Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing online publications to be used to advertise public planning notifications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. We are exploring ways to enhance community engagement in the planning system, including by leveraging digital platforms.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
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 Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that victims of (a) violence against women and girls and (b) rape (i) receive adequate access to justice and (ii) do not have long waits for court dates.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade. Timely and effective justice are central to this mission and to increasing victim confidence in the justice system.
We have announced that we will be piloting Domestic Abuse Protection Orders from November, and in the family court we will further expand the Pathfinder courts model and ensure that children and families are better supported with access to domestic abuse specialists. We have also committed to banning the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, as well as strengthening the law to help the police better respond to the crime of spiking. These are just some of the early steps we are taking to ensure more victims see justice for these crimes. I am also working closely with my cross-government colleagues to ensure every department is focused on tackling VAWG.
For victims of rape, we have committed to fast-track rape cases through the criminal justice system, driving down waiting times for this abhorrent offence. In addition, we have announced that we plan to roll out free, independent legal advocates for victims of adult rape, ensuring that they have support to enforce their legal rights, for example in relation to use of their personal records during an investigation or in court.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to recognise people who were prisoners of war in the Far East at any VJ Day 80th anniversary commemoration.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The 80th anniversary of VJ Day in August 2025, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will serve as a significant occasion to honour the service and sacrifice of all those who served in the Far East and brought the Second World War to an end. The Government continues to recognise those that served in the Far East during World War II, with eligible personnel entitled to receive the Pacific Star and the Burma Star in recognition of their service.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to recognise the 80th anniversary of VJ Day in 2025.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The 80th anniversary of Victory Over Japan (VJ) Day in August 2025 will be an important opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who finally brought the Second World War to a close.
As the Chancellor announced in the Budget, the Government will provide funding to the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) and VJ day, to remember those who gave their lives and honour those who served at home and abroad. DCMS is leading on the Government plans for what those national commemorations will look like, and the Ministry of Defence will play a significant supporting role.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
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 support care workers to recognise the signs of domestic violence.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Care Quality Commission regulated providers have a key role in safeguarding adults. All relevant professions are subject to employer checks and controls, and employers in the health and care sector must satisfy themselves regarding the skills and competence of their staff.
In January 2024, the Department published the first part of the Care Workforce Pathway, the new national career structure for adult social care, and linked to this we have also launched the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate. Both the pathway and new qualification cover the learning outcome to reduce the likelihood of abuse, linked to safeguarding.
On 6 September 2024, the Department launched the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme. This scheme allows eligible employers to claim funding for certain training and qualifications on behalf of eligible care staff, including the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding had been allocated for the (a) new Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow scheme and (b) New Hospital Programme by 2 July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) business case status and (b) RIBA stage is of the new Princess Alexandra Hospital scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the new Princess Alexandra Hospital scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.
Asked by: Chris Vince (Labour (Co-op) - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the new Princess Alexandra Hospital scheme has received up to the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £11.4 million. The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, and are at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 2.