Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports of benefit fraud were made to her Department in 2024; and how many and what proportion of these resulted in benefits being revoked.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The number of benefit fraud public referrals, received by Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt (CFCD) in the Department, in the calendar year 2024 was 160,079. Data is not held on how many of these resulted in benefit being revoked.

Counter Fraud and Compliance has different approaches to tackling fraud, depending on the nature and severity. The team deploys a diverse range of expertise, technology, and intelligence to protect the integrity of the benefits system, correcting benefit where appropriate and bringing the most serious cases to justice. This approach has seen Counter Fraud and Compliance deliver over £1.2 billion savings for 2023-24.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish a timetable for local government re-organisation.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I wrote to all councils in two-tier areas and to neighbouring small unitaries on 5^th February to formally invite unitary proposals from all these councils. These letters will shortly be published on gov.uk and they set out the timelines and next steps for local government re-organisation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Ashfield District Council about phase one of the local government re-organisation.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There has not been a meeting with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Ashfield District Council about phase one of the local government re-organisation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase opportunities for STEM apprentices.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government has committed to widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country and aligns with the industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries.

As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people to learn new high-quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country, and providing high-quality entry pathways for young people.

Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin, or progress in, a successful career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Employers have developed over 350 apprenticeships in STEM sectors including level 3 Cyber Security Technician, level 4 Software Developer and level 6 Civil Engineer degree to meet their needs.

The department continues to promote the benefits that apprenticeships offer, through the Skills for Life campaign.

In addition, Skills England will help to ensure that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need. This includes the needs of STEM sectors identified in the industrial strategy, such as advanced manufacturing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase the number of high skilled apprenticeships.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government has committed to widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country and aligns with the industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries.

As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people to learn new high-quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country, and providing high-quality entry pathways for young people.

Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin, or progress in, a successful career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Employers have developed over 350 apprenticeships in STEM sectors including level 3 Cyber Security Technician, level 4 Software Developer and level 6 Civil Engineer degree to meet their needs.

The department continues to promote the benefits that apprenticeships offer, through the Skills for Life campaign.

In addition, Skills England will help to ensure that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need. This includes the needs of STEM sectors identified in the industrial strategy, such as advanced manufacturing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support freedom of speech in (a) schools and (b) universities.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in schools, universities and beyond. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament on 15 January the government’s plans for the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more effective, proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.

In addition, schools must promote the fundamental British values, including democracy and individual liberty. Schools have a statutory duty to ensure a balanced presentation of political issues, but older pupils can engage with the political issues provided activity is conducted sensitively and not targeted at others. The promotion of fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs is considered by Ofsted in their inspections.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) local authority officers and (b) local authority elected representatives on the cancellation of local elections in East Sussex; and if she will publish those discussions.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with these local authorities on the cancellation of the local elections. Discussions on the applications to the Devolution Priority Programme have been had with all upper tier and unitary councils in the preparation of the programme, and those discussions covered all matters related to the timetable and process by both officials and ministers, as you would expect.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) local authority officers and (b) local authority elected representatives on the cancellation of the local elections in West Sussex, and if she will publish those discussions.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with these local authorities on the cancellation of the local elections. Discussions on the applications to the Devolution Priority Programme have been had with all upper tier and unitary councils in the preparation of the programme, and those discussions covered all matters related to the timetable and process by both officials and ministers, as you would expect.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy that local authority areas which have had elections postponed in May 2025 will have elections in May 2026.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We have postponed local authority elections from May 2025 to May 2026 only, where it is crucial to do so in order to ensure that we can reorganise local government and deliver devolution as quickly as possible.

For those areas which are part of the Devolution Priority Programme, it is the government's intention to deliver a new wave of mayoral elections in May 2026.

For any area in which elections are postponed, we will work with areas to move to elections to new ‘shadow’ unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the transferring of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

A timetable for the transfer of sovereignty will be among details of the proposed treaty, which will be laid before Parliament following signature.

Found: Hodgson Rachel Gilmour Robin Swann Andy McDonald Neil Duncan-Jordan Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson

Found: Hodgson Rachel Gilmour Robin Swann Andy McDonald Neil Duncan-Jordan Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson

Found: Hodgson Rachel Gilmour Robin Swann Andy McDonald Neil Duncan-Jordan Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson

Found: Hodgson Rachel Gilmour Robin Swann Andy McDonald Neil Duncan-Jordan Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson