Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of early deaths of care leavers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I commissioned the Review of Early Care Leaver Deaths because I wanted the whole country to see the tragedies that I read every fortnight. I want to thank Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain for their important work on this review.

Their central finding is the same as my core focus for care reform – too many care experienced people entering adulthood lonely, without a tribe.

That's why I have set out a comprehensive programme to make enduring relationships the obsession of the care system.

As part of this, we have confirmed over £25 million of funding this financial year alone, to continue the rollout of Staying Close.

For a young person that means keeping somewhere settled to live rather than being moved along at 18, and having a network of people around them as they move into adulthood.

Staying Close runs in 47 local areas now and will become a national duty for local areas and run everywhere.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timeline is for expanding the digital application option for Personal Independence Payment to all eligible claimants.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Through the Health Transformation Programme, we are expanding digital services for Personal Independence Payment customers. Over 90% of those making new PIP applications can now submit their health information online after starting their claim by phone. This is benefitting customers by removing postage times and increasing accessibility. We are continuing to extend this option to all customers and, by the end of the Programme, customers will be able to view application progress and report a change of circumstances online, reducing their need to call the enquiry line.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training Jobcentre staff receive on Armed Forces Covenant obligations; and how compliance is monitored.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

All Jobcentre Plus staff new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support customers which includes learning for armed forces leavers. The learning provides an overview of armed forces leavers and assists colleagues in understanding what help is available to them, their spouse/partner when resettling into civilian life.

Armed Forces Champions (AFCs) are provided with point of need learning which includes the Armed Forces Covenant to provide support for service leavers and their families together with signposting to specialist organisations and charities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre districts (a) are without an operational Armed Forces Champion and (b) have been without one at any point in the last two years, and how long those districts did not have champions for.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department supports Armed Forces customers through a network of Armed Forces Champions operating across Jobcentre districts, groups and areas. Armed Forces Champion support is not always delivered through a dedicated resource in each district, with many areas receiving support through group or area-level arrangements covering multiple districts. As a result, a district with no locally recorded Armed Forces Champion resource may still have been receiving Armed Forces Champion support.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recourse is available for leaseholders in buildings with non-cladding defects where their developer has entered insolvency.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government expects responsible persons to make sure their buildings are safe and undertake remedial works where necessary. The Leaseholder Protections under the Building Safety Act protect holders of qualifying leases from the costs of remediating relevant non-cladding building safety defects above a capped contribution.

If the developer is insolvent, ‘interested persons’, which includes freeholders, leaseholders and regulators such as a local authority or fire and rescue service, can also apply to the Courts for: a Remediation Contribution Order to fund remedial works from a former owner, or company associated with either the owner or developer, or, where relevant; a Building Liability Order against a wider parent group.

If the insolvent developer is also the freeholder, the office-holders, i.e. liquidators or administrators, appointed to the insolvency may look to undertake remedial works on the freeholder’s behalf, subject to the restrictions of the insolvency, and/or may seek to find a buyer willing to take on the building and associated remedial works.

Where liabilities are relatively minor or circumstances allow, leaseholders may also choose to exercise their right of first refusal under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.

Leaseholders may wish to seek independent legal advice on whether to pursue the options available to them.

Found: Jodie Gosling (Labour; Nuneaton) Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative; Sleaford and North Hykeham) Darren Paffey

Found: members of the Education Committee were also present (Standing Order No. 137A): Helen Hayes, Darren Paffey