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1693396

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
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	Ophthalmic Services: Email
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 increase the uptake of the NHS email system by optometrists.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>NHS England is currently considering how image sharing between community optometry and secondary care could improve access to care and patient outcomes. Secure digital communications will be critical to achieving this goal, which is why NHS England is currently testing and evaluating a number of options, including the use of National Health Service mail.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 12/03/2024 13:43:25 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693411

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
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	Housing Benefit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on housing benefits in the last financial year; and how much of that was spent on housing provided by (a) local authorities, (b) other social housing providers and (c) private sector landlords.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16827
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>In 2022/23 the Department spent £28.97 billion on Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Element combined.</p><p> </p><p>£15.00 billion was spent on Housing Benefit and £13.97 billion was spent on Universal Credit Housing Element. The quoted Housing Benefit expenditure excludes expenditure funded by Local Authorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Housing Benefit expenditure by tenure in 2022/23:</p><p> </p><ol><li>£4.05 billion spent on Local Authority accommodation.</li><li>£7.17 billion spent on accommodation provided by Registered Social Landlords.</li><li>£3.78 billion spent on private rented sector accommodation.</li></ol><p> </p><p>Universal Credit Housing Element expenditure by tenure in 2022/23:</p><p> </p><ol><li>£7.20 billion spent on <strong>social rented sector accommodation</strong>. The available data does not allow us to breakdown expenditure on social rented sector into accommodation provided by (a) local authorities and (b) other social housing providers.</li><li>Available data does not allow us to split out expenditure on accommodation provided by (b) other social housing providers.</li><li>£5.95 billion spent on private rented sector accommodation.</li><li>£0.83 billion spent on other/unknown tenancy types.</li></ol><p> </p><ol><li>The expenditure figures include only amounts subsidised by the Department for Work and Pension and do not include housing expenditure funded by local authorities.</li><li>Figures may not sum due to rounding.</li></ol> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 12/03/2024 17:02:43 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693518

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Darlington Economic Campus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of naming the permanent home of the Darlington Economic Campus, William McMullen House.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16915
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>With reference to your enquiry regarding the naming of the Darlington Economic Campus 'William McMullen House' I am happy to advise we will consider this suggestion, alongside other suggestions, when finalising the name of building.</p><p>Naming of all new Government Hubs and other Government buildings must go through a process whereby all options must undergo sufficient due diligence. Selection of a preferred option will need to be agreed to by the Government Property Agency (GPA), occupying departments, local leaders and authorities including the Post Office.</p><p>Naming of a new Government Hub will happen nearer to the point when the building is being delivered. In the case of Darlington Economic Campus this will be in 2025/26.</p><p>Under the current programme, and subject to planning consent being granted mid-year and approval of the Full Business Case in the last quarter of this year, works will commence in the first quarter of 2025.</p><p>Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart grouped question UIN 16927 16928 question first answered 12/03/2024 17:36:59 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693519

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
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	Darlington Memorial Hospital: Parking
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 provide financial support to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to facilitate an improvement and expansion of car parking facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>No specific fund currently exists for car parking improvements. The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), of which County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is a partner member, received £187 million in operational capital in 2023/24, and over £566 million over the Spending Review period, which it can use for capital projects and works. This funding is prioritised by the ICB in accordance with local needs.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 11/03/2024 15:58:51 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693520

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	North Road (Darlington) Station
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on improvements to North Road Station in Darlington ahead of the 200th Anniversaries of the Railways.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16917
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>North Road Station is currently under consideration for Northern’s ongoing platform improvement programme, designed to improve the stepping distance between the platform and the train.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Huw Merriman question first answered 11/03/2024 15:14:59 answering member 4442 label Biography information for Huw Merriman
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693521

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools: Darlington
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on appointing a provider for the new 48 place Autism Spectrum Disorder special free school in Darlington.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2024 answer text <p>The application process for potential providers to operate Darlington’s new special free school has been completed. Ministers are considering the outcome before confirming the successful applicant.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 22/03/2024 13:24:47 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1692193

registered interest
date	27/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Mental Health Services: Children and Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services in the Tees Esk Wear Mental Health Trust region.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16026
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing at least an additional £2.3 billion a year in expanding and transforming National Health Service mental health services by March 2024, compared to 2018/19. As part of this, an extra 345,000 more children and young people will be able to get the NHS-funded mental health support they need.</p><p>NHS England is working on implementing five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services, including one for children and their families and carers to start receiving community-based mental health care within four weeks of referral.</p><p>A consultation pilot began in Teesside in October 2023, which has allowed families to be re-directed to appropriate support, and for services to be able to reinvest time back into the backlog of assessments. The trust is currently reviewing the implementation and extension of this pilot into Durham and Darlington.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 12/03/2024 12:32:32 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1691825

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Electronic Cigarettes: Smuggling
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the (a) criminal, (b) health and (c) licensing issues arising from the sale of illegal vapes.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	15760
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is concerned about the increase in the number of illicit vapes in the United Kingdom’s market, as well as the access and availability of these vapes to children. In April of last year, we provided £3 million of funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in retail outlets and ports, upskilled trading standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.</p><p>Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a licensing scheme, we have also recently announced a further £30 million of additional funding per year to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vape products. This additional funding in England will boost agencies such as local trading standards, to enforce the new age of sale and vaping restrictions.</p><p>Alongside this package of funding, we are also taking assertive action to reduce youth vaping more generally. We recently published our response to the smoking and vaping consultation, which sets out plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, through introducing restrictions on flavours, packaging, and point of sale display. Our response to the consultation is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response</a></p><p>We have also announced that we will ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes, and have set out plans to introduce a £100 fixed penalty notice for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. The Government will introduce legislation as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 15803 question first answered 04/03/2024 14:03:27 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1691826

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Organised Crime: Electronic Cigarettes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to update the County Lines Programme to include illegal vapes.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	15802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2024 answer text <p>This Government is determined to crack down on county lines gangs which is why we are investing up to £145m over three years in our County Lines Programme to tackle the most violent and exploitative distribution model yet seen. “County lines” drug dealing is a form of drug distribution which exploits children and vulnerable young people, coercing them into being ‘runners’ and transporting illegal substances and money locally as well as around the country. The vast majority of county lines are focused on Class A drug supply, but we are clear that through our Programme, police and programme partners are supported to take action against county lines drug supply in whatever form it may take, including illegal vapes.</p><p>Through the County Lines Programme, we are also funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC), to monitor the intelligence picture, map the national threat of county lines and prioritise action against the county lines groups causing the most harm nationwide. The NCLCC has been vital in strengthening the law enforcement response and enabling police forces to work together to tackle this complex issue. We will continue working with NCLCC to further understand the illicit substances being distributed through the county lines model.</p><p>Since the Programme was launched in 2019, police activity has resulted in over 5,100 line closures, 15,600 arrests and 8,000 safeguarding referrals. This includes over 2,100 line closures by the Programme taskforces since April 2022, meeting the HMG Drugs Strategy commitment of closing over 2,000 by April 2025 in half the time.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 05/03/2024 16:23:45 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1691827

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Retail Trade: Electronic Cigarettes
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 is taking steps to use (a) licensing and (b) planning powers to reduce the number of mini markets trading in illegal vapes.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	15803
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is concerned about the increase in the number of illicit vapes in the United Kingdom’s market, as well as the access and availability of these vapes to children. In April of last year, we provided £3 million of funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in retail outlets and ports, upskilled trading standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.</p><p>Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a licensing scheme, we have also recently announced a further £30 million of additional funding per year to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vape products. This additional funding in England will boost agencies such as local trading standards, to enforce the new age of sale and vaping restrictions.</p><p>Alongside this package of funding, we are also taking assertive action to reduce youth vaping more generally. We recently published our response to the smoking and vaping consultation, which sets out plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, through introducing restrictions on flavours, packaging, and point of sale display. Our response to the consultation is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response</a></p><p>We have also announced that we will ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes, and have set out plans to introduce a £100 fixed penalty notice for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. The Government will introduce legislation as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 15760 question first answered 04/03/2024 14:03:27 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson