Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

750626

registered interest
date	06/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Gaza: Drinking Water
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of safe drinking water in the Gaza Strip.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	900371
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2017 answer text <p>According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, most homes in Gaza are only getting water for a few hours every 3-5 days. The availability of safe drinking water has become worse because of fuel and electricity shortages. The UK is urging all parties to find a sustainable solution to the current situation and in the longer term, continues to urge the Israeli authorities to ensure fair distribution of water across the OPTs.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 12/07/2017 15:53:12 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

428151

registered interest
date	13/11/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will carry out an assessment after the November Spending Review of local authorities' capacity to meet their new duties under the Care Act 2014 following changes to local authority funding.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	16245
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <br /><p>Funding decisions for 2016/17 onwards, including on adult social care, are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.</p><br /><p>Officials in the Department and across government are working hard to understand pressures on the care system and will consider adult social care expenditure and the future demand as part of this process. This includes ongoing Care Act pressures.</p><p><br>We will continue to review and monitor implementation of the Care Act which includes a series of stocktakes of local authority readiness and the latest, from June 2015, demonstrates an overall positive picture on implementation. It details:</p><p><br>- Councils’ confidence in their ability to deliver the Care Act Reforms in 2015/16 remains high, with 99% very or fairly confident.</p><p>- 89% of councils say that they are ‘on track’ with their implementation. The remaining 11% report themselves as only slightly behind.</p><br /><p>There are two further local authority stocktakes planned for the remainder of the financial year which will monitor the progress on implementing change. It is our intention to repeat the surveys next year to continue monitoring progress, subject to agreement with local government.</p><p><br>The Department will also commission a piece of research to evaluate and inform implementation of the Care Act 2014. The research will focus on knowing more about how the Act is being implemented locally and to see how effectively the Act is achieving its underlying aims.</p><br /> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/11/2015 16:24:13 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

428152

registered interest
date	13/11/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to monitor the number of local authorities charging carers for the support they receive to help them in their caring role.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	16238
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2015 to Question <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-22/13008/" target="_blank">13008</a>.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 16237 question first answered 23/11/2015 16:28:58 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

428154

registered interest
date	13/11/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on charging carers for the support they receive in their caring role of an increase in the number of councils charging carers.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	16237
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2015 to Question <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-22/13008/" target="_blank">13008</a>.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 16238 question first answered 23/11/2015 16:28:58 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

428155

registered interest
date	13/11/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what decision his Department has made on the use of the £6 billion of funding allocated for the implementation of phase 2 of the Care Act 2014 now that the implementation of that phase has been postponed.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	16246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <p>The Government recognises that social care is vital to enabling people to live healthy and independent lives.</p><br /><p>Funding decisions for 2016/17 onwards, including on adult social care, are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.</p><br /><p>Officials in the Department and across government are working hard to understand pressures on the care system and will consider adult social care expenditure and future demand as part of this process.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/11/2015 16:31:15 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

428156

registered interest
date	13/11/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will create a database for local authorities on best practice in meeting their new duties under the Care Act 2014.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	16247
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <p>To support implementation of the Care Act, a joint Programme Management Office between the Department, the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Adults Social Services (ADASS) has been established. This unprecedented partnership is driving collaborative working with the care sector, influencing the local implementation of these changes to support a consistent and coherent approach across the country. Earlier this year this approach was recognised by the National Audit Office as best practice and recommended it should be adopted by other similar work programmes.</p><br /><p>As part of this programme of work the Department has provided £2.7 million to nine regional local government networks to enable them to commission tools, products and non-statutory guidance to help local authorities in implementing the Care Act. The care sector has been involved in developing these materials and making sure they meet required standards. The materials focus on areas of key risk and challenge identified by local authorities and support the development of best practice. The Department also provided £4 million in 2015-16 for the ADASS to give local authorities targeted support and to help share best practice. Information on good practice, research and innovation aimed at improving the social care infrastructure is available at the following website.</p><br /><p><a href="https://www.adass.org.uk/support-and-resources/" target="_blank">https://www.adass.org.uk/support-and-resources/</a></p><br /><p>In addition the LGA has included information on its website that details available learning and development resources, best practice guidance and practical tools to support the care sector. It also details the regional support available in each of the nine local government regions to help councils to implement the Care Act. The website is available at:</p><p><a href="http://www.local.gov.uk/care-support-reform;jsessionid=B36A65C6DFFB6012739EB96FDBE5918B.tomcat2" target="_blank">http://www.local.gov.uk/care-support-reform;jsessionid=B36A65C6DFFB6012739EB96FDBE5918B.tomcat2</a></p><br /><p>The support work described above is part of a wider package of Sector-Led Improvement that the Department has funded the LGA and ADASS to deliver, under the umbrella of the Towards Excellence in Adult Social Care (TEASC) programme. The culture of Sector-Led Improvement, and the TEASC programme, are based on the principles that local authorities are responsible for their own performance, and are collectively responsible for the performance of the sector as a whole. This includes an ongoing commitment to share experience, advice and best practice at a regional and national level.</p><br /><p><strong></strong></p><br /> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/11/2015 15:25:08 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

423775

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the additional financial resources needed by local authorities to meet their new duties under the Care Act 2014 in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	13257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2015 answer text <p>The Department’s estimate of the additional financial resources needed by local authorities to meet their new duties under the Care Act 2014 is set out in the Care Act impact assessment, which can be found here:</p><br /><p><a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/23/impacts" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/23/impacts</a></p><br /><p>Page five of the impact assessment has a summary of all estimated costs related to Part 1 of the Care Act 2014 over 10 years from 2015/16. The impact assessment sets out the basis for the estimates in each case.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 02/11/2015 17:41:39 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

423776

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report by Carers Trust entitled A Charge on Caring?, published on 16 September 2015, if he will take steps to prohibit local authorities from charging unpaid carers for support.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	13255
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2015 answer text <p>The Government recognises the valuable contribution made by carers, many of whom spend a significant proportion of their life providing support to family members or friends.</p><br /><p>The Care Act guidance is clear about policy on charging carers. The Care Act statutory guidance, at paragraph 8.50 states that:</p><br /><p>“Local authorities are not required to charge a carer for support and indeed in many cases it would be a false economy to do so. When deciding whether to charge, and in determining what an appropriate charge is, a local authority should consider how it wishes to express the way it values carers within its local community as partners in care, and recognise the significant contribution carers make.”</p><br /><p>The Care Act replicates the previous position where charging carers was permissible and the Government has no plans to change this. It would not have been appropriate to impose a blanket ban on charging for carers services, because in some cases small charges are necessary to the viability of services. However, the Care Act provides additional protection to carers by making it clear that local authorities cannot charge carers for services provided to the person being cared for. This means that carers may only be charged for services provided directly to them.</p><br /><p>Most local authorities do not routinely charge carers in recognition of the valuable contribution carers make to their local communities, and the Carers Trust report confirms that this is still the case. We will continue to make the case against routine charging of carers and to monitor the situation closely.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 03/11/2015 16:20:25 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

423348

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the findings of the Carers Trust report published on 16 September 2015, Analysis of the UK and Impact of Charges by Councils Providing Support to Unpaid Carers; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of local authority charges on carers for the support they receive to help them in their caring role.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	13008
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2015 answer text <p>The Department has been clear that local authorities are not required to charge a carer for support and indeed in many cases it would be a false economy to do so.</p><br /><p>We have produced a suite of implementation support documents around the new carers’ rights, one of which is <em>The Economic Case for Investment in Carers</em>, a short factsheet for local authorities to use in considering whether to put in place a policy of charging carers, setting out the evidence that charging would be a false economy. This expands on the position set out in the Care Act statutory guidance, which at paragraph 8.50 states that:</p><p /> <p>“Local authorities are not required to charge a carer for support and indeed in many cases it would be a false economy to do so. When deciding whether to charge, and in determining what an appropriate charge is, a local authority should consider how it wishes to express the way it values carers within its local community as partners in care, and recognise the significant contribution carers make.”</p><p /> <p>The Care Act replicates the previous position where charging carers was permissible. It would not have been appropriate to impose a blanket ban on charging for carers services, because in some cases small charges are necessary to the viability of services. However, the Care Act provides additional protection to carers by making it clear that local authorities cannot charge carers for services provided to the person being cared for. This means that carers may only be charged for services provided directly to them.</p><br /><p>Most local authorities do not routinely charge carers in recognition of the valuable contribution carers make to their local communities, and the Carers Trust report confirms that this is still the case. We will continue to make the case against routine charging of carers and to monitor the situation closely through the implementation monitoring process set out below.</p><br /><p>To support implementation of the reform programme, we have established a joint Programme Management Office between the Department, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adults Social Services. This unprecedented partnership is driving collaborative working with the sector, influencing the local implementation of these changes to support a consistent and coherent approach. This approach was recognised by the National Audit Office as best practice and should be adopted by other programmes.</p><br /><p>The programme includes a series of stocktakes of local authority readiness and the latest, from June 2015, demonstrates an overall positive picture on implementation:</p><p>- Councils’ confidence in their ability to deliver the Care Act Reforms in 2015/16 remains high, with 99% very or fairly confident.</p><p>- 89% of councils say that they are ‘on track’ with their implementation. The remaining 11% report themselves as only slightly behind.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 30/10/2015 11:57:03 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

422263

registered interest
date	19/10/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policy of the Carers Trust report on local authority support for carers, published on 16 September 2015; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	12329
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>The Government recognises the valuable contribution made by carers, many of whom spend a significant proportion of their life providing support to family members or friends.</p><br /><p>That is why we continue to support implementation of the improved rights for carers enshrined in the Care Act 2014. The Department has provided £104 million of funding to local authorities for these rights in 2015/16, which include an extended right to assessment and, for the first time, a duty on local authorities to meet carers’ eligible needs for support.</p><br /><p>To support implementation of the reform programme, we have established a joint Programme Management Office between the Department, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adults Social Services (ADASS). This unprecedented partnership is driving collaborative working with the sector, influencing the local implementation of these changes to support a consistent and coherent approach. This approach was recognised by the National Audit Office as best practice and should be adopted by other programmes.</p><br /><p>The programme includes a series of stocktakes of Local Authority readiness and the latest, from June 2015, demonstrates an overall positive picture on implementation:</p><br /><p>- Councils’ confidence in their ability to deliver the Care Act Reforms in 2015/16 remains high, with 99% very or fairly confident.</p><p>- 89% of councils say that they are ‘on track’ with their implementation. The remaining 11% report themselves as only slightly behind.</p><br /><p>We have also produced a suite of implementation support documents around the new carers’ rights, one of which is <em>The Economic Case for Investment in Carers</em>, a short factsheet for local authorities to use in considering whether to put in place a policy of charging carers, setting out the evidence that charging would be a false economy. This expands on the position set out in the Care Act statutory guidance, which at paragraph 8.50 states that:</p><br /><p>“Local authorities are not required to charge a carer for support and indeed in many cases it would be a false economy to do so. When deciding whether to charge, and in determining what an appropriate charge is, a local authority should consider how it wishes to express the way it values carers within its local community as partners in care, and recognise the significant contribution carers make.”</p><br /><p>The Care Act replicates the previous position where charging carers was permissible. It would not have been appropriate to impose a blanket ban on charging for carers services, because in some cases small charges are necessary to the viability of services. However, the Care Act provides additional protection to carers by making it clear that local authorities cannot charge carers for services provided to the person being cared for. This means that carers may only be charged for services provided directly to them.</p><br /><p>Most local authorities do not routinely charge carers in recognition of the valuable contribution carers make to their local communities, and the Carers Trust report confirms that this is still the case. We will continue to make the case against routine charging of carers and to monitor the situation closely through the implementation monitoring process set out above.</p><br /><p>We have no plans to create a new duty around NHS identification of carers. The Care Act requires NHS bodies and local authorities to co-operate with each other in the exercise of their respective functions relevant to care and support, including those relating to carers, so we would expect local authorities and NHS bodies to cooperate in identifying and signposting carers. The Department is working with ADASS and NHS England to produce a “local pathway” for carer identification and support that will set this out in more detail.</p><br /><p>The Department has also provided over £2 million in recent years to the professional bodies such as the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Nursing, as well as Carers UK and the Carers Trust, to develop initiatives to raise awareness of carers among healthcare professionals and to help identify and support carers.</p><br /><p>The Department is also leading on the development of a new National Carers’ Strategy that will be looking at the best of international practice and examine what more we can do to support existing carers and the new carers.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt grouped question UIN 12327 12328 question first answered 27/10/2015 13:04:03 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham