Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish a list of businesses that have been required to repay fraudulently claimed furlough money.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe’s final report to Parliament found many schemes were rolled out with huge fraud risks and no early safeguards – costing the taxpayer millions.Weak accountability, bad quality data and poor contracting were identified as the primary causes of the £10.9 billion pound losses – which were enough to fund daily free school meals for the UK’s 2.7 million eligible children for eight years.
This government has already recouped almost £400m of Covid support cash.
The government has already actioned many of the Commissioner’s early proposals. These include:
HMRC has a “Publishing Details of Deliberate Tax Defaulters” programme which publishes details of deliberate tax defaulters on Gov.uk, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Eat Out to Help Out.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of revenue lost to furlough fraud committed during the pandemic.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe’s final report to Parliament found many schemes - including Bounce Back Loans - were rolled out with huge fraud risks and no early safeguards – costing the taxpayer millions.
Weak accountability, bad quality data and poor contracting were identified as the primary causes of the £10.9 billion pound losses – which were enough to fund daily free school meals for the UK’s 2.7 million eligible children for eight years.
This government has already recouped almost £400m of Covid support cash.
The government has already actioned many of the Commissioner’s early proposals. These include:
Estimates of error and fraud for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) are published at: Error and fraud in the COVID-19 schemes: methodology and approach (an update for 2023) - GOV.UK
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of inflation for food and drink on food security.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
UK consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Changes in food prices are dependent on changes in one or more of these factors.
The latest available data (up to 2023) show that food prices in the UK remained lower than in most advanced economies and the lowest among G7 countries (OECD).
After the USA, UK households spend the lowest share of their expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the G7 (OECD).
In FYE 2024, households spent 11.3% of their spend on food, rising to 14.3% for the lowest 20% by income. Over the last 10 years these figures have been relatively stable, barring the impact of coronavirus in 2020-22.
We have taken the decisions needed to stabilise the public finances, but we know there’s more to do to ease the cost of living – which working people face the brunt of.
That’s why we’ve raised the minimum wage, extended the £3 bus fare cap, expanded free school meals to over half a million more children, and are rolling out free breakfast clubs for every child in the country.
The Government has also extended Free School Meals to over half a million more children. That policy alone will lift 100,000 children out of poverty.
And our commitment to the Triple Lock means that 12 million pensioners will receive an increase of up to £470 a year – worth £1,900 over the Parliament.
Through our Plan for Change we’re going further and faster to put more money in people's pockets.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 58911 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will set out whether the options for reform to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme include the (a) limitation period for court claims, (b) maximum award, and (c) disability threshold.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would like to express my sincerest sympathies to those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families. At this stage, I am not in a position to comment further on the details of the options being considered, and will update Parliament in due course, as needed.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to help increase public (a) engagement in and (b) understanding of the legislative process.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Government is working hard to prepare the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament in the usual way. The programme will be announced in the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 7th November.
Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s legislative programme and manifesto commitments. So far this session, 30 Government Bills have reached Royal Assent. In addition, the Government has worked with members on all sides of the House to deliver 16 private members' bills. Details of all Acts of Parliament can be found on legislation.gov.uk.
Parliament has shown that it provides flexibility in debating legislation and adapts when necessary, for example the passage of the Coronavirus Act and the recent legislation relating to the Northern Ireland budget.
Public trust and confidence in our democracy and its institutions is vital and this is something which I am keen to promote as Leader of the House.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to measure the (a) success and (b) efficiency of the government's legislative programme.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Government is working hard to prepare the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament in the usual way. The programme will be announced in the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 7th November.
Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s legislative programme and manifesto commitments. So far this session, 30 Government Bills have reached Royal Assent. In addition, the Government has worked with members on all sides of the House to deliver 16 private members' bills. Details of all Acts of Parliament can be found on legislation.gov.uk.
Parliament has shown that it provides flexibility in debating legislation and adapts when necessary, for example the passage of the Coronavirus Act and the recent legislation relating to the Northern Ireland budget.
Public trust and confidence in our democracy and its institutions is vital and this is something which I am keen to promote as Leader of the House.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to deliver the government's legislative programme for the upcoming parliamentary year.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Government is working hard to prepare the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament in the usual way. The programme will be announced in the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 7th November.
Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s legislative programme and manifesto commitments. So far this session, 30 Government Bills have reached Royal Assent. In addition, the Government has worked with members on all sides of the House to deliver 16 private members' bills. Details of all Acts of Parliament can be found on legislation.gov.uk.
Parliament has shown that it provides flexibility in debating legislation and adapts when necessary, for example the passage of the Coronavirus Act and the recent legislation relating to the Northern Ireland budget.
Public trust and confidence in our democracy and its institutions is vital and this is something which I am keen to promote as Leader of the House.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure flexibility in the legislative programme.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Government is working hard to prepare the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament in the usual way. The programme will be announced in the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 7th November.
Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s legislative programme and manifesto commitments. So far this session, 30 Government Bills have reached Royal Assent. In addition, the Government has worked with members on all sides of the House to deliver 16 private members' bills. Details of all Acts of Parliament can be found on legislation.gov.uk.
Parliament has shown that it provides flexibility in debating legislation and adapts when necessary, for example the passage of the Coronavirus Act and the recent legislation relating to the Northern Ireland budget.
Public trust and confidence in our democracy and its institutions is vital and this is something which I am keen to promote as Leader of the House.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Coronavirus Act 2020 has been extended for a further six months; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
All the temporary, non-devolved provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 (‘the Act’) have now either expired or been repealed. The final temporary, non-devolved provisions in the Act expired at the end of 24 September 2022.
The Act contains a number of permanent provisions, which do not automatically expire. Many of these provisions preserve the legal effect of certain actions taken during the lifespan of the temporary provisions in the Act.
The Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament and provides devolved powers which are the responsibility of the respective Devolved Governments to which they extend. Each Devolved Government has its own arrangements for reporting on the powers within their legislative competence.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what changes he will propose, if any, to the recommendation to wear face masks on the parliamentary estate in light of the spread of COVID-19 infections.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Regular communications are issued to members and staff to provide guidance in relation to Covid-19. The latest guidance, published on 5 April, states that from 25 April when the House returns from recess, the wearing of face masks is a matter of personal choice. All Covid-related measures are kept under review as appropriate.