Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rachael Maskell this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 321–340 of 704 · this parliament
Whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts in the F35 global spare parts pool on the potential merits of (a) removing Israel from the pool and (b) introducing a carve out for UK parts not to be sent to Israel.
Conversations with F-35 Partners occur regularly and cover a range of issues; however, I am unable to disclose details of confidential conversations held within an international programme.
Whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the potential merits of placing GPS technology labelling on spare parts for the F35 global spare parts pool.
Conversations with F-35 Partners occur regularly and cover a range of issues; however, I am unable to disclose details of confidential conversations held within an international programme.
How many surveillance flights the Royal Air Force has made over Gaza since (a) 7 October 2023, (b) 5 July 2023 and (c) 2 September 2023.
Since December 2023 the Ministry of Defence has conducted unarmed surveillance flights within the airspace over Israel and Gaza, solely for the purpose of locating hostages. I am unable to comment further on detailed intelligence matters.
When the last time was that his Department provided the (a) Israeli government and (b) Israel Defense Forces with surveillance data of Gaza from Royal Air Force planes.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to Questions 56819 and 56820. I hope she will understand that I am unable to comment on detailed intelligence matters.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of conditionality through sanctions on levels of (a) poverty and (b) mental health of social security recipients.
The Department has made no assessment on ending conditionality through sanctioning. It is right that there should be conditions and consequences to labour market support. We will continue to ensure that claimants who need support receive it and consider how to best tailor this support to their individual needs.
Whether she has considered ending spare room subsidy payments.
Easements from RSRS deductions allow for the provision of an additional bedroom to support the needs of disabled people and families of disabled children such as where members of the household are unable to share a bedroom or where overnight care is required from a non-resident carer where they meet the qualifying criteria. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. The information requested on how many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. All DWP policies are kept under review and all decisions are taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the challenging fiscal context. Data on number of people subject to RSRS is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.
What methods her Department uses to calculate the minimum amount of social security that a person can live off.
Under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 the Secretary of State is required by law to review State Pension and benefit rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. We have uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually. In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we recently announced that we will improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced. This increase will be for new and existing customers and will benefit millions of people.
How many people pay spare room subsidy payments.
Easements from RSRS deductions allow for the provision of an additional bedroom to support the needs of disabled people and families of disabled children such as where members of the household are unable to share a bedroom or where overnight care is required from a non-resident carer where they meet the qualifying criteria. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. The information requested on how many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. All DWP policies are kept under review and all decisions are taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the challenging fiscal context. Data on number of people subject to RSRS is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.
How many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment.
Easements from RSRS deductions allow for the provision of an additional bedroom to support the needs of disabled people and families of disabled children such as where members of the household are unable to share a bedroom or where overnight care is required from a non-resident carer where they meet the qualifying criteria. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. The information requested on how many people with a disabled person in their household pay a spare room subsidy payment is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. All DWP policies are kept under review and all decisions are taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the challenging fiscal context. Data on number of people subject to RSRS is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.
When the last time was that a member of the Israel Defense Forces was trained by the UK armed forces.
As part of routine Defence engagement with Israel, the UK is currently training a limited number of Israel Defense Forces personnel on UK-based training courses.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of ending conditionality through sanctioning in relation to social security.
The Department has made no assessment on ending conditionality through sanctioning. It is right that there should be conditions and consequences to labour market support. We will continue to ensure that claimants who need support receive it and consider how to best tailor this support to their individual needs.
What information his Department holds on which countries purchase spare parts from the F35 global spare part pool.
Once parts are exported from the UK to the global F-35 programme, the UK does not have access to information about the movement of individual components, and does not have control over whether components in the global spares pool are used for specific customer nations or not.
What estimate she has made of potential impact of the potential impact of proposals to amend Carer's Allowance in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on costs to (a) local authority adult social care services and (b) NHS.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans to reform health and disability benefits and employment support. There are no proposals to amend Carer’s Allowance in the Pathways to Work Green Paper and therefore no such estimate has been made. As the Green Paper sets out, we will consider any impacts our reforms might have on benefits for unpaid carers as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation and as we develop our detailed proposals for change. We will also continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure everyone’s health and care needs are met. Our plans are designed to protect the most vulnerable and give disabled people equal chances and choices to work. They are backed by £1bn a year for employment support to give disabled people and people with health conditions help into work that they have been denied for too long. Evidence shows that good work is good for mental and physical health and reduces pressure and costs on the NHS. We are taking other action to improve Carer’s Allowance separate to the Green Paper. We have pegged the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to 16 hours’ work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit increased to be £196 a week net earnings on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result.
What (a) funding and (b) devolved powers she plans to provide to local authorities to help them tackle child poverty.
Local Authorities are key partners in tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Secretary of State, will bring forward a UK-wide child poverty strategy which supports and enables shared solutions. The Taskforce recognises that this is a complex landscape and has engaged extensively with Local Authorities about how the UK strategy can build from existing good practice and be based on understanding what matters to local communities. The September 2024 ministerial taskforce brought together local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway. The Child Poverty Taskforce recognises the causes of child poverty are deep-rooted, with solutions that go beyond government, and will involve action from across society, including businesses, voluntary, community and social enterprises, working together in new and improved partnerships. A rolling programme of meetings between the Taskforce and experts, including from the voluntary and community sector, is supporting strategy development. Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is a member of the Taskforce. The Taskforce will set out more details on the child poverty strategy in due course.
What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on ensuring that (a) voluntary and (b) community organisations are adequately funded to support the child poverty strategy.
Local Authorities are key partners in tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Secretary of State, will bring forward a UK-wide child poverty strategy which supports and enables shared solutions. The Taskforce recognises that this is a complex landscape and has engaged extensively with Local Authorities about how the UK strategy can build from existing good practice and be based on understanding what matters to local communities. The September 2024 ministerial taskforce brought together local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway. The Child Poverty Taskforce recognises the causes of child poverty are deep-rooted, with solutions that go beyond government, and will involve action from across society, including businesses, voluntary, community and social enterprises, working together in new and improved partnerships. A rolling programme of meetings between the Taskforce and experts, including from the voluntary and community sector, is supporting strategy development. Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is a member of the Taskforce. The Taskforce will set out more details on the child poverty strategy in due course.
If she will make it her policy to set up a task group on tackling the impact of poverty on disabled people.
This government is putting disabled people’s views and voices at the heart of everything we do. That is why we have brought forward the Pathways to Work Green Paper and opened a public consultation. This consultation welcomes all views, and we hope that a wide range of voices will respond before it closes on the 30 June 2025. In addition to the consultation itself, we are establishing ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups of people together for specific work areas and our wider review of the PIP assessment will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience. We are also in the process of establishing the Disability Advisory Panel, which was announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper. It will be a strategic advisory panel consisting of up to 12 disabled people and individuals with long-term health conditions.We are listening carefully to the voices of children and families living in poverty, including children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND). Examples of the engagement we’ve undertaken are events with: Contact, a charity for families with disabled children; ALLFIE, a campaign group focused on including disabled learners in mainstream education; and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation that aims to improve the life opportunities for young people with severe learning disabilities and their families. In April, the Taskforce met with external experts, including disability charities and organisations, to discuss the experiences of disabled children living in poverty.In December 2024, a Lead Minister for Disability was appointed in every government department, to represent the interests of disabled people and champion disability inclusion and accessibility across their department, as they drive forward progress on the government’s manifesto commitments and 5 missions. I am proud to serve as the chair of this group and we meet regularly throughout the year to break down barriers to opportunity for disabled people right across the government’s long-term missions; and fulfil the manifesto commitment to ensure their departments put the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of everything they do.Alongside delivering on our Get Britain Working plan to support people into good jobs and make everyone better off, which is the fastest route out of poverty, we’re increasing the Living Wage, uprating benefits (including the first sustained, above inflation increase to the UC standard allowance) and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families with children by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions to help low-income households. We have also extended free school meals provision to all children in households on Universal Credit.
If she will undertake a review of the broad rental market areas.
Currently there are no plans to carry out a fundamental review of all broad rental market areas (BRMAs). The BRMA Review Protocol is published on GOV.UK here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-local-housing-allowances-rates-broad-rental-market-areas
What steps she is taking to help tackle poverty among parents who are carers of disabled children.
Tackling child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government. The Child Poverty Taskforce’s publication of 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we are developing the Strategy, exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. Parental employment is a key part of the work we are doing. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy as soon as possible. This is a cross-government effort. The Department for Education is working to provide the best start in life through high-quality early education and childcare to raise standards and help parents to work, for example through the new breakfast club programme, and expanding wraparound childcare for primary school children across England by increasing the number of places available, to support working families. We have jointly announced with DfE that we are expanding free school meals to all children in households on Universal Credit. The Department for Business and Trade has responsibility for policy on flexible working and carer’s leave, which is another key element. And the benefit system, in addition, makes provision for disabled children through Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and for their parents through the carer element and the disabled child addition within Universal Credit (UC). Support is also available through Carer’s Allowance (CA). Where carers are able to work, the weekly CA earnings limit for those in receipt of CA is now pegged at 16 hours work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The earnings limit increased to £196 a week, on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. As a result, unpaid carers will be able to increase their income, and many will now have more certainty that if they are receiving the NLW (and have not done overtime or received a bonus) they will be able to work for 16 hours a week and still receive Carer’s Allowance.
If she will make it her policy to introduce a minimum income guarantee for people in receipt of social security.
The Government recognises the importance of the social security safety net and the role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we announced that we will improve the adequacy of the standard allowance with the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced. This increase will be for new and existing customers and will help millions of people. According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, this is the largest sustained increase in the headline rate of benefit since at least 1980. We recently introduced a new Fair Repayment Rate for Universal Credit customers, reducing the overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer's standard allowance. This enables approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households to retain on average £420 a year of their award. This increase will be for new and existing customers and will help millions of people with a cash increase of £725 by the end of the Parliament.
How much (a) local housing allowance and (b) housing support was provided to tenants in the private rented sector in each of the last five years.
Information on how much the Department for Work and Pensions spent to support households a) in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and in receipt of the Local Housing Allowance and b) in the PRS in general is published and the latest statistics can be found at: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK, in the Housing Benefits tab. For real term expenditure on all claimants in receipt of housing support in the PRS this can be found in row 80 of the published statistics. Expenditure on LHA can be calculated by summing rows 75 and 76.