Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing strengthened service standards and automatic compensation for mobile network customers, similar to those available for fixed broadband services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Government has made no assessment of automatic compensation for mobile network customers. Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, has statutory duties to protect the interests of telecoms consumers and has powers to set rules that communications providers must follow. The Government continues to engage with Ofcom and industry on service quality and consumer protections. Ofcom has introduced a range of measures to protect mobile customers, including rules on switching, contract transparency and protections against mobile messaging scams, while keeping consumer safeguards under review.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the eight-week complaint resolution timeframe for mobile network providers.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has acted to make telecoms complaints faster and fairer. Following review in April 2026, Ofcom concluded consumers should not have to wait eight weeks before accessing Alternative Dispute Resolution and reduced the timeframe to six weeks. Government supports proportionate action that helps consumers resolve issues sooner and get fair outcomes.
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, whether the Timms Review will consider evidence from people with autism, learning disabilities and their families regarding their experiences when applying for Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Review's steering group recognise no single method of engagement and evidence-gathering will allow them to hear every voice. That is why the group has adopted a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data and workshops across the UK to gather evidence. This engagement included those with lived experience of autism. The findings from this engagement are being used to build a strong evidence base to inform policy analysis and the Review's recommendations.
In the next phase of the Review, Shaping Recommendation Workshops will be held and will bring together disabled people and those with long-term health conditions from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to help shape, test and refine the Review's emerging recommendations.
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 consideration is being given to introducing specialist assessor training on autism and learning disabilities to ensure that PIP assessments accurately capture the impact of such conditions on daily living and independent functioning.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are functional assessments designed to consider how a person’s health conditions or impairments affect their ability to carry out daily living and mobility activities. They do not require health professionals (HPs) to diagnose conditions or recommend treatment.
All assessment suppliers are required to ensure that HPs have appropriate training and knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments, including Autism and learning disabilities. All HPs undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners and receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impact of health conditions on day-to-day activities, alongside awareness training covering a range of conditions, symptoms and disabilities.
From 9 September 2024 the educational material for all Health Assessment Advisory Service HPs has been provided by DWP. As part of our review, we identified best practice in the NHS and have implemented the Oliver McGowan training as part of the mandatory training requirements for every HP. This training is recognised to be of significant value to HPs in ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, informed, and compassionate assessments to claimants with autism and learning disabilities.
In addition, HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Materials (CTGM). These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information, including the potential risks and limitations of a range of conditions, including autism and learning disabilities, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments. Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP all training and guidance materials are undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A newly established team is leading this work, ensuring that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. To support this, independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the accuracy, relevance, and consistency of the content.
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, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the outcomes of PIP claims made by people with autism and learning disabilities compared with other disability groups.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment outcomes by primary condition can be found on Stat Xplore. PIP claimants can have more than one condition and this data only indicates the primary condition as determined during the PIP assessment process.
The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset. You can expand the ‘Disability’ filter to narrow to ‘Autistic spectrum disorders’ and ‘Learning disability global’. You can expand the ‘Clearance type detail’ filter to select awarded and disallowed claims.
You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.
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 through the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to assess whether the current PIP assessment process adequately reflects the needs and circumstances of claimants with autism and learning disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Timms Review seeks to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future. The Review's terms of reference set out a broad scope to ensure that PIP effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disabilities in the modern world.
The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. The steering group has shaped a programme of participation that brings together the full range of views and voices, including those with autism and learning disabilities.
The interim report of the Timms Review found that PIP as a benefit is no longer fit for purpose and is failing to keep pace with how disability, health and work have changed over the past decade.
The next phase of the Review is testing and refining recommendations for reform. The Review will report its recommendations to the Secretary of State in autumn.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of Google’s proposed Android developer verification requirements on independent and small-scale application developers in the UK.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential impact of Google’s proposed Android developer verification requirements on independent and small-scale application developers in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s independent competition authority, is examining competition in Google’s mobile ecosystem and will consider relevant evidence as part of its ongoing work.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce (a) temporary visa extensions and (b) other immigration flexibility for Iranian nationals and dual nationals whose permission to stay in the UK is due to expire and who are unable to return to Iran.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office continues to monitor the situation in Iran and its impacts. We recognise the disruption to travel routes through the Middle East and the impact on people whose onward travel has been delayed.
The UK has not introduced a bespoke visa route for this situation and no specific temporary visa extensions or other special provisions for Iranian nationals or dual nationals affected by the situation in Iran have been implemented.
Existing visa routes remain available and applications must meet the requirements of those routes.
Regardless of age, those already living in the UK who have permission to stay should continue to follow their immigration conditions.
For those whose permission to stay is due to expire, there are a variety of existing routes under the Immigration Rules to allow a person to extend or vary their permission in the UK.
Guidance on varying permission to stay can be found on the GOV.UK website: Vary your immigration application - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration her Department has given to the needs of elderly Iranian nationals and dual nationals visiting the UK unable to return to Iran.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office continues to monitor the situation in Iran and its impacts. We recognise the disruption to travel routes through the Middle East and the impact on people whose onward travel has been delayed.
The UK has not introduced a bespoke visa route for this situation and no specific temporary visa extensions or other special provisions for Iranian nationals or dual nationals affected by the situation in Iran have been implemented.
Existing visa routes remain available and applications must meet the requirements of those routes.
Regardless of age, those already living in the UK who have permission to stay should continue to follow their immigration conditions.
For those whose permission to stay is due to expire, there are a variety of existing routes under the Immigration Rules to allow a person to extend or vary their permission in the UK.
Guidance on varying permission to stay can be found on the GOV.UK website: Vary your immigration application - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of Google’s proposed Android developer verification requirements on competition and consumer choice in the distribution of Android applications in the UK.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of Google's proposed Android developer verification requirements. The Government supports competitive digital markets that promote innovation and consumer choice. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK's independent competition authority, is examining competition in Google's mobile ecosystem, including Android and the Play Store and will consider relevant evidence as part of its ongoing work.