Cat Smith

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published shortly.

The Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders in relation to the impacts of fireworks. Our engagement includes with businesses, consumer groups and charities. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property. It is important that we ensure the safe, responsible and considerate use of fireworks for business and consumers alike.

At this stage I am examining the detail of existing legislation in relation to fireworks to decide if and where policy changes may be needed. I can assure you that the safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how we proceed in relation to the regulation of fireworks. To inform any future decisions I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, the Department for Business and Trade releases quarterly data on Ministerial meetings, gifts, hospitality and travel on the transparency pages of gov.uk. The next release will be for the period July to September 2024 with a yet to be confirmed date to be set by the Cabinet Office.

I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave on 14 October 2024 to Question UIN 6511.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The majority of funding for grassroots sport is provided through Sport England, our arm’s length body. Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years (between 2022-2027) to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives.

The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.

All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.

Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.

The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.

All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.

Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.

We are committed to considering the best available evidence, including on advertising, from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on strengthening protections. Developing quality evidence is a key priority for the statutory levy and funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill key gaps in the evidence base. This could include research on the impacts of advertising. We will continue to monitor developments in the evidence and take action when appropriate.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. We will be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support local authorities to build back capacity in the youth space and improve local youth offers.

This government has also committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy. As part of the Strategy, we will be consulting closely with young people and the youth sector. The Strategy will be published this summer.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the academies sector annual report and accounts on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and over £150,000.

The academies sector annual report and accounts also publishes information on all trustee remuneration, including pension contributions. This covers bandings including £120,000 to £130,000, £130,000 to £140,000, £140,000 to £150,000, and £150,000 and over. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts

The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.

The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022 to 2023 will be published shortly and the deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023 to 2024 to the department is 28 January 2025.

As referenced in response to Question 21323, academy trusts must publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website. The Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts includes an annex, annex E in the most recently published set, listing all the academy trusts that paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the academies sector annual report and accounts on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and over £150,000.

The academies sector annual report and accounts also publishes information on all trustee remuneration, including pension contributions. This covers bandings including £120,000 to £130,000, £130,000 to £140,000, £140,000 to £150,000, and £150,000 and over. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts

The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.

The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022 to 2023 will be published shortly and the deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023 to 2024 to the department is 28 January 2025.

As referenced in response to Question 21323, academy trusts must publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website. The Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts includes an annex, annex E in the most recently published set, listing all the academy trusts that paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000.

The department collates and publishes data annually in the academies sector annual report and accounts on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and over £150,000.

The academies sector annual report and accounts also publishes information on all trustee remuneration, including pension contributions. This covers bandings including £120,000 to £130,000, £130,000 to £140,000, £140,000 to £150,000, and £150,000 and over. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts

The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.

The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022 to 2023 will be published shortly and the deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023 to 2024 to the department is 28 January 2025.

As referenced in response to Question 21323, academy trusts must publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website. The Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts includes an annex, annex E in the most recently published set, listing all the academy trusts that paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000.

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

The following link provides the full-time equivalent median average salary for head teachers in local authority maintained primary schools, local authority maintained secondary schools and total state-funded schools in England, as at November each year, for the academic years 2019/20 to 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/1a07b1b4-e474-4cf7-1e4d-08dd2d8a762c.

The Academy Trust Handbook sets out the requirements for academy trusts on executive pay, including reporting and publication. Academy trusts must:

• Publish their annual audited accounts, including the number of employees whose benefits exceeded £60,000 in £10,000 bandings and the total employee benefits paid to key management personnel.
• Publish on their website the number of employees whose benefits exceeded £100,000, including salary, employers’ pension contributions, other taxable benefits and termination payments.

The department collates and publishes academy trust pay data in the Academy Sector Annual Report and Accounts, which also includes an annex (annex E in the most recently published set) listing all the academy trusts which paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000 and which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.

The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is under review.

The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is currently being reviewed by Ministers.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

This Government recognises the importance of tenant farmers in contributing to a resilient and thriving farming sector. The Government has not made an assessment on the potential merits of introducing a right to buy for tenant farmers but is committed to ensuring agricultural tenancies are fair and collaborative.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), owners and keepers of animals, including reindeer, must take reasonable steps to provide for the health and welfare of animals under their care.

Under schedule 7 of the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals (LAIA) Regulations, local authorities are responsible for licensing the use of animals for certain commercial purposes, including the keeping or training of animals for exhibition.

Under the conditions of this schedule, keepers must make provision for the welfare of the animals being exhibited, including providing suitable temporary accommodation for the reindeer, ensuring they are handled by appropriately trained persons, and using suitable handling methods.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

The Department has not made an estimate of the economic value of buying a bicycle. A report by Transport for Quality of Life, titled ‘The UK cycle industry: current economic and employment benefits and its decarbonisation-driven growth potential’ published in 2023, suggests an annual economic benefit of £1,800 per cyclist.

The Department welcomes the findings of this research and will consider its recommendations carefully as we develop our future plans for active travel.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

It is not possible to estimate the overall number of people who have deferred their State Pension, because we do not know who has deferred until they make their claim for it.

In May 2023, there were 138,872 people who had made a deferred claim for their New State Pension and are now in receipt of extra State Pension.

Data is not available on deferred claims from those reaching State Pension age prior to 2016, as the statistics were suspended following the introduction of a new DWP computer system. The most recently published statistics showing the total number of pensioners receiving extra State Pension are from May 2021 and are available here (Extra State Pension is referred to as “increments” in this document.): DWP benefits statistics: May 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The consultation on the Modernising Support Green Paper closed on Monday 22 July. Over 16,000 responses have been received and we will review these responses.

The proposals in this Green Paper were developed by the previous government. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, placing women’s equality at the heart of our agenda and ensuring women’s health is never again neglected.

At a national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including women, such as the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, and the Getting It Right First Time Programme (GIRFT) for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).

The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the National Health Service to deliver care more equitably across the country. The National Specialty Report highlighted differences in how services are delivered and offered an unprecedented opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally.

Building on the GIRFT National Specialty Report, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model.

The RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit includes specific recommendations regarding supporting women with epilepsy. For example, it states that support should be provided to women with epilepsy who are pregnant and those who are of childbearing age which makes clear the risks of certain anti-epileptic drugs that are known to cause birth defects, such as sodium valproate.

The Toolkit also makes clear that it is equally important to provide clear information and guidance on the risks of stopping an anti-epileptic drug treatment, which include Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, that is not related to causing birth defects, and the risks that poses to the mother and unborn baby to support balanced informed decisions on care.

The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority.

In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority.

Notes:

1. for clonazepam and other benzodiazepines, this is the number of unique patients who have received any combination of clonazepam and/or other benzodiazepines, and no patient is counted twice even where multiple medications have been received;
2. the figures for pregabalin and gabapentin refer to the combined category of gabapentinoids; and
3. the data in this answer in both tables on opioids, is not directly comparable to data from the previous Parliamentary Questions, PQ137238 and PQ137239, referenced in the question, as these tables refer to opioids in general, while the previous Parliamentary Questions referred to opioid analgesics only.

The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority.

In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority.

Notes:

1. for clonazepam and other benzodiazepines, this is the number of unique patients who have received any combination of clonazepam and/or other benzodiazepines, and no patient is counted twice even where multiple medications have been received;
2. the figures for pregabalin and gabapentin refer to the combined category of gabapentinoids; and
3. the data in this answer in both tables on opioids, is not directly comparable to data from the previous Parliamentary Questions, PQ137238 and PQ137239, referenced in the question, as these tables refer to opioids in general, while the previous Parliamentary Questions referred to opioid analgesics only.

On 11 December 2024 the Government introduced The Medicines (Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone Analogues) (Restrictions on Private Sales and Supplies) Order 2024, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. Alongside this legislation the Government published a full impact assessment, which is available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1319/impacts

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK website. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

I can confirm that Department ministers expect to continue to engage with prevention and public health stakeholders across a number of important issues next year.