Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will consult with representatives of older FAS and PPF members to explore alternative approaches to compensating people without pension indexation.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has tabled an amendment which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) on pensions built up before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases. Pre-97 increases will also apply to the beneficiaries of eligible members.

The change announced to provide pre-97 indexation for PPF and FAS compensation payments will be made for members whose former schemes provided indexation within their scheme rules on a mandatory or statutory basis. The members captured within our reforms lost out when their scheme transferred to the PPF or qualified for the FAS. We do not intend to consult on the matter of pensions indexation in the PPF and FAS.

I understand that members will want to receive compensation quickly, particularly those with a serious illness or limited life expectancy and I am sympathetic to those concerns.

Legislation introducing indexation on pre-1997 service will apply to eligible members suffering serious ill health in the same way that it applies to other members. Those in receipt of an ill-health pension when their scheme entered a PPF assessment period are entitled to 100% compensation, indexed as set out in the proposals.

The Financial Assistance Scheme has the capacity to pay ill health, severe ill health and terminal ill health payments. All three are regular payments rather than in the form of a lump sum. The Pension Protection Fund makes terminal illness payments in the form of a lump sum. Measures in the Pension Schemes Bill are additionally extending the definition of terminal illness so that affected individuals can access terminal illness payments earlier, at a very difficult time of their lives.

The earliest opportunity to provide pre-97 increases to PPF and FAS members is January 2027, the first annual uprating point after the Pension Schemes Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has considered bringing forward the planned January 2027 implementation of CPI-linked increases for pre-1997 PPF and FAS accruals to ensure that members with limited life expectancy benefit.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has tabled an amendment which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) on pensions built up before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases. Pre-97 increases will also apply to the beneficiaries of eligible members.

The change announced to provide pre-97 indexation for PPF and FAS compensation payments will be made for members whose former schemes provided indexation within their scheme rules on a mandatory or statutory basis. The members captured within our reforms lost out when their scheme transferred to the PPF or qualified for the FAS. We do not intend to consult on the matter of pensions indexation in the PPF and FAS.

I understand that members will want to receive compensation quickly, particularly those with a serious illness or limited life expectancy and I am sympathetic to those concerns.

Legislation introducing indexation on pre-1997 service will apply to eligible members suffering serious ill health in the same way that it applies to other members. Those in receipt of an ill-health pension when their scheme entered a PPF assessment period are entitled to 100% compensation, indexed as set out in the proposals.

The Financial Assistance Scheme has the capacity to pay ill health, severe ill health and terminal ill health payments. All three are regular payments rather than in the form of a lump sum. The Pension Protection Fund makes terminal illness payments in the form of a lump sum. Measures in the Pension Schemes Bill are additionally extending the definition of terminal illness so that affected individuals can access terminal illness payments earlier, at a very difficult time of their lives.

The earliest opportunity to provide pre-97 increases to PPF and FAS members is January 2027, the first annual uprating point after the Pension Schemes Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures the Government will take to ensure that members of the FAS and PPF with serious health conditions or limited life expectancy are not disadvantaged under the proposals for CPI-linked increases to pre-1997 pension accruals.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has tabled an amendment which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) on pensions built up before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases. Pre-97 increases will also apply to the beneficiaries of eligible members.

The change announced to provide pre-97 indexation for PPF and FAS compensation payments will be made for members whose former schemes provided indexation within their scheme rules on a mandatory or statutory basis. The members captured within our reforms lost out when their scheme transferred to the PPF or qualified for the FAS. We do not intend to consult on the matter of pensions indexation in the PPF and FAS.

I understand that members will want to receive compensation quickly, particularly those with a serious illness or limited life expectancy and I am sympathetic to those concerns.

Legislation introducing indexation on pre-1997 service will apply to eligible members suffering serious ill health in the same way that it applies to other members. Those in receipt of an ill-health pension when their scheme entered a PPF assessment period are entitled to 100% compensation, indexed as set out in the proposals.

The Financial Assistance Scheme has the capacity to pay ill health, severe ill health and terminal ill health payments. All three are regular payments rather than in the form of a lump sum. The Pension Protection Fund makes terminal illness payments in the form of a lump sum. Measures in the Pension Schemes Bill are additionally extending the definition of terminal illness so that affected individuals can access terminal illness payments earlier, at a very difficult time of their lives.

The earliest opportunity to provide pre-97 increases to PPF and FAS members is January 2027, the first annual uprating point after the Pension Schemes Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government will review the method used to apply CPI-linked increases in the PPF and FAS to pre-1997 accruals to ensure that compensation is proportionate to levels of historical losses.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has tabled an amendment which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) on pensions built up before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases. Pre-97 increases will also apply to the beneficiaries of eligible members.

The change announced to provide pre-97 indexation for PPF and FAS compensation payments will be made for members whose former schemes provided indexation within their scheme rules on a mandatory or statutory basis. The members captured within our reforms lost out when their scheme transferred to the PPF or qualified for the FAS. We do not intend to consult on the matter of pensions indexation in the PPF and FAS.

I understand that members will want to receive compensation quickly, particularly those with a serious illness or limited life expectancy and I am sympathetic to those concerns.

Legislation introducing indexation on pre-1997 service will apply to eligible members suffering serious ill health in the same way that it applies to other members. Those in receipt of an ill-health pension when their scheme entered a PPF assessment period are entitled to 100% compensation, indexed as set out in the proposals.

The Financial Assistance Scheme has the capacity to pay ill health, severe ill health and terminal ill health payments. All three are regular payments rather than in the form of a lump sum. The Pension Protection Fund makes terminal illness payments in the form of a lump sum. Measures in the Pension Schemes Bill are additionally extending the definition of terminal illness so that affected individuals can access terminal illness payments earlier, at a very difficult time of their lives.

The earliest opportunity to provide pre-97 increases to PPF and FAS members is January 2027, the first annual uprating point after the Pension Schemes Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Budget Statement on 26 November 2025, what estimate his Department has made of how many workers in the Poole constituency will benefit from the planned increase in (a) the National Living Wage and (b) the National Minimum Wage.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Around 2.4 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to the increase to the NLW on 1 April 2026. In total, around 2.7 million workers are expected to receive a pay rise due to increases to the NMW and NLW on April 2026.

The Government will publish an impact assessment alongside the legislation that implements the increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates early next year. This will include a breakdown of the number of workers expected to benefit by region; however, constituency-level estimates will not be provided due to greater data reliability issues at this granularity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28th November to question 92800, whether the best practice guide for furniture provision for all landlords will make specific recommendations to furnished tenancy schemes as a cost effective method of delivery; and if her Department will consult with expert organisations to ensure this guide is best equipped to support those in need.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84054 on 3 November 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28th November to question 92800, what information the best practice guide for furniture will provide to tenants about how they can access support with furniture and appliances; and what assessments will the department take to ensure that the advice provided is effective at tackling the scale of furniture poverty.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84054 on 3 November 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Budget Statement on 26 November 2025, how many of the Government's planned 1.5 million homes will be built in Poole constituency by the end of the Parliament.

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

My Department does not forecast housing delivery for individual local planning authorities.

Indicative local housing need figures can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been done as to the number of households that are affected by the overall benefit cap, rather than the two child limit.

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

Benefit Cap statistics are regularly published, the latest publication is available here: Benefit cap: number of households capped to May 2025 - GOV.UK

The latest two child limit statistics are published here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

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 measures his Department will take to reduce error and fraud in the welfare system by £4.6 billion by 2030-31.

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

Since Autumn Budget 2024, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government has committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in GB. These activities include:

• introducing regular requests for Universal Credit claimants to confirm whether any of their circumstances have changed, £1.2bn
• improvements to the verification of self-employment income and expenses and of capital in claimants’ bank accounts to prevent fraud and error entering the Universal Credit benefit system, £0.9bn
• investment to deploy up to 3,000 additional staff and strengthen our data, analytics and investigative capability, £3.0bn
• continuing Targeted Case Reviews to check accuracy of Universal Credit claims at risk of being incorrect, £6.6bn including £1.2bn in Autumn Budget 25. Since its inception, TCR has committed to delivering £17.3 billion AME savings by March 2031.
• providing additional resource to action data alerts to detect and correct under- and over-payments, £0.2bn
• introducing legislation to require banks and other financial institutions to share data with DWP to help identify any potential overpayments, £1.2bn
• introducing legislation to allow DWP to recover debts from those no longer on benefit or in PAYE employment, £0.9bn (PSNCR - Public Sector Net Cash Requirement)
• introducing reviews of Pension Credit claims that are at risk of being incorrect, starting from 2026 and ending in 2029, £0.5bn.

Figures may not sum due to rounding.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households will be affected by the lifting of the two child benefit cap.

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

The requested information is published in ‘Table 3.2: Costing of the removal of the two-child limit’ (page 66-67) and is available at EFOs - Office for Budget Responsibility.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that reforms to the visa system help ensure that UK business can employ talented international workers.

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

The Government’s approach is to link migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK.  This approach will be important to enabling delivery of the Government’s broader agenda.

Employers can continue to recruit workers for occupations at RQF level 6 and on the Temporary Shortage List but they will need to meet the current requirements of the Skilled Worker route.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to extend pre-1997 pension indexation changes for members of the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme to members of ongoing occupational pension schemes whose pre-1997 contributions remain frozen.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government tabled an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme on pensions accrued before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%). This will apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases.

In private sector defined benefit pension schemes, analysis published by the Pensions Regulator indicates that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

The reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill give trustees more flexibility to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and negotiate benefits for members, including discretionary increases. Trustees will be in the driving seat in all decision making on surplus release and must act in the best interest of scheme beneficiaries.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of members of ongoing occupational pension schemes who will not receive pre-1997 indexation.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government tabled an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme on pensions accrued before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%). This will apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases.

In private sector defined benefit pension schemes, analysis published by the Pensions Regulator indicates that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

The reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill give trustees more flexibility to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and negotiate benefits for members, including discretionary increases. Trustees will be in the driving seat in all decision making on surplus release and must act in the best interest of scheme beneficiaries.

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 occupational pension schemes whose pre-1997 pension rights remain unindexed on retired members of those schemes.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government tabled an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme on pensions accrued before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%). This will apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases.

In private sector defined benefit pension schemes, analysis published by the Pensions Regulator indicates that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

The reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill give trustees more flexibility to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and negotiate benefits for members, including discretionary increases. Trustees will be in the driving seat in all decision making on surplus release and must act in the best interest of scheme beneficiaries.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 4 December to question 94564, whether he made an assessment of the potential impact of those policy changes on people with fluctuating conditions like MS before the policy was announced.

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

Before any announcements were made, Motability Operations confirmed it will continue to offer a broad range of vehicles without an Advance Payment, ensuring that people who elect to join the Scheme can access vehicles suited to their needs, whatever their health condition or disability, in exchange for all or part of their mobility allowance.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any new vehicle leases on the Motability Scheme will not increase in cost for the end user from July 2026.

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

We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money.

There will still be cars available through the scheme which require no advance payment. This means that customers will still be able to lease a car just with their qualifying disability benefit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much new leases for Motability vehicles will increase in end user cost from July 2026 as a result of the Autumn Budget 2026.

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

We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money.

There will still be cars available through the scheme which require no advance payment. This means that customers will still be able to lease a car just with their qualifying disability benefit.

Any change in costs of advance payments will depend on a range of factors, including the make and model of the car, and be determined by Motability.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to give the public a right of responsible access to all rivers in England.

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

The Government recognises the importance of access to nature for people’s health and well-being. There is already public access to regulated rivers owned and managed by navigation authorities, available through their licensing regimes. We are considering our approach to improving access to unregulated rivers and are committed to working with stakeholders as this develops.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much new leases for Motability vehicles without advance payments will increase in end user cost from July 2026 as a result of the addition of insurance premium tax in the Autumn Budget 2026.

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

We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money.

As is the case now, Motability will determine which vehicles will require an advanced payment and the price. There will still be cars available through the scheme which require no advance payment. This means that customers will still be able to lease a car just with their qualifying disability benefit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will set out the difference between (a) recovered unpaid taxes and (b) outstanding unpaid taxes in the period since July 2024 to date.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC is committed to making sure that individuals and businesses who can pay, do so on time. Since Autumn Budget 2024, HMRC has received £782 million of investment in its debt collection activities, which will help it to collect over £12 billion more debt by the end of 2030-31.

HMRC published an update to its tax debt strategy at Budget 2025, outlining how the recent investment is helping to close the tax gap and reduce tax debt year-on-year as a percentage of receipts. The tax debt balance as a percentage of receipts fell from 5.2% in 2023-24 to 5% in 2024-25, and HMRC is aiming for this to decrease to between 3% and 4% by 2029-30.

HMRC has effective processes in place to collect debt including telephone and letter campaigns, strategic partnerships with private sector debt collection agencies, and where necessary, enforcement action. For customers who need financial support, it offers flexible Time to Pay payment plans which collect debt in affordable and sustainable instalments.

HMRC publishes quarterly performance updates on GOV.UK. You can find this here:

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of HMRC's ability to collect unpaid taxes.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC is committed to making sure that individuals and businesses who can pay, do so on time. Since Autumn Budget 2024, HMRC has received £782 million of investment in its debt collection activities, which will help it to collect over £12 billion more debt by the end of 2030-31.

HMRC published an update to its tax debt strategy at Budget 2025, outlining how the recent investment is helping to close the tax gap and reduce tax debt year-on-year as a percentage of receipts. The tax debt balance as a percentage of receipts fell from 5.2% in 2023-24 to 5% in 2024-25, and HMRC is aiming for this to decrease to between 3% and 4% by 2029-30.

HMRC has effective processes in place to collect debt including telephone and letter campaigns, strategic partnerships with private sector debt collection agencies, and where necessary, enforcement action. For customers who need financial support, it offers flexible Time to Pay payment plans which collect debt in affordable and sustainable instalments.

HMRC publishes quarterly performance updates on GOV.UK. You can find this here:

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain on amending the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 to include dog nose prints as an means of identifying racing greyhounds.

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

The Department has not had any recent discussions with, or representations from, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain about amending the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain on amending the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010.

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

The Department has not had any recent discussions with, or representations from, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain about amending the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010.

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 adequacy of the availability of non- wheelchair accessible disability-friendly safety and accessible features following changes to the Motability scheme.

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

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 remains at the heart of the Scheme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people, including those living with multiple sclerosis, who rely on Motability vehicles do not lose their ability to live independently following changes to the Motability scheme announced in the Autumn Budget.

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

The Motability Scheme support many disabled people and families including those living with multiple sclerosis, 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 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 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 Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, further to question 95498 if he will make an assessment of the impact for his policies of the findings of 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.

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

As I set out in the response I gave on 4 December 2025 to PQ UIN 95498, this government is taking important steps to tackle child poverty and improve the support we provide people with their living costs.

There is no overall agreed approach to benchmark benefit levels. Each household will always have different requirements depending on their circumstances. We will continue to consider evidence and insights from a range of organisations to ensure the social security system provides the support people need.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of requiring cyclists to wear a high visibility jacket when riding on the road.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Rule 59 of The Highway Code recommends cyclists should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing to help other road users to see them in daylight and poor light, with reflective clothing and/or accessories in the dark.

The Department considered making Rule 59 a requirement, rather than a recommendation as part of a comprehensive cycling and walking safety review in 2018. This concluded that the cost of introducing such a system would far outweigh the benefits. Restricting people’s ability to cycle in this way would mean that many would likely choose other modes of transport instead, with negative impacts for congestion, pollution and health.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Motability’s removal of luxury vehicles will result in a reduction of choice for wheelchair accessible users.

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

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

We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This includes the removal of some luxury vehicles from the leasing scheme while maintaining a range of vehicles to support disabled people. Tax changes will not impact vehicles substantially adapted for wheelchair users, or existing leases, and Motability will continue to provide vehicles at no additional cost to the value of eligible disability benefits ensuring that people can access vehicles suited to their needs, whether that’s a larger vehicle or extra boot space to carry wheelchairs.

For customers who cannot afford essential costs or need more complex adaptations, the Motability Foundation will continue to provide means-tested grants to those most in need of financial help. In 2024/25, these grants totalled £59.3 million, supporting over 10,000 customers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension scheme members affected by the absence of pre-1997 indexation will receive indexation; and how many affected members will not receive indexation because they are in schemes that remain in operation.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will introduce pre-1997 indexation in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), for members whose original schemes provided this. Compensation payments from these schemes on pensions built up before 6 April 1997 will be CPI-linked (capped at 2.5%), and this will apply prospectively.

The PPF have made an assessment that around 165,000 PPF members and 91,000 current FAS members will benefit from this change as they have some pre-97 benefits where their former schemes provided mandatory indexation.

Analysis published last year by the Pensions Regulator shows that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes do not receive indexation on benefits accrued before 1997. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she is taking steps to ensure that people affected by interest rate hedging products are compensated.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the impact that the historic mis‑selling of interest rate hedging products (IRHPs) has had on many SMEs, and we acknowledge the distress this caused.

Responsibility for regulating the sale of these products, and for ensuring appropriate redress, rests with the independent Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA required the major banks to carry out a comprehensive review of past IRHP sales. This led to around 14,000 businesses receiving a total of £2.2 billion in redress.

The Government believes this industry‑wide redress scheme broadly met its objectives in delivering compensation to businesses that were mis‑sold these products. The Government has always been clear that mis‑selling of financial products is completely unacceptable. That is why we supported both the FCA’s redress scheme and its decision to commission an independent ‘lessons‑learned’ review of its supervisory interventions in relation to IRHPs. The FCA accepted the majority of the recommendations from that review, and, in light of the review’s findings, it also carefully considered whether further steps should be taken to facilitate access to redress for customers who had initially been excluded.

More generally, the Government continues to keep the financial services regulatory framework under review, working closely with the FCA to help ensure that consumers and businesses are protected and have clear, effective routes to compensation where misconduct occurs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to publish a consultation on the VAT treatment of Motability scheme vehicles.

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

The government recognises the importance of engaging with tax payers on the development of tax policy, however, as set out in the tax policy making principles, the need to deliver change quickly means a consultation is not always practicable. Prior to announcing tax changes to the Motability Scheme at Budget 2025, the government instead engaged closely with the Motability Foundation to understand in depth how tax changes would impact the Motability Scheme and their customers. There are no plans for further consultation on the measure.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his department is taking to prevent people from dying in fuel poverty.

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

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. We will be publishing a new fuel poverty strategy for England to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030, in parallel to the Warm Homes Plan.

In March the Government allocated around £1.8 billion to local authorities and social housing providers to support low-income households through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. This funding will support 170,000 households to get energy saving upgrades, helping families stay warm and cut bills.

In addition, the Chancellor has announced a further £1.5 billion to support upgrades for low-income households, benefiting those in fuel poverty. The details of this will be set out soon in the Warm Homes Plan.

Financial support is available to eligible low-income households across Great Britain through the Warm Home Discount which has been expanded for this winter increasing the total number of households that are estimated to receive the discount from 3.2 million to around 6 million.

DESNZ is working with other government departments to drive better availability and sharing of data to enable us in the future to more effectively target support to those who need help with their energy bills.

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 financial impact of the proposed (a) application of VAT on payments for higher value vehicles and (b) removal of the Insurance Premium Tax exemption for vehicles that are not substantially and permanently adapted for wheelchair or stretcher users, or originally designed for their use on Motability scheme users; and what steps his Department is taking to support disabled people who will be affected by these changes.

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 HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to remove the VAT exemption for vehicles adapted for use by disabled people.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has no plans to remove the VAT relief for vehicles designed for, or substantially and permanently adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users.

At Budget 2025 the government announced tax changes to the Motability scheme. These changes will only impact new leases, and VAT reliefs within the scheme for weekly lease costs and vehicle resale will remain in place.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether religious-based properties will be exempt from the new tax announced in the Budget on properties valued at £2 million and over.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) is a new charge on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million or more in 2026, taking effect in April 2028. Owners, not residents, will pay the surcharge. The government will consult on potential exemptions and reliefs in the spring.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the policy document entitled Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs’ policy, published on 26 November, if she will publish the calculations used for the conclusion that the proposed changes are not expected to have any macroeconomic impacts.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The information set out in the macroeconomic impacts section of all Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) corresponds to the assessments contained in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The OBR, as the Government's official forecaster, is responsible for judging the impact of policy decisions on its forecasts, including any underlying calculations.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will convene a cross-government summit with key tech companies and trade unions to discuss the future impact of AI and ASI on jobs, the economy and society.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are starting to witness AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones. But there is uncertainty over the future scale of AI’s impact on the labour market, particularly over the next few years. Given the recent rapid pace of AI development, government is planning against a range of plausible future outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help track if we are heading towards any of these outcomes.

The Government routinely brings together departments, industry, academics, and trade unions to discuss AI’s impact on the labour market and wider economy—including DSIT‑hosted roundtables – to inform Government’s approach to policy and analysis.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department has taken to identify sectors of the economy in which AI should not replace human productivity or experience.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are starting to witness AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones. But there is uncertainty over the future scale of AI’s impact on the labour market, particularly over the next few years. Given the recent rapid pace of AI development, government is planning against a range of plausible future outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help track if we are heading towards any of these outcomes. This includes identifying the contexts in which AI will complement and augment human activity—helping people work more efficiently.

Furthermore, to ensure that AI benefits everyone, the UK is investing in responsible AI to boost productivity, improve public services, advance healthcare innovation, and drive economic growth. AI Growth Zones, and expanded compute will support workers and industry, ensuring AI adoption strengthens national renewal and broadens opportunity.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to create a cross-department, nation-wide AI strategy in the next 12 months.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government takes a coordinated, cross‑departmental approach to the opportunities and risks presented by AI. The UK‑commissioned AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we can harness AI to boost economic growth, improve public services and create new job opportunities, and our cross‑HMG response outlines the steps we are taking forward across the UK. My Department works closely with colleagues across Whitehall to ensure our approach remains aligned and responsive to developments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Transitional Relief for pubs only applies to the portion of increase directly attributable to Rateable Value change after the effect of new multipliers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. To sustainably fund these lower RHL multipliers, the Government is also introducing a higher rate on the top one per cent of most expensive properties.

To protect businesses from large bill increases at the 2026 revaluation the government has introduced a generous support package worth £4.3 billion over the next 3 years, including support to help ratepayers to transition to their new bill.

For properties losing their RHL relief, the caps apply to their current bill, including the 40% relief, before changes in other reliefs and local supplements.

This means that most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Without this support, the pub sector as a whole would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support the Government has put in place this falls to just 4%.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are any plans to ensure that future funding formulas for the police take account of (a) seasonality and (b) rurality.

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

This Government is committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs and the allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration.

The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. As with previous years, decisions on police force funding allocations for 2026-27, including the police main grant, will be set out at the forthcoming police funding settlement.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children in Poole constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy.

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

The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the Poole constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

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 prevent people from dying in poverty.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 December 2025 to Question UIN 96586.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his department has made an assessment of the causes and impact of financial insecurity for people at the end of life.

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

This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it including for those nearing the end of their life. For these claimants, the Government’s priority is to provide financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way this is applied is through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) which enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain welfare benefits without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods, and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will consider introducing legally-binding child poverty targets to reduce child poverty within this Parliament and beyond.

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

The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026 with annual reporting on progress thereafter and Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually. We have put these clear reporting arrangements in place so that the progress we make is transparent for all.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support will be offered to disabled young people not currently in education, employment or training.

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

Pathways to Work is a guaranteed offer of tailored work, health and skills support for all disabled people, including young people, and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. We are rolling out our new support offer, backed by new funding building to £1bn a year by the end of the decade, with much of our plan already in motion. There are now over 1,000 FTE Pathways to Work Advisors in Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales who are helping disabled people and people with health conditions towards and into work.

We are also testing how best to deliver and integrate work, health and skills support locally – including through Mayoral Strategic Authorities with 9 Economic Inactivity and 8 Youth Guarantee Trailblazers live across England and Wales. We are delivering the NHS 10 Year Plan, and have introduced WorkWell in 15 sites across England, testing a new way to integrate health and work support.

We are also expanding our support for all young people, by expanding Youth Hubs to every local area across Great Britian. These Hubs will provide comprehensive support, such as mental health, housing, skills training, and employer engagement, to all 16-24 year olds, regardless of their benefit status.

Finally, we are considering how we might go even further. The Right Honourable Alan Milburn will lead an investigation into the rise in young people not in employment, education, or training, with findings to be published by Summer 2026. The report launched its formal call for evidence this week, on 16 December, and will remain open until 30 January.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the net gain in revenue from pubs and social clubs, taking account of (a) increased rateable values, (b) removal of the 40% relief and (c) introduction of transitional relief, as a result of relevant announcements in the Autumn Budget 2025.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Without our support, the pub sector as a whole would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support we’ve put in place, this has fallen to just 4%.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

The National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities, including those in the hospitality sector, will either gain or see no change this year. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside changes to employer NICs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people that are currently homeless in Poole constituency will be taken out of homelessness following the introduction of the homelessness strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government publishes homelessness statistics on gov.uk here.

Our National Plan to End Homelessness will end the use of B&B accommodation for families except in emergencies, halve long-term rough sleeping and increase the proportion of people whose homelessness is prevented. As set out in the strategy, local authorities will be required to publish by Autumn next year, and regularly update, their action plan. This must include local targets to improve performance against each of the metrics relating to homelessness and rough sleeping in the Outcomes Framework for local government.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homeless people there are in Poole constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government publishes homelessness statistics on gov.uk here.

Our National Plan to End Homelessness will end the use of B&B accommodation for families except in emergencies, halve long-term rough sleeping and increase the proportion of people whose homelessness is prevented. As set out in the strategy, local authorities will be required to publish by Autumn next year, and regularly update, their action plan. This must include local targets to improve performance against each of the metrics relating to homelessness and rough sleeping in the Outcomes Framework for local government.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many training and workplace opportunities will be offered to young people in Poole constituency.

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

This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning, including:

• Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up. This support could be delivered at a Youth Hub.
• Further expansion of Youth Hubs: We are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.
• c300,000 additional opportunities for workplace experience and training: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers – Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.
• Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years. We know young people need support quickly and that is why we will begin delivery of the Jobs Guarantee in six areas from spring 2026 in: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales. We will deliver over 1,000 job starts in the first six months. This will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain.
• Prevention: We are also making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better data sharing for those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school, often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances). This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn.

The Growth and Skills Levy’s £725 million investment will deliver more apprenticeships for young people and help match skills training with local job opportunities. Young people will benefit from:

• increased access to training with full cost of apprenticeships at SMEs covered by Government.
• A new wave of foundation apprenticeships in sectors such as retail and hospitality sectors to get young people into work.
• Thousands more apprenticeship starts through a £140 million partnership with local leaders.

50,000 young people across the country will be better equipped for jobs of the future through a major investment to create more apprenticeships and training courses.

As this programme is across Great Britian, my honourable friend will be assured that it will have an effect on his constituency. Specifically in Poole, we also have a project supporting Youth Skills and Careers Builders, delivering through DWP and local organisations. Young people can also access the local Wellbeing Hub.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of young people on universal credit in Poole constituency who have been looking for work for 18 months who will benefit from the government’s planned job guarantee.

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

This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning, including:

• Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up. This support could be delivered at a Youth Hub.
• Further expansion of Youth Hubs: We are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.
• c300,000 additional opportunities for workplace experience and training: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers – Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.
• Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years. We know young people need support quickly and that is why we will begin delivery of the Jobs Guarantee in six areas from spring 2026 in: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales. We will deliver over 1,000 job starts in the first six months. This will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain.
• Prevention: We are also making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better data sharing for those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school, often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances). This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn.

The Growth and Skills Levy’s £725 million investment will deliver more apprenticeships for young people and help match skills training with local job opportunities. Young people will benefit from:

• increased access to training with full cost of apprenticeships at SMEs covered by Government.
• A new wave of foundation apprenticeships in sectors such as retail and hospitality sectors to get young people into work.
• Thousands more apprenticeship starts through a £140 million partnership with local leaders.

50,000 young people across the country will be better equipped for jobs of the future through a major investment to create more apprenticeships and training courses.

As this programme is across Great Britian, my honourable friend will be assured that it will have an effect on his constituency. Specifically in Poole, we also have a project supporting Youth Skills and Careers Builders, delivering through DWP and local organisations. Young people can also access the local Wellbeing Hub.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase early identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department knows that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

To support settings to identify need early, the department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices, as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.

We also recently announced new government-backed research into special educational need identification, which will be delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department. This will aim to develop and test trusted and effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing targeted educational support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of centralising SEND funding on the needs of individual children.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is not planning to centralise special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) funding.

The department is continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We will be setting out further steps in the new year and are keeping under review the funding arrangements to help ensure that mainstream schools are inclusive for children with SEND. It is important that we establish a fair school funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Hunger strike by pro-Palestinian activists

Incident in Switzerland

Wimborne, Town of Culture 2026

International sport and alleged United States violations of international law

US military attack on Venezuela

Parliamentary screening of The Removed and historic forced adoptions

North Staffordshire Pensioners’ Convention 35th anniversary

Gender apartheid

Bank holiday for celebrations if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup

10th anniversary of Boxing Day floods

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Political education

Walker's Shortbread Exporter of the Year

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