women in each Northern Irish constituency:
Constituency | Females aged 62 to 71 in 2021 |
Belfast East | 4,825 |
Belfast North | 5,116 |
Belfast South and Mid Down | 5,343 |
Belfast West | 5,081 |
East Antrim | 5,633 |
East Londonderry | 5,771 |
Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 5,701 |
Foyle | 5,087 |
Lagan Valley | 5,528 |
Mid Ulster | 4,845 |
Newry and Armagh | 5,439 |
North Antrim | 5,656 |
North Down | 6,181 |
South Antrim | 5,286 |
South Down | 5,441 |
Strangford | 5,917 |
Upper Bann | 5,796 |
West Tyrone | 5,234 |
The relevant Northern Irish census data is available in this table: Get data for Single year of age and sex (MS-A09) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder
At the end of March 2025, the Department had 90 staff working in the Communications Directorate. Staff in Communications cover a broad range of roles including media relations, marketing and branding, public health and prevention campaigns, internal communications and external publishing on GOV.UK.
The below sets out the salary bands for delegated grades across all locations, effective 1 August 2024:
Grade | Lowest Salary | Highest Salary |
Executive Officer | £28,433 | £33,880 |
Higher Executive Officer | £33,476 | £40,559 |
Senior Executive Officer | £41,026 | £49,264 |
Grade 7 | £54,444 | £66,054 |
Grade 6 | £68,503 | £79,972 |
Senior Civil Service salaries are determined by the Senior Salaries Review Board; further information about current Senior Civil Service pay bands is available at the following link:
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) role is to continually monitor the safety of medicines during their use. We have robust, safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place for all healthcare products, including finasteride. As part of our monitoring and surveillance activities, we take into account any changes in the usage of a particular medicine.
Finasteride containing medicines are prescription only medicines. This means they must be prescribed by a doctor or other authorised health professional, and must be dispensed from a pharmacy or from another specifically licensed premises.
The MHRA has recently completed an extensive safety review into finasteride, with the subsequent updates to the product information having been implemented, and the development of a patient alert card is underway. We also published a Drug Safety Update to raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the adverse psychiatric and sexual side effects. We are aware that the European Medicines Agency has launched a review, and we are monitoring this closely. Further information on the Drug Safety Update is available at the following link:
Please be reassured that the MHRA continuously monitors the safety of finasteride via information from various sources, including the published literature. Information from all sources is carefully screened and may identify unexpected side effects, indicate that certain side effects occur more commonly than previously believed, or that some patients are more susceptible to some effects than others. If a new side effect is identified, information is carefully considered in the context of the overall side effect profile for the medicine. When necessary, the MHRA may take action to ensure that a medicine is used in a way which minimises risk and maximises benefits to the patient.
A consultation published in 2023 considered options for updating labelling guidance for no and low alcohol alternative drinks.
We will continue to consider how alcohol labelling can be improved to support consumers to make informed decisions about the products they are purchasing, whilst also promoting responsible consumption.
A consultation published in 2023 considered options for updating labelling guidance for no and low alcohol alternative drinks.
We will continue to consider how alcohol labelling can be improved to support consumers to make informed decisions about the products they are purchasing, whilst also promoting responsible consumption.
In the central Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office communications team, there are a total of approximately 135 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 22 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available data from April 2025.
In the central HM Treasury communications team, there are a total of 40.9 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 19 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available centrally collected data from June 2024.
All training undertaken by Home Office staff is intended to be relevant for the work tasks they are assigned.
The statelessness unit job titles include the following:
The statelessness training is not restricted to a single technical specialist and may be delivered by any number of technical leads (who have a wider remit) across the Asylum and Human Rights Operational area.
In the central Home Office communications team, there are a total of 127 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Of this total, 35 work solely in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.
This is the latest available data from June 2024.
Home Office salary bands are published on Gov.UK Home Office: structure and salaries, 2024 - GOV.UK