Alison Hume

Under its licence, the Data Communications Company (DCC) is obligated to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage to at least 99.5% of premises across its ‘North’ region.

DCC's work on its Future Connectivity strategy includes consideration of a full range of technical solutions including cellular options.

The Government recognises that too many households across GB are currently unable to send automatic readings to their energy suppliers, including meters without access to WAN coverage. We will set out new plans to improve the rollout and the consumer experience, alongside Ofgem, in due course.

The Department is working closely with industry to make sure they are addressing meters that are not providing automatic readings. This work includes monitoring and sharing benchmarked performance data, sharing best practice and providing guidance on how to identify and resolve meter operation issues.

Energy suppliers are obligated under their licence conditions to meet minimum annual installation targets and take all reasonable steps to ensure their customers’ smart meters are functional. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is responsible for regulating

The Department and Active Travel England will consider options for making cycles more accessible to all, including self-employed people, as it develops its future plans for active travel.

The Government has announced an additional £100 million investment in cycling and walking infrastructure for the financial year 2025/26. As the Department develops its future plans for active travel, it will consider, alongside Active Travel England, options for enabling more disabled people to access adapted cycles. In the meantime, the Cycle to Work scheme already enables many people to access adapted cycles at a reduced cost.

The Youth Guarantee will ensure that all 18-21 year olds have access to education and training opportunities or support to find work. All young people will have access to the same core national offer and entitlements under the Youth Guarantee. However, we know that the needs of young people and the labour market vary in different areas across England, so it is important that local areas are able to tailor the Youth Guarantee, so it best meets those needs. As a first step, the Get Britain Working White Paper announced funding for 8 Youth Guarantee Trailblazer areas in England in 2025/26. Learning from the Trailblazers will inform our approach in the future.

Our Youth Guarantee will ensure everyone aged 18-21 in England can access quality training, educational opportunities or help to find work - wherever they live.

Work is underway on the design and delivery of the new Youth Guarantee. We are unable to make an official assessment of the potential impact of the Youth Guarantee on young people in Scarborough and Whitby constituency at this early stage.

Official statistics for the number of people in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit and Universal Credit are published regularly on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by various geographical areas, including Westminster parliamentary constituency.

The latest statistics are available to September 2024 for Universal Credit, and February 2024 for the other benefits. Universal Credit statistics to October 2024 are due to be published on 12 November 2024, and for the other benefits to May 2024 on 28 November 2024.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

His Majesty’s Government inherited a commitment to implement charging reforms, including a cap on personal care costs, in October 2025. Regrettably, funding for these reforms had not been guaranteed, preparations for full rollout were not on track, and thus it was impossible to deliver these reforms by next October.

This government remains committed to reforming the adult social care sector; and we are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.

Chaired by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, the Commission will be comprehensive and will build on the expert proposals of other reviews, including that of Sir Andrew Dilnot into care funding and support. It will be broader and wider than ever before, asking essential questions about the shape and future of the social care sector, including what long-term and sustainable funding solutions should look like.

The following table shows the number of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) standard assessments completed, as well as the number and proportion assessed as eligible, in 2023/24, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:

It is not possible to calculate the proportion of cases that became no longer eligible as a specific sub-set of the cases found eligible in that same year. The number of no longer eligible cases in 2023/24 will relate to all cases that became no longer eligible during 2023/24, which could include cases that were eligible before that year, as well as cases that became eligible in that year.

The following table shows the number of those eligible for standard CHC, as well as the number and proportion of cases no longer eligible, for the year 2023/24 to date, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:

Note: no longer eligible may be for a variety of reasons, including individuals no longer meeting the criteria, the client being deceased, the client or family withdrawing, etc.

The following table shows the number of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) standard assessments completed, as well as the number and proportion assessed as eligible, in 2023/24, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:

It is not possible to calculate the proportion of cases that became no longer eligible as a specific sub-set of the cases found eligible in that same year. The number of no longer eligible cases in 2023/24 will relate to all cases that became no longer eligible during 2023/24, which could include cases that were eligible before that year, as well as cases that became eligible in that year.

The following table shows the number of those eligible for standard CHC, as well as the number and proportion of cases no longer eligible, for the year 2023/24 to date, for England and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board:

Note: no longer eligible may be for a variety of reasons, including individuals no longer meeting the criteria, the client being deceased, the client or family withdrawing, etc.

While the data is not held for 2010, as of 9 October 2024, there were 15 open dentistry practices in the Scarborough and Whitby constituency, two of which were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’ and four of which were showing as ‘accepting new child patients when availability allows’. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website, and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information is not collected on a local level.

The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We anticipate intermittent regional supply disruptions to continue, and we expect supply to improve in the UK from October 2024.

In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications, and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

The information requested is not available for 4 November 2024.

The latest relevant statistics, “Child and working tax credits statistics: provisional awards, April 2024” were published in July based on available data on 1 April 2024. These statistics can be found here: Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics: Provisional Awards - April 2024 - GOV.UK

From further analysis of these statistics, the numbers requested are:

These numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10 and include those recipients who are claiming both Working and Child Tax Credits.

I recognise the urgent need to transform the way we support our people and their families. The men and women of our Armed Forces and those who support them are at the heart of our Defence planning. Since July this Government has delivered the largest pay rise for the Armed Forces in over 20 years and have committed to strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant by bringing it into law.