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1718836

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
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	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to amend Universal Credit regulations to take into account the 53-week rent year for 2024.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	26788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with calendar monthly calculations and payments reflecting the way most working people are paid.</p><p> </p><p>As no calendar year contains 53 weeks, Universal Credit always converts weekly amounts to monthly sums using 52 weeks.  The legitimacy of this approach was confirmed by the High Court having been tested via a judicial review.</p><p> </p><p>All of our policies are open to review and may be subject to change in the future; however, we have no plans at present to make changes to this policy.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/05/2024 16:19:17 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1718034

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
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	Coeliac Disease: Diagnosis
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which part of NHS England has accountability for coeliac disease diagnoses.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	26290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>Integrated care boards (ICB) commission services to meet the needs of their local populace. Diagnosis of coeliac disease falls within the portfolio of ICB-commissioned services. As such, NHS England does not have central accountability. However, NHS England has invested in senior clinical leadership in gastroenterology, which includes coeliac disease, as a priority workstream in the national Getting It Right First Time programme.</p><p>The diagnosis of coeliac disease commonly involves a blood test and, in some cases, a biopsy of the small intestine. Post-diagnosis, further blood tests, which check the levels of iron and other vitamins and minerals, may be required to assess how the condition has affected the individual, such as the potential for iron deficiency anaemia due to poor absorption of nutrients. A bone density scan may also be recommended if the condition is thought to affect the individual’s bones.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 20/05/2024 14:05:34 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1701834

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Mental Health Services
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 delivering a mental health support lead within primary and secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	22410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>The department has offered all state-funded schools and colleges in England a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. The department continues to deliver on the commitments that it made in the government’s 2018 response to the consultation on 'Transforming children and young people's mental health provision: a green paper' and to deliver on next steps. The government’s response to the consultation can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper</a>.</p><p> </p><p>As at 30 November 2023, 15,100 schools and colleges had taken up this offer and claimed a grant, which represents 63% of the total number of settings that are eligible to apply. Breakdowns of the data, including by setting type, can be found in the department’s transparency data release which has been updated annually since the programme started and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision</a>.</p><p> </p><p>A list of schools and colleges receiving a senior mental health lead training grant is also published and updated throughout the year, which can be found here: <a href="https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F65b0cb50160765001118f741%2FSenior_mental_health_lead_training_January_2024_Update.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK" target="_blank">https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F65b0cb50160765001118f741%2FSenior_mental_health_lead_training_January_2024_Update.ods&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 23/04/2024 13:43:01 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1701835

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Early Intervention Hubs.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	22411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>In July 2023, the Department secured just under £5 million from HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund, for a project to boost and evaluate the impact of 10 early support hubs. The Department has since provided an additional £3 million to increase the number of hubs being funded across the country to 24.</p><p>Crucially, alongside boosting 24 hubs, the funding is also being used to evaluate the impact of the services, and inform any potential expansion of the model in the future. The evaluation aims to report its findings by Summer 2025.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 23/04/2024 12:22:08 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1701942

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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
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 the Major Conditions Strategy includes additional material on mental health.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	22412
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Since announcing the Major Conditions Strategy in January 2023, we have been working with a range of stakeholders in the health and care system, including those representing mental health conditions. This is to identify what would make the most difference in tackling the six major condition groups, which includes mental health, that account for approximately 60% of ill-health and early death in England.</p><p>The strategy will consider how we can ensure that mental health is effectively integrated with physical health, as well as delivering preventative, proactive, and person-centred care across the major conditions. This strategy does not seek to describe everything that is being done or could be done to meet the challenges of individual conditions in isolation, it instead focuses on the changes likely to make the most difference across the six groups of major conditions.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 24/04/2024 10:19:27 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1701943

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress NHS England has made on developing a neuropsychiatric service specification.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	22413
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>NHS England remains committed to the continued development and improvement of all services, including neuropsychiatry. Neuropsychiatry covers a broad spectrum of mental health support, for people with a broad spectrum of neurological conditions, and as such, provision of neuropsychiatry falls within the care pathway of a range of services.</p><p>The provision of neuropsychiatry is included in, and will be strengthened within, the updated neurology service specification, neurosurgery specification, and complex rehabilitation service specification. The requirement and scope of a standalone neuropsychiatry service specification is being discussed with the Royal College of Psychiatry and mental health colleagues.</p><p>The Neurology Clinical Reference Group (CRG) will continue to lead this work and take forward discussions with the Royal College of Psychiatry, which is represented on both the Neurology CRG and Complex Rehabilitation and Disability CRG, and is contributing to the development of the service specifications listed above.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 25/04/2024 16:52:55 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1701944

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Neuromuscular Disorders: Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support exists for those with (a) Huntington’s disease and (b) other complex neurological conditions.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	22414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most services for people with neurological conditions, including those with Huntington’s disease. At a national level, NHS England commissions the specialised elements of neurological care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurological treatment centres across England. NHS England’s RightCare toolkit and Getting It Right First Time programme aim to improve care for people with neurological conditions, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across England.</p><p>New optimal clinical pathways for a range of neurological conditions were developed by the National Neurosciences Advisory Group, which ceased operation in 2022. These pathways set out what good treatment, care, and support should look like across a range of neurological conditions. They also help to guide and facilitate the commissioning of high-quality, effective neurology services by ICBs. The optimal clinical pathway for movement disorders outlines the care pathway that patients with Huntington’s disease should receive. Further information on the optimal clinical pathways are available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.nnag.org.uk/optimum-clinical-pathways" target="_blank">https://www.nnag.org.uk/optimum-clinical-pathways</a></p><p>The Department funds research on neurological conditions through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the Department spent £272.1 million on research into neurological conditions. This covers research into conditions such as Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. In 2022/23, the most recent year for which we have data, the Department, via the NIHR, spent £65.3 million on research into neurological conditions.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 24/04/2024 15:24:11 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1701945

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress he has made on developing Domestic Abuse Matters training for officers investigating domestic abuse offences.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	22415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The Domestic Abuse Matters training programme has now been delivered to over 80% of police forces to date, including Hertfordshire Police. The College of Policing guidance for the Domestic Abuse Matters training specifies 75% of all first responders to domestic abuse must be trained to effect mass behavioural change.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office has also funded the College of Policing to develop a new module of Domestic Abuse Matters training, targeted specifically at officers investigating domestic abuse offences to enable further improvement in police responses to domestic abuse incidents.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office will continue to work with the College of Policing to ensure the training reflects our most up to date understanding of domestic abuse.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 25/04/2024 15:51:05 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1700580

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Teaching Assistants: Training
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 provide training to teaching assistants on (a) autism and (b) other neuro-diverse conditions.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	21465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The government values and appreciates the dedication, professionalism and hard work of teaching assistants (TAs), and the department knows the valuable contribution they make to pupils’ education alongside excellent teachers, particularly when supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).</p><p>Reaching over 70% of schools and further education (FE) colleges, the Universal Services programme will help the school and FE workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, earlier and more effectively.</p><p>The department’s Universal Services contract brings together SEND-specific continuous professional development (CPD) and support for the school and FE workforce to improve outcomes for children and young people. The contract offers autism awareness training and resources delivered by the Autism Education Trust (AET). Over 135,000 education professionals have undertaken autism awareness training as part of AET's ‘train the trainer’ model since the Universal Services programme commenced in May 2022.</p><p>School and college staff have completed over 7,000 online SEND CPD units to support them in delivering an inclusive experience for every learner. The Universal Services contract will run until spring 2025, with a budget of nearly £12 million.</p><p>On 22 November 2023, the department announced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme. 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 carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children.</p><p>The programme will deploy specialists from both health and education workforces to upskill school staff including TAs in around 1,680 (10%) mainstream primary schools and build their capacity to identify and meet the needs of children with autism and other neurodiverse needs.</p><p>Ultimately, schools are best placed to make decisions on the CPD that best meets the needs of their support staff, as they do for teachers' CPD.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 22/04/2024 09:03:27 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell

1700581

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Animal Experiments
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 his Department is taking steps to help encourage companies to transition away from testing products on animals.
tabling member constituency	Watford
tabling member printed	Dean Russell
uin	21466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Animal testing of chemical substances is permitted under UK REACH only as a measure of last resort; this principle is reinforced by the Environment Act 2021. Moreover, UK REACH states that test methods should be regularly reviewed with a view to reducing animal testing and it encourages the use of alternative methods. Testing and assessment of final products is not a part of UK REACH.</p><p> </p><p>The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is the UK regulatory authority for veterinary medicinal products. The VMD assesses applications submitted by the veterinary pharmaceutical industry in line with national and international regulations and guidance to ensure safe and effective veterinary medicines of good quality are marketed. These requirements may therefore necessitate animal testing either to develop and register new veterinary medicines or for routine product quality control, to ensure the continued quality, safety and efficacy batch to batch. Non-animal tests are not always available and the VMD is committed to phasing out the use of animals for testing purposes where possible, in accordance with the principles of 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Furthermore, the UK is a signatory to the European Pharmacopoeia (which sets minimum quality standards of medicines) and the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes and this commitment to the 3Rs is also enshrined in the UK’s Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 under which scientific procedures in animals are regulated.</p><p> </p><p>The Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation (the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs, Andrew Griffith) recently announced that the Government will publish a plan to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science, which will be published in the summer. He also requested that we double our investment in research to achieve these approaches next year to £20 million across the system in 2024/25.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 24/04/2024 16:31:17 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell