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.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on (a) childminders and other home-based childcare providers on the levels of (i) recruitment and (ii) retention in that workforce and (b) on the Government's commitment to fund childcare for 30 hours a week.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We are working with the sector to expand the number of childminders and make it easier for them to operate, including through increased funding rates and new flexibilities to work with more people and spend more time working from non-domestic premises if they want to.

We are taking a range of measures to support the financial sustainability of childminding businesses and other early years providers. From April 2026, local authorities will be required to pass at least 97% of their funding directly to providers.

We are working with local authorities and others to ensure that childminders and other early years providers can be paid monthly for the funded hours they provide, making their income more stable.

In addition, the expansion of the early years entitlements could benefit childminders in different ways: the national average three- and four-year-old hourly funding rate of local authorities is increasing by 4.1%, the two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.3%, and the nine months to two-year-old hourly funding rate is increasing by 3.4%. Childminders may also benefit from an expected increase in demand for places.

Making Tax Digital standardises the way that sole traders record and claim business expenses. It could benefit childminders as it means that any business expenses related to childminding will be included in their tax calculations. We are however aware of the strength of feeling amongst childminders and those who work with them. We have been talking regularly to Coram Pacey, HMRC and others to understand the issue, the effect that it is having on the childminding sector and to make sure that the concerns of childminders are clearly understood. The department emphasises its strong support for childminders, who continue to provide high quality and flexible early education, and do so in a way that families across the country greatly value.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Department plans to improve guidance to schools on teaching road safety and safe cycling within PSHE or related curricula.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Bedford to the answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77400.

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