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.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether all Level 7 apprenticeships will be included within the scope of the Growth and Skills Levy.
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 Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of rape trial waiting times on people who have made allegations of rape.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Rape is an abhorrent crime, and its victims are some of the most vulnerable in the criminal justice system. Despite the judiciary prioritising cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, rape victims can wait disproportionately longer the victims of other cases for their trial.
Addressing this issue is central to this Government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We have committed to fast-tracking rape cases through the courts and will work with the judiciary to find the best way to deliver this nationally.
In addition, we are introducing specialist rape and sexual offence teams in every police force and will be rolling out free, independent legal advocates for victims of adult rape. The legal advocates will provide legal advice to victims on disclosure requests and potential appeals, reducing the number of those dropping out of the system.
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, whether she has determined the appropriateness of central recovery support following flooding in Chippenham after Storm Berk.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 18286 on 10 December 2024.
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, what discussions she has had with the Minister for Water and Flooding following her visit to Chippenham on 26 November 2024; and if she will publish a note of those discussions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after Storm Bert, flooding is a devastating experience for those affected.
Activation of the Flood Recovery Framework is at Ministerial discretion and there is no fixed threshold for activation. When making that decision each event is considered on its own merits looking at factors including how widespread the event is, the significance and scale of impacts, comparison to previous events / activations and the severity of the on-going situation. These factors combined help to determine if an event can be considered exceptional.
Overall, the scale of impacts was similar to that seen in many local areas this autumn and were not sufficiently significant for Government to intervene and for the Framework to be activated.
The government has set up a floods resilience taskforce to provide a forum in which partners from across government, frontline agencies, emergency responders and interest groups will work together to strengthen flood resilience across the country.
Ministers and officials from the department are in regular contact with counterparts in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As has been the case under successive administrations, we do not normally disclose details of internal discussions.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16051 on Storms: Disaster Relief, how she defines exceptional.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after Storm Bert, flooding is a devastating experience for those affected.
Activation of the Flood Recovery Framework is at Ministerial discretion and there is no fixed threshold for activation. When making that decision each event is considered on its own merits looking at factors including how widespread the event is, the significance and scale of impacts, comparison to previous events / activations and the severity of the on-going situation. These factors combined help to determine if an event can be considered exceptional.
Overall, the scale of impacts was similar to that seen in many local areas this autumn and were not sufficiently significant for Government to intervene and for the Framework to be activated.
The government has set up a floods resilience taskforce to provide a forum in which partners from across government, frontline agencies, emergency responders and interest groups will work together to strengthen flood resilience across the country.
Ministers and officials from the department are in regular contact with counterparts in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As has been the case under successive administrations, we do not normally disclose details of internal discussions.
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, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the timeframe for PIP award reviews; whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of waiting times for appeal on PIP applicants; and what steps she is taking to tackle PIP appeal backlogs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service, including through using a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments where an assessment is required and by increasing case manager and assessment provider health professional resource.
Where an existing award of PIP is subject to an award review, we aim to make a decision on that as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant. Where we can do so, we are also making decisions without referral to the Assessment Providers to speed up the process.
The Department understands the potential effect of waiting for a tribunal hearing, which is why our aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey so that people can get the support they are entitled to, without the need for an appeal.
Appeals are lodged with, and administered by, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). A variety of factors can affect the number of cases cleared by the Tribunal including the complexity of the issue in dispute; the availability of panel members assigned to a particular venue; and if an appeal is adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further medical evidence). Any increase to the live load is monitored, and investigated, locally.
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, how much funding her Department is providing to (a) residents and (b) businesses affected by flooding following Storm Bert in Chippenham.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My thoughts are with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after Storm Bert, flooding is a devastating experience for those affected. Government support for flood recovery, administrated via the Flood Recovery Framework, is only made available in the most exceptional circumstances. Most recently this was after Storms Babet in October 2023 and Henk in January this year when over 8,500 homes and businesses were impacted. My officials will continue to monitor the data on impacts following Storm Bert and will keep me updated.