Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP staff are not required to disclose details of any religion, however, the information can be voluntarily provided and based on those responses, DWP as of May 2025 has 1207 employees that have declared as being Sikh (paid staff only). This level of data is recorded as ‘Religious Belief Breakdown’.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Commissioner for Public Appointments was consulted on the appointment of the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator; and whether the Commissioner raised any concerns on the process.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Commissioner is carrying out an inquiry into the campaign to appoint a new Chair of the Independent Football Regulator. The Government is co-operating fully with the Commissioner's office.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with relevant authorities to prevent heat-related deaths of household pets in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the Act), owners and keepers must protect their animals from harm and provide for their welfare needs in line with best practice
The Act is supported by Codes of Practice for Dogs and Cats. The Codes include guidance on providing a suitable environment for the animal, including information on protecting the animal from extreme temperatures and weather conditions.
Local authorities and the police have powers to enforce the Act and can intervene where an animal is suspected to be suffering.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the expansion of (a) safe, (b) accessible and (c) integrated (i) cycling and (ii) walking infrastructure.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor has recently announced £616 million for Active Travel England up to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure. In addition, this Government will provide nearly £18 billion to local authorities through the Transport for City Region settlements and the Local Transport Grant, supporting them to invest in their local transport priorities, including walking and cycling.
Active Travel England works with local authorities to help design and deliver high-quality networks. The forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy we will help to ensure that active travel is safe, accessible and integrated with other modes to encourage more people to cycle, walk and wheel.
Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Sikhism is recorded as a religion or belief. Annual statistics by department, as of 31 March, are available in the 2024 Civil Service Statistics (Table A3): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the government has altered its risk assessment criteria for foreign-state linked acquisition companies under the National Security and Investment Act since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Decisions made under the Act may be subject to judicial review. The Government currently has no plans to change this.
All acquisitions considered under the NSI Act are assessed on a case by case basis, taking account of all relevant considerations.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to take steps to expand the method by which UK companies can appeal decisions made by the government under the powers of the National Security and Investment Act.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Decisions made under the Act may be subject to judicial review. The Government currently has no plans to change this.
All acquisitions considered under the NSI Act are assessed on a case by case basis, taking account of all relevant considerations.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment she has made of the adequacy of pension replacement rates in (a) the UK and (b) other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government committed to carry out a landmark Pensions Review to deliver better outcomes for savers and the UK economy. Our focus is on building a system that supports people to save effectively throughout their working lives and provides a strong foundation for income in retirement.
Automatic Enrolment (AE) has helped over 11 million workers start saving into a pension since 2012, but we know some people still are not saving enough. In March 2023, DWP published new analysis into future pensioner incomes, showing that 38% of working age people (equivalent to 12.5 million people) are under saving for retirement when measured against Target Replacement Rates before housing costs and 12% are not saving enough to meet the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association’s minimum living standard. That is why the second phase of our Pensions Review will in the coming months look at further steps to improve pension outcomes.
OECD rankings show that the UK’s pensions system of the new State Pension and Automatic Enrolment will provide future workers with income replacement rates which are comparable to the OECD average, alongside countries such as Germany and Norway.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Plan for Neighbourhoods: Regeneration Plan guidance, published on 9 June 2025, what estimate she has made of the (a) quantity and (b) length of the total paperwork required for participants to receive Plan for Neighbourhoods funding.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 9th June, the government published the Plan for Neighbourhoods Regeneration Plan Guidance which re-iterates our commitment for a light touch assessment process. The Plan for Neighbourhoods represents a break from the competitive bidding process and micromanaging of previous regeneration funds. Instead, this is a model whereby Neighbourhood Boards are provided with a list of pre-approved interventions and given the autonomy such that, if that activity can be evidenced as a clear priority of the community, it can be pursued without the need to provide a lengthy business case. The activities listed range from eye-catching new developments to the bread-and-butter issues raised by people on the doorstep.
The Plan for Neighbourhoods will transform “left behind” areas to deliver meaningful change in the day-to-day lives of local people.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) support and (b) workplace protections are available to civil servants within the Department who have voiced concerns on Israel's conduct in Gaza.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to ensuring high standards of conduct in all that it does. It is the job of civil servants to deliver on the policies of the government of the day and to provide professional, impartial advice as set out in the Civil Service Code. We are proud of the work they do.
There are dedicated policies and processes in place which allow them to raise concerns if they have them without fear of victimisation, subsequent discrimination, disadvantage or dismissal. The FCDO also offers a range of pastoral care and support to staff including an Employee Assistance Programme for staff experiencing any personal or work-related issues.