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1695236

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Chess: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Major investment to transform future of English chess announced, published on 22 August 2023, whether he plans to assess the impact of funding chess tables on (a) levels of loneliness and (b) people's problem solving skills.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	18183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.</p><p>We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.</p><p>Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.</p><p>Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.</p><p>Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.</p><p>Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.</p> answering member constituency Redcar answering member printed Jacob Young grouped question UIN 17891 17892 18184 18185 question first answered 18/03/2024 13:24:46 answering member 4825 label Biography information for Jacob Young
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1695237

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Chess: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure that newly-installed chess tables funded by his Department are used for their intended purpose.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	18184
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.</p><p>We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.</p><p>Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.</p><p>Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.</p><p>Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.</p><p>Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.</p> answering member constituency Redcar answering member printed Jacob Young grouped question UIN 17891 17892 18183 18185 question first answered 18/03/2024 13:24:46 answering member 4825 label Biography information for Jacob Young
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1695273

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Obesity: Children
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 she taking to help support parents to tackle obesity in their children.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>We are taking strong action to support children and their families in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight. The Government is investing approximately £300 million to improve support for families though the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. The programme will implement many elements of the Best Start for Life Vision and is delivering a step change in outcomes for babies, children, and their parents and carers in 75 local authorities in England, including those with high levels of deprivation.</p><p> </p><p>The funding package includes £50 million to invest in infant feeding services, which will enable participating local authorities to design and deliver a blended offer of advice and support, in line with local needs.</p><p> </p><p>We support more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Scheme. We also support parents with primary aged children in England to eat well, and move more, through Better Health Families. This includes healthy eating advice and easy recipes, a Food Scanner app to help families to swap less healthy foods and drinks to healthier alternatives, and the Healthy Steps email-programme to inspire and support parents to take easy steps to improve their families' health and wellbeing.</p><p>We work with the Department for Education to ensure that children are provided healthy food options in early years settings, and in school. For children aged zero to five years old, the Early Years Foundation Stage framework states that where children are provided with meals, snacks, and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced, and nutritious. The Eat Better, Start Better guidelines and example menus support parents, carers, and anyone working with children to provide healthy food options.</p><p>The School Food Standards are set in legislation and require that school caterers serve healthy and nutritious food and drinks, to ensure children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are restricted. We are also helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.</p><p>In addition, primary school children are educated about healthy eating through the relationships, sex, and health education curriculum. By the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet, the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals, the characteristics of a poor diet, and risks associated with unhealthy eating. We have programmes to identify children living with excess weight, and local authorities and the National Health Service in England provide weight management services.</p><p> </p><p>The National Child Measurement Programme monitors the weight status of children at the start and end of primary school. The programme provides is a useful prompt to parents and schools to support healthy eating and physical activity. Data is used to help local authorities plan healthy weight, food and activity support and services for children and their families.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities can fund weight management services to support children and families, to achieve a healthier weight from their Public Health Grant. The NHS has commissioned a number of Complications from Excess Weight clinics across England for children and young people living with complications related to severe obesity. We are also delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthier weight.</p><p>Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt in key selling locations, came into force on 1 October 2022.  We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price, for instance three for two offers, and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9:00pm on television. We will also be implementing restrictions on paid for online advertising for less healthy products, from 1 October 2025.</p><p>We are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation. In addition, the Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 18197 18200 question first answered 18/03/2024 10:15:54 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1695275

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Obesity: Children
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 she is taking to help support parents of children up to the age of five to tackle childhood obesity.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18200
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>We are taking strong action to support children and their families in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight. The Government is investing approximately £300 million to improve support for families though the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. The programme will implement many elements of the Best Start for Life Vision and is delivering a step change in outcomes for babies, children, and their parents and carers in 75 local authorities in England, including those with high levels of deprivation.</p><p> </p><p>The funding package includes £50 million to invest in infant feeding services, which will enable participating local authorities to design and deliver a blended offer of advice and support, in line with local needs.</p><p> </p><p>We support more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Scheme. We also support parents with primary aged children in England to eat well, and move more, through Better Health Families. This includes healthy eating advice and easy recipes, a Food Scanner app to help families to swap less healthy foods and drinks to healthier alternatives, and the Healthy Steps email-programme to inspire and support parents to take easy steps to improve their families' health and wellbeing.</p><p>We work with the Department for Education to ensure that children are provided healthy food options in early years settings, and in school. For children aged zero to five years old, the Early Years Foundation Stage framework states that where children are provided with meals, snacks, and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced, and nutritious. The Eat Better, Start Better guidelines and example menus support parents, carers, and anyone working with children to provide healthy food options.</p><p>The School Food Standards are set in legislation and require that school caterers serve healthy and nutritious food and drinks, to ensure children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are restricted. We are also helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.</p><p>In addition, primary school children are educated about healthy eating through the relationships, sex, and health education curriculum. By the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet, the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals, the characteristics of a poor diet, and risks associated with unhealthy eating. We have programmes to identify children living with excess weight, and local authorities and the National Health Service in England provide weight management services.</p><p> </p><p>The National Child Measurement Programme monitors the weight status of children at the start and end of primary school. The programme provides is a useful prompt to parents and schools to support healthy eating and physical activity. Data is used to help local authorities plan healthy weight, food and activity support and services for children and their families.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities can fund weight management services to support children and families, to achieve a healthier weight from their Public Health Grant. The NHS has commissioned a number of Complications from Excess Weight clinics across England for children and young people living with complications related to severe obesity. We are also delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment to help people achieve and maintain a healthier weight.</p><p>Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt in key selling locations, came into force on 1 October 2022.  We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price, for instance three for two offers, and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9:00pm on television. We will also be implementing restrictions on paid for online advertising for less healthy products, from 1 October 2025.</p><p>We are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation. In addition, the Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 18197 18198 question first answered 18/03/2024 10:15:54 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1695409

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Mortgages: Government Assistance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will announce a timeline for a decision on whether additional measures will be introduced to further support mortgage prisoners.
tabling member constituency	Islwyn
tabling member printed	Chris Evans
uin	18121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely stressful. Alongside the Financial Conduct Authority and industry, we have shown we are willing to act through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’, which removes the regulatory barriers that prevented some customers, who otherwise may have been able to switch, from accessing new products. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the UK Mortgage Prisoners campaign group.</p><p>The Government remains committed to this issue and will continue to work with industry and wider stakeholders to determine if there are proposals that will meaningly benefit affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market.</p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami grouped question UIN 18171 question first answered 15/03/2024 12:55:11 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

1695436

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists
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 she is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health services.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	18267
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>More and more people are getting support with their mental health thanks to investments made through the NHS Long Term Plan. Unfortunately, demand has risen as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continues to be felt. This means that some people are facing waiting times that are much longer than we would like.</p><p>We are providing record levels of investment and increasing the mental health workforce to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services, to expand access and reduce waiting times. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, NHS spending on mental health has increased by £4.6 billion in cash terms, as compared to the target of £3.4 billion in cash terms set out at the time of the Long Term Plan. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff between 2019/20 and 2023/24. We are making positive progress, delivering two-thirds of this, or 17,000 additional staff, by September 2023, with further significant growth expected by the end of this financial year.</p><p>The NHS is also working towards implementing five new waiting time measures for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, for both adults, and children and young people. This includes working towards improving the quality of data that we have on waiting times for people requiring mental healthcare, in both accident and emergency and in the community. NHS England began publishing this new data in 2023 to improve transparency and drive local accountability.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 18/03/2024 10:53:19 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1695437

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Mental Health Services: Civil Society
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 she is taking to support charitable organisations providing mental health services to those in need.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	18268
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>The Department recognises the valued contribution that mental health and suicide prevention voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations make in supporting people with their mental health.</p><p> </p><p>During the pandemic, we provided £10.2 million of additional funding to support mental health charities, including Samaritans and the Campaign Against Living Miserably, and over £34 million to organisations supporting people who experience loneliness.</p><p> </p><p>More recently, we announced that 79 organisations across the country have been allocated funding through the £10 million suicide prevention grant fund. These organisations, from local, community-led organisations through to national, are delivering a broad and diverse range of activity that will prevent suicides and save lives.</p><p>We have also announced that £8 million is being made available for 24 early support hubs across the country, a number of which will be run by voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 18/03/2024 10:38:14 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1694897

registered interest
date	11/03/2024
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	217
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public appointments she has made since her appointment.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	17890
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>From 7 February 2023 to 12 March 2024 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced 53 new regulated appointments and 48 regulated reappointments; of these 41 new appointments and 32 reappointments were made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as appointing authority.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 14/03/2024 14:48:37 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1694903

registered interest
date	11/03/2024
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	Dentistry: Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to establishing mutual recognition schemes for dental qualifications with other countries; and if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of mutual recognition schemes on the average time taken to recruit dentists from overseas.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	17893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry and dental care professionals practising in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry in the UK. Currently, to be entered into the dentists register, an individual must satisfy the GDC’s requirements and either: have received their qualifications from a recognised UK dental school; hold recognised qualifications in dentistry from the European Economic Area or Switzerland; hold recognised qualifications in dentistry obtained before 1 January 2001 from certain overseas universities; or pass either the Overseas Registration Exam run by the GDC, or the License in Dental Surgery run by the Royal College of Surgeons.</p><p> </p><p>In March 2023, we introduced legislation that gives the GDC greater flexibility in expanding the registration routes for international applicants, and improving its international registration processes. This includes enabling the GDC to broaden the ways in which it can assess additional overseas qualifications to determine if they are sufficient for registration as a dentist.</p><p> </p><p>On 16 February 2024, we launched a consultation on introducing further legislation that would give the GDC powers to provisionally register overseas-qualified dentists who have not yet met the GDC’s requirements for full registration. Under these proposals, holders of provisional registration would be able to practise dentistry in the UK for a limited time under the supervision of a fully registered dentist, whilst they are seeking to meet the GDC’s requirements for full registration.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 14/03/2024 17:59:33 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1694906

registered interest
date	11/03/2024
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	Dental Services: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the level of underspend was for dentistry in each integrated care board in each year since 2015.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	17896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>We currently invest more than £3 billion in National Health Service dental services each year. We are committed to protecting this funding for dentistry purposes, and will ringfence this funding in 2024 to 2025. We will issue guidance to the integrated care boards (ICBs) shortly, through NHS England’s 2024 to 2025 revenue finance and contracting guidance. To ensure compliance against this requirement, and to strengthen oversight of funding that is used to deliver access to NHS dental care, NHS England will meet with, and collect monthly returns from, all ICBs, to establish current and planned spend against the ringfenced dental allocations budget. Data is not held centrally for dental budgets in prior years.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 14/03/2024 13:48:39 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan