Written questions by Foster.

What steps his Department is taking in response to the Government Internal Audit Agency’s finding of Limited Assurance for the Armed Forces Pension Scheme in FY 2024–25, particularly in relation to (a) internal control, (b) timeliness and accuracy of member data updates and (c) errors in pension calculations and payments.

We are committed to improving the performance of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) and a dedicated Pension Programme Manager has been appointed to oversee work to rectify the issues identified. 44 Agreed Management Actions with the GIAA have been completed since its findings on 31 March 2025. A contract reset with the contracted supplier of AFPS will also drive better accuracy and timeliness of customer outputs and exercises to regularise the issues identified.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many arms export licences in respect to Israel have been reviewed over the past 12 months, and of those reviewed, how many have been revoked or suspended/part suspended.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 72500.

If he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 16 November 2023.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022.

If he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 19 December 2023.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022

Whether a meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet relating to a data breach took place in October 2023,.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Which Ministers attended the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee on 25 March 2024.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022

If he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 22 January 2024.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022

How many Education, Health and Care (a) requests and (b) needs assessments have been (i) completed and (ii) issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe by Lancashire County Council in the last 12 months.

Information on the number of requests for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment, the number of assessments carried out and the number of new plans issued within the statutory 20-week time, including at a local authority level, are published in the statistical release, accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.

Whether her Department monitors the compliance of individual local authorities with statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 in relation to the delivery of EHCP provision.

Local authorities identified as having issues with education, health and care (EHC) plan timeliness are subject to additional monitoring by the department, who work with the specific local authority. Where there are concerns about the local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, the department can secure specialist advisor support to help identify the barriers to EHC plan timeliness and put in place practical plans for recovery.When inspections indicate that there are significant concerns with local authority performance, the department will intervene directly. This may mean issuing an improvement notice, statutory direction and/or appointing a commissioner, deployment of which is considered on a case-by-case basis.

What steps she is taking to improve SEND provision in South Ribble constituency.

The government’s ambition for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is that they will achieve and thrive, and lead happy, healthy and productive lives. The department is working closely with experts on SEND reforms.The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for several years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and support local areas to bring about rapid improvement.Ofsted and the CQC undertook a joint local area SEND inspection of Lancashire County Council in December 2024. The inspection found there are widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently. We expect a monitoring inspection will be carried out within approximately 18 months. The next full reinspection will be within approximately three years from December 2024.Where a council does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We offer a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through programmes managed by the department, such as our Sector Led Improvement Partners which provide peer-to-peer tailored support.

How many cases the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information is investigating that relate to deaths of (a) armed forces personnel and (b) police officers.

The website of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery sets out details of current cases, including those relating to the killings of armed forces personnel and police officers. It is noted that those details do not reflect every case that is being investigated, rather they reflect those which Requesting Individuals have agreed can be made public and which the Commission has assessed likewise.This information can be found at:https://icrir.independent-inquiry.uk/live-investigations-in-information-recovery/.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps to enable (a) constituents and (b) businesses in South Ribble constituency to become eligible Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

As part of Project Gigabit, Building Digital UK (BDUK) identifies the most appropriate intervention to deliver gigabit-capable broadband in areas that are unlikely to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout. For most homes and businesses in the South Ribble constituency, this will be through the Project Gigabit contract being delivered by Openreach across Lancashire.BDUK is currently exploring if additional premises can be added to the scope of this contract. For any homes or businesses that cannot be added, and remain outside of commercial plans, BDUK will consider alternative interventions, which may include the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has alternative plans for reaching (a) premises and (b) communities that are deemed too expensive to reach through Project Gigabit.

The vast majority of premises will be covered by commercial activity or Project Gigabit, but it will remain too expensive to build a gigabit capable connection to a very small proportion of premises on either a commercial or subsidised basis. The government is exploring options for the kind of support that might be required and appropriate to ensure sufficient, affordable and reliable connectivity in these cases.

What guidance her Department has issued on whether Magistrates Courts in England and Wales can revert back to a conditional offer of £100 Fine and 3 Penalty Points rather than using the Sentencing Guidelines (Speeding Offences) when (a) mitigation is taken into account and (b) such a reversion is justified.

In the case of a driver who breaks the speed limit, they may be given a fixed penalty notice with a £100 fine and three penalty points on their licence, or they may be summoned to Court.If the person wants to plead not guilty, they will have to go to court to contest the charge, at which point the sentencing guidelines will apply. If the driver is then found guilty in court, they may have to pay a higher fine (depending on what the speed limit was and how much over the limit they were driving). They can also be disqualified from driving or have their licence suspended.Sentencing guidelines provide courts with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. The Council is independent of Parliament and Government. As an independent body, the Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing guidelines.All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case unless it is in the interest of justice not to do so. Courts must give reason when departing from the guidelines.

How many people in South Ribble constituency are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP); how those payments are broken down between the (a) daily living and (b) mobility component; and how many of those people did not score a four or above on the assessment criteria.

As of January 2025, there are 5,340 people currently in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in the South Ribble Parliamentary Constituency. Of these claimants, 2,530 scored fewer than 4 points in the 10 Daily Living activities. The breakdown of award rates for Daily Living and Mobility can be found in Table 1 below. The assessment of the Office for Budget Responsibility, published at the Spring Statement, is that most of the current claimants of PIP Daily Living who did not score four points in any of the activities at their last assessment will, nevertheless, because of behaviour changes, be awarded PIP Daily Living again after the proposed eligibility changes take effect. There will be no immediate changes. We want to reassure anyone concerned that the changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. We will also guarantee that for those on UC, individuals with the most severe, life-long conditions, which mean a person cannot and will never work, will not need to be reassessed in future. Our intention is that the PIP changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. If you are getting PIP now and could be affected by the changes we plan to make to eligibility, the changes will only apply at your next award review. The average award review is about three years. At your next review, you will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, and assessed on your individual needs and circumstance. For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on your condition, it is based on the functional disability as the result of one or more conditions and it is the additional costs of sum of that disability that PIP is awarded for. We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress. Table 1: the volume of claimants in the South Ribble constituency split by award rate for Daily Living and Mobility components of PIPDaily LivingMobility EnhancedStandardNilTotalEnhanced1,9405802502,780Standard6708008702,340Nil100130-230Total2,7101,5201,1205,340 Note:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10

What information her Department holds on when accessibility improvement works will commence at Chorley railway station.

Northern Trains Ltd and Network Rail took the decision to remove the previous contractor due to serious on-site safety concerns and remedial works have taken place. Urgent work is underway to consider how best to deliver accessibility improvements at Chorley station – MPs and other stakeholders will be updated once a viable strategy has been identified.

If she will make an estimate of the number of road traffic accidents leading to a fatality on the M6 motorway within Lancashire since 2022.

The number of fatal road collisions reported to police which occurred on the M6 within Lancashire was 2 in 2022 with none in 2023. 2023 is the latest year for which figures are available.

How many outstanding asylum applications there are for people living in South Ribble constituency.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum seekers awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. This table is not broken down by constituency.Data on asylum seekers on support by local authority is published in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that not all asylum seekers awaiting a decision will be on support.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of women impacted by the maladministration of pension communications as highlighted by the WASPI campaign in South Ribble constituency.

ONS population estimates suggest that in 2021 there were 6,495 females born in the 1950s resident in the South Ribble constituency, who are impacted by the equalisation of the State Pension age. We do not know how many of these women were impacted by maladministration in the communication of state pension age changes.

How much compensation was paid under the delay repay scheme for journeys on Avanti West Coast in 2024; and how much and what proportion of this compensation was paid from the public purse.

Annual Delay Repay compensation figures are published by Financial Year for train operating companies on the Government website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation Further compensation figures will be available later in the year. Avanti West Coast also publishes periodic Delay Repay compensation paid out to passengers on its website at the following link:https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/help-and-support/delay-repay#:~:text=You%20can%20claim%20Delay%20Repay%20if%20your%20journey,calculated%20against%20the%20scheduled%20timetable%20on%20the%20day. Under the terms of the National Rail Contract, the Department ordinarily funds all Delay Repay spend.