Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial and emotional impact on parents and children of delays within the HM Courts & Tribunals Service affecting Special Educational Need and Disability appeals.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Reducing waiting times in the SEND tribunal is a priority.
His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is working with the judiciary to improve case progression and earlier resolution. The Government fully recognises that prolonged proceedings can place practical and emotional strain on children and parents by extending uncertainty about a child or young person’s assessment, provision or placement. The Department for Education has consulted on proposals to improve early identification of need to ensure that children and young people get the support they need when they need it, including strengthening local mediation services to resolve disputes earlier. It is currently considering responses before setting out its final proposals.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to ISA regulation on retail investment trends.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to fostering a culture of retail investment across the United Kingdom, supporting individuals to secure better long-term returns on their savings while maintaining financial resilience. This includes various reforms to encourage retail investment, from the roll-out of targeted support to help people get the support they need to invest, to the industry led ‘Invest for Future’ comms campaign and reforms to investment risk warnings.
An assessment of the impacts of the changes to Cash Individual Savings Account (ISA) subscription limits that were announced at Budget 2025 was published on GOV.UK on 17 September 2026. The impact assessment can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reduction-in-the-cash-individual-savings-account-isa-limit/cash-individual-savings-account-isa-limit-reduction
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with international partners on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We cannot allow the Iranian regime to exploit the global economy, threatening vital trade routes and driving up prices for British families.
The Foreign Secretary has pressed his Iranian counterpart directly to end its reckless behaviour and threats to shipping in the Strait.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken on this issue with the US, E3 and Gulf partners, as well as other international counterparts.
I have also engaged partners including Oman, Bahrain, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of automated recruitment processes on graduates.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The government has not specifically assessed the potential impact of automated recruitment processes on graduates.
However, it recognises concerns raised by young people who contributed to Alan Milburn's interim review of the rise in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Many reported submitting large numbers of job applications but receiving either no response or only automated rejections.
The government is considering these concerns and will respond to any recommendations arising from Alan Milburn's final review once it is published.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment of young people.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to backing young people, bringing down the number of those who are not learning or earning and incentivising the hiring of new talent. We are investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 through the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.
This investment will support almost one milling young people and create up to 500,000
opportunities to earn and learn, including unlocking up to 200,000 opportunities for
employment. The Government is also committing to over £1bn to deliver training opportunities targeted at key industries, including £295m for 29 new Technical Excellence Colleges that will serve over 100,000 students and deepen employer partnerships.
Through the Youth Guarantee, we are encouraging businesses to take on new talent through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six-month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds. Employers are also not required to pay Employer National Insurance Contributions for employees under-21s and for under-25 apprentices, on earnings up to £50,270.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many privately contracted prison vans logged failures of service to the Ministry of Justice each year in the UK since 2015.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many privately contracted prison vans logged failures of service to the Ministry of Justice each year in London since 2015.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes there have been in levels of employment between 2024 and 2026.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The independent Office for National Statistics publish data on the levels of employment in the UK. This can be found here: A01: Summary of labour market statistics - Office for National Statistics.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment they have made of the impact that delayed and lost deliveries from poor performance of courier services have on small and medium-sized businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
We expect all delivery companies to provide a good level of service for businesses and have been clear that some need to do more to meet customer expectations.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is responsible for reviewing the regulatory framework including considering the needs of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) users. Ofcom monitors the experiences of businesses and consumers of parcel delivery services. Its last 2024/25 annual post monitoring report found that around eight in ten SMEs were satisfied with delivery services. Ofcom has, however, recognised concerns about parcel delivery performance and is keeping the need for further regulation under review.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting non-compete clauses on the competitiveness of the UK financial services sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of a competitive and dynamic UK financial services sector, which is a key driver of growth across the economy. The Prime Minister recently announced that the Government will legislate on non-compete clauses in employment contracts and bring forward options to address the wider use of restrictive practices. These reforms are intended to support labour mobility, innovation and business dynamism while ensuring firms continue to have tools available to protect legitimate business interests. Further detail will be set out in the Government's response to the working paper on reform of non-compete clauses at Budget 2026.