Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the household benefit cap on single-parent families.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made. Single-parent households can still receive benefits up to the value of gross earnings of around £25,700 or £30,300 in London. Where households require more support, they can approach their Local Authority, for help and guidance with housing costs. Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is continuing its urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the household benefit cap on families with children living in poverty.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made. Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is continuing its urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy. Families can receive benefits up to the value of gross earnings of around £25,700 or £30,300 in London. Where households require more support, they can approach their Local Authority, for help and guidance with housing costs.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of recognising a Palestinian state.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 13 January, the Foreign Secretary sat down with President Abbas to talk about the Labour Party’s longstanding support for the Palestinian cause. Palestinians must be given a credible route to a Palestinian state which is the right of the Palestinian people. We will recognise a Palestinian state at a time that is most conducive to making statehood a reality, and we are working with partners to support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Palestinian and Israeli people.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
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 tackle health inequalities for people living in coastal communities.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The healthy life expectancy for men in Blackpool is just 51.7 years - the lowest in England and up to 18 years lower than some areas.
These statistics are shocking. We are taking action across Government to address the environmental and socio-economic determinants of health, and aiming to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.
We know that targeted action to tackle health inequalities will facilitate economic opportunities, and support an NHS fit for the future.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to review the impact of alcohol on mental health..
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published in September 2023, identifies substance misuse, including alcohol, as a key common risk factor for action, and we will explore opportunities to go further. The negative impact that alcohol can have on mental health is also acknowledged and highlighted on the NHS England website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/the-risks-of-drinking-too-much/
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to improve public confidence in the Insolvency Service.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department regularly reviews the work of the Insolvency Service to ensure that it is appropriately equipped to achieve the objectives and goals set out in its published Agency Strategy 2021-2026 and reported on in its Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers are currently employed in neighbourhood policing in Lancashire.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the primary function of police officers, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the current student finance system to enable adult learners with existing degrees to access financial support when pursuing an additional degree later.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch in the 2026/27 academic year for courses starting on or after 1 January 2027. The LLE will transform the higher education student finance system in England by broadening access to high quality, flexible education and training.
From its launch, the LLE will be available for full courses at level 4 to 6, such as degrees and technical qualifications, and modules of high-value technical courses at level 4 and 5.
Under the LLE, eligible new learners will have access to a tuition fee loan equal to four years of study. For returning learners, the amount they can borrow will be reduced depending on the funding they have previously received to support study. For example, a typical graduate who completed a three year degree would have one year of residual entitlement remaining.
An additional entitlement above the core four-year entitlement will be available for some priority subjects and longer courses, such as medicine. Further details on the LLE can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifelong-learning-entitlement-lle-overview.