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1010535

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Energy Performance Certificates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many houses in the UK have an energy performance certificate of (a) E or lower and (b) D or higher.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193482
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>At the end of September 2018, the number of houses in England and Wales which had a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) rated at E or lower was 3,177,158 and D or higher was 8,169,369. Additionally, other types of domestic dwellings, including flats, bungalows and maisonettes, which had a valid EPC rated at E or lower was 1,229,051 and D or higher was 5,584,059.</p><p>This information is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-performance-of-buildings-certificates" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-performance-of-buildings-certificates</a></p><p>EPCs for domestic dwellings in Scotland and Northern Ireland are a devolved matter.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 28/11/2018 16:02:51 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010537

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Climate Change: EU Action
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to maintain alignment with EU climate change policy after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>UK government’s action to tackle climate change is framed by the Climate Change Act. This is domestic legislation and is therefore unaffected by exiting the EU.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is committed to international cooperation, including with the EU, on issues of shared interest including climate change.</p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 28/11/2018 15:14:46 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010543

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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	Public Health: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the percentage change has been in (a) total funding for NHS England and (b) the local authority public health grant in each year since 2014.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193486
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>The local authority public health grant provides funding for health services delivered through local authorities. However it is not the entirety of the funding nor spend for public health services. For example, in addition to the grant there is circa £1.2 billion ringfenced for NHS national public health services within the NHS mandate figures, as well as other Departmental expenditure on vaccines and on grant in aid to Public Health England.</p><p> </p><p>The following table shows the percentage change in total funding for NHS England and the local authority public health grant in each year since 2014:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>NHS England funding increase %</p></td><td><p>Public health grant increase %</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>3.6%</p></td><td><p>5.0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>3.3%</p></td><td><p>24%*</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>5.4%</p></td><td><p>-2.2%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>3.6%</p></td><td><p>-2.5%**</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>4.6%</p></td><td><p>-2.6%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br>Notes:</p><p>* End year allocation for 2015-16 including the transfer in October 2015 of funding from NHS England to local authorities for commissioning services for children aged 0 - 5.</p><p>** Figures from 2017-18 includes funding retained by 10 Greater Manchester local authorities as part of a business rate pilot, not allocated via a grant.</p><p> </p><p>The total Department of Health and Social Care Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2018-19 was £128.4 billion. 2.5 % was allocated to the local authority public health grant in 2018-19.</p> answering member constituency Winchester answering member printed Steve Brine grouped question UIN 193487 question first answered 28/11/2018 17:38:47 answering member 4067 label Biography information for Steve Brine
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010560

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the restriction on asylum seekers' right to work on dependent children during the 12-month waiting period.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193493
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.</p><p>Whilst the Government has not made such an assessment, our current policy is consistent with EU law and permits asylum seekers to work, in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, if they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. We are tackling delays in decision-making and have plans in place to improve the speed at which outstanding claims are decided. <br> <br>The Government is considering recent calls to change the policy. However, our current approach aims to protect the resident labour market so that any employment meets our needs for skilled labour and distinguishes between those who need protection and those who want to work in the UK, who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. We need to avoid creating further incentives for migrants, particularly children or those with children, to come here illegally, risking their lives in the process, instead of claiming asylum in the first safe country they reach.</p><p>It is also important to focus on providing support for those who are recognised as refugees, to help them to integrate and find employment, so that they can rebuild their lives here.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 27/11/2018 17:54:30 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010561

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on the autism employment gap of the Access to Work scheme.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193494
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>We have made no assessment of the effect of Access to Work on the employment rate of people with autism.</p><p> </p><p>Data on people with Autism Spectrum Disorders is not routinely disaggregated within Access to Work statistics. The primary medical condition categories used in Access to Work are consistent with the categories used in the Labour Force Survey. This is so we can compare our data to the disability employment rate.</p><p> </p><p>When a person with autism applies to Access to Work for support, it will be for particular conditions, such as difficulty in speaking, learning difficulties, etc., rather than ‘autism’.</p><p> </p><p>This will be recorded as the individual’s primary medical condition in the Access to Work database, even if it’s linked to their autism</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work has a specialist Hidden Impairments team who receive upskilling and awareness from organisations who have expertise of autism to ensure that advisors have a broad understanding of the barriers individuals with autism face.</p><p> </p><p>The official statistics published on 30th October 2018 provide the latest information on the Access to Work scheme, including breakdowns by customer characteristics such as primary medical condition. They may be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2018</a></p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 27/11/2018 10:16:02 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010562

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has she made of the effect on the autism employment gap of the Disability Confident Autism and Neurodiversity Toolkit.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193495
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>We have not made any assessment of the effect the Disability Confident Autism and Neurodiversity Toolkit has had on the autism employment gap.</p><p> </p><p>The toolkit was developed with support from disabled people with neuro-diverse conditions, medical professionals and disability organisations such as Autism Alliance UK and Autism Plus. It is designed to help to raise awareness and understanding, within DWP and across the wider Civil Service, about Autism Spectrum Disorders and neuro-diverse conditions.</p><p> </p><p>Disability Confident promotes the many benefits of employing disabled people including individuals with autism and neuro-diverse conditions. The scheme provides free information, advice and guidance for employers.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 27/11/2018 17:34:05 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010563

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Disability Confident scheme on the gap between the number of people in employment (a) with autism and (b) in the general population.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193496
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>We have not made any assessment of Disability Confident on the autism employment gap.</p><p> </p><p>Disability Confident promotes to employers the many benefits of employing disabled people, including individuals with Autism and Neuro-diverse conditions. The scheme provides free information, advice and guidance to help them to do this. Over 10,000 businesses have signed up to the disability Confident scheme since it was launched in November 2016.</p><p> </p><p>The Disability Confident Autism and Neurodiversity Toolkit was developed with support from disabled people with neuro-diverse conditions, medical professionals and disability organisations such as Autism Alliance UK and Autism Plus. It is designed to help to raise awareness and understanding, within DWP and across the wider Civil Service, about Autism Spectrum Disorders and neuro-diverse conditions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 28/11/2018 16:12:20 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010564

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase the rate of retention in employment of people with autism.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193497
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government is strongly committed to increasing employment opportunities for disabled people, including those with autism, and improving employment retention rates. We are working across Government and with local authorities, voluntary organisations and employers in the public and private sectors to achieve this. Help and support for people with autism includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Disability Confident scheme, through which DWP is engaging with employers and helping to promote the skills, talents and abilities of people with autism and associated hidden impairment conditions. Disability Confident offers advice and support, to help employers feel more confident about employing disabled people. Over 10,000 businesses have signed up to the disability Confident scheme since it was launched in November 2016</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Access to Work, which has a Hidden Impairment Specialist Team that gives advice and guidance to help employers support employees with conditions such as Autism, Learning Disability and/or Mental Health conditions. It also offers eligible people an assessment to find out their needs at work and help to develop a support plan. <br></li><li>The Disability Passport ‘About Me’ which aims to encourage disabled claimants, including individuals with autism, to disclose their disability/ health conditions at the earliest stage to their Adviser, to improve communication and ensure reasonable adjustments are put in place. The passport is hosted on Autism Alliance’s website.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Civil Service has committed to support the Autism Exchange Programme, and my Department is working with Ambitious about Autism to provide work placement opportunities for young people.</p><p> </p><p>The number of working age disabled people in employment in the UK reached around 3.9 million in Q3 2018. This was an increase of 123,000 since Q3 2017, and an overall increase of 973,000 since Q3 2013, the earliest comparable figure.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 28/11/2018 14:36:25 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010565

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the steps that her Department has taken to provide employers with the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to employ people with autism.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193498
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government is strongly committed to working with employers to improve their approach to employing disabled people, including those with autism. For example:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Disability Confident scheme is engaging with employers, offering advice and support to help employers feel more confident about employing disabled people. Over 10,000 businesses have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme since it was launched in November 2016</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>Access to Work has a Hidden Impairment Specialist Team that gives advice and guidance to help employers support employees with conditions such as Autism, Learning Disability and/or Mental Health conditions. It also offers eligible people an assessment to find out their needs at work and help to develop a support plan.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The Disability Passport ‘About Me’ aims to encourage disabled claimants, including individuals with autism, to disclose their disability/ health conditions at the earliest stage to their Adviser, to improve communication and ensure reasonable adjustments are put in place. The passport is hosted on Autism Alliance’s website.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The Disability Confident Autism and Neurodiversity Toolkit was developed with support from disabled people with neuro-diverse conditions, medical professionals and disability organisations such as Autism Alliance UK and Autism Plus. It is designed to help to raise awareness and understanding, within DWP and across the wider Civil Service, about Autism Spectrum Disorders and neuro-diverse conditions.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We have not made any assessment of the effect of these policies and initiatives on employers’ skills and knowledge in respect of employing people with autism in particular.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, the number of working age disabled people in employment in the UK reached around 3.9 million in Q3 2018. This was an increase of 123,000 since Q3 2017, and an overall increase of 973,000 since Q3 2013, the earliest comparable figure.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 28/11/2018 16:29:15 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1010566

registered interest
date	20/11/2018
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 Schemes: Autism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Work Choice support programme in helping autistic people to (a) find, (b) keep and (c) make progress in a job.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	193499
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>Work Choice was designed to help individuals whose needs cannot be met through other DWP employment programmes and who need more specialised support to find employment or to keep a job once they have started work. Work Choice referrals have now ended in all parts of England and Wales, and service delivery will end by 31 March 2019. The Work &amp; Health Programme, which rolled out in England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018, builds on lessons learnt from both Work Choice and the Work Programme.</p><p> </p><p>Work Choice performance data allows us to monitor both short job outcomes (employment lasting at least 13 weeks) and sustained job outcomes (employment lasting at least 26 weeks) where the tailored support assists participants in achieving these. Work Choice official statistics are published here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/work-choice-referrals-starts-and-job-outcomes-to-june-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/work-choice-referrals-starts-and-job-outcomes-to-june-2018</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Since 25<sup>th</sup> October 2015, Work Choice participants could voluntarily declare to their Work Coach that they had an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), to allow providers to recognise their support requirements. A declaration of autism was recorded separately from individuals’ primary health condition. As these declarations are voluntary, we cannot be sure that they account for all Work Choice participants with ASD.</p><p> </p><p>For participants who have declared this information, the below data table shows the number of starts per year and the proportion of these starts that have since achieved a short job outcome (employment lasting at least 13 weeks) and a sustained job outcome (employment lasting at least 26 weeks). These data are a subset of the official Work Choice statistics.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="5"><p>Individuals who declared autism</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of starts</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Of which have achieved a short job outcome</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Of which have achieved a sustained job outcome</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Latest year available:</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul-17 to Jun-18 (for starts)</p></td><td><p>670</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul-16 to Jun-17 (for short job outcomes)</p></td><td><p>1,120</p></td><td><p>430</p></td><td><p>38%</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul-15 to Jun-16 (for sustained)</p></td><td><p>530</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>140</p></td><td><p>26%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Financial years:</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16 (Nov to Mar)</p></td><td><p>290</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>44%</p></td><td><p>80</p></td><td><p>27%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>1,090</p></td><td><p>420</p></td><td><p>38%</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>940</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: Provider Referrals and Payments system (PRaP)</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>- Work Choice performance data for a particular cohort of starts are only comparable once we have given sufficient time from the end of that period for all of the starts to have received the tailored support from the programme and to have achieved the job outcomes. This means that the latest available data for numbers of starts is July 2017 to June 2018, for short job outcome rates is July 2016 to June 2017, and for sustained job outcome rates is July 2015 to June 2016.</p><p> </p><p>- The definition of short job outcomes changed slightly in November 2015. Therefore, short job outcome rates are not available for the July 2015 to June 2016 cohort and for the 2015/16 financial year they are only available from November 2015 to March 2016.</p><p> </p><p>- Figures are rounded to the nearest ten.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 28/11/2018 14:12:42 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire