Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of a cap on the Cycle to Work scheme on a) employees’ ability to access e-bikes and e-cargo bikes and b) disabled employees’ ability to access specially-adapted cycles.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates South Western Railway plans to retire its fleet of Class 455 electric multiple units; and what plans it has to maintain current levels of passenger capacity on their retirement.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Southwestern Railway is planning to retire the Class 455 fleet by the end of December 2025. The Arterio fleet introduction programme will fully occupy all of the previously formed Class 455 diagrams.
Since May the number of new trains in service has quadrupled. The Arterio trains will provide 50 per cent increased capacity compared to the current 455 fleet in service. They will also provide accessible toilets, air conditioning, charging points at every seat, real-time information screens, onboard wi-fi and walk through carriages.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing powers to tackle ageism in (a) recruitment and (b) the workplace.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The UK has a strong history of protecting against direct and indirect discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 has protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including the provision of services, employment and recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support unemployed people over the age of 50 years old.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We offer support for those out of work through our network of Jobcentres and contracted employment programmes. However, we recognise the employment challenges faced by some older people and that is why we offer additional support for older jobseekers.
For eligible new over 50s jobseekers on Universal Credit, we offer Additional Work Coach Time (AWCT) which provides more intensive, tailored support during the first nine months of their claim. This is in addition to the skills provision and job search support that work coaches currently offer to Jobcentre customers.
Work coaches and employers are supported by a network of 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. Champions provide a critical layer of support through Jobcentres to ensure the needs of older people are met. Activity includes facilitating engagement with local employers, promoting age inclusive policies, and supporting work coaches to deliver activity locally.
Further support is available to eligible over 50s on Universal Credit through Midlife MOTs. These are delivered in Jobcentres and provide an opportunity to review health, finances and skills, and signpost to suitable support. There is also a digital Midlife MOT which is available to everyone.
We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That’s why the Government is committed to reforming employment support to ensure it is inclusive and meets the needs of those who require it.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities office on supporting women over the age of 50 years old back into employment.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There have been no direct discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities’ office on this specific issue. The Government recognises the valuable contribution that women over the age of 50 make to the economy and society. Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement.
We offer support for those out of work through our network of Jobcentres and contracted employment programmes. However, we recognise the employment challenges faced by some older women and that is why we offer additional support for older jobseekers.
For eligible new over 50s jobseekers on Universal Credit, we offer Additional Work Coach Time (AWCT) which provides more intensive, tailored support during the first nine months of their claim. This is in addition to the skills provision and job search support that work coaches currently offer to Jobcentre customers.
Work coaches and employers are supported by a network of 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. Champions provide a critical layer of support through Jobcentres, to ensure the needs of older people are met. Activity includes facilitating engagement with local employers, promoting age inclusive policies, and supporting work coaches to deliver activity locally.
Further support is available to eligible over 50s on Universal Credit, through Midlife MOTs, delivered in Jobcentres which provide an opportunity to review health, finances and skills and signpost to suitable support. There is also a digital Midlife MOT which is offer available for everyone.
We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That’s why the Government is committed to reforming employment support to ensure it is inclusive and meets the needs of those who require it, including unemployed or economically inactive women over the age of 50.
DWP officials also work closely with the Office for Equality and Opportunity on the policy proposals in the Employment Rights Bill which will require large employers with more than 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans on how they will support employees through the menopause. The Government has published guidance on menopause, including for small employers on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause related leave and absence.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's average response time for priority visa applications.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) are currently processing Priority Visa (PV) applications within published customer service standards for straightforward applications. Information on applicable routes and processing times is available at: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK
It may however take longer to process an application if:
The UKVI Customer Service Standard performance can be found on the GOV.UK website, including PV applications: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the average time taken to reach a decision on priority visa applications.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) are currently processing Priority Visa (PV) applications within published customer service standards for straightforward applications. Information on applicable routes and processing times is available at: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK
It may however take longer to process an application if:
The UKVI Customer Service Standard performance can be found on the GOV.UK website, including PV applications: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the deployment of dark fibre for data-intensive businesses in (a) England, (b) London and (c) west London.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on dark fibre in the leased lines market. DSIT regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.
DSIT provides steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.
In July, DSIT published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on business connectivity, setting it as a priority for the regulator. Officials are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and DSIT will publish its response in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to increase the reliability of infrastructure for 5G connectivity in London.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government wants all areas of the UK, including London, to benefit from reliable and high-quality mobile coverage, and this is reflected in our ambition for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.
The department continues to work closely with the mobile network operators to deliver on this ambition, including removing barriers to deployment where they exist. This includes launching a call for evidence as soon as possible to assess the merits of planning reform to support the deployment of mobile infrastructure.
Through the Electronic Response and Resilience Group, DSIT works in partnership with communications providers to promote resilience across the sector.
The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 amended the Communications Act 2003 to place new security duties on telecoms providers to identify, reduce, and prepare for the risks of security compromises in public telecoms networks or services and to remedy or mitigate their adverse effects. These obligations are overseen by Ofcom, who have powers to enforce compliance. Ofcom publish information on security and resilience of networks in their annual Connected Nations UK Report.
In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile network access sites across the UK. They published an update on their work in February this year, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to encourage internet network providers to increase the coverage of full fibre broadband in (a) residential flats and (b) commercial properties.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July we will consult on policy measures later in the autumn to create a new right for leaseholders to request a gigabit broadband connection and a duty for freeholders to not unreasonably refuse the request. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on the policy proposals and we will seek to legislate for these measures when parliamentary time allows.
Additionally, ‘commercial properties’ are included in Project Gigabit, the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.