Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve sovereign defence capability.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We have increased defence spending, we are backing British companies, and we are investing in skills and young people.

The £182 million defence industry skills package, launched alongside the Defence Industrial Strategy, encompasses a range of initiatives targeting people at all stages of the career pipeline, including young people. As part of this we have created seven Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs). One of these DTECs is in the hon. Member’s constituency and I visited this recently.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to develop the Access to Work Scheme.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As set out in the Written Statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 19 May (HCWS34), to increase the efficiency and reduce waiting times for the scheme we will recruit an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications. When recruitment is complete, we will have more than twice as many staff working on Access to Work as in March 2024. The recruitment process has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence. This will ensure disabled people, and people with health conditions can receive timely support to secure and sustain employment.

We also welcome the National Audit Office’s report on AtW and are carefully considering its recommendations. In addition to this, we have consulted and collaborated widely with disabled people along with employers and representative bodies to gather evidence. These insights will help inform our work and shape any changes to Access to Work.

We will also draw on the outcomes of the Green Paper consultation and the Collaboration Committees to inform and help shape the future direction of Access to Work.

The announcement delivered on 19 May set out our commitment to deliver an AtW that is timely, efficient, and can meet new levels of demand. It will help to restore confidence in the capability of the Scheme to award the right support at the right time and sets a pathway towards further improvements.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the increase in the number of assessors to clear the Access to Work backlog will be funded from the current allocated fund for Access to Work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The cost of additional staff recruited to process the backlog of Access to Work applications will be funded from within the Department’s existing budget allocation. It will not be funded from Access to Work allocated budgets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of expanding existing NHS England funding for (a) national Armed Forces programmes and (b) staff training programmes on Armed Forces community awareness to include the social care sector.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Currently, no such assessment has been made. The National Health Service has several training programmes such as the veteran-aware Trust accreditation scheme, the veteran-friendly GP accreditation scheme and the National Armed Forces Training and Education Programme. These are focussed on the provision of NHS commissioned services.

Social care is commissioned by local authorities. The Department is committed to ensuring the social care workforce has the skills and awareness needed to support all those who draw on care, including members of the Armed Forces community. The Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) provides funding to help adult social care employers meet the cost of training and qualifications for their workforce.

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

Fireworks anti-social behaviour and regulation

84th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Tilawa

Public health campaign on the dangers of swimming in open water

Communications blackout and human rights in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Retirement of Tracy Thirlwall

Trans+ History Week

Government response to Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza

Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations

Further education

Prison education insourcing