Shivani Raja Portrait

Shivani Raja

Conservative - Leicester East

4,426 (9.5%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


1 APPG membership (as of 20 Nov 2024)
British Hindus
Shivani Raja has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Shivani Raja has voted in 39 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

26 Nov 2024 - Tobacco and Vapes Bill - View Vote Context
Shivani Raja voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 23 Conservative Aye votes vs 35 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 415 Noes - 47
View All Shivani Raja Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Keir Starmer (Labour)
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
(2 debate interactions)
Nusrat Ghani (Conservative)
(1 debate interactions)
Damian Hinds (Conservative)
(1 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
HM Treasury
(2 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(1 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Employment Rights Bill 2024-26
(1,020 words contributed)
Finance Bill 2024-26
(517 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Shivani Raja's debates

Leicester East Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petitions with highest Leicester East signature proportion
Shivani Raja has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Shivani Raja

11th November 2024
Shivani Raja signed this EDM on Monday 18th November 2024

Work of St John Ambulance

Tabled by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
That this House recognises the lifesaving work of St John Ambulance volunteers across the country, training 250,000 members of the public in first aid every year, providing event first aid cover at 11,000 events and delivering 4,000 hours of emergency support to the NHS per month as the nation’s ambulance …
48 signatures
(Most recent: 3 Dec 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 22
Liberal Democrat: 11
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green Party: 3
Conservative: 3
Independent: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
28th October 2024
Shivani Raja signed this EDM as the primary signatory on Monday 28th October 2024

Supporting business growth in Leicestershire

Tabled by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
That this House commends Leicester for being recognised as the UK’s most entrepreneurial city, with one of the highest rates of new business creation in the country; acknowledges the essential role that entrepreneurs across Leicester and Leicestershire play in strengthening the UK economy through job creation, innovation, and community development; …
3 signatures
(Most recent: 30 Oct 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Independent: 1
View All Shivani Raja's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Shivani Raja, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Shivani Raja has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Shivani Raja has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Shivani Raja has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Shivani Raja has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes in the regulation of zero hours contracts on average (a) staffing and (b) other costs for SMEs.

The potential impact of the proposed changes through the right to guaranteed hours, the right to advance notice of shifts and the right to payment for short notice shift cancellation, curtailment or movement are set out in the Government’s Impact Assessments. These are published at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that private hire drivers (a) are not exploited and (b) receive (i) appropriate pay and (ii) equal employment rights.

All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure those they engage receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled.

Entitlement to employment rights is determined by an individual’s employment status. Private hire drivers can fall under any one of the three statuses: employee, limb (b) worker, or self-employed.

We have committed to consult on moving towards a simpler two-part framework that differentiates between workers and the genuinely self-employed.

If individuals believe they are not being afforded the rights they are entitled to, they can contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service for free and impartial advice.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to work with local authorities to enforce noise curfews during fireworks.

Existing legislation already controls the sale, availability, and use of fireworks. For example, there is an 11pm curfew in place for the use of fireworks, with later exceptions only for the traditional firework periods. Using fireworks outside the curfew hours is a criminal offence, enforced by the police, and can lead to imprisonment and a substantial fine. Local authorities are also responsible for investigating any noise or nuisance issues brought to their attention under the Environmental Protection Act.

It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their specific circumstances.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
11th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether financial support is available for firms looking to invest in the creative industries within the UK.

The Creative Industries Tax Reliefs and Expenditure Credits have been highly effective in attracting investment into the UK creative industries, especially for feature film, high end television (HETV), video games and animation. The British Film Institute reported that inward investment into Film and HETV production in 2023 totalled £3.1 billion, representing 74 per cent of UK production expenditure.

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) are available for those looking to invest in start-up and scale-up creative industries businesses offering tax reliefs to individual investors.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to attract foreign direct investment into the UK’s creative industries.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has dedicated resource within its Creative Industries team in the UK and in key markets across the world, focused on developing and delivering foreign direct investment and promoting the UK creative sector and the investment opportunity for international businesses. DBT works closely with the Office for Investment on major investment projects linked to the creative industries.

We provide support through the British Film Commission to grow high-end TV inward investment. We promote the UK as a destination for foreign direct investment through targeted inward delegations to the UK and engagement with potential investors at key international creative industries trade shows working closely with external partners, such as the British Film Commission, the UK Interactive Entertainment Association and Innovate UK.

DBT will support the upcoming Investment Summit to promote the opportunity represented by our world class creative sector.

Sarah Jones
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to (a) prioritise a roofs first approach to solar panel installation to ensure efficient use of urban spaces and (b) incentivize homeowners and businesses to adopt rooftop solar technology.

Changes have been introduced to permitted development rights, enabling more solar installations to benefit from the flexibilities and planning freedoms permitted development rights offer. This includes a new permitted development right that allows for the installation of solar canopies in non-domestic, off-street, car parks.

For non-domestic rooftop solar, the 1MW cap was removed so that there is no limit on the electricity generated by solar installations.

Our Warm Homes Plan will transform homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out low carbon heating like solar and heat pumps.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions on not-for-profit organisations.

At the recent Budget, the government took a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the foundations of the public finances, fund public services, and restore economic stability.

DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector to discuss this issue and are aware of their concerns about the impacts of the increase to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs). The government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change next year.

We are also expanding eligibility of the Employment Allowance by removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold, to simplify and reform employer NICs so that all eligible employers now benefit. Businesses and charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.

Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. More than £6 billion in charitable reliefs was provided to charities, Community Amateur Sports Clubs and their donors in 2023 to 2024. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) football and (b) cricket pitches there are in England.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, there are 53,665 grass football pitches in England. This encompasses adult football, junior football 11 a-side, junior football 9 a-side, mini soccer 7 a-side and mini soccer 5 a-side pitches. Furthermore there are also 3,013 artificial full-size grass pitches and 4,419 small-sided artificial grass pitches in England.

There are 9,057 grass cricket pitches in England.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of reductions in funding for sports on (a) access to physical activity for children and young people and (b) public health.

The Government’s new mission-led objectives puts health and children and young people at the heart of our priorities. The Government aims to provide opportunities for all children to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active. We must capitalise on the important role that being active can have in preventing, and helping to treat and manage, a wide range of health conditions.

The Government is acting to support more people to get active wherever they live through the delivery of £123 million UK-wide through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Further spending decisions will be made at the Spending Review later this month.


Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of levels of funding for (a) women's cricket and (b) grassroots cricket infrastructure.

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.

This includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives that will benefit everyone, including disabled people, women and girls and older people. Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has also inspired millions of women and girls to get active, including through cricket.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 5439 on Arts: Tax Allowances, what grants are available to businesses in the creative industries; and what steps she is taking to help support businesses to access information about these grants.

The creative industries have access to a range of cross-economy business support mechanisms, as well as a number of industry-specific grants. Creative industry funding opportunities include the £30 million+ Creative Catalyst programme, designed to support business innovation and growth, the £100m BridgeAI programme, which accelerates AI adoption and productivity for sectors including the creative industries, and the Create Growth Programme (CGP) which offers grants to creative businesses in 12 English regions outside London alongside support to scale-up and become investment ready.

Other programmes that offer grant funding to creative businesses include the UK Games Fund, UK Global Screen Fund, and Music Export Growth Scheme. The UK Games Fund supports independent games studios across the UK with £13.4m for grant making and talent development programmes. £21 million has been committed for the UK Global Screen Fund to promote independent UK screen content in international markets (2022-2025). The Music Export Growth Scheme issues grants (worth £3.2m from 2022-2025) to support UK artists to break into new international markets.

The government engages closely with sectors, trade bodies and businesses, and makes all information on all grant schemes available online.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support young SEND people not in education, employment or training.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and develop the skills they need as they move into adult life.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, as well as ensuring specialist settings cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. To support this, the department has created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, led by Tom Rees, to advise on how to drive inclusive education practice.

Local authorities must provide to all young people aged 13 to 19, and to those between 20 and 25 with special educational needs, support it considers appropriate to encourage, enable or assist them to effectively participate in education or training. Local authorities are required to collect information about young people so that those not participating can be identified and given support to re-engage. Alongside this, there is also a guaranteed place in education and training for all 16 and 17-year-olds, expanded work experience and careers advice, action to tackle school attendance, and improved access to mental health services for young people in England. The department is working to further support all local authorities to identify and help young people at an increased risk of becoming not in education, employment or training, based on identifying risk factors such as a learning difficulty, disability or poor school attendance. This includes publishing good practice guidance and developing a new data tool for local authorities.

Through our new ‘Youth Guarantee’, this government will ensure that every young person aged 18 to 21 that needs it, is supported in accessing further learning or receives help to get a job or an apprenticeship. This guarantee will bring together and enhance provision and support for young people by offering them tailored support that will help them into further learning or fulfilling work. This will provide support for young people with SEND who may be particularly at risk of not being in education, employment or training. To respond to this challenge, this government will launch trailblazers in eight mayoral combined authorities starting from April 2025, with £45 million of funding being invested in 2025/26 to design and develop the guarantee.

Furthermore, as part of our commitment to helping children and young people with SEND to develop the skills they need as they move into adult life, the department is investing up to £18 million until March 2025 to build capacity in supported internships. The department aims to double the number of internships each year to around 4,500, to support more young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans to gain the skills to transition into employment. The department is also running a pilot in 12 local authorities to test supported internships with young people with SEND but no EHC plan who are furthest from the labour market.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
27th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all SEND pupils are able to access (a) education and (b) training opportunities; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the consultation by Leicester City Council entitled Post-16 education transport for young people with SEND, published on 7 November 2024.

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children and young people, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and develop the skills they need as they move into adult life. We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, as well as ensuring specialist settings cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need.

Local authorities must provide to all young people aged 13 to 19, and to those between 20 and 25 with special educational needs, support it considers appropriate to encourage, enable or assist them to effectively participate in education or training. Alongside this there is also a guaranteed place in education and training for all 16 and 17 year olds, expanded work experience and careers advice, action to tackle school attendance and improved access to mental health services for young people in England.

Through our new ‘Youth Guarantee’, this government will ensure that every young person aged 18 to 21 that needs it, is supported in accessing further learning or receives help to get a job or an apprenticeship. This guarantee will bring together and enhance provision and support for young people by offering them tailored support that will help them into further learning or fulfilling work. This will provide support for young people with SEND who may be particularly at risk of not being in education, employment or training. To respond to this challenge, this government will launch trailblazers in eight mayoral combined authorities starting from April 2025, with £45 million of funding being invested in 2025/26 to design and develop the guarantee.

Furthermore, as part of our commitment to helping children and young people with SEND to develop the skills they need as they move into adult life, the department is investing up to £18 million until March 2025 to build capacity in supported internships. The department aims to double the number of internships each year to around 4,500, to support more young people with education, health and care plans to gain the skills to transition into employment.

With regards to the question about transport in Leicester, local authorities must consult with stakeholders in developing their policy statement and any proposed changes to the way post-16 transport is provided. This is to ensure that it provides a full picture of the available transport and support.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
5th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing student maintenance loans in line with Consumer Price Index inflation.

The government recognises the impact that the cost of living crisis has had on students. That is why the government is increasing the maximum maintenance loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation, to ensure that more support is targeted at students from the lowest income families.

The 3.1% increase is based on the Retail Prices Index inflation forecast for the first quarter of 2026, as published by the Office for Budget Responsibility at Budget. Using the corresponding consumer price inflation forecast for the first quarter of 2026 would have resulted in maintenance loans being increased by only 2.5% for the 2025/26 academic year.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the current level of funding for sports programmes in schools is protected.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity to enable every child to achieve and thrive, including through expanding access to sport and physical activity. This will support our cross-government missions and help to raise the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever.

Funding beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn. The outcome of the review will be communicated in due course.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
9th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of banning the import and sale of fur products on (a) businesses and (b) consumers in Leicester.

Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector in Great Britain. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to produce a report on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The AWC report will add to our understanding of the fur industry and help inform our next steps.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
9th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to hold water companies accountable for financial mismanagement.

Ofwat monitors the financial position of all water companies, taking action when needed to strengthen company’s long-term financial resilience and producing an annual ‘Monitoring Financial Resilience Report’ to provide a publicly available assessment of the financial resilience of each water company.

Ofwat has also strengthened its powers to improve financial resilience, including stopping water companies paying dividends where financial resilience is compromised and preventing customers funding executive bonuses where companies do not meet performance expectations.

Furthermore, the Water (Special Measures) Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

And finally, on 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system. The commission aims to build consensus for a resilient and innovative water sector and a robust wider regulatory framework that will deliver long-term benefits and ultimately serve both customers and the environment.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
9th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) provide funding for flood defence infrastructure, (b) help tackle the impact of climate change and (c) otherwise mitigate flood risks in Leicester.

This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. Climate change projections are built into the design of new flood defences to make sure they are fit for the future.

The £8 million Leicester Conveyance Flood Risk Management Scheme was completed in 2019 to reduce the flood risk to over 2000 properties in Leicester. Flood Risk Management Authorities continue to work in partnership to identify further opportunities to reduce flood risk in Leicester and support communities to become more resilient to flooding in the future.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of SEND pupils in (a) Leicester East constituency and (b) England impacted by changes to the bus fare cap.

The Department for Education is the lead government department with responsibility for policy on home to school transport, including provision for pupils with special educational needs.

With regard to the national bus fare cap, this will be designed to be as equitable as possible in terms of its support for passengers across England. One of the key principles of the scheme will be to include ‘open’ services which allows any member of public to board. ‘Closed’ school services, defined as a service which would not allow a member of the general public to board, and school services which operate in term-time only will not be eligible for inclusion.

Services from participating operators that serve schools, are open to members of the public and run all year round will be eligible for inclusion in the scheme. This is the same approach as that taken under the current fare cap.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
25th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of rail journeys made between Coventry and Leicester in each of the last five years.

The Department holds information on the estimates of the number of journeys between all pairs of mainline stations in Great Britain by financial year in the Origin and destination matrix (ODM), published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The total number of journeys between Coventry Station and Leicester Station (in either direction) is reported below.

Table: Number of journeys between Coventry Station1 and Leicester Station by Financial Year

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/232

2023/24

64,210

9,110

29,272

55,402

40,796

Source: Origin and destination matrix (ODM), Office of Rail and Road https://raildata.org.uk/dataProducts?textSearch=Origin%20and%20destination%20matrix%20(ODM)
Notes:
1. The figures are for Coventry Station and Leicester Station only. They do not include journeys to or from Coventry Arena.

2. There is a break in series after 2021/22. Data quality improvements mean that data from 2022/23 onwards is not comparable with previous years.



Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
25th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on people in Leicestershire.

We are working closely with Network Rail and Midlands Connect to maximise the benefits of Midlands Rail Hub throughout the region, including in Leicestershire. Midlands Connect are leading on the development of the rationale for the scheme including the distribution of the socio-economic benefits and will be able to provide more detail.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
25th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a new direct rail link between Leicester and Coventry for Leicester's economy.

The Department is conducting a thorough review of the previous Government's transport plans to ensure that our transport infrastructure portfolio drives economic growth and delivers value for money for taxpayers. Decisions about individual projects will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
13th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of child poverty in Leicester.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and the Child Poverty Taskforce is working to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. We published our framework ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’ on 23 October and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

The Strategy will look at policies across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Taskforce will hear directly from experts on each of the Strategy’s themes including children and families living in poverty and work with leading organisations, charities, and campaigners.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment to over £30 million to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, reducing the cap on UC deductions to 15%, further extending the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026, and increasing the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour boosting the pay of over 3m workers. Alongside this, we are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do.

We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty. Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
13th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of compensating women impacted by changes to women's State Pension age in Leicester; and what steps she is taking to support the women impacted.

In their investigation into communication of changes to State Pension age, the Ombudsman did not examine changes to the State Pension age itself, they examined how the policy was communicated. So, we have done no such assessment.

We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their yearly State Pension rise by up to £1,900 over this parliament, through our commitment to the Triple Lock.

Support is available through the welfare system to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible for pensioner benefits because of their age.

The Government is also delivering a comprehensive package of support to help those aged 50 and over to remain in and return to work.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
13th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support low-income families by (a) improving access to opportunities for children to play and learn, and (b) enhancing financial independence and living standards.

Through our Opportunity Mission, this Government will break the link between a child’s background and their future success. We will deliver across four areas including helping every child to achieve and thrive through excellent teaching and high standards, with a focus on disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Worth over £2.9 billion in 2024/25, the pupil premium grant continues to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Furthermore, all local authorities in England continue to deliver the Holiday and Activities Food programme, providing heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families throughout the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.

Poverty limits children’s opportunities and holds them back. The number of children living in poverty has gone up by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low-income family. This is why tackling child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish our child poverty strategy in Spring 2025.

As set out in the Taskforce’s publication of 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ s our ambition is to deliver an enduring reduction in child poverty this parliament, as part of a 10-year strategy for lasting change. To deliver this, we will look at all available levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025 to boost the pay of 3 million workers.

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to review the two child benefit cap.

The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty before publishing a strategy in Spring 2025.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting Armed Forces personnel in receipt of Government compensation from means-tested benefits.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit.

The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in these benefits and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. This contrasts with a benefit like Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. Furthermore, these are legacy benefits, in the process of being replaced by Universal Credit, in which War Pensions and AFCS are ignored.

By default, the first £10 per week of a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them.

In relation to Pension Credit, the first £10 of any War Pension payments or AFCS award made due to injury or disablement is disregarded. Four additions to the War Disablement Pension are completely disregarded: Constant Attendance Allowance; Mobility Supplement; Severe Disablement Occupational Allowance; and dependency increases for anyone other than the applicant or her/his partner.

War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in Pension Credit and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.

Social security in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter. The Department for Communities is responsible for how compensation payments are treated in means-tested benefits in Northern Ireland.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to communicate the changes to Winter Fuel Payments to people affected; and what support she plans to provide to help pensioners (a) understand their eligibility and (b) access alternative support.

From mid-October, all pensioners will receive a letter explaining the changes to Winter Fuel Payments this year and encouraging anyone who may eligible to claim Pension Credit by 21st December.

The Winter Fuel Payment page on Gov.uk has been updated with the new eligibility rules.

The Department will proceed at pace with its communication campaign to raise awareness of the changes and to promote Pension Credit. This will be followed by a Paid Partnership and national media campaign.  There will then be continued marketing activity promoting the take-up of Pension Credit.

The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.   An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that changes to Winter Fuel Payments do not disproportionately affect pensioners in colder regions of the UK; and how regional variations in winter heating costs were considered in the decision to make those changes.

This Government is committed to pensioners – everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement.

Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control.

Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80.

In England and Wales, Cold Weather Payments continue to be paid to pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit (and certain working age qualifying benefits). This is a weekly payment of £25 for every seven-day period when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0 degrees C or below over seven consecutive days.

Our continued commitment to the triple lock means the full new state pension is forecast to increase by a further £1,700 over the course of the parliament.

We are also providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.

In making a decision on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the government had regard to the equality analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the (a) financial and (b) physical well-being of pensioners who will be ineligible for Winter Fuel Payments under eligibility criteria to be introduced from winter 2024-25; and what steps she plans to take to mitigate any potential negative impact on those affected.

This Government is committed to pensioners – everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement.

Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control.

The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives and reducing pressures on the NHS.

Over the next five years, we expect over 12 million pensioners will see their State Pensions increase by thousands of pounds as a result of our commitment to the Triple Lock. Protecting the Triple Lock even in the current economic climate shows our steadfast commitment to pensioners.

We are also providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.

The Government is also ensuring pensioners are supported through our commitment to protect the Triple Lock, over 12 million pensioners will benefit, with many expected to see their State Pension increase by around a thousand pounds over the next five years.

Finally, the Household Support Fund is being extended for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.  An additional £500 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF, including funding for the Devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to support University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in the context of that Trust declaring a critical incident on 9 October 2024 and standing down that critical incident on 10 October 2024; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the review of the New Hospital Programme on support for that Trust.

The Government recognises the pressures that the National Health Service is facing, as made clear in the recent independent report undertaken by Lord Darzi. The report, published on 12 September 2024, will inform the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan to reform the health service and ensure the NHS is fit for the future.

The NHS’s operational pressures escalation levels (OPEL) framework provides a standardised approach to support an effective, integrated, and coordinated response to acute trust operational pressures. This includes the actions locally, regionally, and nationally that support the depressurising of services, and ensure patient safety. Further information about the OPEL framework is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PRN00551-OPEL-Framework-2023.24-V2.0.pdf

The new hospital scheme for this trust is included in a review of the New Hospital Programme. This review will ensure the scheme is put on a sustainable footing, including a realistic timetable for delivery, and clarity on the funding required.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of prohibiting outdoor smoking and vaping on the hospitality sector.

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation. The bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had a range of discussions with ministers from other Government departments on the contents of the bill, including with my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Officials have also been in regular contact with counterparts across the Government during the development of the bill. More details will be set out soon.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
10th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart on the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das.

The UK is committed to promoting and protecting human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We monitor human rights in Bangladesh closely, including following student-led protests in Bangladesh. I understand the concerns about the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das. In November, during my visit to Bangladesh, I discussed the importance of protecting religious minorities, including the Hindu community with Chief Adviser Yunus. I underlined the UK Government's commitment to religious freedom in Bangladesh. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help ensure the protection of (a) Hindu communities and (b) other religious minorities in Bangladesh.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Following the student-led protests in July and August, we have been closely monitoring the situation for minorities in Bangladesh. In November, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including the Hindu community, with Chief Adviser Yunus. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support is available to British citizens concerned about the safety of family members in Bangladesh.

In our public statements, we urged for an end to the violence and a de-escalation of the situation. We continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh closely. The safety of British nationals is always our main concern in determining our travel advice, and we keep it under constant review.  Any British nationals in Bangladesh who are seeking consular assistance can contact us 24/7 at the British High Commission Dhaka on +880 255 668700 or contact the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on +44 (0) 207 008 5000.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing for people with family members in Bangladesh.

In our public statements, we urged for an end to the violence and a de-escalation of the situation. We continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh closely. The safety of British nationals is always our main concern in determining our travel advice, and we keep it under constant review.  Any British nationals in Bangladesh who are seeking consular assistance can contact us 24/7 at the British High Commission Dhaka on +880 255 668700 or contact the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on +44 (0) 207 008 5000.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the protection of (a) Hindu communities and (b) other religious minorities in Bangladesh.

The Foreign Secretary and I have raised concerns publicly and privately about the recent unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on the (a) persecution, (b) safety and (c) rights of Hindus in that country.

The Foreign Secretary and I have raised concerns publicly and privately about the recent unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) international partners and (b) human rights organisations on the ongoing violence against Hindu communities in Bangladesh; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help tackle that violence.

The Foreign Secretary and I have raised concerns publicly and privately about the recent unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to monitor instances of ethnic and religious violence in Bangladesh.

The Foreign Secretary and I have raised concerns publicly and privately about the recent unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports he has received from HM High Commission Dhaka on recent alleged attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh.

The British High Commission in Dhaka is engaged with the Interim Government in Bangladesh to reinforce the message on an end to the violence and a de-escalation of the situation. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events was important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian aid his Department is providing to Bangladesh.

As a leading donor to the Rohingya refugee response, the UK has provided humanitarian aid of over £391 million since 2017 including food provision, clean water, healthcare and protection services. We are deeply saddened by the devastating flooding in Eastern Bangladesh and are providing £450,000 to fund relief efforts.  The UK's humanitarian assistance to respond to disasters across Bangladesh this year had previously totalled £530,000 and supported more than 48,000 people affected by Cyclone Remal in May and flooding in Sylhet in July.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to British citizens in Bangladesh.

In our public statements, we urged for an end to the violence and a de-escalation of the situation. We continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh closely. The safety of British nationals is always our main concern in determining our travel advice, and we keep it under constant review.  Any British nationals in Bangladesh who are seeking consular assistance can contact us 24/7 at the British High Commission Dhaka on +880 255 668700 or contact the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on +44 (0) 207 008 5000.

Catherine West
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Nov 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a phased approach to stamp duty increases for those in pre-agreed property transactions.

The increase of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) Higher Rates for Additional Dwellings (HRAD) by two percentage points at the Autumn Budget 2024, will impact transactions on or after 31 October 2024.

The rate increase will not apply to transactions where contracts have been exchanged prior to 31 October but have not yet completed. This means that those who have already committed to a purchase, by exchanging contracts, won’t pay more tax than they were expecting to pay when they agreed to buy the property.

The timing of implementation of tax increases is a balanced judgement which requires a comprehensive evaluation of a variety of factors including, but not limited to, complexity, fairness, and simplicity for the taxpayer. The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the usual tax policy making process and welcomes representations to help inform future decisions on tax policy.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
18th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the levels of funding for grassroots sports.

Government funding is being considered in the usual way as part of the Spending Review. The outcome of this review will be communicated in due course.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
11th Sep 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there are fiscal incentives for businesses looking to invest in creative industries in the UK; and whether she plans to take steps to encourage such investments.

The creative industries play a key role in driving economic growth. The Government is committed to supporting them and will implement a creative industries sector plan as part of the Industrial Strategy, creating good jobs and accelerating growth in film, music, gaming, and other creative sectors.

One of the ways that the Government incentivises investment in the sector is through the creative industry tax reliefs, which provide generous support for production costs of theatres, orchestras, museums and galleries and film, TV and video games companies. The reliefs delivered £2.2 billion of support to these industries in financial year 2022-23.

The government also provides a range of grant support.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that those who exploit immigration marriage fraud to gain entry to the UK are (a) identified and (b) removed from the country.

The Government takes abuse of the spouse and partner immigration routes very seriously and is clear that family migration must be based on a genuine and subsisting marriage or relationship.

The marriage referral and investigation scheme, introduced across the UK under the Immigration Act 2014, requires that all proposed marriages and civil partnerships where one or both parties could gain an immigration advantage from it are referred to the Home Office. Under this scheme, where we have reasonable grounds to suspect a sham relationship, the marriage notice period will be extended to allow for further investigation, and for enforcement or casework action to be taken where appropriate.

The Home Office focuses its efforts on disrupting facilitators as well as prosecuting individuals involved in sham marriages and civil partnerships and will consider refusal or cancellation of permission to stay, or removal, following any determination that a relationship is a sham.

Part 9 of the Immigration Rules provides specific grounds for the refusal or cancellation of permission to enter or stay on the basis of any involvement in a sham marriage or sham civil partnership, providing a more robust and consistent framework against which immigration applications are assessed, and reflecting the seriousness of this type of abuse.

Where appropriate and proportionate, enforcement and removal action will be taken. The removal pathways following a sham marriage determination include administrative removal under Section 10 (of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999) and deportation on public policy or conducive grounds.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)