Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on offering Individual Service Funds to patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, everyone whose needs are met by the local authority (LA) must receive a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. The budget sets out how much of the cost of care will be met by the LA and how much will be met by the adult.
Individual Service Funds (ISFs) are one of the ways in which the personal budget can be deployed. It allows for a third-party provider to hold and manage the budget on behalf of the individual.
Guidance on ISFs is set out in the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) Guidance, issued under the Care Act 2014. The CASS guidance sets out that LAs should offer ISFs where possible and provide clear information on how they work. Where an ISF arrangement is not available locally, the LA should explore arrangements to develop this offer and should be receptive to requests to create arrangements with specified providers.
In addition, and supported by the Department, Think Local Act Personal has produced guidance for LAs on ISFs, which can be found on their website, at the following link:
The Care Quality Commission is assessing how well LAs in England are delivering adult social care by looking at how they are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify LAs strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.
The Department has not had discussions with LAs specifically on the effectiveness of the implementation of ISFs under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the effectiveness of the implementation of Individual Service Funds under the Care Act 2014.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, everyone whose needs are met by the local authority (LA) must receive a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. The budget sets out how much of the cost of care will be met by the LA and how much will be met by the adult.
Individual Service Funds (ISFs) are one of the ways in which the personal budget can be deployed. It allows for a third-party provider to hold and manage the budget on behalf of the individual.
Guidance on ISFs is set out in the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) Guidance, issued under the Care Act 2014. The CASS guidance sets out that LAs should offer ISFs where possible and provide clear information on how they work. Where an ISF arrangement is not available locally, the LA should explore arrangements to develop this offer and should be receptive to requests to create arrangements with specified providers.
In addition, and supported by the Department, Think Local Act Personal has produced guidance for LAs on ISFs, which can be found on their website, at the following link:
The Care Quality Commission is assessing how well LAs in England are delivering adult social care by looking at how they are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify LAs strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.
The Department has not had discussions with LAs specifically on the effectiveness of the implementation of ISFs under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment periods on (a) working Universal Credit recipients and (b) resourcing within her Department; and what steps she is taking to reduce the impact on (i) claimants and (ii) resources.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognised the impact that having double earnings in an assessment period can have on individual households and their ability to manage their finances and that is why we made the regulations changes. The amendment allows the Department to reallocate a payment of earnings reported via the Real Time Information (RTI) service to a different Universal Credit assessment period, either because it was reported in the wrong assessment period or (in the case of calendar monthly paid employees) it is necessary to maintain a regular payment cycle. This will also enable certain claimants to benefit from any applicable work allowance in each assessment period.
Those claimants who are paid two sets of monthly earnings in one assessment period are usually identified by an automated system that corrects the Universal Credit award. However, there are a small number of claimants who are not automatically identified and will need to be manually identified, this work has been absorbed by a multi-skilled centralised team and is resourced flexibly to meet demand. This only generally applies to a very small proportion of claimants and applies equally to all claimants.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing funding levels for the Music and Dance Scheme; and whether she plans to (a) uplift bursary rates in line with inflation and (b) provide multi-year funding settlements to give greater certainty to participating schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Bedford, to the answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 78882.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will hold discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on taking steps to ensure that its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations provides guidance for (a) businesses and (b) service providers on (i) inclusion and (ii) the rights of all protected groups.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The EHRC has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities. The EHRC is an independent regulator, and we respect its independence and the role it plays as the equalities regulator.
The Government is considering the draft updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Code will be laid before Parliament for a 40 day period.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) highly skilled and (b) experienced jobseekers are able to access suitable employment opportunities; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of perceptions of being overqualified on those jobseekers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is committed to supporting customers into secure employment, including highly skilled and experienced jobseekers.
DWP currently offers tailored, flexible advice and employment support through its network of Jobcentres across the UK. Work Coaches offer all customers a comprehensive menu of help, including referral into skills provision and job search support.
In addition, the National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. Further information about the National Careers Service can be found online by visiting https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk.
As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new, more personalised, Jobs and Careers Service. This will enable everyone, including experienced and skilled jobseekers, to access support to find good, meaningful work. It will support people to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.
We are also transforming DWP’s employer commitment and working with a broader range of employers, including those requiring skilled and specialist talent, to offer customers jobs that match their skillset and qualifications.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s September 2025 report entitled Brownfield Potential: Unlocking 1.5 Million Homes; and what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities to bring such sites forward for development.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including the development of under-utilised land and buildings to meet the need for homes and other uses.
Through the revisions made to the NPPF on 12 December 2024 we broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas.
On 22 September 2024, the government published a ‘brownfield passport’ working paper inviting views on how we might further prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land. This included exploring the role of national policy in setting minimum density expectations for certain types of locations, to support intensification in the right places. Utilising the feedback provided, we intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making that will give effect to these proposals.
On 18 June 2025, my Department announced £5 billion of new capital grant funding for infrastructure and land. This funding will be administered by the new National Housing Delivery Fund, through which councils will be able to secure funding for prospective projects, to contribute to the Government’s priority of delivering 1.5 million homes.
We will consider the points made by the Campaign to Protect Rural England in their September 2025 report as we continue to develop our policy in this area.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to review the regulations governing the passage of pets to and from the United Kingdom to simplify the process for owners who meet all health and documentation requirements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes the importation of pets seriously and is committed to preserving the United Kingdom’s high standards of biosecurity and animal welfare.
We carefully monitor the effectiveness of our pet travel rules to ensure they safeguard our biosecurity and remain proportionate for pet owners.
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper.
Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time they travel, pet owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. We are expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of complex broadband and mobile contract negotiations on (a) older customers and (b) people with vulnerabilities.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The department has not recently made any such assessment, however, we remain committed to supporting vulnerable and older consumers. We regularly engage consumer groups, such as Citizens Advice, who have conducted relevant research.
Ofcom has introduced several measures to help customers switch provider, including requiring phone and broadband providers to warn customers when their contract is ending, and what they could save by signing up to a new deal. Ofcom accredits price comparison websites that they have assessed to work well, and provide accessible, accurate, transparent, comprehensive, and up-to-date information. Ofcom also tracks provider performance through monitoring complaints.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that broadband and mobile providers do not disadvantage existing customers compared with new customers when setting contract prices.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government works closely with Ofcom to ensure fairness in telecoms pricing. A range of measures have been implemented, for example, since 2020 Ofcom has required providers to issue end-of–contract notifications. These alert customers when their contract/discounts are ending, encouraging to secure better deals.
Since January 2025, inflation-linked in contract prices rises were banned and providers must now state any increases upfront in pounds and pence. Contract summaries must also highlight key terms before a customer signs up. Together, these measures improve transparency and empower consumers to make informed choices about the services they buy.