Written questions by Burke.

If she will set out how complaints relating to (a) cleanliness, (b) safety and (c) hygiene in landlord-provided asylum accommodation are (i) monitored, (ii) reported and (iii) investigated to ensure such accommodation is fit for purpose.

The Home Office expects the highest standards of cleanliness, safety and hygiene in all asylum accommodation and holds providers to account through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services (AASC) contracts.Contractual expectations are set out in the AASC Statement of Requirements (Schedule 2) which requires accommodation providers and their landlords to ensure that properties are safe, habitable and fit for purpose at all times, including meeting standards on cleanliness, hygiene, repairs and health and safety compliance.Monitoring of accommodation standards is carried out through Home Office contract management and assurance activity, including inspections and performance reporting against contractual requirements.Reporting routes are available to asylum seekers through the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, delivered by Migrant Help, which allows issues or complaints relating to accommodation to be raised.Investigation and resolution of complaints are managed by the Home Office once issues are escalated by Migrant Help. Providers are required to investigate concerns promptly, take remedial action within contractual timescales, and report outcomes to the Home Office.Independent customer satisfaction and assurance activity further informs performance management and continuous improvement.

What steps his Department is taking to monitor contractual performance for the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve. Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March. Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April. To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

What the average time is to process an application for (a) Leave to Remain and (b) Indefinite Leave to Remain; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time to process such applications.

UKVI are currently processing applications on all of its routes where a customer service standard is operated within their published customer service standards. As previously announced by the Home Secretary, Family Reunion applications are currently paused. Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK. It may take longer to process an application if:the information in the application is not accurate or needs more considerationfurther evidence needs to be provided, for example evidence of fundssupporting documents need to be verifiedan interview is requiredwe need more information on personal circumstances (for example if there is a criminal conviction)

Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company on ensuring an effective community legacy from the Commonwealth Games.

The Department is in regular contact with the Organising Company and Scottish Government to support Glasgow 2026. I was pleased to be able to visit Glasgow this summer and discuss with the Commonwealth Sport Coordination Commission and other partners the excellent work that is being done to ensure a successful event and legacy.The Organising Company will publish further details in late 2025 on how the event will deliver lasting community benefits, alongside a range of other positive outcomes.As a Government, we are proud to support the Glasgow Games, which will drive economic growth, showcase Scotland and the UK to the world, and build on the legacy of Glasgow 2014.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding from the Growth Mission fund to Springburn Winter Gardens.

In her recent Spending Review speech, the Chancellor announced that the Government would be establishing a Growth Mission Fund to expedite local projects that are important for growth. Whilst we cannot confirm funding allocations yet, our £240 million Growth Mission Fund should support transformative projects that give local leaders real investment to deliver real change. Details regarding funding criteria will be set out in due course.

What steps she is taking to reduce processing times for applications for Graduate visas.

Our published transparency statistics can be found here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK, including data on service standards.The current publication covers to end of March 2025: Visas, status and immigration data: Q1 2025 - 98% of standard Graduate cases are considered within service standard.We continue to operate within our service standard of 8 weeks for straightforward applications, with even faster times for our priority services.We encourage applicants to apply as early as possible and ensure they have provided all required documents, and their university has reported successful course completion to UKVI, to avoid any delay in processing.Where applications are complex or there is missing information, decisions may take longer. Applicants will have been informed by email if this is the case, but these emails can be missed or ignored. We encourage applicants to check their junk or spam folders and respond promptly to any request for further information. Further information on processing times is available here: Visa processing times - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the application window for international students to apply for a Graduate visa in the event of their university exam results being delayed.

If a student’s results are not expected before their current visa expires, and they need more time to demonstrate successful course completion, they may apply to extend their Student visa as set out in the Immigration Rules Appendix Student.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing consideration of extenuating circumstances in decisions on Graduate visa applications.

The Graduate route is an unsponsored route with streamlined requirements, of which a fundamental element is the need to have successfully completed an eligible course of study. UKVI have the ability to exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis where there are exceptionally compelling and compassionate circumstances.

Media and Sport, for what reason a cap was introduced to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was previously due to end in March 2025. The Government extended this for one year with an overall budget of £23m. To ensure this budget remains affordable, claims are now capped at £25,000 per place of worship. These changes to the scheme were necessary given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited and the pressures on other parts of the heritage and cultural sectors and we feel that the cap ensures the fairest distribution of the available budget. Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most of these claims were for under £5,000.

What steps she is taking to support pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN); and whether her Department provides additional funding for ASN courses in schools.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Glasgow North East to the answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45165.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support UK Research and Innovation; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing doctoral studentships in the UK on the level of financial support for researchers, in the context of (a) increases in the cost of living and (b) international comparisons of PhD stipends.

The Government will provide £8.8 billion funding to UK Research and Innovation in 2025-26, of which £773 million is allocated to talent, including doctoral students. UKRI sets a minimum stipend level for the students that it funds and announced in January that this would increase by 8% (to £20,780) from 1 October, with additional funding provided to UKRI training grants to support the uprating. UKRI considers a range of factors when setting stipends, including affordability, potential impact on the number of students, the welfare of students, ensuring that doctoral training remains attractive to potential candidates, and international peers.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce barriers to treatment and care between UK nations.

While health is predominantly devolved, working together across the United Kingdom on health and social care is ingrained in our values. NHS emergency care is available for all patients, regardless of borders and we are working with the Devolved Governments to support people to lead independent, healthier lives for longer. This government has provided an additional £6.6 billion through the Barnett formula to support the Scottish Government.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure compliance with the Civil Service Code and (b) record breaches of that code.

The Department for Work and Pensions makes it a contractual term of employment that its employees comply with the Civil Service Code and report if ever they are required to act in any way which may be illegal, improper or unethical. Failure to meet this contractual duty could result in disciplinary action, for which the most severe penalty could be dismissal. The Department uses mandatory induction training and periodic communications to ensure its employees are aware of the standards prescribed by the Code and through its annual ‘People Survey’, employees are asked if they are aware of the Code and know how to report alleged breaches. Undertaking annual training in security and anti-fraud measures, relevant to the Code’s requirement for honesty, is also mandatory and monitored for compliance. Employees are required to declare apparent conflicts of interest and declarations are mandatory for the Senior Civil Service and for employees in particular circumstances. Day to day, line managers are responsible for ensuring the employees they manage comply with the Code, and for dealing promptly with alleged breaches. All employees can use either the grievance or whistleblowing procedures to request investigation of alleged breaches by colleagues and in the case of whistleblowing, they may also report concerns about breaches of the Code to the Civil Service Commission or National Audit Office. Confirmed breaches of the Code are recorded for whistleblowing but are also registered in disciplinary data according to the nature of the proven breach, e.g. fraud, theft, data misuse.

What steps her Department takes to monitor enforcement of the Civil Service Code.

The Department for Work and Pensions deploys a variety of methods for monitoring enforcement of rules of conduct that underpin but are not exclusively about the Civil Service Code. For example, the Departmental Audit and Risk Assurance Committee monitors the effect of measures to prevent and detect dishonesty that takes the form of internal fraud and security breaches, and employees are appointed to roles in areas such as security, data management and fraud detection to assess risks, monitor compliance, implement improvements and undertake investigations. Other employees, such as human resources experts, support enforcement of the Civil Service Code by monitoring take up of mandatory training and ensure that concerns identified by misconduct, grievances and annual ‘People Survey’ are acted upon. It is not possible to state all of the ways of monitoring enforcement of rules that ensure compliance with the Civil Service Code’s wide-ranging standards for integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the previous Government's policies on life expectancy in Glasgow North East constituency.

No assessment has been made. This would be a matter for the Scottish Government and National Records of Scotland: Life Expectancy in Scotland 2021-2023 - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

If her Department will publish practical driving test results broken down via (a) age and (b) gender for each of the test centres in greater Glasgow.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) publishes data annually showing car driving test pass rates by age (17 to 25 year olds), at all driving test centres (DTCs). This data table can be found online at drt122d-car-driving-test-by-age-by-test-centre.ods. This data was last updated on 2 September 2024 with data to March 2024. The DVSA publishes data quarterly showing car driving test pass rates by gender per month at all DTCs. This data table can be found via: drt122a-car-driving-test-by-test-centre.ods. This data was last updated on 20 December 2024 with data to September 2024.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of amending the national speed limit for rural roads.

The Department for Transport has not made a recent assessment, of the merits of amending the national speed limits for rural roads.

What steps he is taking to simplify health treatments between the UK nations.

While health is predominantly devolved, the Department holds some reserved functions, and working together across the United Kingdom on health and social care is ingrained in the values of our National Health Service and social care sector.The Department ...

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the waiting list for practical driving tests in Glasgow North East constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. On the 18 December, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times. ...

What steps he is taking to support veterans.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across government and with civil society to ensure veterans get access to the support they need. This Government has already taken swift action to demo...