Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on imports from Israeli settlements mislabelled as originating from Israel.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have had several discussions with colleagues on trade with and within the Israeli settlements in Palestine, which are illegal under international law. We strongly advise against conducting any economic and financial activities in settlements.
Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK’s trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. UK operators are advised on gov.uk that, to claim preferential tariffs, all movement certificates and invoice declarations made out in Israel must include the origin where production has taken place. Where there are doubts about the declared origin of goods, HMRC undertakes checks to verify it.
The UK Government has introduced guidelines outlining how products originating from the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 should be specifically labelled as such as not to mislead the consumer.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his department has made of the number of kinship carers in Newbury who would benefit from the introduction of statutory leave and pay entitlements for kinship carers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has not made this estimate. However, the Parental Leave and Pay Review is considering the full range of parental leave and pay entitlements, alongside the needs of working families who may not currently qualify for support, including kinship carers. We have engaged with a broad range of stakeholders through bilateral meetings and roundtables, including parent advocacy groups representing kinship carers.
The Government is also supporting kinship carers through a pilot scheme in selected local authorities, providing eligible carers with an allowance aligned with the Fostering National Minimum Allowance, supporting up to 5,000 children.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what engagement his department has undertaken with kinship carers and representative organisations as part of the Parental Leave and Pay Review.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review is considering all current parental leave and pay entitlements, as well as the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
Through the Review we have engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, which has included bilateral meetings and roundtables with parent advocacy groups that represent kinship carers.
The Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to update the House on the Government's response to the 2019 consultation on conversion rights for civil partnerships.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon member to the answer on 9th June 2026 (PQ 5474).
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last assessed the impact of the removal of the spare room subsidy on a) carers, b) disabled people and c) tenants with long-term health conditions; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals to reform the policy.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We continue to keep all policies under review, considering them against a range of factors, including the wider fiscal situation and government priorities.
The Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy, applies to working-age claims for housing support, either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that has more bedrooms than their benefit entitlement.
Easements are available which allow an additional bedroom to support disabled people and carers, the families of disabled children, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel and people who have suffered a bereavement.
People facing difficulty in meeting their housing costs can apply to their local authority for discretionary support.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to households experiencing financial hardship as a result of the removal of the spare room subsidy.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We continue to keep all policies under review, considering them against a range of factors, including the wider fiscal situation and government priorities.
The Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy, applies to working-age claims for housing support, either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that has more bedrooms than their benefit entitlement.
Easements are available which allow an additional bedroom to support disabled people and carers, the families of disabled children, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel and people who have suffered a bereavement.
People facing difficulty in meeting their housing costs can apply to their local authority for discretionary support.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's answer on 15 December 2025 to question 97651, what action she has taken to promote the department's guidance Kinship Carers in the Workplace: Guidance for Employers to employers; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the guidance on improving the support employers give to employees who are kinship carers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
‘Kinship Carers in the Workplace: Guidance for Employers’ sets out best practice for supporting kinship carers at work, including adapting workplace policies, signposting existing entitlements and creating a supportive workplace culture. We continue to encourage organisations to review the guidance and consider what changes they can make to support kinship carers.
The government recognises the challenges many kinship carers face in balancing work alongside the pressures of taking in and raising a child. Kinship carers are likely to benefit from additional support and flexibility from their employers to aid them in balancing work with providing the best possible care to kinship children. The department has also introduced a kinship leave and pay offer as part of its commitment to being an exemplar employer.
The government's Parental Leave and Pay Review, which will conclude in early 2027, is considering the needs of working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking as a result of Capita not meeting the ministerial deadline of 30 June to restore pension administration services to contractual standards; and what assessment he has made of the impact of Capita not meeting the deadline on members awaiting payments arising from the McCloud remedy.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
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.
Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline, the department will be prepared for all eventualities.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of information sharing between police, probation, mental health services and other agencies in managing high risk offenders on release from custody.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Offenders convicted of serious sexual, violent or terrorist offences are managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), under which Police, Probation and Prison Services work with other agencies to assess and manage their risks. The statutory MAPPA Framework provides agencies with the power to share information. To strengthen the way in which agencies share information, we have recently updated chapters on the duty to cooperate, accommodation and employment and mentally disordered offenders in the Secretary of State’s statutory guidance to the MAPPA agencies. The Police, Probation and Prison Service share information about MAPPA offenders using ViSOR, a secure, shared national database.
The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the Home Office to develop a modernised Multi-Agency Public Protection System (MAPPS) which will replace ViSOR by summer 2028.
The Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway, a joint programme between NHS and HMPPS provides services for high-risk offenders who are likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for “personality disorder”. A National Partnership Agreement and a national Data Sharing Agreement in each service’s OPD contract set out expectations and arrangements for information sharing.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have initiated a data-sharing taskforce to facilitate better data-sharing between CJS partners, primarily between the Police and the Ministry of Justice. This will be critical to support coordination of services and improved outcomes in operational environments, such as managing high risk offenders on release from custody.
The Ministry of Justice is also working with:
the Home Office to develop Justice ID, which will provide a set of building blocks that together allow staff to consistently identify and track the same individual from arrest, through the courts and custody, and into the community.
the Department for Education to implement the information sharing duty that was introduced in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Members of Parliament are informed about multi-agency arrangements for managing the risks posed by offenders on release from custody.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Critical Public Protection Cases (CPPC) MP Notification Scheme Policy Framework sets out the responsibilities of the Probation Service for CPPC registered cases. It includes guidance on the aims of the scheme, criteria for referral, the assessment process and expectations about management. The policy framework can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/critical-public-protection-cases-mp-notification-scheme.
The purpose of the CPPC scheme is to provide a structured mechanism for the identification, escalation, and oversight of individuals who present exceptional public protection risks or are subject to significant public, political, or media interest. This ensures that such cases are managed with appropriate national oversight, while maintaining robust local risk management arrangements. Members who wish to participate, having agreed not to disclose what is shared with them, will receive from Ministers certain information about the supervision arrangements for offenders released into their constituencies.