Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the protest-related provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, how the Government will ensure that these powers are not used in a way that suppresses legitimate dissent; and what independent oversight and accountability mechanisms will be put in place to prevent disproportionate or discriminatory application.

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

The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy. It is a long‑standing tradition in the UK that people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.

The Government is taking the Crime and Policing Bill through Parliament to equip the police with targeted powers to manage evolving protest tactics while safeguarding the right to lawful protest. All protest legislation has been developed in line with the UK’s obligations under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The use of these powers and the management of demonstrations are operational matters for the police.

The Government keeps all public order legislation under constant review and has also launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC. The review is underway and will report in spring 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment periods on (a) working Universal Credit recipients and (b) resourcing within her Department; and what steps she is taking to reduce the impact on (i) claimants and (ii) resources.

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

The Department recognises that receiving two sets of earnings from the same employer within a single Universal Credit assessment period can create unexpected fluctuations in a claimant’s award. This situation typically occurs when a claimant’s monthly payday falls very close to the end of their assessment period, resulting in two wage payments being reported through HMRC’s Real Time Information (RTI) system in the same month. To address this, the Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020 were introduced, allowing one set of monthly paid earnings to be reallocated to a different assessment period to ensure awards are calculated fairly. This rule only applies where earnings are paid calendar monthly.

The Department’s assessment found that enabling the reallocation of earnings has a positive impact on working UC recipients. By smoothing income across assessment periods, the change reduces financial volatility for the relatively small number of households affected and helps maintain a regular payment cycle. Importantly, it also prevents claimants from losing their Work Allowance in months when double reporting would otherwise occur.

Most cases affected by double earnings are now identified and corrected automatically, minimising any burden on customers and administrative pressure on the Department.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has been made of the merits of including representatives of civil society organisations in the UK delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women; and whether there are plans to change the current approach to delegation composition.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are well-established arrangements for ensuring that civil society organisations (CSOs) attending the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) can help shape the UK's overall approach, including an annual joint UK Government and CSO side event held in the margins of CSW. This year's event focused on accelerating progress on ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).

The UK was proud to support the Agreed Conclusions on women and girls' access to justice. Domestically, we are committed to dismantling the barriers that prevent women from accessing justice and seeking and obtaining legal remedies. Internationally, we are committed to putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do, as reflected in our updated priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement the agreed conclusions of the most recent session of the Commission on the Status of Women in (a) UK domestic policy and (b) the UK’s foreign policy and development programmes.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are well-established arrangements for ensuring that civil society organisations (CSOs) attending the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) can help shape the UK's overall approach, including an annual joint UK Government and CSO side event held in the margins of CSW. This year's event focused on accelerating progress on ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).

The UK was proud to support the Agreed Conclusions on women and girls' access to justice. Domestically, we are committed to dismantling the barriers that prevent women from accessing justice and seeking and obtaining legal remedies. Internationally, we are committed to putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do, as reflected in our updated priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent passport requirement changes for dual nationals travelling to the UK on the level of (a) passport application (i) volumes and (ii) processing times and (b) the use of certificates of entitlement to the right of abode.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Information about passport application volumes and performance are published quarterly, and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/migration-transparency-data.

There have been no changes to the published customer guidance for the expected timeframe to process passport applications.

Quarterly data for the issuing of Certificates of Entitlement can be found in the detailed entry clearance visa dataset (Vis-D02) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of Capita as administrator of the Civil Service Pension Scheme; what the current size of the casework and payments backlog is; what steps are being taken to address reported delays, errors and problems with the online pension portal; and how Capita is being held to account to ensure pension payments are made accurately and on time.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of driver training and testing in preparing drivers to undertake safe overtaking of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on (a) rural roads and (b) motorways; what information her Department holds on the involvement of unsafe overtaking manoeuvres in collisions involving HGVs; and whether she plans to change the DVSA (i) theory test, (ii) hazard perception test, and (iii) practical driving test to improve assessment of safe overtaking and lane discipline on multi-lane carriageways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department publishes several data sets on collisions that can be viewed on GOV.UK. The RAS0503: Vehicle type and manoeuvre report includes figures on the number of vehicles that were overtaking another vehicle at the time of their collision. However, this does not specify what type of vehicle they were overtaking, or if the collision was a result of an unsafe overtaking manoeuvre.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) requires approved driving instructors (ADI) and approved training bodies (ATB) to train learner driver and riders to the National Standards. This includes teaching learners to recognise and manage the additional risks when overtaking HGVs, including on rural roads and motorways. DVSA has no current plans to change how learners are trained or how the agency examines learner drivers and riders on their practical tests.

Both the multiple-choice and hazard perception elements already include questions on safely following, and overtaking, HGVs in a range of situations. DVSA keeps the driving and riding theory and practical test under continuous review.

The agency also encourages ADIs to include motorway driving as part of their instruction to learner drivers.

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (No. 2)

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps