Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support unpaid carers into paid employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income.

Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme.

Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities.

For unpaid carers who are entitled to Carer’s Allowance, we have introduced the largest increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976. The earnings limit is now 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels and over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30.

DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing specialist support measures to support unpaid carers into employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and we recognise that for some this can be a significant commitment. We are committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible.

Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason it is her policy to reduce state school funding for the International Baccalaureate from 2026.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why the department has announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding, which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include mathematics, further mathematics and other high value A levels. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for International Baccalaureate qualifications on social mobility for (a) students in state schools seeking (i) international and (ii) medical university places and (b) other students.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why the department has announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding, which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include mathematics, further mathematics and other high value A levels. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for International Baccalaureate qualifications on trends in the difference in academic results between state and private schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why the department has announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding, which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include mathematics, further mathematics and other high value A levels. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding of the International Baccalaureate on (a) staffing levels and (b) curriculum breadth in state schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities. That is why the department has announced that we will focus large programme uplift funding, which is on top of the base funding, on those large programmes which include mathematics, further mathematics and other high value A levels. 16 to 19 funded institutions have the freedom to decide how they use their funding for the provision they offer, including whether they offer the International Baccalaureate. The impact of the scenarios referred to in the questions will depend on choices made by institutions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish all changes to guidance for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants issued since 2020.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Minor changes to guidance have been made to increase readability and operational understanding for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants. More significantly, existing guidance has been applied more consistently. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) level and (b) nature of the challenges faced by A&E staff; and what additional support he is providing to boost A&E staff morale.

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

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in accident and emergency departments. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will ensure that staff are better treated, have better training, and have more fulfilling roles.

We will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to supporting staff by tackling the issues that matter to them. They will cover access to nutritious food and drink at work, reducing violence against staff, tackling racism and sexual harassment, standards of ‘healthy work’ and occupational health support, and support for flexible working. These standards will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture to help boost morale across the workforce.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce the prospectus for round 4 of the local authority housing fund.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We aim to publish the prospectus for Round 4 by the end of this year, to allow local authorities sufficient time to prepare for delivery to begin in April 2026.

The £950 million fourth round of Local Authority Housing Fund will primarily support local authorities in England to increase the supply of better-quality temporary accommodation and drive down the use of Bed and Breakfasts for families with children.

It will also provide safe and suitable housing for those on the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), to fulfil the UK’s humanitarian duties to assist those who assisted British efforts in Afghanistan and are at risk of homelessness.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average savings per claimant to his Department from passing costs previously covered by Access to Work to employers.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No such transfer has been made. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation on the Pathways to Work Green Paper has closed.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her planned strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of non-animal methods will contain a timeline to phase out animal experimentation.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to reducing the use of animals in scientific research and is developing a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.

At present, the strategy does not include a fixed timeline for the complete phase-out of animal experimentation but it does commit to timelines for some. It is not yet possible to replace all animal research due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting arbitrary timelines for reducing their use.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to (a) set a goal for phasing out animal experiments in medical research over the next decade and (b) work closely with the scientific community to support it with that transition.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The legal framework in the UK already requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no validated alternatives available. The government currently has no plans to legislate further on this matter.

The Government is working in close partnership with scientists, industry, and civil society to support the transition to alternative methods. This includes convening roundtables and supporting the development and of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to convene a roundtable with animal protection groups prior to the publication of the alternative methods to animal testing strategy.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government has engaged with animal welfare organisations in developing a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which will be published by the end of the year. The Government hosted a roundtable on 14 May with representatives from animal welfare organisations to discuss the strategy, have met several individually and offered some the opportunity to read the draft strategy and submit comments.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on ensuring that there is adequate telecommunications coverage across the South West region.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom publishes figures on mobile and fixed broadband coverage across the UK twice a year in their Connected Nations report. The full report for 2025 is expected to be published by the end of this year.

Ofcom does not publish aggregate coverage figures at a regional level in their Connected Nations reports but does do so at a Local Authority and Westminster constituency level. There have already been mobile coverage uplifts across the South West from the Shared Rural Network programme, with further improvements to come in the region from the publicly funded element of the programme in Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Additionally, to improve gigabit broadband coverage, Openreach, Wildanet, Gigaclear and Wessex Internet are delivering a number of Project Gigabit contracts across the South West.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what quality assurance is in place to ensure that when a licence is issued for small-scale digital deployment, the coverage delivered aligns with the planned coverage; and how her Department works with operators to ensure an appropriate level of service is maintained.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Localised networks, such as private mobile networks, are delivered by a wide range of providers to support connectivity for particular users, for example, for business and organisations in sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare. This is different from the coverage provided by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) through their national networks, for which we have set the national ambition. For these localised networks, coverage and service levels are typically agreed between the service provider and its customers, and this will vary significantly between different uses. As such, coverage and service levels are not routinely monitored.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers have been supported into work through his Department's employment support programmes in the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income.

The information requested is currently not available. However, support provided by the department includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities, localised support and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme or Connect to Work. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of supporting unpaid carers into employment on the economy.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and we recognise that for some this can be a significant commitment.  We are committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible.

Whilst there is no formal impact assessment of the impact of supporting unpaid carers into employment on the economy, unpaid carers who claim DWP benefits and provide care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Wait 45 policy on (a) ambulance release times and (b) levels of corridor care in hospitals.

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

The Department has not made a specific assessment. However, ambulance handover delays have improved since last year, and monthly average national handover times have been under 30 minutes since May 2025.

As part of the preparations for winter, the Department and NHS England have asked all services to develop and test winter plans, including specific actions to improve flow through hospitals and making progress on eliminating corridor care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that independent fostering agencies receive adequate support to provide high-quality fostering services.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department’s priority is to recruit and retain more foster carers so there is a choice of stable, loving foster homes for children in care.

The government is committed to ensuring a fostering system that meets the needs of children and young people and works for everyone involved. We have clear regulations and rigorous inspection frameworks to ensure these high standards are achieved.

All private independent fostering agencies must meet the legal requirements set out in the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011. These regulations, alongside the fostering services: national minimum standards, are used by Ofsted when inspecting fostering agencies to ensure that they are offering the right support to children and foster families.

The department encourages local authorities and independent fostering agencies to collaborate and welcome sector efforts such as the National Fostering Model Contract, which was co-produced by local authorities and independent fostering agencies, which aim to improve commissioning processes.

Local Housing Allowance

Friends of Campsie Community Work

Jordan Codices

Family Business Week 2025

Support for the UK-Ukraine Trauma and Recovery Collaborative

Conduct of Sir Robbie Gibb and the independence of the BBC Board

Release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the plight of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad

Tobias Gutteridge

RAF Photographic Reconnaissance Units

Naloxone

Ukrainian Permission Extension Scheme

Local government and social care

Protections for animals and people

The Retreat at Elcot Park and the Three Peaks Challenge

Taxi accessibility for disabled people

Fossil fuel company profits

Government proposals for mandatory digital ID

Conduct of the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby

Water bills

Eligibility variations in access to IVF

Found: (Labour; Paisley and Renfrewshire South) Mr Peter Bedford (Conservative; Mid Leicestershire) Steve Darling

Found: Baxter (Labour; Paisley and Renfrewshire South) Mr Peter Bedford (Conservative; Mid Leicestershire) Steve Darling

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Johanna Baxter (Chair); Mr Peter Bedford; Steve Darling; Damien Egan

The last time the State Pension age went up there was a jump in the number of pre-pensioners (people aged 60+ but below pension age) in poverty. This group are the joint poorest among working age adults.