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1255790

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Hospitality Industry and Retail Trade: Business Rates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the (a) administrative and (b) financial burden of business rates on retail and hospitality businesses once the business rates holiday expires in April 2021.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government has supported retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England with over £10 billion of business rates relief. It will continue to look at how to adjust its support in a way that ensures people can get back to work, protecting both the UK economy and the livelihoods of people across the country. The Government is conducting a fundamental review of business rates and will outline plans for future business rates reliefs in the New Year.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 04/12/2020 14:17:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255791

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Local Plans: Dudley North
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on the adequacy of public consultation on future local planning decisions in Dudley North constituency.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121376
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>Local planning authorities are required to undertake a formal period of public consultation for most planning applications, of no less than 21 days. By law, planning applications are determined in accordance with the local development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker.</p><p>The planning reforms set out in the Planning for the Future White paper will make it simpler, quicker and more accessible for local people to engage with the planning system. The best way to bring forward new, significant development is by improving community engagement and input at an earlier stage in the planning process. At the plan making stage, people will have the opportunity to comment on local plans and deciding where proposed development should go. There will still be the opportunity for people to comment on planning applications where these are required.</p><p>We have received no recent representations concerning the adequacy of public consultation for current planning applications in Dudley North.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 03/12/2020 15:13:09 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255847

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
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	Coronavirus: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to prioritise people in (a) care homes and (b) BAME communities in the roll of a covid vaccine.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2021 answer text <p>The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI have advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.</p><p> </p><p>For the first phase, the JCVI have advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors. Included in this are those with underlying health conditions, including severe and profound learning disability, which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality.</p><p> </p><p>There is clear evidence that certain black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups have higher rates of infection, and higher rates of serious disease and mortality. The reasons are multiple and complex.  There is no strong evidence that ethnicity by itself or genetics is the sole explanation for observed differences in rates of severe illness and deaths. What is clear is that certain health conditions are associated with increased risk of serious disease, and these health conditions are often overrepresented in certain BAME groups.  Prioritisation of people with underlying health conditions will also provide for greater vaccination of BAME communities who are disproportionately affected by such health conditions.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 11/03/2021 14:49:51 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255848

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Commonwealth Games 2022: Dudley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government plans to take to help Dudley benefit from increased trade and tourism from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government is working in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority to deliver a Tourism, Trade and Investment Programme to run alongside the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Government is investing £21.3m, alongside £2.6 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority, into the programme, which will attract investment, businesses and visitors to the region.</p><p>This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring that we maximise the economic legacy of the Games for the city, the West Midlands and the whole of the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 03/12/2020 14:59:17 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255849

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Transport: Dudley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the local transport connectivity improvements that will be required for Dudley to benefit from High Speed Two.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121379
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>As part of the devolution deal that created the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), a £4.4bn HS2 Growth Package was agreed for the region. This has provided the means to implement a comprehensive package of interventions and investments, to maximise the true impact and ensure the DfT and WMCA’s vision for HS2 becomes a reality.</p><p> </p><p>The WMCA has made an assessment of the transport connectivity improvements that will be required for the all parts of the region to benefit from HS2. This has been published as the Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy and is a publicly available document.</p><p> </p><p>An extension of the Midland Metro tram from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill via Dudley town centre includes a contribution of £207m from the West Midlands Combined Authority Transforming Cities Fund allocation. Proposals are also being developed by the rail industry and Birmingham City Council to improve the connectivity between Birmingham Moor Street station and the new HS2 terminus at Curzon Street. This will benefit those people in Dudley who use the Snow Hill Line, as they will be able to enjoy a seamless connection between their local rail network and the high speed network.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 04/12/2020 13:49:04 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255850

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teachers: Labour Turnover and Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) Dudley and (ii) England.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>It is a top priority of the Government to ensure that we continue to attract, retain, and develop the high quality teachers we need to inspire the next generation. The Department is moving forward with delivering the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which the Government published in January 2019: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786856/DFE_Teacher_Retention_Strategy_Report.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786856/DFE_Teacher_Retention_Strategy_Report.pdf</a>. This includes commitments to reduce teacher workload, improve continuing professional development, and offer greater opportunities for flexible working.</p><p>The Department has started to roll out the Early Career Framework (ECF) – the biggest teaching reform in a generation – to provide the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-career-framework-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-career-framework-reforms</a>. This will be backed by up to £130 million a year in funding when fully rolled out in 2021. Early roll-out from autumn 2020 is taking place in selected areas (such as the North East, Greater Manchester, Bradford, and Doncaster).</p><p>The new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework, published in November 2019 for implementation from September 2020, is a mandatory core minimum entitlement for all trainees, and will work coherently with the ECF to ensure that all new teachers benefit from at least 3 years of evidence-based training, across ITT and into induction. More information about the ITT Core Content Framework is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework</a>.</p><p>The Department is also launching new National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) from September 2021. The new NPQs will offer high quality professional development for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. More information about the reform of NPQs is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms</a>.</p><p>We know there is further to go in some subjects. That is why we have put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth up to £24,000 and scholarships worth up to £26,000, to encourage talented trainees towards key subjects such as chemistry, computing, Mathematics, and physics. Further guidance about early career payments for teachers is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/early-career-payments-guidance-for-teachers-and-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/early-career-payments-guidance-for-teachers-and-schools</a>.</p><p>Whilst the implementation of these commitments will support all schools, the Department recognises that some schools and local areas face greater challenges with recruitment and retention than others.</p><p>To supplement the national strategy, we are also delivering targeted programmes to support recruitment and retention in challenging areas, including funding a range of regionally targeted initiatives. Eligible Mathematics teachers in Dudley will be able to apply for uplifted early-career payments of £7,500 in their third and fifth years of teaching if they started their training in the 2018/19 or 2019/20 academic years. Eligible Mathematics, physics, chemistry, and languages teachers in Dudley will also be able to apply for £3000 per year in their second, third, and fourth years of teaching if they started training in the 2020/21 academic year.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 04/12/2020 13:42:31 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255852

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Speech and Language Therapy: Dudley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure children in Dudley who require Speech and Language Therapy receive the support they need in schools.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121381
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>Supporting the most vulnerable children and young people, including those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), is a priority for us, especially at this time. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, educational settings have been asked to ensure that vulnerable children and young people can attend where appropriate.</p><p>Through our contract with nasen, we have funded the Whole School SEND consortium to produce information for families and resources for schools, including training to support teachers to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. A range of resources to equip the workforce to deliver high-quality teaching for all types of SEND, including SLCN, can be found at <a href="https://www.sendgateway.org.uk/resources" target="_blank">https://www.sendgateway.org.uk/resources</a>. A number of speech and language organisations are members of the Whole School SEND Consortium, including I CAN, Afasic and The Communication Trust.</p><p>Speech and language therapists working with children are employed by local authorities, the health service or directly by schools in response to children’s and young people’s needs in each area, rather than being employed or funded centrally by the department. For this reason, the department does not map services centrally.</p><p>Individual local authorities are responsible for their own strategic planning and have statutory requirements to offer SLCN provision where a child or young person requires it as part of their education, health and care plan.</p><p>This year we are providing local authorities with £7.2 billion in high needs funding, including an additional £780 million in the 2020-21 financial year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 03/12/2020 14:12:31 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255854

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Recreation Spaces: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the accessibility of (a) community and (i) green-space amenities for children in (i) Dudley and (ii) England with special education needs and/or disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121382
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>The provision of community and green space amenities, including their design and equipment is the responsibility of the Local Authority. The Local Authority has a duty of care under the Equality Act of 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to prevent those protected characteristics, including disability, experiencing a disadvantage. Section 149 of the Act places an over-arching duty on Local Authorities to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. The duty expressly includes taking steps to meet the needs of disabled persons. Further detail can be found in the Act which can be accessed here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.legislation.gov.uk%2Fukpga%2F2010%2F15%2Fcontents&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7C2cf79b708f164b87250708d89551d024%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637423525894528430%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=KLT16wrjzX9kZ4RpXWxAEfxhMEleUFWO97D6FCo4Dbk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents</a>. The responsibility for local authorities falls to MCHLG.</p><p>The Children and Nature Programme is a major programme funded by Department for Education which aims to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have better access to natural environments. The programme prioritises pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, and engagement with school. The main target audience for the programme are schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils, Alternative Provision Institutions (API) including but not limited to Pupil Referral Units, and importantly special schools, so many of the children who are impacted by the programme will have special educational needs and/or disabilities.</p><p>The Programme comprises three delivery projects and an evaluation project. The largest project in the programme is the Nature Friendly Schools Project, which is delivering greener grounds and pupil visits to green spaces for schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils. The Government is planning to start delivery to two schools in the Dudley area from April; Hawbush Primary School in Brierley Hill and Crestwood Secondary School in Kingswinford. We are also supporting the Community Forest and Woodland Outreach Project, which aims to increase and help sustain community forest and woodland outreach activities being delivered to school children, particularly those in disadvantaged areas. In addition to this the Growing Care Farming Project aims to achieve a transformational change in the scale, scope and uptake of care farming services in England for children and adults facing disadvantage or social exclusion, to benefit their health and wellbeing and their social and educational development. The evaluation project will deepen our understanding of the effectiveness of nature-based interventions and how activities in nature impact pupils’ health and wellbeing. We are also supporting national landscapes in their aim of helping everyone, including children and young people, discover and engage with protected landscapes to benefit the health and wellbeing of the whole nation. The responsibility for these programmes falls under DEFRA.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 03/12/2020 15:33:38 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255855

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Commonwealth Games 2022: Dudley
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to ensure that long-term unemployed people in Dudley benefit from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121383
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games provide a unique and significant opportunity to accelerate employment and skills opportunities for residents across the West Midlands. The government is working closely with our Games partners to ensure we make the most of these opportunities.</p><p>The West Midlands Combined Authority has recently launched a Commonwealth Games Jobs and Skills Academy which seeks to link West Midlands residents to the thousands of training, volunteering and employment opportunities that the Games will create, with a focus on the most vulnerable at risk groups, including the long-term unemployed.</p><p><ins class="ministerial">We are working with the local Chamber of Commerce's and other West Midlands business groups to promote procurement opportunities locally. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong></strong></ins><br /><br /></p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 03/12/2020 15:02:44 question first ministerially corrected 07/12/2020 11:25:41 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston previous answer version 66354 answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1255858

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Education: West Midlands
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 ensure children and young people in (a) Dudley, (b) Sedgley and (c) Gornal and Woodsetton can catch up on the education missed during the 2019-20 school year as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	121384
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that all children and young people have had their education disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department has committed to a £1 billion catch-up package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time on children in England.</p><p>The catch-up premium, worth £650 million, provides universal funding which is delivered in 3 payments to schools over the 2020/21 academic year. The Department expects this funding will be spent on the additional activities required to support pupils to catch up in their education. To help schools make the best use of this funding, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a support guide for schools with evidence-based approaches to catch up, available here: <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/#nav-covid-19-support-guide-for-schools1" target="_blank">https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/#nav-covid-19-support-guide-for-schools1</a>. EEF have published a further school planning guide: 2020 to 2021, available here: <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/guide-to-supporting-schools-planning/" target="_blank">https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/guide-to-supporting-schools-planning/</a>.</p><p>The first payment of the catch-up premium funding has been made to schools. The autumn payment and provisional allocations for schools in the local authority of Dudley is available to view here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium-provisional-allocations" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium-provisional-allocations</a>. These allocations are based on the published rates and school census data from October 2019. The final allocations will be re-calculated once the October 2020 school census data is available.</p><p>Alongside this, the catch-up package includes a National Tutoring Programme (NTP) for disadvantaged children and young people. This scheme will provide additional, targeted support for disadvantaged 5 to 16 year olds who need the most help to catch up. The programme has 2 pillars which can be accessed by schools. Firstly, schools will be able to access high-quality, subsidised tuition from approved Tuition Partners. Schools in Dudley, Sedgley or Gornal and Woodsetton can access Tuition Partners in their area here: <a href="https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/ntp-tuition-partners" target="_blank">https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/ntp-tuition-partners</a>. The second pillar supports schools in the most disadvantaged areas to employ in-house academic mentors who can provide small group and one-to-one tuition to selected pupils. If schools in Dudley, Sedgley or Gornal and Woodsetton would like to check their eligibility or register their interest for a mentor, they can do so here: <a href="https://www.teachfirst.org.uk/hire-academic-mentors" target="_blank">https://www.teachfirst.org.uk/hire-academic-mentors</a>.</p><p>In addition to the 5 to 16 programme, the NTP will also provide funding to support to small group tuition for 16 to 19 years olds and the improvement of early language skills for reception-aged children. Information about tuition for 16 to 19 year olds is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-16-to-19-tuition-fund" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-16-to-19-tuition-fund</a>. Information about the improvement of early language skills for reception-age children is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/catch-up-premium-coronavirus-covid-19/the-reception-year-early-language-programme-neli" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/catch-up-premium-coronavirus-covid-19/the-reception-year-early-language-programme-neli</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 04/12/2020 13:00:58 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi