Written questions by Kohler.

Whether with reference to the Cabinet Office's press release her Department has carried out an assessment of the pilot scheme to stop Child Benefit payments where a claimant had been outside the UK for more than eight weeks.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce error and fraud in the Child Benefit system, HMRC ran a pilot last year using data on international travel and UK employment for a random sample of 200,000 Child Benefit records. This was to identify and remove people from the system who had left the UK for more than twelve weeks but continued to claim Child Benefit despite no longer being eligible. The pilot used Home Office data on international travel as the best starting point for indicating potential unreported absences in the UK. From this data, HMRC undertook checks of PAYE systems to look for continuous UK employment before sending compliance enquiries. No Child Benefit awards were ended without attempting contact with claimants first, to clarify their residency status. HMRC’s evaluation of the pilot showed that, of the 3,656 customers that were sent enquiry letters, 933 were confirmed to be eligible, with nearly three-quarters found to be non-compliant. In all, the pilot had prevented around £17m in wrongful payments. This led to a wider rollout announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save £350 million over the next five years. Using PAYE and international travel data in this way is considerably more proportionate than requesting all claimants reconfirm their eligibility to HMRC frequently. It is in line with HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance. In expanding the process last month, the PAYE check that had been present in the pilot was inadvertently omitted on around 23,500 enquiries. Based on the insight from the pilot, HMRC expect that most of these cases will have been correctly suspended. HMRC has taken immediate corrective action to resolve this issue. The employment check has been reinstated for all future cases, meaning fewer people will be sent letters in the first instance. HMRC will also perform further checks, including against PAYE records for enquiries already opened, before formally terminating awards. In addition, HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset and will give customers one month to evidence their continued entitlement first. Together, these changes ensure a proportionate approach for customers while balancing the need to protect against losses to the taxpayer. HMRC has set up a dedicated team to quickly unsuspend payments, where it is able to confirm with the customer that they remain entitled to Child Benefit. This includes where HMRC had failed to first check for UK employment, which led to enquiries being issued in error. Customers affected by the issue who believe they are still eligible should call the number on the letter they received, so that this dedicated team can handle their cases swiftly. Where eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume and HMRC will make backdated payments, so no one is left out of pocket. HMRC has reinstated payments for 589 claimants, as at 28 October. This includes 134 cases for customers in Northern Ireland where employment checks were retroactively applied. HMRC has also reinstated payments for a further 46 Northern Ireland customers while their residency status is confirmed.

What steps, with reference to the Cabinet Office's press release her Department is taking to rectify data on people erroneously identified as having been outside of the UK for more than eight weeks for Child Benefit purposes.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce error and fraud in the Child Benefit system, HMRC ran a pilot last year using data on international travel and UK employment for a random sample of 200,000 Child Benefit records. This was to identify and remove people from the system who had left the UK for more than twelve weeks but continued to claim Child Benefit despite no longer being eligible. The pilot used Home Office data on international travel as the best starting point for indicating potential unreported absences in the UK. From this data, HMRC undertook checks of PAYE systems to look for continuous UK employment before sending compliance enquiries. No Child Benefit awards were ended without attempting contact with claimants first, to clarify their residency status. HMRC’s evaluation of the pilot showed that, of the 3,656 customers that were sent enquiry letters, 933 were confirmed to be eligible, with nearly three-quarters found to be non-compliant. In all, the pilot had prevented around £17m in wrongful payments. This led to a wider rollout announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save £350 million over the next five years. Using PAYE and international travel data in this way is considerably more proportionate than requesting all claimants reconfirm their eligibility to HMRC frequently. It is in line with HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance. In expanding the process last month, the PAYE check that had been present in the pilot was inadvertently omitted on around 23,500 enquiries. Based on the insight from the pilot, HMRC expect that most of these cases will have been correctly suspended. HMRC has taken immediate corrective action to resolve this issue. The employment check has been reinstated for all future cases, meaning fewer people will be sent letters in the first instance. HMRC will also perform further checks, including against PAYE records for enquiries already opened, before formally terminating awards. In addition, HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset and will give customers one month to evidence their continued entitlement first. Together, these changes ensure a proportionate approach for customers while balancing the need to protect against losses to the taxpayer. HMRC has set up a dedicated team to quickly unsuspend payments, where it is able to confirm with the customer that they remain entitled to Child Benefit. This includes where HMRC had failed to first check for UK employment, which led to enquiries being issued in error. Customers affected by the issue who believe they are still eligible should call the number on the letter they received, so that this dedicated team can handle their cases swiftly. Where eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume and HMRC will make backdated payments, so no one is left out of pocket. HMRC has reinstated payments for 589 claimants, as at 28 October. This includes 134 cases for customers in Northern Ireland where employment checks were retroactively applied. HMRC has also reinstated payments for a further 46 Northern Ireland customers while their residency status is confirmed.

With reference to the Cabinet Office's press release entitled Child Benefit action to save £350 million from claimants abroad, published on 22 August 2025, how many Child Benefit claimants were erroneously identified as having been outside of the UK for more than eight weeks (a) during the pilot period and (b) since 22 August 2025.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce error and fraud in the Child Benefit system, HMRC ran a pilot last year using data on international travel and UK employment for a random sample of 200,000 Child Benefit records. This was to identify and remove people from the system who had left the UK for more than twelve weeks but continued to claim Child Benefit despite no longer being eligible. The pilot used Home Office data on international travel as the best starting point for indicating potential unreported absences in the UK. From this data, HMRC undertook checks of PAYE systems to look for continuous UK employment before sending compliance enquiries. No Child Benefit awards were ended without attempting contact with claimants first, to clarify their residency status. HMRC’s evaluation of the pilot showed that, of the 3,656 customers that were sent enquiry letters, 933 were confirmed to be eligible, with nearly three-quarters found to be non-compliant. In all, the pilot had prevented around £17m in wrongful payments. This led to a wider rollout announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save £350 million over the next five years. Using PAYE and international travel data in this way is considerably more proportionate than requesting all claimants reconfirm their eligibility to HMRC frequently. It is in line with HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance. In expanding the process last month, the PAYE check that had been present in the pilot was inadvertently omitted on around 23,500 enquiries. Based on the insight from the pilot, HMRC expect that most of these cases will have been correctly suspended. HMRC has taken immediate corrective action to resolve this issue. The employment check has been reinstated for all future cases, meaning fewer people will be sent letters in the first instance. HMRC will also perform further checks, including against PAYE records for enquiries already opened, before formally terminating awards. In addition, HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset and will give customers one month to evidence their continued entitlement first. Together, these changes ensure a proportionate approach for customers while balancing the need to protect against losses to the taxpayer. HMRC has set up a dedicated team to quickly unsuspend payments, where it is able to confirm with the customer that they remain entitled to Child Benefit. This includes where HMRC had failed to first check for UK employment, which led to enquiries being issued in error. Customers affected by the issue who believe they are still eligible should call the number on the letter they received, so that this dedicated team can handle their cases swiftly. Where eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume and HMRC will make backdated payments, so no one is left out of pocket. HMRC has reinstated payments for 589 claimants, as at 28 October. This includes 134 cases for customers in Northern Ireland where employment checks were retroactively applied. HMRC has also reinstated payments for a further 46 Northern Ireland customers while their residency status is confirmed.

With reference to the Cabinet Office's press release entitled Child Benefit action to save £350 million from claimants abroad, published on 22 August 2025, what steps her Department is taking to identify people who were erroneously identified as fraudulently claiming Child Benefit on the grounds that they had been outside of the UK for more than eight weeks.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce error and fraud in the Child Benefit system, HMRC ran a pilot last year using data on international travel and UK employment for a random sample of 200,000 Child Benefit records. This was to identify and remove people from the system who had left the UK for more than twelve weeks but continued to claim Child Benefit despite no longer being eligible. The pilot used Home Office data on international travel as the best starting point for indicating potential unreported absences in the UK. From this data, HMRC undertook checks of PAYE systems to look for continuous UK employment before sending compliance enquiries. No Child Benefit awards were ended without attempting contact with claimants first, to clarify their residency status. HMRC’s evaluation of the pilot showed that, of the 3,656 customers that were sent enquiry letters, 933 were confirmed to be eligible, with nearly three-quarters found to be non-compliant. In all, the pilot had prevented around £17m in wrongful payments. This led to a wider rollout announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save £350 million over the next five years. Using PAYE and international travel data in this way is considerably more proportionate than requesting all claimants reconfirm their eligibility to HMRC frequently. It is in line with HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance. In expanding the process last month, the PAYE check that had been present in the pilot was inadvertently omitted on around 23,500 enquiries. Based on the insight from the pilot, HMRC expect that most of these cases will have been correctly suspended. HMRC has taken immediate corrective action to resolve this issue. The employment check has been reinstated for all future cases, meaning fewer people will be sent letters in the first instance. HMRC will also perform further checks, including against PAYE records for enquiries already opened, before formally terminating awards. In addition, HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset and will give customers one month to evidence their continued entitlement first. Together, these changes ensure a proportionate approach for customers while balancing the need to protect against losses to the taxpayer. HMRC has set up a dedicated team to quickly unsuspend payments, where it is able to confirm with the customer that they remain entitled to Child Benefit. This includes where HMRC had failed to first check for UK employment, which led to enquiries being issued in error. Customers affected by the issue who believe they are still eligible should call the number on the letter they received, so that this dedicated team can handle their cases swiftly. Where eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume and HMRC will make backdated payments, so no one is left out of pocket. HMRC has reinstated payments for 589 claimants, as at 28 October. This includes 134 cases for customers in Northern Ireland where employment checks were retroactively applied. HMRC has also reinstated payments for a further 46 Northern Ireland customers while their residency status is confirmed.

With reference to the Cabinet Office's press release entitled Child Benefit action to save £350 million from claimants abroad, published on 22 August 2025, for what reason her Department chose international travel data to monitor whether a claimant was outside of the UK for more than eight weeks; and for what reason (a) PAYE and (b) other data were not selected for this purpose.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce error and fraud in the Child Benefit system, HMRC ran a pilot last year using data on international travel and UK employment for a random sample of 200,000 Child Benefit records. This was to identify and remove people from the system who had left the UK for more than twelve weeks but continued to claim Child Benefit despite no longer being eligible. The pilot used Home Office data on international travel as the best starting point for indicating potential unreported absences in the UK. From this data, HMRC undertook checks of PAYE systems to look for continuous UK employment before sending compliance enquiries. No Child Benefit awards were ended without attempting contact with claimants first, to clarify their residency status. HMRC’s evaluation of the pilot showed that, of the 3,656 customers that were sent enquiry letters, 933 were confirmed to be eligible, with nearly three-quarters found to be non-compliant. In all, the pilot had prevented around £17m in wrongful payments. This led to a wider rollout announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save £350 million over the next five years. Using PAYE and international travel data in this way is considerably more proportionate than requesting all claimants reconfirm their eligibility to HMRC frequently. It is in line with HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance. In expanding the process last month, the PAYE check that had been present in the pilot was inadvertently omitted on around 23,500 enquiries. Based on the insight from the pilot, HMRC expect that most of these cases will have been correctly suspended. HMRC has taken immediate corrective action to resolve this issue. The employment check has been reinstated for all future cases, meaning fewer people will be sent letters in the first instance. HMRC will also perform further checks, including against PAYE records for enquiries already opened, before formally terminating awards. In addition, HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset and will give customers one month to evidence their continued entitlement first. Together, these changes ensure a proportionate approach for customers while balancing the need to protect against losses to the taxpayer. HMRC has set up a dedicated team to quickly unsuspend payments, where it is able to confirm with the customer that they remain entitled to Child Benefit. This includes where HMRC had failed to first check for UK employment, which led to enquiries being issued in error. Customers affected by the issue who believe they are still eligible should call the number on the letter they received, so that this dedicated team can handle their cases swiftly. Where eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume and HMRC will make backdated payments, so no one is left out of pocket. HMRC has reinstated payments for 589 claimants, as at 28 October. This includes 134 cases for customers in Northern Ireland where employment checks were retroactively applied. HMRC has also reinstated payments for a further 46 Northern Ireland customers while their residency status is confirmed.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of redundancy payments associated with the planned redundancies in the South West London Integrated Care Board under the new NHS 10-Year Health Plan; and whether he plans to provide additional funding for those redundancy payments.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board running costs and NHS provider corporate cost reductions in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy. We have recently announced the Spending Review settlement which provides an additional £29 billion of annual day-to-day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised, including making provision for redundancy costs. In due course, the National Health Service will be asked to incorporate this into the multi-year planning round which has now been launched with the publication of the Medium Term Planning Framework on 24 October 2025.

What discussions she has had with train operators on the adequacy of criteria used to determine the provision of step-free access upgrades at train stations.

The criteria used to select existing projects for delivery under the Access for All were determined by the previous government.The transition to Great British Railways will remove artificial industry separations and result in the integrated planning and delivery of programmes such as Access for All.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of mandatory method-of-production labelling on (a) animal welfare and (b) consumer transparency.

We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of method-of-production labelling on UK animal products on (a) the economy and (b) export growth opportunities.

We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, what the planned timetable is for payments to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

We are investing the £320 million announced at Autumn Budget 2024 to support electric vehicle uptake in the 2025/26 financial year.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, what metrics her Department will use to assess the effectiveness of the funding allocated to accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Government continually reviews its approach to EV charging interventions, working to address barriers that need to be resolved to meet consumer needs. Our approach is underpinned by evidence, including environmental and value for money assessments of interventions, evidence from a range of sources on the market failures that require government intervention, and evidence from the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of programmes to date.More widely, we monitor the roll out of EV charging infrastructure through official chargepoint statistics, including chargepoint installations, types of chargepoint, and regional distribution.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, how the funding allocated for electric vehicle charging infrastructure will be apportioned between (a) local, (b) en-route, (c) home, and (d) workplace charging.

In the Autumn Budget 2024, £320 million funding was allocated to support electric vehicle uptake in financial year 2025/26. Support available includes plug-in grants and the new Electric Car Grant, plus continued support for zero emission HGVs and infrastructure, home and workplace charging and resources for local authorities. New schemes to support cross-pavement charging, charging for NHS fleets, and helping businesses install charging points at depots have also been launched.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support provided by his Department to help small and medium-sized enterprises increase their exports to EU markets.

DBT offers a range of support for SMEs, with our Small Business Plan setting out the most comprehensive package of support for SMEs in a generation. This includes Unlock Europe, a programme from UK Export Academy designed to help businesses build relationships with European customers and increase exporting potential to the EU.DBT has a robust monitoring and evaluation framework in place for export support. This data can be found in DBT’s Annual Report.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of workforce shortages on the delivery of social care services to older people.

The Department monitors workforce levels in the adult social care sector in England at a national and local level. As part of this monitoring, the Department considers Skills for Care estimates on the number of filled posts in residential and domiciliary care. The adult social care workforce is growing. Skills for Care data shows in 2024/25 there were 1.60 million filled posts, an increase of 52,000 (3.4%) from 2023/24. This was the second largest increase seen since Skills for Care records began in 2012/13.Local authorities in England have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.We recognise the scale of reform needed to make adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications. These changes will help attract staff to the sector, providing proper recognition and opportunities for them to build their careers.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of lower-cost imports of electric buses from (a) China and (b) other countries on the competitiveness of UK manufacturers; and what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) procurement and (b) subsidy programmes support domestic industry while still delivering value for money.

The international market is key to spurring and driving innovation, as well as competitive pricing and enabling UK manufacturers to win orders around the world. Data gathered through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme suggests that UK bus manufacturers are not being undercut by international suppliers, with prices being broadly comparable. UK-based bus manufacturers have also benefitted most from the Department’s funding programmes. To support the domestic Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) industry, the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel was established in March 2025. The Expert Panel brings together industry experts and local leaders to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. The Expert Panel is looking at how social value can be embedded in the heart of the bus procurement process to ensure every pound of public money spent on ZEBs delivers the greatest possible benefit for our communities and the economy. Section 17 of the Subsidy Control Act prevents state subsidies being given with conditions on using domestic over imported goods or services. This means that when providing subsidies, local transport authorities cannot impose conditions to require that bus operators receiving the subsidies must buy British buses.

What discussions he has had with manufacturing firms on (a) their progress in adopting and (b) the barriers to the implementation of green technologies.

The Government is engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including manufacturers, through expert working groups and workshops to inform policy on Net Zero technologies in industry. In 2023, a call for evidence on industrial electrification was held, with a summary published on 1 September 2024 outlining progress and key issues raised by industry, academia and trade bodies. This has been followed by continued stakeholder engagement. A renewed Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will guide efforts to build a competitive, low-carbon UK industrial base. Further details, including the role of fuel switching to electrification, will be set out in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in October.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of court backlogs on levels of access to justice for (a) victims and (b) defendants.

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. As of June 2025, the open caseload reached 78,329. It is unacceptable that some victims, witnesses and defendants are waiting years for justice. This has left tens of thousands of victims facing devastating delays for justice, disrupting their ability to function, work, or maintain relationships, with many now pulling out of the process altogether.Upon taking office, the Deputy Prime Minister took immediate action to allocate additional Crown Court sitting days this financial year, taking the total to a record 111,250 sitting days. The Government has allocated resources so that the Crown Court is sitting over 5000 extra days more than under the previous Conservative Government. We have also made significant increases in criminal legal aid with up to an additional £92 million investment.However, demand is currently so high, it is indisputable that fundamental reform is needed. That is why this Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose once-in-a-generation reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.Part one of his report has now been published. We are carefully considering Sir Brian’s proposals and will respond in due course.We are committed to creating a more sustainable justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of rehabilitation programmes on reoffending rates by young adults.

We take an evidence-based approach to reducing reoffending, investing in a wide range of programmes that address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation. The pathway an individual takes - including young adults - is determined by their assessed risk and needs, ensuring interventions are targeted and proportionate.Our approach is grounded in a robust body of research and evidence on what works and we recently published a synthesis of evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce reoffending (Reducing Reoffending - A Synthesis of Evidence on Effectiveness of Interventions). We continue to strengthen this foundation through ongoing evaluation, data analysis, and insights from delivery partners and international practice. The Justice Data Lab (JDL) supports this by producing tailored reports on the impact of rehabilitation programmes (Justice Data Lab statistics - GOV.UK). While not all evaluations are conducted at a scale that allows for detailed analysis of specific cohorts, we do disaggregate findings where possible to provide more targeted insights. For example, in 2023, the JDL published two large-scale evaluations of the Thinking Skills Programme (TSP), the most widely delivered accredited offending behaviour programme in custody by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) for individuals aged 18 and over. The evaluations found that participants, including those aged 18–25, committed fewer proven reoffences and were less likely to have any prison adjudications recorded than non-TSP participants.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of access to (a) lifelong learning and (b) reskilling opportunities for adults seeking employment in emerging industries.

We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults (19 and over) through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year, ensuring that adults can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work. The ASF supports a range of courses for adults of all ages including those relating to new and emerging industries, such as digital technologies. Currently, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents, the allocation of the ASF to learning providers, and deciding how the ASF best meets the needs of the local economy. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas. This government is also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and to learners throughout their careers. From April 2026, the government will also enable employers to use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors. This new flexible offer will support employed learners to update or improve relevant aspects of their skills base, with the support of their employer. Additionally, in August 2025 the government reduced the apprenticeship minimum duration to 8 months so that shorter duration apprenticeships are now possible. We expect this flexibility to open-up more opportunities, including where the apprentice already has relevant prior learning or experiences that reduces their time needed to train. This change will enable more adults with prior career experience to access apprenticeships and achieve occupational competence more quickly. Lastly, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch in academic year 2026/27 and will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of high-quality apprenticeships for young people in the (a) digital and (b) STEM sectors.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including those in the digital and STEM sectors, and support the industrial strategy. As a first step, the government has introduced new foundation apprenticeships, which are an employment-based training offer that give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first seven foundation apprenticeships became available in August 2025 focussed on four industrial strategy and priority areas, including digital and engineering and manufacturing. From April 2026, the government will enable employers to also use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors.