Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing levels of defence expenditure above 2.5% of GDP.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is committed to setting a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence in Spring. The Ministry of Defence remains closely engaged with His Majesty's Treasury on this matter.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Disability Service Centre helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Disability Service Centre following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Part (a)
The table below shows the total number of unanswered calls (Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue) for Disability Services, for each of the last 12 calendar months.
Month Year | Directorate | Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue |
Feb-2024 | Disability Services | 189,821 |
Mar-2024 | Disability Services | 199,623 |
Apr-2024 | Disability Services | 268,374 |
May-2024 | Disability Services | 191,549 |
Jun-2024 | Disability Services | 133,799 |
Jul-2024 | Disability Services | 151,056 |
Aug-2024 | Disability Services | 152,973 |
Sep-2024 | Disability Services | 162,451 |
Oct-2024 | Disability Services | 157,661 |
Nov-2024 | Disability Services | 158,028 |
Dec-2024 | Disability Services | 118,581 |
Jan-2025 | Disability Services | 264,966 |
Part (b) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.
Part (c) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.
There are many reasons why calls to a service line can attract a high call abandonment rate which can include but is not limited to increased hold times. The abandonment of calls is an area that we are unable to fully analyse as there is no data to tell us exactly why a specific customer terminates a call. We are continuously monitoring the service and reviewing our approach to ensure we are able to deliver for our customers.
DISCLAIMER
Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Pension Service helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Pension Service following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Response:
Part (a)
The table below shows the total number of unanswered calls (Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue) for The Pension Service, for each of the last 12 calendar months.
Month Year | Directorate | Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue |
Feb-2024 | Pension Service | 60,495 |
Mar-2024 | Pension Service | 56,400 |
Apr-2024 | Pension Service | 72,485 |
May-2024 | Pension Service | 36,733 |
Jun-2024 | Pension Service | 24,900 |
Jul-2024 | Pension Service | 23,709 |
Aug-2024 | Pension Service | 25,554 |
Sep-2024 | Pension Service | 36,407 |
Oct-2024 | Pension Service | 36,412 |
Nov-2024 | Pension Service | 31,481 |
Dec-2024 | Pension Service | 23,077 |
Jan-2025 | Pension Service | 34,704 |
Part (b) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.
Part (c) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.
There are many reasons why calls to a service line can attract a high call abandonment rate which can include but is not limited to increased hold times. The abandonment of calls is an area that we are unable to fully analyse as there is no data to tell us exactly why a specific customer terminates a call. We are continuously monitoring the service and reviewing our approach to ensure we are able to deliver for our customers.
DISCLAIMER
Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential long-term impact of increasing UK defence spending on (a) economic growth, (b) innovation and (c) job creation in the defence sector.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government recognises the vital role Defence plays not only in our national security but also in delivering economic growth to all nations and regions of the United Kingdom.
Peace and security are the essential preconditions of long-term economic growth. Added to this, Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure with industry supports over 200,000 jobs across the United Kingdom, many of which are outside London and the South East. Overall, 68% of MOD UK industry spending goes to areas outside London and the South East. The £2.6 billion spent on R&D in 2023-24 will also contribute to innovation that both keeps the country safe and leads to spillovers into the wider economy.
The Ministry of Defence will bring forward a Defence Industrial Strategy that ensures Defence contributes fully to the Government’s number one mission to drive economic growth.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of defence expenditure in (a) the UK and (b) Russia; and what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's commitment to increase defence expenditure to 2.5% of GDP.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defence, and the Government is committed to setting a pathway to 2.5% this Spring.
Russia's own public assessment forecast their military expenditure at over 7% of GDP in 2024, with some sources estimating that as much as 9% of Russian GDP is being spent on defence. However, the public figures almost certainly do not tell the full story about Russian expenditure or the true burden on the Russian economy.
These figures are not directly comparable as the UK follows NATO's definition of defence spending, Russia does not.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of an independent parking regulator with powers to regulate (a) fees, (b) enforcement and (c) appeals.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. This government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector and currently reviewing all options on how to achieve this. The government will set out its plans for a new Code in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to end hospital parking fees for (a) National Health Service staff, (b) patients and (c) visitors; and provide additional funding to help offset lost revenue.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has no plans to end car-parking fees for National Health Service patients, staff, or visitors, or to provide additional funding to help offset lost revenue.
All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those in greatest need, which includes NHS staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders, disabled people, and parents of children staying overnight in hospital.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints submitted to the Pension Ombudsman Service are awaiting adjudication; and whether she plans to provide additional resources to the Pension Ombudsman Service to reduce the backlog.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Currently there are approximately 1,700 cases with The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) awaiting adjudication. Recently we agreed the TPO budget for 2025/26 which includes ongoing funding for additional staff to reduce backlogs.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships from the Growth and Skills Levy on the availability of talent in professions such as architecture.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth with the support of a strong skills system.
This government had a dire fiscal inheritance which has made tough choices necessary to fix the foundations of our economy and prioritise in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers. The department will therefore be asking more employers to step forward and fund Level 7 apprenticeships, outside of the levy-funded growth and skills offer.
The department will take advice from Skills England, who have been engaging with employers on this, and expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships in the new year.
Learners who have started these apprenticeships will be funded through to completion.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to continue funding for apprentices undertaking a Level 7 apprenticeship.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth with the support of a strong skills system.
This government had a dire fiscal inheritance which has made tough choices necessary to fix the foundations of our economy and prioritise in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers. The department will therefore be asking more employers to step forward and fund Level 7 apprenticeships, outside of the levy-funded growth and skills offer.
The department will take advice from Skills England, who have been engaging with employers on this, and expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships in the new year.
Learners who have started these apprenticeships will be funded through to completion.