Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether bereavement cases where a civil servant retired on ill health grounds prior to death are being prioritised in addressing the Civil Service Pensions Scheme backlog; and what steps he is taking to ensure that surviving spouses in such cases receive pensions payments from the Scheme.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The delays faced by pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable.

We recognise the significant pressure on surviving spouses, particularly in cases involving a prior ill-health retirement. Capita has prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. A similar position will be reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

This prioritisation extends to the surviving spouses of these members; once an ill-health retirement is processed, any subsequent survivor benefit claims are fast-tracked within the highest priority recovery stream to ensure payments reach the bereaved without further undue delay.

We have set up a dedicated team to work urgently with Capita, with 650 full time staff across Government and Capita and restoring normal service as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.

Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update (2 March 2026) is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-update-2-march-2026

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of requiring parents to apply for Child Benefit on their eligibility to qualify for National Insurance credits.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Child Benefit is a non-means tested benefit payable to families as a contribution towards the cost of raising children. Successfully applying for Child Benefit automatically gives eligible parents and carers Class 3 National Insurance (NI) credits until their child turns twelve. The requirement to apply for Child Benefit to qualify for the corresponding NI credit has existed since the introduction of Child Benefit in 2010. A similar policy link between Child Benefit and an individual’s NI record applied previously via Home Responsibilities Protection.

Given the link between Child Benefit and an individual’s NI record is a long-standing feature of the system, HMRC has not conducted an assessment of the impacts of requiring parents to apply for Child Benefit to access these particular NI credits.

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 the required alignment of surnames on EU and UK official documents on women from European countries who retain their birth name on official documents from their home country.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office holds a one name for all official purposes policy, to protect the integrity and security of the British passport, helping His Majesty’s Passport Office confirm the identity of anyone applying for a British passport.

The aim of the policy is to deter and disrupt those who wish to change their name to commit crime or evade detection, and by the fact it is applied equally to all customers.

Exceptions can be supported where it would be unreasonable to ask a customer to change their name.

In such cases, HM Passport Office can apply an administrative fairness test and may issue a passport in the name the customer has applied in, even though it is different to the name on their foreign passport. This includes where a married woman cannot assume her spouse’s surname.

We continue to monitor the effectiveness and impacts of this policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has for the future of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant beyond April 2026; and if she will consider extending the scheme to support the uptake of low and zero emission L-category vehicles.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Plug in Motorcycle Grant has supported almost 16,000 vehicle purchases since 2016 and, as announced in February 2025, will close at the end of the 2025/26 financial year or when budgets have been exhausted, whichever comes first.

EV incentives are designed to encourage the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). It is crucial they target the most polluting vehicles to enable the Government to meet its legally binding carbon emission reduction targets. Policy interventions are always kept under review.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people have contacted her Department, including for consular assistance, because they or their family members are unable to travel to the UK following the changes to immigration rules for dual nationals that came into effect on 25 February 2025.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Immigration rules are a matter for the Home Office. Our records show that Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Consular Contact Centre have passed 6,097 enquiries related to these changes to the Home Office since September 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to issue guidance to licensing authorities on consumer transparency requirements where private hire vehicle bookings are subcontracted between operators licensed in different areas.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department keeps its guidance to licensing authorities under review. The Government is legislating to increase consistency in the sector so that regardless of where a passenger travels, they can be confident the services that they use are subject to robust licensing standards.

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 commissioning controls, including Indicative Activity Plans, on access to children’s ADHD and autism assessments.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patients have a legal Right to Choose their provider when referred for National Health Service funded eligible care.

In 2023, NHS England published National framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services aimed at supporting those in commissioning roles during their commissioning cycles and operational guidance to support and inform decision-making at service level. These two guidance documents are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/autism-diagnosis-and-operational-guidance/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/operational-guidance-to-deliver-improved-outcomes-in-all-age-autism-assessment-pathways-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards/

Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that their processes comply with the legal Right to Choose.

NHS England is aware that commissioning controls on levels of assessment activity have been set by some commissioners and is working with systems to develop a supporting document to the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27 statutory consultation to help identify the costs associated with undertaking autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. This aims to help guide the pricing and create a more equitable and consistent approach to the autism and ADHD assessment payment process. NHS England published the NHS Standard Contract which requires integrated care boards (ICBs) to agree indicative activity plans (IAPs) for any service area which is variably funded, to aid in planning and capacity and demand management. IAPs are planning tools which do not restrict activity carried out by a provider.

The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework requires ICBs to undertake thorough demand and capacity planning and to strategically commission services that meet the needs of their patient population. ICBs may need to prioritise certain areas of care for their patient population, which may include managing planned assessment activity in some areas through Activity Management Plans.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our new approach to mental health, so people receive the right support, at the right time and in the right place. Likewise, the review will inform our approach so that people with ADHD and autistic people have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Free school meal holiday voucher scheme in Surrey

New US sanctions on Cuba

Sign Language Week

NHS funding for mental health services

Cyprus and UK Sovereign Base Areas

Coniston Hydro

Royal Surrey County Hospital research funding

Leasehold reform (No. 3)

State visits to the US

Student finance system reform

Protection of historic green spaces

Conflict in Lebanon

Historical building safeguarding in Scotland

LGBTQ+ veterans

Creative industries and the use of AI

Delay Repay scheme

Airport drop-off charges

Energy prices for households and businesses

Understanding of Tourette Syndrome

Heating oil prices

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

Royal Mail delivery standards

Bishop Andrew Watson

Recognition of armed forces personnel wounded in terrorist attacks outside of operational deployment

New Start Highland takeover of Highland Foodbank

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Gagan Mohindra (Chair); Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Will Forster

Found: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Lewis Cocking; Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon; Maya Ellis; Mr Will Forster

Found: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Lewis Cocking; Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon; Maya Ellis; Mr Will Forster