Rob Roberts Portrait

Rob Roberts

Independent - Delyn

First elected: 12th December 2019



Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Rob Roberts has voted in 624 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Rob Roberts Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 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
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(13 debate interactions)
James Davies (Conservative)
(9 debate interactions)
Matt Hancock (Independent)
(9 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(34 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(29 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(28 debate contributions)
Wales Office
(26 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Rob Roberts's debates

Delyn 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).

Petition Debates Contributed

The Home office is charging almost ten times the actual processing cost of indefinite leave to remain application fee from overseas health care workers. The Government should stop making profit from foreign health workers and instead seek to retain those foreign doctors and nurses in our NHS.

Provide a mechanism within existing legislation whereupon a person with parental responsibility (PR) is found guilty of murdering the other parent with PR, has PR automatically suspended throughout the duration of the term of imprisonment of the aforesaid person convicted.


Latest EDMs signed by Rob Roberts

21st February 2024
Rob Roberts signed this EDM on Thursday 22nd February 2024

No confidence in the Speaker

Tabled by: William Wragg (Conservative - Hazel Grove)
That this House has no confidence in Mr Speaker.
91 signatures
(Most recent: 20 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 44
Scottish National Party: 41
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 2
Workers Party of Britain: 1
30th January 2024
Rob Roberts signed this EDM on Wednesday 7th February 2024

Childhood cancer

Tabled by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
That this House notes that over 4,000 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year; further notes that cancer is still the biggest killer by disease of children and young people in the UK; recognises the unique medical and psychosocial impacts of cancer on children …
30 signatures
(Most recent: 1 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 16
Independent: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Scottish National Party: 3
Liberal Democrat: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Green Party: 1
View All Rob Roberts's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Rob Roberts, 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.


Rob Roberts has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Rob Roberts

Friday 28th January 2022

10 Bills introduced by Rob Roberts


A Bill to exempt NHS clinical staff from the requirement to pay fees under section 68 of the Immigration Act 2014; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 13th December 2023
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 17th May 2024
Order Paper number: 6
(Unlikely to be Debated - would require unanimous consent to progress)

A Bill to make provision for a referendum on devolution in Wales; to provide that no further such referendum may take place within twenty five years; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 13th December 2023
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 17th May 2024
Order Paper number: 5
(Possibly be Debated)

A Bill to exempt NHS clinical staff from the requirement to pay fees under section 68 of the Immigration Act 2014; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th March 2023
(Read Debate)

A Bill to make provision for a referendum on devolution in Wales; to provide that no further such referendum may take place within twenty five years; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 18th October 2023

A Bill to make provision for unaccompanied asylum seeking children to receive legal advice and for extending the deadline for an unaccompanied asylum seeking child to appeal an asylum decision

Lords - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading : House Of Lords
Wednesday 12th July 2017
(Read Debate)

A Bill to make provision for the automatic electoral registration of school students who have reached the age of 16; and for connected purposes.

Lords - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading : House Of Lords
Thursday 9th June 2016

A Bill to make provision for the registration of voters by registration officers; and for connected purposes.

Lords - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Lords
Tuesday 10th June 2014

A Bill to amend the Immigration Act 1971.

Lords - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Lords
Monday 10th June 2013

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to raise the level of debt below which pre-paid meter customers may change their energy supplier; and for connected purposes;

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 5th September 2012

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 make provision for a statutory right to an employment retention assessment to determine entitlement to a period of rehabilitation leave for newly disabled people and people whose existing impairments change; and for connected purposes

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 16th November 2010

1 Bill co-sponsored by Rob Roberts

Houses in Multiple Occupation Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Ian Levy (Con)


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
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish statistics on the number of words spoken in Cabinet meetings in the last 12 months broken down by individual.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet, and its Committees, is not normally shared publicly.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th Sep 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed in (a) the civil service and (b) local government with a salary in excess of £160,000 as at 13 September 2021.

The latest available data centrally, as at 31 March 2021, shows there were 130 Civil Servants earning a full-time equivalent salary in excess of £160,000. Responsibility for employees of local government sits with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

10th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to provide a BSL interpreter on screen along with the Minister and others in all televised Downing Street briefings and press conferences.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 115575 answered on 19 November 2020 and PQs 39766 and 41529 answered on 4 May 2020.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
1st Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's National semiconductor strategy, published on 19 May 2023, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate focus on manufacturing in the UK.

The Government has an ambitious strategy to build on the UK’s strengths in semiconductors to grow our sector, increase our resilience and protect our security.

To deliver our strategy we are investing to £200 million over the years 2023-25 and up to £1 billion in the next decade.

At the Spring Budget, the government announced a £500 million per year package of support for R&D intensive businesses through changes to R&D tax credits. In addition, the government also announced 'Full Expensing' - a £27billion business tax cut – which means the UK now has the joint most generous capital allowance regime of any major developed economy.

We understand that the semiconductor industry faces specific challenges, so we have also committed to announcing plans by the autumn to further support the competitiveness of the semiconductor manufacturing sector that is critical to the UK tech ecosystem or the UK’s national security.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding streams are available for the development of tidal lagoon projects.

The Government is open to considering well-developed tidal range proposals, provided that these proposals demonstrate energy system benefits, plausible environmental mitigation strategies, and clear value for money in the context of other renewables.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
1st Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on levels of consumer debt in the domestic energy sector.

The government continues to work closely with Ofgem to improve outcomes for consumers with energy debts. Ofgem collects information from energy companies on average debt levels which can be sourced here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-data-and-research/data-portal/all-available-charts?keyword=debt&sort=relevance. Energy companies are required to follow Ofgem regulations to collect debt from customers. These rules include treating customers fairly by proactively contacting those in payment difficulty to establish an appropriate repayment plan based on the customer’s Ability to Pay, and making customers aware of debt advice services.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
21st Jul 2020
What steps his Department is taking to tackle climate change.

The UK has demonstrated that clean, green growth is absolutely possible.

Between 1990 and 2018 we grew our economy by 75 per cent, whilst cutting emissions by 43%.

In his Summer Statement, my Rt hon Friend, Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer set out £3 billion pounds to improve the energy efficiency of homes and public buildings which will also support around 140,000 green jobs.

Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with international sporting bodies to help ensure that no major events take place in Russia following that country's invasion of Ukraine.

The Government strongly condemns Russia’s recent actions. Russia must not be allowed to exploit major sporting and cultural events on the world stage to seek to legitimise its illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The international sporting community has a pivotal role to play in standing up to the illegitimacy of the Russian Government's actions. Our absolute objective is to ensure that international sporting events do not take place in Russia, and that Russian teams cannot compete internationally. The Government has been vocal on this issue and helped to ensure that sporting bodies, in this country and globally, have taken swift action.

In particular, my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and I convened a forum of national governing bodies on 28 February to support them in their response to this unprovoked attack, and strongly encourage engagement with their International Federations. The Government is also engaging with international ministerial counterparts this week to help build a collective approach on these issues. This dialogue and has already resulted in numerous sports bodies moving events away from Russia, and being clear that Russian and Belarussian athletes cannot participate internationally.

We applaud and strongly support the sports who have already taken many steps to respond to our calls for what is right.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of PISA test scores.

The OECD’s PISA 2022 results showed that 15-year-old pupils in England performed above the OECD averages for all of reading, mathematics and science. While the pandemic has had an adverse impact on education across the world, and also affected the study, England was ranked 11th in maths and 13th in both reading and science – up from 27th in maths, 25th in reading and 16th in science in 2009.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
20th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the quality and affordability of (a) breakfast clubs, (b) after-school clubs and (c) childcare during school holidays.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is committed to continuing our support for school breakfast clubs, announcing up to £24 million to continue our national programme until July 2023. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.

The department understands that good-quality wraparound childcare has a positive impact on children’s outcomes. Research shows that participating in organised sports and joining after school clubs can help to improve children’s academic performance, as well as their social, emotional, and behavioural skills.

All schools are encouraged to make their facilities available for use by the wider community, and many schools already do so. To support with the costs of childcare, for example for the use of wraparound childcare such as afterschool clubs, working families can access support through Tax-Free Childcare, with up to £500 every three months for each child and rising to £1,000 every three months for families of disabled children. Working families may also be able to claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs if they are eligible for Universal Credit. This is worth up to £646 for one child, and £1,108 for 2 or more children a month.

Children who are in receipt of free school meals are eligible for a free place on the holiday activities and food programme. Backed by more than £200 million available, we are providing access to healthy food and enriching activities during the longer school holiday periods for more than 600,000 children across the country.

20th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote physical literacy and competitive sport in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) schools for children with special and other educational needs.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The physical education (PE) national curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods of time and lead healthy and active lives. From key stage 1 to 4, pupils are expected to master various fundamental skills relating to physical education.

The PE and sport premium has supported primary schools to deliver high quality PE, sport and physical activity since 2013. We are also developing tailored support to improve the teaching of PE at primary school which, along with a programme to support schools to open up their facilities, will be funded by nearly £30 million a year.

The department funds secondary school initiatives to encourage diverse groups of pupils to take part in and enjoy sport. This includes the Girls Competitive Sport contract, worth up to £980,000 over the next three years, which aims to improve and increase opportunities for girls aged 8 to 16 to access competitive sport and sport leadership opportunities. The Inclusion 2024 grant provides practical support to schools to increase opportunities for disabled young people and those with special educational needs to engage in sport and physical activity.

To support schools to take part in competitive sport, the government has funded the School Games since 2010. The School Games reaches over 95% of schools in England supporting four distinct levels of competition in over 40 sports and activities to cater for different ability levels, intra-school, inter-school, county level and a National Finals. Many schools also take part in their own inter-school competitions and National Governing Bodies of Sport run school sports events.

16th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce an arts premium to fund enrichment activities in secondary schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and the arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions in the Plan for Cultural Education published in 2013 and will give consideration for a future arts premium in due course.

In recognition of the merit of these subjects and how they contribute to a broad and balanced education in and out of school settings, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through music, arts, and heritage programmes.

The above funding is on top of core schools funding. The department has already committed to a real-terms per pupils increase in core schools funding, amounting to a £7 billion increase in the 2024/25 financial year compared with the 2021/22 financial year and nearly £5 billion in education recovery. This should support state-funded schools to provide a broad, ambitious curriculum, which includes cultural education and the arts.

The department has also committed to the publication of a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.

16th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school places for children with Special Educational Needs his Department has made available in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department does not collect or hold capacity data for special schools. As special schools sit outside the Admissions Code and mainstream admissions arrangements, there is currently no official methodology for determining a special school’s capacity. Furthermore, if a school is named in a pupil’s education, health and care plan, that school must admit that pupil without regard to the notional capacity of the school.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. This includes places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The government does not currently collect data centrally on available or planned SEND provision, but is continuing to work with local authorities to better understand demand for SEND provision as it considers how it can best support the sector going forwards.

In March 2022, the department announced high needs provision capital allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This funding forms part of the £2.6 billion the department is investing between 2022 and 2025 and represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision.

21st Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a registration system similar to the General Medical Council's register of doctors for teachers in (a) state and (b) independent schools.

The Department has not and is not considering a return to a registration-based system for teachers in state maintained or independent schools. Whilst the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) does not maintain a register of teachers, it does maintain a list of qualified teachers and a list of those individuals prohibited from teaching work. Prospective employers in the state maintained and independent sector are able to verify instantly, via the TRA’s Teacher Services system, whether a teacher is qualified and/or is prohibited from teaching work as part of any recruitment process. Members of the public may check whether an individual is on the prohibited list via the TRA.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether catch-up educational services for primary school pupils will include financial education in the next academic year.

Financial education is taught as part of the national curriculum subjects of mathematics and citizenship. Due to the unprecedented challenges for schools caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government ensured that during the national lockdown restrictions, schools were given flexibility around the education they are providing to their pupils. The Department expected schools and teachers to use their professional judgement and knowledge of their pupils’ educational needs to plan appropriate content that enables education to continue.

Schools should resume teaching an ambitious and broad curriculum, in all subjects, from the start of the autumn term. This means that all pupils will be taught a wide range of subjects so they can maintain their choices for further study and employment. Our latest guidance on teaching to support children is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package, including £650 million shared across schools over the 2020/21 academic year, will support schools to put the right catch-up support in place: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time.

The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding, which is accessible here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/.

For the longer term, the Department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and HM Treasury to consider how to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the teaching of financial capability to children and young people as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Financial education is taught as part of the national curriculum subjects of mathematics and citizenship. Due to the unprecedented challenges for schools caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government ensured that during the national lockdown restrictions, schools were given flexibility around the education they are providing to their pupils. The Department expected schools and teachers to use their professional judgement and knowledge of their pupils’ educational needs to plan appropriate content that enables education to continue.

Schools should resume teaching an ambitious and broad curriculum, in all subjects, from the start of the autumn term. This means that all pupils will be taught a wide range of subjects so they can maintain their choices for further study and employment. Our latest guidance on teaching to support children is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package, including £650 million shared across schools over the 2020/21 academic year, will support schools to put the right catch-up support in place: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time.

The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding, which is accessible here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/.

For the longer term, the Department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and HM Treasury to consider how to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.

21st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions on the provision of financial education for primary school aged children.

Financial education is taught as part of the national curriculum subjects of mathematics and citizenship. Due to the unprecedented challenges for schools caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government ensured that during the national lockdown restrictions, schools were given flexibility around the education they are providing to their pupils. The Department expected schools and teachers to use their professional judgement and knowledge of their pupils’ educational needs to plan appropriate content that enables education to continue.

Schools should resume teaching an ambitious and broad curriculum, in all subjects, from the start of the autumn term. This means that all pupils will be taught a wide range of subjects so they can maintain their choices for further study and employment. Our latest guidance on teaching to support children is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package, including £650 million shared across schools over the 2020/21 academic year, will support schools to put the right catch-up support in place: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time.

The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding, which is accessible here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/.

For the longer term, the Department will continue to work closely with The Money and Pension Service and HM Treasury to consider how to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.

26th Nov 2020
What steps he is taking to support farmers.

The Agriculture Act will enable us to transform the way we support farmers. Our new policy will be centred around support aimed at incentivising sustainable farming practices. We will support farmers to produce high quality and nutritious food in a more sustainable way, improve transparency in the supply chain and help farmers to reduce their costs and improve their profitability. We will also help those who want to retire or leave the industry to do so with dignity and create new opportunities and support for new entrants coming into the industry.

In our 2019 manifesto we promised to maintain the current annual budget to farmers for the lifetime of this parliament. When we made this commitment in 2019, the total farm support provided to Welsh farmers that year was £337 million. For 2021/22, the UK government have therefore provided new exchequer funding on top of the remaining £95 million of EU funding to ensure that £337 million of support continues to go to Welsh farmers this year.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
27th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the status of the planning and scoping process is for electrification of the North Wales mainline as of 27 February 2024.

We are working closely with the rail industry to develop the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, which includes an unprecedented £1 billion investment to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. We are in the early stages of establishing the next steps for the North Wales electrification scheme, including the costs and programme for development and delivery. We will share further information when that work is complete.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timeline is for the electrification of the north Wales coast line.

We are working closely with the rail industry to develop and deliver on the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement. We are in the early stages of planning the next steps, including delivery timelines, for the North Wales electrification scheme and will share further information when that work is complete.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
12th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Rail network enhancements pipeline spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6; and what he expects that spending on that network and that Route to be in Control Periods (A) 7 and (B) 8.

For the purposes of this answer we have taken enhancements spending and Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) spending to be the same.

The RNEP came into effect at the start of CP6 and provides a pipeline approach to enhancements investment with projects taking incremental investment decisions, moving away from the control period cycle. This reflected a change in the way both Network Rail and enhancements were funded and governed following the reclassification of Network Rail in 2014. It is therefore challenging to provide a direct comparator across all Control Periods, and data for "Wales Route" is not available in a comparable format in the time available.

Using data taken from Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts the spend on enhancements for England and Wales in CP4 (2009/10 to 2013/14) was £10.9bn (in 2013/14 prices) and in CP5 (2014/15 to 2018/19) was £14.7bn (in cash prices).

The spend to date for CP6 (2019/20 to 2022/23) is £6.16bn, again as per Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts (in cash prices). The England and Wales enhancements budget for the remaining year of CP6 2023/24 is £2.11bn.

In line with the Chancellor's Autumn Statement 2022, we anticipate that our enhancements budget for England and Wales for the first 4 years of CP7 will be set at c.£8.52bn. Budgets beyond this point have not yet been set and will be subject to future Fiscal Events. As per the RNEP, the allocation of this budget to schemes will be subject to investment decisions on a per scheme basis not yet taken.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
12th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what he plans the enhancement spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route to be in Control Periods (i) 7 and (ii) 8.

For the purposes of this answer we have taken enhancements spending and Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) spending to be the same.

The RNEP came into effect at the start of CP6 and provides a pipeline approach to enhancements investment with projects taking incremental investment decisions, moving away from the control period cycle. This reflected a change in the way both Network Rail and enhancements were funded and governed following the reclassification of Network Rail in 2014. It is therefore challenging to provide a direct comparator across all Control Periods, and data for "Wales Route" is not available in a comparable format in the time available.

Using data taken from Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts the spend on enhancements for England and Wales in CP4 (2009/10 to 2013/14) was £10.9bn (in 2013/14 prices) and in CP5 (2014/15 to 2018/19) was £14.7bn (in cash prices).

The spend to date for CP6 (2019/20 to 2022/23) is £6.16bn, again as per Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts (in cash prices). The England and Wales enhancements budget for the remaining year of CP6 2023/24 is £2.11bn.

In line with the Chancellor's Autumn Statement 2022, we anticipate that our enhancements budget for England and Wales for the first 4 years of CP7 will be set at c.£8.52bn. Budgets beyond this point have not yet been set and will be subject to future Fiscal Events. As per the RNEP, the allocation of this budget to schemes will be subject to investment decisions on a per scheme basis not yet taken.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
12th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the enhancement spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6.

For the purposes of this answer we have taken enhancements spending and Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) spending to be the same.

The RNEP came into effect at the start of CP6 and provides a pipeline approach to enhancements investment with projects taking incremental investment decisions, moving away from the control period cycle. This reflected a change in the way both Network Rail and enhancements were funded and governed following the reclassification of Network Rail in 2014. It is therefore challenging to provide a direct comparator across all Control Periods, and data for "Wales Route" is not available in a comparable format in the time available.

Using data taken from Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts the spend on enhancements for England and Wales in CP4 (2009/10 to 2013/14) was £10.9bn (in 2013/14 prices) and in CP5 (2014/15 to 2018/19) was £14.7bn (in cash prices).

The spend to date for CP6 (2019/20 to 2022/23) is £6.16bn, again as per Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts (in cash prices). The England and Wales enhancements budget for the remaining year of CP6 2023/24 is £2.11bn.

In line with the Chancellor's Autumn Statement 2022, we anticipate that our enhancements budget for England and Wales for the first 4 years of CP7 will be set at c.£8.52bn. Budgets beyond this point have not yet been set and will be subject to future Fiscal Events. As per the RNEP, the allocation of this budget to schemes will be subject to investment decisions on a per scheme basis not yet taken.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
12th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the operations, maintenance and renewal spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6.

The following table sets out total spend on operations, maintenance and renewal in Control Periods 4 and 5. Control Period 6 concludes in March 2024, therefore the Control Period 6 figures are estimates.

Figures in £million

CP4

CP5

CP6

England and Wales

31901

32710

41100

o/w Wales Route

1952

1952

2400

Additional notes are as follows relating to the annual figures that comprise these totals:

  • Figures are converted for consistency to 2023/2024 prices using the November 2022 OBR inflation forecast;
  • Totals include traction electricity costs but exclude British Transport Police costs;
  • Spend for 2022/2023 is per unaudited regulated accounts;
  • Figures for the current financial year (2023/2024) are as per budgetary flexibilities for this year;
  • Historic allocation rates have been applied to derive allocated spend for Wales in CP6;
  • Figures from 2009/2010 to 2021/2022 are as per audited accounts; and
  • Spend in Wales in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 have been pro-rated based on years 3 to 5 of CP4.

Note for context that NR spend on the Wales and Borders route is between 4% and 5% of the GB total so far in CP6, whilst Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route makes up circa 4% of the entire GB rail network in terms of train miles in CP6.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
23rd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of 20 April 2023 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Official Report, column 366, what estimate he has made of the timescale for the electrification of the north Wales Mainline.

In the Transport Decarbonisation Plan the government committed to deliver a net zero rail network by 2050. To do so we will electrify additional lines and deploy battery and hydrogen trains on lines where it makes economic and operational sense.

In relation to individual railway routes, the Great British Railways Transition Team will bring forward costed decarbonisation options for Government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability. No decision has yet been taken on the North Wales Mainline.

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
23rd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of 20 April 2023 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Official Report, column 366, what progress his Department has made on the recommendations of the Union Connectivity Review on improving connectivity between North Wales and North West England on (a) the A55 and (b) the North Wales Coast Main Line.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill’s independent Union Connectivity Review recognised the importance of transport connectivity right across our United Kingdom.

I recently visited Wales to meet stakeholders and visit a wide range of transport connectivity projects. I am committed to improving transport via all modes to ensure that opportunity is available to all in every part of our United Kingdom.

My department is working collaboratively with the Welsh Government to consider Lord Hendy’s recommendations and develop options for improving transport connectivity in North Wales. The UK Government will respond to Lord Hendy’s Review as soon as possible.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
23rd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of 20 April 2023 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Official Report, column 366, whether he has had discussions with the Welsh Government on what steps it is taking to upgrade the A55.

As the member will be aware, road infrastructure in Wales, including delivering improvements to the A55, is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

The UK Government remains committed to working collaboratively with the Welsh Government, including in devolved areas, to improve transport.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
17th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on heavy rail infrastructure in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last five years up to and including the 2022-23 financial year.

Between 2018-19 and 2021-22, £46.7bn was invested on High Speed Two infrastructure; Network Rail Operations, Maintenance and Renewals; and the Rail Network Enhancements Portfolio. Figures are sourced from DfT and NR published accounts and Network Rail reporting is consolidated for England and Wales. By its nature, expenditure on the railway in any one particular part of the country is likely to also benefit passengers from outside that immediate area who use that railway.

An annual breakdown is included in the table below:

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

10.3

10.0

12.0

14.4

*Figures are in £billions, in nominal prices


** Rail Network Enhancements Portfolio figures do not include 3rd party-funded delivery


*** 2022-23 outturn data is provisional and excluded

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
30th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on implementing the recommendations of the Union Connectivity Review.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Department for Transport officials and I have regular discussions with colleagues across Government about Lord Hendy’s of Richmond Hill’s independent Union Connectivity Review. We are engaging with the devolved administrations and with other stakeholders to consider his recommendations and will publish our response as soon as is practicable.

I also recently made visits across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to meet with key stakeholders and visit a wide variety of transport connectivity projects.

Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
13th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to increase (a) the number of driving instructors and (b) practical driving test availability.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) licenses approved driving instructors for them to provide paid tuition.

To help increase practical driving test availability, the DVSA is recruiting more than 300 driving examiners across Great Britain. The DVSA’s examiner recruitment campaigns continue to be successful but, like many employers, the DVSA is finding the job market extremely competitive. As it moves through each recruitment campaign, the DVSA will continually review and make changes and improvements to its recruitment and selection process, and training courses.

The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as it can, with several measures in place to do this.

These include:

  • offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to driving examiners;
  • asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests where capacity allows;
  • conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays and weekends); and
  • resuming the number of driving tests per day to seven for each full-time examiner.

27th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to electrify the entirety of the North Wales train line.

There are currently no plans to electrify the North Wales Coast Line.

The Department has funded extensive development work, through a series of Strategic Outline Business Cases (SOBCs) announced at the Autumn 2017 Budget, to identify where further investment into the Welsh rail network could make a real difference to the people and economy of Wales. Based on the findings of the SOBCs, we are taking enhancement proposals, including journey time improvements along the North Wales Coast Main Line between Llandudno and Chester, through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), subject to a better understanding and assurance of likely costs.

In addition, the Network Rail-led Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy is developing costed options about the use of electrification and new technologies. This work is a priority for the Department and for Network Rail. It will conclude this year to inform Government decisions about the scale and pace of further rail decarbonisation as part of our Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
26th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for Crewe to be added to the High Speed Two line upon completion of existing plans.

Crewe is already a hub on the existing rail network and current plans will see passengers benefitting from an HS2 interchange, with shorter journey times to London and improved cross-country connectivity.

The Government response to the Crewe Hub consultation confirmed its support for the ‘Crewe Hub’ vision, with up to 5-7 HS2 trains per hour stopping. We continue to work with Network Rail, HS2 and local partners towards realising this vision.

Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
26th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to electrify the Shrewsbury to Chester via Wrexham route.

Since 2010 we have delivered significant electrification to the rail network, delivering benefits for rail users and helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Network Rail-led Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy is currently examining whether electrification or new technologies are the better option where diesel trains currently run. This work, which will conclude this year, will inform decisions about electrification or use of new technologies on all parts of the network.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
26th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure better connectivity along the North Wales to Chester train line.

The Department has funded extensive development work, through a series of Strategic Outline Business Cases (SOBCs) announced at the Autumn 2017 Budget, to identify where further investment into the Welsh rail network could make a real difference to the people and economy of Wales. Based on the findings of the SOBCs, we are taking enhancement proposals, including journey time improvements along the North Wales Coast Main Line between Llandudno and Chester, through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), subject to a better understanding and assurance of likely costs.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
26th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve the connectivity along the Chester to Crewe train line.

As part of its Continuous Modular Strategic Planning work on long term strategy for the rail network, Network Rail is currently developing a proposal to assess what is required to support future rail enhancements planned for the West and Wales area, focusing on the railway hubs of Crewe, Chester and Warrington.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
15th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have an outstanding overpayment of benefits as of 15 November 2023; what the value of those overpayments is; and how many of those cases are the result of an error by his Department.

The number of people with outstanding benefit overpayments recoverable by DWP and the total value of those debts as at 16 November 2023 is set out below:

Volume of Customers

2.765m

Outstanding Debt Value

£7.060bn

*The data provided has been extracted from internal DWP management information and has therefore not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.

As all overpayments of certain welfare benefits are recoverable in law, irrespective of how they occurred, there is no requirement to categorise departmental error in all cases and we cannot therefore provide this information.

Our latest full estimates on fraud and error can be found at Fraud and error in the benefit system Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
9th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of (a) the cost to the public purse of increasing the State Pension paid to UK pensioners resident overseas to the level it would have been had it increased in line with inflation in each year since 2010 and (b) the cost to the public purse of continuing to increase the State Pension paid to UK pensioners resident overseas in line with inflation in each year between 2023 and 2030, starting from that value.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide and up-rated overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so. The policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas is long-standing and has been supported by successive post-war Governments for over 70 years.

In response to (a): No recent assessment has been made of the annual cost of uprating the UK State Pension to UK pensioners living abroad.

In response to (b): The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Laura Trott
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
9th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount of state pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK is; and if he will provide a breakdown of the average state pension payment in each country in which recipients reside.

In November 2020, the average (mean) amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK was £70.61 per week.

Table 1. Average Amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK, November 2020

Residency

Mean Weekly State Pension Amount

Outside United Kingdom

£ 70.61

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)

Below is a table of the average (mean) amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK, broken down by country of residence, in November 2020.

Table 2. Average Amount of State Pension by Country of Residence, November 2020

Country of Residence

Mean Weekly State Pension Amount

Abroad - Not known

£ 112.62

Albania

£ 110.57

Alderney

£ 126.99

Algeria

£ 62.41

Andorra

£ 94.96

Anguilla

£ 64.93

Antigua

£ 74.02

Argentina

£ 65.18

Aruba

£ 60.29

Ascension Island

£ 91.68

Australia

£ 50.09

Austria

£ 49.24

Azerbaijan

£ 166.77

Bahamas

£ 66.64

Bahrain

£ 97.27

Bangladesh

£ 39.49

Barbados

£ 116.97

Belarus

£ 111.17

Belgium

£ 63.62

Belize

£ 85.01

Bermuda

£ 81.36

Bolivia

£ 106.19

Bosnia and Herzegovina

£ 73.12

Botswana

£ 75.98

Brazil

£ 81.20

Brunei

£ 121.78

Bulgaria

£ 122.47

Burkina Faso

£ 54.09

Cambodia

£ 119.76

Cameroon

£ 58.81

Canada

£ 46.34

Cape Verde

£ 52.18

Cayman Islands

£ 89.42

Chile

£ 72.13

China

£ 96.39

Colombia

£ 89.09

Cook Islands

£ 57.92

Costa Rica

£ 81.75

Cyprus

£ 122.54

Denmark

£ 58.40

Dom Commonwealth (Dominica)

£ 77.73

Dominican Republic

£ 107.52

Dutch Caribbean

£ 67.76

Ecuador

£ 85.95

Egypt

£ 78.64

El Salvador

£ 80.36

Equatorial Guinea

£ 142.11

Ethiopia

£ 88.34

Falkland Islands and Dependencies

£ 85.64

Faroe Islands

£ 33.01

Fiji

£ 73.66

Finland

£ 58.89

France

£ 113.52

French Overseas Departments

£ 84.34

French Polynesia

£ 55.84

Gambia

£ 91.46

Germany

£ 46.48

Ghana

£ 56.69

Gibraltar

£ 100.77

Greece

£ 109.44

Greenland

£ 23.21

Grenada

£ 77.33

Guam

£ 83.49

Guatemala

£ 77.73

Guernsey

£ 84.86

Guyana

£ 60.60

Honduras

£ 79.02

Hong Kong

£ 85.42

Hungary

£ 102.32

Iceland

£ 71.68

India

£ 50.10

Indonesia

£ 106.53

Iran

£ 70.85

Iraq

£ 64.11

Ireland

£ 66.41

Isle of Man

£ 127.85

Israel

£ 101.27

Italy

£ 56.79

Jamaica

£ 116.05

Japan

£ 46.97

Jersey

£ 70.02

Jordan

£ 67.90

Kazakhstan

£ 124.13

Kenya

£ 79.34

Kuwait

£ 103.54

Kyrgyzstan

£ 76.07

Laos

£ 100.66

Lebanon

£ 88.20

Lesotho

£ 59.64

Liechtenstein

£ 28.62

Luxembourg

£ 83.34

Macau

£ 77.52

Madagascar

£ 62.23

Malawi

£ 71.90

Malaysia

£ 77.87

Malta

£ 104.22

Mauritius

£ 108.25

Mexico

£ 74.98

Moldova

£ 124.94

Monaco

£ 111.96

Montserrat

£ 65.67

Morocco

£ 75.51

Mozambique

£ 74.56

Myanmar

£ 84.84

Namibia

£ 70.17

Nepal

£ 63.99

Netherlands

£ 55.81

Nevis, St Kitts-Nevis

£ 75.56

New Caledonia

£ 79.61

New Zealand

£ 46.44

Nicaragua

£ 79.72

Nigeria

£ 27.65

Norfolk Island

£ 55.18

North Macedonia

£ 24.20

Norway

£ 58.24

Oman

£ 89.53

Pakistan

£ 48.74

Panama

£ 96.96

Papua New Guinea

£ 75.49

Paraguay

£ 68.41

Peru

£ 88.02

Philippines

£ 138.86

Poland

£ 59.39

Portugal

£ 119.47

Puerto Rico

£ 77.32

Qatar

£ 113.55

Republic of Croatia

£ 62.10

Republic of Estonia

£ 78.98

Republic of Georgia

£ 129.54

Republic of Latvia

£ 68.34

Republic of Lithuania

£ 42.71

Republic of Slovenia

£ 60.38

Romania

£ 99.40

Russia

£ 85.51

Saint Helena & Dependencies

£ 89.27

San Marino

£ 29.33

Sark

£ 117.68

Saudi Arabia

£ 86.88

Senegal

£ 74.13

Serbia

£ 123.58

Seychelles

£ 79.10

Sierra Leone

£ 52.66

Singapore

£ 89.20

Solomon Islands

£ 79.08

Somalia

£ 44.20

South Africa

£ 56.52

South Korea

£ 41.69

Spain

£ 120.61

Sri Lanka

£ 59.98

St Lucia

£ 76.63

St Vincent & Grenadines

£ 80.10

State Union of Serbia and Montenegro

£ 53.44

Sudan

£ 71.27

Suriname

£ 151.95

Swaziland

£ 79.26

Sweden

£ 57.52

Switzerland

£ 51.98

Syria

£ 63.61

Tahiti

£ 77.00

Taiwan

£ 105.85

Tanzania

£ 87.61

Thailand

£ 119.10

The Czech Republic

£ 92.30

The Slovak Republic

£ 49.82

Togo

£ 50.10

Tonga

£ 73.36

Tours (Individuals on Tour)

£ 133.34

Trinidad & Tobago

£ 55.37

Tunisia

£ 88.16

Turkey

£ 132.24

Turks and Caicos Islands

£ 118.32

Uganda

£ 88.33

Ukraine

£ 115.86

United Arab Emirates

£ 107.46

United States

£ 74.19

United States Minor Outlying Islands

£ 75.89

Uruguay

£ 77.74

Vanuatu

£ 85.86

Venezuela

£ 67.62

Vietnam

£ 125.09

Virgin Islands (British)

£ 91.77

Virgin Islands (USA)

£ 72.74

Western Samoa

£ 34.12

Yemen

£ 42.90

Zambia

£ 75.67

Zimbabwe

£ 48.98

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)

Laura Trott
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
9th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals in receipt of state pension outside the UK reside in (a) a Commonwealth and (b) a non-Commonwealth country.

There are around 465,000 individuals who are in receipt of State Pension who reside in a Commonwealth country (excluding the UK) and there are around 688,000 individuals who are in receipt of State Pension who reside in a non-Commonwealth Country.

Table 1. The number of individuals who are in receipt of the UK State Pension and reside outside the UK, grouped by whether they live in a Commonwealth or non-Commonwealth country, November 2020

Country Type

Number of Individuals in receipt of State Pension

Commonwealth (Exl UK)

465,000

Non-Commonwealth

688,000

*Rounded to the nearest 1000

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)

Laura Trott
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
15th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of pension dashboards.

The Government has made significant progress in implementing pensions dashboards, working in close collaboration with key delivery partners including the Pensions Dashboards Programme which is part of the Money and Pensions Service, the Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Following extensive consultation with industry and other interested parties, the Department laid the draft Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022, in Parliament on 17 October 2022. This was an important milestone, setting out detailed requirements for occupational pension schemes and for organisations seeking to provide a qualifying pensions dashboard service. The Regulations were subsequently approved in Parliament on 16 November 2022 and are due to come into force this winter. Alongside this, the Financial Conduct Authority intends to publish final rules for personal and stakeholder pensions shortly and The Pensions Regulator is providing support to help schemes meet their connection deadlines, including through guidance and writing to schemes at least 12 months ahead of their deadline.

The Pensions Dashboards Programme is responsible for delivering the digital architecture that will make dashboards work. They published their latest progress report on 26 October 2022 outlining key milestones and next steps, such as finalising a suite of operational and technical standards for dashboards. The Programme intends to consult on design standards this winter. The PDP has consulted on the data, technical, code of connection, and reporting standards relating to dashboards and will publish a response later this year. The overall delivery timetable remains on track with the Programme focused on building and testing the digital architecture to enable the first cohort of schemes to connect from April 2023.

Laura Trott
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
21st Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken in this Parliament to help disabled people get into work and close the disability employment gap.

A range of DWP initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to live independent lives and start, stay and succeed in work. These include the Work and Health Programme, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident. and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services.

Over the next three years we will invest £1.3bn in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions.

In 2017 the Government set a goal to see one million more disabled people in employment between 2017 and 2027. The latest figures released for Q1 2022 show that between Q1 2017 and Q1 2022 the number of disabled people in employment increased by 1.3m – meaning the goal has been met after only five years.

The disability employment gap was 28.2 percentage points in Q1 2022. This is a decrease of 0.2 percentage points on the year, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points since Q1 2020 and an overall decrease of 5.6 percentage points since the same quarter in 2014.

20th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce the level of child poverty across the UK.

The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works.   Compared with 2010, there are nearly 1 million fewer workless households and almost 540,000 fewer children living in workless households in the UK. Since 2010, there are also 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs.

This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty.  With a record 1.3 million vacancies across the UK, our focus is firmly on supporting people to move into and progress in work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.

Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs has protected, supported and created jobs across the country. This includes our Way to Work campaign, which between January 31 and June 21, we estimate has seen at least 485,000 unemployed Universal Credit claimants have moved into work.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
20th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure that there are appropriate sanctions for people who commit benefit fraud.

On 19 May 2022, we published our plan for Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System, setting out how the Department will root out existing fraud in the system and prevent new fraudulent claims being made. The £600 million plan will boost the counter-fraud frontline with 2000 additional staff, and is estimated to save taxpayers £2 billion over three years.

The plan also outlines a range of additional strong measures that we intend to introduce, when Parliamentary time allows, to future proof our work tackle fraud and error. This includes the commitment to introduce a new civil penalty for cases of fraud which can be applied where cases meet a civil burden of proof, sitting below criminal fraud but above error.

This action will ensure that fewer people escape punishment when they have committed wrongdoing, and that the consequence reflects the cost to the taxpayers.

DWP has a published penalty policy [Penalties policy: in respect of social security fraud and error - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)), which sets out the range of penalties currently available for benefit fraud. This includes financial penalties, prosecution, loss of benefit penalties and seeking redress through proceeds of crime.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
20th Apr 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) officials in her Department and (b) Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of a temporary uplift to disability benefits in order to support people with disabilities with the rising cost of living in the context of those people potentially having to power specialist machinery and equipment as a result of their needs.

I meet regularly with Ministers and officials from across Government to discuss a wide range of issues related to support for disabled people, including rising costs.

The government has announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23. This includes:

  • A £200 discount on their energy bill this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. This will be paid back automatically over the next 5 years.
  • A £150 non-repayable Council Tax Rebate payment for all households that are liable for Council Tax in Bands A-D in England.
  • £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax Rebate.

28th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 20 November to Questions 2738 and 2739 on Intensive Care: Hospital Beds and Hospital Beds respectively, if she will make a comparative estimate of the number of NHS acute hospital beds (a) available and (b) required in winter 2023-24; how many and what proportion of the 5,000 additional beds that were promised have been deployed; and what her planned timeframe is for the deployment of the remainder of the 5,000 beds in each constituency.

Published data from NHS England shows that there were 99,067 total general and acute (G&A) beds available in October 2023, including 96,781 core beds and 2,285 escalation beds.

Our Delivery Plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services set the ambition to increase the core G&A bed base by 5,000 permanent staffed beds in 2023/24 compared to planned levels for 2022/23. This would increase the number of core beds to 99,500. As of October, the National Health Service has delivered 2,281 additional core beds. NHS England continues to work with local systems and trusts to deliver this ambition this winter.

G&A bed numbers are expected to peak in January 2024 in response to expected demand. A breakdown of these additional beds by constituency is not available centrally.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England publication of 20 January 2023 entitled Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, what his planned timetable is for delivering 5,000 additional permanent beds; and what steps the Government is taking to progress delivery of those additional beds.

Our Delivery Plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services set the ambition to increase the core general and acute bed base, above originally planned 2022/23 levels, by 5,000 sustainable, permanent beds in 2023/24. This takes the funded core bed base to over 99,000. NHS England in continuing to work with local systems and trusts to deliver this ambition.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of hospital beds for acute treatment.

Our Delivery Plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services set the ambition to increase the core general and acute bed base, above originally planned 2022/23 levels, by 5,000 sustainable, permanent beds in 2023/24. This takes the funded core bed base to over 99,000. NHS England in continuing to work with local systems and trusts to deliver this ambition.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)