Written questions by Franklin.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that ensure that (a) refugees and (b) stateless people are not penalised for their irregular (i) entry or (ii) arrival.

Irrespective of someone’s method of entry or arrival to the UK, all asylum claims that are admitted to the UK asylum system are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information.

What recent discussions she has had with airlines on the (a) accessibility and (b) clarity of compensation claim processes; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of claims procedures on passengers.

Under UK law, airlines are required to provide written information to passengers affected by flight disruptions, setting out the rules for compensation and assistance.  This information must be clear, easy to understand, and available in accessible formats. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers. The EU conducted an assessment of the potential impact of the claims procedure on passengers as part of its proposed 2013 reform to Regulation 261, finding that some passengers were being discouraged from claiming their rights even when entitled. The UK has not carried out any further assessments on this issue since then.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines to issue compensation for denied boarding automatically.

An assessment of the merits of automatic compensation for denied boarding has not been made. Provision of automatic compensation to passengers for denied boarding would present some practical challenges that would need to be fully considered through a full public consultation ahead of any potential legislative reforms.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to give pension scheme trustees the authority to award discretionary increases to those already claiming a pension.

Discretionary indexation is over and above the statutory requirements. This discretion is usually exercised by the trustees with the agreement of the sponsoring employer. Some schemes have previously paid discretionary increases on a regular basis. However, these increases are not part of the pension package promised.The precise design of pension benefits is a matter for employers and trustees and is not covered in the Department for Work and Pensions legislation. Pension scheme rules are many and varied and must remain a matter for employers and scheme trustees to decide. The Pension Schemes Bill makes changes so that more trustees of well-funded schemes have the flexibility to share their scheme surplus with employers, subject to strict funding safeguards for members. Scheme trustees are required to act in the interest of scheme beneficiaries, and working with sponsoring employers, will be responsible for decisions on the release of surplus. Together they will agree how members can benefit from any release of surplus, which could include discretionary benefit increases. The Pensions Regulator already expects that trustees be aware of members who would benefit from any decision to award a discretionary increase and whether the scheme has a history of making such awards.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) increase capacity and (b) ensure more passengers are able to be seated on services into London on South Western Railway.

The Department is working closely with South Western Railway on the introduction of the Arterio fleet which will add the much needed additional capacity and seats on services into London. In the meantime, South Western Railway is managing the rest of its train fleet to ensure that capacity is prioritised where it is most needed.

What steps her Department is taking to safeguard members' benefits when a sponsoring employer seeks to extract pension scheme surpluses.

Currently, some Defined Benefit schemes can already consider releasing their surplus under existing rules. The Pension Schemes Bill will provide more flexibility for trustees of these and other well-funded schemes to safely share some surplus with employers and members. This is underpinned with strict funding safeguards to ensure members’ pensions are protected. Scheme trustees are required to act in the interest of scheme beneficiaries and will be responsible for agreeing to any decisions on surplus release. Schemes will also need to meet a minimum funding level and require actuarial certification before the release of any surplus. Further, our scheme funding regulations, overseen by the Pensions Regulator, require that trustees maintain a strong funding position so they can pay members’ future pensions when they fall due, including planning for future volatility.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing asylum seekers to work unrestricted by the Immigration Salary List after six months awaiting an asylum decision on (a) the economy and (b) community cohesion.

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 4 June to Question 55328.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the employers' National Insurance Contributions on providers of adult social care.

The Department routinely conducts assessments of cost pressures for local authority funded adult social care, which include the costs associated with changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. There is also an extra £502 million of support for local authorities in England to manage the impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions, as announced at the Autumn Budget.In addition, the Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

When he plans to begin consulting with adult social care providers on proposals for a Fair Pay Agreement.

In England, we are committed to consulting on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process, and we aim to begin a public consultation after the Employment Rights Bill receives Royal Assent later this year. We expect the consultation to run for 12 weeks, and we will work with partners to reach as much of the sector as possible.We have already begun engaging with sector representatives in England through the Department’s Fair Pay Agreement Working Group and policy specific task and finish groups, which will help to inform policy options for a public consultation on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process.

What steps she is taking to support the Community Sponsorship scheme for refugees.

The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced a review of our existing refugee sponsorship and resettlement schemes to develop a more cost-effective and sustainable framework which will deliver better outcomes for refugees and the communities in which they live.

What steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that there is adequate (a) capacity and (b) resources for anticipated levels of demand for English-language classes, in the context of proposed requirements for English language proficiency for visa applications.

I refer the Hon Member to Paragraphs 244-258 of the Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, which addresses these issues in detail. Further updates will be provided in due course.

Whether he plans to include (a) national commissioning standards for adult social care, (b) assurance and (c) oversight of adult social care commissioning in the National Care Service.

We have launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. The commission will build a national consensus to create a National Care Service that is productive, preventative, and that gives people who draw on care, and their families and carers, more power in the system. The commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad enough to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including the approach to commissioning, assurance, and oversight. In the interim, we are making tangible improvements to lay the foundations for a National Care Service that will enable more people to live independently and make social care more productive. This includes driving ‘home first’ as the default option for receiving care. We have introduced a new Better Care Fund framework, for example, setting out that the National Health Service and local authorities should work together to set and meet goals, and we are backing care technologies by making it easier for everyone to identify and buy trusted solutions that help people live independently.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has powers under the Health and Care Act 2022 to assess how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to market shaping and commissioning. Formal assessments commenced in December 2023, and as of June 2025, the CQC has published over 40 local authority assessments. You can view their assessment of individual local authorities via published reports on the CQC’s website.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) accuracy and (b) transparency of Special Expenses calculations by the Child Maintenance Service for (i) flights, (ii) fuel and (iii) other high-cost contact travel.

The Department for Work and Pensions and Child Maintenance Service rigorously monitors accuracy as part of our service ambition to further reduce error and increase our accuracy levels. The National Audit Office set a target of monetary value errors under 1%. This standard is consistently met. Since applications for special expense variations relate to the Paying Parents’ own expenditure, Paying Parents are expected to provide any information and evidence needed to support their application. Guidance for DWP decision makers on child maintenance, in relation to Variation decisions is available in the following link Volume 3 - Variations (Chapters 27-36).

Whether the Child Maintenance Service is required to justify delays in its decision-making processes.

Child Maintenance customers can use the online service to track the progress of reported changes and view expected completion dates at any time without the need to call. They can also upload evidence and view any letters which have been sent to them. All calculation decisions made by the CMS can be appealed through the mandatory reconsideration process and beyond that, to the Independent Tribunal Service.The CMS publishes timeliness data on some of the key decision-making processes such as determining applications, accounting for changes in circumstances and performing mandatory reconsiderations.Decision making processes can vary in length depending upon complexity and whether both parties have a right to provide and/or contest evidence. Where customers are concerned that a decision has been delayed unreasonably, there is also a robust complaints process, which gives parents opportunities to seek redress when the CMS does not meet their expectations. When a client is dissatisfied, the CMS tries to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, without the need for a formal complaint. If the client remains dissatisfied, the Department for Work and Pensions Complaints Team looks at and responds to their complaint. After that, they can raise it with the Independent Case Examiner and finally with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, through their Member of Parliament.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) responsiveness and (b) accountability of the Child Maintenance Service when people request clarification of figures used in their assessments.

The Child Maintenance Service are wholly committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. To ensure calculations are accurate the department continues to build on its already proportionate and cost-effective controls, such as: use of verified income from HMRC and benefit systems as outlined in legislation and a principal part of service design.use of child benefit systems to verify qualifying child(ren)procedures and policy to request additional verificationa dedicated Financial Investigation Unit who addresses allegations of misrepresentation and frauda robust mandatory reconsideration (MR) and appeals processa robust 3 Tier Quality Framework. In all instances where a new calculation is made both parents will receive a written breakdown of the figures used in the calculation which also includes advice on where to learn more about child maintenance calculations, how to contact the Child Maintenance Service and how to raise a dispute if they disagree with the calculation.

What steps the Child Maintenance Service takes to provide clear explanations and evidence when rejecting claims submitted by paying parents.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) trains caseworkers in making effective decisions, which includes explaining decisions effectively to customers and issuing letters containing information about the different factors considered and rules applied when making decisions. Caseworkers also adhere to a ‘contact hierarchy’ when assessing the most suitable form of communication, which gives them the discretion to consider other forms of contact if they deem appropriate. CMS will investigate any claims received from Paying Parents and make decisions based on evidence provided or corroborated by other sources. If a decision is made to reject a claim, they will clearly explain in writing the reason for the decision, how to contact CMS to discuss it further, and the rights of dispute and appeal. When a customer requests CMS to review a decision, known as a Mandatory Reconsideration, CMS will review any evidence held that informed the original decision, alongside any further evidence submitted by the deadline to inform the outcome of the Mandatory Reconsideration. CMS issues a written Mandatory Reconsideration Notice to all customers involved in the case. The letter includes information on the type of decision reviewed, the date the original decision was made and the effective date, as well as the Mandatory Reconsideration outcome and reason for the decision.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Child Maintenance Service late payment fees being deducted from maintenance payments on receiving parents and children.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not charge late payment fees. It does charge fees to paying parents and receiving parents who are on the Collect and Pay service: twenty per cent on top of the maintenance liability for the paying parent and four per cent of the maintenance received for the receiving parent. A case will only be moved to Collect and Pay if the paying parent agrees to Collect and Pay, or if they demonstrate an unwillingness to pay their maintenance liability. This is why paying parents are charged a higher fee (20 per cent) as they have more control on whether the case is put into Collect and Pay. The collection charge is only deducted when the maintenance is paid. In July 2024 the government consulted on the proposal for wider reform to consolidate the CMS into a single service type where the CMS monitors and transfers payments. The consultation Improving the collection and transfer of payments, also proposed a new fee structure of just 2% for receiving parents, deducted from maintenance received; 2% for compliant paying parents, on top of maintenance owed; and 20% for non-compliant paying parents, on top of maintenance owed. The consultation received over 2,700 public responses, and engagement from stakeholder organisations across the UK in addition to commissioning research to help quantify the impact of the reforms. The Government published its response to the consultation on the 23 June setting out its intention to proceed with reform of the system. More information can be found at Government response: Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments - GOV.UK

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that timeframes imposed by the Child Maintenance Service are (a) proportionate and (b) matched by equivalent service standards within the Department.

We have interpreted your question to refer to the timescales the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) uses in progressing cases. The CMS inform customers of expected timeframes for actions to be completed when changes are reported or require progressing. Customers can use the Track Changes function on MCMC at any time to view the expected completion date of changes. The timescales to progress cases varies depending on the type of case action being taken and information required to progress any change. When CMS require additional information to progress a case, the customer is advised of the timeframe for providing the information required. The CMS has four official key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure that the service acts on information and progresses cases in a timely manner once received from the customer. These KPIs include standard measures for 1) assessment accuracy, 2) application clearances, 3) change of circumstances clearances and 4) Collect and Pay compliance. The CMS has exceeded the KPI indicators, demonstrating that it is meeting the standards set by the department. We are always working to modernise our service and how we communicate with our customers. We also work closely with the wider DWP colleagues to ensure measures and timescales are compared for consistency, where appropriate.

Media and Sport, with reference to Contemporary Visual Arts Network England’s report entitled, Framing the Future: The Political Case for Strengthening the Visual Arts Ecosystem, published on 7 May 2025, what assessment she has made of the contribution of the visual arts to (a) economic growth, (b) education and skills, (c) health and wellbeing in setting the budget for visual arts funding.

The visual arts sector provides a tremendous boost to our economy, and helps solidify the UK’s reputation as a world leader in the arts. While DCMS economic estimates do not estimate the growth of the visual arts separately from the wider arts sub-sector, DCMS estimates that the arts sector contributed £9 billion in GVA to the UK economy in 2023. The sector grew by 2.4% between 2022 and 2023 (compared to 0.3% in the UK economy as a whole).Across the spending review (SR) period, DCMS will be delivering funding across its major capital programmes, supporting local institutions and leveraging economic growth across the regions. Millions of pounds will go to our Arms-Length Bodies over the SR period including Arts Council England who will continue to support visual arts programmes and projects across the country. The visual arts sector will also benefit from cross-cutting measures in the Sector Plan and Industrial Strategy, where it is recognised as a high growth potential subsector alongside music and performing arts.Creative subjects - including visual arts - are important elements of the rounded and enriching education every child deserves. That is why DCMS is supporting the Department for Education’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Review seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. This includes creative subjects such as art. DfE has published an interim report, and the government will respond to the final recommendations in the autumn. In February, we also announced that we will be providing £3.2 million in funding for four cultural education programmes for the 2025/26 financial year to preserve increased access to arts for children and young people.We are also unlocking £132.5 million from Dormant Assets to support youth access to music, arts, sport and safe spaces, including youth centres and libraries. This will take money that would have gone unused and ensure it is invested in our young people.

What steps she is taking to ensure that questions asked during asylum interviews are (a) appropriate, (b) relevant and (c) not misapplied from other (i) religious and (ii) cultural contexts.

All asylum claims made in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits, and the guidance provided to decision makers when undertaking interviews is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conducting-the-asylum-interview-process.