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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he PLANS TO launch the call for evidence on Building Regulations 2010 Guidance: Approved Document K (ADK).

Answered by Samantha Dixon

Officials are working closely with the Building Safety Regulator and plan to publish a Call for Evidence on Part K of the Building Regulations and Approved Document K in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of police officer numbers in England; and what steps she is taking to increase the police workforce.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

In England, there were 137,520 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers as at 30 September 2025. We are putting officers where the public expects to see them, back on the frontline keeping our communities safe. We are committed to delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by 2029 and have already delivered more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles.

In addition, as part of our measures to tackle antisemitism, we have announced funding for an additional 500 FTE personnel in areas where we need them most.

The next data publication covering the police workforce as at 31 March 2026 will be released on 22 July 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on reducing the backlog of veterans' pensions affected by the McCloud remedy, including expected timelines for cases to be resolved.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

As of 3 July 2026, a total of 98,746 members across the active, deferred, and pensioner cohorts have been issued with their RSSs under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). There remains 37,890 members who are still awaiting issuance of their RSS. Of these, 12,123 are pensioner members who left service prior to 1 October 2023.

At this stage, I am unable to provide a specific completion date for all outstanding RSSs. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to keeping members informed and a further update on progress and timescales will be published on the Armed Forces Pensions page. The Armed Forces Pensions page on GOV.UK provides a delivery update and outlines the revised timeline, which can be found at the following link under 'Remediable Service Statement Delivery Update':

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

As the delay breaches the regulatory deadline, the MOD has reported this matter to the Pensions Regulator and is keeping them informed of our efforts to address the issue. It is important to note that all public sector schemes are facing similar challenges, and this is not a problem exclusive to the AFPS or the MOD.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce processing times for veterans' claims under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

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

Standard pension claims are generally being processed within published service standards and current performance remains high, with pension payments continuing to be made accurately and on time. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with its pension administrators to ensure Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) benefits are processed as efficiently as possible.

The Department is implementing a range of improvements aimed at enhancing service delivery, including the introduction of the Compendia Touch system to streamline case management, ongoing process improvements, and consideration of opportunities to increase processing capacity and automation. These measures are intended to improve productivity and maintain efficient processing times for AFPS members.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking on frozen state pensions for British citizens living in Canada.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality and are only uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating. This approach has been supported by successive governments over many years.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the home buying process in England and Wales to ensure greater protections for buyers.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to bring conveyancing laws in England and Wales in line with Scotland.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review conveyancing laws in England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Found: During the financial year the Minister was the Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP (from July 24).

Found: Defence 6 of 6 Luke Pollard MP Minister of State for Defence Readiness & Industry 1 5 of 6 The Rt Hon Maria Eagle