Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Capita’s performance in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme since 1 December 2025; what the number of outstanding cases is; what the average waiting time is for (a) first pension payments, (b) retirement lump sums and (c) retirement quotations; whether financial penalties have been applied to Capita for missed service levels; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that members experiencing financial hardship due to delayed payments receive timely interim support and payments in full.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of converting former industrial buildings into cultural activity centres.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Repurposing industrial heritage drives local growth and community engagement. Funding is available through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has supported projects, such as Grimsby Youth zone, transforming vacant buildings into a vibrant youth hub.

The Heritage Revival Fund helps communities bring local heritage buildings back into public use. In January this government was pleased to announce the continuation of the Heritage Revival Fund for a further four years with almost £42 million of capital funding.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action is the Home Secretary taking to implement the recommendations of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration report on age assessments to ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are properly safeguarded.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office accepted all eight of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) age assessment recommendations which were designed to improve training, guidance, assurance, resources and communication.

Initial age decisions were a primary focus of the report and, to date, the Home Office has:

• Implemented minimum quality standards and clear operating procedures to ensure a consistent and fair approach at first encounter
• Published updated guidance on the age admit process so individuals are informed of what they are being asked to sign, the implications of doing so, and how this information may be used
• Completed the first part of an evaluation into initial age decision training to ensure it is meeting requirements
• Started work to improve the overall process and experience through assurance frameworks and feedback mechanisms

The National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) was also a key focus of the inspection and improvements have been made to assurance frameworks to further ensure age assessments are conducted consistently, robustly and in line with both legislative requirements and best practice.

We have also focused on improving our use of technology. The NAAB online referral portal will also be going live in the next few months which will improve access for local authorities by providing a new, streamlined route for referring age assessment cases to the NAAB. This new technology will deliver operational efficiencies and enable referrals to be made more easily and quickly.

The Home Office has improved the quality of age assessment data. To strengthen transparency, the publication of age assessment official statistics will resume as part of the Immigration Statistical Release scheduled for 21 May 2026. This release will include new disaggregated data on the outcomes of age disputes. Over time, this will provide a more complete national picture, make clearer distinctions between stages of the process and allow improved monitoring.

We continue to develop proposals on how we can share more information with local authorities, where appropriate to support effective planning and safeguarding. We are also engaging directly with stakeholders on progress made against the recommendations to ensure they are delivered in a way that continues to strengthen protections for children.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reinstating family reunion visa routes for Iranians.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The family reunion route was suspended to ease the pressures that local authorities and public services have been placed under due to the recent significant increase in people arriving under this route in recent years. Other family routes remain available including Appendix FM, and cases lodged before the suspension continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, Iranian nationals who wish to come to the UK can do so via the existing range of routes available. Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

Immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.

There are also routes available for dependents of those who are in the UK on most work routes or certain postgraduate student routes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help implement the recommendations of the Cranston inquiry to help prevent avoidable deaths in the channel.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The loss of life from the fatal incident of 23/24 November 2021 was an appalling tragedy, and our thoughts remain with the survivors, the victims and loved ones who suffered as a result.

The response to the Cranston Inquiry report is being led by the Department for Transport (DfT). The Home Office is engaging with the DfT on the response to those recommendations which are pertinent to its area of policy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, HCWS1373, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of promoting a named community sponsorship scheme to facilitate the closure of asylum hotels.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, published on 21 November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.

The Home Office assesses that launching new safe and legal routes, including community sponsorship, supports the Government’s overall objectives of reducing dangerous journeys and ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers. The new routes in isolation will not lead to the closure of asylum hotels, however, they form part of the broader package of measures set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement to support sustainable exit from hotel accommodation.

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 impact of the removal of Training Interface Group (TIG) fellowships on the provision of specialist cleft surgery training; and what steps he is taking to help ensure the continued development of cross-specialty expertise across ENT, maxillofacial and plastic surgery.

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

NHS England made the decision in 2025 to discontinue central funding of the salary support component of the Training Interface Group programme, and to target financial resources more effectively to address regional workforce priorities. Regions or provider organisations that wish to continue developing these skills are still able to recruit, fund, and train staff using the curriculum set by the Joint Committee on Surgical Training.

NHS England is also working to understand where they can enhance and support smaller, highly specialised areas of practice.

NHS England has initiated a plan, working with clinical subject matter experts, to define the demand and future supply needed for the training of cleft lip and palate surgeons and to shape the future training and workforce investment needed in this area.

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 recognise clinical academic training undertaken during specialty training by doctors in England towards consultant salary seniority.

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

Clinical academic training undertaken during medical specialty training does not currently count towards consultant salary seniority. However, salary seniority may be negotiated locally at the start of a consultant post. Universities have separate pay scales for clinical academics which would take academic experience into account.

Clinical academic trainees can have academic time counted towards their Certificate of Completion of Training. Trainees undertaking a higher academic qualification, such as a PhD, during their training may qualify for an academic pay premium. This is a taxable, non-pensionable allowance for trainees in England who have completed an approved higher degree and returned to clinical training. It is paid annually until the completion of clinical training and is aimed at incentivising academic careers.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the creation of a sovereign database to facilitate inter-government working.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department keeps under review how data can be shared more effectively and securely across government to support the delivery of public services and policy‑making.

The Government’s current approach is to enable responsible and proportionate data sharing through clear legal gateways, strong governance, and common standards, rather than through the creation of a single centralised database. This approach helps departments to retain appropriate accountability for the data they hold, while enabling interoperability where it delivers clear public benefit.

In considering any proposals that would involve greater centralisation of data, the Government would assess potential benefits alongside issues of data protection, security, value for money, and public trust, including compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Economy Act and wider information governance requirements.

The Department will continue to work with partners across government to improve cross‑government data sharing and interoperability in line with these principles.

Found: Peter Prinsley made representations.