Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were treated in Burnley General Hospital’s Urgent Care Unit between January and December (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information is not available in the format requested.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve access for children to music, film, dance and theatre.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Arts Council England (ACE) funds a number of national music and cultural education programmes across the country focused on children and young people.
For example, DCMS works closely with DfE to deliver Music Education hubs which help hundreds of thousands of young people learn to play an instrument in whole classes every year. Alongside this, ACE supports a range of organisations that provide cultural programmes specifically aimed at children.
DCMS has also committed £2m to the Creative Careers Programme: an industry-designed and led initiative to raise awareness amongst children and young people of opportunities for work across the creative economy.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to strengthen the UK Border Force.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2018, Border Force staffing has increased from 7,700 to over 8,700 to boost wider operational resilience. This includes a brand-new Readiness Task Force (RTF) of c. 300 multi-functional officers, available to deploy across the UK at short notice in response to emerging issues and peaks in demand.
The Government is developing a new global border and immigration system that makes better use of data, biometrics, analytics and automation to improve both security and fluidity across the border
We intend to introduce a requirement for visitors and transit passengers who do not currently need a visa to come to the UK to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), as an additional security measure. This will enable the Government to conduct security checks on passengers and make more informed decisions on information obtained at an earlier stage, as to whether individuals should be allowed to travel to and enter the UK.
We are also investing in new technology, including ePassport gates and other modern detection technology to improve security and prevent illegal entry.
As previously announced, we intend to phase out the acceptance of EEA and Swiss national identity cards to enter the UK in the future. National identity cards are often the most insecure and forged documents detected at the border and are not compatible with the ePassport gates. By making better use of digital technology and automation, Border Force will be able to provide an improved service whilst maintaining security.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has in place to improve access for (a) horse riders, (b) dog walkers and (c) runners on bridleways.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Agriculture Bill currently before Parliament sets out how farmers and land managers in England will in future be rewarded with public money for public goods including improved access to the countryside. These improvements should benefit horse riders and pedestrians on bridleways and other paths.
Local highway authorities are also required to maintain a rights of way improvement plan which should consider the needs of multiple types of user.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of T levels.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We are making good progress and remain on track for the introduction of the first three T levels this September. A further seven T levels will be delivered in 2021, completing the construction and digital routes and introducing T levels from the health and science route.
We have appointed awarding organisations to deliver T levels for 2020 and 2021 and expect to award contracts for 2022 T levels in the autumn.
We have an extensive programme of support for providers and employers to get them ready to deliver Industry Placements under T levels. Funding of nearly £60 million in 2018/19 and nearly £55 million in 2019/20 has helped providers to build capacity and deliver T level industry placements, with over 18,000 T level-style placements already successfully completed in 2018/19 and many more expected this academic year.
Up to March 2020, £20 million has been allocated to help teachers and leaders prepare for the introduction of T levels, with a further investment of £15 million for 2020/21.
We want T level students to have access to the latest, high quality equipment and state-of-the-art facilities during their studies. £38 million capital funding supports the 2020 rollout and we have announced an extra £95 million to help upgrade the facilities of 2021 providers.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has in place to help the long-term unemployed back into the workplace.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to providing targeted support for people, regardless of the length of time they have been unemployed, so that everyone, no matter what their start in life, is given the very best chance of getting into work.
In both Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit, the Work and Health Programme uses the expertise of private, public and voluntary and community sector providers to deliver sustained employment for disabled people, certain priority groups and the long term unemployed (more than 2 years).
For claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Additional Employability Support provides additional time for claimants who are long term unemployed – 18 months or longer – with their Work Coach to tackle barriers to work: it also includes targeted group sessions; case conferencing with a work psychologist; mock interviews and job application support; and a rigorous skills assessment.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help the long-term unemployed find work.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to providing targeted support for people, regardless of the length of time they have been unemployed, so that everyone, no matter what their start in life, is given the very best chance of getting into work.
In both Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit, the Work and Health Programme uses the expertise of private, public and voluntary and community sector providers to deliver sustained employment for disabled people, certain priority groups and the long term unemployed (more than 2 years).
For claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Additional Employability Support provides additional time for claimants who are long term unemployed – 18 months or longer – with their Work Coach to tackle barriers to work: it also includes targeted group sessions; case conferencing with a work psychologist; mock interviews and job application support; and a rigorous skills assessment.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nurses there are in East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust; and how many of those nurses were recruited in each year since 2010.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care, general practitioner (GP) surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
As at November 2019, the latest available data, there are 2,323 nurses and health visitors at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, headcount.
The following table shows the number of nurses and health visitors joiners for the period specified to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, headcount.
| Nurses and Health Visitor Joiners |
November 2010 - 2011 | 513 |
November 2011 – 2012 | 189 |
November 2012 – 2013 | 295 |
November 2013 – 2014 | 291 |
November 2014 – 2015 | 287 |
November 2015 – 2016 | 296 |
November 2016 – 2017 | 324 |
November 2017 – 2018 | 246 |
November 2018 - 2019 | 349 |
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking with representatives of private sector companies to increase the number of apprenticeships in the engineering sector.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We have introduced a wide range of reforms to apprenticeships to improve their quality and encourage employers across England, include those in the engineering sector, to increase the number of apprenticeships they offer.
In 2018-19, there were almost 60,000 starts in the engineering and manufacturing technologies sector. There are currently 122 high-quality industry-designed apprenticeship standards available in the engineering sector, including engineering and manufacturing technician and rail and rail systems engineer, with a further 24 standards in development.
We continue to work closely with employers and industry sector bodies, including the Institute for Engineering and Technology, MAKE UK and the Royal Aeronautical Society, to help them make the most of the long-term benefits of apprenticeships.
This support ranges from direct engagement with key employers to support growth in apprenticeships, helping to promote apprenticeships on employers’ websites and social media, and running sector-specific apprenticeship events. We also provide guidance for small employers who do not pay the levy to transition onto the apprenticeship service, through webinars, workshops and face to face meetings.
Our Intermediary Ambassador Network, which currently has 60 members, includes representation from the engineering and manufacturing sector. We are supporting these ambassadors to effectively promote apprenticeships in their sectors.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of mental health practitioners working in the NHS.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have a number of national programmes in place focused on improving mental health staff retention, return to practice, overseas and domestic recruitment and improving sickness absence. These include:
- providing funding for the fast track mental health social work programme that is delivering around 100 social workers into mental health services each year and supporting the development of social work as a profession in mental health services;
- increasing the nursing workforce by expanding the number of nurse training places and launching the ‘We are the NHS’ campaign to highlight nursing opportunities in mental health to increase interest in this profession; and
- increasing the number of psychiatry placements available for junior doctors undertaking foundation training.