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1700008

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept id	215
answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
hansard heading	Energy: Meters
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on the number of reports of faulty smart meters in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Preston in the last 12 months; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure energy companies are accountable for the quality of smart meters they install.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20887
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>Almost 9 in 10 smart meters are sending automatic readings, but those that don’t will still be accurately measuring consumers’ energy, like a traditional meter.</p><p>The Government is working closely with industry to drive down the number of smart meters not sending automatic readings. The numbers are improving but more progress is needed.</p><p> </p><p>Energy suppliers have an obligation to take all reasonable steps to operate smart meters in smart mode and Ofgem are responsible for regulating suppliers against this obligation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government does not hold geographic data on smart meters that aren’t sending automatic readings.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 22/04/2024 10:55:49 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1700014

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Sign Language: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free access to British sign language classes for the (a) parents and (b) caregivers of all newly-identified deaf children.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The Adult Education Budget (AEB) targets a wide range of eligible individuals including parents and caregivers of all newly-identified deaf children.</p><p>The Adult Education Budget (AEB) funds qualifications in, or focussing on, British Sign Language (BSL) up to and including Level 2. Approximately 60% of the AEB has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas, which includes Preston Constituency.</p><p>ESFA funded AEB qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL, which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost through co-funding. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.</p><p>For parents learning BSL on an AEB funded course, there is also additional support available. The AEB provides funding to colleges and providers to help adult learners overcome barriers preventing them from accessing learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment and childcare. Learning support funding also helps colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 22/04/2024 15:34:28 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698872

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the reasons for which some disabled children cannot (a) eat and (b) access free school meals; and whether she plans to make reasonable adjustments to free school meals to help disabled children to access them.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20526
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people, and they must make reasonable adjustments to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. This means that a school cannot treat a pupil unfairly as a consequence of their disability.</p><p>As it relates to school food, the duty to make reasonable adjustments requires schools to tailor their provision to ensure that it is accessible to disabled pupils. Furthermore, this duty is anticipatory, and so schools need to actively consider whether any reasonable adjustments are needed in order to avoid any disadvantage that may otherwise occur.</p><p>The department has updated its existing guidance on free school meals to clarify schools’ duties to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children, and to support productive conversations between schools and parents about suitable food provision. The guidance can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fdad5965ca2f00117da947/Free_school_meals.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fdad5965ca2f00117da947/Free_school_meals.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/04/2024 13:23:17 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698944

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Buildings: Public Sector
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether regulations are in place to ensure that reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is not used in the future building of (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) public sector buildings.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20527
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The manufacture and sale of RAAC panels is covered by construction products regulations 2013 by the designated standard BS EN 12602:2016. Buildings undergoing “building work” must meet the safety and performance requirements in the building regulations no matter how they are constructed or what materials are used, including RAAC.</p><p>The Institute of Structural Engineers (IStructE) advise that RAAC can be an appropriate construction material if properly designed, manufactured, installed, and maintained, though they understand that use in UK has declined since 1990.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 15/04/2024 15:36:17 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698953

registered interest
date	26/03/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Affordable Housing: Construction
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the number of (a) social and (b) affordable housing properties built by developers; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage more affordable housing to be built.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20528
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2024 answer text <p>Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes, both for rent and to buy, right across the country.</p><p>The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes, and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.</p><p>The government is on track to deliver its target of building around 250,000 affordable homes through the Affordable Homes Programme.</p><p>Local planning authorities can secure addition contributions towards affordable housing through section 106 planning obligations.</p><p>The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act contains powers for the Government to create a new mandatory, non-negotiable Infrastructure Levy which will aim to generate more funding for affordable housing and infra-structure to support sustainable development.</p> answering member constituency Redcar answering member printed Jacob Young question first answered 19/04/2024 12:20:22 answering member 4825 label Biography information for Jacob Young
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698379

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Climate Change: Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of climate change on flooding in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s long-term flood and coastal erosion risk management <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-policy-statement" target="_blank">Policy Statement</a>, published in 2020, sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk.</p><p> </p><p>The Policy Statement recognises that climate change will lead to sea level rise and more extreme rainfall, with an increase in the number of people at risk from flooding and coastal erosion.</p><p> </p><p>It includes five ambitious policies and a number of actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against these risks.</p><p>For example, the government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over 6 years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England.</p><p> </p><p>The government published the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172931/The_Third_National_Adaptation_Programme.pdf" target="_blank">National Adaptation Programme 3 (NAP3)</a> in July 2023. The NAP sets the actions that government and others will take to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the UK between 2023 to 2028. This forms part of the 5-yearly cycle of requirements laid down in the Climate Change Act 2008.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/04/2024 14:32:24 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1698380

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Economic Situation: Weather
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) short and (b) long term impact of (i) extreme weather and (ii) storms on the economy.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	20160
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>The Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) was published in July 2023. It set out policies and actions to respond to the 61 climate risks and opportunities identified in the independent Third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), including risks arising from changing climatic conditions and extreme weather events. As part of CCRA3, the Climate Change Committee produced an analysis of the monetary valuation of risks and opportunities, as well as an analysis of the indicative costs and benefits of adaptation.</p><p>The Treasury continues to work to determine what additional research and analysis, including economic analysis, is required to ensure robust adaptation.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Gareth Davies question first answered 15/04/2024 08:53:40 answering member 4850 label Biography information for Gareth Davies
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1697079

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Nurseries: North West
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase nursery staff in the North West, in the context of the Government's plans to expand the number of free childcare places.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	19260
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>By the 2027/28 financial year, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.</p><p> </p><p>In February, the department launched a new national recruitment campaign for the early years and childcare sector, ‘Do something BIG. Work with small children’, and a financial incentives pilot. Eligible joiners and returners will receive a tax-free payment of up to £1,000. This followed the introduction of workforce flexibilities to the Early Years Foundation Stage in January.</p><p> </p><p>The department has also introduced Skills Bootcamps for Early Years, which will create a pathway to accelerated Level 3 Early Years Apprenticeships. The number of paid childcare staff in 2023 is estimated at 347,300 compared to 334,400 paid childcare staff in 2022, an increase of 3.86%. Additionally, the department has invested up to £180 million in providing an early years education recovery package of workforce training, qualifications and support and guidance for the early years sector. This includes additional places for early years initial teacher training (EYITT), and new level 3 qualifications criteria for early years educators to ensure higher quality training and better care for children. The new criteria will come into effect from September 2024.</p><p> </p><p>For the North West, the total number of staff working in group and school based providers has increased from 39,394 in 2018 to 42,027 in 2023, an increase of 6.68%.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 27/03/2024 16:38:10 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1696707

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Convictions: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions of young people there were in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Preston in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the trend in the number of such convictions.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	18978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice holds information on convictions by age group and Police Force Area, covering the period requested. The latest data available, until year ending June 2023, can be obtained in the following published tool: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65bd0675704282000d752143/outcomes-by-offence-june-2023.xlsx" target="_blank">Outcomes by Offence tool: June 2023</a>.</p><p>The tool linked above will allow you to select particular age groups of interest through the age group filter, and areas of the country through the police force area filter.</p><p>It is not possible to separately identify all convictions in Preston courts specifically, as those at magistrates’ courts in Preston are counted within the wider geographical area of Lancashire outlined in the first part of the question. Figures for the rest of 2023 will be available in the next update of the Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly publication, expected in May 2024.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice has not carried out any recent location-specific assessment of on how our policies have influenced the trend in the number of children convicted since 2019 in Preston, Lancashire and the North West. However, there has been analysis of the broader national trend, which is a fall in the overall number of children entering the criminal justice system more generally in recent years. Since 2012, the number of first-time entrants to the youth justice system has declined by 72%. This can be attributed to a number of drivers. These include changes to policing and criminal justice practices intended to increase police discretion to divert children who had committed low-level offences from the formal justice system, prevention programmes to support vulnerable families and Youth Offending Teams undertaking prevention work with children perceived to be at risk of offending.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 27/03/2024 13:00:03 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1696708

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
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	Disease Control
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 her Department is taking to prepare for (a) an avian influenza outbreak and (b) a future pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	18979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory contact, both influenza and non-influenza, and vector-borne pathogens, building on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department, working with health and care partners, is strengthening pandemic preparedness by considering the flexible and scalable response capabilities that can be adapted to any threat that the health and social care system needs.</p><p>These capabilities include stockpiles of critical medicines, an advance purchase agreement for a pandemic specific influenza vaccine, and a long-term strategic partnership with Moderna on vaccine development. These complement core scalable capabilities in the UK Health Security Agency, such as surveillance and diagnostics.</p><p>We are carefully monitoring avian influenza globally. The risk to people in the United Kingdom from avian influenza is very low. It is primarily a disease of birds and there is currently no evidence that it can spread more easily to people, or that it can spread between people. We continually review our readiness plans as new evidence emerges.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 26/03/2024 13:33:48 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick