Chris Hinchliff

The Government will always aim to secure value for money and social value. As part of this, contracting authorities are required to take an analytical evidenced based approach on each contract and undertake a Delivery Model Assessment when making decisions about the right model for delivering public services.

This assessment is the responsibility of the relevant individual contracting authority.

Government departments can access interpreters through the Crown Commercial Service’s RM6141 Language Services agreement, which offers innovative language solutions tailored to meet the core needs of the public sector.

To secure a place on the RM6141 Language Services framework, all suppliers must be prepared to provide proof of their interpreters’ qualifications upon request. The specific level of qualification required will depend on the services being procured. Additionally, when purchasing through this agreement, buyers may request the following information:

• list of qualifications including supporting evidence

• list of security clearances held including supporting evidence

• list of previous experience and supporting evidence

• evidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

The Government has no plans to introduce an energy social tariff this winter. However, we are committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.

The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to over 3 million eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers.

The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund for an additional 6 months until 31 March 2025 with an extra £500 million in funding, and I encourage any individual who is struggling to pay their bills contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.

This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy and will confirm the introduction of these changes at the Budget on 30 October. The Office for Budget Responsibility will also certify the government’s costings for these measures at that time.

Children with education, health and care plans that provide a necessary local authority funded place at a private school, will not be impacted by this policy. This is because local authorities can reclaim VAT on service expenditure through existing routes.

Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies assumes a net gain to the public finances of £1.3 to 1.5 billion per year in the medium to long run as a result of removing tax exemptions from private schools. This would allow for about a 2% increase in state school spending in England. This analysis can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Hertfordshire in July 2023. Its report, published on 10 November 2023, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.

The report found that many children and young people with SEND face long delays in having their needs assessed and receiving appropriate support. Parents and carers often encounter poor communication regarding education, health and care (EHC) assessments, as well as review processes, with many needing to take formal steps to secure the right support for their child, leading to frustration and added stress for families.

To ensure children are supported in receiving the necessary support and provision to match their needs in a timely manner, the department continues to monitor and challenge Hertfordshire County Council’s progress against their priority action plan, which includes the monitoring of EHC plan 20-week timeliness rates.

Judgements regarding sufficient progress will be made by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission following the monitoring visit that is expected to take place 18 months after the initial inspection. Following this, the department will continue to monitor and provide appropriate challenge and support to the local authority to make the necessary improvements, with the guidance of an expert SEND advisor and NHS England advisor.

This government is committed to improving the experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. The department will take a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

This government is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and alternative provision settings, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

Ofsted inspected local arrangements for children with SEND in Hertfordshire in July 2023. Their report, published on 10 November 2023, concluded that there are widespread and/or systemic failings, leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently.

The department provides support and challenge to the Hertfordshire local area partnership by monitoring progress against its priority action plan and improvement plan, and by providing advice and guidance via a SEND expert advisor. The partnership has also established a SEND Improvement Board, independently chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan to oversee progress and provide appropriate challenge.

This is a devolved matter, and I am answering with responsibility for the school milk scheme in England.

Only milk and relevant dairy products are currently eligible for subsidy in the school milk scheme and there are no plans to subsidise dairy-free beverages.

The Government recognises that some children with clinical and dietary needs are unable to consume milk and expects schools to make reasonable adjustments for those with particular needs. The School Food Standards require milk to be available, but also enable schools in England to provide a variety of other products to meet pupils’ particular dietary needs. Further information is available on gov.uk at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools

A joint working group of the Committee on Toxicity and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition was established in Autumn 2021 to conduct a risk-benefit- analysis considering both nutritional and toxicological aspects associated with the consumption of plant-based drinks by the UK population. This work is ongoing, and the Government will continue to monitor developments. These committees separately provide advice on food safety and nutrition issues to the UK Governments.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. Airlines’ business models can at times accommodate more flexible pricing than the railway.

The Government sets the percentage that regulated rail fares can be increased each year. Regulated fares make up around 45 per cent of rail fares and include commuter fares, such as season ticket and shorter-distance peak return, alongside longer-distance off-peak returns. The increase in regulated fares for 2025 will be the lowest absolute increase in three years and delivers a fair balance between passengers and taxpayers.

It is not currently possible to accurately identify people who may be entitled to Pension Credit nor to determine how much they may be entitled to on the basis of the data which DWP holds. Like all means-tested benefits, a person’s eligibility for Pension Credit depends on their financial and personal household circumstances - information which, in most cases, DWP does not hold. Entitlement to Pension Credit is only established once a claim is made and award decisions often require the judgment of a decision maker weighing up evidence which cannot be done automatically.

It is however possible to identify certain households as highly likely to be entitled to Pension Credit on the basis of Housing Benefit data which DWP holds. This means we can scale-up last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial by targeting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim and still qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

There is no qualifying week for Pension Credit. A claim for Pension Credit may be made at any time and may be backdated for up to three months as long as the entitlement conditions are met during that period. This means that a pensioner who was eligible for, but had not claimed, Pension Credit during the qualifying week for the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2024-25 (16 to 22 September 2024) can still qualify for the payment if they make a successful backdated application for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024.

Prior to the Winter Fuel announcement, Retirement Services Directorate (RSD) had 352 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff deployed on Pension Credit claims. Since the announcement, a deployment plan has been agreed to deploy an additional 537 FTE into RSD to support Pension Credit. With a further 156 FTE planned to onboard from recruitment between November 2024 and January 2025.

DWP offers employment support for eligible customers of all ages, including those below State Pension age, through the network of Jobcentres across the UK, and through contracted employment programmes.

A dedicated offer for older workers seeks to provide tailored support for those affected by low confidence, menopause, health and disability or caring pressures, and out of date skills or qualifications. This includes an online midlife review tool that supports people to assess their health, wealth and skills.

The government has set out ambitious plans to improve employment support by bringing together jobcentres and the national careers service.

We are committed to tackling child poverty and are introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school to ensure children are fed a nutritious breakfast and are ready to learn. The new Ministerial Taskforce will drive cross-government action on child poverty, starting with overseeing the development of our ambitious new strategy in line with the Opportunity Mission.

After initial engagement, the formal work to develop the new child poverty strategy will begin and we will publish a Full Terms of Reference in the coming weeks. We will explore how we can use all the available levers we have across government and wider society to drive forward the change our children need.

Lister Hospital is part of the East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Officials are in correspondence with the trust about amending their establishment order to reflect teaching status.

This Government will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. Envoy roles are under Ministerial consideration and will be decided upon in due course. In the meantime, we will continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.

The UK has some of the most robust export licencing criteria in the world, which states that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in violations of International Humanitarian Law. We have deemed that there is such a risk and have taken the necessary decision under our domestic legislation. The Foreign Secretary made an Oral Statement to update the House on this decision on 2 September. Other countries have their own processes. We will continue to work closely with our allies, including the USA and European countries, on Middle East issues, including the crucial priority of a ceasefire.

We want to strengthen ties with the UK's immediate neighbours and allies and explore areas where we can boost our prosperity and security through mutually beneficial agreements.

We will continue to support opportunities to build our people-to-people links with our partners, but we have been clear that there will be no return to free movement with the EU.

The current alcohol duty system supports the industry through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. Draught Relief helps to level the playing field between pubs and supermarkets, allowing pubs and brewers to price their on-trade products more competitively.

The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and rates that took effect on 1 August 2023. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its yearly Budget process.

Had the UK economy grown at the average rate of OECD economies over the fourteen years from 2010, it would be £143.3 billion larger – worth £5,053 for every household in the country. This could have brought in an additional £58 billion in tax revenues in the last year alone to sustain our public services.

Sustained economic growth is critical to fund high quality public services and improve living standards.

The government has set on a mission to halve knife crime over the next decade, and is already taking decisive action to prevent young people from being drawn into violent crime and to get dangerous knifes off our streets.

Between 2012 and 2014, Sir John Holmes conducted an independent review of the policy governing the award of military medals. Sir John’s reviews were subject to detailed discussion by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals and the conclusions submitted for Royal approval. There are no plans for a further review on that scale at this time; however, the medallic system continues to evolve to ensure it remains fit-for-purpose as the environment within which our personnel operate changes.

The information requested is not available for each individual Greater London Borough and could only be obtained with further data engineering work which would be disproportionate cost.

Information about Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) appeals is published on GOV.UK. www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

However, it is not available in the specific format requested.

Success rates at appeal in the SEND Tribunal include if a parent or young person is successful at appeal for a part or in full. Hearing information is held on each individual appeal record. Each appeal would need to be accessed, the decision recording the outcome obtained for all records held within each of the 33 London Boroughs for the past 5 years.

The Ministry of Justice is aware of the recent media reporting of the sentencing of individuals under the Public Order Act 2023. The Department releases statistical data on offenders on a quarterly basis, with the most recent release being 25 July 2024 covering data up to 30 June 2024.

As of 30 June 2024, there were no prisoners serving prison sentences for prosecutions under the Public Order Act 2023.