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1361726

registered interest
date	20/10/2021
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Buses: Driving
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the recruitment and retention of adequate numbers of bus drivers nationally.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	59742
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2021 answer text <p>My Department is working closely with industry to continuously monitor the driver shortage situation in order to better understand the extent of the problem and the challenges causing this issue. The Government is committed to encouraging new entrants to the bus driving profession and reducing barriers to entry. There is regular engagement within my Department, across Government and with industry, to proactively take measures to alleviate the situation, including ways to boost recruitment within the sector.</p><p>There are no delays for bus and HGV provisional driving licence applications, which are currently being issued in around five days – these applications are being prioritised and further work is being done to speed up processes even further.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 27/10/2021 11:13:35 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1361727

registered interest
date	20/10/2021
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Buses: Driving
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people completed PCV training in 2020.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	59743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2021 answer text <p>The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold the data on how many people completed their passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) training in 2020. PCV training is delivered by third-party training providers.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 27/10/2021 11:12:00 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1361286

registered interest
date	19/10/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Primary Education: Free School Meals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing funding for universal free school meals for infants in the next Spending Review.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	58769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2021 answer text <p>We spend around £600 million per year ensuring 1.3 million infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) policy in 2014. All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England’s state-funded schools are entitled to receive a free meal. This is in addition to the 1.7 million children in receipt of benefits related free school meals.</p><p>The funding of UIFSM is allocated via a grant to schools, funded at a rate of £2.34 per meal. This grant was last increased for the 2020/21 academic year and covers the cost of raw materials as well as other fixed costs associated with providing the meals. It is for individual schools to decide how to allocate their budgets in order to provide these meals.</p><p>The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is currently experiencing a significant demand for its services as organisations start to recruit staff following lockdown, for example during September and October it saw an increase of over 20% in demand for standard and enhanced checks. However, the DBS continues to deliver its services in line with its Published Service Standards which are available at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistics%2Fdbs-dataset-1-disclosure-progress-information-disclosed-and-update-service-subscriptions&amp;data=04%7C01%7CHOParliamentaryQuestions%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7Ce1df4c92d0814e2bb49208d993aba6e9%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637703187703426729%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=UiwGKr%2BqaxSILbwMQHO1%2FVxQCpeRyMTK%2By132TKbgXo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-dataset-1-disclosure-progress-information-disclosed-and-update-service-subscriptions</a>. Despite increased demand largely driven by COVID-19 responses and the gig economy, particularly online shopping and food delivery, the DBS has consistently exceeded its operational targets.</p><p>The department holds regular meetings with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other school food stakeholders, including the Local Authority Caterers Association, the representative body for school caterers, as well as food industry representatives covering a variety of issues.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 58770 58774 58775 question first answered 27/10/2021 16:44:43 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1361294

registered interest
date	19/10/2021
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has contingencies in place to ensure that HGV drivers are available to deliver school meals during the period of driver shortages and supply chain issues.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	58776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Transport is committed to finding solutions to mitigate the effects of the HGV driver shortage and has already taken 25 proactive actions in recent weeks.</p><p>The Government routinely considers contingency arrangements and expects schools and catering companies supplying them to do the same.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 27/10/2021 16:00:28 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1360644

registered interest
date	18/10/2021
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	School Meals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the UK becoming a signatory member of the School Meals Coalition established at the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	58326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2021 answer text <p>The UK Government warmly welcomed the Secretary General's announcement of the UN Food Systems Summit. The Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment personally delivered a UK national statement at the September Summit and led the UK's pre-Summit delegation in July. The Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment used both opportunities to highlight the UK's leadership commitments on famine prevention and nature as well as our COP26 ambition on sustainable agriculture.</p><p>The FCDO is monitoring several UN Food Systems Summit coalitions, including the School Meals Coalition, to understand their ambitions as well as the expectations of Member States who express support. While HMG supports school meals in the UK, the coalitions are international as well as domestic in scope and UK membership of the School Meals Coalition would have implications for our international development strategy. FCDO's assessment, based on evidence, is that supporting women and children from when they are conceived up to their second birthday is the most effective way to avert malnutrition and its long-term consequences.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 26/10/2021 15:06:56 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1360210

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
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	Medical Treatments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on transparency of data redaction in technology appraisals and highly specialised technology evaluations issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	56868
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2021 answer text <p>The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body responsible for developing guidance in line with its established methods and processes. NICE is committed to ensuring its processes for health technology evaluation are as transparent as possible and considers it essential that evidence on which its committees’ decisions are based is made available to stakeholders and the public. To ensure faster access to treatments for patients, NICE’s appraisals are conducted in parallel with the regulatory process wherever possible. NICE’s approach to handling confidential information for health technology evaluation is set out in its guide to the processes of technology appraisal.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 56869 question first answered 22/10/2021 09:00:15 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1360211

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
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	Medical Treatments
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 he plans to take to improve transparency of the data that underpins NICE's conclusions, in response to the findings in BMJ Open (Vol 11, Issue 10, Osipenko) that documents supporting NICE TA and HST recommendations remain redacted leading to clinical and economic data of importance to patients, clinicians and researchers being concealed.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	56869
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2021 answer text <p>The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body responsible for developing guidance in line with its established methods and processes. NICE is committed to ensuring its processes for health technology evaluation are as transparent as possible and considers it essential that evidence on which its committees’ decisions are based is made available to stakeholders and the public. To ensure faster access to treatments for patients, NICE’s appraisals are conducted in parallel with the regulatory process wherever possible. NICE’s approach to handling confidential information for health technology evaluation is set out in its guide to the processes of technology appraisal.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 56868 question first answered 22/10/2021 09:00:15 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1358009

registered interest
date	23/09/2021
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	Health Visitors: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Health Visiting services feature in his Department’s submissions to the Spending Review.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	53845
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The forthcoming Spending Review will set out the Government’s spending plans for health and social care for future years. This includes the local authority Public Health Grant, which funds health visiting services.</p> answering member constituency Erewash answering member printed Maggie Throup question first answered 18/10/2021 22:27:59 answering member 4447 label Biography information for Maggie Throup
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1354569

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment her Department has undertaken of the potential effect of the end of the £20 uplift to universal credit on young women.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	46952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>No impact assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for working-age adults in working families have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 8% of working age adults in working families were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 9% in 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 44382 44433 question first answered 15/09/2021 17:00:46 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson

1353368

registered interest
date	07/09/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Arts: Secondary Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer on 24 June 2021 to Question 16805 on Pupil Premium: Arts, what recent progress he has made towards the allocation of the arts premium to secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Washington and Sunderland West
tabling member printed	Mrs Sharon Hodgson
uin	44242
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>Due to the need to focus on new priorities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak last year, the arts premium is subject to this year’s Spending Review. The Spending Review is due to conclude on Wednesday 27 October. The Government believes in a high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this are music and the wider arts and creative subjects.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 15/09/2021 12:07:13 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1521 label Biography information for Mrs Sharon Hodgson