Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of uniform changes proposed in the Children and Wellbeing Bill on parents who wish to buy branded uniform items for convenience.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded items. This is why we have introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, giving parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allowing them the flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.
Schools may continue to offer optional branded items, provided these are kept to a minimum and a generic alternative is available.
Parents should have choice over where they shop, so they can control the cost of uniforms. Our data suggest that where parents can buy items from a range of suppliers the average cost of uniform is significantly lower.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that reasonable adjustments for people with mental health conditions recommended through Access to Work are delivered in a timely manner; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for support.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, including for mental health conditions.
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, into and on in work.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
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 ensure that people with mental health conditions receive reasonable adjustments under Access to Work on an equal basis with those whose disabilities arise from physical health conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, including for mental health conditions.
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, into and on in work.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support private-sector employers implement reasonable adjustments recommended through Access to Work for staff with mental health conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, including for mental health conditions.
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, into and on in work.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service has effective mechanisms to prevent high earners from reducing their maintenance liabilities through the diversion of income into pension contributions.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The paying parent's (PP) gross income, after occupational or personal pension scheme contributions are deducted, is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This is because either pension contributions themselves or the earnings from which they are paid qualify for income tax relief.
Either parent can ask the CMS to consider where they believe a paying parent is deliberately making excessive contributions into a private pension in order to reduce the calculation.
This is called a diversion of income variation. If the CMS considers that the deduction in the gross weekly income is unreasonable then the maintenance calculation can be adjusted.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to prevent delays to child maintenance proceedings arising from the non-submission of required documents by a paying parent; and how the Department ensures that such delays do not impede or postpone court-related processes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under the Child Support Information Regulations 2008, paying parents have a duty to provide the Department with any evidence or information needed for the i) determination of an application ; ii) making of a decision; or iii) collection and enforcement of child maintenance. Paying parents are expected to meet that obligation within specified timescales and are warned of the consequences of failing to do so.
Where a paying parent fails to provide the required information within the time allowed, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and is committed to using its wide-ranging enforcement powers proportionally, and in the best interests of children and separated families.
To support timely document submission, CMS offer a 24/7 online customer portal, My Child Maintenance Case, allowing parents to upload documents at their convenience any time of the day. In addition, data-sharing arrangements with other government departments, principally HMRC, reduce the need for customers to supply information directly, particularly earnings-related data.
If court action becomes necessary and customer information is not provided, the court may treat this as wilful refusal or culpable neglect when considering enforcement or sanctions for non-payment of child maintenance
The Department is committed to minimising delays in child maintenance proceedings and ensuring children receive the financial support they are entitled to.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the cost to councils in the mayoral areas of Greater Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk, Hampshire & the Solent, and Sussex & Brighton for election preparations which have now been cancelled; and if he will reimburse these costs in full.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We remain committed to the long-term funding offer to all Devolution Priority Programme areas announced on 4 December. We will provide £1 million mayoral capacity funding for all areas following the laying of the secondary legislation, and a minimum of £3 million over the following three financial years. Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent and Sussex and Brighton will receive a third of their annual investment funds in both 2026 and 2027, and receive their full annual allocations thereafter.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he will commit to laying before the House of Commons the Structural Change Order for local government reorganisation in Surrey.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I am happy to repeat the commitment from the Written Ministerial Statement made on 28 October (HCWS998) that we will bring to the House, for approval, a Structural Changes Order to implement the proposal for two new unitary councils – East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using scanning machines in probation offices to detect weapons; and what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of probation officers in the workplace.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The safety of probation staff is our priority, and we are committed to taking action to protect them. Following a comprehensive review of health, safety, and security across all probation premises, we are urgently implementing measures to strengthen protection for staff and improve overall safety.
We have completed a comprehensive nationwide review of local safety arrangements and are currently installing visitor lockers outside all probation contact areas with the aim of preventing the ingress of weapons and rolling out bleed control kits and defibrillators in every office to provide critical emergency support.
We are also planning to pilot enhanced security measures in seven probation offices. The proposed pilots include archway scanners, handheld wands, body-worn cameras, and advanced safety training focused on de-escalation and aggression management. The aim is to prevent weapon ingress, improve staff safety, and assess the effectiveness of the proposed interventions.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential environmental and administrative implications of relying on paper-based postal order payments for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods.
The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.