Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for passengers travelling to the UK to go through UK passport control at Gard du Nord Station.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 30 April to Question 46921.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on complaints that fall below the RCVS definition of serious professional misconduct.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The disciplinary role of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is to investigate complaints thoroughly, determine whether or not serious professional misconduct has been committed, and then take appropriate action.

Defra are currently working with key stakeholders, including the RCVS, to review opportunities for potential reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, including the handling of disciplinary matters.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide mobile health services to support rural agricultural communities where (a) committing and (b) travelling to appointments at set times can be a challenge.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations. When ICBs exercise their functions, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.

The Department recognises that providing services in rural areas comes with significant additional costs, for example, in travel and staff time. That is why the funding formula used by NHS England to allocate funds to ICBs includes an element to better reflect the needs in some rural, coastal, and remote areas.

The Department also wants ICBs to ensure that travel is not a prohibitive factor. There is a longstanding policy in the National Health Service that if you are eligible, you may be able to claim a refund for reasonable travel costs to receive services that are not primary medical, dental, or ophthalmic, following a referral by a healthcare professional. That scheme, the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, continues to apply.

Furthermore, NHS England strives for digital services to improve healthcare access. NHS England published the Inclusive digital healthcare: a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion in September 2023, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/inclusive-digital-healthcare-a-framework-for-nhs-action-on-digital-inclusion/

This framework highlights that certain groups, including people living in areas with inadequate broadband and mobile data coverage, especially rural and coastal areas, face higher risks of both digital exclusion and health inequalities. The framework is designed to ensure NHS services are accessible to people who are digitally excluded.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage GP practices to provide walk-in appointments for (a) farmers and (b) other occupations where attending at a set time can be a challenge.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practices are independent businesses contracted to provide National Health Services, and have autonomy to manage appointments in the way that best suits their patient population, including determining what services are available on a walk-in basis. To accommodate patients who may not be able to access general practices during core opening hours, integrated care boards in England are required to provide general practice out of hours services from 18:30 to 08:00 on weekdays, all weekends, and on bank holidays.

Walk-in patients can also access care in other settings. Under Pharmacy First, community pharmacists can provide advice for minor illnesses and supply some prescription-only medicines without a prescription from a general practitioner, either following a referral or a walk-in. Patients with urgent but not life-threatening medical needs can also visit urgent treatment centres without an appointment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using mediation to facilitate an (a) easier and (b) speedier return to the workplace for people off work for (i) stress and (ii) mental health issues.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Employment Advisors in the jointly owned DWP-DHSC ‘Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies programme’ provide advice and support to those suffering with stress and/ or mental health conditions to remain in or return to work. Though not formal mediation, this support often includes liaising with employers to communicate the support that their clients need in the workplace. Additionally, if the client wishes, Employment Advisors can also work with NHS Talking Therapies patients and their employers to support returns to work following mental health-related absences.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the use of mediation in administrative justice claims.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Administrative justice issues extend across a very broad range of diverse disputes and jurisdictions. The Government continues to engage with stakeholders on the use of Dispute Resolution across various jurisdictions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she had made an assessment of the potential merits of the use of mandatory mediation in (a) group actions and (b) class action claims.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The merits of mediation are considerable. It offers parties a swifter and less costly way to resolve legal disputes and can save parties the time and cost of going to court, thus saving sitting days and reducing the court backlog.

The Government has no plans to consider mandatory mediation at this time but continues to explore opportunities to expand the use of dispute resolution across the civil justice system.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the grievance and complaints process in employment claims to mandate mediation.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has not made a decision to introduce mandatory mediation in Employment Tribunal claims. We are continuing to explore and assess the potential merits of options to utilise more mediation and alternative dispute resolution in the context of the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the expansion of mandatory mediation to higher value claims.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice continues to engage with stakeholders to explore ways that Dispute Resolution can be used across various jurisdictions. No decision has been made to introduce mandatory mediation to higher value claims, and options to use different Dispute Resolution approaches remain open.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has had recent discussions with Lawtech UK on the feasibility study for an SME online dispute resolution platform.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

In 2021, LawtechUK delivered a feasibility study for the development of an online platform that could assist smaller businesses in recovering unpaid debts. The study demonstrated how the platform could be established and become financially self-sustaining. It set out a business case for potential developers and estimated that the platform, if built, could support the resolution of 200,000 disputes over a five-year period, accounting for £3.4 billion in debt value.

The intention of the study was not for LawtechUK or Government to fund or develop the platform itself but was aimed at raising awareness of the issue and encourage innovative developers to build and finance the technology. The current phase of LawtechUK does not have any plans to revisit this issue at present.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of mandatory self-regulation on third party litigation funders.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the critical role litigation funding plays in ensuring access to justice.

Following the PACCAR judgment, concerns have been raised about the need for greater regulation of the litigation funding market, which currently operates a system of voluntary self-regulation.

The Civil Justice Council is considering this issue in its review of litigation funding in England and Wales, which will conclude in summer 2025. Once the Government receives this report, it will assess the potential impact of its recommendations on funders, claimants and the wider market.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to encourage higher attendance rates at the Small Claims Mediation Service.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Since the introduction of integrated mediation for small claims under £10,000 in the county courts in 2024, attendance at mediation appointments has been mandatory. As part of the litigation journey, parties are required to attend a free, one-hour mediation appointment with HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service.

Where mediation is not successful, the case will progress to a court hearing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Small Claims Mediation Service on the introduction of mandatory mediation for small claims.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The HMCTS Small Claims Mediation Service has been closely involved in the implementation of mandatory mediation for small claims in the county courts, working together with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that the service and its staff are fully prepared to manage the increase in case volume.

Mauritius Treaty

Found: Desmond Swayne John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith

Found: Desmond Swayne John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith

Found: Desmond Swayne John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith

Found: Lewis Cocking Sarah Olney Rebecca Paul Maya Ellis Jim Allister Dr Allison Gardner Sir Julian Smith

Found: Desmond Swayne John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith

Found: Desmond Swayne John Glen Dame Harriett Baldwin Gill Furniss Neil Coyle Rosie Duffield Sir Julian Smith