Marsha De Cordova Portrait

Marsha De Cordova

Labour - Battersea

12,039 (25.6%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 8th June 2017


Petitions Committee
15th Mar 2022 - 30th May 2024
Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill
11th Jul 2022 - 30th May 2024
Work and Pensions Committee
18th Dec 2023 - 30th May 2024
Draft Mental Health Bill (Joint Committee)
11th Jul 2022 - 30th May 2024
School Attendance (Duties of Local Authorities and Proprietors of Schools) Bill
24th Apr 2024 - 1st May 2024
Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities
6th Apr 2020 - 15th Sep 2021
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) (Disabled People)
9th Oct 2017 - 6th Apr 2020
Work and Pensions Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 23rd Oct 2017


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Marsha De Cordova has voted in 139 divisions, and 12 times against the majority of their Party.

29 Nov 2024 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 147 Labour No votes vs 234 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 330 Noes - 275
16 May 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 129 Labour Aye votes vs 200 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 243 Noes - 279
16 May 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 127 Labour No votes vs 206 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 288 Noes - 239
13 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 136 Labour Aye votes vs 163 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 259 Noes - 216
13 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 122 Labour Aye votes vs 184 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 230 Noes - 256
13 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 124 Labour Aye votes vs 181 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 233 Noes - 254
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 160 Labour No votes vs 224 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 314 Noes - 291
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 122 Labour No votes vs 198 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 274 Noes - 224
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 114 Labour No votes vs 199 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 275 Noes - 209
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 125 Labour Aye votes vs 190 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 223 Noes - 269
1 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 49 Labour No votes vs 333 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 335 Noes - 260
9 Jul 2025 - Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - View Vote Context
Marsha De Cordova voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 47 Labour No votes vs 333 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 336 Noes - 242
View All Marsha De Cordova Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Hamish Falconer (Labour)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(7 debate interactions)
Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour)
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
(6 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
View all Marsha De Cordova's debates

Battersea Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Marsha De Cordova has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Marsha De Cordova

24th January 2024
Marsha De Cordova signed this EDM on Thursday 21st March 2024

Support for families of British Palestinians

Tabled by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
That this House absolutely condemns the ongoing conflict in Gaza; further condemns the futile and tragic loss of life and the impact on all Palestinians; notes with specific concern the situation of Salim Ghayyada’s 40 immediate family members who have been forced to abandon their homes in Gaza City and …
37 signatures
(Most recent: 14 May 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 21
Labour: 8
Independent: 3
Plaid Cymru: 3
Green Party: 1
Alliance: 1
19th December 2023
Marsha De Cordova signed this EDM on Thursday 21st March 2024

Palestinian family visa scheme

Tabled by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
That this House notes that at least 18,000 civilians have already been killed by the bombardment and siege of Gaza alongside an escalating death toll in the West Bank; further notes that 60 per cent of buildings in Gaza have been flattened and hospitals and schools bombed, food, water and …
45 signatures
(Most recent: 15 Apr 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 18
Scottish National Party: 14
Independent: 8
Plaid Cymru: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Alliance: 1
Green Party: 1
View All Marsha De Cordova's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Marsha De Cordova, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Marsha De Cordova has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Marsha De Cordova has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

3 Bills introduced by Marsha De Cordova


A Bill to amend the law relating to parking on verges and footways in England outside of Greater London and in Wales.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 29th January 2025
(Read Debate)
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 17th October 2025
Order Paper number: 35
(Unlikely to be Debated - would require unanimous consent to progress)

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish a national eye health strategy for England; and to require that strategy to include measures for improving eye health outcomes, for reducing waiting times for eye health care, for improving patient experiences of eye health care, for ensuring that providers of eye health care work together in an efficient way, for increasing the capacity and skills of the eye health care workforce, and for making more effective use of research and innovation in eye health care.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 29th November 2022
(Read Debate)

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require freeholders of certain properties that have failed fire safety tests to carry out remedial work; to make provision for sanctions for such freeholders who fail to carry out such work; to ensure that leaseholders are not held liable for the costs of such work; to make provision for a loan scheme to assist freeholders in carrying out such work; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 28th November 2018
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of assessing employers' compliance with the (a) recruitment and (b) employment of disabled people duties of the Equality Act 2010.

The Government is fully committed to the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), which protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace. The Act prohibits direct and indirect disability discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and applicants/candidates, to ensure that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. This could include improving access to premises for wheelchair users, through installing ramps or other auxiliary aids or services.

The failure of an employer to make reasonable adjustments could amount to direct disability discrimination. However, the Act also recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled employees and the circumstances of their employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will therefore depend on the circumstances of each case.

Strong legal remedies are available to employees and applicants who feel that they have experienced disability discrimination by an employer. Guidance and codes of practice have been published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Acas, to help employers follow the law and employees and applicants understand their rights.

Nia Griffith
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps Government Departments have taken to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling on For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.

We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
30th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of steps taken by his Department to (a) track the final destination of F-35 components and (b) ensure F-35 components are not used by the Israeli military.

Once parts are exported from the UK to the global F-35 programme, the UK does not have access to information about the movement of individual components, and does not have control over whether components in the global spares pool or aircraft assembly facilities are used for specific customer nations or not. However, the UK has suspended the export of F-35 components directly to Israel, where these are for use by Israel.

The only way to prevent UK-produced parts reaching Israel would therefore be for the UK Government to stop the export of parts to the entire F-35 programme, which would prejudice the security of the UK and our allies.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on energy affordability for disabled people.

My Rt. Hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular meetings on a range of issues.

The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households that are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power. The Warm Home Discount provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.

I have been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he makes of the effectiveness of safeguards to protect tenants from (a) rent increases and (b) evictions following upgrades to Energy Performance ratings by landlords.

The Government launched a consultation on improving minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector on 7th February 2025.

The Government is committed to protecting and improving the rights of tenants. The Renters’ Rights Bill will put in place new regulations to protect tenants. This includes providing stronger protections to ensure that tenants are able to appeal excessive above-market rents, abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, and moving to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic. These measures provide more security for tenants and enable them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a help to repay scheme for energy debt.

The Government recognises that consumer energy debt is a large and increasing issue, and it expects energy suppliers to do everything they can to support customers who are struggling with bills, especially vulnerable customers. It is important that anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills contact their supplier.

In August, I met with suppliers and encouraged them to build on the Voluntary Debt Commitment from last year and go further in supporting vulnerable customers this winter.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of widening the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount Scheme to include people in receipt of (a) Personal Independence Payment and (b) Disability Living Allowance, in the context of Scope's report entitled Disability Price Tag 2024: Living with the extra cost of disability, published in September 2024.

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is currently focused to support those on lowest incomes who receive means-tested benefits and are living in a property we have estimated to be relatively high cost to heat. This winter’s scheme has been launched today, 14 October, and we expect it to support over three million households. We are exploring options to improve the design of the scheme beyond the current regulations which expire in 2026.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Scope's report entitled Disability Price Tag 2024: Living with the extra cost of disability, published in September 2024, what steps he is taking with providers to help ensure that utilities are affordable for disabled households.

The Government believes that the only way to permanently protect billpayers, including disabled households, is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy and reduce our reliance on volatile international fossil fuel markets.

Whilst we make this transition, the Government is committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.

In the short-term, we are continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 annual rebate on energy bills for eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers that are struggling with bills.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60089 on Artificial Intelligence: Copyright, when he plans to publish a response to his Department's consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence.

The Government is currently reviewing over 11,500 responses to the consultation on copyright and AI and will publish its response in due course.

In addition, as set out in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the Government has committed to providing a progress report to Parliament by 18 December, and publishing an economic impact assessment, and report on the use of copyright works in the development of AI systems, by 18 March 2026.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve community access to media literacy education.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is improving community access to media literacy through the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which supports local and community-led initiatives to boost digital participation. Libraries, as trusted and accessible public spaces, play a key role in delivering digital and media literacy support to communities across the UK.

DSIT also works closely with Ofcom, which engages civil society and community organisations as part of its role as the online safety regulator.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
16th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken to protect creatives from copyright infringements by Artificial Intelligence developers.

Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies.

The Government recently consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including seeking views on the use of copyright material in AI model development. This consultation closed on 25th February.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, to help inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be set out in due course.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to enforce minimum Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA.

For central government services, departments are required by the Government Service Standard to meet the minimum of level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 (which is the current version) for services that are in public beta or live.

Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations require most public sector organisations to ensure their services, websites, published documents, intranets, extranets and apps are accessible to disabled people by meeting the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.2 to level AA and by publishing a prescribed format accessibility statement.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of black girls participating in sport.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone.

We recognise that there are barriers which prevent some people from getting active with women and girls and those from ethnically diverse communities less likely to be active than other groups.

We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to these persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.

As part of this, our Arm's Length Body for grassroots sport, Sport England, prioritises tackling inequalities by targeting investment towards the most inactive groups.

Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. The next phase of This Girl Can, Tackling Inequalities, primarily targets women who are most likely to be inactive in society, including those from black backgrounds.

Sport England anticipates that 1.6 million women who are less active will be active as a result of the campaign by 2028. This is in addition to already active women who may report being motivated by the campaign.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and (b) potential impact of that scheme on local cultural heritage in areas of low economic activity.

The Department continues to monitor the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator, EMB. Since 2010, the Government has returned over £350 million to listed churches, synagogues, mosques and temples through the grant scheme continuing their work as centres of worship and community assets, in places all over the country, including areas of low economic activity.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) tennis and (b) padel on physical activity levels amongst (i) older people, (ii) disabled people and (iii) women and girls.

The Government is committed to improving access to sports and physical activity for everyone, including disabled people, older people and women and girls. Sport and physical activity is central to achieving our health and opportunity manifesto missions, with the biggest gains coming from supporting those who are inactive to move more.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport and to boost diversity at a grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all.

Sport England provides long term investment to The Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in community tennis initiatives that will benefit everyone, including disabled people.

Decisions with regards to future departmental budgets will be made as part of the spending review process.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the role of indoor and covered tennis facilities in the provision of visually impaired tennis in Britain.

The Government is committed to improving access to sports and physical activity for everyone, including disabled people, older people and women and girls. Sport and physical activity is central to achieving our health and opportunity manifesto missions, with the biggest gains coming from supporting those who are inactive to move more.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport and to boost diversity at a grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all.

Sport England provides long term investment to The Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in community tennis initiatives that will benefit everyone, including disabled people.

Decisions with regards to future departmental budgets will be made as part of the spending review process.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has plans to fund covered tennis facilities for the provision of disability tennis.

The Government is committed to improving access to sports and physical activity for everyone, including disabled people, older people and women and girls. Sport and physical activity is central to achieving our health and opportunity manifesto missions, with the biggest gains coming from supporting those who are inactive to move more.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport and to boost diversity at a grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all.

Sport England provides long term investment to The Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in community tennis initiatives that will benefit everyone, including disabled people.

Decisions with regards to future departmental budgets will be made as part of the spending review process.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of learning through play in early years education.

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets standards and requirements for all early years providers to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. The EYFS is clear that children learn through play and that play is essential for children’s development. For example, singing songs helps to develop language comprehension, vocabulary, self-expression and literacy. Practitioners should organise enabling environments and cultures for high-quality play, create games, and provide opportunity for indoor and outdoor play.

The ‘Children of the 2020s’ study is part of a programme of departmental research to improve our understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education. The study follows over 8,500 families and their babies, born in England between September and November 2021. The second wave of data is due to be published in autumn, and we will assess that to consider future policy for early education, including learning through play.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to roll out family hubs in Battersea constituency.

On 11 June, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026/27 onwards and committed that the government will continue to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life.

This builds upon my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.

We are working within the department and with the Department for Health and Social Care to share further information about what the Spending Review settlement means for the continuation and expansion of the programme. We recognise the importance of providing local authorities with certainty of future funding across the whole programme and we will share further information when we are able.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve media literacy education in schools.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report notes the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills.

Media literacy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship, using non-statutory programmes of study at key stages 1 and 2. Teaching of citizenship equips pupils to understand the identification of misleading and malicious information and to counter the effects of negative and harmful news, events and information, including online. As well as citizenship, media literacy is taught through the computing curriculum at key stages 2 to 4. The computing curriculum ensures, for example, that pupils know how to use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and how to be discerning when evaluating digital content, all of which supports the teaching of good media literacy.

The department recently appointed a task and finish group to advise on digital, AI and technology. We will consider how best to develop and implement any of their recommendations.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage children to read for pleasure.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Battersea, to the answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35717.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of state primary schools with an onsite library.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Battersea, to the answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27959.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including specific provision for blind and partially sighted young people in the National Careers Service.

The National Careers Service is a free, universal, government-funded careers information, advice and guidance service for everyone aged 13 and above in England.

All young people aged 13 to 18 can access information and advice through the webchat and telephone helpline, which are supported by local community-based careers advisers. This support from the National Careers Service supplements the provision of careers education, information, advice and guidance by schools and colleges.

The department regularly reviews the accessibility of the National Careers Service website to ensure it continues to meet the needs of all users, including those with visual impairments. The service is committed to making its website accessible for all users, in accordance with accessibility regulations. This includes ensuring users are able to listen to most of the website using a screen reader. An up-to-date version of the accessibility statement is available online.

Young adults aged 19 years and over, or aged 18 for those who are not in education, employment or training, can also access the service via face-to-face support from community-based careers advisers.

Adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are one of the priority groups for the service. They can access in-depth, tailored support from professionally qualified careers advisers, drawing on localised labour market information, including face-to-face support, information and advice through webchat, telephone helpline and website.

The National Careers Service has worked with the Thomas Pocklington Trust to offer advice to careers practitioners relating to the Trust’s work to improve the opportunities of blind and partially sighted people.

As outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper, Jobcentre Plus will be brought together with the National Careers Service in England, to create a new Jobs and Careers Service, transforming the experience for all users. Accessibility for all, including blind or partially sighted customers, will continue to be a priority.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
24th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve pupil attendance at SEND schools in Battersea constituency.

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence and to ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts, although around 1.6 million children remain persistently absent and miss 10% or more of lessons.

The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the Battersea constituency. Central to this approach are stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, including special schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which was made statutory on 19 August 2024. The guidance can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf.

The guidance promotes a support first approach and sets out clear expectations on how schools, trusts, local authorities and wider services should work together and with families to address attendance barriers and provide the right support, including where a pupil is not attending due to special educational needs. The department is committed to ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs and will work with the sector as essential and valued partners to deliver our shared mission and restore parents’ trust.

Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.

The department is strengthening its tools for faster and more effective school improvement by launching the new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams. Supported by over £20 million, these teams will offer both mandatory targeted intervention for schools identified by Ofsted as needing to improve and a universal service, acting as a catalyst for a self-improving system for all schools. The RISE teams are now beginning work with the first 30 schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with additional schools to begin in April.

School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs, across all primary schools, including special schools, to ensure children start their day ready to learn.

The department is working across government on plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, which can be used to support eligible pupils to attend school regularly.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
13th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help meet (a) climate and (b) nature targets.

The UK fully supported the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and has already submitted to the Convention on Biological Diversity National Targets that are fully aligned with the Framework. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, and we will provide an assessment of our progress in the implementation of the KMGBF, including progress towards the national targets, in our seventh and eighth national reports in February 2026 and June 2029, respectively.

The UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2030 and 2035 targets – to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% and 81% respectively on 1990 levels – are a fair and ambitious contribution to global action on climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and remains in place.

We are absolutely committed to our climate targets. That is why making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the five missions of this Government - delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the transition to net zero across the economy. This will make it easier and affordable for people across the country to move towards sustainable lifestyles.

The UK was the first major economy to halve its emissions, cutting them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023, while growing our economy by 79%.

The UK over-achieved against the first, second and third Carbon Budgets, and we will deliver an updated cross-economy plan in due course, which will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 and the 2030 and 2035 NDCs on a pathway to net zero.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of farrowing crates; and if he will commission a consultation on such a ban.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.

The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we will want to fully consider in due course.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish the results of his Department's consultation entitled 'The Fur Market in Great Britain', which closed on 31 May 2021.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 July 2024 to the Rt Hon Member for Islington North, PQ 592.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to respond to her Department's consultation entitled Pavement parking: options for change, that closed on 22 November 2020.

The Department has been carefully considering the responses to the consultation and working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forward, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
6th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential merits of connecting Clapham Junction station to the Northern line.

Government remains committed to supporting London and the transport network on which it depends. We recently provided £485m in funding to support Transport for London’s (TfL) capital programme for 2025/26 and will continue to work with TfL to understand its capital funding needs, which will be considered at Phase 2 of the Spending Review. However, transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and TfL and it is for the Mayor to assess the merits of capital projects and make decisions on investment.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to consult organisations led by disabled people on an accessibility road map for rail travel.

Ensuring accessibility for all passengers is at the heart of the Government’s passenger-focussed approach. We know that the experience for disabled people when traveling on rail too often falls short of what is expected and what passengers deserve. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of GBR.

We are working to define the approach to development of the roadmap, but I confirm we will engage with disabled people and key organisations, in line with our commitment in the House of Lords as part of the debate on the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act, in order to ensure that it addresses the issues and needs of passengers who require assistance.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to ticket office opening hours at Southeastern railway stations on commuters; and what steps her Department is taking to increase accessibility to ticket offices for disabled passengers across the rail network.

Southeastern ticket office changes were agreed under the previous Government. The Department is now examining these plans to ensure passengers remain supported.

We recognise the vital role ticket offices play in the journeys of people with disabilities, and ensuring accessibility for all passengers is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to announce stations that have been selected for Access for All Control Period 7 funding.

We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
30th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce child poverty in Battersea constituency.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish its strategy as soon as possible. We are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

The strategy will look across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in devolved governments.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour to boost the pay of three million workers.

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
30th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment in the her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025, on levels of poverty among carers in Battersea.

No assessment has been made on this basis.

The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts.

This government is committed to supporting unpaid carers, who provide invaluable support to elderly or disabled people.

As the Green Paper sets out, we will consider any impacts our reforms might have on benefits for unpaid carers as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation and as we develop our detailed proposals for change. We will also continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure everyone’s health and care needs are met.

We are taking other action to improve Carer’s Allowance separate to the Green Paper. We have pegged the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to 16 hours’ work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit increased to be £196 a week net earnings on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Disability Confident scheme employers employing at least one disabled person.

Employers at level 2 and level 3 of the Disability Confident scheme are asked if they employ disabled people at the point of applying for or renewing their membership at these levels. Organisations applying for or renewing at level 2 have only been asked whether they employ disabled people since the 20th of February 2024. Organisations applying for or renewing at level 1 are not asked to provide this information.

As of the 1st April 2025, the data collected shows that, of all employers asked this question (2,454 employers in total), the majority (91%) reported they do employ disabled people. Less than one percent of employers said they do not employ disabled people, and 9 percent did not respond or did not know. Due to the specific and self-reported nature of the management information collected, it may not provide an accurate reflection of the employment of disabled people across all Disability Confident members and should therefore be treated with caution.

In 2022, the Department commissioned a survey of Disability Confident members. Respondents included employers who were members at level 1, 2 and 3 of the scheme. The survey found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of employers reported having recruited at least one disabled employee or an employee who had a long-term health condition, since joining the Disability Confident scheme. More detail on this question can be accessed in the survey report on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of helping blind and partially sighted people by extending the Access to Work scheme to formal volunteering placements.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in paid employment. We recognise the important role that volunteering, and other programmes can play in securing employment, and DWP provides support for individuals participating in supported internships and applicable apprenticeships and traineeships. There are no plans to extend Access to Work to those on formal volunteering placements.


In March 2025, we published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, to consult on the future of Access to Work. We are considering the role of employers in creating accessible and inclusive workplaces, as well as the future of assistive technology.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
3rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing sight loss training for (a) Access to Work advisors and (b) Jobcentre Plus staff.

As part of staff on-boarding and induction into DWP, staff complete learning for customers with sight loss. The learning provides the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, and an overview of the support available to customers including the challenges that individuals with sight loss may face.

Work coaches in Jobcentres also have a point of needs learning products, allowing them to support blind and visually impaired customers.

Access to Work support workers undergo learning which provides details of the funding that is available to support customers with sight loss. This includes the funding of lenses, colour tests and tinted glasses for health conditions, such as Irlens Syndrome (not for general sight loss) when a prescription is given from an optometrist for corrective vision.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what estimate she has made of the number of people who will enter the workforce in the (a) 2026-27, (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29 financial years as a result of the reforms set out in that paper.

Information on the impacts of the “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper” will be published in due course, with some information already published alongside the Spring Statement.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

We will continue to work with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to estimate the potential labour market impacts of these proposals.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
19th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants who were (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid due to (i) claimant error and (ii) government error in 2024.

The last time the Department reviewed fraud and error levels in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was in 2022/23, which is reported here: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2022 to 2023 estimates - GOV.UK. Table 11 demonstrates that 10.1% of the caseload was overpaid and 7.0% was underpaid. We did not review ESA in our fraud and error measurement exercise in 2023/24, but have assumed that those same rates will have continued.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
28th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to consult organisations led by disabled people on the reforms set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

The Government is committed to working in partnership with disabled people and the organisations that represent them.

Following on from the publication of the Get Britain Working White Paper, we will establish a disability panel to ensure that disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of the design and delivery of our employment reforms. We will carry out in-depth consultations to seek input and expertise from a wide range of stakeholders including disabled people, community groups and employers.

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to collaborate with (a) disabled people and (b) disabled people's organisations to help improve disabled people's interactions with the benefits system.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and to the principle of working with them, so that their views and voices will be at the heart of all that we do.

The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising health and disability benefit services to improve user experience and increase trust in these services.

HTP service design has been informed by user research conducted with customers, operational staff and health care professionals, including one-to-one sessions with customers at each stage of their claim. The Department has also engaged with a significant number of stakeholder organisations, establishing positive relationships with representative groups by seeking their expertise before beginning to develop and test new processes.

This collaborative approach will help the department to tailor services to customer needs.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 August 2024 to Question 1798 on Work Capability Assessment, what steps she is taking to (a) reform or (b) replace the Work Capability Assessment.

The government is committed to reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment, alongside putting in place a proper plan to support disabled people into work. We will say more about this in due course.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders to keep the views of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of what we do, as we consider our next steps.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Scope report entitled Disability Price Tag 2024, published in September 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of extra costs incurred by disabled people.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a disability or health condition. There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of PIP should be, as everyone has different requirements reflecting their own circumstances and priorities.

PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.

DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled people; including academic research, analysis by Scope, and DWP’s own commissioned research on the Uses of Health and Disability Benefits from 2019. In order to understand more, DWP is now undertaking a new a survey of Personal Independence Payment customers to understand more about their disability related needs. This project has an advisory group of experts including representatives of the disability charity Scope, academic experts, and Disability Rights UK.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Scope report entitled Disability Price Tag 2024, what steps she is taking to support disabled households with extra costs.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a disability or health condition. There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of PIP should be, as everyone has different requirements reflecting their own circumstances and priorities.

PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.

DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled people; including academic research, analysis by Scope, and DWP’s own commissioned research on the Uses of Health and Disability Benefits from 2019. In order to understand more, DWP is now undertaking a new a survey of Personal Independence Payment customers to understand more about their disability related needs. This project has an advisory group of experts including representatives of the disability charity Scope, academic experts, and Disability Rights UK.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payments at supporting disabled claimants with the additional costs of disability.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a disability or health condition. There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of PIP should be, as everyone has different requirements reflecting their own circumstances and priorities.

DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled people; including academic research, analysis by Scope, and DWP’s own commissioned research on the Uses of Health and Disability Benefits from 2019. In order to understand more, DWP is now undertaking a new a survey of Personal Independence Payment customers to understand more about their disability related needs. This project has an advisory group of experts including representatives of the disability charity Scope and academic experts.

PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the health element of Universal Credit in providing support to people with the cost of disability, in the context of Scope's report entitled Disability Price Tag 2024: Living with the extra cost of disability, published in September 2024.

No such assessment has been made. We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit, to ensure it is doing the job we need it to.

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