Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Russian Chess Federation's attempt to have sanctions against them lifted.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing an immediate moratorium on the importing of trophies of endangered species.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to a ban on the import of hunting trophies. Having examined the options to deliver this, the Department has determined that legislating a robust ban on trophy hunting is the most effective approach the Government can take. We are currently engaging with a range of stakeholders and will confirm legislative timetables once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is in place.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of standing charges on the level of energy bills.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. Ofgem have conducted a broad public consultation to understand the views of consumers on this issue, receiving over 5,000 responses on their 2024 discussion paper. Ofgem judged that if standing charges were fully removed, the fixed costs of the energy system would still need to be recovered, and unit rates would therefore need to increase. In Ofgem's view, this introduced a risk of harm for vulnerable consumers who are high users of energy, often for medical and health needs. Since then, Ofgem have been continuing work in two areas.

Firstly, Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with lower standing charges. Ofgem took a further step towards this goal on 24 July, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers tariffs with lower standing charges from early 2026.

Ofgem’s consultation on these proposals closed on 23 October, and they will provide a further update in due course.

Secondly, Ofgem have been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when will the Government respond to the recommendations contained in the Nuclear Regulatory Review led by John Fingleton.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

At Budget the Chancellor confirmed that government endorses the report’s approach and accepts the principles of all recommendations it set out.

My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has also issued a Strategic Steer which sets clear expectations for the civil, defence, and decommissioning nuclear sectors to accelerate safe and efficient delivery through proportionate regulation and stronger collaboration.

We will present a full implementation plan within three months, taking account of international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of excess winter deaths data.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of the 25th November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the causes of the excess winter deaths in the latest data.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of the 25th November is attached.

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 reduce the number of excess winter deaths.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

A very wide range of factors impact changes in mortality – and details of excess deaths can be found across several sets of government statistics. Causes are multiple – including cold homes, fuel poverty, respiratory infections, and pressures on health and social care systems, and as such, multiple government departments offer relevant support.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) leads on winter preparedness measures each year and on public health strategies; The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) addresses energy affordability and housing efficiency through schemes such as the Warm Home Discount and Warm Homes Plan, which help reduce cold exposure and fuel poverty; and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides financial support to vulnerable households through a range of pensions, benefits and payments. Together these measures work to mitigate risks associated with cold temperatures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the views of (a) patients and (b) the public continue to be heard when the responsibilities of Healthwatch are moved to Integrated Care Boards.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has accepted the recommendation of the Dash review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, to abolish Local Healthwatch.

In future, integrated care boards will be responsible for seeking patient, user and wider community input for health along with their existing duties of patient involvement, and local authorities for social care, where it can feed directly into overall strategic planning and be more closely aligned with the commissioning and provision of care.

The Dash review recommends that the strategic functions of Healthwatch England are transferred into a new patient experience directorate of the Department.

The abolition of Healthwatch England and the transfer of its functions and the changes to Local Healthwatch will require primary legislation. Timing of this is subject to the will of parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the vehicles available within the Motability scheme on the cost of wheelchair accessible and adapted vehicles.

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

The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for disabled people in the UK, leasing cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs in exchange for part or all of their qualifying mobility allowance. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and the Motability Foundation will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment or adaptations for a vehicle, or a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) through the Scheme. The changes announced at Budget about VAT relief do not apply to wheelchair adapted vehicles.

Motability Operations, an independent commercial company which delivers the Scheme, will continue to prioritise customer needs, ensuring vehicles remain affordable and that support for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and specialist adaptations remain at the heart of the Scheme.

Eligibility for enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which provides the main gateway to the Scheme, assesses the mobility needs arising from a health condition or disability rather than the disability or health condition itself.

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 impact of changing the vehicles eligible for Motability on people with Multiple Sclerosis.

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

The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for disabled people in the UK, leasing cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs in exchange for part or all of their qualifying mobility allowance. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and the Motability Foundation will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment or adaptations for a vehicle, or a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) through the Scheme. The changes announced at Budget about VAT relief do not apply to wheelchair adapted vehicles.

Motability Operations, an independent commercial company which delivers the Scheme, will continue to prioritise customer needs, ensuring vehicles remain affordable and that support for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and specialist adaptations remain at the heart of the Scheme.

Eligibility for enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which provides the main gateway to the Scheme, assesses the mobility needs arising from a health condition or disability rather than the disability or health condition itself.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to Motability on the availability of wheelchair accessible and adapted vehicles.

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

The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for disabled people in the UK, leasing cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs in exchange for part or all of their qualifying mobility allowance. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and the Motability Foundation will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment or adaptations for a vehicle, or a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) through the Scheme. The changes announced at Budget about VAT relief do not apply to wheelchair adapted vehicles.

Motability Operations, an independent commercial company which delivers the Scheme, will continue to prioritise customer needs, ensuring vehicles remain affordable and that support for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and specialist adaptations remain at the heart of the Scheme.

Eligibility for enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which provides the main gateway to the Scheme, assesses the mobility needs arising from a health condition or disability rather than the disability or health condition itself.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Budget reference 4.167 on State Pension and Simple Assessment, whether the Government conducted an impact assessment of delivering the measure on an opt-in basis rather than through universal provision.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The State Pension is taxable income along with other pension income. The Budget confirmed that the basic and new State Pension will be uprated by 4.8% in 2026-27, in line with our commitment to the Triple Lock. This means pensioners whose sole income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not pay income tax in 2026-27.

The Budget announced that the Government will ease the administrative burden for pensioners whose sole income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments so that they do not have to pay small amounts of tax via Simple Assessment from 2027-28.

The Government will set out more detail next year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation entitled Guarantee our Essentials: reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard time, published on 4 March 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an essentials guarantee for welfare recipients.

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

A Universal Credit award is made up of a standard allowance rate to provide towards basic living costs, paid according to age and household unit. Additional amounts are added to provide for individual needs such as housing, disability, and childcare costs.

We’ve taken important steps to support people with their living costs. The Universal Credit Act legislates to rebalance Universal Credit by bringing in, for the first time ever, a sustained above inflation increase to the standard allowance for all claimants. This will benefit around 4 million households and is estimated to be worth around £760 annually in cash terms by 2029/30 for a single household aged 25 or over (£250 above inflation) or over £1195 (£400 above inflation) for a couple where one is aged 25 or over with children by 2029/30.

We will also be uprating most working age benefits, across Great Britain in 2026/27, subject to parliamentary approval, in line with the Consumer Prices Index for the year to September 2025 – an increase of 3.8%.

The Government is also taking action to reduce child poverty through the removal of the two child limit. Removing the two child limit is the fastest and most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty over this Parliament and estimated to alone lift 450,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to Motability on access to cars with (a) reversing cameras, (b) driver assist technologies and (c) other safety features.

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

The Motability Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles, including models with reversing cameras, driver assist technologies and other safety features, to meet a range of accessibility needs. The changes announced at the budget will not apply to current leases or wheelchair adapted vehicles, and the Scheme will continue to offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit.

Motability Operations, an independent commercial company which delivers the Scheme, will continue to prioritise customer needs, ensuring vehicles remain affordable and that support for specialist adaptations remain at the heart of the Scheme.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford specialist adaptations for a vehicle leased through the Scheme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget Statement on 26 November 2025, what estimate her Department has made of how many retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in Poole will benefit from lower business rates.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.

The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties, including around 104,600 in the South West of England.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the geographic distribution of contributory Employment and Support Allowance recipients affected by the proposed changes; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the merger on regional equality.

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

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to contributory ESA on recipients with long-term health conditions unable to return to work after the one-year limit.

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

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact on recipients of contributory Employment and Support Allowance once the one-year limit under the proposed new system passes; and on what evidential basis he determined that a one-year limit would be applied to this cohort.

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

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact on levels of poverty of the proposed merger of contributory Employment and Support Allowance into Universal Credit health-related payments.

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

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced that we would be establishing a new, simple and clear Unemployment Insurance benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits. Following recent consultation, officials are considering the responses and developing the policy for this new benefit, including the duration of entitlement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to ensure that children with SEND have access to a GCSE curriculum irrespective of their educational setting.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Every child in our country deserves the best possible school experience; one that is academically stretching, where every child feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.

As part of the department’s Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by strengthening accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive including through Ofsted; support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise and encourage schools to set up Resourced Provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools. This will enable children to receive specialist support whilst learning alongside their friends and wider community.

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. ​In the government’s response to the report, the department made a clear commitment to supporting a high-quality curriculum, including for children with SEND.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that its legal obligations under the Human Rights Act in relation to the detention of defendants are met.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Department ensures compliance with its obligations under the Human Rights Act, and other legal requirements, through operational policies communicated to prisons and probation, and oversight by bodies such as HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Independent Monitoring Boards.

The Department works hard to ensure we maintain safe, lawful conditions and uphold prisoners’ rights.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has instructed that Access to Work criteria should be applied more strictly.

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

There has been no change to Access to Work policy. The published guidance remains the same and continues to be applied, though as a part of the continuous improvement of the service there has been a focus on ensuring consistency in decision-making.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of making advance payments for a qualifying vehicle under the Motability Scheme taxable at the standard rate of VAT on people with disabilities from July 2026.

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

The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will apply to leases at the standard rate, bringing tax treatment in line with commercial leasing firms.

Existing leases and vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the IPT exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment.

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 potential impact of applying Insurance Premium Tax to certain vehicles under the Motability Scheme from 1 July 2026 to levels of (a) poverty and (b) financial hardship among people with disabilities.

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

The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will apply to leases at the standard rate, bringing tax treatment in line with commercial leasing firms.

Existing leases and vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the IPT exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment.

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 potential impact of applying Insurance Premium Tax to certain vehicles under the Motability Scheme from 1 July 2026 on access to (a) employment, (b) education and (c) health appointments.

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

The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will apply to leases at the standard rate, bringing tax treatment in line with commercial leasing firms.

Existing leases and vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the IPT exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment.

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 potential impact of making advance payments for a qualifying vehicle under the Motability Scheme taxable at the standard rate of VAT on the level of (a) poverty and (b) financial hardship for people with disabilities.

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

The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will apply to leases at the standard rate, bringing tax treatment in line with commercial leasing firms.

Existing leases and vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the IPT exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment.

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 potential impact of making advance payments for a qualifying vehicle under the Motability Scheme taxable at the standard rate of VAT on access to (a) employment (b) education (c) health appointments from July 2026.

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

The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will apply to leases at the standard rate, bringing tax treatment in line with commercial leasing firms.

Existing leases and vehicles substantially designed for, or adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users will continue to benefit from VAT reliefs on advance payments and the IPT exemption, in recognition of the additional costs associated with these vehicles.

Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, will continue to offer means-tested grants to support eligible people who would otherwise struggle to afford the advance payment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28th November to question 93107, whether his Department will monitor how local authorities spend the Crisis and Resilience Fund; and will the wider essentials section be separated further to differentiate between expensive furniture and white goods and lower cost period and hygiene products etc.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

My Department has actively engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, including reporting requirements, through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28th November to question 93107, whether the Crisis and Resilience Fund will include an updated management information return to ensure that spend on furniture and white goods is accounted for.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

My Department has actively engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, including reporting requirements, through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to reduce inflation in the prices of food.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced a Food Inflation Gateway to assess and monitor regulation that could add to food prices. This will improve coordination and give food businesses a clear line of sight on upcoming regulatory changes, helping to keep costs down

The Government is also negotiating an agri-food agreement with the EU to reduce trade frictions, which is expected to save businesses up to £200 per fresh food shipment, helping to limit cost pressures across supply chains.

In addition, supermarkets will see a reduction in their total business rates bills in 2026/27 compared with 2025/26, and this will be kept under review at the next revaluation. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) does not expect changes in business rates to have a material impact on food inflation.

Overall, the OBR’s forecast shows government policy will reduce CPI inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2026/27. This is the biggest near-term reduction in inflation due to government policy ever forecast by the OBR at a single fiscal event, outside of a crisis.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Budget 2025, what estimate his Department has made of the number of existing Motability Scheme users who may be adversely affected by changes to Motability tax reliefs.

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

The Motability Scheme supports many disabled people and families, by enabling them to lease a car, wheelchair accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair in exchange for an eligible disability benefit allowance.

The Motability Scheme will continue to offer a choice of vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs. The scheme will also continue to offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the total amount of national insurance contributions made by recipients of Contributory Employment Support Allowance.

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

Entitlement to contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is based on a claimant’s National Insurance (NI) contribution record.

Aggregating each ESA claimant’s NI contributions would require detailed analysis of individual claimants’ administrative records across both DWP and HMRC and would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Poole will be eligible for funding under the new fund for fishing and coastal areas announced in the Budget.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 19 May 2025, the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund was announced to support the next generation of fishers. On 20 October, the Government announced that the fund would be devolved, with each Devolved Government responsible for delivering their share of the fund.

For England, while eligibility criteria are still being developed as we engage with industry on where to target funding, we will welcome applications for eligible projects that invest in fishing and coastal communities from across England, including Poole. Detailed guidance on the application process and criteria will be published once engagement with stakeholders has completed.

Engagement with stakeholders is currently underway to help shape priorities for the funding. I would encourage stakeholders in Poole to contribute to this process so that their local priorities are appropriately reflected.

UK Sail GP Team

Walker's Shortbread Exporter of the Year

Political education

Children and blast injuries, Save the Children report

Winter NHS corridor care

Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the Occupied West Bank

Higher education pension cuts

Town status for Sauchie

Border violence

NEU dispute at Great Ormond Street Hospital and UCLH

US military build-up in the Caribbean

Right to trial by jury

Professional integrity of BBC journalists

Supporting shopworkers

Armed exports to the United Arab Emirates and the situation in Sudan

Driver-only trains on East West Rail

Habitat regulations

Whitkirk Brownies and Rainbows

Palestinian children in Israeli military detention

Thanking postal workers

Yemen

Domestic Energy Efficiency (Call for Evidence) Bill

Football Supporters’ Association’s Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign

Jury trial rights

Mobile phone usage in schools

Palestine Action hunger strike

Escalating human rights violations in Balochistan

Marjorie Bahhaj

Repression following the Iran-Israel war

International Day of People with Disabilities

Occupational Therapist Week

Independent Office for Police Conduct findings on Norman Bettison

Israel’s use of cluster munitions