Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential impact of raising betting duty on Greyhound Racing alongside general sports duty in 2027; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing betting duty in line with the rate of duty on horse racing.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Budget 2025, the government announced a package of changes to gambling duties which will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances and forms part of our ambition to create a fair, modern and sustainable tax system.

As part of this package, remote betting will see an increase from 15% to 25% from 1 April 2027. The government is protecting horseracing from these changes as horserace bets are already subject to a mandatory 10% levy. Recognising this unique position, there will therefore be no change to the duty for bets on UK horseracing, whether in person or online. While operators can pay a voluntary levy of 0.6 per cent on greyhound bets, they are not subject to the same 10 per cent mandatory levy that bets on horseracing are.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether anyone that has been removed from the UK in 2026 has subsequently re-entered the country via small boat.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

This specific information is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant date could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Statistics on daily small boat arrivals to the UK are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats and information and statistics on returns can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2025/how-many-people-are-returned-from-the-uk.

These show a 21% increase in enforced returns and a 23% increase in asylum‑related returns in 2025 compared with the previous year. Individuals who subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be subject to enforcement action in line with existing immigration laws and their case will be considered for expediated return.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what key performance indicators are used to monitor private contractors providing PIP assessments.

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

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hold Personal Independence Payment assessment suppliers to a robust set of contractual performance measures to ensure that assessments are delivered to a high standard.

Under the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) contract, suppliers are required to meet or exceed a series of Target Performance Levels (TPLs), which collectively determine overall contractual performance. In addition to TPLs, suppliers are also expected to meet a number of contractual obligations.

The TPLs and obligations that all assessment suppliers must adhere to can be found in part 1 of the FAS Contract available on contract finder.GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unannounced visits his Department conducted to PIP face-to-face assessment centres in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

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

The department undertakes visits to Personal Independence Payment assessment centres for a range of reasons, including performance and operational oversight, contractual assurance activity, and estates‑related checks.

The department does not centrally record whether such visits are announced or unannounced. Therefore, the information requested on the number of unannounced visits undertaken in 2024 or 2025 is not available.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when are the private contracts for PIP assessments reviewed; and what ongoing scrutiny does his Department carry out on these contractors.

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

The Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts (which include the PIP assessment service) are reviewed on an ongoing basis as part of comprehensive contract and performance management undertaken by the Department, ensuring contractors are held to account in fulfilling their contractual obligations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department incentivises private contractors to increase face-to-face assessments.

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

Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts set clear targets that incentivise delivery of all assessments. Contracts also include a requirement for the delivery of face to face assessments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to review his decision as outlined in his answer to me within UIN 110638.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As outlined in the previous answer, there are no plans to abolish the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect to trends in unemployment since July 2024.

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

Since November 2024, employment is up by over 454,000, youth employment by 126,000, and the ethnic minority employment rate has risen to 69.9%. The UK’s employment rate has remained stable at 75% over the past year and we’ve seen other positive labour market trends. While unemployment has risen slightly to 5.2%, this is still below the average unemployment rate seen under the last government. Crucially, part of the rise in unemployment is driven by the fall in inactivity as more people are actively seeking work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions in the last five years Work Capability Assessors have exceeded minimum daily assessment requirements.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions has not set a specified number of Work Capability Assessments that health professionals (HP) are expected to complete per day. The number of assessments completed can vary depending on the type of assessment (telephone, video, or face‑to‑face), the claimant’s condition, and any additional evidence required, as these appointments have fixed time slots and are delivered through different channels.

While we do have expectations for the total number of assessments conducted by Functional Assessment Service (FAS) suppliers, these would be aggregate monthly numbers across their entire workforce, not individual targets for specific HPs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor about the trends in youth unemployment since July 2024.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the potential impact of budget changes to betting and gaming levies on the viability of British sports.

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

The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing and other sports make to the nation’s economy and sporting landscape. DCMS and HMT Ministers have regular engagement on betting and gaming levies.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments were (a) curtailed and (b) closed early in the last year for which data is available.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or publish statistics on the number of Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) that have been curtailed or closed early, either over the last five years or in the most recent year for which data is available.

Published statistical releases on Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit WCAs report only on completed assessments and do not include information on curtailed or discontinued assessments.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Rushanara Ali; David Baines; Mr Peter Bedford