Written questions by McDonald.

How many people have had their driving license suspended for failure to pay child maintenance in each of the last five years.

From January to September 2024, the courts issued 1 immediate and 5 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2023, the courts issued 4 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2022, the courts issued 1 immediate and 8 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2021, the courts issued 1 immediate and 4 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2020, the courts issued 2 suspended disqualifications for driving. Current legislation for driving license and passport removal requires repayment of the debt within six months, whereas legislation covering commitment to prison allows the courts to order the paying parent to repay debt in instalments over a two-year period. This longer period is generally more appropriate, so the commitment to prison power is used more often.It should also be noted that these are actions of last resort and are intended to have a deterrent effect. The low number of sentences given may not reflect the number of people persuaded to pay by the prospect of these powers being used.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the appeals process for deduction orders.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the accessibility of the appeals process for Regular Deduction Order (RDO) or Lump Sum deduction Order (LSDO) seriously.Guidance on how to appeal the deduction order is enclosed with the final lump sum deduction order letter when it is sent to the paying parent. The guidance clearly points out the time limits associated with an appeal.The Family Court rules determine the 21 days afforded to appeal a deduction order is absolute. Neither CMS nor the courts have the power to extend the period to appeal beyond 21 Days.The Judicial Review Team is aware that the Family Courts in England and Wales are experiencing unprecedented demand for their services and as such there is a delay in responding to customers’ deduction order appeals. To mitigate matters for the customer, measures have been put in place to hold the secured funds with the deposit taker for longer provided the customer can provide evidence the appeal was filed in the court within the 21-day appeal window.The Judicial Review Team do investigate the lawfulness of the application of the deduction order. If errors are identified, action is taken to remedy those errors. This may involve reducing the amount of the sums frozen or discharging the funds completely. However, if the deduction order is lawful the Judicial Review Team will mount a defence to the appeal instructing a solicitor from the Government Legal Department to assist. Appeals are determined by a District Judge sitting in the Family Court.

How many recipients of social security payments were subject to one or more deduction in each of the past five years; and what the (a) mean and (b) median monthly deduction was by constituency.

Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024. The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

What the (a) mean and (b) median value was of deductions to social security payments for people in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency in each of the last five years.

Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024. The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

What steps she is taking to ensure that direct deduction orders do not leave people in relative poverty.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) encourages paying parents to pay their maintenance on time in order to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Service is committed to using its wide-ranging enforcement powers proportionately to recover the debt and re-establish compliance to ensure children receive the financial support they need and deserve. When appropriate, CMS can implement one of two types of deduction order, Regular deduction order (RDO) or Lump sum deduction order (LSDO). The Department has a range of safeguards in place to prevent deductions from pushing people in to poverty. Decisions about enforcement actions are made on a case-by-case basis, considering the welfare of all parties, potential financial hardship of paying parents, and the most appropriate action to give the greatest chance of securing money for children. RDOs should not exceed 40 per cent of the paying parent's gross weekly income, and LSDOs can only be made if the account has a credit balance above a minimum amount of £110.

How many recipients of social security payments are subject to deductions in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency; and for what reasons those people are subject to deductions.

Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024. The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

What steps her Department has taken to assess the (a) number and (b) causes of incorrect deduction orders.

The data requested is not held centrally. To extract this data would involve the manual review of all relevant cases to identify those deduction orders with an error and the reason which would be at a cost to the department and taxpayer. CMS has taken positive steps to ensure the correct administration of deduction orders. Improvements include updates to CMS computer system 2012, amendments to operational procedures and inclusion in the Quality Assurance framework. When any error is identified CMS undertake a thorough review of the case and action to correct the error. Each case is used as a learning opportunity with staff and to review and update our operational procedures to prevent future reoccurrences.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21413, Prisons: Procurement, what recent estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of awarding prison maintenance contracts to the public sector.

The Government is committed to ensuring professional Facility Management services across its prison estate and has initiated a programme of work that will put in place new contracts for the provision of maintenance services for prisons. These are being competitively tendered. As the procurement process is currently live, information regarding potential savings is commercially and market sensitive and therefore not able to be disclosed at the current time.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) developing and (b) approving a single mandatory consumer code for all housebuilders.

The government is committed to improving upon existing means of redress for new build homebuyers for when things go wrong. The government responded to the CMA Housebuilding Study in October 2024 and committed to implementing recommendation 2.1, namely a s...

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing common adoptable standards for public amenities on new housing estates.

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of improving protections for residential freeholders from unnecessary costs charged by estate management companies.

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of prohibiting new embedded management arrangements in residential developments.

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent delays by relevant authorities in the adoption of public amenities on housing estates.

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking help support local authorities to access suitable accommodation for homeless people to meet their (a) interim duty to accommodate and (b) main housing du

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will...

Communities and Local Government, how many children were housed in unsuitable temporary accommodation in each local authority in the North East in each year since 2010.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will...

Communities and Local Government, how many (a) in-area and (b) out-of-area awards for housing accommodation for homeless people were made under local authorities' (i) interim duty to accommodate and (ii) main hou

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will...

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of local government capacity to provide suitable accommodation for homeless people within the same local authority boundaries.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will...

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of local government (a) processes and (b) resources for identifying suitable accommodation for homeless people in the context of th

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will...

What support the commissioned probation services for neurodiverse needs provides to people with an acquired brain injury.

Probation practitioners work in collaboration with the NHS and other relevant agencies, to support anyone under their supervision (including those on community orders or being supervised following release from prison) who has any specific mental health re...

How many prisons in England and Wales operate (a) a Linkworker Scheme and (b) another dedicated support scheme for people with acquired brain injury.

The requested information is not held centrally. Collating it would involve contacting 122 prisons individually, which could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.