Tracy Gilbert
Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith
7,268 (14.7%) majority - 2024 General ElectionFirst elected: 4th July 2024
2 APPG Officer Positions (as of 9 Sep 2025)
Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Floating Offshore Wind3 APPG Memberships
Tennis, Marine Energy, Sustainable PlasticsDivision Voting information
Tracy Gilbert voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 49 Labour No votes vs 333 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 335 Noes - 260
Tracy Gilbert voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 42 Labour Aye votes vs 325 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 149 Noes - 328
Tracy Gilbert voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 47 Labour No votes vs 333 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 336 Noes - 242
Tracy Gilbert voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 47 Labour Aye votes vs 331 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 149 Noes - 334
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Department Debates
(13 debate contributions)
(13 debate contributions)
(12 debate contributions)
(7 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(4,113 words contributed)
(542 words contributed)
(498 words contributed)
(108 words contributed)
Edinburgh North and Leith 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).
of 19,907 signatures (0.62%)
of 169,598 signatures (0.43%)
of 28,204 signatures (0.42%)
of 107,883 signatures (0.29%)
of 169,598 signatures (0.43%)
of 904,029 signatures (0.07%)
of 107,883 signatures (0.29%)
of 108,384 signatures (0.23%)
Petition Closed
Allow transgender people to self-identify their legal gender.
Gov Responded - 19 Mar 2025 Debated on - 19 May 2025 View Tracy Gilbert's petition debate contributionsclosed 3 months ago
We believe the government should change legislation to make it easier for trans people of all ages to change their legal gender without an official diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
Latest EDMs signed by Tracy Gilbert
Taxi and private vehicle hire licensing
Tabled by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)That this House believes that there are growing concerns about cross-border hiring of taxis and private hire vehicles, where drivers obtain licenses in areas with less stringent regulations and then operate in areas with higher standards or greater demand; further believes that this can lead to inconsistent safety and vehicle …
(Most recent: 1 Sep 2025)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 4
Green Party: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Independent: 1
David Maxwell Fyfe
Tabled by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)That this House commends the work of David Maxwell Fyfe, a prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials and notes his important role in drafting the European Convention on Human Rights; understands David’s childhood and early education took place in Edinburgh; applauds the work of Songs of the People, a …
(Most recent: 22 Jul 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 5
Labour: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Independent: 1
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Tracy Gilbert, 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.
Tracy Gilbert has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Tracy Gilbert has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
1 Bill introduced by Tracy Gilbert
A Bill to make provision about absent voting in connection with local government elections in Scotland and Wales, elections to the Scottish Parliament and elections to Senedd Cymru; and for connected purposes.
Tracy Gilbert has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)1 Other Department Questions
This Government is steadfast in its dedication to protecting women and fostering a society in which they feel respected and empowered. We will uphold the Equality Act and continue to support the use of its single-sex exceptions. We will explore the best ways in which we can give service providers assurance about the rights afforded by the Act and how to lawfully apply its single-sex exceptions.
It is vitally important that service providers have clear guidance about the Equality Act 2010 and its single-sex service exceptions. We will bring forward guidance in due course that will give service providers assurance about the rights afforded by the Act and how to lawfully apply its single-sex exceptions.
In the Autumn Budget, the Government announced £11.8 billion in compensation to people who were infected and affected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal.
This is separate to the funding allocated to the administrative costs of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This Government is committed to engaging openly and transparently, and taking on board feedback from the infected blood community. The Cabinet Office regularly engages with over 30 key representatives and organisations in the community. I have met with a number of these representatives several times and will continue to do so.
The Government will consider the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Additional Report carefully, and respond in due course.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 Equalities Impact Assessment can be found here:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348268843/pdfs/ukdsipes_9780348268843_en_001.pdf.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office will lay IBCA's annual reports and accounts before Parliament in the usual way. The Cabinet Office will expect to be consulted by IBCA where there is a risk that IBCA will breach its administrative cost controls, or vary significantly from the agreed business plan.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be time-limited and capped, and we have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters will be subject to negotiation.
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Procurement Act 2023 introduces new powers to exclude and debar suppliers from public sector contracts if they pose a national security risk. To implement these powers, the Cabinet Office has established the new National Security Unit for Procurement, responsible for investigating suppliers on national security grounds, both within the government supply chain and for the wider public sector.
We have also taken action to remove surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive government sites. A timeline for removal was published on 29 April 2024. The Cabinet Office is monitoring progress against this timeline and departments are on track to replace all such equipment by April 2025.
Minister of State (Education)
In October 2023, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 was enacted with the primary purpose of bearing down on the fraudulent use of corporate structures in the UK. The process of implementing that legislation is underway but strengthened powers have already enabled the registrar of companies to intervene against 100,400 companies – equivalent to 2% of the register. This is further helped by expanded data sharing powers to collaborate with Law Enforcement partners to tackle strategic threats. Furthermore, this year Companies House is implementing mandatory Identity Verification to prevent false or hijacked identities being used.
On 6 February the government extended the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on Chinese e-bikes but only for folding e-bikes. The independent Trade Remedies Authority assessed the annual impact of removing the measures on non-folding Chinese e-bikes, as can be found in their Final Recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Trade Remedy Authority’s assessment was considered by the Secretary of State as part of his decision.
Secretary of State for Scotland
We know that this will be a concerning time for businesses in Scotland; in 2024, 12.3% of goods exported from Scotland were to the US. That is why the government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the US and we remain committed to these discussions.
The government is resolute in our support for industry across the whole of the UK, and ministers and officials will continue to engage with businesses to understand the impact of these tariffs.
Secretary of State for Scotland
Approximately 200,000 employees in Scotland are expected to benefit from a direct pay rise due to the increases in the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in April 2025, according to the Government’s Impact Assessment. Constituency-level estimates are not available due to greater data reliability issues arising from low survey response rates.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (for January to March 2024) suggest that around 1,030,000 people (representing 3.1% of total employment) were employed on a zero-hours contract in the UK.
Over the same period there were approximately 71,000 people (equating to 2.7% of total employment) employed on a zero-hours contract in Scotland.
The first part of the Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025 was signed into law on the 2nd of March 2025. The remaining parts of this regulatory framework will be laid in Parliament later this year, and Ofgem will assume its role as heat network market regulator on the 27th of January 2026.
On the 1st of April, the redress, advice and advocacy functions of the Heat Networks Market Framework came into force. Under these schemes, the Energy Ombudsman, Citizens Advice, and Consumer Scotland will monitor the market and have powers to take enforcement action against operators that break the rules on metering and billing.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is considering reforms to the electricity market through our Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). This includes consideration of whether to move to a zonal electricity market, where prices vary depending on local conditions, or to continue with a reformed version of our national pricing arrangements.
Zonal pricing could have significant benefits, including through reducing the cost of energy to businesses. However, it also creates potential new risks to generators that need to be carefully considered.
Any decisions on market reform will be based on a robust analysis of the costs and benefits.
The Government plans to conclude the policy development phase of the REMA programme by mid-2025.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The second REMA consultation sought views on a range of market reforms under consideration by Government, including zonal pricing. The outcomes of the consultation are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-electricity-market-arrangements-rema-second-consultation
Since coming into office I have also met with stakeholders representing a wide spectrum of views on zonal pricing, with the purpose of considering all positions as we work towards making a decision on market reform.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements Autumn Update, the Government plans to conclude the policy development phase of the REMA programme by mid-2025 and announce final decisions before the CfD Allocation Round 7 auctions open.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government is focused on establishing Great British Energy at its Headquarters in Aberdeen. Additional sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh will follow in the longer term to ensure the company can tap into expertise across Scotland. Estimates for these additional sites will depend upon the detailed workforce plans for the new company, which are being developed.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are currently working with industry to accelerate ways to build upon the successful outcome of the last Contracts for Difference auction, so that we can deliver our goal of clean power by 2030. We will also consult formally with stakeholders on any changes to the scheme ahead of Allocation Round 7.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem is legally responsible for network charging arrangements and both Government and Ofgem recognise the importance of transmission network charges in considering wider electricity system reform. There are both near- and long-term proposals being considered for reform of Transmission Network Use of System charges and Government officials will continue to work closely with Ofgem as these proposals develop.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem is legally responsible for network charging arrangements. Government and Ofgem recognise the importance of transmission charges to the development of renewable generation in Scotland. This is why Ofgem established an industry Taskforce to consider near-term improvements to transmission charges and has proposed a temporary cap and floor to alleviate the projected rise, and increasing volatility, in Transmission Network Use of System charges. This is expected to provide generators with greater certainty in time for future Contracts for Difference allocation rounds, including the next - Allocation Round 7.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government reviews the Contracts for Difference scheme before every round to ensure it continues to deliver our objectives. We are currently working with industry to accelerate ways to build upon the successful outcome of the last auction so that we can deliver our goal of clean power by 2030.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that some businesses may be struggling to pay their bills.
The Government believes that the only way to protect billpayers permanently, including small and medium sized enterprises, is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.
For non-domestic consumers who agreed to contracts at very expensive rates at the peak of price spikes, I recommend that they contact their supplier to enquire about ‘blend and extend’ contracts. These contracts blend the original, higher, unit rate with a new lower rate, spreading the cost over the course of an extended contract lifetime.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government does not currently have plans to introduce an energy price cap for non-domestic energy consumers.
The Government believes the only way to protect billpayers permanently, including non-domestic organisations, is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.
From 19 December we are expanding the remit of the Energy Ombudsman services so that small business consumers with fewer than 50 employees can resolve issues with their supplier through this service. This expands the level of support to 99% of businesses in Great Britain. In September we also launched a public consultation on regulating Third Party Intermediaries for non-domestic consumers, seeking views on different potential regulatory options for this market.
Heat network consumers are not currently protected by the energy price cap, that is why the Government is introducing regulations to give them comparable protections that existing gas and electricity regulations provide. We are appointing Ofgem as heat network regulator who will have the power to intervene if prices appear to be disproportionate or unfair.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State welcomes the delivery of an industry-led Skills Passport. This is an important step to help workers transition from carbon-intensive industries to new clean energy sectors as part of the Government's clean energy mission 2030.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest statistics on fuel poverty in England cover 2023 and can be found in the published Official Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics. Table 23 and Table 30 provide estimates of the number of households in fuel poverty by age of the oldest person in the household, and by employment status of the household reference person, respectively. Statistics for 2024 will be published in early 2025.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Scotland is the heart of energy in Great Britain and in recognition of the leading role that it plays in the UK’s clean energy revolution, Great British Energy will be headquartered and run from Scotland. We will announce the location in Scotland, of Great British Energy headquarters, in the coming months.
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is taking action to improve outcomes for heat network consumers, so that they receive similar levels of protection as gas and electricity consumers. The Heat Network Market Framework will address issues faced by consumers, such as excessive pricing and poor standards. The regulations will:
- Save money for consumers through price regulation and improved network quality.
- Protect vulnerable consumers by setting out clear standards of conduct.
- Give more control to consumers by setting up clear complaint procedures.
- Increase transparency for consumers and investors through improved data collection.
Work is underway to lay initial regulations later this year and my officials are preparing to consult on additional policy proposals this winter to further support consumers.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
3 Department for Science, Innovation & Technology Questions
(View all Tracy Gilbert's DSIT questions)The Government recognises the importance of accurate data and statistics on sex and gender, and has shared the independent review’s recommendations with departments for consideration in ongoing policy work. The Government Digital Service is also developing data standards for attributes of a person with input from across the public sector. Digital verification services, and public authorities processing personal data which may be used by such services during the verification process, are subject to data protection legislation which requires the personal data they’re processing to be relevant and accurate for the purpose for which it is being used.
Under the Online Safety Act, all in-scope services that allow pornography must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children accessing it, including user-to-user services and services which publish pornography. Under the Act, platforms must proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including extreme pornography.
Separate to provisions in the Online Safety Act, the Pornography Review, led by Independent Lead Reviewer Baroness Gabby Bertin, will explore the effectiveness of regulation, legislation and the law enforcement response to pornography. The government expects the Review to present its final report by the end of the year.
The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that children benefit from its wide-reaching protections.
The Act requires that all in scope services that allow pornography use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing it, including services that host user-generated content, and services which publish pornography. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers available against companies who fail to fulfil their duties.
1 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Tracy Gilbert's DCMS questions)The Government is aware of concerns relating to the continued access to video games, including licensed, online-only video games, and we appreciate the frustrations of players of some games that have been discontinued. The Government has responded to a recent petition on this issue.
There are no plans to amend existing consumer law on disabling video games. Those selling games must comply with existing requirements in consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), giving clear advice to consumers. Video game sellers must not omit or hide material information, or provide it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) supported 36 registered employers in 2023, and 47 registered employers in 2024. A CITB registered employer may access more than one grant or fund, and the cumulative count of support for registered employers within the constituency was 58 and 113 respectively.
Across Scotland, the CITB supported 2,864 registered employers in 2023, and 3414 registered employers in 2024, with 6,683 and 9,076 cumulative counts of support respectively.
The number of apprentices supported is not routinely captured at constituency level, so the CITB is unable to provide this figure from currently available data.
Through the CITB’s contract with Skills Development Scotland, it supported an average of 4,440 apprentices per month in 2023, and an average of 4,500 apprentices per month in 2024.
In the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) supported 36 registered employers in 2023, and 47 registered employers in 2024. A CITB registered employer may access more than one grant or fund, and the cumulative count of support for registered employers within the constituency was 58 and 113 respectively.
Across Scotland, the CITB supported 2,864 registered employers in 2023, and 3414 registered employers in 2024, with 6,683 and 9,076 cumulative counts of support respectively.
The number of apprentices supported is not routinely captured at constituency level, so the CITB is unable to provide this figure from currently available data.
Through the CITB’s contract with Skills Development Scotland, it supported an average of 4,440 apprentices per month in 2023, and an average of 4,500 apprentices per month in 2024.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
HM Treasury (HMT) is responsible for UK wide VAT policy. HMT has published its assessment of the impacts of removing the VAT exemption that applied to private school fees. This assessment also considers impacts on Scotland and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#summary-of-impacts.
While VAT is a reserved tax and the VAT policy will apply across the UK, education policy is devolved. The Scottish government will be able to provide further details of special educational needs support available to pupils in Scotland.
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
9 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Tracy Gilbert's Defra questions)We are investing over £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery, cutting EU export costs for food producers, and ensuring farmers are well-placed to bid for a fair share of public sector food contracts.
We will make reforms to ensure farmers receive fair payment for food production and have appointed former National Farmers Union president and cross-bench peer Baroness Minette Batters to review barriers to farming profitability.
From a check of products online, it is estimated that around 20% of English whiskies are labelled as English Whisky, and around 70% are labelled as Single Malt Whisky (not all of which use the term English Whisky).
Use of the English Whisky name is increasing among English whiskies, and if the geographical indication proceeds to registration, this will bring those producers under the HMRC Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme to ensure compliance with the product specification.
Accurate figures can only be obtained from those whiskies subject to HMRC verification checks for registered geographical indications, so the figure for English Whisky is an estimate. The percentages are 100% for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and approximately 90% for England.
As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring.
The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions.
DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, work closely together on assessing and advising on the impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment. Advice is based on robust scientific methods and all new scientific research is scrutinised before incorporating it into advice. Specialists at Natural England are directly involved in many offshore wind research projects and contribute to the Offshore Wind Environmental Evidence Register to support the knowledge base for the development of new offshore wind farms. New evidence is incorporated into Natural England’s guidance to offshore wind developers on environmental impact assessments. The guidance covers both ornithology and benthic assessments and is updated when new evidence comes to light.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring.
The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions.
DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring.
The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions.
DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring.
The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions.
DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Most payments where a parent is unwilling to pay are collected regardless, via either a deduction from earning order (DEO) or a deduction from benefit. Only where these options are not available are other mechanisms needed.
Nevertheless, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring all separated parents within the statutory scheme support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not.
If someone chooses not to pay their maintenance themselves, the CMS has administrative powers which means CMS officials can deduct maintenance directly from a paying parent’s wages, from their bank account, or from their benefits.
The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property.
The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders (ALOs), removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order. Introducing this process should enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and get money to children more quickly. We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has set out plans to introduce a single service where all payments will be monitored, enabling the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to identify missed, late, or partial payments in real time. This will enable swift enforcement action to restore compliance and increase the amount of money reaching children.
We expect the reforms will make hidden non-compliance within Direct Pay visible, enabling the CMS to intervene earlier to ensure children receive the financial support they are entitled to. Where cases are currently working well under Direct Pay, those families can move to a family-based arrangement or opt into Collect and Pay if they require the added security of enforcement.
Where compliance cannot be achieved, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve.
The Government is also conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and secures the best outcomes for children who are within scope of the scheme. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.
Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, which we plan to publish late this year, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In Winter 2023 to 2024, there were 10,051 pensioner households living in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 751,246 pensioner households living in Scotland. This is based on winter-fuel-payments-household-2023-to-2024.ods.
At that point in time, 1,659 pensioner households received Pension Credit in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 125,136 pensioner households received Pension Credit in Scotland. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore.
Based on these figures, 16.5% of pensioner households in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 16.7% of pensioner households in Scotland received Pension Credit in February 2024.
The latest Pension Credit statistics were published in November 2024 and cover the period up to May 2024. The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February 2025, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In Winter 2023 to 2024, there were 10,051 pensioner households living in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 751,246 pensioner households living in Scotland. This is based on winter-fuel-payments-household-2023-to-2024.ods.
At that point in time, 1,659 pensioner households received Pension Credit in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 125,136 pensioner households received Pension Credit in Scotland. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore.
Based on these figures, 16.5% of pensioner households in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 16.7% of pensioner households in Scotland received Pension Credit in February 2024.
The latest Pension Credit statistics were published in November 2024 and cover the period up to May 2024. The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February 2025, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)