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1027243

registered interest
date	17/12/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has (a) commissioned and (b) funded an assessment of the correlation between student mental health and (i) the number of contact hours they have and (ii) other aspects of the type of course they study; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	202695
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>Mental health is a priority for this government, which is why the government is working closely with Universities UK on embedding the Step Change programme within the sector. Step Change calls on higher education leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority. Step Change also advocates a whole-institution approach to transform cultures and embed mental health initiatives beyond student services teams.</p><p>The University Mental Health Charter announced in June 2018 is backed by the government and led by the sector, and will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing. The charter will reward institutions that deliver improved student mental health outcomes.</p><p>UK Research and Innovation launched eight new mental health networks in September, including the SMARTEN Network. This will work with researchers with a range of expertise and key stakeholders across the Higher Education sector to improve the understanding of student mental health.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore grouped question UIN 202694 question first answered 20/12/2018 16:45:45 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1027397

registered interest
date	17/12/2018
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	Nurses: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether requirement were placed on the NHS Business Services Authority or its predecessor organisations to inform nurses on (a) changes to and (b) the removal of Special Class Status.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	202700
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2018 answer text <p>When Special Class Status was withdrawn for new members from 6 March 1995, the NHS Pensions Agency which was an Executive Agency of the Department, issued guidance in December 1994 to inform members of changes to Special Class Status.</p><p> </p><p>It is for employers to decide locally how they communicate changes to the NHS Pension Scheme to their staff, including changes to Special Class Status. In accordance with the NHS Pension Scheme Regulations, employers are required to keep accurate and up to date local pension records and to submit an annual pension return in respect of every employee to the Scheme manager within two months of pension year end.</p><p> </p><p>At the inception of the 2015 Scheme, the NHS Business Service Authority published the following guidance on changes to Special Class Status for members moving between Schemes:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/Special%20Class%20status%20member%20factsheet-20181017-%28V7%29%20.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/Special%20Class%20status%20member%20factsheet-20181017-%28V7%29%20.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>The NHS Business Services Authority Functions Directions 2016[1] require the NHS Business Services Authority to exercise on behalf of the Secretary of State all functions relating to the NHS Pension Schemes that are conferred upon the Secretary of State, with the exception of making scheme regulations and directions. Specifically, the Directions require the NHS Business Services Authority to provide advice and guidance to employers operating within the schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Note:</p><p><sup>1</sup><a href="https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2017-02/Section_2_-_B1_NHSBSA_Directions_2016.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2017-02/Section_2_-_B1_NHSBSA_Directions_2016.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 21/12/2018 13:40:27 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1027400

registered interest
date	17/12/2018
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	NHS: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which groups of NHS workers, excluding nurses, are entitled to Special Class Status; and whether those groups have been subject to changes to their retirement age.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	202701
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2018 answer text <p>Special Class Status is a reserved right that permits eligible members of the 1995 NHS Pension Scheme to retire from age 55 with an unreduced pension. The right is available for nurses, physiotherapists, midwives, health visitors and mental health officers who joined the scheme before 6 March 1995 and have not subsequently had a break in membership of over five years. It is a conditional right, which in the case of nurses requires the individual to be employed continuously in a nursing role for the five years immediately preceding the date of retirement.</p><p> </p><p>The right was withdrawn for new members from 6 March 1995. Staff in the 1995 NHS Pension Scheme who did not acquire or satisfy the conditions for Special Class Status have a normal scheme retirement age of 60. Subsequent reforms saw new NHS Pension Schemes introduced in 2008 and 2015 with a later retirement age of 65 and state pension age respectively for all staff in those schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Upon introduction of the 2015 NHS Pension Scheme, transitional arrangements permitted staff closest to retirement to continue accruing pension in the closed 1995 Scheme. A small number of 1995 Scheme members with Special Class Status were too young to benefit from this protection and therefore transferred to the 2015 Scheme for future service. Such members can claim their 1995 Scheme pension accrued prior to transfer, on a Special Class basis from age 55 should they satisfy the conditions. The pension built up under the 2015 has a retirement age equal to the member’s state pension age.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 21/12/2018 13:42:50 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1024743

registered interest
date	13/12/2018
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	Unitary Councils
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authority areas have (a) achieved and (b) sought unitary status in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	202033
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>Whilst to date since 2010 no local authority areas have achieved unitary status, two new unitary councils will be established in Dorset on 1 April 2019, we have announced that subject to Parliamentary approval a new unitary council for Buckinghamshire will be established on 1 April 2020, and we are currently consulting on a proposal made by seven councils in Northamptonshire to establish two new unitary councils covering that county on 1 April 2020. In addition to these areas since 2010 certain councils in Oxfordshire have made a proposal for unitary status for that county which is not being pursued.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 18/12/2018 16:26:07 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1024744

registered interest
date	13/12/2018
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	Unitary Councils
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 recent assessment he has made of the benefits secured by local authority areas that have moved to unitary status.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	202034
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government has made no recent assessment of the benefits secured by local authority areas that have moved to unitary status, but is aware of certain independent reports which have made such assessments. These include a report commissioned by the County Councils Network and authored by Phil Swann in 2016 called “Learning the Lessons from Local Government Reorganisation - An Independent Study“, which found that larger unitary councils are most likely to be able to generate economies of scale, be resilient, and be able to take strategic decisions in an integrated way with the broader public sector.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 18/12/2018 16:25:00 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1023199

registered interest
date	11/12/2018
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	Water Supply
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve water management in areas affected by (a) water shortages and (b) drought.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	201093
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) continues to support flexible abstraction for agriculture to support winter reservoir storage, irrigation and crop lifting. 60% of the 150 applications have been agreed this year. The EA continue to work with the National Farmers’ Union to help farmers prepare for 2019 through developing advice and running local drop-in surgeries to help farmers review their abstraction licensing needs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Water companies are following their drought plans. The EA continues to work closely with them to ensure they are taking actions in a timely manner. Such actions include awareness campaigns for their customers to use water wisely, reduce leakage, make changes to their network operations and seek additional water through applying for drought permits. Two companies (United Utilities and Yorkshire Water) have applied for drought permits since July.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/12/2018 11:00:42 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1023200

registered interest
date	11/12/2018
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	Water Supply
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 he has plans to introduce financial incentives to encourage on-farm reservoirs to tackle water shortages in affected areas.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	201094
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) Countryside Productivity Scheme offered grants towards the costs of constructing on-farm reservoirs. This scheme was open for applications between July 2017 and June 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The Agriculture Bill sets out the foundations for our future farming policy. The Bill includes powers to give financial assistance for a number of purposes. These purposes include managing the land or water in a way that protects or improves the environment, and improving the productivity of an agricultural, horticultural or forestry activity.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to work closely with farmers, land managers, and other stakeholders as we develop our proposals for future schemes.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/12/2018 09:34:02 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1023202

registered interest
date	11/12/2018
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	Water Supply
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 he has plans to increase investment in (a) the UK’s medium-term weather and (b) real-time water availability forecasting capability for farming to support drought planning.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	201106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>BEIS is the lead department on matters regarding weather and the Met Office.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Met Office weather predictions feed into the UK Hydrological Outlook which describes likely river flows and groundwater levels over the coming season and is used to support flood and drought risk assessments and adaptation planning. The Met Office also supports the National Drought Group, of which the National Farmers Union (NFU) is a partner, by providing briefing on the latest seasonal outlook.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency (EA) is developing a digital water resources licensing service. A pilot to make river information available in near real time was successfully undertaken this year in priority catchments. Current plans are to implement this across the country ahead of summer 2019 to enable more abstractors to manage their water abstraction during periods of prolonged dry weather. This is an enhancement to current support to abstractors, for example provision of advice and daily river flow data by phone or email.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 17/12/2018 17:52:57 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1023221

registered interest
date	11/12/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Notice Boards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make and assessment of adequacy of the guidance issued to schools, local education authorities and other responsible bodies to ensure that classroom notice boards are installed correctly and in accordance with fire standards that are legally compliant.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	201108
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The Department’s guidance documents, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, highlight schools’ responsibilities to carry out risk assessments for their Fire Safety Management Plans.</p><p>The Department also specifies the fire safety requirements for notice boards in the ‘Output Specification’ documents that set out the design and construction requirements for all Department for Education delivered school buildings. In order to fully address the issue, the Department needs to carry out background research. Should the research show there is further guidance to give, the Department would then update the Output Specification and consider releasing a technical note to responsible bodies on the specification and installation of noticeboards.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 17/12/2018 17:53:54 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1023342

registered interest
date	11/12/2018
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Eritrea: Overseas Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has plans to allocate additional aid for Eritrea as a result of the lifting of international sanctions.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	201115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2018 answer text <p>The United Kingdom welcomes the lifting of all UN sanctions relating to Eritrea, and the opportunities it creates for greater engagement between the international community and Eritrea.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for International Development’s budgets for future years have not yet been finalised. The UK has funded life-saving activity in Eritrea for several years, including providing £3.24m in 2018-19 to help treat malnutrition in under-fives and provide access to safe hygiene and sanitation services.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 17/12/2018 14:42:39 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew