Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Capita on resolutions for people impacted by (a) delayed or incorrect pension payments under the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and (b) delayed or incorrect pension valuations under the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department monitors Capita very closely to ensure that Teachers’ Pension Scheme members that are impacted by delayed or incorrect valuations and payments are resolved as quickly as possible.
This includes payments relating to the McCloud remedy, which affects members who choose final salary or career average benefits for the remedy period (April 2015–March 2022). This also includes focus on the resolution of any unresolved cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) cases. To improve processing times of delayed CETV payments, the department is funding IT upgrades and continually working with Capita to identify other opportunities, including additional staffing resources, to ensure the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is delivered to the highest possible standard.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
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 monitor (a) noise and (b) air pollution arising from ongoing (i) housing (ii) rail and (iii) motorway construction projects in Mid Leicestershire constituency; and what assessment she has made of the potential impacts of such projects on public health in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities are responsible for monitoring air quality in their areas and reporting annually. Planning authorities require developers of housing, rail, and motorway projects to assess and mitigate air pollution, including dust and emissions, during construction. Similarly, noise impacts must be considered under the planning system, with strong protections in place to minimise adverse effects on health and quality of life. The Planning Practice Guidance and National Planning Policy Framework set out how noise should be addressed in both plan-making and decision-making. Under the Control of Pollution Act, local authorities must ensure that the best practicable means are used to minimise noise during construction.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help businesses mitigate increases in levels of food inflation.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government prioritises sound public finances, which are essential to economic and financial stability, and delivering economic growth. We are living within our means, reducing our levels of borrowing in the years ahead and supporting the Bank of England to get inflation down. We have already made progress towards this, with five interest rate cuts delivered this since the election.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with Motability on the (a) adequacy of its protections for disabled consumers in cases when vehicles provided under that scheme exhibit mechanical faults and (b) effectiveness of recourse available when Motability customers cannot use their vehicles due to unresolved safety concerns.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is responsible for the disability benefits which passport people to the Motability scheme. Claimants who receive the higher rate mobility component for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the enhanced rate of the mobility component for Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners Mobility Supplement can exchange part or all of their mobility component for a leased car, wheelchair or powered chair/scooter through the Motability Scheme. The Department directly transfers the mobility allowance to Motability on behalf of the eligible claimant once they elect to join the Scheme.
Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the British Retail Consortium's analysis entitled 400 of Britain's largest shops at risk, published on 12 September 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of those findings.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
From April 2026, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that eligible RHL properties benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so the Government is introducing a higher rate on the most valuable properties in 2026/27 - those with RVs of £500,000 and above.
The Government recognises that, ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, RHL businesses need support in 2025-26. So, the Government has prevented RHL relief from ending by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.
The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the revaluation outcomes and broader economic and fiscal context can be factored into decision-making. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review the sentencing guidelines for animal abuse.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Sentencing guidelines are developed and reviewed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.
In July 2023, the Council issued guidelines on animal cruelty, which provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. This is available on its website at: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/crown-court/item/animal-cruelty/.
Whilst the Government has no current plans to ask the Council to consider reviewing the animal cruelty guidelines, it is open to individuals to approach the Council to ask that it does so.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that animal welfare laws are more strictly enforced on farms.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All farm animals are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation, and potential breaches of the law are taken very seriously. Any allegations of poor animal welfare are investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) who conduct an immediate veterinary risk assessment (triage). APHA will take appropriate action and where necessary, inspect the farm and the livestock present within 24hrs. The local authority, as an appropriate enforcement agency, may initiate prosecution action for animal welfare offences where there is sufficient evidence.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the consistent implementation of the Retail Crime Action Plan across police forces, in the context of recent trends in levels of violence and abuse against retail workers in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is supporting a new strategy, Tackling Retail Crime Together, published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.
The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers via the Retail Crime Action Plan but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.
We are investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with police forces on ensuring consistent implementation of the Retail Crime Action Plan (a) across all police forces and (b) in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is supporting a new strategy, Tackling Retail Crime Together, published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.
The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers via the Retail Crime Action Plan but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.
We are investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that children (a) requiring tracheostomy care and (b) with other complex medical needs receive adequate support in mainstream schools following the withdrawal of integrated care board funding for specialist medical provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Maintained schools have a legal duty under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to “make arrangements” for supporting pupils with medical conditions, and must comply with their duties under the Equalities Act 2010. The NHS is responsible for meeting the health needs of people diagnosed with an illness or medical condition.
The regulatory arrangements for healthcare professionals provide for them to delegate the delivery of healthcare tasks where it is safe and reasonable to do so.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council Code and the Health and Care Professions Council Standards both include regulatory standards requiring registrants to delegate only when they are satisfied that the other person is competent to carry out the delegated task safely, and require the healthcare practitioner to supervise and support those who are delegated to. Where a healthcare task needs to be undertaken by a registered nurse, then it should not be delegated.