Written questions by Blake.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing compensation payments to those impacted by delays to 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 8,747 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.Interest will be paid on delayed benefits to avoid financial loss by members. In addition, the existing statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial losses, as well as distress and inconvenience caused, on a case-by-case basis to determine whether compensation is due. This ensures that any retiree who provides evidence of extra costs, such as bank penalties or interest charges caused by the delay, is fairly assessed. This process is run in accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.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

Pursuant to the answer to question UIN 120893 on 24 March 2026, what steps she is taking to protect the pensions of those who joined the Rail Pensions Scheme after midnight on 4 November 1993 in the transition to Great British Railways.

We plan for the Railways Pension Scheme to continue to be the primary vehicle through which most rail employees build up their pension provision. This includes those employees who started working post-1993. The Railways Pension Scheme provides a defined benefit pension scheme to rail employees and will continue to operate once Great British Railways is created. The protections within the 1993 Railways Act remain unchanged by the Railways Bill currently going through Parliament. Engagement on the details of Great British Railways’ future employee offer will take place between trade union and sector leaders.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed asylum and returns reforms on women.

Equality impacts will be considered for individual policies as they continue to be developed and will be kept under review to ensure there are no unintended impacts.

What alternative accommodation will be provided to women and children asylum seekers once they are removed from hotels.

Home Office officials keep the asylum accommodation estate under continual review. As part of this estate management, operational adjustments are made on an ongoing basis to ensure sufficient and suitable capacity is maintained to meet expected levels of demand.As the department reduces its reliance on hotel accommodation, individuals and families, including women and children, are moved into more appropriate longer term forms of asylum accommodation within the existing estate. This includes dispersal accommodation and, where required, other contingency arrangements that meet the necessary standards for safety and suitability.The Home Office is committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and appropriate accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity throughout the asylum process.In line with the Allocation of Accommodation policy, accommodation is offered on a no choice basis across the United Kingdom. Where an individual has specific, acute needs that require them to be accommodated in a particular area, established processes supported by Migrant Help and asylum support casework teams are in place to consider such circumstances.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessments he has made of the potential impact of a lack of director‑liability provisions for environmental offences including public nuisance on water companies from committing pollution.

The Government set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026. To truly turn around the water sector we need the right people in to do the job. We want the sector to be attractive to high quality senior leaders, acting in the public interest, who can lead change from the top.To achieve this, the Government committed in the White Paper to consider taking forward a new regime for senior accountability. This would be carefully designed to ensure senior leaders are directly accountable for the service customers receive, whilst still allowing water companies to appoint capable leadership.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has assessed the potential merits of a statutory mechanism similar to Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for environmental damage overseen by senior officers of water companies.

The Government set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026. To truly turn around the water sector we need the right people in to do the job. We want the sector to be attractive to high quality senior leaders, acting in the public interest, who can lead change from the top.To achieve this, the Government committed in the White Paper to consider taking forward a new regime for senior accountability. This would be carefully designed to ensure senior leaders are directly accountable for the service customers receive, whilst still allowing water companies to appoint capable leadership.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on music streaming royalties with respect to a) the adequacy of renumeration for musicians and b) contract standardisation across the industry.

Ensuring that music creators are fairly compensated for their work is crucial to the ongoing success of our world-class music industry, as this is what allows them to invest their time, effort, and money into creating music.Through the Creator Remuneration Working Group, we collaborated on this matter with key industry stakeholders, including major and independent record labels and music creator representatives.We were delighted to welcome the new label-led principles as an output of these discussions, including the commitment to provide legacy artists with further clarity on how they can seek and obtain contract renegotiation that appropriately remunerates them. The UK’s major labels have also launched bespoke packages to deliver benefits for UK creators.The government has committed to monitoring and reviewing the impact of the label-led principles in one year’s time. At that point, we will assess the need for further intervention to ensure this package delivers on its objective to bring about real change.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that cervical screening appointments can be booked via the NHS app.

NHS England takes a digital first approach to issuing invitations and results in the National Health Service cervical screening programme, using the NHS App and SMS.NHS England is committed to making it as easy as possible for those wishing to participate in cervical screening to book an appointment.For many people registered with a general practice (GP), they can already book appointments using the NHS App.However, as NHS England finalises the first phase of its digital approach to correspondence, it is exploring the feasibility of providing a direct link from the screening invitations on the NHS App to GP booking systems, making it even easier to make appointments.Cervical screening sample takers, for example GP nurses, are flagging with patients that results may be sent to them via the NHS App and are encouraging them to use and switch on notifications on the App.

What steps she is taking to protect transport workers a) jobs b) pay c) pensions d) conditions and e) travel facilities in the transition to Great British Railways.

In accordance with TUPE regulations, existing train operator staff transferring to the public-sector operator do so with their contractual terms and conditions protected. We are engaging with trade union leaders on all relevant matters in this area through the Rail Engagement Group. The trade unions will be consulted at the earliest opportunity, if any changes to their members’ terms and conditions are being proposed as part of the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). In the meantime, we are keeping trade union leaders informed on matters through the Rail Engagement Group. Regarding pensions under GBR, I can confirm that we plan for the Railways Pension Scheme to continue to be the primary vehicle through which most rail employees build up their pension provision. The protections within the 1993 Railways Act remain unchanged by the Railways Bill currently going through parliament.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recently announced 870 job losses at Network Rail.

Network Rail is committed to delivering a safe, reliable railway while reducing costs for taxpayers. Accordingly, it needs to ensure it operates as efficiently as possible. To achieve this, Network Rail is reviewing how it operates across its business. In the review, safety remains the top priority and the efficiency proposals being made focus on management grades and contractors, not frontline operational roles.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the derecognition of trade unions in the recent TUPE transfer of workers from Network Rail into Platform 4.

Platform 4 is now the employer following a TUPE process. While trade union recognition agreements were not transferred from Network Rail to Platform 4 under TUPE, Platform 4 has held discussions with the trade unions about recognition, with further discussions intended shortly.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that all future Great British Railways workers are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

The Secretary of State established the Rail Engagement Group as a means of ensuring sustained dialogue with the trade unions about key matters facing the railway, as we work towards establishing Great British Railways (GBR). What collective bargaining arrangements might look like under GBR is one of the important matters that the Rail Engagement Group will be discussing as our plans for GBR develop.

Whether she plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of student loan repayments on those with multiple plans and postgraduate loans.

Unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold for undergraduate loans (borrowers with multiple undergraduate loans have their contributions apportioned to the relevant loans), and 6% above the earnings threshold for postgraduate loans.Postgraduate loans are made concurrently with any outstanding undergraduate loan. If a borrower’s income drops below the repayment threshold, or they are not earning, their repayments will stop.Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.The government appreciates that making student loan repayments does have an impact on individuals. This is why there are unique protections for borrowers, and the finance system is heavily subsidised by taxpayers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to reach an agreement with the European Union on reinstating the pet passport scheme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 January 2026 to the hon. Member Shaun Davies for Telford, PQ UIN 103925.

What actions is the Fair Work Agency taking to prevent the exploitation of a) migrant workers b) social care workers.

The Fair Work Agency will be established on 7 April 2026.It will enhance the government’s ability to respond to exploitation and deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of all workers’ rights, including migrant workers and those in the social care sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to take steps towards introducing a mandatory food labelling scheme for animal welfare.

As set out in the Government’s animal welfare strategy, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, the Government will continue working with relevant stakeholders, including the farming and food industry, scientists and NGOs to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare. The Government will set out next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to help tackle the theft and trade of wild falcons captured in the UK.

Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against them. Restrictions on the commercial use or trade of birds of prey are in place under the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations. Where any wild falcon is taken and traded illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime. Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. It has played a key role in securing the convictions of criminals found to have been illegally taking peregrine falcon eggs and chicks from the wild. Defra is providing 494,000 for the NWCU in 2025-2026. Defra also provides funding to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture to develop DNA forensic analysis for the police and other organisations investigating crimes against peregrine falcons. DNA profiling of peregrines is a critical element in deterring wild take and illegal export, and convicting criminals.

What is the size of the shortfall in NHS Consultant Dermatologists as a proportion of the total number of working Consultant Dermatologists needed by the NHS.

The Department does not hold data on the current shortfall, or vacancies in the National Health Service, for consultant dermatologists.The 10-Year Health Plan for England set out that 1,000 more medical specialty training places will be created over the next three years, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

What implication the shortage of Consultant Dermatologists has for NHS waiting lists (i) nationally and (ii) in South Yorkshire.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government, including for dermatology. The Department is committed to ensuring that the proportion of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, including for dermatology services, returns to 92% by March 2029, and to 65% by March 2026.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is working to improve waiting times through its established Further Faster programme to transform patient pathways and improve access and waiting times for patients. Dermatology is one of 24 specialties in focus for GIRFT’s Further Faster work.A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced to share best practices, and the GIRFT team is carrying out regular visits to, and meetings with, challenged departments in order to provide support in improving performance across dermatology.NHS England more widely is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including autonomous AI, to manage skin cancer referrals, which now represent approximately 50% of dermatology referrals. This can free up clinicians to see more patients and help to reduce waiting lists. AI is already in use across more than 20 trusts, with seven trusts deploying autonomous AI, and further plans in place to expand adoption safely and effectively.The Department does not hold data on the current shortfall, or vacancies in the National Health Service, for consultant dermatologists, including in South Yorkshire.Local providers are best placed to make decisions on workforce capacity to reflect local service demand and circumstances, including management of their waiting list.The 10-Year Health Plan for England set out that 1,000 more medical specialty training places will be created over the next three years, with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

What steps he is taking to reduce Dermatology waiting lists (i) nationally and (ii) in South Yorkshire.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government, including for dermatology. The Department is committed to ensuring that the proportion of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, including for dermatology services, returns to 92% by March 2029, and to 65% by March 2026.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is working to improve waiting times through its established Further Faster programme to transform patient pathways and improve access and waiting times for patients. Dermatology is one of 24 specialties in focus for GIRFT’s Further Faster work.A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced to share best practices, and the GIRFT team is carrying out regular visits to, and meetings with, challenged departments in order to provide support in improving performance across dermatology.NHS England more widely is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including autonomous AI, to manage skin cancer referrals, which now represent approximately 50% of dermatology referrals. This can free up clinicians to see more patients and help to reduce waiting lists. AI is already in use across more than 20 trusts, with seven trusts deploying autonomous AI, and further plans in place to expand adoption safely and effectively.The Department does not hold data on the current shortfall, or vacancies in the National Health Service, for consultant dermatologists, including in South Yorkshire.Local providers are best placed to make decisions on workforce capacity to reflect local service demand and circumstances, including management of their waiting list.The 10-Year Health Plan for England set out that 1,000 more medical specialty training places will be created over the next three years, with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.