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1672142

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Care Workers: Recruitment
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 improve staffing levels in the care sector.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3222
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>The latest Skills for Care data (published October 2023) shows that since the fall in capacity levels in 2021/22, there have been improvements in workforce capacity, with an increase of 20,000 filled posts in 2022/23, to 1.635 million filled posts.</p><p>We are supporting increased recruitment by delivering our ongoing National Recruitment Campaign; working with the Department of Work and Pensions to promote adult social care careers to jobseekers; funding sector partners to provide support to employers and commissioners; and supporting ethical international recruitment.</p><p>The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF), and the MSIF Workforce Fund, are designed to maximise the impact of our reform investment by further improving workforce recruitment and retention. Over two years, these two grants total almost £2 billion in additional support for the adult social care sector.</p><p>We are also investing in retention through better workforce training, recognition, and career progression.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 30/11/2023 14:46:52 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672143

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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	Pharmacy
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 ensure that patients will not face delayed (a) diagnoses and (b) treatments under the new system of care navigation and expanded pharmacy services.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3223
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The purpose of commissioning community pharmacy to supply prescription only medicines for seven common conditions and in training care navigators in general practices (GPs) to refer patient to appropriate health professionals for care is to release GP appointments for patients with more serious conditions.</p><p> </p><p>Detailed patient group directions and service specifications have been developed to support the new Pharmacy First Service which will include ‘red flags’ which means that anyone suspected of a more serious conditions will be referred to a GP. Pharmacists are highly qualified clinicians who train for five years and already see patients and treat them with medicines that can be supplied over the counter at pharmacies and refer a range of patients with commons conditions. This new service enables them to complete more episodes of care.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 27/11/2023 17:27:47 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672144

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Australia: China
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Australian counterpart on China.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>As set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the UK is committed to and strategically focussed on the Indo-Pacific. Our close partnership with Australia is an important part of this, and we regularly discuss Indo-Pacific collaboration at senior official and Ministerial levels. We work closely with Australia as members of the Commonwealth, Five Eyes, the G20 and the UN. HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.</p> answering member constituency Berwick-upon-Tweed answering member printed Anne-Marie Trevelyan question first answered 27/11/2023 15:28:41 answering member 4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672145

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Rape: Convictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase conviction rates for rape.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3225
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government does not seek to influence the outcome of trial processes, which are underpinned by judicial independence and the right to a fair trial. Instead, through our Rape Review Action Plan, we are delivering a programme of work to significantly increase the number of adult rape cases reaching court.</p><p>We have already exceeded each of our ambitions to return the number of adult rape cases referred by the police, charged by the CPS and reaching court to 2016 levels ahead of schedule, with the number of adult rape cases reaching court now 13% higher than in 2016. In addition, the latest data shows that prosecutions and convictions for adult rape have increased on the previous year, with prosecutions volumes now higher than they were in 2010, when we came into Government.</p><p>But we are determined to go further. We continue to deliver a range of actions that will allow us to go further in increasing the number of adult rape cases reaching court. This includes:</p><ul><li>Through Operation Soteria, we are transforming the way that the police investigate an CPS prosecute adult rape, focusing on suspect behaviour over victim credibility through our new, transformative National Operating Models.</li><li>Having recruited 20,000 new police officers, bringing the total number to a record peak, we will train over 2,000 officers to become specialist rape investigators by April 2024, making sure the police have the skills and resources to deal with these complex cases.</li><li>We are quadrupling victims funding by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10, which will enable us to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisors by 300 to over 1,000 – a 43% increase by 2024/5.</li><li>Our national rollout of pre-recorded cross examination for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences is being used in over 150 cases per month, sparing victims from the glare of court and ensuring they can give their best evidence.</li><li>And to ensure we reduce victim attrition, we have made great strides in tackling the intrusive investigation process. This includes our commitment to no adult rape victim being left without a phone for more than 24 hours, as well as legislating to ensure that police requests for Third Party Materials are only made by the police when it is necessary and proportionate to do so.</li></ul> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 30/11/2023 16:55:05 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672146

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Repairs and Maintenance
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 ensure that schools are able to carry out high quality repairs on their buildings.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3226
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>Well-maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the department in order that they support a high-quality education for all children.</p><p> </p><p>Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies, such as local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary-aided bodies. The department supports them by providing access to annual capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes, and offering guidance and support.</p><p> </p><p>The department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 for keeping schools in England safe and operational, including £1.8 billion in 2023/24. This funding is informed by consistent data on the condition of the school estate. Devolved administrations received funding for education through the Barnett formula at the Spending Review 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Responsible bodies in England, depending on their size and type, are either eligible to receive annual school condition allocation (SCA) funding to use on improving the condition of their schools, or are instead able to bid into the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) each year for specific capital projects. Schools in England also receive funding to spend on their capital priorities or contribute to larger projects through an annual devolved formula capital allocation (DFC). Details on SCA, DFC and CIF can be found on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>CIF eligible schools can apply for urgent capital support at any time in the year, if they have urgent building issues that need to be addressed. Details on how to apply for urgent capital support are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department provides extensive guidance for responsible bodies to help them make effective spending decisions and manage their estates strategically and safely through resources such as the ‘Good estate management for schools’ guidance. The guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools</a>.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to condition capital funding, the school rebuilding programme (SRP) will transform buildings at 500 schools in Engand over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition and with evidence of potential safety issues. The department has announced 400 schools to date, including 239 in December 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The department is providing targeted support for RAAC and will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make school and college buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, the department expects all reasonable requests will be approved. The department will also fund refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to remove RAAC from the school estate, including through the SRP.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 01/12/2023 14:07:47 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672147

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	Employment: Pensioners
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 people who wish to continue working over state pension age.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3227
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>Since the abolishment of the Default Retirement Age, most people can work for as long as they want and are able to. We know that age diversity within a workforce is the right thing and can bring benefits to business. Therefore, we are working across government, with employers, and with the Business Champion for Older Workers, Andy Briggs, to advocate for more diverse, inclusive and multigenerational workforces.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the DWP has signed the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, a nationwide programme run by the Centre for Ageing Better to promote age inclusive working practices. The Help to Grow site on gov.uk also provides advice and guidance to businesses on employing older workers.</p><p> </p><p>The government wants to encourage people to plan more actively for later life and provide support to help them make important decisions about extending their working lives and reducing the risk of pensioner poverty. An enhanced digital Mid-life MOT offer went live on 5th July 2023 to ensure more people can access targeted online guidance regarding their finances, health and career.</p><p> </p><p>At Spring Budget 2023, the Government also announced that it would make changes to the limits on tax-relieved pension savings, abolishing the lifetime allowance and increasing the annual allowance from £40,000 to £60,000. These changes will help incentivise highly skilled and highly experienced individuals at the top of their professions to remain in the labour market which will help grow the economy while increasing the knowledge and experience of the UK’s labour force.</p><p> </p><p>The New State Pension was introduced in April 2016 with the aim of providing a clearer, sustainable foundation for private saving. The full rate of £203.85 per week (2023/24) was set above the Standard Minimum Guarantee level of Pension Credit, removing disincentives to working beyond State Pension Age. In addition, once over State Pension Age, people are exempt from paying National Insurance contributions if they carry on working as an employee.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 30/11/2023 12:26:30 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672148

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	Personal Independence Payment: Parkinson's Disease
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 10 of Parkinson's UK's publication entitled Nowhere near enough, published in April 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the finding on the proportion of PIP claims made by people with Parkinson's that were initially assessed incorrectly compared with the general PIP claimant population.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>We are working hard to make the right decision, first time, every time. We continue to review our processes and decision-making and work closely with the assessment providers who carry out the assessments and provide feedback to ensure that they provide decision-makers with the highest quality reports.</p><p> </p><p>Condition Insight Reports are also available to PIP assessors to gain a better understanding of a condition and its impact, including Parkinson’s disease. This insight report highlights the importance of exploration of the fluctuation of the condition and was completed in collaboration with relevant charities.</p><p> </p><p>The Mandatory Reconsideration process is a key element of the department’s decision-making process for all benefits and offers claimants an early opportunity to challenge decisions and get them changed quickly. It offers the department an equally timely remedy for correcting decisions and means that fewer decisions progress to appeal, which is stressful and time consuming for claimants and costly for government. It is worth highlighting that in many cases, decisions can be changed as a result of new evidence or information being made available.</p><p> </p><p>We published <em>Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper</em> on 15 March 2023. Changes set out in the White Paper include those aiming to improve our assessment of fluctuating conditions, such as the way we use medical evidence, and developing the capability of our assessors. We will also explore options for introducing a new way of gathering evidence of fluctuation in a person’s condition before their assessment. The department continues to closely monitor all aspects of the assessment process, including how we assess fluctuating conditions.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 28/11/2023 16:51:38 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672149

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	Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
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 take steps to ensure that PIP assessors receive adequate training relating to (a) Parkinson’s disease, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) Crohn’s disease and (d) colitis.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	3229
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Personal Independence Payment assessments are carried out by qualified health professionals (HPs), who receive comprehensive training in assessing functional capability relating to both physical and mental health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and Colitis.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>HPs have access to a range of resources and experienced clinicians to support them in assessing individuals with specific conditions. Assessment providers engage with medical experts, charities, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their training programmes.</p><p> </p><p>This year’s Health &amp; Disability White Paper committed to developing the skills of HPs. As a result, the department began a proof of concept to match an individual’s primary health condition to a HP who has professional experience in their condition. In addition to their professional experience, HPs will also take part in training to specialise in the functional impacts of specific health conditions.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 27/11/2023 16:59:19 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1672150

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Absenteeism
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 parents access specialist support needed to enable their child to (a) fully participate in school life and (b) avoid being regularly absent.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	3237
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>Specialist support for children with additional needs to participate in education and avoid being regularly absent is vitally important. The department is taking a number of steps towards both these goals. In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, the department set out plans to build a consistent national SEND and AP system that parents and carers can trust, easily navigate, and have confidence in.</p><p>The foundation for the new nationally consistent system will be evidenced-based National Standards for early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The Standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and who is responsible for securing the support. This will help families, practitioners and providers understand what support every child or young person should be receiving from early years through to further education, no matter where they live or what their needs are.</p><p>On 22 November 2023, the department also announced Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools. This new programme, backed by £13 million of investment, will bring together Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, and schools, working in partnership with parents and carer to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children. These measures will also benefit attendance, improving which is a top priority for the government. The department recognises that pupils with SEND can face additional barriers.</p><p>To ensure pupils receive the support they need to regularly attend and participate in school, the department has published guidance expecting schools to have sensitive conversations with families about attendance, work with parents to develop specific support approaches, establish strategies for removing any in-school barriers and ensure joined up pastoral care is in place where needed.</p><p>A range of programmes including attendance hubs spreading best practice across school and attendance mentors providing one-to-one support will also tackle absence for children with SEND.</p><p>In addition, the department is investing £2.6 billion between now and 2025 to fund new special and AP places and improve existing provision, including opening 33 new special free schools, with a further 48 in the pipeline; and £21 million to go towards training 400 more educational psychologists, building on the £10 million investment announced earlier in 2022.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 29/11/2023 09:33:59 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1672151

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Music: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications have been received for funding from the music hub investment programme (a) in total and (b) in each geographic area as of 22 November 2023.
tabling member constituency	Worsley and Eccles South
tabling member printed	Barbara Keeley
uin	3168
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Arts Council England is leading the Music Hubs investment programme at the invitation of the department. As the programme is ongoing, information about the number of applications is commercially sensitive so cannot be published. The plan is for applicants to be informed of the outcome of the investment programme by April 2024, although they will be informed earlier if this is possible.</p><p> </p><p>In relation to music performance facilities in secondary schools, the department does not collect this information. The National Plan for Music Education, published in June 2022, sets out the department’s strategy to 2030 and maintains the government’s commitment to high quality music education for all. Starting in September 2023, all state-funded schools are asked to teach music to 5- to 14-year-olds for at least an hour a week each term, supported by co-curricular learning and musical experiences. It is for schools to decide what facilities are required to meet this expectation, including the specific expectation in the Plan in relation to space for rehearsals and individual practice.</p><p> </p><p>In relation to the Cultural Education Plan, the department has been working closely with the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and has conducted extensive engagement with external stakeholders across the education and cultural sectors and appointed an Expert Advisory Panel in July 2023. Both the Panel and the stakeholder engagement are helping to inform the development of the Plan and its emerging proposals. The department will publish the Cultural Education Plan in the coming months.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 3169 3171 3172 question first answered 27/11/2023 13:17:09 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1588 label Biography information for Barbara Keeley