Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39218 on Infrastructure, whether his Department plans to implement recommendation 27 of the report by the National Infrastructure Commission entitled Second National Infrastructure Assessment, published on 1 October 2023.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is the lead department for recommendation 27. The Government will draw on the National Infrastructure Commission’s analysis for the forthcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, which HMT is due to publish in June. My officials are working with DSIT, Ofcom, and Ofgem to support the identification of the future telecommunications requirements of the energy sector.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department undertakes Child Rights Impact Assessments for international development policies.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a ratifier of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the rights and wellbeing of children. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not undertake mandatory Child Rights Impact Assessments, but it is FCDO policy to consider the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which includes age, and Safeguarding responsibilities across our policies and investments.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he is having with the Scottish Government on support for the hospitality and tourism industry in Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Hospitality and tourism play a huge role in the cultural and economic well-being of Scotland. Indeed, the Secretary of State was a publican himself. The Scotland Office has regular engagement with key stakeholders in the sector, such as the Scottish Tourism Alliance and Scottish Hospitality Group.
I continue to engage with counterparts in the Scottish Government on a range of issues, including support for these vital industries, and we remain committed to working collaboratively to ensure the sector can thrive now and in the future.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing VAT from children's bikes on levels of take up of cycling among children and young people.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services.
Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money, as there is no guarantee that savings will be passed on to consumers.
The Government has no plans to remove VAT on children’s bikes.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to share data between her Department and HMRC to identify households eligible for Pension Credit.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC and DWP already have well established data-sharing processes and procedures, which are governed by the rules on how data can be accessed, shared and used whilst safeguarding individuals’ data and privacy.
DWP officials are currently working with HMRC to explore how to use data more effectively to help identify pensioner households most likely to be eligible for Pension Credit and to target them directly.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of simplifying application forms for social security entitlements.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department continues to review the experience of users of its services, and seeks to balance application simplicity with obtaining the information needed for an accurate award. A key objective of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme, drawing on end user research, is to assess how applications should be made in the future, and consider the opportunities for more user friendly and easily accessible services.
DWP Agents and third-party organisations are available to support customers with applications. For those without third party support, DWP provides various support to assist with benefit applications. The Department’s Visiting Service offers the most vulnerable applicants help with form completion.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to effectively communicate to eligible people over State Pension age that they may be entitled to Carer’s Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is constantly working to improve the way it communicates information and is committed to encouraging older people to claim Carer’s Allowance where they are entitled to it.
Information and advice about entitlement to Carer’s Allowance may be available from a range of outlets including DWP and other helplines, gov.uk and other internet sites, local authorities, Citizens Advice and welfare benefit offices, Social Services, voluntary organisations, such as, Age UK, Carers UK and Carers Trust and MacMillan, public libraries, health clinics, doctors' surgeries and health visitors.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support (a) credit unions and (b) other responsible lenders.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing products and affordable credit. In her Mansion House speech on 14 November, the Chancellor announced new measures to support the growth of the credit union and mutuals sector. This included publishing a call for evidence on the potential to reform common bonds for credit unions in Great Britain, asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to produce a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025, and welcoming the establishment of an industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Business Council.
The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly, can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow. Alongside continuing to engage with the banking and mutuals sector, HM Treasury is considering access to affordable credit more broadly as part of the financial inclusion strategy work announced last year.
Additionally, Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play an important role in the provision of credit to SMEs and individuals, promoting access to finance, and offering an alternative to mainstream lenders. The Government has a renewed commitment to the CDFI sector and launched the Community ENABLE Funding programme through the British Business Bank in November 2024. This has the overall purpose of increasing the supply of debt finance to smaller businesses by supporting CDFIs.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on simplifying the Pension Credit application form (a) in paper and (b) online.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As the Department continues to modernise the Pension Credit service, we review the user experience, balancing simplification of application with capturing the right information to ensure accuracy of award. A key objective of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme is to utilise end user research to understand how the application process should operate in the future and consider the opportunities on how services can be more user friendly and easily accessible for citizens. To that end we are streamlining all Pension Credit application routes by using information held internally to reduce the number of questions the citizen must answer.
Claims for Pension Credit can be made online, by telephone or by post. By far, the most popular way to claim is online where a claim can be made 24/7 with the help of a family member, a friend or a third party. Via the online service, the maximum number of questions a person needs to answer is 48; for some customers it can be as few as 35 questions. As a result, the online claim form now takes just 16 minutes on average to complete, with 90 per cent of new customers applying using the simple online form, or over the phone.
With the telephone service, the caller will be guided through the claim process. We will keep the Pension Credit application process under review.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving licenses have been revoked in each month since January 2024.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below provides the number of drivers who have been revoked in each month since January 2024.
| Volumes | ||
Month | Drivers revoked under the New Drivers Act 1995 | Group 1 (car & motorcycle) drivers revoked on medical grounds | Group 2 (bus and lorry) drivers revoked on medical grounds |
Jan-24 | 1,173 | 3,226 | 341 |
Feb-24 | 1,121 | 3,214 | 322 |
Mar-24 | 1,160 | 3,164 | 342 |
Apr-24 | 1,148 | 3,094 | 248 |
May-24 | 1,201 | 3,099 | 260 |
Jun-24 | 1,125 | 2,616 | 294 |
Jul-24 | 1,223 | 3,603 | 424 |
Aug-24 | 1,091 | 3,298 | 359 |
Sep-24 | 1,106 | 3,345 | 342 |
Oct-24 | 1,112 | 3,410 | 390 |
Nov-24 | 1,111 | 3,109 | 331 |
Dec-24 | 1,048 | 2,503 | 301 |
Jan-25 | 1,083 | 3,056 | 415 |
Feb-25 | N/A | 3,032 | 353 |
Total | 14,702 | 43,769 | 4,722 |
Group 1 and 2 revocations should not be added together as there will be an element of double accounting. The medical standards for Group 2 driving are higher than Group1 and Group 2 drivers may lose just their Group 2 entitlement or may lose both Group 1 and 2 entitlement.