Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on (a) improving access to and (b) streamlining the enforcement processes of the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government intends to remove the Direct Pay service and thereby speed up detection of non-compliance. Moving to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay system will allow the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments immediately, and take faster enforcement action. Ahead of this change, the CMS is already moving non-compliant parents more quickly from Direct Pay to Collect and Pay.
To further improve arrears collection, the CMS will introduce administrative liability orders (ALOs) to replace the current court-based process. This will streamline enforcement, reduce delays, and help the CMS act more quickly against parents who avoid their responsibilities. Work with HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government is underway, and regulations will be brought to Parliament as soon as possible.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of Gibraltar on the functioning of border arrangements.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 June 2025 to Question 60853, and I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which authorities are responsible for controlling Schengen entry checks at Gibraltar’s airport and ports, and how the Government ensures UK travellers are not subject to improper enforcement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 June 2025 to Question 60853, and I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) Spanish and (b) European Union counterparts on the application of Schengen entry rules to passengers travelling to Gibraltar.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 June 2025 to Question 60853, and I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK citizens will retain unrestricted access to Gibraltar once the UK-EU Gibraltar treaty and associated border arrangements are fully implemented.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 June 2025 to Question 60853, and I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with European counterparts on the potential merits of introducing sanctions against refineries that are buying Russian crude oil.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2025 we sanctioned several refineries and terminals in third countries for importing Russian energy. Our action, and that of our partners, is having an impact. Russia's oil export revenues are now at their lowest since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia's overall energy revenues fell by over 24 per cent in 2025 compared to the year before. In October 2025, we also announced our intention to ban the import of oil products refined in third countries from Russian-origin crude oil.
On the question of potential further sanctions, we keep these matters under constant review, but it has been the long-standing policy of the UK under successive governments not to comment on specific future designations as to do so would risk lessening their impact.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing sanctions against refineries that are buying Russian crude oil.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2025 we sanctioned several refineries and terminals in third countries for importing Russian energy. Our action, and that of our partners, is having an impact. Russia's oil export revenues are now at their lowest since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia's overall energy revenues fell by over 24 per cent in 2025 compared to the year before. In October 2025, we also announced our intention to ban the import of oil products refined in third countries from Russian-origin crude oil.
On the question of potential further sanctions, we keep these matters under constant review, but it has been the long-standing policy of the UK under successive governments not to comment on specific future designations as to do so would risk lessening their impact.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken with local authorities to improve road infrastructure in (a) Havering and (b) the M25 junction 29 Romford area.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As transport in London is devolved, it is up to Havering to work with the Mayor of London and Transport for London to make decisions on investment in local roads. The Government is committed to supporting local highway authorities to maintain their local roads effectively, and to this end Havering is eligible to receive over £13.9 million of highways maintenance funding between 2026/27 and 2029/2030. The Government has also provided the Greater London Authority with £53.5 million of funding for the Gallows Corner scheme, which is being delivered by TfL and expected to be completed by Spring 2026.
The operation and maintenance of Junction 29 of the M25 is the responsibility of National Highways, which regularly monitors the performance of the junction and surrounding strategic road network.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February to Question 108700 on Strategic Defence Review, how much of the £270 billion to be spent on Defence in this Parliament will be spent in each remaining financial year of this Parliament.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence's budget until financial year 2028/29 was published in the Spending Review last year and a year-by-year breakdown can be found there.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2026 to Question 101939, whether her Department keeps records of meetings with commercial lenders on higher education institutions.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As set out in our response on 29 January 2026, the department meets with a variety of stakeholders, including commercial lenders, to hear their views on the higher education sector. Where individual providers experience financial difficulties, the department engages with them to understand the pressures they face. This has included meeting commercial lenders to hear their position.
The department keeps records of its engagements with external stakeholders, including meetings with commercial lenders. However, any discussions relating to the financial position of providers would be commercially sensitive and therefore inappropriate to discuss publicly.
As My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills told the Education Select Committee in November 2025, the government does not intervene in the interests of providers. However, if a provider was at risk of unplanned closure, the department would work with the OfS, the provider and other government departments to ensure students' and taxpayers’ best interests were protected. This might involve supporting the transfer of students, exploring potential partnerships, or addressing relevant operational issues, such as how student loan payments are administered.
Higher education providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.