Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to set a clear timetable for confirming and implementing the final proposals arising from the NHS dental contract quality and payment reforms 2026 consultation; and if he will publish a deadline by which (a) NHS dental professionals, (b) commissioners and (c) patients can expect both the Department’s response and the commencement of the resulting reforms.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August.
The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course, with the expectation of implementing the reforms from April 2026.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what performance metrics his Department uses to monitor whether Universal Credit agent responses to online journal messages are (a) accessible and (b) compliant with Departmental guidance for claimants with learning disabilities or mental health conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is no performance metric to monitor accessibility within the Department. However, all staff complete mandatory training on the Public Sector Equality Duty, and a wide range of support is available—including instructions, guides, and awareness sessions—to help staff make reasonable adjustments and provide accessible services. Universal Credit Agents receive dedicated training to interact effectively and sensitively with customers, particularly those with learning disabilities or mental health conditions, to ensure that everyone receives the support they need.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the total amount of child maintenance arrears owed to date in Wiltshire; and how this compares to the national average.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested on the total amount of child maintenance arrears owed in Wiltshire is not readily available and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain.
The Department publishes Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics regularly and the relevant information for Great Britain can be accessed from Table 5 of the supplementary tables in the latest release.
Table 5 counts how much child maintenance due has accumulated since the CMS began, in 2012. At the end of June 2025 this was £734.3m. This figure does not include arrears incurred with the Child Support Agency pre-2012.
The CMS collected 93% of all maintenance owed since it was established in 2012. The CMS has a low percentage of unpaid maintenance with 7% (£734.3 million) of the total maintenance due to be paid since the CMS began in 2012, still to be collected through Collect & Pay. This has steadily fallen since the 17% due to be paid in March 2015.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the process for (a) selecting and (b) prioritising cases from the daily court lists to ensure that cases involving people charged with breaching bail conditions in violent domestic abuse cases are (i) heard within the required legal timeframes and (ii) not released due to court scheduling delays.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Listing and case management decisions are made by the judiciary in collaboration with court listing officers, who prioritise cases involving vulnerable witnesses. The judiciary prioritise cases in line with the Criminal Practice Directions which set out the key principles for managing court lists, available at: Criminal Procedure Rules 2025 and Criminal Practice Directions 2023 - GOV.UK. Cases involving defendants held in custody overnight, including those accused of breaching bail conditions, are a priority. To support this, HMCTS has introduced measures such as a national forum for listing officers to share best practice.
In December 2024, the Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims. Work on Part 2 of the review will consider how the end-to-end process in the criminal courts could be improved to maximise efficiency and ensure public protection in the sorts of cases highlighed in the question. This work is underway and we expect it to be finalised later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish her Department's post-16 education and skills strategy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills and will shortly publish the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the development of a strategy for asylum accommodation; if she will list the other Government departments that are involved in this work; and what steps her Department is taking to consult (a) local authorities, (b) the devolved administrations and (c) relevant community organisations during the development of the strategy.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
As part of our commitment to end the use of all asylum hotels and reduce costs for taxpayers, the Home Office has been working in collaboration with other government departments and local authorities to develop a more sustainable model of accommodation which seeks to reduce competition for affordable housing and help deliver new supply.
As part of this, the Home Office’s Asylum Accommodation Programme is now working in collaboration with other government departments to deliver a range of sites, including potential former military sites, that contribute to a more flexible estate. Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites will be made on a site-by-site basis.
The government is also investing £500 million to develop this new, more sustainable accommodation model. This funding will be delivered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in partnership with the Home Office and local councils, in order to deliver better outcomes for communities and taxpayers. This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels.
We continue to keep the strategy under review as progress continues.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 total (a) amount of child maintenance arrears owed and (b) number of children for whom maintenance was outstanding in Wiltshire in each of the past five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of how the total value of child maintenance arrears owed in Wiltshire has changed since 2015; and what steps he is taking to reduce the level of arrears.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The statistical information requested for Wiltshire is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support and the Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to make sure parents comply. Where parents fail to pay their child maintenance, the Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings orders, removal of driving licences, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison. The Service is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department provides to (a) Universal Credit agents and (b) Work Coaches on communicating with claimants who have learning disabilities or mental health conditions when responding to messages via (i) online journals and (ii) telephone.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit agents and Work Coaches receive a range of training to equip them to support customers with health conditions, learning disabilities, and additional or complex needs throughout their role.
Key training includes:
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hours of (a) initial and (b) refresher training Universal Credit agents receive on supporting claimants with learning disabilities or mental health conditions; and at what intervals refresher training is mandated.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit agents and Work Coaches receive a range of training to equip them to support customers with health conditions, learning disabilities, and additional or complex needs throughout their role.
Key training includes: