Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has provided to Access to Work case managers on assessing applications; and when that guidance was last updated.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Access to Work case managers assess applications in line with the Department’s published Access to Work: staff guide - GOV.UK, available on GOV.UK. This guidance provides the framework for assessing applications and determining entitlement to Access to Work support.

The guidance was last updated on 18 June 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out how his Department defines the distinction between enabling support and replacement support for the purposes of Access to Work assessments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Enabling support and replacement support may be provided by a Support Worker job aide when a customer is unable to do part or all of their job because of their disability, illness or health condition.

If a customer is performing the job role, making decisions, and instructing the Support Worker this is deemed to be enabling. In cases where enabling support from a Support Worker job aide is awarded to a customer, this is up to a maximum of 100% of the customer’s contracted hours.

If a customer is not performing the job role, making decisions, and instructing the Support Worker, this is deemed to be replacement. Case Managers must identify the tasks the Support Worker job aide will do and decide how many hours can be supported. A maximum of 20% of the customer’s contracted hours can be supported by the Support Worker job aide.

More information can be found on the Access to Work Staff Guide.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities operate a clear system for accessing high needs top up funding, in the context of her Department's High Needs operational guidance.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities have flexibility to determine how to allocate high needs funding, including top up funding, in line with their statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014. In doing so, they must take account of the costs that would reasonably be expected to be met from a maintained school’s core budget or an academy’s general annual grant.

The department’s operational guidance advises local authorities on ways in which they can administer high needs top-up funding transparently, consistently and in accordance with the relevant conditions of grant. The department follows up any evidence of breaches of those grant conditions.

The operation of the high needs funding system is currently under review, with the aim of supporting the reforms that we have set out in the schools white paper.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to publish criteria and guidance, so schools understand how funding decisions are made, what evidence is required, who makes those decisions, and how consistency is ensured.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes a range of guidance each year to support schools and local authorities in understanding how funding is allocated, available at the links below.

National funding formula policy papers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025.

National funding formula tables and technical notes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2026-to-2027.

The schools operational guide: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2026-to-2027/schools-operational-guide-2026-to-2027.

Information on the dedicated schools grant calculations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2026-to-2027.

The High needs funding operational guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2026-to-2027/high-needs-funding-2026-to-2027-operational-guide.

Early years Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2026-to-2027.

16 to 19 Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-guidance.

Capital funding guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c2a9363ed0546101e0dbdd/Condition_funding_methodology_and_spend_guidance_2026_to_2027.pdf.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 on serving and retired scheme members.

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

There have been no recent changes to the rules which govern the 1987 police pension scheme. The 1987 scheme is now closed for further accrual of pension benefits and there are no plans to make changes to it.

There may be changes from time to time to the factors used to determine the value of scheme benefits for specific purposes, such as pension transfers or the commutation of annual pension into a lump sum. These result from changes to assumptions outside of the specific scheme rules. Where this is necessary, the Home Office and the scheme actuary act in accordance with the legal framework governing the police pension schemes when reviewing and implementing such changes.

More broadly, where changes to police pension schemes are proposed, the Home Office engages with relevant stakeholders, including member and employer representatives, as part of the policy development process to identify and understand impacts.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out which stakeholders were consulted in the decision-making process of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987.

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

There have been no recent changes to the rules which govern the 1987 police pension scheme. The 1987 scheme is now closed for further accrual of pension benefits and there are no plans to make changes to it.

There may be changes from time to time to the factors used to determine the value of scheme benefits for specific purposes, such as pension transfers or the commutation of annual pension into a lump sum. These result from changes to assumptions outside of the specific scheme rules. Where this is necessary, the Home Office and the scheme actuary act in accordance with the legal framework governing the police pension schemes when reviewing and implementing such changes.

More broadly, where changes to police pension schemes are proposed, the Home Office engages with relevant stakeholders, including member and employer representatives, as part of the policy development process to identify and understand impacts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not endorsing the findings of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on the UK's legal standing.

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

This United Kingdom Government is committed to the effective implementation of its international obligations.

The UK recognises the important role played by the Compliance Committee in making recommendations to promote effective implementation of the Aarhus Convention. Decisions under the Convention are a matter for the Meeting of the Parties (MoP), acting through the Convention's established processes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an estimate of the potential cost of providing compensation to victims affected by sodium valproate.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 14 July in response to Question 16121.

Found: Current membership Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) Rosie Duffield (Independent;

Found: Current membership Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) Rosie Duffield (Independent;

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Christine Jardine (Interim Chair); Alex Brewer; Rosie Duffield; Kim

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; Rosie Duffield; Kim Leadbeater;

Found: Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) Rosie Duffield

Found: Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) Rosie Duffield

Found: Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) Rosie Duffield

Found: Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) Rosie Duffield

Found: Committee were also present (Standing Order No. 137A): Sarah Owen; Alex Brewer; David Burton-Sampson; Rosie Duffield

Found: Paisley and Renfrewshire South) • Danny Beales MP (Labour, Uxbridge and South Ruislip) • Rosie Duffield

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; Rosie Duffield; Dame Nia Griffith

Found: Wednesday 3 June 2026 Members present1 Sarah Owen, in the Chair2 David Burton-Sampson Rosie Duffield

Found: Wednesday 3 June 2026 Members present1 Sarah Owen, in the Chair2 David Burton-Sampson Rosie Duffield

Found: Sheffield S2 4HP Voluntary, charity and social enterprise Committed Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Rosie Duffield

Found: Sheffield S2 4HP Voluntary, charity and social enterprise Committed Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Rosie Duffield

This is a follow-up evidence session to the Committee's report on 'Cosmetic procedures' published in February 2026.