Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on monitoring the misuse of Motability vehicles identified by police forces.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Motability Foundation is a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Motability Scheme. The Scheme is delivered by Motability Operations which is an independent commercial company under contract to the charity. Only those claimants in receipt of an eligible benefit can choose to join the Motability Scheme. Any misuse of a scheme vehicle is a matter for Motability, and they will take action as appropriate.
DWP and Motability work closely to ensure that Scheme vehicles are used to meet the needs of disabled people. Where misuse of a Scheme vehicle is identified, including for criminal activity, appropriate action is taken to inform the police and recover the vehicle
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Police Pension Scheme 1987 regulations on the (a) financial security and (b) wellbeing of (i) widows and (ii) widowers of former police officers.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government recognises the vital contribution that police officers make in keeping our communities safe. We remain committed to supporting the wellbeing of all members of the policing family, including the families of those who have served.
The 1987 Police Pension Scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies in service or after retirement. From 1 April 2015, the 1987 police pension scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.
The 1987 police pension scheme is now a closed scheme, superseded by the 2015 scheme, and there are no plans to make further changes to the benefits accrued under it.
Through the Police Covenant, we are working to ensure that both serving and former officers, as well as their families, are treated fairly and receive the support they need. This includes recognising the lasting impact that service can have on wellbeing, particularly for those who have lost a loved one in the line of duty.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help tackle fraudulent electoral registration.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to upholding the integrity of electoral registers. A robust system of identity verification forms part of the electoral registration process. This includes the ability to match an applicant’s data with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records, or to request documentary evidence to verify their identity.
The Electoral Commission, which is responsible for issuing guidance on electoral registration, has also published guidance for Electoral Registration Officers on identifying suspicious registration applications and working with local police to investigate any potential registration fraud.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to (a) obtain and (b) renew black powder licenses.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under the Explosives Regulations 2014, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets the legal framework for the safe acquisition and possession of explosives, including black powder. However, the responsibility for issuing and renewing explosives certificates rests with individual police forces, who act as licensing authorities under those Regulations.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made with the policing sector on supporting the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces. The Home Office is working with the policing sector to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.
It is for each Chief Constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable, in accordance with the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022, including when remedy payments will be distributed.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department has to provide additional financial support for the widows of police officers who completed the majority of their service under the 1987 Pension Scheme even if they have remarried or cohabit after losing a spouse.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The 1987 Police Pension Scheme provides survivor benefits to widows, widowers, and civil partners of police officers who die. In line with most public service pension schemes of that era, these benefits cease upon remarriage or cohabitation.
With the introduction of the 2006 and 2015 Police Pension Schemes, all eligible officers were able to join a pension scheme that provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including for those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse.
The 1987 police pension scheme is a closed scheme and there are no plans at this time to make any further improvements to benefits accrued in it.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate of the financial impact of amending the 1987 Police Pension Scheme to allow widowers of police officers to retain survivor’s pension entitlement if they (a) remarry and (b) cohabit regardless of how the officer died.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The 1987 Police Pension Scheme provides survivor benefits to widows, widowers, and civil partners of police officers who die. In line with most public service pension schemes of that era, these benefits cease upon remarriage or cohabitation.
With the introduction of the 2006 and 2015 Police Pension Schemes, all eligible officers were able to join a pension scheme that provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including for those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse.
The 1987 police pension scheme is a closed scheme and there are no plans at this time to make any further improvements to benefits accrued in it.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of data surveillance on recipients of Universal Credit.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made as the DWP does not currently or have any plans to use data surveillance to regulate, police or monitor the actions of individuals or groups in receipt of benefits.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential role of data surveillance in welfare policy.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made as the DWP does not currently or have any plans to use data surveillance to regulate, police or monitor the actions of individuals or groups in receipt of benefits.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, what the eligibility criteria will be for the most complex domestic abuse cases under the specialist domestic abuse named caseworker service; and how she will assess the impact of those eligibility criteria on victim-survivors requiring access to that service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to use the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) safely.
The CMS has a Specialist Case team delivering targeted support to parents subject to the most challenging or complex domestic abuse. All caseworkers are trained to identify and refer appropriate cases within the Collect and Pay service to the team.
Customers who are potential victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be identified, and referred to the Specialist Case team in the following ways:
These steps ensure the safety and well-being of customers, addressing any indications of domestic abuse effectively. Eligibility criteria will be reviewed as intake increases and following awareness sessions due to take place over the next few months.
Cases remain with the Specialist Case team until closure. In cases where the victim-survivor advises that there is no longer ongoing domestic abuse, the case can be referred for removal with the guiding principle is that if there is any doubt about a customer’s safety, the case must remain in the Specialist Case team.