Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the 19.05 train from Waterloo to Christchurch not arrive until 22.30 on Monday 14 July; what estimate she has made of the number of passengers affected; and what compensation is available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A signal cable failure at Woking delayed the 19.05 from London Waterloo to Christchurch on the 14 July. Passengers are entitled to compensation under the national Delay Repay scheme. As the 19.05 was delayed for 120 minutes or more, passengers can claim compensation for 100 percent of the cost of their journey. Industry data doesn’t enable a reliable estimate on the number of impacted passengers to be made.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains between Waterloo and Christchurch have been (a) cancelled and (b) delayed for more than 15 minutes since South Western Railway was brought into public ownership.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
South Western Railway (SWR) were brought into public ownership on 25 May 2025. Since this date, 9.5 per cent of trains have been cancelled and 12.9 per cent of trains have been delayed by more than 15 minutes between London Waterloo and Christchurch. These cancellations and delays were not a result of the move to public ownership and could have equally occurred under private ownership. The new Managing Director for SWR, Lawrence Bowman, has been tasked with developing a detailed plan to improve SWR performance.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have applied for appointment as a (a) First-Tier Tribunal Judge (Immigration and Asylum) and (b) Upper Tribunal Judge (Immigration and Asylum) in the last 12 months; and how many of those applications (i) were successful, (ii) were rejected and (iii) are outstanding.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of about 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all courts and tribunals.
Recruitment was completed in 2024 for salaried and fee-paid judges of the FTT, including for the IAC, and for salaried and fee-paid judges of the Upper Tribunal IAC. Deployment to a specific FTT chamber is the responsibility of the Senior President of Tribunals.
The independent Judicial Appointments Commission publishes data once recruitment is completed: https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/completed-exercises/.
Information on the number of judges in post, leavers, new appointments and promotions is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/judicial-diversity-statistics.
Recruitment exercises which commenced in 2024 for the First-tier Tribunal, including the IAC, are ongoing, with recommendations due later this year. Further recruitment will commence later in 2025. There is no ongoing or currently planned recruitment to the Upper Tribunal IAC.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the Resilience Strategy.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government will set out its resilience strategy in due course.
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 30 June 2025 of Question 58911 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will set out a timetable for completion of the (a) consideration of options and (b) recommendations for change.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I reiterate my sincere condolences to individuals, and their families, who have experienced harm following vaccination.
At this stage, I am not in a position to comment on timelines for the consideration of options for reform or recommendations for change. Ministers continue to consider options covering both potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and the situation of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination.
In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and process claims at a faster rate.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Christchurch of 3 April 2025, reference MC2025/08032.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The letter is being carefully considered and a response will be issued by11 July.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism plans to respond to the correspondence from the Vicar of Christchurch Priory on the impact of the restrictions on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
A response was issued today. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's planned timetable is for the replacement of defective temporary buildings at Highcliffe School to be completed; and what guidance her Department has issued on the removal from use of life-expired temporary buildings.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
School buildings are integral to high and rising standards and need to be fit for the future. That is why the government is committed to improving the condition of the school estate, and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) continues as part of that.
The department wrote to Patrick Earnshaw and Yvonne Dunning at HISP Multi-Academy Trust in July 2023 to inform them that Highcliffe School has been placed in group 2 of the SRP. Projects have been prioritised according to the condition of their buildings and other relevant criteria. We anticipate that Highcliffe School will commence with planning and feasibility work between January 2026 and March 2027, depending on the readiness of the school to enter the programme. SRP projects typically take between two and five years to deliver.
Specific start dates will be communicated to the school and responsible body at least a month in advance of project start and, where possible, the department will bring projects forward if we are able to do so. The scope of the works will be discussed with the school and responsible body once the project enters delivery.
Responsible bodies continue to have a responsibility for the safety and maintenance of the buildings in their care, including temporary buildings. The school will need to continue to maintain and keep buildings safe until the school enters delivery. This includes compliance with statutory duties to ensure the health and safety of building occupants.
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: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's of 3 June 2025, what options his Department is considering for (a) reform of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme reform and (b) the situation of those (i) injured or (ii) bereaved as a result of Covid-19 vaccines.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises how difficult it is for those individuals who have sadly experienced harm following vaccination. Ministers are considering several options covering both potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and the situation of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination.