Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment has made on its programme of work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Review has established its themes and launched a Call for Evidence, the first step in a wider programme of engagement. Recognising no single method will capture every perspective, the Review’s steering group has agreed a mix of approaches to engage with and gather evidence from individuals and organisations. A varied approach will ensure the Review is informed by lived experience. An update will be shared later this week.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of recent changes to planned core education hours in public sector prisons on its compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Department complies with the ongoing Public Sector Equality Duty to have due regard to the potential equality impacts of decisions to make changes to the provision of education in prisons at both a national and local level. Changes to planned core education hours vary across different prisons because the national funding formula for prison education has been refreshed, to ensure that allocations are a fair reflection of prison population, function and regional cost differences. Governors and Heads of Education, Skills and Work undertake needs analysis to understand the characteristics and needs of their local prison population, and commission education based on this information. New Core Education contracts also have strengthened requirements around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Providers are required to adhere to the Public Sector Equality Duty, and must continuously maintain an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion action plan to ensure equity of access to learning.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 112445 on Shipping and with reference to section 4 of her Department's publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2025, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) level of the availability and (b) uptake of ratings apprenticeships.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs and ratings apprenticeships in the UK. The apprenticeship levy remains available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships in England, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, which was recently increased to £19.4m.

Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, with ratings apprenticeships available in England in areas including deck rating, marine engineering and officer of the watch. Officials are engaging with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the uptake of maritime apprenticeships, particularly in areas where industry has reported skills shortages. We regularly discuss relevant areas with other Departments.

The recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training are being assessed by officials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the Answer of 17 February 2026 to Question 112445 on Shipping, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) availability and (b) uptake of ratings apprenticeships in England and Wales.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs and ratings apprenticeships in the UK. The apprenticeship levy remains available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships in England, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, which was recently increased to £19.4m.

Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, with ratings apprenticeships available in England in areas including deck rating, marine engineering and officer of the watch. Officials are engaging with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the uptake of maritime apprenticeships, particularly in areas where industry has reported skills shortages. We regularly discuss relevant areas with other Departments.

The recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training are being assessed by officials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the recommendations in the independent review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training, published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on 13 April 2026.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department remains committed to increasing the number of seafaring jobs and ratings apprenticeships in the UK. The apprenticeship levy remains available for use in the maritime industry, including for ratings apprenticeships in England, and the Department and MCA continues to fund 50% of a cadetship through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund, which was recently increased to £19.4m.

Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, with ratings apprenticeships available in England in areas including deck rating, marine engineering and officer of the watch. Officials are engaging with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the uptake of maritime apprenticeships, particularly in areas where industry has reported skills shortages. We regularly discuss relevant areas with other Departments.

The recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of funding for UK seafarer training are being assessed by officials.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection in (a) prison and (b) the community have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence of their sentence.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The information is not held in the format requested.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the review of the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate will (a) take into account the latest data published by Autotrader showing that the average price of a new Electric Vehicles is now lower than petrol vehicles and (b) consider the role of the ZEV mandate in helping to achieve this outcome.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The long-committed Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate Review will be published by early 2027 and we will begin engagement this year. This Review will take into account a wide range of data to understand ZEV market conditions.

48th anniversary of the murder of Altab Ali

Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday

Hillsborough Law

Transition of rail workers into Great British Railways

Payment of employment tribunal awards

International Workers’ Memorial Day 2026

Seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz

Valentina Gomez and the protection of public order and community cohesion

Use of restraint of children in the asylum system removal process

Planned reductions to BBC staff