Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking following the Keep Britain Working review to improve access to paid employment for people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sir Charlie Mayfield’s independent Keep Britain Working Review, published on 5 November 2025, highlighted the scale of the problem of people falling out of work for reasons of ill-health and disability, and the vital role employers can play in addressing this. The Review identified structural challenges for disabled people, including people with learning disabilities, creating barriers to starting and staying in work, and proposed reforms to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces.
While the Keep Britain Working programme’s central aim is to improve workplace health and inclusion for those already in employment, improving workplace conditions, support and inclusion for people with learning disabilities and other disabled people will also help remove barriers to accessing paid employment and support more people to enter and sustain work.
Since publication of the Review, Keep Britian Working has engaged with 180 employers and providers, 11 regions, and worked directly with more than 250 organisations to explore how to create healthier and more inclusive workplaces. This work has included:
Alongside Keep Britain Working, the Government's Pathways to Work offer provides work, health and skills support for disabled people and people with health conditions, backed by ÂŁ3.5bn of investment by the end of the decade. Pathways to Work includes Connect to Work, a voluntary and locally led Supported Employment programme for disabled people, those with health conditions and people facing complex barriers to work. It will deliver tailored support to around 300,000 people by the end of the decade across England and Wales.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has held with the Welsh Government on the differentiation of identical glass containers in scope of the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales and Extended Producer Responsibility in the UK from 1 October 2027.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Defra officials engaged extensively with Welsh Government on its decision to include single-use glass containers in its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). This led to an agreement by UK Government to an exclusion from the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
Welsh Government and their Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), once appointed, will need to consider how glass containers subject to their DRS will be labelled.
We continue to engage with the Welsh Government on the implementation of its DRS in respect of single-use glass.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether an interim solution to the exemption process for non-household waste under Extended Producer Responsibility regulations will cover non-household drinks containers supplied indirectly via business models such as wholesalers and third-party distributors.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Defra is working closely with stakeholders on potential changes to the household packaging definition in the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) regulations, including interim and longer-term approaches to dual-use packaging.
Any approach must be supported by sufficient evidence and be enforceable by regulators.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish a proposed interim solution to the exemption process for non-household waste under Extended Producer Responsibility regulations.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Defra is working closely with stakeholders on potential changes to the household packaging definition in the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) regulations, including interim and longer-term approaches to dual-use packaging. No final date has been set for any proposed interim solution.
Any changes would need to be workable, enforceable, and protect the operational integrity of the scheme across different supply chains and business models.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department is considering box-level Not for EU labelling of wine and spirits in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is committed to full, faithful, and timely implementation of the Windsor Framework, including the 'Not for EU' labelling requirements of the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme. Defra continually reviews compliance with the Windsor Framework to ensure the UK meets its international obligations.
The Government is negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU, the benefits of which will flow to movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This depends on the UK showing itself to be a trusted partner by continuing to faithfully implement its existing Windsor Framework commitments.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will copy applicants into major citizenship certificate notifications, such as approvals and dispatch, when a legal representative is appointed, to reduce delays caused by third-party administrative errors.
Answered by Mike Tapp
There are currently no plans to copy applicants into all major citizenship decisions and/or certificate dispatch notifications where a legal representative has been appointed.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to introduce an online status tracking portal for citizenship certificate applications, allowing applicants to view live case updates independently of their appointed representative.
Answered by Mike Tapp
There are no current plans to introduce a dedicated online status tracking portal for citizenship certificate applications which would allow applicants or their appointed representative to view live case updates.