Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that employers participating in the Disability Confident scheme do not unfairly dismiss employees due to health-related absence or long-term conditions.

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

All employers are required to comply with the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments, and we expect all employers including those in the Disability Confident scheme to act within the law.

The Disability Confident scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. When an employer signs up to the scheme, they agree to commitments which include anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required and supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work.

To help employers meet these commitments in practice, Disability Confident provides a range of guidance and resources. This includes the Disability Confident Manager’s Guide [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-and-cipd-guide-for-line-managers-on-employing-people-with-a-disability-or-health-condition], which explains how managers can make and review reasonable adjustments, consider flexible working, and sets out examples of other types of workplace adjustments. In addition, the Department has developed the ‘Support with Employee Health and Disability’ digital service [https://www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/support-with-employee-health-and-disability], which offers employers tailored guidance on supporting employees with health conditions or disabilities, including advice on legal obligations, making reasonable adjustments, and signposting to sources of expert support.

The scheme also signposts employers and employees to Access to Work, a discretionary grant that provides support for people with a disability or health condition to move into or retain employment, by helping with extra disability related costs of working that go beyond the standard reasonable adjustments an employer is expected to provide under the Equality Act.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a bilateral reciprocal social security agreement with Greece.

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

The UK’s comprehensive social security relationship with the EU Member States, including State Pensions, is governed by the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

These agreements provide the necessary level of social security protection and continuity of State Pension provision for those moving between the UK and the EU Member States, including Greece.

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 effectiveness of UK–EU social security coordination rules in protecting the pension rights of people who have worked in the UK and Greece.

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

The UK’s comprehensive social security relationship with the EU Member States, including State Pensions, is governed by the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

These agreements provide the necessary level of social security protection and continuity of State Pension provision for those moving between the UK and the EU Member States, including Greece.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan repayments and interest rates on graduates from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration she has given to linking Plan 2 student loan interest rates to inflation only.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners. If a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a (a) tuition fee remission and (b) loan-forgiveness scheme for students who commit to a period of service in the NHS following graduation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has no current plans to pay loan instalments for healthcare students or to write off student loan debt in exchange for service in the National Health Service.

The Government keeps the funding arrangements for students under close review and must make sure that finite financial resources are balanced with the level of support students require. This ensures that we make the best use of public funds to deliver value for money.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people who leave employment due to long-term health conditions or disability can access Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment without (a) delays and (b) repeated appeals.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing timely and accurate support to people whose ability to work is affected by long-term health conditions or disabilities through Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Anyone who claims ESA and PIP must satisfy the relevant conditions of entitlement, regardless of the circumstances in which the claim is made. Initial decisions on claims will be made without delay once all evidence needed is available.

Decisions are made within a statutory framework, which allows for revision within one month of notification, with extensions where reasonable. Decisions may also be revised or superseded where there has been official error, where new medical evidence is presented or where a customer has had a relevant change in circumstances. These provisions help ensure accurate decision making and reduce the need for repeated appeals.

We recognise that some customers have complex needs and may require additional support and reasonable adjustments, including adapted communication, additional time, and advocacy from representatives or appointees.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on the consideration of occupational health reports when assessing claims for (a) Employment and Support Allowance and (b) Personal Independence Payment for people with cognitive or fluctuating conditions.

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

The Department provides comprehensive training and guidance for assessment providers and the health professionals (HPs) who carry out both Work Capability Assessments (WCA) in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC), and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. The WCA Handbook and the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) sets out how HPs should evaluate all relevant evidence when assessing a claimant’s functional limitations against the respective criteria.

Both WCA and PIP assessments are functional assessments, focusing on the impact of health condition(s) or disability. HPs consider all available evidence. DWP decision makers give due consideration to all available evidence when making decisions on benefit entitlement, including the HP’s assessment report and any evidence provided by the individual, their GP or consultant, and anybody else that provides them with formal or informal support.

HPs receive training on cognitive and fluctuating conditions and how these might impact on how individuals perform the activities/descriptors which form the assessments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has assessed the risks associated with holdings of United States Treasury securities; and what steps she is taking to manage prudential financial risk in relation to those holdings.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury works closely with the UK’s independent financial regulators, including the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority, to monitor risks to the UK financial system.

The results from the latest Bank of England Bank Capital Stress Tests from December 2025, indicate that major UK banks have the capacity to continue to support the economy through a stress scenario that incorporated a severe global aggregate supply shock, high advanced-economy inflation, higher global interest rates, deep and simultaneous recessions in the UK and global economies, with materially higher unemployment, and sharp falls in asset prices.

These results support the FPC’s judgement that banks’ current levels of capital are sufficient to support the real economy, even if economic, financial and business conditions became substantially worse than expected.

The Bank of England’s 2024 System Wide Exploratory Scenario also showed the system has an improved ability to absorb large price swings in assets, including sovereign bonds.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of social rented homes built through the planning system in Bedford and in England over the past five years.

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

The number of social rented homes delivered in each local planning authority through Section 106 agreements (S106) since 1991-92 is available in Live Table 1011, on gov.uk here.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 101017 on 6 January 2026 and UIN 107221 on 28 January 2026, and to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771) and 28 January 2026 (HCWS1283 and HCWS1286).

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 amend planning rules to include measures relating to the long-term stewardship and public accessibility of green spaces provided as part of residential development.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that local plans should make sufficient provision for green infrastructure, which is defined as a multifunctional network of green and blue spaces.

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes a proposed requirement for local plans to set standards for green infrastructure.

The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of national planning policy in securing the long-term management and maintenance of public open spaces in residential developments.

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

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes proposals relating to the provision of new or improved open space.

The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

I also refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 18 December 2025 (HCWS1210).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to introduce a requirement for local planning authorities to include targets for social rented housing within their local plans.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107221 on 28 January 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average response time is for correspondence from members of the public and from Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents; what targets are in place for responding to correspondence; and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that enquiries submitted via MPs’ offices are acknowledged and replied to promptly.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

MP enquiries continue to be treated as a matter of high priority. There is clear guidance avail-able to all staff regarding the expected timeframe for responding to enquiries from MPs, which is accessible via the Department’s intranet.

The Department for Work and Pensions aims to respond to MP enquiries within 15 working days. Where this is not feasible, such as in complex cases, the Department remains committed to providing a response at the earliest opportunity.

Higher volumes of MP enquiries combined with a rise in more complex complaints, which take longer to investigate, has caused some delays with our responses. We are in the process of recruiting more complaint handlers to reduce our response times.

Data on responses to correspondence from MPs is regularly published and can be found here:

Data on responses to correspondence from MPs and peers - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the proposed loan charge settlement scheme cut off date of 1 June 2021 for excluding taxpayers who have entered into contract settlements with HMRC before that date; and what steps she has taken to help ensure that taxpayers who settled earlier are not disadvantaged compared with those who settle under the new scheme.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those affected, ensure fairness for all taxpayers and ensure that appropriate support is in place for those subject to the loan charge.

The purpose of the review was to bring the matter to a close for people who have not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities. Although the loan charge officially came into force from 6 April 2019, the deadline for settling to avoid being liable to the loan charge was extended because of the Morse Review. The settlement opportunity applies after 1 June 2021 because it is from that date onwards that loan charge settlements were agreed.

The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing those individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier. The Government accepted all but one of the review’s recommendations and will legislate to give HMRC the power to administer a new settlement scheme.

The Government has no plans to apply the recommendations of the review beyond those individuals and employers with outstanding liabilities that were the focus of the review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that displaced Ukrainians in the United Kingdom have access to long-term residency, education, and employment; how it determines whether return to Ukraine is considered safe; and what measures are in place to ensure that policies affecting displaced Ukrainians are applied fairly and in accordance with human rights obligations, including the best interests of children.

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

The UK’s support for Ukraine remains steadfast and, together with our partners and allies, the UK stands in solidarity with Ukraine and condemns the Russian government’s unprovoked and premeditated war. Since the launch of the Ukraine schemes, the UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 310,000 Ukrainians and their families through the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, and the Ukraine Extension Scheme.

The Government has already taken significant steps to extend support for those in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes. Since February 2025, individuals have been able to apply to the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme for a further 18 months’ permission, with continued access to work, benefits, healthcare and education. On 1 September 2025, the Government announced a further 24‑month extension to the scheme, providing additional certainty and stability for Ukrainian guests and reflecting our ongoing commitment to support those displaced by the conflict.

The Government has been clear from the outset that the Ukraine scheme routes are temporary and do not provide a direct path to settlement, in line with the Ukrainian government’s strong desire for its citizens to return home when it is safe to do so.

The Government recognises the importance of providing longer‑term clarity for Ukrainians beyond the lifetime of UPE, and a further statement setting out the long‑term position will be issued in due course. As part of this process, the safety situation in Ukraine will also be considered.

Dual nationals and new UK entry documentation requirements

Government response to Israel’s West Bank annexation plan

Buying community energy locally