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1694290

registered interest
date	06/03/2024
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: South Leicestershire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) dental practices in South Leicestershire constituency and (b) the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board on (i) dental contract (A) reform and (B) value, (ii) units of dental activity rates and (iii) taking steps to increase access to dentistry.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	17462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning National Health Service dental services. Our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry will make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for patients, and will fund approximately 2.5 million additional appointments. The plan sets out a number of actions which will improve access for patients, by helping the sector to recover activity more quickly, address underlying issues, and set out the action needed for longer term reform of the system. This includes a new patient premium to support dentists in taking on new NHS patients, an uplift to the minimum Units of Dental Activity (UDA) rate, new dental vans to bring dental care to our most isolated communities, and the Golden Hello incentives to encourage dentists into under-served areas. We are also developing further recommendations for dental contract reform, and will consult with the sector before an announcement on this, later this year.</p><p> </p><p>Data on the number and value of NHS contracts in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB, and the number of UDAs commissioned and delivered, is available on the NHS Business Services Authority’s Open Data Portal, at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/access-our-data-products/open-data-portal-odp" target="_blank">https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/access-our-data-products/open-data-portal-odp</a></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 14/03/2024 14:48:42 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1691585

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Broadband: South Leicestershire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of the contract awarded to CityFibre to provide hard-to-reach premises in Leicestershire and Warwickshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband will be spent in South Leicestershire constituency.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	15676
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2024 answer text <p>In February 2024, BDUK announced the signing of a £71.5 million Project Gigabit contract for Leicestershire and Warwickshire with the supplier CityFibre, to deliver lightning fast broadband to approximately 38,000 premises. Of these premises, approximately 6,500 are in the South Leicestershire constituency.</p><p> </p><p>The specific funding required to reach the premises in each area will depend on the costs involved for deployment, which can vary. However, it can be anticipated that approximately £11.5 million of the contract funding will be spent in South Leicestershire.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 05/03/2024 14:47:25 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1687410

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
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	Microplastics: Pollution Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require manufacturers to fit microplastic-catching filters to new domestic and commercial washing machines.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	13041
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government has already taken significant steps to tackle plastic pollution (e.g. microplastics), including restricting the supply of several single-use plastics through introducing a plastic packaging tax from April 2022; restricting the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds; and preventing billions of plastic microbeads from entering the ocean each year by introducing a ban on microbeads in rinse off personal care products.</p><p> </p><p>The majority of microfibres are removed through water treatment and analysis of the evidence available to date does not show that there is a sufficient benefit to the environment that can justify legislation to mandate the microfibre filters in new washing machines with prices ranging from £30 to £122 per machine, dependent on manufacturer and whether the filters are disposable or reusable. Defra’s Plan for Water therefore includes a commitment for industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machines and encourage their effective use. We have met industry colleagues and posed this challenge, and we look forward to any proposals they are able to share when they are able to do so.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 14/02/2024 16:27:55 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1685490

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
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	Infant Foods: Sales
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the use of loyalty card points to buy baby formula.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	11823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2024 answer text <p>Regulations relating to infant formula set robust nutritional and compositional standards which mean that all infant formula for sale in the United Kingdom are suitable for meeting the nutritional requirements of babies, regardless of price or brand. The regulations also restrict the inappropriate marketing and promotion of infant formula so as not to discourage breastfeeding, which evidence shows delivers the best health outcomes for babies and mothers.</p><p>The Department has published guidance on infant and follow-on formula and food for special medical purposes which advises businesses on the implementation of the regulations. Where loyalty or reward card schemes are being used to induce the sale of infant formula, this is prohibited under the regulations. Loyalty and reward card schemes vary between retailers, and it is for businesses to ensure that their activities are in compliance with the regulations. The guidance is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infant-and-follow-on-formula-and-food-for-special-medical-purposes/commission-delegated-regulation-eu-2016127-supplementing-regulation-eu-no-6092013-guidance#commission-delegated-regulation-eu-2016127" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infant-and-follow-on-formula-and-food-for-special-medical-purposes/commission-delegated-regulation-eu-2016127-supplementing-regulation-eu-no-6092013-guidance#commission-delegated-regulation-eu-2016127</a></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 08/02/2024 15:24:00 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1674644

registered interest
date	01/12/2023
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	Integrated Care Systems
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) NHS England and (b) Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board on transitioning from a clinical commissioning group to an integrated care system; and if her Department will publish guidance on the lessons learned from this process for other integrated care systems and integrated care boards.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	4871
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2023 answer text <p>NHS England led a transition programme to support the transfer from clinical commissioning groups to integrated care boards (ICBs). Throughout the process, there was careful joint planning and progress monitoring between NHS England and the Department. All 42 ICBs were legally established on 1 July 2022 with no significant transition issues reported.</p><p>There are no plans to publish additional guidance, however the Department, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research Policy Research Programme, has recently commissioned an independent research study to evaluate the implementation of the Health and Care Act 2022.</p><p>The study aims to understand the different ways that partners within Integrated Care Systems, namely ICBs, integrated care partnerships, and wider system partners) are coming together to design, commission and deliver services, fulfil their duties, and the potential impacts. All study outputs, including interim reports, will be published. An interim report is due in late 2024.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 08/12/2023 13:09:14 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1672178

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) pension companies to hold a consultation when considering closing a defined benefit pension scheme and (b) independent assessment of the potential closure of such a scheme.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	3263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The legal requirements for employers on certain changes to occupational pension schemes are detailed in The Pensions Act of 2004. This states that larger employers with 50 or more workers are required to consult with affected members or their representatives about proposed significant changes to their pension scheme, including closure, before implementing the change.</p><p> </p><p>These requirements ensure that scheme members are aware of the change and the impact on their future pension, and that they have an opportunity to comment. The Pensions Regulator provides information for employers on closing a pension scheme to new members or future accruals and winding up a scheme at their website including detailed regulatory guidance and can be found at <a href="https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/managing-a-scheme/closing-your-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/managing-a-scheme/closing-your-scheme</a>.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 27/11/2023 16:44:21 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1661828

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
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	Dangerous Dogs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of how many XL bully dogs there are in the UK; and what plans she has for such dogs once a ban comes into effect.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	200381
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2023 answer text <p>Further details will be provided ahead of the tabling of the legislation later this year. Dog owners do not need to take any action at this stage.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 16/10/2023 16:15:41 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1650841

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Physics: Teachers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of physics teachers in (a) South Leicestershire constituency and (b) Leicestershire.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	192822
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2023 answer text <p>As at the last school workforce census (November 2022, published on 8 June 2023), the number of teachers remains high, with 468,400 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers working in state funded schools across the country. This is over 27,000 (6%) more than in 2010. The last school workforce census is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england</a>.</p><p>In November 2022 (latest available data), there were 5,331 FTE teachers in state funded schools in Leicestershire. This is an increase of 1.3% from last year (5,263) and an increase of 0.6% since 2010, when the school workforce census began (5,298).</p><p>In November 2022 (latest available data), there were 845 FTE teachers in state funded schools in South Leicestershire constituency. This is an increase of 0.8% from last year (838) and an increase of 12.2% since 2010 (753).</p><p>The Department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and at ensuring teachers across England stay and thrive in the profession.</p><p>The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing. The Department has extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in languages and physics.</p><p>The Department provides a Levelling Up Premium for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. There are 18 schools in the Leicester Local Authority area and 12 schools in the Leicestershire Local Authority eligible for Levelling Up Premium payments worth up to £2,000. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers</a>.</p><p>The Department launched a pilot initial teacher training course in spring 2022 called ‘Engineers teach physics’. It was designed to encourage engineering graduates and career changers with an engineering background to consider a career as a physics teacher.</p><p>The Department has increased the number of providers offering ‘Engineers teach physics’ in the second year to 18. This expansion of providers will ensure that this programme will be available to more trainees across the country.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 14/07/2023 13:07:54 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1648521

registered interest
date	28/06/2023
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	Smoking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's progress towards achieving his Smokefree 2030 targets.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	191601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>In April, we announced a range of measures to help more people in England quit smoking. These include a new national swap to stop scheme to provide vapes to one million smokers, and a financial incentives scheme to help all pregnant smokers to quit. We are confident that these new measures, in addition to the actions we are already taking, will set us on course to achieve our Smokefree 2030 ambition, and we will monitor progress.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien question first answered 04/07/2023 10:35:37 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1648529

registered interest
date	28/06/2023
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	Smoking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) Cancer Research UK and (b) other relevant stakeholders on the Smokefree 2030 campaign.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	191602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government consults widely with stakeholders on the Smokefree 2030 ambition. My officials regularly meet with organisations such as Cancer Research UK, as well as other relevant individuals and organisations.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien question first answered 04/07/2023 10:36:56 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa