Written questions by Yang.

If she will make a comparative estimate of the funding allocation provided to (a) Thames Valley Police and (b) other regional police forces.

In December 2024, the Government published the 2025-26 provisional police funding settlement, which proposed funding of up to £19.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales.Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement.In 2025-26, Thames Valley will receive up to £622.4 million, an increase of up to £35.8 million compared to 2024-25.Funding allocations for all forces in England and Wales were confirmed via Written Ministerial Statement: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2024 to Question 11774 on Labour Force Survey, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the designation of Labour Force Survey data as official statistics in devel

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) has observed falling response rates, resulting in increased volatility in labour market data [1]. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is undertaking work to address these quality issues and continuing to develop the Tran...

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2024 to Question 11774 on Labour Force Survey, when her Department plans to use Office for National Statistics Transformed Labour Force Survey data to inform its policies.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) has observed falling response rates, resulting in increased volatility in labour market data [1]. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is undertaking work to address these quality issues and continuing to develop the Tran...

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, how many people claim benefits that were uprated at the Budget in (a) Earley and Woodley constituency, (b) each region and

The estimated number of individuals in families benefitting from the uprating of benefits in the financial year 2025/26 in each region of the UK and the UK overall can be found here Benefit uprating: estimated number and type of families and individuals i...

How many estates in Earley and Woodley constituency were subject to inheritance tax in tax years (a) 2019/20, (b) 2020/21 and (c) 2021/22.

The parliamentary constituency of Earley and Woodley is a newly configured constituency that was created after the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. Therefore, data for the number of estates subject to IHT in this const...

What estimate she has made of (a) the number of constituents in Earley and Woodley who will be impacted by the proposed reforms to the Work Capability Assessment and (b) the average financial impact on

The Department does not hold constituency-level information about the specific Work Capability Assessment descriptors met by claimants, so we are unable to estimate impacts for individual constituencies robustly.

What estimate she has made of (a) the number of constituents in Earley and Woodley who will be affected by reductions in sickness benefits announced at the budget and (b) the average financial impact of

No reductions in sickness benefits were announced at the Budget.

What recent assessment she has made of the (a) accuracy and (b) utility of the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey.

Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) remains subject to a number of quality concerns following a fall in response rates, which fell from 47.9% in June to August 2013 to 14.6% in June to August 2023. The ONS is undertaking work to address these quality ...

What steps she is taking to help increase availability of practical driving tests in Earley and Woodley.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while reducing car practical driving test waiting times.Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers, include buying back annual leave from drivin...

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the three years eligibility period for home fees for (a) UK nationals returning from abroad and (b) British Nationals Overseas passport-holders.

To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or ’a recognised connection’ to the UK, and in the case of persons with settled status, be ordinarily resident in the UK for three years.UK nationals are settled in the UK once they return from abroad, and therefore qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have resided in the UK for three years prior to the start of their course.The three year lawful residence rule is a long established feature of the student support system. It applies irrespective of nationality or country of origin, and it applies to all the eligibility categories in the Student Support Regulations with the exception of those with a protection based need. It ensures that the support provided by the taxpayer is targeted at those who have a substantial and recent connection with the UK.Hong Kong British National Overseas status holders qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have acquired settled status in the UK, which is usually after five years of residence. Most persons who acquire settled status in this way will automatically meet the three year ordinary residence requirement for student finance.