Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Excerpts
Thursday 22nd January 2026

(1 day, 13 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Thomas-Symonds Portrait Nick Thomas-Symonds
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The right hon. Gentleman raises an important issue. If he writes to me on those specific points, I will be happy to look at them. I have seen the chief executive of Capita and have made clear the standards that I expect. Capita should be in no doubt about the contractual tools available to me, which I will employ to drive performance.

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Portrait Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Suffolk Coastal) (Lab)
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As chair of the Labour rural research group, I continually hear about the challenges facing rural communities, including access to education and transport infrastructure. Will the Minister set out the specific steps that the Cabinet Office is taking to ensure that rural voices and rural communities are meaningfully represented throughout Government decision making?

Darren Jones Portrait Darren Jones
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I thank my hon. Friend for the great work that she does in Parliament and within the Labour party as a leading voice for rural communities across our country. On Government action, I point her to the rural taskforce, a cross-departmental group looking at how policies taken across Government can have a positive impact in rural communities while recognising the unique risk that we want to mitigate.