We believe it is right for local authorities, who know their areas\u2019 needs best, to determine what services, including early help, are required locally.<\/p>
Respite care services for disabled children are provided on the basis of an individual assessment of each child and family\u2019s needs, and it is right that this individual focus continues. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we ensured that respite care services for disabled children and their families were allowed to continue to operate. This applied to services which care for children in and away from home. Where parents have a disabled child under the age of 5, they were also able to establish a support bubble with another household to provide respite care.<\/p>
To support local areas, the government has given over £6 billion in unringfenced funding directly to councils to support them with the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including children\u2019s services. We will continue to work with other government departments, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ensure the upcoming Spending Review reflects the needs of children\u2019s services.<\/p>
In addition to statutory services, we are providing £27.3 million to the Family Fund in financial year 2021-22 to support over 60,000 families on low incomes raising children and young people with disabilities or serious illnesses. Grants can be used for a range of purposes, including family breaks.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4674", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Vicky Ford"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chelmsford"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Vicky Ford"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "44425"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-14T16:01:46.913Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-09-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Special Educational Needs: Public Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing a disabled children\u2019s innovation fund to help evaluate and provide early-help services to improve outcomes for disabled children and families in the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4602", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wera Hobhouse"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bath"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Wera Hobhouse"} ], "uin" : "44424"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353298", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353298/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We believe it is right for local authorities, who know their areas\u2019 needs best, to determine what services, including early help, are required locally.<\/p>
Respite care services for disabled children are provided on the basis of an individual assessment of each child and family\u2019s needs, and it is right that this individual focus continues. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we ensured that respite care services for disabled children and their families were allowed to continue to operate. This applied to services which care for children in and away from home. Where parents have a disabled child under the age of 5, they were also able to establish a support bubble with another household to provide respite care.<\/p>
To support local areas, the government has given over £6 billion in unringfenced funding directly to councils to support them with the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including children\u2019s services. We will continue to work with other government departments, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ensure the upcoming Spending Review reflects the needs of children\u2019s services.<\/p>
In addition to statutory services, we are providing £27.3 million to the Family Fund in financial year 2021-22 to support over 60,000 families on low incomes raising children and young people with disabilities or serious illnesses. Grants can be used for a range of purposes, including family breaks.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4674", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Vicky Ford"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chelmsford"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Vicky Ford"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "44424"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-14T16:01:46.96Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-09-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Special Educational Needs: Public Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the potential long-term financial costs of providing early intervention funding for support for disabled children and their families.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4602", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wera Hobhouse"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bath"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Wera Hobhouse"} ], "uin" : "44425"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353029", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353029/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Since May, we have held a series of stakeholder meetings with key organisations from business and family/women\u2019s representative groups to discuss the issues which pregnant women and new mothers can face in the workplace. These have focused on what an Advisory Board can usefully add to other work in this area \u2013 such as the Government\u2019s commitment to extend the redundancy protection currently offered to someone on maternity leave into a period of return to work. The first full meeting of the Board will take place later in September and will agree Terms of Reference and the forward work programme.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4414", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Scully"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sutton and Cheam"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Paul Scully"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-14T15:19:12.627Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-09-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pregnancy: Employment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral Answer of the Minister for Equalities on 26 May 2021, Official Report, column 356, what actions have resulted from the establishment of the roundtable with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to discuss pregnancy and maternity discrimination.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4602", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wera Hobhouse"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bath"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Wera Hobhouse"} ], "uin" : "43624"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353030", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353030/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Despite the enormous challenges they have faced, the employment tribunals remained open throughout the pandemic. We have harnessed the benefits of technology to ensure that the tribunals remain safely operational and accessible. We have maximised our use of remote hearings in the employment tribunals, which are now the largest user of the cloud video platform across all tribunals.<\/p>
However, significant challenges remain. We are working closely with the judiciary to continue to improve our disposal rate through maximising judicial capacity and driving further recruitment of judges. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy have also been working closely through a joint taskforce on what further measures we can introduce to take the employment tribunals towards recovery.<\/p>
The taskforce is carefully considering what further actions we can take to support recovery across the employment dispute system, and to enhance its resilience and sustainability in the longer term. We expect to able to announce the first part of the taskforce\u2019s work on further actions we can take to support the recovery of the system in due course.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4503", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chris Philp"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Croydon South"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chris Philp"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-14T16:26:17.247Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-09-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Employment Tribunals Service: Standards"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Section 1 of the HM Courts & Tribunal Service annual report and accounts 2020-21, published in July 2021, HC 405, what actions have been taken as a result of the establishment of the ministerial taskforce to improve capacity, efficiency and productivity of the Employment Tribunal system.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4602", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wera Hobhouse"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bath"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Wera Hobhouse"} ], "uin" : "43625"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353088", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1353088/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The UK has to date provided £47.7 million in humanitarian support to respond to the conflict in Tigray for healthcare, sanitation and nutrition.<\/p>
The humanitarian situation in north east Ethiopia continues to deteriorate. Access to Tigray for aid agencies is negligible owing to bureaucratic impediments to delivery imposed by the government and more than 400,000 people are assessed to be in famine-like conditions. Tigray is the most serious food crisis since famine was declared in Somalia in 2011. Conflict in neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions is now impacting an additional 1.7 million people. The UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer visited Tigray in May and concluded a that region-wide famine in Tigray is likely if conflict intensifies and impediments to the delivery of humanitarian aid continue. Regrettably the operating context has become more fraught and the risks to civilians have increased. The UK reiterates its call for the protection of civilians and unfettered humanitarian access.<\/p>
The Foreign Secretary raised concerns on the humanitarian situation and the need for a political dialogue to bring a lasting peace to Tigray directly with Prime Minister Abiy on 5 August. I also raised these issues with the Ethiopian Minister of Peace, Muferihat Kamil Ahmed, on 15 July. The UK Ambassador to Ethiopia has also raised our concerns on multiple occasions to the Government. We have consistently pressed these points in bilateral meetings, in multilateral fora such as the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council and G7 and worked concertedly with international partners to raise our concerns. At the UN Security Council, I set out on 2 July our concerns at the continued lack of progress in delivering humanitarian access to Tigray.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1559", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir James Duddridge"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rochford and Southend East"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "James Duddridge"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-10T12:55:50.127Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "208"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-09-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Tigray: Famine"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help alleviate famine in the Tigray.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4602", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wera Hobhouse"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bath"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Wera Hobhouse"} ], "uin" : "43626"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1349469", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1349469/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
While we are aware that pyrotechnics bodies are currently engaging with UKAS, and are in the process of getting accredited, we cannot share any information about those individual bodies due to commercial sensitivities.<\/p>
We are working closely with the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ensure that a pyrotechnics conformity assessment body is accredited as soon as possible. We will provide an update as soon as a pyrotechnics body has been appointed by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State.<\/p>
In order to further support businesses in adapting to the new goods regime, we will introduce legislation which will allows CE-marked goods to continue to be placed on the GB market (England, Scotland, and Wales) for a further year until 1 January 2023.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4414", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Scully"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sutton and Cheam"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Paul Scully"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-09T16:39:54.487Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2021-07-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July to Question 31509, which pyrotechnics bodies are in discussions with UKAS.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4602", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Wera Hobhouse"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bath"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Wera Hobhouse"}
], "uin" : "38376"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1348332", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1348332/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "