Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps she has taken to ensure retired civil servants receive pension a) quotes and b) payments on time.
Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government.
The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and GOV.UK.
While Capita committed to a complete return to standard contractual service levels
by the end of June 2026, they have failed to meet this critical milestone. The Government is taking robust action to hold Capita to account. This includes withholding £9.9 million in contract payments for undelivered milestones, alongside confirmation that the Government surge team costs will be recovered directly from Capita.
To enforce strict compliance, independent auditors are being deployed to conduct a technical systems review, and an on-the-ground Remedial Adviser has been appointed, at Capita’s expense. Further commercial, legal, and operational options remain on the table during the consideration of long-term structural delivery options.
We have established a new, dedicated virtual surgery process for MPs and their offices. Facilitated by the Cabinet Office Pensions Recovery Taskforce, these sessions run every weekday (Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and offer 45-minute slots for one-to-one updates.
We have already had good uptake of these sessions and if your team has not already, I would encourage them to book a session via the booking link here:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/csps-mp-surgeries/
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the law on unfitness to plead.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government agrees there are merits to reviewing the law on unfitness to plead and has accepted the majority of the Law Commission’s recommendations for reform.
The Government is considering how best to take forward these reforms alongside other related areas of criminal responsibility currently under review. It is important that we do this in a coherent and evidence-based way, so that any changes are workable, avoid inconsistency and maintain public confidence.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including driving instructors under the position of trust law.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse. We have robust legislation in this area, including offences to tackle the abuse of a specified “position of trust” in relation to a child under 18, which apply even in cases of consensual sexual activity. We keep the law under review, including considering whether additional positions should be added to the legislation. We will carefully consider any evidence in relation to additional positions, including driving instructors, that is provided.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce car driving test wait times at (a) Monmouth test centre, (b) Abergavenny test centre and (c) test centres in South Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been strengthening the booking system further through major booking reforms (from March–June 2026) to protect access for genuine learners and reduce abuse. It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions, but there are clear early signs, particularly in Wales, that these measures are increasing the availability of test slots, improving access and making the system fairer for learners.
From recent recruitment in South Wales, DVSA has had three new entrants who have successfully completed training and are now conducting tests; one at Abergavenny driving test centre (DTC) and two at Newport DTC.
Abergavenny DTC also has two potential new driving examiners (DE) who are currently in training. There is also another potential new DE for Swansea due to start training in August, with a further two potential candidates undergoing pre-employment checks for Cardiff and Carmarthen respectively.
Where some DTCs have higher wait times across the region, DVSA is looking at bringing in additional resource from other areas to increase test availability.
Additionally, at DTCs in South Wales, 5,168 additional overtime tests were delivered between June 2025 and May 2026 when compared to the previous year. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme the agency introduced in June 2025.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce wait times for medical driving licences.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued. The length of time taken to deal with an application often depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a licence can be issued.
To keep up with growing demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA has launched a new casework system and a new digital medical services portal. This new online service covers around 1,600 medical conditions and allows the majority of people to apply online via the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. These enhancements are already helping the DVLA to process applications more quickly and further enhancements for people applying for a provisional licence and those renewing at the age of 70 or over will be made later this summer.
The DVLA encourages people to use the online service wherever possible to help speed up processing times.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle financial abuse.
Answered by Natalie Fleet
The VAWG strategy and the Financial Inclusion Strategy set out ambitious commitments to tackle this issue of financial abuse.
We are working with the financial sector to make sure that coerced debt, credit ratings, Child Maintenance Service payments, and joint mortgages cannot be used as tools of abuse.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help people who have been victims of a) scams by rogue builders and b) poor workmanship by rogue builders.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
This Government is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme that covers work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. In addition, the Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced competence requirements for both individuals and businesses working in the built environment.
Any action that the Government takes on licensing to protect customers and standards needs to be robust, proportionate and evidence based.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what actions it is taking to promote engagement between the HSE and the heritage sector in relation to the proposed changes to the Control of Lead at Work Regulations.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is currently consulting on proposed changes to the Control of Lead at Work Regulations (CLAW) 2002 to enable the potential impact to be fully assessed. HSE have been engaging with the heritage sector about possible changes to CLAW since early 2025 and are continuing to engage with a range of businesses to inform this work, including representatives of the heritage sector, prior to making any final recommendations.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle the normalisation of violence as part of sex among young people.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
We have published updated guidance for relationships, sex and health education for teaching from September 2026, which includes a focus on developing skills for healthy relationships from the beginning of primary school and equipping children with the tools to tackle harmful influences.
Pupils will have opportunities to develop positive conceptions of masculinity and femininity, and at secondary level, pupils are expected to develop an understanding of the concepts and laws relating to harmful sexual behaviour and the role of consent, including in romantic and sexual relationships. Pupils should understand that ethical behaviour goes beyond consent and involves kindness, care, and attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of the other person.
The department is investing £16 million into a brand-new prevention programme that will robustly evaluate interventions that support positive relationships and help children recognise abusive behaviour, as well as enhance teaching about violence against women and girls.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase price transparency in the milk supply chain.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government recognises the importance of greater transparency in the milk supply chain to support a fair and sustainable dairy sector.
The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations, which fully came into force in July 2025, requires that all dairy contracts must clearly set out the factors that determine the price of milk.
In addition, producers have the right to request a written explanation of how the price has been determined and, where applicable, how those factors have influenced the price. This improves transparency and ensures farmers better understand how the price received relates to the terms of their contract.