Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Valuation Office Agency staff will have their contractual terms amended following its merger with HMRC.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency will close from 1 April 2026 with all colleagues transferring into HMRC. Colleagues will transfer under the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSoP) with which HMRC and the VOA have complied in full.
All contractual terms currently held by colleagues working for the VOA have been protected as a matter of principle during this process and will be honoured in full on transfer to HMRC.
HMRC and VOA have consulted with VOA’s recognised Trade Unions during the COSoP process to ensure that meaningful engagement and discussion has taken place concerning all matters relating to the transfer.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) encourage and (b) mandate that universities provide life-long career guidance and support to alumni.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Universities in England are autonomous, and as such it is for each provider to determine the nature and extent of the services they offer to their students and alumni, including any careers guidance or ongoing support after graduation.
The government encourages all higher education providers to offer high‑quality careers advice that supports students to progress into successful employment or further study. Whilst the Office for Students, the regulator for Higher Education in England, does not prescribe detailed careers guidance requirements to meet certain registration conditions, providers must ensure students can progress successfully into employment or further study. Doing so requires providers to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and information necessary for effective career decision-making.
Many universities already choose to provide career support to their graduates as part of their wider employability strategies, but decisions on the scope and duration of this provision remain a matter for individual providers.
Asked by: Sureena Brackenridge (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve staff (a) pay and (b) conditions in further education colleges.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Further education (FE) colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating staff pay and terms and conditions within colleges.
In May 2025, the department announced a further £190 million investment for colleges and other 16 to19 providers in addition to the £400 million of extra funding we already planned to spend on 16 to 19 education in the 2025/26 financial year.
Across the Spending review period, we will provide £1.2 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29. This significant investment will ensure there is increased funding to colleges and other 16 to 19 providers to enable the recruitment and retention of excellent staff, including expert teachers in high value subject areas, and interventions to retain top teaching talent.
Targeted Recruitment Incentives of up to £6,000 (after tax) are available for eligible early career FE teachers working in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics and technical shortage subjects, in disadvantaged schools and colleges, including in sixth form colleges. This payment is separate to teachers’ usual pay.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to introduce financial support for family’s impacted by brain tumours following the concerning findings in the Brain Tumour Charity’s recent report; and what plans his Department has to increase support for the charities who help families impacted by brain tumours.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To ensure people living with brain tumours have care which addresses their financial concerns, NHS England has committed to ensuring that every person diagnosed with cancer has access to personalised care. This includes needs assessments, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. Through the provision of information, personalised care empowers people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, including the financial impact on their families.
The Department for Work and Pensions provides a range of benefits and support for families with people with a range of health conditions and disabilities, including for those impacted by high grade or life limiting brain tumours. These include Universal Credit, Employment Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Carer's Allowance, and Access to Work. The Pathways to Work Green Paper was built on the principle that the Government should support those who can work to do so, while protecting those who can’t, and we have already made significant progress bringing forward proposals from the Green Paper to transform the support we offer.
To support charities, including those who help families impacted by brain tumours, the Department of Health and Social Care has a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Programme. This is a mechanism through which the Department, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency work together with VCSE organisations to:
In addition, the National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published shortly, has featured significant ongoing engagement with charities, covering topics such as how to improve the experience of people living with cancer. The plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, including support for people living with brain tumours and their families.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what representations did he receive from women with (a) endometriosis and (b) adenomyosis on provisions within the Employment Rights Bill to support employees with these conditions.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to improving women’s health and supporting employees through the Employment Rights Act (ERA). Officials have engaged with women’s health organisations, including endometriosis groups, informing voluntary Employer Action Plans on menopause from April 2026. We’re helping people with health conditions stay and thrive at work through programmes such as Keep Britain Working and greater access to flexible working. Statutory Sick Pay may also apply which, from April, becomes payable from day one of sickness absence. Beyond the ERA, endometriosis and adenomyosis may be considered disabilities, and if so, employers must offer reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support sustainable working patterns for midwives in NHS maternity services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want to move the National Health Service toward a culture where flexible working opportunities are much more widely available and there is support for employees to be able to work more sustainably.
A number of actions have already been taken to support flexible working in the NHS including changes to terms and conditions and training for staff and line managers to help drive culture change and support uptake. NHS England continues to support organisations in the implementation of effective use of e-rostering systems. E-rostering can allocate individuals to shifts based on their working patterns and preferences, supporting more predictable shift patterns, especially when paired with a team-based rostering approach.
Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment this year which will aim to ensure NHS staff feel well supported in the workplace.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with private contractors working in the NHS on paying staff the same rates as equivalent NHS staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no specific discussions on this with private contractors working in the National Health Service.
Independent organisations commissioned by the NHS in England, such as general practices or social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales that they use. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
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 disabled people into work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to championing the rights of, and helping, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.
Last week we announced the expansion of our groundbreaking programme WorkWell across England, up to 250,000 more people with health conditions will receive support to stay in or return to work. This builds on our Pathways to Work Guarantee and our Connect to Work supported employment programme.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 young disabled people can enter and stay in work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.
Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.
DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.
In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.
Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.
Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.
In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 disabled people who face the greatest barriers to work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.
Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.
DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.
In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.
Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.
Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.
In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.