Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on disabled people and families of engaging simultaneously with multiple benefit, employment support, local authority and assessment processes; and whether he plans to develop a cross-government strategy to reduce administrative duplication and improve coordination between public services for people with complex needs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Government recognises that it can sometimes be difficult for disabled people and their families to navigate the complexities of the welfare system. Making it easier will be a key consideration as we take forward reform following the Timms review, Alan Milburn’s work on young people not in education, employment or training and Baroness Casey’s review of adult social care.
We are already looking to modernise Health & Disability benefits over the longer term such as through the Health Transformation Programme which is transforming the entire Personal Independence Payment (PIP) service. This includes a simpler application process, including a digital option, improved evidence gathering and a more tailored journey for customers.
A wish to avoid multiple, overlapping assessments for disabled people has been a topic discussed by the Steering Group for the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions this autumn.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including boreholes in water management grants.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The water management grant provides support for construction of on-farm reservoirs to help improve water security and resilience to drought.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to modernise the administration of Gift Aid.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HMRC is continuing to modernise its services through improvements to the Gift Aid Online system, streamlining the claims process to help charities get claims right first time while maintaining proportionate safeguards.
The Government keeps the operation of Gift Aid under review and considers that the current system remains fit for purpose, with no plans for wholesale reform.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing automatic late-payment interest on arrears of child maintenance owed through the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under the statutory child maintenance scheme, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not have the legal power to charge interest on arrears. This applies to both arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency and the CMS. Our focus is on recovering arrears as quickly as possible, and then maintaining compliance.
The Child Maintenance Service always encourages paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the CMS aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance.
Parents who do not remain compliant will be moved to the Collect and Pay service, where they are required to pay a 20% collection fee on top of their child maintenance liability. In addition, the CMS has a broad range of enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings and bank accounts, the use of enforcement agents, charging orders, and applications for driving licence or passport disqualification.
The Government's current focus is on strengthening and streamlining these enforcement measures to improve compliance and accelerate the recovery of maintenance owed to children.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to ensure an orderly implementation of Making Tax Digital for people due to join between April 2027 and April 2028.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is being introduced gradually, with taxpayers joining in phases according to their level of qualifying income.
The phased approach enables HMRC to build on experience from each stage of implementation before additional groups are brought into the regime.
HMRC is actively supporting this transition through a marketing campaign targeted at unrepresented customers, supported by intensive multi-channel engagement and communications with taxpayers, agents, representative bodies and software developers and targeted guidance to help those affected prepare.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her department is taking to improve access to Trametinib for people diagnosed with rare cancers.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 June to Question 12315, concerning access to medicines for rare cancers, including Trametinib.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the safeguarding risks arising from the use of AI-enabled and camera-equipped smart glasses in education, youth and care settings.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises that emerging technologies, including AI-enabled and camera-equipped smart glasses, may raise issues relating to transparency, privacy and the processing of personal data. They also present safeguarding risks if used to record, share or manipulate images, audio, or video involving children.
Schools and colleges must consider their obligations under data protection law when using camera-enabled smart glasses or other wearable recording devices. Schools and colleges should also assess the risks presented by emerging technologies and ensure these are appropriately reflected in their safeguarding, data protection and visitor policies.
Our statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ sets out a whole-school approach to safeguarding and requires schools and colleges to consider online safety and risks arising from technology, including how it may facilitate abuse, exploitation, harassment or other harms.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of transferring responsibility for appointing NHS Foundation Trust Chairs and Non-Executive Directors from locally elected governors to central bodies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Governors at the 141 National Health Service foundation trusts are currently responsible for appointing their trusts’ chairs and non-executive directors. Subject to the will of Parliament, the Health Bill will transfer this power to my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We will publish our intended approach to making these appointments in due course which will support foundation trusts to plan and make arrangements in good time ahead of the transfer being made.
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, while governors have provided helpful advice and oversight for some foundation trusts, we expect the next generation of foundation trusts to put in place more responsive and flexible arrangements for drawing on patient, staff and stakeholder insight. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, providers should develop engagement arrangements that reflect their local populations, geographies and healthcare needs.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure access to Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy training in the North of England.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Employers across the health system are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective care. NHS England commissions four-year Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy training in response to service demand. Across the North West, North East, and Yorkshire regions, this includes 20 new training starts planned for 2026/27, alongside a further 36 trainees continuing from previous years.
To support equitable access into the profession, NHS England also funds pre-clinical training to widen participation for those who may otherwise be unable to meet the costs of mandatory entry requirements. For 2026/27, this includes 27 new starts across the north of England, with 17 trainees continuing from previous years.
Following the decision by the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, part of the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, to withdraw from pre-clinical training provision, NHS England is ensuring access to alternative providers and working with stakeholders on a sustainable long-term solution for the North.
Asked by: Luke Charters (Labour - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to hearing parents of deaf children to learn British Sign Language.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government understands the great importance of British Sign Language (BSL) for bridging barriers to communication between hearing and deaf people and appreciates the vital need for families with deaf children to be able to access BSL courses, as early access to language is essential to help children learn and thrive.
Funding is available through DWP’s Adult Skills Fund (ASF) for qualifications in or focussing on BSL, up to and including level 2. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. 68% of the ASF has been devolved to 13 Strategic Authorities, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The DWP provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas.
The DWP funded BSL qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost through co-funding. Where tailored learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission. For qualifications at Level 3 and above Advanced Learner Loans are available for certain BSL qualifications.