Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the backlog in the administration of family court orders.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The HMCTS Reform Programme has introduced several new digital services within the Family Courts, enhancing and automating the administration of family court orders. These services encompass Divorce, Financial Remedy, and Public Law Proceedings.

Additionally, HMCTS has transitioned much of the administration of these services to the newly established Courts and Tribunals Service Centres. Centralising work to national centres has allowed for better management of work fluctuations across the various services; improved data collection on HMCTS performance and identification of areas for enhancement; and more effective alignment of working patterns to meet demand.

Currently, HMCTS is piloting a new digital service for private law proceedings, aiming to replicate the administrative improvements seen in other family services. This service is scheduled to be implemented across England and Wales by the end of 2025.

Whilst this new service is being piloted, HMCTS continues to prioritise the orders wating to be administered according to their urgency and are using specialist order production teams to target delay at specific local court courts.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the same eligibility criteria for Universal Credit and Child Benefit for claimants in non-advanced education; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that approach on families supporting students whose education may be extended due to having additional needs.

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

There are no current plans to make such an assessment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of implementing a (a) resettlement and (b) reunification scheme for citizens of Lebanon with family connections to the UK.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We are deeply concerned by the rising tensions and civilian casualties in Lebanon.

Lebanese nationals who wish to come to the UK can do so via the existing range of routes available.

Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules. Immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.

There are also routes available for dependants of those who are in the UK on a work or student route.

Individuals with protection status or settlement on a protection route may sponsor their partner or child (under 18), to join or stay with them in the UK, providing they formed part of the pre-flight family unit before the sponsor fled their country to seek protection.

We are monitoring the situation in Lebanon closely and keeping all existing pathways under constant review.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to support utility companies in (a) removing and (b) recycling redundant copper cables following infrastructure upgrades.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government hopes to see as much as possible of the copper network reused for other purposes. For example, the Government welcomes the recent commercial deal between BT Group and a recycling company to repurpose legacy copper cables that are being replaced by its new full fibre network. Copper is a valuable material and the Government expects the network providers to make the best use of it in line with their in-house policies, but does not plan to intervene in this emerging market.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to take steps to help ensure the parents and guardians of disabled children are able to access (a) Child Trust Funds and (b) Junior ISAs.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund or a Junior ISA.

On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the ‘Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit’, explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an application to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on GOV.UK.

We understand that concerns remain, and the Ministry of Justice is exploring what further can be done to help improve access to matured Child Trust Funds.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting further education institutions to offer (a) apprenticeship and (b) course placements to students on a Homes for Ukraine visa that may expire before the course conclusion.

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

In determining student eligibility for 16 to 19 funding, including for Ukrainians aged 16 to 19 living in the UK under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine), institutions must satisfy themselves that there is a reasonable likelihood that the student will be able to complete their study programme before seeking funding for the student. However, when a student applies for a study programme where their current legal permission to remain in the UK expires six months or more after they start, then institutions may allow them to enrol. The department considers it sufficient for institutions to rely on confirmation from the student, and/or family, that they intend to apply for the necessary extension to their permission to remain for the duration of their study programme.

The situation is similar for adult learners. Providers should only fund a learner if their visa has enough time for the learner to complete their course. However, where the learner’s visa will expire before the end of the course, the provider can use their discretion to fund the learner where they have a high degree of certainty that the learner intends to renew their visa. The department would expect that individuals who are not yet eligible to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, but intend to apply for it, would be eligible for funding under this rule.

The department’s apprenticeship funding rules state that an individual must be able to complete the apprenticeship within the time they have available. Where the learner’s residency permit does not extend to the entire length of the apprenticeship, they are not eligible for funding. The department must be mindful when spending taxpayers’ funds on training and it wants learners to be able to complete their apprenticeships within the time they have available. The department will keep this under review as it does with all of its rules.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the (a) statutory and (b) regulatory standards for drilling boreholes in mineral exploration or evaluation to the drilling of boreholes for the purposes of installing ground-source heat pumps; and whether her Department plans to introduce safety legislation for borehole drilling on private land.

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

The Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995 (BSOR) require operators to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in advance if drilling is taking place in a defined mining area. These Regulations do not apply to drilling for the purposes of installing ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs).

Drilling for the purposes of installing GSHPs is covered by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA), which places a fundamental general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees, and of other people who may be affected by the work activity. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also apply, which requires suitable and sufficient risk assessments to be carried out and suitable arrangements to be implemented to manage risks.

There is currently no intention to bring drilling for the installation of GSHPs within the scope of BSOR.

Gaza family visa scheme

Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly elections

FareShare’s 30th anniversary

15th anniversary of the repair café movement

Home insulation measures and consumer protections

Death of Rt hon. Alex Salmond, former First Minister of Scotland

UN’s resolution on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and sanctions