Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the proposed financial transparency measures and profit cap for children's home providers effectively address profiteering across the sector, particularly among smaller providers; what assessment they have made of the number of smaller providers which may not fall under the definition of 'key placement providers'; and what steps they intend to take in response.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Every child in care should have a safe and loving home which is also value for money for the taxpayer.
In their 2022 report, the Competition and Markets Authority estimated that the operating profit margins for large children’s social care providers between 2016 and 2020 were 22.6% for children’s homes, 19.4% for Independent Fostering Agencies and 35.5% for supported accommodation.
The department is clear that profiteering from vulnerable children in care is absolutely unacceptable and the department is committed to stamping out profiteering where it occurs in the children’s social care placement market.
On 18 November 2024, the department published its policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, setting out ambitious reforms across children’s social care. As part of these, the department is taking forward a package of measures, including through legislation, to rebalance the children’s social care placement market, covering children’s homes, independent fostering agencies and supported accommodation. These measures will improve competition, regulation and commissioning of placements and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying and the profits providers are making. If the department does not see a reduction in profiteering, the department will not hesitate to take action to cap providers’ profits.
The department will bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of profiteering among private agencies, particularly those operating as private equity-owned children’s homes; and whether their proposed financial transparency measures will be sufficient in view of the complex financial structures often used by such organisations.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Every child in care should have a safe and loving home which is also value for money for the taxpayer.
In their 2022 report, the Competition and Markets Authority estimated that the operating profit margins for large children’s social care providers between 2016 and 2020 were 22.6% for children’s homes, 19.4% for Independent Fostering Agencies and 35.5% for supported accommodation.
The department is clear that profiteering from vulnerable children in care is absolutely unacceptable and the department is committed to stamping out profiteering where it occurs in the children’s social care placement market.
On 18 November 2024, the department published its policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, setting out ambitious reforms across children’s social care. As part of these, the department is taking forward a package of measures, including through legislation, to rebalance the children’s social care placement market, covering children’s homes, independent fostering agencies and supported accommodation. These measures will improve competition, regulation and commissioning of placements and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying and the profits providers are making. If the department does not see a reduction in profiteering, the department will not hesitate to take action to cap providers’ profits.
The department will bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Competition and Markets Authority Children's social care market study, published in March 2022, what steps they are taking to address profit-making within independent fostering agencies alongside their plans to crack down on profit-making providers of children’s homes.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Every child in care should have a safe and loving home which is also value for money for the taxpayer.
In their 2022 report, the Competition and Markets Authority estimated that the operating profit margins for large children’s social care providers between 2016 and 2020 were 22.6% for children’s homes, 19.4% for Independent Fostering Agencies and 35.5% for supported accommodation.
The department is clear that profiteering from vulnerable children in care is absolutely unacceptable and the department is committed to stamping out profiteering where it occurs in the children’s social care placement market.
On 18 November 2024, the department published its policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, setting out ambitious reforms across children’s social care. As part of these, the department is taking forward a package of measures, including through legislation, to rebalance the children’s social care placement market, covering children’s homes, independent fostering agencies and supported accommodation. These measures will improve competition, regulation and commissioning of placements and bring greater visibility to the prices local authorities are paying and the profits providers are making. If the department does not see a reduction in profiteering, the department will not hesitate to take action to cap providers’ profits.
The department will bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide a long-term funding settlement for Transport for London to enable investment in infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department will continue to work with Transport for London (TfL) with the aim to place it on a long-term financially sustainable footing as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review. The Government remains committed to supporting London and the transport network on which it depends and continues to regularly engage with TfL to understand its investment plans.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce a new road safety plan; and if so, what is their timescale for doing so.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to address grid capacity in order to support the electrification of bus depots and garages; and if so, what is their timescale for doing so.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government works closely with local areas and bus operators to ensure issues and concerns with bus electrification are fully understood, and best practice is shared.
More widely, the Government is committed to expanding the electricity network to support the Clean Energy Superpower mission and is working closely with Ofgem and industry to mobilise the required investment at the scale and pace required. Price controls set by Ofgem ensure network companies are investing in infrastructure build, as well as smart management of network assets, to ensure the network has sufficient capacity.
Under the current distribution (low voltage) price control covering 2023-2028, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront network investment, including £3.1bn for network upgrades which will help the grid to be ready for changing infrastructure needs.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has also announced that the newly formed National Energy System Operator has been asked to produce the first strategic spatial plan for energy, and it is also looking at reforming the connection process. Both those actions will help bus operators.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their consultation Ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses, which ran from 26 March to 21 May 2022, what is the end sale date for diesel buses.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In spring 2022, the Department consulted on setting an end of sales date for new non-zero emission buses. At the same time calls for evidence on the decarbonisation of coaches and minibuses were conducted. The Government is considering options and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to carry out a further round of zero emission bus funding.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Zero Emission Bus budget for this financial year has already been allocated against ZEBRA 2 projects. The Department’s spending envelope for Financial Year 2025/2026 was announced at the Budget. Allocations for individual funding lines will be agreed as part of the regular departmental business planning process and will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what plans they have to review the Compulsory Basic Training programme for motorcycles to improve road safety, given that in 2021, motorcycles comprised less than one per cent of traffic but accounted for 20 per cent of people killed or seriously injured on UK roads.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are currently considering policy options in this area.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting care leavers aged 18 to 25 with their access to public transport, including reviewing whether to extend the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme to those individuals.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This government recognises the importance of supporting care leavers, and is keeping public transport affordable having announced a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London throughout the entirety of 2025.
Local authorities in England can and have implemented a wide range of their own local fares initiatives, including some discount schemes for care leavers, utilising alternative funding, such as Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. In the Autumn Budget, the government confirmed £640 million in new BSIP funding for local authorities in England outside London in 2025/26.