Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to incentivise the building of television and film studios in the (a) regions and (b) West Midlands.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are already incentivising film and TV production in the UK, with UK-wide funding programmes, infrastructure investment, competitive tax reliefs and direct support for independent British content.
The British Film Commission (BFC) is supporting the growth of the UK’s seven geographic production hubs to ensure that the combination of infrastructure, stage space and crew in those locations is set up to attract and accommodate even more major inward investment. Further funding for the BFC for 2025/26 was confirmed at the Autumn Budget.
Beyond the seven established hubs, there are many more areas across the UK brimming with potential and ambition which the Government will continue to support. In the West Midlands, Birmingham is becoming a very successful cultural hub enriched by recent investments including the BBC and Netflix at Digbeth Loc Studios. At the Autumn Budget, £25 million was confirmed for the new Crown Works Studio in Sunderland via the North East Combined Mayoral Authority.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the standard of writing in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) universities since 2015.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review which will seek to deliver, amongst other things, an excellent foundation in core subjects of reading, writing and maths. The review group will publish an interim report early in 2025 setting out their interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work. The final review with recommendations will be published in autumn 2025. In the meantime, the department will continue to consider how to best support writing standards at all ages.
At the end of the academic year in which children turn five, which is usually reception year, each child’s level of development must be assessed against the 17 early learning goals set out in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework. In the 2022/23 academic year, just 71% of children met the expected level of development in writing. The EYFS reforms were introduced in September 2021. As part of those reforms, the EYFS Profile was significantly revised. It is therefore not possible to directly compare assessment outcomes with earlier years.
In 2024, the key stage 2 national curriculum assessments in England showed that 72% of pupils met the expected standard in writing. The method of assessing writing changed in 2017/18, when 78% of pupils met the expected standard, therefore 2024 results are not directly comparable to 2015. In 2015, 87% of pupils achieved a level 4 or above in the writing teacher assessment.
The English language GCSE aims to provide all students with robust foundations in reading and good written English, and with the language and literary skills which are required for further study and work. While 50% of this GCSE assesses writing, the results do not directly reflect changes in the standard of writing over time, due to the way GCSEs are graded using comparable outcomes. In 2024, 61.6% of pupils entering the exam achieved a grade 4 or above. GCSEs were reformed for teaching in schools from September 2015 onwards, with first examinations in summer 2017, when 70.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above.
The government takes very seriously the need for high academic standards in higher education (HE), as does the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of HE in England. HE providers are autonomous organisations, responsible for ensuring the standards of students' work. However, the OfS explored the standard of writing in a sample of providers in its 2021 report 'Assessment practices in English higher education providers: Spelling, punctuation and grammar', which sets out the OfS’s view that students should be assessed on spelling, punctuation and grammar in order to maintain quality and protect standards.
As part of the OfS's ‘B4 Registration’ condition, HE providers must establish academic regulations that are designed to ensure the effective assessment of technical proficiency in the English language in a manner which appropriately reflects the level and content of the applicable HE course.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increasing access to long-acting reversible contraception for heavy menstrual bleeding in primary care on (a) waiting times and (b) demand for secondary care gynaecology services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on heavy menstrual bleeding recommends an intrauterine system or hormonal coil, which is a form of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), as a first line treatment. In the women’s health strategy call for evidence, held in 2021, we heard about the challenges women faced accessing LARCs for the management of menstrual problems.
A cost benefit analysis on women’s health hubs conducted by the Department estimated that if 50% of LARC procedures for gynaecology were provided in women’s health hubs, it would produce a net saving of £1.8 million, and reduce pressures on secondary care gynaecology services. The cost benefit analysis is available at the following link:
The Department is continuing to work with NHS England to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, following a £25 million investment. Pilot women’s health hubs provide intermediate and streamlined care in the community, which reduces pressures on services such as secondary care referrals and general practice appointments. A core service offered by hubs is treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, and the fitting or removal of a LARC. Cutting waiting lists, including for gynaecology, is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with (a) civil society and (b) animal protection organisations on ending animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting the use of alternative methods to the use of animals in science and the Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will be consulting civil society and animal protection organisations as this process unfolds.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations of the report by the Getting It Right First Time programme entitled Maternity and Gynaecology, published in September 2021, what steps his Department is taking to provide primary care practitioners with (a) training and (b) other resources to deliver long-acting reversible contraception as part of treatment options for women with heavy menstrual bleeding.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2021 Getting It Right First Time national report for maternity and gynaecology recommended that clinical commissioning groups, now integrated care boards (ICBs), commission contraceptive and sexual health services to provide intrauterine devices, which are a form of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) for heavy menstrual bleeding, in relevant cases. ICBs may commission sexual health services or general practices (GPs) to offer LARC as a locally enhanced service to their local population. It is for ICBs to decide on commissioning arrangements for their area, based on an assessment of local need.
The Department is continuing to work with NHS England to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, following a £25 million investment. A core service offered by hubs is treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding and provision of LARC. By providing an enhanced and more specialist service through hubs in the community, they enable women to be more effectively diagnosed and treated promptly in the community. The hubs also provide a centre for the training and support to GPs to help with upskilling, and reduce variation in the care that women can expect to receive.
Other training and guidance are available for primary care practitioners. For example, the Royal College of General Practitioners has developed a Women’s Health Library, drawing together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health, so primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date information for their patients. The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare also offers a range of contraception qualifications that healthcare professionals can undertake.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
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 potential implications for his policies of Getting It Right First Time's guidance entitled Heavy Menstrual Bleeding, published in October 2021; and whether he plans to implement their recommendations.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Getting It Right First Time’s (GIRFT) 2021 report into maternity and gynaecology identified a key barrier in treating heavy menstrual bleeding as the commissioning arrangements for contraceptive and sexual health services. The report recommended the lifting of restrictions on providing long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) for non-contraceptive purposes, such as treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding.
The commissioning of LARC is a decision for individual integrated care boards, who can decide whether to offer LARC through general practices or sexual health services, or both, based on an assessment of population need.
Additionally, £25 million has been invested by the Department to support the development of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, and work is ongoing with NHS England to provide this. Women’s health hubs bring together healthcare professionals and existing services to address fragmentation in reproductive health care and remove the barriers women face accessing treatment. Providing care and treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding is a core service of the hubs, and this includes treatment with LARCs.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a cancer strategy which includes measures on tackling (a) pancreatic and (b) other less survivable cancers.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future. As part of that work, and in response to Lord Darzi’s report, we have launched an extensive programme of engagement to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with pancreatic and other less survivable cancers.
We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.
NHS England is delivering a range of interventions that are expected to improve early diagnosis and treatment for patients with suspected and diagnosed pancreatic cancer. This includes providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for patients at inherited high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer, and diagnose cancers sooner.
In March 2024, NHS England published guidance for providers and systems to implement a timed Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary cancer pathway with the aim of ensuring that patients with some suspected tumour types, including suspected pancreatic cancer, receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of urgent referral.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on (a) renewing the national maternity safety ambitions beyond 2025 and (b) amending those ambitions to include reducing inequalities.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that all women and babies received safe, personalised, equitable, and compassionate care. I am urgently considering, with my officials and NHS England, the immediate action needed across maternity and neonatal services to improve outcomes and address the stark inequalities that persist for women and babies, including what targets are needed.
This includes consideration of what comes beyond the national maternity safety ambition, ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach, and that any targets set are women and baby-centred and focused on tackling inequalities.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to abolish all Child Maintenance Service for parents with care who are victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has recently concluded a public consultation on policy changes. This included proposals to remove the Direct Pay service (where parents pay each other directly) and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster.
The consultation also sought views on how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported to use CMS and whether removing Direct Pay completely would benefit victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act receiving Royal Assent in June 2023, which recognised that Direct Pay may not always be appropriate for victims and survivors of domestic.
Removing Direct Pay would mean all maintenance payments would be monitored and transferred within the scheme. As all payments would flow via CMS, the CMS would be able to automatically identify any that were missed, late or partial and immediately take action to re-establish compliance. This would also reduce the ability for perpetrators of domestic abuse to exploit the communication channel needed for direct pay to function for the purposes of abuse; and prevent abusers from inflicting economic control and coercion through withholding CM payments.
Feedback from the consultation is being considered and a Government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement the policies in the policy paper entitled Women’s Health Strategy for England, published on 20 July 2022.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions. We are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy for England, and work continues to improve health outcomes for women. For example, the Department is continuing to work with NHS England to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, following a £25 million investment. As of September 2024, 36 of the 42 ICBs reported to NHS England that their pilot women’s health hub was open. Additionally, on 9th October, during Baby Loss Awareness Week, the Department launched an extension to the Baby Loss Certificate Service, meaning the service is now available for all historic losses, with no backdate, as well as future losses.