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1604115

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare: Special Educational Needs
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 all childcare placements are able to support children with SEND.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	165332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/03/2023 answer text <p>The department is providing a range of support to ensure all childcare placements are able to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in early years.</p><p>The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. This includes new national standards for identifying and meeting SEND. These new standards aim to make consistent the provision that should be made available across the country for every child and young person with SEND. There will also be new local SEND and AP partnerships, strengthened accountability and dashboards, and reforms to funding.</p><p>High needs funding will be rising to £10.1 billion in 2023/24, which is an increase of over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations. High needs funding is for supporting children and young people with complex SEND, whose support costs more than settings can meet from their core funding, or who are in specialist provision. The extra funding will help local authorities and settings with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND.</p><p>Local authorities are required to establish a Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund to provide additional top-up funding to childcare settings. This fund requires all local authorities to work with providers to address the needs of individual children with SEND.</p><p>The Early Years National Funding Formula contains an additional needs element to take account of the number of three and four-year-old children with additional needs in an area. The Disability Access Fund will be at least £828 per eligible child for 2023/24.</p><p>The department has also committed to funding up to 5,000 early years special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) to get an accredited level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho question first answered 30/03/2023 16:12:35 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1604116

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Extended Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) breakfast clubs and (b) after-school clubs for parents that need them; and what steps she is taking to help increase the level of provision of those clubs.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	165333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>The Department is committed to continuing support for school breakfasts. In November 2022, the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) was extended for an additional year, until the end of the 2024 summer term. The Department is spending up to £30 million on this programme overall. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment and wellbeing. Schools are eligible for the programme if they have 40% or more pupils from disadvantaged households, as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index.</p><p>Family Action estimates that 270,000 children are currently receiving a breakfast from the NSBP on an average school day. The NSBP is also undertaking data collection with all participating schools on take-up rates and effects. Relevant data will be published in due course.</p><p>Wraparound childcare for school age children is a vital service that supports working families. 66% of primary schools currently provide after school care and 65% of these schools provide both before and after school childcare. This data can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-panel-omnibus-surveys-for-2022-to-2023" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-panel-omnibus-surveys-for-2022-to-2023</a>.</p><p>The Government is committed to increasing the availability of wraparound childcare for parents. This is why the Government announced it would spend £289 million on a national pathfinder scheme in England as part of the Spring Budget. This will provide Local Authorities with funding across two academic years to set up wraparound provision in primary schools and will improve the availability of wraparound childcare where it is not available. This start-up funding aims to support Local Authorities and schools to test options and deliver wraparound childcare that is self financing and sustainable in the longer term.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/03/2023 15:27:20 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1604118

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Childcare
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 introducing a Government universal offer on childcare.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	165479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>In the 2023 Spring Budget, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare. This includes the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week, for 38 weeks, per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school.</p><p>The government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education by 2027/28, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England.</p><p>The department understands that parents value high-quality, affordable childcare and recognises that cost of living pressures are affecting families across the country. The key objective of this announcement is to support parents to return and stay in work. This is why this offer is conditional on work and is not a universal offer.</p><p>Eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds are currently eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. From April 2024, working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. From September 2024, this will be extended to parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds, and from September 2025, working parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds will be able to access 30 free hours per week, over 38 weeks a year. To be eligible for this offer, as with the current 30 hours offer, parents will need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year.</p><p>The reforms announced build on our current early education entitlements that the government offers, which includes a universal 15 hour offer for all 3 and 4-year-old children. All children can access this entitlement for 38 weeks of the year from the term after they turn three until they start school, regardless of family circumstances.</p><p>Parents of disadvantaged 2-year-olds will continue to be eligible for the 15 hours free early education. This includes working parents on low incomes and in receipts of certain benefits, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children.</p><p>Tax-Free Childcare is also available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible children with disabilities. This can save parents up to £2,000 per year, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Claire Coutinho grouped question UIN 165327 question first answered 28/03/2023 15:41:44 answering member 4806 label Biography information for Claire Coutinho
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1604125

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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	Space Technology
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK Science and Technology Framework, published on 6 March 2023, for what reasons the Framework does not reference the importance of UK (a) sovereign space and (b) satellite capabilities.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	165336
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>Space is a key domain of activity for the UK, and satellite technologies will benefit from and contribute to every area of the Science and Technology Framework published in March this year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is focussed on delivering the National Space Strategy, and the importance of space to the UK’s sovereign interests was reinforced this week as part of the refresh of the Integrated Review.</p><p> </p><p>The space economy is worth £16.5 billion per year to the UK, and supports more than £360 billion of wider economic activity.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 22/03/2023 16:14:00 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1604127

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Civil Servants: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 17 of the UK Science and Technology Framework, published on 6 March 2023, what steps the Government plans to take to meet the target of increasing the proportion of STEM graduates in the Fast Stream to 50 per cent.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	165338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>The Civil Service is committed to delivering the Prime Minister’s priorities, and recognises the need to build a strong internal STEM capability. To help build this capability, we are targeting an increase in the proportion of Fast Stream hires with a STEM subject degree qualification to 50%. To meet this target we have:</p><ul><li><p>Developed a STEM-specific attraction strategy, in partnership with the Science and Engineering Profession, leveraging the Fast Stream brand to target a STEM audience.</p></li><li><p>Introduced a new Generalist-STEM recruitment option for the 2023 Fast Stream Campaign; which will enable us to attract and fairly select more graduates with STEM degree backgrounds to join the Fast Stream across a diverse range of roles in different government professions including Corporate Services, Operational Delivery, and Policy.</p></li><li><p>Used the Fast Stream target university list, to identify institutions that have a high representation of students with a STEM background.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Introduced a summer internship offer, with a specific focus on STEM graduates to act as a feeder for Fast Stream recruitment.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Re-introduced numerical reasoning tests within the Fast Stream selection process.</p></li></ul><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 22/03/2023 09:10:01 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1604128

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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	STEM Subjects: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including targets for increasing the diversity of the STEM workforce in the UK Science and Technology Framework.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	165339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>The Science and Technology Framework sets out 10 actions for the UK to become a science superpower. One action is to create an agile and responsive skills system, which delivers the skills needed in STEM and drives economic growth by 2030. The UK has a large, varied base of talent which responds to the needs of industry, academia and government, including in STEM.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans for government to introduce diversity targets for the STEM workforce. Given its breadth, this is an issue for employers and representative bodies to consider as part of their action to increase diversity.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 22/03/2023 16:14:07 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1604129

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK Science and Technology Framework published on 6 March 2023, page 10, how the Government plans to measure the success of the stated outcome of accelerated translation, commercialisation and knowledge exchange through targeted support for local innovation clusters.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	165340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>Strengthening clusters is a top priority for building our Innovation Nation.  By September, we will publish an interactive digital tool that will map these clusters, helping us attract investment and inform future policy, including measuring the success of policy interventions in growing these clusters.</p><p> </p><p>We are investing £100 million to pilot Innovation Accelerators in three city regions, helping them become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation, and the government will evaluate the effectiveness of this approach to growing successful innovation clusters. The Investment Zones programme will also catalyse some of the highest potential knowledge-intensive growth clusters.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 22/03/2023 16:14:15 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1604130

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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	Drugs: Prices
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 takes to avoid overcharging by suppliers of (a) antibiotics and (b) other drugs; what cases of overcharging have been identified in the last 12 months; what recent discussions he has had with drug manufacturers on overcharging mechanisms; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	165202
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2023 answer text <p>The Department regularly engages with industry regarding medicine pricing. Suppliers of branded medicines need to agree a maximum price with the Department before launching any product or line extension in the United Kingdom. On the very rare occasions where we identify that a supplier has exceeded their maximum allowed price, we work with the company to ensure that prices are restored and where necessary, any excess sales are recovered through standard operational processes.</p><p>The Government relies on competition to drive down prices of generic medicines including most antibiotics. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the UK can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients. In secondary care, tendering for antibiotics on a frequent basis ensures best value and supply resilience is optimised.</p><p>Where companies are found to be abusing their dominant position by charging excessive and unfair prices, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can take action against businesses and individuals engaged in anti-competitive conduct. Specifically with regard to antibiotics, the CMA is working to establish the facts of what is currently happening in the antibiotic market. They stand ready to take action if there is evidence of anti-competitive behaviour that breaks the law.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 20/03/2023 17:41:05 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1604131

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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	Science and Technology: Research
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled The UK Science and Technology Framework, published on 6 March 2023, for what reason she plans to raise public investment in research and development outside the Greater South East by at least 40 per cent when the Government plans to double overall public investment in research and development spending.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	165341
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>The Government is making significant strides in growing public R&amp;D funding which will rise to £20bn per annum by 24/25, up around a third on the level in 21/22.</p><p> </p><p>Domestic public investment in R&amp;D outside the Greater South-East will increase by at least 40% by 2030, and over the spending review period by at least one third. That additional public funding aims to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth across the UK.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 22/03/2023 16:14:22 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1604132

registered interest
date	14/03/2023
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	Antibiotics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of hoarding in the global manufacturing supply chain of antibiotics on the prices of antibiotics in the UK.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	165203
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. Since 2019, the Government has restricted the export and hoarding of some medicines already placed on the United Kingdom market where there is evidence of a critical shortage, or a risk of a critical shortage, which could adversely impact UK patients.</p><p>For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the UK can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients. Branded medicines spend is controlled through the Branded Health Service Medicines (Costs) Regulations 2018 and the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.</p><p>In the UK, anti-competitive behaviour, including hoarding, is a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Department asks the CMA to investigate where it has concerns about abuses of competition law for generic medicines and where companies are found by the CMA to be in breach of the legislation, the Department will seek damages and invest that money back into the National Health Service.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/03/2023 17:00:39 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes