Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment on people in the North East.

Answered by Liz Kendall - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

It is vital that our social security system, including PIP, is sustainable now and into the future.

That is why we are reforming the system, so we protect those who can never work and so that those who can work get the help they need and deserve – including by investing an additional £1 billion in our new Pathways to Work employment programme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to to help improve access for students to courses at all levels in (a) history, (b) arts and (c) the humanities.

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

The government is committed to supporting access to creative subjects, such as the arts, history and humanities, in higher education.

For the 2024/25 academic year, the department has allocated around £12.9 million in high-cost subject funding from the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) towards creative and performing arts courses to cover course costs.

The department has also maintained SPG funding for world-leading small and specialist providers at £58 million for the 2024/25 academic year. Of the 20 providers recognised in this way, 12 are creative and performing arts providers.

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Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of visa restrictions on revenue streams in the Higher Education sector.

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

There are many factors that influence international students when they choose to study abroad. These include the range and quality of available courses, the visa rules that apply in countries they are considering, and the appeal of living and studying in those countries.

Several changes were made to the immigration system in 2024, restricting international students from bringing family members with them to the UK unless they are studying a PhD, doctorate or research-based higher degree. These restrictions will be continued, as confirmed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department in early February, in line with the government’s commitment to manage migration carefully. The Home Office has also published a full impact assessment of changes made to student and work visas in 2024, alongside their introduction.

Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency shows that international students contributed £12.1 billion in tuition fees to UK higher education (HE) providers in the 2022/23 academic year.

This government has made clear its approach to international students. We welcome international students who enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making the wearing of cycle helmets a legal requirement for cyclists.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport considered the case for mandating the wearing of cycle helmets as part of a cycling and walking safety review in 2018. The review concluded that the safety benefits were likely to be outweighed by the fact that this would put some people off cycling. This would, in turn, reduce the wider health and environmental benefits.

The Department recommends that cycle helmets should be worn and this is set out in The Highway Code, but does not intend to make it a legal requirement.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May to Question 904060 on Personal Independence Payment: Reform, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed PIP changes on people in the North East.

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

Estimates of the impact of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reforms are made for England and Wales only and not on region or any other geographic area.

The department does not forecast benefit receipt at a regional level, nor have estimates of the behavioural impacts of the policy been produced at a regional level.

There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.

No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time.

After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change.

The number of people currently on PIP and did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring local authorities to consider the curtilage of properties when assessing local speed limits.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Traffic authorities have the power to make speed limits on the public roads which they manage.  English authorities are asked to consider the best practice guidance ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.  This lists important factors that may be taken into account which include, among other things, the composition of road users including existing and potential levels of vulnerable road users, and the road environment such as the level of roadside development and the possible impacts (for example, severance, noise or air quality) on residents.  This could include effects on the curtilage of neighbouring properties.

The final decision is for the traffic authority, working with the police who would carry out any enforcement.

The Department’s guidance to English traffic authorities can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits/setting-local-speed-limits.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the weight that should be given to quality of life issues when assessing local speed limits.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Traffic authorities have the power to make speed limits on the public roads which they manage.  English authorities are asked to consider the best practice guidance ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.  This lists important factors that may be taken into account which include, among other things, the composition of road users including existing and potential levels of vulnerable road users, and the road environment such as the level of roadside development and the possible impacts (for example, severance, noise or air quality) on residents.  This could include effects on the curtilage of neighbouring properties.

The final decision is for the traffic authority, working with the police who would carry out any enforcement.

The Department’s guidance to English traffic authorities can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits/setting-local-speed-limits.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on considering the hierarchy of road users when assessing local speed limits.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Traffic authorities have the power to make speed limits on the public roads which they manage.  English authorities are asked to consider the best practice guidance ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’, designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.  This lists important factors that may be taken into account which include, among other things, the composition of road users including existing and potential levels of vulnerable road users, and the road environment such as the level of roadside development and the possible impacts (for example, severance, noise or air quality) on residents.  This could include effects on the curtilage of neighbouring properties.

The final decision is for the traffic authority, working with the police who would carry out any enforcement.

The Department’s guidance to English traffic authorities can be viewed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits/setting-local-speed-limits.

International Nurses Day 2025

UK Government recognition of the state of Palestine

Fairtrade tea campaign

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Madleen Freedom Flotilla Ship

PA Media Ltd parliamentary newswire coverage

Climate Finance Fund (Fossil Fuels and Pollution) Bill

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Restless legs syndrome

Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League

Arms exports to Israel

Climate and Nature Bill

Humanitarian aid into Gaza

Pesticides in public spaces

Negotiating rights for police officers

National Operating Department Practitioner Day

Reductions to CrossCountry trains catering services

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Found: 70.0%) Graeme Downie (Labour, Dunfermline and Dollar) (added 4 Nov 2024) 8 of 10 (80.0%) Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Sarah Smith Victoria Collins Kenneth Stevenson Patricia Ferguson Simon Hoare Adam Jogee Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Sarah Smith Victoria Collins Kenneth Stevenson Patricia Ferguson Simon Hoare Adam Jogee Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont Lillian Jones Sean Woodcock Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Sarah Smith Victoria Collins Kenneth Stevenson Patricia Ferguson Simon Hoare Adam Jogee Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont Lillian Jones Sean Woodcock Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Bance Jess Asato Kirsteen Sullivan Sojan Joseph John Lamont Lillian Jones Sean Woodcock Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Champion Iqbal Mohamed Graeme Downie Ms Polly Billington Martin Rhodes Catherine Fookes Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Campbell Lewis Cocking Sarah Olney Rebecca Paul Patricia Ferguson Simon Hoare Adam Jogee Mary Kelly Foy

Found: Graeme Downie Frank McNally Blair McDougall Martin Rhodes Alex Easton Ms Diane Abbott Mary Kelly Foy

Submit Evidence (by 31 Jul 2025)

The Speaker has requested that the Procedure Committee conduct a review of the operation of the sub judice resolution in the House of Commons. The resolution is intended to preserve ‘comity’ between the courts and the House, to avoid Parliament influencing, or appearing to attempt to influence, the outcome of court proceedings, and to avoid Parliament acting as an alternative forum for resolution of matters that are before the courts.