Written questions by Bedford.

Representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what assessment the Committee has made of the effectiveness of the technology platform used to (a) process and (b) administer hon. Members' business costs.

The Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority annually scrutinises IPSA’s main estimate and business plan. This has included regular consideration of the effectiveness of IPSA Online, the system used in the processing and administration of MPs’ business costs, and plans for its improvement.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to introduce union representation onto freeport boards.

Freeports can play an important role in achieving our number one priority – economic growth – by attracting investment and creating jobs in former industrial heartlands across the UK. That is why the government confirmed it is backing the Freeports Programme in October 2024. We are, however, working closely with Freeports to review progress to date and how to best align the Programme with this government’s growth strategy. We will provide further details on these changes in due course.

What the average actual clearance times were for Pension Credit claims made from 25 November 2024 until the most recent date available.

Pension Credit application Average Actual Clearance Times (AACT) are measured weekly. The AACT clearances are based on the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made. The table below the most recent national AACT data. Week Date25/11/2402/12/2409/12/2416/12/2423/12/2430/12/2406/01/2513/01/2520/1/25PC Claims AACT (Working Days)828387664742444545 Please noteThe AACT is shown rounded to the nearest whole working day.The data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.These figures will not align to previous PQ responses due to retrospective updates as the data is sourced from live systems.DWP currently works to a planned timescale of 50 working days to clear Pension Credit claims.

Representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the transparency of the governance arrangements for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is accountable to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (SCIPSA). SCIPSA has oversight of IPSA’s governance arrangements and its stewardship of its resources. SCIPSA is a statutory body whose role is defined by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, as amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.The 2009 Act specifies the composition and powers of IPSA’s governing body, its board. IPSA’s board sets out the strategic vision for IPSA and approves its corporate plan and annual report and accounts, reviews the performance of the organisation, holds the executive to account and is responsible for determining schemes of MPs’ pay, pensions and business costs. The Board is statutorily responsible for the decisions about the regulation of MPs’ pay, pensions and business costs and therefore has collective responsibility for those decisions.IPSA's board publishes minutes of all its meetings, consults widely on proposals for remuneration and Scheme rules, and is required to be transparent in its use of public funds by virtue of the 2009 Act.As part of its statutory functions, the Speaker’s Committee reviews IPSA's annual estimates of the resources IPSA needs and must ensure these are consistent with the efficient and cost-effective discharge of IPSA's functions, before an estimate is laid before the House. The Committee takes into account any advice received from the Treasury as part of this process. If the Committee does not consider an estimate meets this test, then it has the power to seek modification of an estimate, in which case it must report its reasons for doing so to the House.At several points throughout the year SCIPSA meets IPSA to assess its performance, running costs and effectiveness in handling MPs’ staffing and business costs. The Committee last met IPSA in a public session on 22 January. A transcript of that session is available on the Committee’s website:https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/15257/pdf/The Committee is expected to hold its next meeting with IPSA on 11 March to consider its draft main estimate for 2025/26. This will be a public meeting and a recording of the session will be made available on Parliament Live. Later in the year the Committee will consider IPSA’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25 at which point it will assess IPSA’s latest results against its performance indicators.In addition, the Speaker’s Committee has a statutory function to consider the Speaker’s selection, on the basis of fair and open competition, of IPSA’s board members. IPSA’s Chair is supported by four Board members, all of whom are appointed by SCIPSA. They are made up of a former MP, a statutory auditor, a former holder of high judicial office, and one other.In 2010, lay members were added to the Committee. The role of the lay member is to help promote greater transparency and independence in the Speaker’s Committee’s operations and to help support oversight of IPSA’s governance arrangements.

What proportion of accidents in England involved lane-keep assist intervention in 2023/24; and what steps she is taking to tackle concerns over the safety of such systems.

This information is not held by the Department.The internationally harmonised requirements for lane-keep assist systems that are mandated for UK vehicles provide assurance that they operate safely. Where there is evidence of genuine safety concerns with such systems, the Department will raise this at an international level with an aim to amend the regulatory requirements to address this.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the reliability of lane-keeping assist technologies (a) in challenging environmental conditions and (b) generally.

Lane keeping technology is designed to assist drivers but they must remain attentive and are still responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle at all times. Lane-keeping assist technologies must be approved to internationally agreed technical requirements that provide assurance of the safe operation of these systems. Manufacturers are free to determine the extent to which their system operates across a range of environmental conditions provided it is considered safe by the approval authority. The UK is an active participant in the negotiation of these requirements and has recently been involved in the development of a new regulation specifically to allow more sophisticated driver assistance systems. This new regulation gives approval authorities clearer direction on assessing the safe functioning of these systems, benefitting manufacturers when making the case for allowing their system to operate across a wider range of environmental conditions.

What steps her Department is taking to improve driver (a) awareness of and (b) education in the (i) limitations and (ii) proper usage of lane-keeping assist systems.

The Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) has developed a range of products to improve awareness and education of lane-keeping assist systems and other advanced driver assistance systems. The DVSA has also developed guidance to support the introduction of self-driving vehicles. This includes updating the Highway Code and introducing new guidance to a range of DVSA publications, such as their Essential Skills, Better Driving, and Theory Test for Cars publications. The DVSA have also created 18 videos on ADAS in their Essential Skills video series.

Representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether IPSA plans to implement efficiency savings to reduce operating costs to the levels of 2018-19.

IPSA has a statutory duty to support MPs in their parliamentary duties efficiently and cost effectively. As a proporation of IPSA's overall funding, operating costs have remained within 5% of its total budget.For 2018-19, IPSA's resourcing was subsequently recognised to be inadequate. The corporate plan for 2021-24 saw the introduction of IPSA's transformation programme which included resourcing IPSA effectively to address the issues MPs and their staff were experiencing.The feedback from MPs and their staff, and the year-on-year KPI data IPSA provides to SCIPSA, is evidence of increased efficiency and effectiveness. IPSA presents its fully-costed plans, including those relating to its own operating costs, for SCIPSA's review, challenge and approval annually.

Representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what proportion of employee work-time was spent working from (a) home and (b) an IPSA office location in 2023-24.

IPSA does not record data on the proportion of employee work-time spent working from home versus the office. IPSA changed its policy in 2020 to recruit nationwide to ensure its employees have a local understanding of the constituencies MPs serve. It operates a flexible hybrid working policy where staff will work from home, IPSA's office, or the House, attending engagements that need a physical presence.We measure performance based on outcomes and delivery rather than presence in the office. IPSA's performance has improved significantly since 2020, as recognised by SCIPSA.

How many Pension Credit decisions have been appealed since 29 July 2024; and what the success rate was of those appeals.

Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.From 29 July to 30 September 2024 (the latest period for which statistics have been published), the Tribunal received 40 Pension Credit appeals. As of 30 September 2024, (the latest publication) none of those cases had been disposed of, as appeals need time to work their way through the Tribunals system. These disposals will be counted in future quarterly publications.

What safeguards are in place to ensure people who (a) own, (b) manage and (c) work in private children's homes are properly qualified.

Providers of children’s homes must register with Ofsted and prove that they are financially, mentally, and physically fit to carry on a children’s home, and that they are of integrity and good character. These requirements are set out in Regulation 26 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015.Managers of children’s homes are required to register with Ofsted. They are required to hold a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) and to have at least two years’ experience working in children’s residential care, as per Regulation 28 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. They must also pass a fit and proper persons interview with Ofsted to demonstrate they have the required knowledge and skills to manage the home.Non-managerial staff in children's homes must hold Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) or an equivalent qualification, as per Regulation 32 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. It is the responsibility of the registered manager to verify that their staff hold, or are working towards, this qualification. Providers have a responsibility to ensure that their staff are trained to meet the needs of the children they care for.Providers and anyone working in regulated activity in a children’s home must undergo an enhanced DBS check, including the barred list.Ofsted aim to inspect children’s homes at least once per year. When a home is judged to be inadequate or require improvement to be good, Ofsted usually conduct a second, assurance visit within the same inspection period.The policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’ details the department’s ambition to introduce a provider oversight scheme to increase Ofsted’s existing powers to ensure provider groups are held responsible for the quality of the children’s homes that they own through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.This will give Ofsted the power to issue fines for breaches of the Care Standards Act 2000, including to unregistered providers, and enable them to hold provider groups to account for quality issues in the provision of care. The Bill will also protect 16 and 17-year-olds from ill-treatment or wilful neglect by making low-level abuse of these young people in children’s social care settings a prosecutable offence. The Bill will also introduce a financial oversight scheme to increase financial and corporate transparency of children’s social care providers in order to allow for assessment of financial risk and advance warning of risks to providers’ financial sustainability.

What the cost to local authorities is of housing children in privately run children's homes.

The department publishes data on local authority expenditure on looked after children. This data is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure#explore-data-and-files.The department does not hold data on the cost to local authorities of housing children in privately run children’s homes. In total, local authorities spent £8.1 billion on looked after children in 2023/24, including £3.1 billion on residential care.

What steps are taken to inform local (a) doctors and (b) police when children in care are relocated by a local authority to a privately run children's home.

Regulation 7 of the ‘The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010’ outlines local authorities’ responsibilities in respect of the health and wellbeing of looked after children. The responsible local authority must ensure looked after children receive appropriate health care services according to their health plan, including medical and dental care, and health advice. They must also arrange for a registered medical practitioner, nurse, or midwife to review the child’s health and provide a written report every 6 months before the child’s fifth birthday and every 12 months after the child’s fifth birthday.Specifically, under Regulation 13 of the above Regulations, the responsible authority must give written notification of the child’s placement before that placement takes place (or within 5 days if the placement is made in an emergency) to the following parties: NHS England and the integrated care board (or the local health board for a child in Wales) for both the current and new areas; the child’s registered medical practitioner and, if applicable, the new medical practitioner; any educational institution attended or to be attended by the child. The written notification of the placement arrangements should include a summary of the proposed arrangements and objectives, and for an accommodated child, it should also outline the agreed arrangements for ending the placement.

How many private dwellings have been converted into children's homes in Leicestershire in each of the last five years.

Neither the department nor Ofsted keep a record of the number of homes that are converted into children’s homes.

What the average time taken is for Pension Credit appeals to be reviewed.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Which local authority is responsible for children's care when they are relocated to a privately run children's home by a local authority.

The local authority which has responsibility to provide services for a looked after child will be the authority within which the child is when the responsibility arises, for example when they are subject to a Section 20 or Care Order. This duty remains in place when a child is placed in a privately run children’s home, even if this home is located outside of the local authority.Under Section 22G of the Children Act 1989, local authorities have a duty to ensure that they provide accommodation that meets children’s needs and is within the authority’s area. The decision to place a looked after child outside the area of the responsible authority (including a placement outside England) must not be put into effect until it has been approved by a nominated officer, and, if the placement is at a distance, the director of children’s services. The responsible authority must notify the authority area of the child’s placement, but responsibility for the child remains with the placing local authority.

What steps her Department is taking to inform local communities before migrants are housed in hotel accommodation in that area.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.The Home Office liaises with statutory partners, including local authorities, through Multi Agency Forums and Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMP) on matters relating to its asylum accommodation footprint.  SMPs are Local Government led partnerships funded by, but independent of, the Home Office, whose role is to coordinate and support delivery of national programmes in asylum and refugee schemes as well as agreed regional and devolved migration priorities.

How many Pension Credit applications were made in each of the last five years for which data is available.

The table below shows the volumes of Pension Credit applications received in each of the last 5 financial years. Pension Credit ClaimsReceivedApril 2024 to 17 November 2024215,200April 2023 to March 2024251,000April 2022 to March 2023267,000April 2021 to March 2022149,000April 2020 to March 2021142,000 The figures for 2024/25 are only covering part of the year and will be higher when all months are included. The latest statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 28 November 2024. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, from 1 April 2024 up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK. The next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025. Please note, the data shown for previous years April 2020 to March 2024 is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16393 on Department for Work and Pensions: Staff, what the additional cost is of the private providers.

The information you request is not available. DWP operates a 'forecast and volumes' based pricing model, where supplier costs specific to the increase in Pension Credit New Claims demand, following the Chancellor's announcement in July 2024 are not itemised. However, we can confirm these costs were part of a contract extension worth £1.7m.

How many Pension Credit applications were (a) made and (b) awarded by the smallest geographical area for which data is available since 29 July 2024.

We do not hold data at regional or constituency level for applications made. Statistics published on 28 November 2024 show applications for Pension Credit received and also claims awarded since the 29 July 2024 announcement up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK. Please note, the next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025. The Department does not hold information regarding the number of Pension Credit claims awarded since 29 July 2024. The latest available data held on Stat-Xplore - Home shows Pension Credit caseload data by Parliamentary constituency at May 2024. Parliamentary constituency is the smallest geographical area available within the data.The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.