Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out how his Department defines the distinction between enabling support and replacement support for the purposes of Access to Work assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Enabling support and replacement support may be provided by a Support Worker job aide when a customer is unable to do part or all of their job because of their disability, illness or health condition.
If a customer is performing the job role, making decisions, and instructing the Support Worker this is deemed to be enabling. In cases where enabling support from a Support Worker job aide is awarded to a customer, this is up to a maximum of 100% of the customer’s contracted hours.
If a customer is not performing the job role, making decisions, and instructing the Support Worker, this is deemed to be replacement. Case Managers must identify the tasks the Support Worker job aide will do and decide how many hours can be supported. A maximum of 20% of the customer’s contracted hours can be supported by the Support Worker job aide.
More information can be found on the Access to Work Staff Guide.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to publish criteria and guidance, so schools understand how funding decisions are made, what evidence is required, who makes those decisions, and how consistency is ensured.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes a range of guidance each year to support schools and local authorities in understanding how funding is allocated, available at the links below.
National funding formula policy papers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025.
National funding formula tables and technical notes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2026-to-2027.
The schools operational guide: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2026-to-2027/schools-operational-guide-2026-to-2027.
Information on the dedicated schools grant calculations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2026-to-2027.
The High needs funding operational guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2026-to-2027/high-needs-funding-2026-to-2027-operational-guide.
Early years Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2026-to-2027.
16 to 19 Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-guidance.
Capital funding guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c2a9363ed0546101e0dbdd/Condition_funding_methodology_and_spend_guidance_2026_to_2027.pdf.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 on serving and retired scheme members.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There have been no recent changes to the rules which govern the 1987 police pension scheme. The 1987 scheme is now closed for further accrual of pension benefits and there are no plans to make changes to it.
There may be changes from time to time to the factors used to determine the value of scheme benefits for specific purposes, such as pension transfers or the commutation of annual pension into a lump sum. These result from changes to assumptions outside of the specific scheme rules. Where this is necessary, the Home Office and the scheme actuary act in accordance with the legal framework governing the police pension schemes when reviewing and implementing such changes.
More broadly, where changes to police pension schemes are proposed, the Home Office engages with relevant stakeholders, including member and employer representatives, as part of the policy development process to identify and understand impacts.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out which stakeholders were consulted in the decision-making process of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There have been no recent changes to the rules which govern the 1987 police pension scheme. The 1987 scheme is now closed for further accrual of pension benefits and there are no plans to make changes to it.
There may be changes from time to time to the factors used to determine the value of scheme benefits for specific purposes, such as pension transfers or the commutation of annual pension into a lump sum. These result from changes to assumptions outside of the specific scheme rules. Where this is necessary, the Home Office and the scheme actuary act in accordance with the legal framework governing the police pension schemes when reviewing and implementing such changes.
More broadly, where changes to police pension schemes are proposed, the Home Office engages with relevant stakeholders, including member and employer representatives, as part of the policy development process to identify and understand impacts.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities operate a clear system for accessing high needs top up funding, in the context of her Department's High Needs operational guidance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities have flexibility to determine how to allocate high needs funding, including top up funding, in line with their statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014. In doing so, they must take account of the costs that would reasonably be expected to be met from a maintained school’s core budget or an academy’s general annual grant.
The department’s operational guidance advises local authorities on ways in which they can administer high needs top-up funding transparently, consistently and in accordance with the relevant conditions of grant. The department follows up any evidence of breaches of those grant conditions.
The operation of the high needs funding system is currently under review, with the aim of supporting the reforms that we have set out in the schools white paper.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has provided to Access to Work case managers on assessing applications; and when that guidance was last updated.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Access to Work case managers assess applications in line with the Department’s published Access to Work: staff guide - GOV.UK, available on GOV.UK. This guidance provides the framework for assessing applications and determining entitlement to Access to Work support.
The guidance was last updated on 18 June 2026.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to assess whether sites like the Shelford landfill have followed environmental permit rules.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Waste management sites are regulated through environmental permits to ensure best practice and minimise environmental impact. Permits set conditions requiring operators to accept only appropriate waste, prevent pollution, and avoid nuisances like odours and noise. The Environment Agency uses a risk-based approach to site inspections by focusing on higher-risk or non-compliant sites. Shelford has been identified as a priority site and received increased regulatory attention over the last 12 months. This has included 5 unannounced site inspections and 22 compliance reports covering data reviews and response to reports of odour from the local community.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recent notification of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987, including the rationale for the proposed amendments.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 are a matter for the Home Secretary as the responsible authority for the scheme.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 on serving and retired scheme members.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 are a matter for the Home Secretary as the responsible authority for the scheme.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which stakeholders were consulted in the decision-making process of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 are a matter for the Home Secretary as the responsible authority for the scheme.