Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Soft Power Council on levels of funding for the British Council.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Soft Power Council will advise the Government on the development of a Soft Power Strategy, including how to support the UK's soft power assets, and how to harness them through international interventions in support of foreign policy priorities.
The Soft Power Council does not have a formal role in respect of British Council funding.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to expedite the removal and remediation of dangerous cladding on properties; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that properties that previously qualified for the Building Safety Fund are remediated in a timely way.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP) sets out key measures to fix buildings faster, identify remaining buildings still at risk and ensure that residents are supported through the remediation process.
No leaseholder in a high-rise residential building should wait a day longer for remediation than necessary, and under our plan by the end of 2029 all 18m+ (high-rise) buildings with unsafe cladding in a government funded scheme will have been remediated. In addition, every building of 11m+ with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated, have a completion date, or the landlord will be liable for severe penalties. Our plan will drive the pace of remediation through new proposed legal duties and powers, new funding, new resources and new partnerships.
By July 2024, we had moved 124 buildings (18m+) from the Building Safety Fund to the Cladding Safety Scheme. All 124 buildings now have a signed Grant Funding Agreement.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to review the Lifetime ISAs property price limit.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq
Data from the latest UK House Price Index) shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values.
The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions on (a) hairdressers and (b) other small to medium-sized high street businesses that do not qualify for business rates relief.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to supportpublic services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions (NICs).
The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note on 13 November which sets out the impact of the employer NICs changes.
The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps to introduce the measurement of infant head circumference to existing health visits since his meeting with Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust on 6 November 2024; and whether he has set a deadline for commissioning a clinical review into infant head circumference measurement.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is vitally important that babies are diagnosed as early as possible, so treatment can be provided. Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends measuring the head circumference of babies in the first week, at approximately eight weeks old, and at other times only if there are concerns. The baby’s general practitioner, or nominated primary care examiner, has a responsibility for ensuring the six-to-eight-week newborn infant physical examination screen, where head size is measured, is completed for all registered babies. The Department is seeking advice from the NICE and the royal colleges on the value of a clinical review of the current guidelines surrounding infant head circumference.
The Healthy Child Programme sets out the requirements for health visiting services, including five mandated reviews where the child’s health and development is assessed. This includes when the baby is 10 to 14 days old and at six-to-eight-weeks old, and additional contacts depending on need, providing an opportunity to identify any health or development concerns and to make the appropriate referrals.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what account his review of the frequency of infant head measurements will take of (a) research by Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust and (b) the experience of other developed countries.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is vitally important that babies are diagnosed as early as possible, so treatment can be provided. Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends measuring the head circumference of babies in the first week, at approximately eight weeks old, and at other times only if there are concerns. The baby’s general practitioner, or nominated primary care examiner, has a responsibility for ensuring the six-to-eight-week newborn infant physical examination screen, where head size is measured, is completed for all registered babies. The Department is seeking advice from the NICE and the royal colleges on the value of a clinical review of the current guidelines surrounding infant head circumference.
The Healthy Child Programme sets out the requirements for health visiting services, including five mandated reviews where the child’s health and development is assessed. This includes when the baby is 10 to 14 days old and at six-to-eight-weeks old, and additional contacts depending on need, providing an opportunity to identify any health or development concerns and to make the appropriate referrals.