Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Civil Service Pension Scheme, how many (a) formal Stage 1 complaints under the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure have been registered by Capita since December 2025 and (b) formal Stage 2 IDRP complaints are currently being managed directly by her Department.

Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and GOV.UK.

While Capita committed to a complete return to standard contractual service levels by the end of June 2026, they have failed to meet this critical milestone. The Government is taking robust action to hold Capita to account. This includes withholding £9.9 million in contract payments for undelivered milestones, alongside confirmation that the Government surge team costs will be recovered directly from Capita.

To enforce strict compliance, independent auditors have been deployed to conduct a technical systems review, and an on-the-ground Remedial Adviser has been appointed at Capita’s expense. Further commercial, legal, and operational options remain on the table during the consideration of long-term structural delivery options.

Capita has received 137 IDR Stage 1 complaints between December 2025 and July 2026. The data is not yet available for August 2026.

The Cabinet Office has received 114 IDR Stage 2 applications since this date.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the EU's customs charge for small parcels on the (a) comic and (b) wider publishing industry; and whether his Department plans to seek an exemption for published material.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government has been following the development of the EU’s customs reforms closely and is aware of the potential impact on the publishing industry. The Government continues to raise the issue of tariff and non-tariff barriers affecting UK businesses through established UK-EU governance channels, including the removal of customs duty relief for low-value imports, to support UK businesses trading in and with the EU. We continue to engage with UK businesses to understand the potential implications for UK exporters and affected sectors. We encourage businesses and representative organisations to continue raising concerns through their established engagement channels with Government and the Commission, and where appropriate, through relevant stakeholder consultations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Department's Answer to WQ17788 on 16 July 2026, what portion of the £710 million renewal and retrofit programme has been spent on air conditioning systems for schools to date.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The new Renewal and Retrofit Programme was launched to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so buildings can last for decades to come and are net zero ready. The programme will initially focus in 2026/27 on replacing the worst-condition, life-expired temporary buildings alongside installation of energy generation and efficiency measures. There was no application process, and projects are currently being selected.

As the programme expands from 2027, it will support a broader range of renewal projects, such as those addressing significant issues with roofs, heating and electrical systems, while also considering measures to improve resilience to flooding and overheating. The programme will take a whole-site approach, assessing individual school needs and delivering a range of interventions that improve building condition and increase resilience to climate change.

The department will set out further details on how schools and colleges join the programme when it is expanded from 2027 in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer to WQ17788 on 16 July 2026, what portion of the £710 million renewal and retrofit programme is expected to be spent on air conditioning systems for schools.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The new Renewal and Retrofit Programme was launched to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so buildings can last for decades to come and are net zero ready. The programme will initially focus in 2026/27 on replacing the worst-condition, life-expired temporary buildings alongside installation of energy generation and efficiency measures. There was no application process, and projects are currently being selected.

As the programme expands from 2027, it will support a broader range of renewal projects, such as those addressing significant issues with roofs, heating and electrical systems, while also considering measures to improve resilience to flooding and overheating. The programme will take a whole-site approach, assessing individual school needs and delivering a range of interventions that improve building condition and increase resilience to climate change.

The department will set out further details on how schools and colleges join the programme when it is expanded from 2027 in due course.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of Royal Mail's NHS option on delivery of health-related correspondence.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The government recognises the importance of timely delivery of NHS letters. Royal Mail has introduced an NHS barcode to assist NHS units that continue to rely on post to communicate with patients. In addition, NHS England and NHS Providers have produced guidance for NHS organisations, including a case study, to increase awareness and uptake of the variety of Royal Mail services for the timely delivery of letters.

NHS Providers understand that they must ensure they are sending patients’ post out within the right timeframe and it is for them to determine what service they use to enable that.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to raise concerns regarding the human rights of the Uyghur Muslims in China.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government continues to stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Xinjiang. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations and we raise our concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Department's Answer to Question 107484 on the 28th of January 2026, whether he intends to review the Government's decision regarding legislation to require private creditors to participate in sovereign debt relief arrangements on comparable terms to official lenders.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has no current plans to pursue a legislative approach which would force private sector participation in restructurings. Overall, we have seen private creditors’ willingness to engage and provide debt treatments on comparable terms where needed – though we continue keep this under review.

The Economic Secretary co-chairs the 'London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt', which brings together government and private sector stakeholders to find innovative solutions to more sustainable sovereign debt financing in developing economies. With a focus on private debt, the Coalition will continue to drive improvements in debt transparency, resolve challenges with private sector creditor coordination, and champion the uptake of UK-led contractual innovations in private lending, namely debt pause clauses, which allow countries hit by major shocks to temporarily defer debt payments in a clear and a time-bound manner.

Children Seen and Heard

Celebrating Black History Month

Arrest of Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi and Israeli action against Palestinian civil society

Job cuts planned at the BBC

Political donations and campaign finance regulation

Support for hospices

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

Housing

Energy prices for households and businesses

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Found: Current membership Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat; Oxford West and Abingdon) (Chair) Danny Beales (Labour

Found: Health: Evidence from Let's Talk Well Submission to: Chair of the Health & Social Care Committee , Layla Moran

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Found: Yours sincerely, Layla Moran Chair, Health and Social Care Committee

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Layla Moran (Chair); Danny Beales; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton- Glynn;

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Found: by all means let us scrutinise the bill and suggest improvements, but do not slow it down”.112 Layla Moran