Written questions by Jarvis.

What assessment she has made of the timeliness of police forensic collision investigation reports following serious road traffic collisions; and what steps she is taking with police forces in England to reduce delays in the completion and release of forensic collision investigation reports.

The police are responsible for collision investigations and for establishing the circumstances that have led to deaths and life changing injuries on our roads.The police investigation and release of forensic collision investigation reports, along with decisions on how available resources in completing and releasing forensic collision investigation reports, along with decisions are the deployment of available resources, are the responsibility of Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners who take into account specific local problems and demands when making those decisions.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in (a) recognising and applying court-ordered shared care arrangements when determining maintenance liability, (b) ensuring that submitted evidence of changes in care arrangements is reviewed and acted upon within reasonable timeframes, (c) reviewing continued collection of maintenance payments where administrative error has been identified, (d) supporting service users experiencing prolonged disputes or repeated reassessments and, (f) resolving complaints in a timely manner.

Where the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is satisfied that both parents have equal day-to-day care for the child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance. There is no statutory definition of day-to-day care; the CMS’ definition is broadly aligned with that of Child Benefit, where an ‘overall care test’ is used. This provides consistency across government and receipt of Child Benefit is regarded as a good indicator of who is entitled to child maintenance payments. Where shared care exists for at least 52 night per week, the CMS will reduce liability. If a dispute on the amount of care provided by each parent does arises, the CMS will seek to collect evidence from parents, allowing both a reasonable time to submit the evidence before we review. It will give greatest weight to evidence of a formal agreement or court order directing shared care arrangements. When CMS backdates a change of circumstances, it will increase or decrease liability depending on the outcome of the decision. The CMS works to ensure that liability adjustments following changes in care arrangements are processed as quickly and accurately as possible. These changes can vary in complexity, and the time taken depends on factors such as the availability of corroborating information from both parents and whether there is agreement on the new arrangements. Where there is disagreement or insufficient evidence, additional checks are required, which can extend the timescale. Through its Service Modernisation Programme CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options to provide greater choice and flexibility to allow parents to submit information more quickly, helping reduce delays. CMS has enhanced customer communications by increasing the use of SMS text and email and simplifying letters to make them clearer and easier to understand. Online services, including Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), allow parents to access advice and manage their case 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It has also introduced online messaging for certain processes, enabling customers to respond to requests for information at a time that suits them, with plans to extend this functionality further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees up resources to support customers who need to speak to it by telephone. Recent improvements to call routing ensure more calls go directly to case-owning teams, providing a faster and more responsive service. The DWP aims to contact a customer within 15 working days to tell them of the outcome of their complaint or when they can expect a response if it will take longer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of immigration enforcement activity undertaken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the 2026 FIFA World Cup on (a) the safety and welfare of British nationals attending matches and (b) levels of attendance by British supporters; and what steps her Department is taking to provide guidance and reassurance to UK citizens travelling to the tournament.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 87175.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed cap on branded uniform items on curricular and extracurricular PE participation; and whether her Department has considered allowing a longer implementation period for changes to school uniform policy.

The assessments made in relation to the limit on branded school uniform and PE kit contained in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including consideration of implementation timings, have been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-impact-assessments.In order to support schools to implement the proposed limit by September 2026, we published our statutory guidance ‘Cost of school uniforms’ and have committed to updating it following Royal Assent for the Bill. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.

What steps his Department is taking to support tailored, small-cohort employability programmes for care-experienced young people that include one-to-one career coaching, work experience opportunities and in-work mentoring.

The Department is committed to improving employment outcomes for care‑experienced young people and ensuring they can access the personalised support they need to move into and stay in work. Our new programme, Connect to Work is a £1 billion voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing complex non-health related barriers to work which includes care experienced young people. The programme will support around 300,000 people across England and Wales by the end of the decade.Robust international evidence shows that Supported Employment, which provides a holistic approach to supporting individuals with more complex barriers to employment, can be effective in helping these people into sustained employment.Participants are given a dedicated, specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. The adviser seeks good labour market matches for the participant. Participants are supported to have conversations with prospective employers, removing the need to go through complex application processes. The employment adviser works with both the employer and the participant to ensure that the transition into work is smooth and that the workplace is inclusive.Out of Work participants receive one-to-one support from Connect to Work for up to 12 months to help identify and fulfil employment goals that are suitable for their circumstances. In work participants who are at risk of falling out of employment or self-employment due to their disability or complex barriers can receive up to 4 months support.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in the level of household financial hardship and (b) the potential impact of those trends on the design and funding of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

Trends in the percentage of individuals in relative and absolute low income both before and after housing costs can be found in the Households Below Average Income Official Statistics: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK Between the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years, there was an increase in the number of people in relative low income before housing costs and a decrease in the number of people in relative low income after housing costs. Over the same time period there was an increase in the number of people in absolute low income. These trends informed the decision to launch the Crisis and Resilience Fund and for funding levels to be in line with the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments. Local Authority allocations for the Crisis and Resilience Fund are determined by deprivation and population size as well as shortfalls and deductions due to the Benefit Cap, Local Housing Allowance and Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy to ensure that funding levels reflect local need and financial hardship in an area.

What steps she is taking to help halve violence against women and girls in Eastleigh constituency within a decade; how much funding has been allocated for this purpose in Eastleigh constituency; and what metrics her Department is using to monitor progress.

“Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls” was published on 18th December 2025 and sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade. Commitments in the VAWG Strategy apply across England, including in the Eastleigh constituency.The Strategy is backed by at least £1 billion funding across government over the spending review period. This is alongside much wider investment across the whole of government. Funding for VAWG related services is generally allocated at a national, regional, or local authority level rather than by parliamentary constituency. As such, the Home Office does not hold separate figures for Eastleigh constituency.The headline metric we are using to measure progress against our ambition is through a combined estimate of the proportion of people aged 16 and over who have experienced any of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking in the previous 12 months, based on the Crime Survey for England and Wales. We will track supporting headline metrics for female homicide, repeat domestic abuse, and the prevalence of sexual harassment, as well as a further set of sub-metrics to monitor progress across Government, which are detailed in the Strategy.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Crisis and Resilience Fund is fully operational by April 2026.

My Department has worked closely with local authorities and other stakeholders on the detailed design of the Fund. We published scheme guidance in January, and final allocations have been confirmed to enable local authorities to prepare for delivery. We are collaborating with local authorities through ongoing implementation activity to support readiness and effective delivery ahead of the Fund going live in April 2026.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mitigating the impact of the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit for pensioners with incomes just above the Standard Minimum Guarantee level.

Pension Credit provides direct financial support to pensioner households on the lowest incomes, ensuring that they receive a guaranteed minimum level of income – the Standard Minimum Guarantee (SMG). The Standard Minimum Guarantee is subject to the Secretary of State’s annual statutory review of State Pension and benefit rates, and it will increase by 4.8% from April. Pensioners with incomes just above their Pension Credit level may still benefit from a range of wider support, depending on their circumstances, including help with housing costs, Council Tax, health related support, and other means tested assistance available across the welfare system.

What steps his Department is taking to improve collaboration between Jobcentre Plus, local employers and community organisations in supporting young people into sustained employment.

The Department is strengthening collaboration between Jobcentre Plus, local employers and community organisations to support young people into sustained employment. Through the development of the new Jobs and Careers Service, we are embedding a more locally responsive model of employment support. This includes working in partnership with Mayoral Combined Authorities, Local Authorities, employers and the voluntary and community sector to design and test different elements of the service that reflect local labour markets. We are also undertaking a structured programme of engagement with 8,000 employers to better meet their recruitment needs, ensuring that support is tailored to local employers and local labour markets. This includes growing the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in priority sectors, where Jobcentres are working with local training providers to deliver employer-led placements combining sector-focused employability training, a work experience placement and guaranteed job interview. We are also exploring how we can bring our services into the heart of communities to reach more people, including through our mobile Jobcentre services, where support is being provided in local community settings such as leisure centres and supermarkets. In addition, for young people the government’s Youth Guarantee aims to ensure every young person has the opportunity to earn or learn, including those outside of the benefits system. As part of this we are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations across Great Britain, so that all young people can access high-quality, holistic support in their local area. Youth Hubs strengthen collaboration between Jobcentre Plus, local employers and community organisations by bringing partners together in local areas to deliver joined up support. Hubs align employment support with mental health, housing, skills provision and local employer links to help young people access co-ordinated support into sustained employment. We have also launched eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, backed by £90 million of funding, to test innovative, locally led approaches to supporting young people, particularly those outside of the benefits system. The Trailblazers are bringing together national entitlements with locally tailored provision, strengthening local leadership and coordination, and working with partners including the voluntary sector, employers and colleges to reach and support young people who need additional help. Learning from these Trailblazers will inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain. Taken together, these steps are improving collaboration at local level by aligning employment support more closely with employers and community partners, and by delivering joined‑up, place‑based support to help young people move into sustained employment.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of minimum qualification requirements on access to apprenticeships for young people not in education, employment or training; and what steps she is taking to ensure that access to apprenticeships is expanded to young people (a) with barriers to attainment and (b) who have not met minimum qualification requirements.

Young people are not required to hold GCSE qualifications in English and/or maths before starting an apprenticeship. Apprentices under the age of 19 are funded to achieve up to a level 2 qualification in English and/or maths (where they do not already hold one) before the end of their apprenticeship, putting them in the best position to progress in their life and career. This can be a GCSE or functional skills qualification. Further flexibility is in place for apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability, where there is evidence this is likely to be a barrier to them completing their apprenticeship. In these cases, they are able to achieve an entry level 3 functional skills qualification to complete. Since August 2024, this flexibility has been available to apprentices with a learning difficulty and/or disability but without an Education Health and Care Plan. Although apprenticeships are jobs with training, and employers set their own entry requirements, we encourage them to consider a wide group of applicants. To support removing barriers to entry for young people, we are clear to employers that we will fund apprentices without English and maths GCSEs to achieve these qualifications.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision for the early diagnosis of liver disease by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board; and what steps his Department is taking to support that Integrated Care Board to improve early identification and treatment.

Locally, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) is implementing the NHS Long Term Plan’s commitments on earlier diagnosis of liver diseases. This includes expanding access to non-invasive testing in primary care and community diagnostic centres delivering liver function tests and fibroscans in community environments. The ICB is also promoting consistent use of risk stratification tools, improving care navigation into specialist hepatology services via advice and guidance, and strengthening data infrastructure so systems can better target those at highest risk.Nationally, NHS England has commenced a programme of work on the transformation of liver services led by the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group (HPB CRG). The HPB CRG is working with partners to co-produce resources to raise public knowledge and awareness of all forms of liver disease.The HPB CRG is also aiming to improve the early diagnosis and intervention through developing evidence-based best-practice pathways for both primary care and referral to secondary care services.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to employability programmes for neurodivergent young people; and whether he has considered further adjustments to support their participation.

The Government’s ambition is to transform young people’s prospects, by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn or learn through a Youth Guarantee, as we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper. Specific additional support for young disabled people and young people with health conditions will be available through Pathways to Work. We have already launched 8 Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England which are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. As part of their place-based approach, MSAs have developed their approaches with consideration to young people in their locality who need more support and several are offering targeted support for young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities. We have also launched an Independent Report into Young People and Work, to identify potential areas for reform to better support young people with health conditions and disabilities. As part of the Youth Guarantee, we are breaking the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing paid work for every eligible 18–21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. The Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment, for 25 hours a week, at the relevant minimum wage, with the government covering 100% of employment costs. It will also provide wraparound support for young people to further develop the required skills and experience needed for the move into sustained employment. Appropriate safeguards will be built into the scheme to ensure that opportunities are high quality, fair and deliver the intended outcomes for young people. Alongside this, in Pathways to Work we are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions, regardless of age, on out of work benefits. This guarantee will be backed by £1 billion a year of funding by the end of the decade.

What plans he has for the continuation or expansion of the WorkWell programme beyond the current three-year funding period; whether he plans to expand the programme to support more than 250,000 people; whether he plans to expand eligibility for the programme; and what criteria his Department is using to determine whether the programme will be expanded beyond its current rollout.

WorkWell is a health and employment support service providing integrated holistic early help for people with disabilities and/or health conditions to address their health-related barriers to work. The WorkWell pilot phase launched in October 2024 in 15 areas in England and so far has supported approximately 25,000 people to stay in and re-enter work. In January 2026 we announced that following the pilot, WorkWell will continue to be delivered in existing sites and expand across all of England. The expansion is backed by up to £259 million investment over three years and could support up to 250,000 people. WorkWell is a voluntary service with broad eligibility criteria; participants do not need to be claiming any Government benefits to be eligible and can access WorkWell through multiple routes including employer referrals, GP referrals, Jobcentre Plus, local services, or self-referral.An evaluation of the pilot is underway to measure the ongoing effectiveness of WorkWell and will include an independent consortium of evaluators using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The evaluation will consider several variables, including reported health conditions (both physical and mental health) and earnings. Outcomes for participants are monitored across the length of the pilot, and for a further 2 years. A final report in Autumn 2028 will aim to give full assessment of impact of the pilot, including potential sustainment of employment impacts. A similar evaluation will be commissioned for the national rollout of WorkWell. The learnings from these evaluations will inform any future expansion decisions.

What is planned timetable is for a decision on the inclusion of woodland and peatland carbon codes within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Government is working to integrate greenhouse gas removals into the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and is considering whether this should include high integrity woodland, such as Woodland Carbon Units under the Woodland Carbon Code. The UK ETS Authority consulted in May 2024, and in July 2025 set out further evidence on the potential impacts of including woodland. The Authority will make a decision on woodland inclusion in due course. As set out in July 2025, the Authority is not considering peatland restoration for inclusion in the UK ETS.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of changes in UK funding to the World Food Programme since 2024 on efforts to tackle global hunger and food insecurity.

The UK is a longstanding partner of the World Food Programme (WFP) and we are in regular dialogue to monitor the landscape as global funding shifts. As a member of the Global Network Against Food Crises, the UK is also working with WFP to support analysis and reporting to help inform international responses. On levels of UK funding to WFP, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 December 2025 in response to Question HL12148.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK-based firms are able to participate in competitive procurement processes for NHS contracts.

The Government is committed to ensuring that public procurement delivers economic growth, supports small businesses, champions innovation and creates high quality jobs across the United Kingdom.In February 2025, the Government published the National Procurement Policy Statement, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-procurement-policy-statementThe statement sets out clear priorities to maximise the impact of public spending. This came into effect alongside the commencement of the Procurement Act 2023, which modernises the procurement regime to make it simpler, more transparent, and more supportive of UK-based suppliers. The Government has also consulted on further reforms to improve domestic competitiveness and support British business. More information about the consultation is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/public-procurement-growing-british-industry-jobs-and-skills-consultation-on-further-reforms-to-public-procurementThe Social Value Model is a legal requirement on public bodies to consider broader economic, social, and environmental benefits, not just cost, in procurement exercises. All procurements exercises are required to apply a minimum of 10% weighting in the bid evaluation, including those in the National Health Service. This approach aligns with Government policy to support UK growth, jobs, skills pathways, and workforce wellbeing.NHS England is also committed to improving engagement with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and helping to make it easier for them to do business with the NHS. To help ensure SMEs have a voice within the NHS, NHS England have established an SME Advisory Group, which has worked with NHS England to improve the opportunities for SMEs to engage with and compete for NHS business. In February 2024, NHS England published an SME Action Plan that outlines how the NHS will better engage, communicate with and learn from the SME community, improve visibility of NHS opportunities and encourage SME participation in commercial activity. The action plan is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/small-and-medium-enterprises-action-plan/

What steps his Department is taking to prevent economic abuse of women occurring through child maintenance; what safeguards the Child Maintenance Service has in place to identify and respond to such cases; whether he plans to introduce further measures; and what the timetable is for implementing measures to strengthen protections for affected women and children.

The CMS has access to resources which help caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations that support victims and survivors of domestic abuse. All CMS caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process and domestic abuse plan which includes steps to support and recognise domestic abuse, including economic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. The Government’s focus is to deliver a policy that meaningfully protects parents who are victims of domestic abuse. We believe the best way to achieve that is through the removal of the Direct Pay service. Under the reformed service, all cases will be managed in a single service where the CMS monitors and transfers all payments. Reforms to the CMS will provide a safer service for victims and survivors by preventing unwanted contact with the other parent and removing opportunities for abuse that currently exist in Direct Pay, including the need for receiving parents to report non-compliance. Our intention remains to remove Direct Pay, and we will do so as soon as parliamentary time allows. In the meantime, we are strengthening our support for victims/survivors, for example by making it easier for parents to switch to the Collect and Pay service and being clearer in our communication about what support is available for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and how to access it.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the student loan repayment system, including interest accrual, on borrowers who take extended periods out of the labour market due to caring responsibilities; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential differential impact of this system on women.

Interest accrues on loan balances until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, but interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.Borrowers on Plan 5 student loans only accrue interest at Retail Price Index (RPI) (currently 3.2%) meaning graduates will not repay more than they borrow in real terms. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold, or when out of the labour market, such as with caring responsibilities, ensuring that the loan’s debt value will not grow in real terms. Additionally, borrowers, regardless of their plan, earning under the repayment threshold are not required to make repayments.Graduates only begin repaying once their earnings exceed the earnings threshold, paying 9% of income above that level. If a graduate becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest may be written off.For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of barriers to entry on UK small and medium-sized enterprises in competitive public procurement processes.

The Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses, especially SMEs. The Procurement Act (PA23) sets, for the first time, a duty for contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and to consider what can be done to reduce or remove them. Initial trends show that the proportion of PA23 tender lots with a planning, tender, transparency or dynamic markets notice tagged as suitable for SMEs has increased to around two thirds of all requirements. To continue to build on this positive trend, this Government has also published a new, more ambitious, National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), which requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs to bid for contracts.