Earl of Listowel
Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary
Became Member: 31st July 1998
Left House: 21st July 2022 (Retired)
13 Former APPG memberships
Child Contact Centres and Services, Children, Children of Alcoholics, Conception to Age Two - First 1001 Days, Conception to Age Two: First 1001 Days, Dyspraxia, Families in the Early Years, Foster Care Work, Local Government, Looked After Children and Care Leavers, Mental Health, Teaching Profession, Young People's HealthDivision Voting information
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Lords initiatives
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Earl of Listowel has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Earl of Listowel has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)1 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Earl of Listowel's BEIS questions)Through the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, the Government ensures that the lowest paid in our society are fairly rewarded for their work. From April 2019, over 2.1 million people will benefit from inflation-beating increases in the minimum wages rates.
At Spring Statement 2019, the Government confirmed the Low Pay Commission’s remit for the National Living Wage to reach 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020, subject to sustained economic growth. At £8.21 an hour, the National Living Wage is on track to meet this target. Later this year, the Government will set out the Low Pay Commission’s remit beyond 2020, with the ultimate objective of ending low pay in the UK.
To help inform this new remit, the Government has appointed Professor Arindrajit Dube to undertake a review of the latest international evidence on the impacts of minimum wages and consider the implications for future minimum wage policy in the UK. The review began in March 2019 and Professor Dube will present his findings in the autumn.
1 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Earl of Listowel's DCMS questions)The Government is committed to a free and open press and does not interfere with what the press does and does not publish, as long as the press abides by the law. The new system of independent press self-regulation protects press freedom and the industry develops its own standards and codes. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) handles complaints about its members under the Editors' Code of Practice. The Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS) is currently consulting on its new Standards Code.
Employers in the early years sector are responsible for recruiting and setting the pay and conditions for their employees, within the statutory requirements set by government (for example, the national minimum wage).
Early years employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy can receive up to 95% co-investment from the government towards the cost of apprenticeship training. Trailblazer groups of employers, supported by the Institute for Apprenticeships, are also developing new standards for early years at levels 2, 5 and 6.
In March 2017, the department published the early years workforce strategy which outlined government's plans to support employers to attract, retain and develop early years staff to deliver high quality provision. The strategy is attached.
As a result of the strategy we have worked with sector stakeholders to develop criteria for new more robust level 2 qualifications, as well as developing new career pathways information to support careers advice, recruitment and staff development. The new career pathways map is attached.
The information requested on the turnover of staff in early years provision is not held centrally. Early years policy is a devolved matter and data collection is determined by the devolved administrations.
The challenges for recruitment and retention, and the appropriate response to these, will differ between sectors. The department has worked with the sector to develop an early years workforce strategy, published in March 2017 and attached. This set out how government will support employers to attract, retain and develop high quality early years staff.
Since then we have worked with sector stakeholders to develop criteria for new more robust level 2 qualifications, awarded a grant to take forward activity to promote gender diversity in the early years workforce, and created a new career progression document to support careers advice, recruitment and staff development. The early years careers progression map is attached.
We are also supporting employer trailblazer groups to develop new apprenticeship standards for the early years workforce and investing £20m in in-service professional development and training for early years practitioners in pre-reception settings in disadvantaged areas.
Information on the number of care leavers aged 17 living in supported or semi-supported accommodation[1][2][3] for years ending 31 March 2016 to 2018 is shown in the table below.
Coverage: England | |
2015-16 | 180 |
2016-17 | 90 |
2017-18 | 80 |
Information on the number of looked after children by age living in supported or semi-supported accommodation since 2016 is shown in the table attached.
Information for the reporting year 2018-19 will not be available until December.
The department does not collect information on the number of children who leave care aged 16.
[1] Includes semi-independent transitional accommodation, supported and unsupported lodgings, and foyers and similar supported accommodation for care leavers.
[2] Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
[3] Information on 17-year-olds care leavers has been collected as experimental statistics since 2015-16.
Information on the number of care leavers aged 17 living in supported or semi-supported accommodation[1][2][3] for years ending 31 March 2016 to 2018 is shown in the table below.
Coverage: England | |
2015-16 | 180 |
2016-17 | 90 |
2017-18 | 80 |
Information on the number of looked after children by age living in supported or semi-supported accommodation since 2016 is shown in the table attached.
Information for the reporting year 2018-19 will not be available until December.
The department does not collect information on the number of children who leave care aged 16.
[1] Includes semi-independent transitional accommodation, supported and unsupported lodgings, and foyers and similar supported accommodation for care leavers.
[2] Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
[3] Information on 17-year-olds care leavers has been collected as experimental statistics since 2015-16.
Data on the number of graduates in the workforce is collected and published every 2 years as part of the ‘Childcare and early years providers survey’. In the period requested we have data for 2016 and 2018:
Childcare and early years providers survey: 2018, table 15 and attached: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2018.
Childcare and early years providers survey: 2016, table 10 and attached: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2016.
Data on the number of graduates in the workforce is collected and published every 2 years as part of the ‘Childcare and early years providers survey’. In the period requested we have data for 2016 and 2018:
Childcare and early years providers survey: 2018, table 15 and attached: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2018.
Childcare and early years providers survey: 2016, table 10 and attached: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2016.
In March 2017, we published the attached early years workforce strategy which outlined the government's plans to support employers to attract, retain and develop early years staff to deliver high quality provision: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy.
As a result of the strategy we have worked with sector stakeholders to develop criteria for new, more robust level 2 qualifications (to be delivered from September 2019), as well as developing new career pathways information to support careers advice, recruitment and staff development. The career progression map is attached and can be found at: https://www.cache.org.uk/media/1417/dfe-career-pathway-map-v17.pdf.
Supported by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, a trailblazer group of employers has just completed a new level 3 apprenticeship standard and another is developing apprenticeships at levels 5 and 6 to provide progression. We remain committed to ensuring there are routes to graduate level qualifications for the early years sector and we support graduates into the sector through our funding of the early years initial teacher training programme, including bursaries and employer incentives.
We are also supporting the workforce through an early years professional development programme, which is a £20 million investment in training for the pre-reception early years workforce, to raise quality in settings, targeted to benefit disadvantaged children.
The annual cost to maintain a child in local authority care in the period 2016 to 2017 was £178,360[1] for residential care and £29,900 for fostering services.
[1]The results are based on unit costs included in the Local Authority Interactive Tool (LAIT) Department for Education, GOV.UK. Last updated on 6 June 2018. Accessed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait.
The figures in the LAIT are recorded as weekly. For the annual cost, the methodology simply involved multiplying the figures by 52 weeks.
Please note that the original LAIT figures were rounded to the nearest £5, so actual annual costs may vary slightly.
For the weekly fostering services that were originally included in the LAIT, the calculation was based on the section 251 Outturn data. This records the total spend (gross) on fostering services. This figure was then divided by the number of children in fostering placements as of 31 March 2017, which was published in the ‘Children Looked After in England data, SFR50’. This figure was then divided by 365 days to give a daily cost. It was then multiplied by seven to give the weekly cost.
For the calculation of weekly residential care, the LAIT also referred to the section 251 for total spend on residential care. This figure was then divided by the number of days that residential care was provided for children nationally, which is collected as part of the Children Looked after return. This figure was then multiplied by seven for the weekly cost.
Section 251 documents, Education Funding Agency and Education and Skills Funding Agency. Accessed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/section-251-materials.
‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’, Department for Education. Accessed from:
‘Children Looked after return SSDA903’, Department for Education. Accessed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-return-2016-to-2017-guide.
Data relating to the number of families who have graduated successfully from a Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) or the number of children retained by their parents following their parents’ graduation from an FDAC is collected and retained by local authorities who are responsible for setting up, managing and supporting local FDACs around the country. This is part of their child protection and care proceedings work. The government does not collect such data.
Similarly, it is for local authorities to consider what savings may be made from setting up an FDAC in the context of their overall spending plans. Equally, it is for local authorities to monitor this as they make future decisions about spending. The savings that local authorities may make would vary depending on a number of factors and local circumstances. Local FDAC services, and other innovative models similar to FDAC, will continue to be funded by those local areas who choose to establish or commission these services locally.
In the period 2015 to 2016, the government provided funding to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to establish the FDAC National Unit. Funding for the FDAC National Unit was originally provided on the basis that it would expand the FDAC model to new areas and to help the National Unit to be self-sustaining. Unfortunately, this has proved challenging, despite considerable effort and investment by both the government and the NHS trust.
We have extended funding for the FDAC National Unit four times since the period 2015 to 2016. The level of funding has varied from year to year, depending on the specific elements of work being commissioned. Most recently, we committed to providing funding to the trust for the period to the end of September 2018 to support its application to the government’s Life Chances Fund (LCF). The trust’s application to the LCF had two aims. The first aim was to develop a social impact bond model of funding for local FDACs. The second aim was to develop a sustainable way to fund the FDAC National Unit. Unfortunately, the trust recently decided to withdraw their application to the LCF. We understand that this means that the trust is considering the future of the FDAC National Unit, including its potential closure. Officials are working with the trust to ensure that the impact of the FDAC National Unit’s potential closure on local sites is minimised and that any resources developed by the FDAC National Unit remain accessible to the trust and others interested in the FDAC model in the future.
The government is committed to finding effective approaches to spreading innovative evidence-based models of practice to local areas.
Data relating to the number of families who have graduated successfully from a Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) or the number of children retained by their parents following their parents’ graduation from an FDAC is collected and retained by local authorities who are responsible for setting up, managing and supporting local FDACs around the country. This is part of their child protection and care proceedings work. The government does not collect such data.
Similarly, it is for local authorities to consider what savings may be made from setting up an FDAC in the context of their overall spending plans. Equally, it is for local authorities to monitor this as they make future decisions about spending. The savings that local authorities may make would vary depending on a number of factors and local circumstances. Local FDAC services, and other innovative models similar to FDAC, will continue to be funded by those local areas who choose to establish or commission these services locally.
In the period 2015 to 2016, the government provided funding to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to establish the FDAC National Unit. Funding for the FDAC National Unit was originally provided on the basis that it would expand the FDAC model to new areas and to help the National Unit to be self-sustaining. Unfortunately, this has proved challenging, despite considerable effort and investment by both the government and the NHS trust.
We have extended funding for the FDAC National Unit four times since the period 2015 to 2016. The level of funding has varied from year to year, depending on the specific elements of work being commissioned. Most recently, we committed to providing funding to the trust for the period to the end of September 2018 to support its application to the government’s Life Chances Fund (LCF). The trust’s application to the LCF had two aims. The first aim was to develop a social impact bond model of funding for local FDACs. The second aim was to develop a sustainable way to fund the FDAC National Unit. Unfortunately, the trust recently decided to withdraw their application to the LCF. We understand that this means that the trust is considering the future of the FDAC National Unit, including its potential closure. Officials are working with the trust to ensure that the impact of the FDAC National Unit’s potential closure on local sites is minimised and that any resources developed by the FDAC National Unit remain accessible to the trust and others interested in the FDAC model in the future.
The government is committed to finding effective approaches to spreading innovative evidence-based models of practice to local areas.
Data relating to the number of families who have graduated successfully from a Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) or the number of children retained by their parents following their parents’ graduation from an FDAC is collected and retained by local authorities who are responsible for setting up, managing and supporting local FDACs around the country. This is part of their child protection and care proceedings work. The government does not collect such data.
Similarly, it is for local authorities to consider what savings may be made from setting up an FDAC in the context of their overall spending plans. Equally, it is for local authorities to monitor this as they make future decisions about spending. The savings that local authorities may make would vary depending on a number of factors and local circumstances. Local FDAC services, and other innovative models similar to FDAC, will continue to be funded by those local areas who choose to establish or commission these services locally.
In the period 2015 to 2016, the government provided funding to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to establish the FDAC National Unit. Funding for the FDAC National Unit was originally provided on the basis that it would expand the FDAC model to new areas and to help the National Unit to be self-sustaining. Unfortunately, this has proved challenging, despite considerable effort and investment by both the government and the NHS trust.
We have extended funding for the FDAC National Unit four times since the period 2015 to 2016. The level of funding has varied from year to year, depending on the specific elements of work being commissioned. Most recently, we committed to providing funding to the trust for the period to the end of September 2018 to support its application to the government’s Life Chances Fund (LCF). The trust’s application to the LCF had two aims. The first aim was to develop a social impact bond model of funding for local FDACs. The second aim was to develop a sustainable way to fund the FDAC National Unit. Unfortunately, the trust recently decided to withdraw their application to the LCF. We understand that this means that the trust is considering the future of the FDAC National Unit, including its potential closure. Officials are working with the trust to ensure that the impact of the FDAC National Unit’s potential closure on local sites is minimised and that any resources developed by the FDAC National Unit remain accessible to the trust and others interested in the FDAC model in the future.
The government is committed to finding effective approaches to spreading innovative evidence-based models of practice to local areas.
Data relating to the number of families who have graduated successfully from a Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) or the number of children retained by their parents following their parents’ graduation from an FDAC is collected and retained by local authorities who are responsible for setting up, managing and supporting local FDACs around the country. This is part of their child protection and care proceedings work. The government does not collect such data.
Similarly, it is for local authorities to consider what savings may be made from setting up an FDAC in the context of their overall spending plans. Equally, it is for local authorities to monitor this as they make future decisions about spending. The savings that local authorities may make would vary depending on a number of factors and local circumstances. Local FDAC services, and other innovative models similar to FDAC, will continue to be funded by those local areas who choose to establish or commission these services locally.
In the period 2015 to 2016, the government provided funding to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to establish the FDAC National Unit. Funding for the FDAC National Unit was originally provided on the basis that it would expand the FDAC model to new areas and to help the National Unit to be self-sustaining. Unfortunately, this has proved challenging, despite considerable effort and investment by both the government and the NHS trust.
We have extended funding for the FDAC National Unit four times since the period 2015 to 2016. The level of funding has varied from year to year, depending on the specific elements of work being commissioned. Most recently, we committed to providing funding to the trust for the period to the end of September 2018 to support its application to the government’s Life Chances Fund (LCF). The trust’s application to the LCF had two aims. The first aim was to develop a social impact bond model of funding for local FDACs. The second aim was to develop a sustainable way to fund the FDAC National Unit. Unfortunately, the trust recently decided to withdraw their application to the LCF. We understand that this means that the trust is considering the future of the FDAC National Unit, including its potential closure. Officials are working with the trust to ensure that the impact of the FDAC National Unit’s potential closure on local sites is minimised and that any resources developed by the FDAC National Unit remain accessible to the trust and others interested in the FDAC model in the future.
The government is committed to finding effective approaches to spreading innovative evidence-based models of practice to local areas.
Data relating to the number of families who have graduated successfully from a Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) or the number of children retained by their parents following their parents’ graduation from an FDAC is collected and retained by local authorities who are responsible for setting up, managing and supporting local FDACs around the country. This is part of their child protection and care proceedings work. The government does not collect such data.
Similarly, it is for local authorities to consider what savings may be made from setting up an FDAC in the context of their overall spending plans. Equally, it is for local authorities to monitor this as they make future decisions about spending. The savings that local authorities may make would vary depending on a number of factors and local circumstances. Local FDAC services, and other innovative models similar to FDAC, will continue to be funded by those local areas who choose to establish or commission these services locally.
In the period 2015 to 2016, the government provided funding to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to establish the FDAC National Unit. Funding for the FDAC National Unit was originally provided on the basis that it would expand the FDAC model to new areas and to help the National Unit to be self-sustaining. Unfortunately, this has proved challenging, despite considerable effort and investment by both the government and the NHS trust.
We have extended funding for the FDAC National Unit four times since the period 2015 to 2016. The level of funding has varied from year to year, depending on the specific elements of work being commissioned. Most recently, we committed to providing funding to the trust for the period to the end of September 2018 to support its application to the government’s Life Chances Fund (LCF). The trust’s application to the LCF had two aims. The first aim was to develop a social impact bond model of funding for local FDACs. The second aim was to develop a sustainable way to fund the FDAC National Unit. Unfortunately, the trust recently decided to withdraw their application to the LCF. We understand that this means that the trust is considering the future of the FDAC National Unit, including its potential closure. Officials are working with the trust to ensure that the impact of the FDAC National Unit’s potential closure on local sites is minimised and that any resources developed by the FDAC National Unit remain accessible to the trust and others interested in the FDAC model in the future.
The government is committed to finding effective approaches to spreading innovative evidence-based models of practice to local areas.
The Government does not hold this information. It is for schools to decide whether they engage in school exchange trips and the Department does not collect data on the number of participants in such trips.
Evidence from the Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) study shows that good quality early education has a lasting impact on children’s attainment and later outcomes. Children attending high quality pre-school had improved academic attainment at age 16, and were more likely to go onto A-levels and attend university. Attending some pre-school compared with not attending pre-school was predicted to result in an increase in lifetime earnings. We continue to build our evidence in this area through the £6 million longitudinal Study of Early Education and Development (SEED).
Wider research shows the impact of early years education and care on parents’ employment and, therefore, their ability to contribute to national productivity. For example, research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies in 2014 found that the expansion of funded provision led to a rise in maternal employment rate for those whose youngest child was three years old (see: Brewer, M et al. (2014) ‘The impact of free, universal pre-school education on maternal labour supply’).
The Government wants to provide all young people with a curriculum that prepares them to succeed in modern Britain. This includes sex and relationship education (SRE) that is age-appropriate and fit for the world they live in today.
Sex education (SE) is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many academies and primary schools choose to teach it. Any school that teaches sex education must have regard to the Secretary of State’s statutory guidance on sex and relationships education. In some schools, sex and relationship education (SRE) is taught as part of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE).
Both the Secretary of State’s statutory guidance on sex and relationships education and the PSHE Association’s non-statutory programme of study for PSHE include guidance on teaching about positive relationships.
The Government welcomes the Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) recommendations on preventing sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools and we have responded setting out steps we will take in response, working with key partners.
The case for further action on PSHE and SRE delivery is actively under review, with particular consideration to improving quality and accessibility.
The Government wants all children to have access to quality early education, as this makes a difference to their outcomes in later life. That is why we have taken the following steps to support the quality of early years provision:
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) helps early years providers to prepare young children for school and improve their life chances by requiring them to deliver high-quality provision. The 2015-16 EYFS Profile results show that the proportion of children achieving a good level of development continues to increase – 69% in 2016 compared to 52% in 2013.
We work closely with Ofsted to ensure a robust regulatory and inspection framework to drive continuous improvement in quality. The sector has responded positively and the latest statistics show that 86% of early years providers were rated “good” or “outstanding” as of 31 March 2016.
The quality of the workforce continues to improve, with 87% of staff in full day care settings now qualified to level 3. The Department is also developing a workforce strategy that will aim to remove barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff.
The Government recognises that graduates play an important role in improving quality in the early years, and that is why in 2013 we introduced the early years initial teacher training programme which leads to the award of Early Years Teacher Status. We have made a significant investment in this programme by providing funding for course fees and bursaries to eligible trainees, and also funding for employers to support trainees. As such, the number of graduates in the workforce continues to rise, and between 2008 and 2013 the proportion of full day care staff with a degree or higher increased from 5% to 13%.
My officials, and officials at the Department of Health, have reviewed the report and met representatives from The Children’s Society to discuss the issues raised and the work that the Government is taking forward in this area.
The Department for Education’s Sure Start children’s centres statutory guidance says that health services and local authorities should share information (such as live birth data and data on families with children under five who have recently moved into the area) with children’s centres on a regular basis.
The Department of Health is working with NHS England and partners, including the Health and Social Care Information Centre, to explore the practical issues involved in providing regular and timely updates of live birth data to local authorities.
The Department for Education does not hold data relating to local authority practice with regards to live birth data. The statutory guidance for children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data, with children’s centres on a regular basis.
The Government has no plans to review the statutory guidance on the sharing of live birth data.
The Department for Education’s statutory guidance for children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data, with children’s centres on a regular basis. It is important that professionals work together to identify families who are in need of support and offer them that support.
As set out in the Department for Education’s Sure Start Children’s Centres statutory guidance, health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data and data on families with children under five who have recently moved into the area, effectively with children’s centres on a regular basis. Local authorities and commissioners of health services should consider developing local partnership agreements or information sharing protocols to enable effective sharing of bulk data (such as live birth data), whilst ensuring that the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, and other relevant legal provisions, are complied with.
The Government has no plans to review the statutory guidance on the sharing of live birth data.
The Department for Education’s statutory guidance for children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data, with children’s centres on a regular basis. It is important that professionals work together to identify families who are in need of support and offer them that support.
2 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Earl of Listowel's Defra questions)The Government’s Clean Air Strategy recognised the impacts that air pollution has on health, and proposed a range of actions to meet our existing emissions reduction commitments to 2020 and 2030 in order to reduce these impacts. The Clean Air Strategy also committed to the setting of an ambitious long term air quality target to reduce the population’s exposure to PM2.5, and committed to publishing evidence on the feasibility of meeting World Health Organisation air quality guideline levels for PM2.5. This work is ongoing and will be published in due course.
All of the measures set out in the Clean Air Strategy will reduce emissions of pollution, improving public health for children.
In the short term, the Government has a plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions with funding of £3.5 billion, which includes £495 million for local councils to improve air quality. Part of this funding is specifically for local authorities with very high NO2 emissions to bid for.
Local authorities are best placed to target action to improve local air quality. The Government’s air quality grant programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions, which may include action targeting schools. Defra has awarded over £57 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997. A further £3 million has been allocated for 2018/19.
In the long term, some of the measures the Government are taking include ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040. The Road to Zero strategy sets out new measures to help us achieve our 2040 mission. The Department for Transport has also announced that diesel-fuelled trains will no longer be used by 2040.
Other measures are included in the Clean Air Strategy.
Transport can be a lifeline for communities and people who could otherwise be isolated. The forthcoming National Bus Strategy for England will focus on the needs of passengers and will set out how national and local government and the private sector will come together to meet the needs of local communities. The full scope of the strategy is currently being developed.
The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.
The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that the Department can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.
The Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net through the welfare system. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. The Department continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy. Rates of benefits continue to be reviewed in line with the relevant legislation for uprating.
Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal is its preferred option.
The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that the Department can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.
The Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net through the welfare system. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on benefits for people of working age. The Department continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy. Rates of benefits continue to be reviewed in line with the relevant legislation for uprating.
Opposition Whip (Lords)
Exposure to air pollution has various health effects on children. Short term effects of air pollution include worsening of asthma symptoms, cough, wheezing and shortness of breath. Long-term exposure can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer, leading to reduced life expectancy. Children are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution than adults.
The effects of air pollution on children’s health are being studied in a number of research projects. For example, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has started reviewing the evidence on adverse birth outcomes from air pollution. In addition, the Exploration of Health and Lungs in the Environment (EXHALE) programme, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, focuses on air pollution and children’s lung health in London.
We have not had any discussions with the government of India on this topic. We expect all companies operating in India to follow India's Labour Law.
The UK is a strong supporter of the universally agreed United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and is committed to promoting its widespread implementation across the world.
The British Government opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, especially in the case of minors. We have made our position clear to the Iranian government, both privately and in public. During our submission to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Iran’s human rights record on 31 October 2014, the Government recommended that Iran put an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty for minors.
The government’s policy is to provide support to a maximum of two children in tax credits to ensure that those who receive income related benefits face the same financial choices as those supporting themselves solely through work. The government acknowledges the immense value of care given by non-parental carers. The government has therefore included an exception to this policy for third and subsequent children taken on through kinship care arrangements, recognising that people taking on additional children in this way are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family.
Applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme under the age of 18 are not required to answer questions relating to suitability. Applicants under the age of 10 are not subject to the automated criminal record check.
The suitability requirements for the scheme apply to all applicants under the age of 18. However, under the relevant provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area Regulations) 2016, children under the age of 18 benefit from a higher level of protection and can only be deported on imperative grounds of public security.
There is no single definition of the type of offences likely to satisfy this higher threshold, but offences with a cross-border dimension which disclose particularly serious characteristics are more likely to do so.
Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme under the age of 18 are not required to answer questions relating to suitability. Applicants under the age of 10 are not subject to the automated criminal record check.
The suitability requirements for the scheme apply to all applicants under the age of 18. However, under the relevant provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area Regulations) 2016, children under the age of 18 benefit from a higher level of protection and can only be deported on imperative grounds of public security.
There is no single definition of the type of offences likely to satisfy this higher threshold, but offences with a cross-border dimension which disclose particularly serious characteristics are more likely to do so.
Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government’s Serious Violence Strategy sets out our analysis of the drivers of serious violence and risk factors of involvement in violent crime. There are a range of complex factors behind the recent increases in serious violence, and the analysis in the strategy sets out that a major factor has been changes in the drugs market. The strategy also sets out the key risk factors which may mean a young person may have a greater propensity to get involved in crime than would otherwise be the case such as school absence, peer pressure and family circumstances.
We are supporting a range of locally led community projects through the anti-knife crime Community Fund and Early Intervention Youth Fund to intervene early with young people at risk of criminal involvement, gang exploitation and county lines. While no specific assessment of numbers have been made, a number of these projects make use of male mentors who are able to gain the trust of young people and who are more likely to convey the right messages in appropriate ways to deter young people from making the wrong choices.
We are also introducing a new £200 million Youth Endowment Fund, to be delivered over 10 years to support further interventions in this area to steer young people away from becoming serious offenders. We are also piloting a new community advocate programme within priority areas in London and Manchester to help equip trusted adults with advice and messages to support and signpost young people who can be hard to reach in having #knifefree conversations.
Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government’s Serious Violence Strategy sets out our analysis of the drivers of serious violence and risk factors of involvement in violent crime. There are a range of complex factors behind the recent increases in serious violence, and the analysis in the strategy sets out that a major factor has been changes in the drugs market. The strategy also sets out the key risk factors which may mean a young person may have a greater propensity to get involved in crime than would otherwise be the case such as school absence, peer pressure and family circumstances.
We are supporting a range of locally led community projects through the anti-knife crime Community Fund and Early Intervention Youth Fund to intervene early with young people at risk of criminal involvement, gang exploitation and county lines. While no specific assessment of numbers have been made, a number of these projects make use of male mentors who are able to gain the trust of young people and who are more likely to convey the right messages in appropriate ways to deter young people from making the wrong choices.
We are also introducing a new £200 million Youth Endowment Fund, to be delivered over 10 years to support further interventions in this area to steer young people away from becoming serious offenders. We are also piloting a new community advocate programme within priority areas in London and Manchester to help equip trusted adults with advice and messages to support and signpost young people who can be hard to reach in having #knifefree conversations.
Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government believes that businesses and consumers have a key role to play in eradicating all forms of labour exploitation, including modern slavery, from global supply chains.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires all commercial organisations with an annual turnover of £36m or more, operating in the UK, to set out what steps they have taken to ensure that there is no modern slavery in their business or supply chains. The Government is unable to comment on individual companies.
Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
4 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions
(View all Earl of Listowel's MHCLG questions)The government has undertaken a significant programme of work backed by over £1.2 billion, to tackle homelessness. This includes supporting Local Authorities in the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, providing £19.5 million through PRS Access fund to increase access to the private rented sector for families in temporary accommodation (TA), committing £40 million to support London boroughs to procure TA more efficiently and providing the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant, a £617 million fund towards homelessness services.
Last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all.
We are clear that local authorities should, as far as possible, avoid placing households out of their borough. However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation, we are aware that, on occasion, it is necessary to place households in accommodation outside of the local area. This is set out in legislation and guidance which local authorities must have regard to.
Homeless households have legal rights to request a review of a decision to place them in unsuitable accommodation.
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.
The government has undertaken a significant programme of work backed by over £1.2 billion, to tackle homelessness. This includes supporting local authorities in the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, increasing access to the private rented sector for families in temporary accommodation (TA) and supporting London boroughs to procure TA more efficiently.
Last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all
The number of children living in temporary accommodation is down from its peak in June 2006 at 130,470, with 126,020 in March 2019.
The following data refers to the number of children who were living in temporary accommodation on 31 March on each of the past 5 years.
31 March 2015: 98,620
31 March 2016: 111,060
31 March 2017: 120,520
31 March 2018: 123,520
31 March 2019: 126,020
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.
The government has undertaken a significant programme of work backed by over £1.2 billion, to tackle homelessness. This includes supporting local authorities in the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, increasing access to the private rented sector for families in temporary accommodation (TA) and supporting London boroughs to procure TA more efficiently.
Last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all.
The following data refers to the number of households with children who were living in temporary accommodation on 31 March on each of the past 5 years.
31 March 2015: 51,210
31 March 2016: 56,430
31 March 2017: 60,980
31 March 2018: 61,610
31 March 2019: 62,010
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)