Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ending temporary concessionary visas for sheep shearers on the total labour supply of sheep shearers for the farming sector.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Immigration Rules concessionary arrangements are temporary and subject to regular Ministerial review. The sheep shearing concession had been operating for 14 years and closed after the 2025 shearing season as it reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to fill this workforce gap. To provide plenty of time to plan and transition to new arrangements DEFRA and the sector was informed last year that the concession would not be renewed again.
In addition, those in the UK on visas which allow general work rights, such as dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, are free to take up work as a sheep shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of compensation for HMRC staff due to the late award of the Flexibility Payment.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has considered the appropriateness and potential merits of compensation and reflected on the factors set out below:
HMRC is acutely aware of its additional role as the UK Tax Authority to ensure that public funds are managed with propriety, regularity, and value for money.
On conclusion of the assessment, HMRC does not believe that the delayed payment of the 2025 Flexibility Payment rates, while staff continued to be paid the former rates are sufficiently exceptional, sustained, or significant to require compensation.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase the number of private jet passengers paying the higher rate of Air Passenger Duty.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is ensuring all private jets are taxed fairly. Currently, only 36% of private jet passengers pay the higher APD rate, while most pay the same as those on commercial flights, despite using a more premium service with far higher emissions per passenger.
Building on the 50% rate increase announced at Autumn Budget 2024, at Budget 2025, the government announced that it would extend the higher rate to all private jets over 5.7 tonnes from April 2027.
This change ensures that private jet passengers pay higher rates of APD compared to commercial flyers and ensures fair and consistent taxation across private aviation.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what commemorations are being planned to mark the 100th anniversary of the passing of the Representation of the People Act 1928.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are very much aware of this significant milestone and the opportunity it represents; both for celebrating women being granted equal voting rights, and inspiring women and girls to get involved in politics.
We are working with other Departments and with women’s organisations to determine the best ways to mark the occasion.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will present a full implementation plan by the end of February 2026, taking account of international obligations, security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes. We aim to complete implementation within two years, subject to legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve early interventions in cases of childhood neglect.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is driving major children’s social care reforms to strengthen and improve early intervention, including in cases of childhood neglect. These reforms are backed by £2.4 billion investment, robust statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’, and support for teachers, social workers and all safeguarding professionals to spot the signs of abuse and neglect more quickly.
Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we will require local authorities and safeguarding partners to establish multi-agency child protection teams, enhance schools’ role in safeguarding partnership arrangements and introduce provisions that empower my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to introduce a consistent identifier for children.
In addition, our Best Start Family Hubs will provide welcoming spaces that connect families to health, education, housing and parenting support, helping identify those who need more intensive help from family support and multi-agency child protection.
Our plans to establish a Child Protection Authority in England will also bring further focus to children who are experiencing or likely to experience significant harm, including neglect.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to establish a timeline of when the new private rented sector database will be implemented.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government intends to set out detailed implementation plans for the Renters’ Rights Act in the near future.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
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 increase support for the delivery of emergency care at the William Harvey Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years and is committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard across England to support the delivery of emergency care, including at the William Harvey Hospital.
East Kent Trust, which the William Harvey hospital is part of, is receiving focused support as part of the National urgent and emergency care tiering programme, designed to support the most challenged trusts with urgent and emergency care.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that child maintenance calculations reflect the needs of children in the paying parent's home.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows maintenance calculations to be made quickly and accurately.
The amount of maintenance a paying parent must pay can be reduced if they have other children they provide care for. If the paying parent or their partner gets Child Benefit for children for whom they have financial responsibility, we can take them into account. We call these relevant other children. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will reduce the paying parent’s weekly income by a percentage depending on the number of children they or their partner has responsibility for before the primary calculation rates are applied. If the Paying Parent’s liability is based on the basic or basic rate plus, their gross weekly income is reduced by 11% for one child, 14% for two children and 3 or more children by 16%.
This ensures the Child Maintenance Service fulfils its responsibility to consider the welfare of all children connected to a case. The Government is also conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will meet with representatives from the Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium to discuss their report entitled Lost Childhoods: The consequences of flawed age assessments at the UK border, published on 4 March 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Home Office officials are already engaging with stakeholders involved in the production of this report, and I look forward to hearing the outcome of these discussions. I am happy to meet the consortium for a discussion.