Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times (a) in the A&E queue and (b) for Torbay and South Devon NHS foundation trust.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ambulance response times and ambulance handover times have been below the high standards that patients should expect in recent years, including at the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundational Trust.

The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, including ambulance response times, but we must be clear that there are no quick fixes.

We are determined to turn things around through investment and reform. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £25.6 billion of additional healthcare funding over the next two years, and we will set out a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for (a) ambulances held in queues and (b) people waiting at home for an ambulance.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The national average ambulance handover time was 43 minutes and 32 seconds in December 2024. The following table shows the national ambulance response time, including for people who have called for an ambulance from their home, for Category 1, 2, 3, and 4 incidents, in hours, minutes and seconds:

Source: NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her timeline is for completing the second pensions review.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

This government is committed to enabling tomorrow’s pensioners to have security in retirement– which is why we announced the landmark Pensions Review days after coming into office in July.

The first phase focussed on boosting investment and economic growth and we are committed to a second phase focused on retirement adequacy. We will provide further details on the scope and timetable for the second phase in due course

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a tourism tax on the tourist industry.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

We have no plans to introduce a tourism tax. The Government keeps all tax policy under review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of maladministration around communications of State Pension age changes on the six sample cases in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, HC 638, published on 21 March 2024.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman set out their assessment of the impact on the six sample complainants in the report published in March 2024. Our comments on the sample complainants can be found in our detailed report placed in the House library.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of State Pension age changes on the six sample cases in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, HC 638, published on 21 March 2024.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The six sample complainants were impacted by State Pension age changes introduced by both the Pensions Act 1995 and the Pensions Act 2011.

The Ombudsman did not investigate the decisions to increase the State Pension age for women in 1995, or to accelerate that increase in 2011. The Ombudsman are clear that policy decisions to increase the State Pension age in 1995 onwards were taken by Parliament and considered lawful by the Courts and were not within their remit to consider.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish all Departmental research undertaken in relation to the Government's response to the PHSO report on communication of Women's State Pension age on 17 December 2024.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The research that has been used to inform the response is published, available online and is referenced within the response.

The response itself has been deposited in the House of Commons Library and published on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-parliamentary-and-health-service-ombudsmans-investigation-into-womens-state-pension-age-communications-and-associated-issues

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set targets to reduce memory clinic waiting times in (a) Torbay, (b) Exeter and (c) Barnstaple.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including the detection and diagnosis of dementia, and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services. We are committed to improving dementia diagnosis rates and recovering them to the national ambition for two thirds of people with dementia to have a formal diagnosis.

NHS England has funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, making 14 sites in total, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate tool to improve the diagnosis of dementia and provision of support in care homes. All pilots completed at the end of May 2024, and it is anticipated that learning will be shared in early 2025.

To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates and implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has developed a dashboard for management information purposes. The aim is to support commissioners and providers of memory services with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Animal Welfare Committee’s December 2024 opinion on specialised dog reproductive practices.

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

The department is carefully considering the Animal Welfare Committee’s findings and will outline any next steps in due course. Any policy changes would be made with appropriate engagement with stakeholders.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to regulate the use of stud dogs in dog breeding.

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

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a 12-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licensed breeders who own and use stud dogs as part of their breeding activity must provide for their welfare in line with the 2018 Regulations’ licensing conditions.

The Government is considering the findings of its post-implementation review of the 2018 Regulations and the Animal Welfare Committee’s opinion on the welfare implications of specialised canine reproductive practices and will outline any next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the terms of reference are for the Motor Insurance Taskforce.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Motor Insurance Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are waiting for their pension credit application to be processed in each region.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

We do not currently hold this information at regional level. Outstanding Pension Credit claims totalled 88,500 at the end of week commencing 30^th December 2024. This includes 8,500 advanced claims. Advanced claims are where the application can be started up to 4 months before reaching State Pension age.

Please note, the data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of breeding for extreme conformations on the health and welfare of (a) dogs and (b) cats.

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

To provide a detailed scientific view on the range of issues faced by breeding dogs and cats, the Department commissioned two Opinions from the Government’s Animal Welfare Committee. One Opinion assesses the welfare implications of specialised canine reproductive practices, and one on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices. The Opinions can be found here: Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the recall to prison programme.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government’s absolute focus is on public protection. Offenders on licence can be swiftly recalled to prison if they breach their licence conditions in such a way as to indicate that their risk to the public has increased and they are about to commit further offences. The recall of an offender to custody is an important public protection measure. We remain focused on reducing reoffending and the risks presented by offenders, so that they do not need to be recalled in the first place.

The HMI Probation Thematic Report on Probation Recall Culture & Practice, published in 2020, found that: “Public protection and the protection of victims are central to probation service decision-making on recall.”

We continue to work across Government to ensure that we take the necessary steps to reduce the recall population and keep the system functioning safely, whilst protecting the public which is our top priority.

Dinosaur trackway discovery in Ardley, Oxfordshire

Coastal erosion in north Norfolk

Benefits of outdoor education to children’s wellbeing

Provision of residential outdoor education for children in kinship care

Female football cards and consumer products

CAMRA Pub of the Year award 2024 for The Bailey Head

Sale of caged hens’ eggs

Support for SMEs in coastal and farming constituencies

Hospices and palliative care

Social housing in rural areas

Blue Monday

Linda Norgrove Foundation wins Voluntary Sector Partnership Award

US trade and impact assessments

Protecting children from sexual abuse

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Submit Evidence (by 3 Mar 2025)

The Work and Pension Committee is conducting an inquiry into jobcentres, the first in a series of inquiries in response to the Government’s Get Britain Working White Paper.