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1673742

registered interest
date	28/11/2023
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	Poverty: Nottingham
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support those living in destitution in Nottingham.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	4296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children.</p><p> </p><p>From April 2023, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1% and, subject to Parliamentary approval, working-age benefits will rise by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with inflation.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021/22 there were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10, including 400,000 fewer children and 1 million fewer working age adults.</p><p> </p><p>With almost one million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting people to move into and progress in work. This approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. In 2021/22 working age adults living in workless families were 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in households where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>To help people into work, our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. In addition, there is specific support targeted towards young people, people aged 50 plus and job seekers with disabilities or health issues.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, the voluntary in-work progression offer is now available in all Jobcentres across Great Britain, providing an estimated 1.2 million low paid workers on UC access to personalised work coach support to help them increase their earnings.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, on 1 April 2024, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of £104bn over 2022-25 to help households and individuals.</p><p> </p><p>Included within this, to support low-income households with increasing rent costs, the government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents for private renters from April 2024. This will benefit 1.6m low-income households by on average £800 a year in 24/25.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 04/12/2023 16:22:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1673743

registered interest
date	28/11/2023
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	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure claimants subject to benefit sanctions have adequate income to afford living essentials.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	4297
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2023 answer text <p>Sanctions are calculated only with reference to the full value of the standard allowance to which that claimant is entitled and are deducted from the claimant’s total Universal Credit (UC) award. Sanctioned claimants who receive other awards or additional money, such as the housing and childcare elements, will continue to do so in full, unless the total UC award is eroded by the earnings taper or other income.</p><p> </p><p>As a safeguard for claimants who demonstrate they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs as a result of their sanction, we have a well-established system of hardship payments available. These needs can include accommodation, heating, food, and hygiene. Claimants are able to apply for a hardship payment from the first assessment period that the sanction has been applied to.</p><p> </p><p>Sanctions are only applied if the claimant fails to meet a tailored requirement without good reason.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 04/12/2023 11:53:49 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1672703

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
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	Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times to speak to the Disability Service Centre.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	3560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>We have increased Case Worker resource and consequently wait times on the PIP enquiry line have significantly improved in recent weeks.</p><p> </p><p>It is not possible to increase performance further until the resource position improves further, because we have to deploy Case Workers on processing as well as telephony, to meet demand in both areas of work, which are equally important.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is continually developing new technological capability aimed at providing better information, tailored to customer needs, at the point of call. Going forward, this approach will also help to reduce waiting times for customers.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 29/11/2023 12:56:06 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1671797

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch report Accident Investigation Report 7/2023, published on 9 November 2023, if he will establish a statutory inquiry into the deaths in the Channel on 24 November 2021.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	2985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>I refer the Hon Lady to the Secretary of State’s written statement on the 9<sup>th</sup> November (HCWS27).</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 27/11/2023 14:53:01 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1671998

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Class Sizes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to introduce statutory class size limits in key stage two and above.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	3049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Schools are free to decide their class sizes (other than infant classes), in a way that is consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve their potential.</p><p> </p><p>The assessment of the evidence by the Education Endowment Foundation found some evidence for additional benefits of smaller class sizes with younger children, suggesting that smaller class sizes may be a more effective approach during the early stages of primary school. For older year groups, however, the impact of reducing class sizes on educational attainment is low compared to the high cost of doing so. More information can be found here: <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/reducing-class-size" target="_blank">https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/reducing-class-size</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Research by Professor John Hattie found that reducing class sizes ranked 186 out of 250 on influences on pupil achievement. More information on this can be found online at: <a href="https://visible-learning.org/" target="_blank">https://visible-learning.org/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Despite an increase of more than a million pupils in state-funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, at secondary level, average class sizes remain low at only 22.4 pupils, whilst the average primary class has remained broadly stable at 26.7 pupils.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 27/11/2023 14:01:35 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1672002

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Food Technology
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 help increase the number food technology teachers.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	3053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The latest School Workforce Census showed that during November 2022, there were over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.</p><p> </p><p>The department’s teacher recruitment and retention reforms are aimed at supporting teacher recruitment and retention across all subjects, including food technology. The department accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows there is further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. That is why the department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries. For those starting Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in the 2024/25 academic year, £25,000 tax-free bursaries are being offered in design &amp; technology, which includes food technology. Over the past two years, the design and technology bursary has increased from £15,000 to £25,000.</p><p> </p><p>The department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across ITT and into their induction, to ensure teachers are better supported at the start of career.</p><p> </p><p>The department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, which impact retention. This includes the school workload reduction toolkit, developed alongside school leaders, which is a helpful resource for schools to review and reduce workload. The toolkit is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department has also worked in partnership with the education sector and mental health experts to create the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which we are encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. The charter is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 27/11/2023 12:36:05 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1672003

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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	Gender Dysphoria
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Consultation report for the interim service specification for specialist gender incongruence services for children and young people published by NHS England on 9 June 2023, if she will provide a definition of the term early-onset gender dysphoria.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	3054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2023 answer text <p>Early-onset gender dysphoria is referred to in NHS England’s Consultation report for the interim service specification. It is referenced in relation to research that has been commissioned by the research board, chaired by Professor Sir Simon Wessely, into the impact of puberty suppressing hormones in children with ‘early-onset’ gender dysphoria.</p><p>The focus on ‘early-onset’ gender dysphoria responds directly to findings from the Cass Review that in recent years there has been a dramatic change in the case-mix of referrals to specialist gender services. from predominantly birth-registered males presenting with gender incongruence from an early age to predominantly birth-registered females presenting with later onset of reported gender incongruence in early teens. It will be for the clinical trial study team to propose the precise eligibility definitions to be used in the study as the proposal is developed over the next few months.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 13/12/2023 17:40:41 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield previous answer version 3602 answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1672012

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Law Reporting
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to reduce the cost of crown court transcripts for victims of serious crime.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	3063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunals Service continue to seek ways to reduce the fees that victims are required to pay to obtain transcripts in criminal proceedings. In particular, we will explore how technology can be used to reduce the costs of transcription, with a view to passing on the savings to parties.</p><p> </p><p>Victims can apply to the court for permission to listen to the audio recording of the hearing at a suitable court location, free of charge and at judicial discretion. In certain serious criminal cases, a copy of the Sentencing Remarks may be made available to the public free of charge at the judge’s discretion</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 27/11/2023 11:05:07 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome