Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his predecessor's Oral Statement of 17 December 2024 on Women's State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report, Official Report, Vol. 759, column 168, what the research from 2006 was that she was referring to.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP research report no. 434 “Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey” was considered as part of the Government’s decision announced in the 17 December 2024 Oral Statement.
DWP research report no. 447 “Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts”, was referenced in the 11 November 2025 Oral Statement and a copy of this report has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
We have decided to retake the decision as it relates to the communication of State Pension age as report no.447 contains relevant information that was not considered at the time of the original decision. In re-taking the decision, we will consider the evidence from report no.447 alongside other relevant evidence and material. The process to re-take the decision has already begun.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his predecessor was first provided with the Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No. 434, entitled "Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey", published in 2007.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP research report no. 434 “Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey” was considered as part of the Government’s decision announced in the 17 December 2024 Oral Statement.
DWP research report no. 447 “Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts”, was referenced in the 11 November 2025 Oral Statement and a copy of this report has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
We have decided to retake the decision as it relates to the communication of State Pension age as report no.447 contains relevant information that was not considered at the time of the original decision. In re-taking the decision, we will consider the evidence from report no.447 alongside other relevant evidence and material. The process to re-take the decision has already begun.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he first was first provided with the Department for Work and Pensions Research report No. 434, entitled Attitudes to Pensions: the 2006 Survey, published in 2007.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP research report no. 434 “Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey” was considered as part of the Government’s decision announced in the 17 December 2024 Oral Statement.
DWP research report no. 447 “Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts”, was referenced in the 11 November 2025 Oral Statement and a copy of this report has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
We have decided to retake the decision as it relates to the communication of State Pension age as report no.447 contains relevant information that was not considered at the time of the original decision. In re-taking the decision, we will consider the evidence from report no.447 alongside other relevant evidence and material. The process to re-take the decision has already begun.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department plans to bring forward the secondary legislation required under the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 to enact provisions around further alignment with Companies Law on execution of documents and use of common seals.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to supporting the growth of building societies in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. As part of this, the government is committed to ensuring that building societies can operate in a modern and supportive legislative environment.
On 14 October 2024, the government introduced two statutory instruments to modernise the 1986 Act. The Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment of Small Business Turnover Limit) Order 2024 came into force on 4 November 2024 and the Building Societies Act 1986 (Modifications) Order 2024 came into force on 6 January 2025.
The government will look to give effect to the powers enabled through the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 in due course.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department plans to bring forward the secondary legislation required under the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 to enact provisions around the disapplication of the wholesale funding limit for funds held for prudential purposes.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to supporting the growth of building societies in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. As part of this, the government is committed to ensuring that building societies can operate in a modern and supportive legislative environment.
On 14 October 2024, the government introduced two statutory instruments to modernise the 1986 Act. The Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment of Small Business Turnover Limit) Order 2024 came into force on 4 November 2024 and the Building Societies Act 1986 (Modifications) Order 2024 came into force on 6 January 2025.
The government will look to give effect to the powers enabled through the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 in due course.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of fully implementing the provisions of the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 via secondary legislation on (a) new lending capacity and (b) economic growth.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to supporting the growth of building societies in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. As part of this, the government is committed to ensuring that building societies can operate in a modern and supportive legislative environment.
On 14 October 2024, the government introduced two statutory instruments to modernise the 1986 Act. The Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment of Small Business Turnover Limit) Order 2024 came into force on 4 November 2024 and the Building Societies Act 1986 (Modifications) Order 2024 came into force on 6 January 2025.
The government will look to give effect to the powers enabled through the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 in due course.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department carried out an economic impact assessment prior to suspending refugee family reunion.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.
The Home Office has carried out and published an Economic Note on the changes to the Immigration Rules on 4 September 2025.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department carried out an equality impact assessment prior to suspending refugee family reunion.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.
The Home Office has carried out and published an Economic Note on the changes to the Immigration Rules on 4 September 2025.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her department plans to publish statistics on the time taken by newly recognised refugees to submit family reunion applications.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of (a) the Government’s commitment to halving levels of violence against women and girls within a decade and (b) the detention of women in immigration removal centres.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Asylum-seeking victims must be treated as victims, first and foremost. We recognise the challenges asylum-seeking victims of VAWG can face and the VAWG Strategy will include more detail on our approach to migrant victims of VAWG. It is vital that we get this right, and we are committed to publishing the Strategy as soon as possible.