Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide councils with a long-term extension of the statutory override on the treatment of Dedicated Schools Grant deficits.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In August 2022 we carried out a voluntary Call for Evidence across local authorities with the objective to understand current and projected Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) financial positions and inform decision making around extending the DSG statutory override beyond March 2023. This was not a formal consultation and we are unaware of a consultation that launched on 7 June. The data collected in this Call for Evidence was to support DLUHC policy development and was unvalidated, therefore it would not be appropriate to publish as such.
We understand a decision on the DSG statutory override needs to be communicated to the sector as soon as possible to provide certainty for the next - and future - financial years. We plan to announce this ahead of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish the outcome of the consultation, launched on 7 June, on extending the statutory override on the treatment of Dedicated Schools Grant deficits beyond March 2023.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In August 2022 we carried out a voluntary Call for Evidence across local authorities with the objective to understand current and projected Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) financial positions and inform decision making around extending the DSG statutory override beyond March 2023. This was not a formal consultation and we are unaware of a consultation that launched on 7 June. The data collected in this Call for Evidence was to support DLUHC policy development and was unvalidated, therefore it would not be appropriate to publish as such.
We understand a decision on the DSG statutory override needs to be communicated to the sector as soon as possible to provide certainty for the next - and future - financial years. We plan to announce this ahead of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of arrangements to extend the statutory override on the treatment of Dedicated Schools Grant deficits.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In August 2022 we carried out a voluntary Call for Evidence across local authorities with the objective to understand current and projected Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) financial positions and inform decision making around extending the DSG statutory override beyond March 2023. This was not a formal consultation and we are unaware of a consultation that launched on 7 June. The data collected in this Call for Evidence was to support DLUHC policy development and was unvalidated, therefore it would not be appropriate to publish as such.
We understand a decision on the DSG statutory override needs to be communicated to the sector as soon as possible to provide certainty for the next - and future - financial years. We plan to announce this ahead of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the policy of supporting a locally-driven response to demonstrations at abortion clinics; and whether they still consider that local authorities have sufficient powers to address any potential challenges arising in relation to such demonstrations.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is clear that it is unacceptable that patients seeking healthcare advice or staff working in healthcare facilities should feel intimidated or harassed. Since the 2018 review, the Government has continued to keep the matter of abortion-related protest outside clinics under review and continues to believe that a locally-driven response to demonstrations outside abortion clinics in England and Wales is proportionate.
The existing laws give the police and local authorities the powers they need to deal with harmful protests, and the Government expects the police and local authorities to use their existing powers appropriately.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to review the standard NHS practice of not using foetal painkillers before abortion; and what assessment they have made of the consistency of this approach with the current standard NHS practice of using foetal painkillers before foetal surgery from 19 weeks.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
The Department does not set or review clinical practice and no specific assessment has been made. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has established a review group to consider the latest evidence on foetal pain and foetal awareness, which is expected to report on its findings by the end of 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have received on foetal viability from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Neonatal Nurses Association and the British Maternal and Foetal Medicine Society, who published joint guidelines in 2019 on caring for premature babies born from the 22nd week of gestation.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
While the Department monitors new evidence on viability, we have not received any such advice from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Neonatal Nurses Association and the British Maternal and Foetal Medicine Society.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on (1) tax free childcare, (2) the universal 15 hours free childcare offer for three and four year olds, and (3) the extended childcare offer for three and four year olds, in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Tax-Free Childcare is for working parents of children aged 0-11, or 0-16 for disabled children, and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare. In the 2021/22 financial year the government spent £411.3 million on Tax-Free Childcare.
The numbers of families and children who have used Tax-Free Childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The universal 15 hours free early education entitlement is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of parental circumstances. The government spent £2,212,241,262 on the universal entitlement in financial year 2021/22.
The numbers of children registered for the universal 15-hour entitlement between 2020 and 2022 are captured annually, as follows:
The extended 15 hours entitlement, also known as 30 hours free childcare, is available for eligible working parents of three and four year olds, on top of the universal 15 hours free early education entitlement. The government spent £837,497,401 on the extended 15 hour entitlement in the 2021/22 financial year.
The numbers of children registered for the 30 hours free childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The department does not collect data on parents who apply for the entitlements, only children who have registered.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many parents claimed (1) tax free childcare payments, (2) the universal 15 hours free childcare offer for three and four year olds, and (3) the extended childcare offer for three and four year olds, for the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Tax-Free Childcare is for working parents of children aged 0-11, or 0-16 for disabled children, and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare. In the 2021/22 financial year the government spent £411.3 million on Tax-Free Childcare.
The numbers of families and children who have used Tax-Free Childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The universal 15 hours free early education entitlement is available to all three and four-year-olds regardless of parental circumstances. The government spent £2,212,241,262 on the universal entitlement in financial year 2021/22.
The numbers of children registered for the universal 15-hour entitlement between 2020 and 2022 are captured annually, as follows:
The extended 15 hours entitlement, also known as 30 hours free childcare, is available for eligible working parents of three and four year olds, on top of the universal 15 hours free early education entitlement. The government spent £837,497,401 on the extended 15 hour entitlement in the 2021/22 financial year.
The numbers of children registered for the 30 hours free childcare between 2020 and 2022 are as follows:
The department does not collect data on parents who apply for the entitlements, only children who have registered.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to (1) ensuring men's health is made a ministerial priority, and (2) making improvements to men's health a specific strand of work within the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Improving the health of both men and women is a ministerial priority for the Department. Evidence suggests that men are disproportionately affected by certain conditions, such as ischemic heart disease, are more likely to smoke or engage in other health harming behaviours and are more likely to die by suicide. We have committed to reduce stroke and heart attacks and the forthcoming publication of the new Tobacco Control Plan will target groups where smoking rates are not decreasing, including men. We are also investing in measures to prevent suicide.
While there are no current plans to make men’s health a specific strand of work, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities aims to improve the health of the population regardless of socio-economic background or gender.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what periodic review of literature they conduct in respect of the latest scientific evidence on foetal viability.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Officials regularly review new evidence on foetal viability. There is currently no clear consensus from the medical profession that the age of viability has reduced below 24 weeks.