Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with National Highways on (a) the expected completion date for works on the Painshill junction of the M25 and A3 and (b) the steps being taken to (i) ensure the timely completion of that work and (ii) minimise disruption in the area.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways are due to complete the main works at the Painshill roundabout and junction 10 of the M25 by Summer 2025 however, there will be other minor works including environmental enhancements that will be completed towards the end of 2025.
To ensure timely completion of works, National Highways are closely monitoring the construction programme and are working with the supply chain, local authorities, and utility providers to ensure the programme is on schedule. Additionally, to minimise disruption National Highways are undertaking some of the works overnight and at weekends when traffic volumes are low, and they are also retaining the number of lanes available during the day to maintain traffic flows. Furthermore, National Highways are promoting information about road closures in advance to allow customer to use alternative routes or other forms of transport when necessary.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of online advertising regulations for prescription weight loss drugs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The advertising and promotion of medicines in the United Kingdom is set out under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (Part 14). These legal requirements are set out in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Blue Guide, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-guide-advertising-and-promoting-medicines
A UK business that provides a treatment service for consumers is required to comply with the law on the advertising of medicines. Such businesses may promote a treatment service that may lead to the supply of a prescription only medicine (POM). However, they must not promote specific POMs to the public, as the law prohibits the issuing of an advertisement to the public likely to lead to use of a POM.
This regulation aims to protect public health by ensuring that the appropriate management of a condition for an individual consumer is done via joint consideration between the prescriber and the patient in a professional consultation, taking into account a potential range of medical factors and therapeutic options.
The website homepage of a business, and any linked social media content, should focus on medical conditions and the services provided, and casual browsers should not be presented with information on specific POMs.
The MHRA is obliged to consider complaints received about the advertisement of POMs to the public. Advertising investigations are done on a case-by-case basis, having regard to the circumstances of the particular case. Completed advertising investigations leading to the correction of advertising materials are published on the MHRA’s website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/advertising-investigations-by-mhra
The MHRA works closely with other regulators to help ensure that the public is protected from the advertising of POMs. In particular, a joint enforcement operation is in place with the Advertising Standards Authority to take targeted action against weight-loss treatment providers who use social media to promote POMs. Further information from the Advertising Standards Authority is available at the following link:
https://www.asa.org.uk/news/prescription-only-weight-loss-products-an-enforcement-notice.html
The MHRA also works closely with the General Pharmaceutical Council, who have issued guidance for pharmacies that operate at a distance, including online, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish a mental ill health strategy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the level of the reduction in imports of diesel from Russia since that country's invasion of Ukraine; and what assessment he has made of the feasibility of ending all imports of diesel from Russia.
Answered by Greg Hands
In the three months to May 2022, imports of Russian diesel have dropped to 8% of supply compared to 26% in the same period last year.
The Government is on course to phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products, including diesel, by 31 December 2022. UK demand for diesel is met by a combination of domestic production and imports from a diverse range of reliable suppliers beyond Russia including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden. The Government is working with industry and international partners to boost existing imports from them and ensure alternative supplies.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce levels of fraud and error in universal credit.
Answered by David Rutley
We take any case of fraud and error extremely seriously and actively pursue fraudsters, using a wide range of powers to bring them to justice.
Last Autumn we announced a significant increase in our investment in Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt operations by 75%, up to £1.4bn over the next three years. We are using this to scale up our existing operations, enhance our approach to data and intelligence and set up a new targeted review of the Universal Credit (UC) caseload. This will generate billions of savings over the scorecard period.
We published figures in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 that showed the estimated rate of fraud and error in Universal Credit was 14.5%, up from 9.4% in 2019/20.
These estimates are based on in depth reviews of a random sample of around 3,000 Universal Credit cases (taken between February and November 2020) to establish the extent of Fraud and Error. The level of fraud and error found in this sample is then applied to the 2020-21 Universal Credit expenditure to give our overall estimate. During the early months of the pandemic we faced unprecedented levels of claims, with 2.4 million new UC claims between 1 March and 26 May 2020. We took a decision to implement easements to ensure we could prioritise payments to those who needed help during this difficult time. This meant that although the overall level of fraud and error in Universal Credit across the year was 14.5%, the subset of claims made after the pandemic started had a level of 25.6%. Claims prior to the pandemic remained at a level of 9.4%. This detailed analysis indicates that the total overpayment for fraud and error for claims from the start of the pandemic (in 2020/21) was £3.1 billion, of which £1.1billion being overpaid due to incorrect information about self-employed income.
It is regrettable that people may have sought to exploit the extraordinary circumstances of a global pandemic for gain by not reporting changes in circumstances or even making false claims. This is particularly true for bogus claims orchestrated by organised criminals.
During the pandemic, we were able to detect and shut down systematic attacks on the benefit system, including preventing £1.9bn from an attack from Organised Criminals in May 2020. We removed the easements as early as possible from June 2020 and introduced new processes, including a new Enhanced Checking Service created in April 2020, comprising a team of trained investigators who review claims and contact claimants in order to obtain further information or evidence where there is suspected fraud. In total we estimate that we have prevented nearly £3bn of additional fraud and error.
Our rigorous checks to prevent fraud are now back in place and the new targeted UC case reviews funded as part of the £1.4bn investment will be focused on relentlessly pursuing and finding incorrect claims and driving out the Fraud and Error. We are determined to combat all attempts at fraud and will not hesitate to pursue those who exploit the system when benefits are there to support those most in need.
Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2020 to 2021 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment claims and reviews are processed in a timely manner.
Answered by Chloe Smith
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner.
We have seen increasing levels of demand for PIP and are constantly making improvements to our service to ensure claimants get a timely decision.
We introduced a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments to deliver a more efficient and user-centred service. We are also increasing case manager and Assessment Provider health professional resource to deal with the increased demand.
We are sending new claims to Assessment Providers ahead of award reviews for existing claims, to ensure newly entitled claimants get the support they need.
Where possible, decisions on award reviews are made by DWP decision makers without a new referral to an Assessment Provider. Those who do require an assessment are put into a queue until our Assessment Providers have capacity to assess them, and their existing awards are extended where necessary until the review is completed. This ensures that they get the right decision, and that there is no risk of their award ending before they are assessed.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kickstart Scheme placements have been (a) approved, (b) advertised and (c) started by young people by (i) nation, (ii) region and (iii) sector as of 31 January 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
As of the 31st January 2022, over 130,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and over 235,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme. Over 305,000 jobs have been approved for funding.
Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 31st January and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Over time, some previously approved jobs have been removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application. Included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location. Data on approved jobs is taken from a snapshot of the Kickstart system at a point in time. This figure can be affected by retrospective changes resulting from previously approved grant applications being rescinded.
The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Table 1: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts to 31st January 2022, Great Britain, by nation and region
| Total jobs made available | Total jobs started |
Total, Great Britain | 235,000 | 130,000 |
|
|
|
England | 204,000 | 113,000 |
East Midlands | 14,000 | 8,000 |
East of England | 18,000 | 9,000 |
London | 51,000 | 28,000 |
North East | 11,000 | 6,000 |
North West | 30,000 | 17,000 |
South East | 26,000 | 14,000 |
South West | 14,000 | 8,000 |
West Midlands | 21,000 | 12,000 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 19,000 | 11,000 |
Scotland | 19,000 | 11,000 |
Wales | 12,000 | 6,000 |
Table 2: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts to 31st January 2022, Great Britain, by Sector
Sector | Total jobs made available | Total jobs started |
Administration | 57,350 | 32,660 |
Animal Care | 1,610 | 1,060 |
Beauty & Wellbeing | 1,720 | 1,080 |
Business & Finance | 8,500 | 4,820 |
Computing Technology & Digital | 15,840 | 10,490 |
Construction & Trades | 7,230 | 4,200 |
Creative & Media | 20,990 | 13,110 |
Delivery & Storage | 6,380 | 3,710 |
Emergency & Uniform Services | 520 | 290 |
Engineering & Maintenance | 7,080 | 3,980 |
Environment & Land | 4,620 | 2,710 |
Government Services | 1,000 | 460 |
Healthcare | 6,140 | 2,770 |
Home Services | 1,560 | 730 |
Hospitality & Food | 26,380 | 11,210 |
Law & Legal | 650 | 410 |
Managerial | 960 | 570 |
Manufacturing | 6,430 | 3,600 |
Retail & Sales | 34,970 | 20,450 |
Science & Research | 990 | 650 |
Social Care | 4,740 | 2,140 |
Sports & Leisure | 5,920 | 3,200 |
Teaching & Education | 11,000 | 5,410 |
Transport | 900 | 330 |
Travel & Tourism | 1,110 | 390 |
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) level of covid-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst women and girls of childbearing age due to concerns around fertility and menstrual disturbance and (b) effectiveness of the Government's strategy to tackle that hesitancy.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The latest assessment on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United Kingdom is available at the following link:
The latest data published in August 2021 shows 4% of adults reported vaccine hesitancy in the UK. In females aged between 16 to 29 years old, hesitancy increased to 9%, whilst for females aged between 30 to 49 years old vaccine hesitancy was at 6%. This is compared to 19% in females aged 16 to 29 years old and 14% for those aged 20 to 49 years old in February 2021.
Whilst vaccine hesitancy has decreased, the Department continues to work closely with our partners to address concerns around pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility. Our vaccine toolkits for stakeholders, partners and employers provides information on these concerns, and we have shared case stories of women of childbearing age who have received the vaccine before, during or after pregnancy to reassure women who may still be concerned. We have also worked with trusted sources to publicly address and reassure the concerns of younger women. At a local level we have supported webinars and engagement sessions specifically focused on women’s vaccines concerns and tailored to specific demographic groups.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people over the age of 18 have taken up covid-19 vaccination by (a) ethnicity and (b) age; and what assessment he has made of the (i) barriers to vaccination and (ii) effectiveness of Government measures to increase uptake in groups where take up is low.
Answered by Maggie Throup
NHS England and NHS Improvement publish vaccine uptake by both age and ethnicity. This is published daily and ranges from ‘Under 18’ to ‘80+’. There are also weekly and monthly publications of these statistics, which provides a more detailed breakdown of vaccine uptake by age and a detailed breakdown of vaccine uptake by ethnicity. The data can we found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/
The Department reviews research into COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This includes information gathered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), health studies, and insights generated by the vaccine programme itself.
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is monitored by ONS. Data is published to record the reasons people give for vaccine refusal. A breakdown of this data can be found at the following link:
This is supported by Healthwatch, who undertook research in Spring 2021 and looked at uptake in ethnic minority groups who are known to be vaccine hesitant. They found that people commonly cited issues such as practical barriers, misinformation, and deeper cultural mistrust.
There have been a range of national and hyper-local initiatives in place to drive uptake, including national communications, provision of mobile/pop-up delivery models and work with faith/community leaders. These efforts have been hugely successful in communicating benefits of vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy has decreased from 9% in February to 3% in August for all adults per ONS data. The statistics also showed hesitancy has decreased for those aged 16 and 17 from 14% to 11%. Furthermore, YouGov polling indicates that hesitancy amongst ethnic minority groups has reduced from 63% to 14% from October to August. This success has been facilitated by the wide range of interventions and strategies employed to ensure strong vaccine uptake.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has been taking to support Operation Warm Welcome.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
The Department has played a key role in Operation Warm Welcome including legislating to exempt those arriving from Afghanistan from the usual residency tests which restrict access to certain benefits for new arrivals to the UK, including Universal Credit.
We recognise those arriving may require immediate help. Therefore, DWP work coaches are now working in bridging hotels to take claims for Universal Credit and other support, with over 2,900 claims already taken which covers 4,500 claimants (couples are treated as a single claim). The Department has also provided other assistance including help to set up bank accounts, access medical prescriptions, distribute essential items, arranging events to support wellbeing and providing reassurance and a contact point for individuals.
Moreover, employment is an important part of integration. That is why those arriving under the relocation and resettlement schemes have the right to work from day one. We are providing tailored support to those who are ready to start looking for work. Employment fairs are being run to highlight employment and training opportunities and online courses are available in bridging hotels. DWP are using our National Employment and Partnership Team to identify employment opportunities for those who are ready to work, and are working with the Refugee Employment Network to ensure we provide tailored support to this cohort.
DWP are also working with individuals to prepare them for work, looking at work experience opportunities, help with CV and practice interviews. As well as supporting the setup of English language classes either at hotels or the Department has arranged transport to locations so people can attend.