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1651155

registered interest
date	07/07/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Postgraduate Education: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete postgraduate research.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	192997
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government continues to provide targeted funding to increase the accessibility of postgraduate research (PGR) to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and is committed to creating a New Deal of support for PGR students.</p><p> </p><p>In 2022, the Office for Students and Research England announced funding for 13 projects to tackle persistent inequalities and barriers for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students to access PGR. In 2023, UKRI published results of a Call for Input on a PGR New Deal and will respond later this year.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with UKRI and the Department for Education to consider further steps to support access to and widen participation in PGR.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 20/07/2023 15:16:35 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1648911

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Innovation and Research: Higher Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Office for National Statistics includes Higher Education Innovation Funding in its estimate of total UK Research and Development spending.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	191788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2023 answer text <p>The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is an independent producer of official statistics.</p><p> </p><p>Its annual publication “<em>Research and development expenditure by the UK government</em>” has figures for UK Government net expenditure on research and development (R&amp;D) by department and for UK Government net expenditure on knowledge transfer by department, both separately and combined; it has also published experimental statistics on “<em>UK public-funded gross regional capital and non-capital expenditure on research and development</em>”.</p><p> </p><p>I understand that UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) provides ONS with expenditure data on Higher Education Innovation Funding to be included in these statistics.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 07/07/2023 10:06:08 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1648913

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to bring the provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 into force.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	191789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2023 answer text <p>The department is working closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to determine when provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will come into force.</p><p>The timeline will involve working in collaboration with the OfS on the creation of new registration conditions and a complaints scheme dedicated to handling freedom of speech complaints, which will be operated by the OfS. The OfS will also develop guidance on how to comply with these duties, in consultation with providers, constituent institutions and students’ unions.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 07/07/2023 10:43:55 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1645927

registered interest
date	20/06/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	NHS: Agency Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 187216, what proportion of NHS Bank Staff will receive a non-consolidated payment.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	190328
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2023 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. Bank staff are employed on locally managed contracts, the terms of which differ by individual trust. It is therefore not possible to determine how many will be eligible to receive the non-consolidated payments.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/06/2023 15:48:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1642754

registered interest
date	07/06/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Brain: Tumours
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve diagnosis times for those affected by brain tumours.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	188245
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>The Department has taken steps to significantly invest in diagnostics through additional funding for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography capacity across all National Health Service healthcare settings over this Spending Review period. This includes the acceleration of the Community Diagnostic Centres programme which will further release imaging capacity to reduce the waiting times for all patients including patients with clinical indication of a brain tumour. There has also been investment in MRI Acceleration technology which will improve the daily throughput per upgraded MRI scanner by reducing the scan times required per patient and improve the patient experience by reducing the scan times for patients.</p><p>Improvements to GP Direct Access pathways will support general practitioners referring directly for MRI brain scans, where they have concerns about symptoms that could indicate an incidental finding of a brain tumour. In addition, all patients referred for an imaging diagnostic scan with the clinical indication of cancer/tumour would be treated as an urgent cancer referral. These referrals are triaged, appointed and reported within two weeks of referral.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 15/06/2023 16:34:47 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1642755

registered interest
date	07/06/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Brain: Tumours
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	188246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>NHS England is delivering a range of interventions to support general practitioners (GPs) in diagnosing brain cancer earlier, therefore the Department is not running any additional public awareness campaigns at this stage.</p><p>In April 2020, NHS England introduced the “early cancer diagnosis service specification” for Primary Care Networks. This is designed to support improvements in rates of early cancer diagnosis by requiring Primary Care Networks to review the quality of their practices’ referrals for suspected cancer and take steps to improve this.</p><p>NHS England is also working with Cancer Alliances and GPs to diagnose more cancers earlier by making funding available to embed clinical decision support tools within general practice and give them access to a wider range of diagnostic tests. This includes brain MRIs, for patients with concerning symptoms, but who fall outside the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline threshold for an urgent suspected cancer referral. These tools and tests are expected to support the earlier detection of a range of cancers including brain cancer.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 15/06/2023 16:31:54 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1639982

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Illegal Migration Bill
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the evidential basis is for her Department's statement in the Equality Impact Assessment for the Illegal Migration Bill, published on 26 April 2023, that the Bill should have a deterrent effect which can result in fewer unaccompanied children arriving in the UK by dangerous and unlawful means.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	186619
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>The purpose of the Illegal Migration Bill is to prevent and deter all unlawful migration, and in particular migration by unsafe and illegal routes. Those who arrive illegally will be liable to detention and will be swiftly removed to their home country or to a safe third country. The duty to make arrangements for removal will apply to unaccompanied children once they turn 18 and there is a power to remove them in limited circumstances prior to them reaching adulthood. The organised people smuggling criminal gangs can be expected to exploit any exceptions or loopholes in the scheme provided for in the Bill.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 09/06/2023 13:30:41 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1605225

registered interest
date	17/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken steps to produce an updated version of the Student Income and Expenditure Survey.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	168040
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2023 answer text <p>The Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) 2021 to 2022 has been commissioned and the report will be published in due course.</p><p>The last published SIES survey (2014 to 2015) can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2014-to-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2014-to-2015</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 27/03/2023 15:06:42 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1604891

registered interest
date	16/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to extend the eligibility criteria for free school meals to cover all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit and equivalent benefits.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	167087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2023 answer text <p>Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving a free school meal (FSM) has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.</p><p>The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low income households to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for FSM, but will continue to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support to disadvantaged families.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 24/03/2023 14:26:07 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1601996

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Energy Bills Support Scheme: Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that university students in private rental accommodation (a) are receiving or (b) have received payment from the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	160256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2023 answer text <p>The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and impacted students.</p><p> </p><p>All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.</p><p> </p><p>The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding will provide £400 support to those households without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier in England, Scotland, and Wales, who have faced increased energy bill costs since 1 October 2022. This will include students in privately rented accommodation, where they receive their energy from an intermediary, such as a landlord or letting agency, who holds a commercial electricity contract.</p><p> </p><p>The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>Tenants should not need to take action to receive this benefit as the obligation is on intermediaries, such as landlords, to pass through the benefit and provide the information necessary to do so. If a student believes this obligation has not been met, they are advised to contact their landlord or an intermediary to resolve this in the first instance. Within the regulations, there is also scope to pursue enforcement through civil proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>Further guidance on the pass-through requirement can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Students in purpose-built student accommodation are not eligible to receive support under the scheme. With fixed rental fees set ahead of the academic year, these students have not been exposed to unexpectedly higher energy bill costs this winter.</p><p> </p><p>For students living in university or private halls, businesses, including those providing student accommodation, are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides energy bill relief for non-domestic customers in Great Britain.</p><p> </p><p>The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including universities and private purpose-built student accommodation providers, are protected from high energy bills this winter.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 15/03/2023 17:56:24 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield