Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have been convicted of fraud since 2015 due to Carer’s Allowance overpayments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has prosecuted cases of benefit fraud since 2012. DWP will refer cases where there is evidence that a claimant has deliberately claimed benefits they are not entitled to or provided false information. The decision to prosecute is decided by the CPS.
The NAO published DWP’s data on the number of cases related to the overpayments of Carer’s Allowance that were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) for prosecution since 2015.
These are available on p.23 in the NAO Investigation into overpayments of Carer's Allowance report published on 26 April 2019. These volumes relate to cases where the individuals concerned have a Carer’s Allowance overpayment, however Carer’s Allowance might not be the primary benefit under consideration for the prosecution.
On p.30 in the NAO Carer’s Allowance report published on 11 December 2024. These volumes are only where a case is being referred for prosecution where a Carer’s Allowance overpayment was the primary benefit under investigation. Therefore, they are not directly comparable to the preceding volumes.
The volumes are for all prosecutions including earnings-related cases.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that local carer services are able to provide Income Maximisation services and crisis support to unpaid carers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Overall Government responsibility for support for unpaid carers in England sits with the Department for Health and Social Care.
DWP can provide financial support to qualifying unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and the Carer Addition in Pension Credit. Income Maximisation Services and other Crisis Support may be available to unpaid carers locally through a number of routes, including independent organisations such as the Carers Trust. DWP staff can signpost unpaid carers to this support where appropriate. DWP can also support unpaid carers who wish to combine their caring responsibilities with paid work through our Jobcentre Plus network and other employment support.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether unpaid carers will be classified as a financially vulnerable group eligible for the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
My Department has engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Fund through a structured co-design process, including eligibility requirements. We are considering feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in January 2026.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to regulate artificial intelligence.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is already regulated in the UK. A range of existing rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation and other forms of sector regulation. The Government will act where these laws are not enough to ensure safe use. We are exploring whether additional protections are needed. The Technology Secretary confirmed in Parliament last week that the Government will look at what more can be done to manage the emergent risks of AI chatbots.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has a strategy to accelerate the development and adoption of metamaterials.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to support the development and adoption of metamaterials, as part of our wider ambition to strengthen the UK’s advanced materials ecosystem. In June 2025, the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy prioritised advanced materials as a frontier industry and committed an initial £50 million to a National Materials Innovation Programme. The first feasibility call went live in November and specifically highlights metamaterials and metasurfaces as a strategic opportunity area.
This builds on existing government support for metamaterials, including the £19.6 million MetaHub public-private partnership with the University of Exeter, to advance 3D nanoscale metamaterials, and the Metamaterials Network Plus.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to improve the availability of high-quality STEM skills and support innovation in the South West, particularly in sectors critical to defence, ICT, and energy security.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to strengthening STEM skills and driving innovation across the UK, including the South West. DSIT has launched the TechFirst programme to deliver tech and AI learning to 1 million young people by 2029. This builds on CyberFirst, which has reached 415,000 students and recognised 230 schools, including 47 in the South West.
Since 2022, DSIT’s Cyber Local programme has delivered 18 initiatives in the South West, supporting economic growth and skills development. A list of 2024–25 programmes is available here.
DSIT is working with other government departments to increase regional and national STEM skills provisions. Through the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, the Government is investing £1.2 billion in skills development, including a £100 million Engineering Skills Package and new Technical Excellence Colleges. The South West hosts the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in Hayle, supporting innovation and skills development in marine and energy technologies.
The UK Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy, backed by a £182 million skills package, includes the Plymouth Defence Growth Deal (September 2025), securing a share of £250 million to boost defence innovation and skills in the region.
The Post‑16 Education and Skills White Paper focuses on employer‑led training and technical routes to tackle skills gaps. In the South West, this means Local Skills Improvement Plans shaping provision for priority sectors like clean energy, digital and defence, alongside Technical Excellence Colleges, expanding higher technical courses and apprenticeships to meet regional demand.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Departments and schemes will include families with No Recourse to Public Funds within their eligibility criteria following the introduction of new guidance; and what steps she will take to monitor and enforce consistency of support.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The new guidance being produced by the Home Office is designed to assist local authorities in supporting families with NRPF, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. The guidance will provide clarity around statutory duties and key safeguards for local authorities, ensuring a clear and consistent approach. The guidance does not alter the eligibility criteria for any current schemes or benefits.
Children whose families are subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition (NRPF) can currently access schemes and benefits such as free school meals, 15 hours of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds and 15 hours free childcare for three- to four-year-old.
The Home Office will continue to work across government where relevant to ensure that migrant children with NRPF are specifically considered when reviewing or deciding on eligibility for schemes and benefits.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the urgent correspondence from the hon. Member for Torbay dated 12 November 2025 on the potential closure of the custody suite in Torbay.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
A response to this letter has been sent.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department provides trauma informed training to their Embassies and Consulates.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We prioritise maintaining a global network of internally trained Trauma Risk incidence Management assessors through a regular training programme which is open to all staff, UK and Country-Based. We have also begun to offer Type 2 trauma courses to both home and overseas based teams on demand.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 for ambulance wait times, including on corridor care and patients being looked after in sub-optimal areas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England continues to regularly monitor trust performance.
We are tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting the quicker release of ambulances, helping them get back on the road to treat patients. These delays should be recognised as a system wide responsibility and effective collaboration between ambulance services, acute trusts, integrated care boards, and other providers is required.
Nationally, we have seen average handover delays fall to 31 minutes 19 seconds in October compared to 40 minutes 20 seconds in October 2024. This reflects the improvements in Category 2 response times to 32 minutes 37 seconds from 42 minutes 15 seconds over the same time period.
We are also committed to ending corridor care. When Release to Rescue is implemented, ambulance trusts must put in place robust patient protection measures. Patients should only be cared for in temporary escalation spaces when all other options are exhausted, and this must not become standard practice.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan set out steps we are taking to improve accident and emergency waiting times, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and the information will be published shortly.