Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the symptom lists used in disability and capability assessments for people with fibromyalgia; and whether his Department plans to update that guidance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) are functional assessments. They do not evaluate claimants based on their medical diagnosis or health condition alone and claimants are not assessed against a set symptom list for a condition when attending an assessment. Instead, the assessment focuses on how a claimant’s condition affects their mobility and ability to carry out everyday activities.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that individuals with Fibromyalgia and other health conditions receive high-quality, accurate assessments. All health professionals (HPs) undergo comprehensive training in disability analysis. Their focus is on understanding the functional impact of a claimant’s condition, rather than its clinical diagnosis.
To support this, DWP provides suppliers with core training and guidance materials on Fibromyalgia. These resources include detailed clinical and functional information relevant to the condition to assist HPs in delivering informed and accurate assessments.
Additionally, all training and guidance materials are currently undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A dedicated team is leading this work to ensure that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. Independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the content remains accurate, relevant, and consistent.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to publish a national strategy for palliative and end of life care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
Additionally, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.
We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via integrated care boards. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) transparency and (b) communication in cases of alleged armed forces pension overpayments.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Armed Forces pension overpayments can occur for various reasons, most commonly following the death of a pension recipient.
When an overpayment is identified, the payment agent, Equiniti, will initially inform the pension recipient or their next of kin about the overpayment and outline the available recovery options.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has established a robust process for managing overpayments, which includes providing advice and welfare support. If repaying the debt poses financial difficulties, recipients are encouraged to contact the debt recovery team. In certain cases, following an individual assessment, the debt may be partially written off, or an affordable repayment plan can be arranged.
Members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) have the right to raise a complaint through the Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP) if they disagree with any decision or action taken by the scheme administrator. This single-stage process reviews all aspects of the complaint, including any additional evidence or information provided. Individuals wishing to challenge overpayment recovery decisions can do so by contacting the AFPS.
The MOD works closely with the payment agent to review and improve communication regarding overpayment issues, incorporating lessons learned to enhance the process.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support self-catering businesses in making changes to properties to comply with Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation sought views on whether short-term lets should be included to help ensure a consistent standard across all private rented properties.
We engaged widely with stakeholders during the consultation process, including the self-catering holiday lets sector and a government response will be published in due course. Following the government response and relevant legislation changes, we will issue guidance to help landlords to comply with any new requirements, which would be published on gov.uk. Support is currently available at the government webpage ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in your Home’.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ensure that section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 is not amended to reduce the level of protection for National (a) Parks and (b) Landscapes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Protected Landscapes Duty, at section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, will play a key role in achieving government’s commitment to enable Protected Landscapes organisations, including National Parks and National Landscapes, to make land greener, wilder and more accessible to all.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, what steps she is taking to ensure compliance with the protected landscapes duty.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is working with a range of partners to consider the impact of the Protected Landscapes Duty. We have received and considered many letters on this matter, including one Campaign for National Parks wrote on behalf of over 170 organisations.
The duty is intended to facilitate better outcomes for England’s Protected Landscapes, which are in line with their statutory purposes.
The Government has published guidance on the Protected Landscapes duty to ensure public bodies operating in these areas, including water companies, deliver better environmental outcomes working together with Protected Landscape organisations.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pension increases resulting from voluntary National Insurance contributions are backdated to the date HMRC received payment in cases where processing delays exceed the expected timeframe.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Where voluntary National Insurance contributions lead to a pension increase, the adjustment is applied to the relevant tax years being applied for and is backdated to the date HMRC received the payment, even if processing takes longer than expected.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support families in rural areas with the cost of transport to schools.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to get to education, particularly in rural areas.
On 1 January, we introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers continue to access cheaper bus services and better opportunities. At the Spending Review we announced the cap would be extended until March 2027.
At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.
As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Devon County Council has been allocated £11.6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of providing protection and support during Donald Trump's visit to Scotland.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We were delighted to welcome the President to the UK earlier this year. The visit supported our deep and enduring alliance with the United States, which is vital for both our economic and security interests.
As is the case for many visits from high profile individuals, the President’s visit was in part funded by the taxpayer.
It is right that the Government and policing partners take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of foreign dignitaries when on UK soil.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of the shelling of civilian infrastructure in Thailand by Cambodian forces; and if he will support a UN investigation into potential breaches of international humanitarian law.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government continues to monitor the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute closely with officials from our Embassies in Bangkok and Phnom Penh conducting site visits to affected areas to better understand the impact on local populations. We urge all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and take all necessary steps to protect civilians.
As set out in our public statements of 28 July and 7 August, the agreement of a framework for a full ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand is a welcome development. It is essential that both sides now work together to implement and maintain this agreement. This message has been conveyed directly to both governments.
We support the Association of South East Asian Nations' leadership in working with Cambodia and Thailand to resolve the border conflict, including its efforts to deploy an Observer Mission. We believe this can play an important role in providing an independent assessment of the situation and in de-escalating tensions on the border.