Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of Royal Mail's failure to meet the Universal Service Obligation.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

As the independent regulator for the postal sector, it is for Ofcom to monitor Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation and decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations.

While the Government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions, I have met the Chief Executive of Royal Mail’s parent company to raise concerns about its performance in delivering the Government’s commitment to a universal postal service which meets consumer needs.

Ofcom fined the business £5.6m for failing to meet its service delivery targets in 2022-23 and continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance to ensure service issues are addressed as a priority.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Royal Mail’s fulfilment of the Universal Service Obligation in Portsmouth in 2023.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

As the independent regulator for the postal sector, it is for Ofcom to monitor Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation and decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations.

While the Government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions, I have met the Chief Executive of Royal Mail’s parent company to raise concerns about its performance in delivering the Government’s commitment to a universal postal service which meets consumer needs.

Ofcom fined the business £5.6m for failing to meet its service delivery targets in 2022-23 and continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance to ensure service issues are addressed as a priority.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she last met with representatives from Ofcom to discuss plans for reforming the Universal Service Obligation.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure that the universal postal service meets the reasonable needs of customers as well as being financially sustainable and efficient.

The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the obligations on postal deliveries.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department (a) is taking steps to reduce the time taken for to receive a practical car driving test slot in Portsmouth South constituency and (b) plans to increase the number of slots for such tests in that area.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

To increase the number of car practical driving test slots available, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, the DVSA deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October 2023 until the end of March 2024, which created over 145,000 additional test slots. Eligible managers and administrative staff will continue to spend a portion of their time conducting car tests in the coming months to help continue to reduce waiting times.

To further increase the number of available test slots, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.

Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 48,300 extra car test slots each month.

The average waiting time in March 2024 for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 17.1 weeks, and in the Portsmouth South constituency it was 22.4 weeks. To address the continued high demand for tests in the South, the DVSA is asking driving examiners from areas with lower waiting times to travel and test in centres with higher waiting times. This is in addition to recruiting over 160 driving examiners in the areas where waiting times are highest, including the Portsmouth South constituency.

It is not possible to know the number of people waiting to be allocated a driving test slot.

It is not possible to know the time between requesting (seeking) and receiving (booking) a driving test slot, or the time between requesting (booking) and receiving (taking) a driving test slot.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of car driving test slots in Portsmouth South constituency.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

To increase the number of car practical driving test slots available, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, the DVSA deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October 2023 until the end of March 2024, which created over 145,000 additional test slots. Eligible managers and administrative staff will continue to spend a portion of their time conducting car tests in the coming months to help continue to reduce waiting times.

To further increase the number of available test slots, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.

Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 48,300 extra car test slots each month.

The average waiting time in March 2024 for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 17.1 weeks, and in the Portsmouth South constituency it was 22.4 weeks. To address the continued high demand for tests in the South, the DVSA is asking driving examiners from areas with lower waiting times to travel and test in centres with higher waiting times. This is in addition to recruiting over 160 driving examiners in the areas where waiting times are highest, including the Portsmouth South constituency.

It is not possible to know the number of people waiting to be allocated a driving test slot.

It is not possible to know the time between requesting (seeking) and receiving (booking) a driving test slot, or the time between requesting (booking) and receiving (taking) a driving test slot.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time between (a) requesting and (b) receiving a driving test slot is in (i) England, (ii) the South East and (iii) Portsmouth South constituency.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

To increase the number of car practical driving test slots available, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, the DVSA deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October 2023 until the end of March 2024, which created over 145,000 additional test slots. Eligible managers and administrative staff will continue to spend a portion of their time conducting car tests in the coming months to help continue to reduce waiting times.

To further increase the number of available test slots, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.

Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 48,300 extra car test slots each month.

The average waiting time in March 2024 for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 17.1 weeks, and in the Portsmouth South constituency it was 22.4 weeks. To address the continued high demand for tests in the South, the DVSA is asking driving examiners from areas with lower waiting times to travel and test in centres with higher waiting times. This is in addition to recruiting over 160 driving examiners in the areas where waiting times are highest, including the Portsmouth South constituency.

It is not possible to know the number of people waiting to be allocated a driving test slot.

It is not possible to know the time between requesting (seeking) and receiving (booking) a driving test slot, or the time between requesting (booking) and receiving (taking) a driving test slot.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people in Portsmouth South constituency were waiting to be allocated a driving test slot as of 15 April 2024.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

To increase the number of car practical driving test slots available, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, the DVSA deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October 2023 until the end of March 2024, which created over 145,000 additional test slots. Eligible managers and administrative staff will continue to spend a portion of their time conducting car tests in the coming months to help continue to reduce waiting times.

To further increase the number of available test slots, including in the Portsmouth South constituency, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.

Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 48,300 extra car test slots each month.

The average waiting time in March 2024 for a car practical driving test in Great Britain was 17.1 weeks, and in the Portsmouth South constituency it was 22.4 weeks. To address the continued high demand for tests in the South, the DVSA is asking driving examiners from areas with lower waiting times to travel and test in centres with higher waiting times. This is in addition to recruiting over 160 driving examiners in the areas where waiting times are highest, including the Portsmouth South constituency.

It is not possible to know the number of people waiting to be allocated a driving test slot.

It is not possible to know the time between requesting (seeking) and receiving (booking) a driving test slot, or the time between requesting (booking) and receiving (taking) a driving test slot.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to encourage (a) alternative working and (b) other arrangements to support people in police forces with (i) additional needs, (ii) disabilities and (iii) other health conditions.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The 20,000-officer uplift provided a once in a generation opportunity to support forces to become more representative of the communities they serve, and to create a foundation from which forces can continue to make further improvements in future.

As a result of the police uplift, the police officer workforce is now more representative than it has ever been. As at 31 March 2023, there are 53,080 female police officers (headcount) which represents the highest number on record, accounting for 35.5% of officers.

The learning generated during the Uplift has been captured and shared with forces via the online Uplift Hub. This is now being used by forces to support ongoing recruitment activity and strong evidence-led retention strategies to support officers in their careers. Dedicated learning is also available on the Uplift Hub on improving representation.

In order to support forces to recruit and retain officers from diverse backgrounds and promote inclusivity, the College of Policing has also created a toolkit for forces to support the development of flexible and/or part-time working pathways as well as a Workplace Adjustment Toolkit for forces.

Through the Police Covenant, we have also appointed the first Chief Medical Officer for policing who is developing a national health strategy for all staff and officers.

Whilst progress has been made, there remains more work to be done by forces to increase representation in policing. The Government also continues to work with forces to ensure that they put the right support in place to enable officers and staff with additional needs, disabilities or other health conditions to enable them to thrive in their careers and continue to serve the public.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to encourage (a) flexible working and (b) other practices to support gender-inclusivity in police forces.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The 20,000-officer uplift provided a once in a generation opportunity to support forces to become more representative of the communities they serve, and to create a foundation from which forces can continue to make further improvements in future.

As a result of the police uplift, the police officer workforce is now more representative than it has ever been. As at 31 March 2023, there are 53,080 female police officers (headcount) which represents the highest number on record, accounting for 35.5% of officers.

The learning generated during the Uplift has been captured and shared with forces via the online Uplift Hub. This is now being used by forces to support ongoing recruitment activity and strong evidence-led retention strategies to support officers in their careers. Dedicated learning is also available on the Uplift Hub on improving representation.

In order to support forces to recruit and retain officers from diverse backgrounds and promote inclusivity, the College of Policing has also created a toolkit for forces to support the development of flexible and/or part-time working pathways as well as a Workplace Adjustment Toolkit for forces.

Through the Police Covenant, we have also appointed the first Chief Medical Officer for policing who is developing a national health strategy for all staff and officers.

Whilst progress has been made, there remains more work to be done by forces to increase representation in policing. The Government also continues to work with forces to ensure that they put the right support in place to enable officers and staff with additional needs, disabilities or other health conditions to enable them to thrive in their careers and continue to serve the public.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of female police officers.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The 20,000-officer uplift provided a once in a generation opportunity to support forces to become more representative of the communities they serve, and to create a foundation from which forces can continue to make further improvements in future.

As a result of the police uplift, the police officer workforce is now more representative than it has ever been. As at 31 March 2023, there are 53,080 female police officers (headcount) which represents the highest number on record, accounting for 35.5% of officers.

The learning generated during the Uplift has been captured and shared with forces via the online Uplift Hub. This is now being used by forces to support ongoing recruitment activity and strong evidence-led retention strategies to support officers in their careers. Dedicated learning is also available on the Uplift Hub on improving representation.

In order to support forces to recruit and retain officers from diverse backgrounds and promote inclusivity, the College of Policing has also created a toolkit for forces to support the development of flexible and/or part-time working pathways as well as a Workplace Adjustment Toolkit for forces.

Through the Police Covenant, we have also appointed the first Chief Medical Officer for policing who is developing a national health strategy for all staff and officers.

Whilst progress has been made, there remains more work to be done by forces to increase representation in policing. The Government also continues to work with forces to ensure that they put the right support in place to enable officers and staff with additional needs, disabilities or other health conditions to enable them to thrive in their careers and continue to serve the public.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of trends in the level of police officer resignations; and what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) adequacy of police officer numbers and (b) long-term sustainability of the workforce.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government has delivered its commitment to recruit 20,000 additional officers. There are now over 149,000 officers in England and Wales, higher than the previous peak before the Police Uplift Programme (PUP), in March 2010 before our unprecedented recruitment drive.

The retention of police officers remains a priority for the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). Voluntary resignation rates, at around 3%, are low compared to other sectors.

Forces plan their ongoing recruitment to replace officers who leave, and in order to maintain officer numbers. They have been fully funded to recruit and maintain the 20,000 additional officers and that is what they are doing.

As part of the funding announced in the police funding settlement for 2024/25, £425 million has been allocated to forces which Police and Crime Commissioners can access if they maintain officer numbers.

As part of the PUP we created the Uplift Hub, an online resource for all forces that contains learning, insights and guidance generated during the programme, themed around Attraction, Recruitment, Onboarding and Retention. Forces are already accessing this learning to support retention activity which is ensuring officers are supported.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to increase the number and proportion of (a) police officers and (b) other police staff who are female.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The 20,000-officer uplift provided a once in a generation opportunity to support forces to become more representative of the communities they serve, and to create a foundation from which forces can continue to make further improvements in future.

As a result of the police uplift, the police officer workforce is now more representative than it has ever been. As at 31 March 2023, there are 53,080 female police officers (headcount) which represents the highest number on record, accounting for 35.5% of officers.

The learning generated during the Uplift has been captured and shared with forces via the online Uplift Hub. This is now being used by forces to support ongoing recruitment activity and strong evidence-led retention strategies to support officers in their careers. Dedicated learning is also available on the Uplift Hub on improving representation.

In order to support forces to recruit and retain officers from diverse backgrounds and promote inclusivity, the College of Policing has also created a toolkit for forces to support the development of flexible and/or part-time working pathways as well as a Workplace Adjustment Toolkit for forces.

Through the Police Covenant, we have also appointed the first Chief Medical Officer for policing who is developing a national health strategy for all staff and officers.

Whilst progress has been made, there remains more work to be done by forces to increase representation in policing. The Government also continues to work with forces to ensure that they put the right support in place to enable officers and staff with additional needs, disabilities or other health conditions to enable them to thrive in their careers and continue to serve the public.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to prevent regional escalation resulting from recent attacks on Israel by Iran.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We have condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April. It was unprecedented and reckless, and a dangerous escalation. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and the security of all our regional partners. It is essential that we now prevent further escalation.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many of the recommendations made by the Law Commission in its report on leasehold enfranchisement, entitled Commonhold and the right to manage, published on 21 July 2020, have been incorporated into the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill delivers the most impactful of the Law Commission’s recommendations on enfranchisement, which will make it cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, and the Right to Manage. This includes increasing the non-residential limit to 50% to give more leaseholders the right to take over management and changing the rules to make each party pay their own process and litigation costs, saving leaseholders many thousands of pounds.

The Government has and will continue to set out its position on leasehold reform as part of the continued progress of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to tackle forfeiture of leasehold properties.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill delivers the most impactful of the Law Commission’s recommendations on enfranchisement, which will make it cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, and the Right to Manage. This includes increasing the non-residential limit to 50% to give more leaseholders the right to take over management and changing the rules to make each party pay their own process and litigation costs, saving leaseholders many thousands of pounds.

The Government has and will continue to set out its position on leasehold reform as part of the continued progress of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he last met the Law Commission to discuss leasehold reform.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill delivers the most impactful of the Law Commission’s recommendations on enfranchisement, which will make it cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, and the Right to Manage. This includes increasing the non-residential limit to 50% to give more leaseholders the right to take over management and changing the rules to make each party pay their own process and litigation costs, saving leaseholders many thousands of pounds.

The Government has and will continue to set out its position on leasehold reform as part of the continued progress of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of planning rules on the installation of (a) telecommunications infrastructure and (b) 5G masts.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Permitted development rights have been developed for telecommunications infrastructure. In 2022 the Government made changes to permitted development rights to enable 5G deployment and help extend mobile coverage, following consultations on both the principle and technical detail of changes.

Alongside these changes, the Government published a new Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England. This details considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited. It also covers how they should consult with interested parties throughout the development process, particularly with local residents, and the circumstances where a greater level of community engagement should be considered.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of 5G masts on trends in the levels of local house prices.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Permitted development rights have been developed for telecommunications infrastructure. In 2022 the Government made changes to permitted development rights to enable 5G deployment and help extend mobile coverage, following consultations on both the principle and technical detail of changes.

Alongside these changes, the Government published a new Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England. This details considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited. It also covers how they should consult with interested parties throughout the development process, particularly with local residents, and the circumstances where a greater level of community engagement should be considered.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help increase collaboration between (a) network operators and (b) local communities on planning consultations for proposed 5G masts.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Permitted development rights have been developed for telecommunications infrastructure. In 2022 the Government made changes to permitted development rights to enable 5G deployment and help extend mobile coverage, following consultations on both the principle and technical detail of changes.

Alongside these changes, the Government published a new Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England. This details considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited. It also covers how they should consult with interested parties throughout the development process, particularly with local residents, and the circumstances where a greater level of community engagement should be considered.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the British Youth Council on youth representation at the local authority level.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I was sorry to learn about the closure of the British Youth Council and want to express gratitude for its work over the years. Whilst the British Youth Council has closed, we will continue to support the UK Youth Parliament as the national programme for democratic participation at the Local Authority Level. In addition, Local Authorities have a Statutory Duty to consult with young people in the planning and delivery of local youth services.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure young people continue to have opportunities for democratic participation at the local authority level following the closure of the British Youth Council.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I was sorry to learn about the closure of the British Youth Council and want to express gratitude for its work over the years. Whilst the British Youth Council has closed, we will continue to support the UK Youth Parliament as the national programme for democratic participation at the Local Authority Level. In addition, Local Authorities have a Statutory Duty to consult with young people in the planning and delivery of local youth services.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his planned timetable is for responding to the findings and recommendations from the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman report into the changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In laying the report before Parliament at the end of March, the Ombudsman has brought matters to the attention of this House, and a further update to the House will be provided once the report's findings have been fully considered.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, when he last met with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to discuss the sale of arms to Israel.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Foreign Secretary continues to discuss all aspects of the current conflict in Israel with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to (a) investigate and (b) verify claims on Israel's compliance with international law.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Foreign Secretary has now reviewed the most recent advice about the situation in Gaza and Israel, and the latest assessment leaves our position on export licences unchanged.

As ever, we will keep the position under review. We will continue to use this robust legal process to assess these issues.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing general practice funding streams to account for potential additional resource requirements in socio-economically deprived communities.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring patients living in deprived areas have access to good health care. The Carr-Hill formula, which is used to calculate core funding for practices, reflects differences in the age and sex composition of the practice’s registered patient list, together with a range of factors that take into account the additional pressures generated by differential rates of patient turnover, morbidity, mortality, and the impact of geographical location. Under this formula, practices whose registered patients have greater healthcare needs are paid more per patient than practices whose registered patients have fewer healthcare needs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require the Office of the Public Guardian to notify all nominated persons when a (a) power of attorney and (b) lasting power of attorney is made.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

General, otherwise known as ordinary, powers of attorney are governed by the Powers of Attorney Act 1971. They allow a donor to give power to an attorney to manage their affairs for a defined period of time. There is no requirement to name or notify nominated persons and the Public Guardian is not involved in the process. Powers of attorney are an important mechanism for supporting agency arrangements, often in a commercial context, and there are no plans to change this arrangement to require notification of nominated persons.

Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) are governed by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which requires that any nominated persons are notified at the point when an application is made to the Office of the Public Guardian to register the LPA. An application to register an LPA can be made either by the donor or by one or more attorneys named in the LPA. Currently, it is the applicant’s responsibility to notify any nominated persons. The Public Guardian maintains a register of all registered LPAs and anyone can request a free search to check if there is a registered LPA for a relative or friend.

The Powers of Attorney Act 2023, when implemented, will improve the process for notification and objections for LPAs. The Public Guardian will in future be responsible for issuing notices to the donor, their attorneys and any persons to be notified that the LPA has been received for registration and appears to be validly made. Furthermore, anyone who is aware that an LPA is being made will be able to object to its registration at an earlier stage in the process if they have concerns. These changes will strengthen the existing safeguards in the system.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) fraud and (b) misuse of Lasting Power of Attorney.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, execution of a lasting power of attorney (LPA) must be witnessed and a certificate provider must confirm that the donor understands the powers they are conferring on their attorney or attorneys and is not being coerced to make the LPA. A mandatory 4-week period must elapse before registration, allowing time for objections to be raised prior to registration.

Following consultation on ways to strengthen these protections, my department is working with the Office of the Public Guardian to implement a modernised LPA, facilitated by the Powers of Attorney Act 2023.

The modernised LPA will introduce identity checks for donors and certificate providers to reduce the risk that an unknown party could obtain an LPA in another person’s name without their knowledge. The certificate provider will be required to be present at execution of the LPA by the donor and a more streamlined objection process will allow anyone to object, making it easier for potential abuses to be challenged earlier in the process. These measures collectively should reduce the risk of fraudulent LPAs and abuse of the powers they confer.

Once the LPA is registered, any concerns about its use can be reported to the Office of the Public Guardian, which has authority to investigate. It can, if necessary, ask the court to remove the power for an attorney to act.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met with the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman to discuss the findings and recommendations of its report on changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not met with the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman since the report into Women’s State Pension age was published on 21 March 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking ensure Integrated Care Schemes are able to support staff retention schemes.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how to improve culture and leadership, to ensure that up to 130,000 fewer staff leave the National Health Service over the next 15 years. Key to this is the National Retention Programme. The programme builds on the NHS People Promise, and supports integrated care systems (ICSs), regions, NHS trusts, and organisations to improve employee experience to retain their people, and therefore reduce NHS staff leaver rates.

The National Retention Programme provides a suite of evidence-based, targeted, organisational-level interventions, to improve staff engagement and experience, in line with the NHS People Promise. The programme builds on the fundamentals that every organisation should be developing to support a good working environment, providing practical advice and support. It targets activities at the key career points at which staff are most likely to leave, to help improve retention.

Support for organisations and ICSs can be accessed via the Retention Hub, which outlines initiatives mapped against the NHS People Promise, access to tools, guides, and case studies, to enable improvements and contact details for regional colleagues support the retention agenda in each of the seven regions. Further information on the Retention Hub is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/looking-after-our-people/the-programme-and-resources/

Found: STAGE Wednesday 24 April 2024 36 Not called _NC40 Helen Hayes Ms Marie Rimmer Florence Eshalomi Stephen

Found: REPORT STAGE Wednesday 24 April 2024 36 _NC40 Helen Hayes Ms Marie Rimmer Florence Eshalomi Stephen

Found: REPORT STAGE Tuesday 23 April 2024 36 _NC40 Helen Hayes Ms Marie Rimmer Florence Eshalomi Stephen

Found: Not called _8 Simon Lightwood Bill Esterson Mike Kane Stephen Morgan Louise Haigh .