Daisy Cooper

The list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries as of September 2024 is published on gov.uk and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-parliamentary-private-secretaries-pps-september-2024

The UK government partnered with the newspaper industry to launch the “All in, all Together” Covid-19 advertising campaign. The purpose of the partnership was to amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging to ensure it reached all communities while also delivering demonstrable value for money. The partnership comprised over 600 titles, to ensure messaging is reaching communities throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and includes over 25 multicultural titles. We only hold information about the press partnership as a whole; it is not broken down by publisher, campaign or newspaper.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on public information campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk.

The UK government partnered with the newspaper industry to launch the “All in, all Together” Covid-19 advertising campaign. The purpose of the partnership was to amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging to ensure it reached all communities while also delivering demonstrable value for money. The partnership comprised over 600 titles, to ensure messaging is reaching communities throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and includes over 25 multicultural titles. We only hold information about the press partnership as a whole; it is not broken down by publisher, campaign or newspaper.

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on public information campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk.

Both the UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their arrangements for Third Country Nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the Schengen Borders Code allows for Third Country Nationals to travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling to the EU.  The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

No decision has been taken on whether transitional support arrangements should be introduced for biomass generators when their current arrangements end. The Government will consider a range of factors, including a robust assessment of potential value for money for consumers, to inform its decision. This will be subject to appropriate Parliamentary engagement.

Both rooftop solar and batteries are important for getting to net zero. Households and businesses with solar panels can benefit through significantly reduced electricity bills. They can also export the excess energy they generate to the grid via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). This is a market led mechanism where electricity supply companies set their own export tariffs. As the SEG is market led, those with solar panels can shop around for the best prices.

The Government does not take a prescriptive approach to the amount of rooftop solar deployment required, nor to the mix between installation on domestic and non-domestic properties. Therefore, no such estimate has been made. However, the Government is clear that rooftop solar will play an important role in achieving its ambition of tripling existing solar capacity by 2030. Further details will be included in the upcoming publication of the Solar Roadmap.

Both rooftop solar and battery storage will play a crucial role in the Government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, by saving families money on their bills and giving us energy security.

Over 1.2 million homes now have solar PV installed, and the Government believes rooftop solar on new homes and buildings will, where appropriate, play an important role in the drive for solar, delivering cleaner energy and lower bills to millions of households and businesses.

Statutory guidance on the current relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum published on GOV.UK states that pupils should be taught key facts about the menstrual cycle, including what is an average period, the range of menstrual products and implications for emotional and physical health. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

While endometriosis is not mentioned specifically in the statutory guidance, it is open to schools to include it as part of this education.

In 2020, the department developed teacher training modules to support schools further, which are freely available to download from GOV.UK. This included working with Endometriosis UK when developing the ‘changing adolescent body’ module, which references endometriosis.

The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance for schools. As such, the government will re-engage with stakeholders, look carefully at the consultation responses and consider the relevant evidence before setting out next steps.

The department understands the critical role educational psychologists play in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Data on the number of educational psychologists employed by local authorities is collected by the department within the School Workforce Census, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

Whilst it is the responsibility of local authorities as the employers of educational psychology services to ensure that their services are adequately staffed, the department is taking measures to support local authority educational psychology services by investing in developing the future workforce of educational psychologists.

The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from this year. This builds on the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.

Following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. To support local authority services to recruit and retain their educational psychology workforce, this requirement will increase to three years for those trainees beginning their course this year. This will allow local authority services to benefit from the public investment in educational psychologist training, and support their delivery of statutory assessments and wider work.

The department does not hold the information requested.

Current national average funding rates for local authorities are broadly in line with, or higher than, nursery fees paid by parents last year. However, the department is taking concerns from the early years sector very seriously and wants to ensure that the sector is financially sustainable going forward. Budgets for 2025/26 are still to be agreed at the autumn Spending Review. This includes the 2025/26 early years budget which the department will need to agree across government. The department knows how important these decisions are to local authorities and providers, and is working across government to take them as soon as practicably possible.

The department will take time to consider the high needs national funding formula (NFF) that it uses to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The department is considering the impact of the formula on local authorities, including Hertfordshire County Council and those in the F40 group. It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set, which means that decisions on the high needs and mainstream schools NFF and the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

Over the past few years, several initiatives have been introduced to encourage take up of badger vaccination over larger, more contiguous areas.

• Bolstering APHA field teams to deliver badger vaccination in several areas where licensed badger culling had ended.
• Government funded community-led badger vaccination project in East Sussex.
• Improved guidance to increase efficiency of vaccination.
• The 'Train the Trainer' (TtT) scheme, which enables experienced cage-trappers and lay vaccinators to qualify as trainers and form their own local training hubs, creates more training capacity to enable more people to be trained.

• A simplified badger vaccination licence and registration process, alongside a smartphone reporting app making it easier to report activity in the field

• Streamlined cage-trapping and vaccination training courses to make them less time-consuming and more accessible.

As a result of these step, more than 3,000 badgers were vaccinated in England in 2023. This the highest number ever vaccinated annually in England to date

On 30 August, the Government announced the start of work to refresh the Bovine TB strategy for England, to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament and drive down disease to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods. This will be undertaken in co-design with farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists, ensuring a refreshed strategy continues to be led by the best scientific and epidemiological evidence and advice.

As part of this announcement, a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force will be established. This will increase badger vaccination to drive down TB rates and protect badgers. A badger vaccination study will also be carried out. This will supplement the Field Force. The Government will rapidly analyse the effect of badger vaccination on the incidence of TB in cattle to encourage farmers to take part and provide greater confidence that doing so will have a positive effect on their cattle.

Further details can be found on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-end-badger-cull-with-new-tb-eradication-strategy.

Local Wildlife Sites are designated by local authorities for their significant nature or geological conservation value and should be identified, mapped and safeguarded through Local Plans.

Local Wildlife Sites Partnerships, set up by the local authorities for their areas, have responsibility for selecting the sites. The Partnerships are often hosted by or include the Local Wildlife Trust and may include landowners. The decision for selection (or deselection) of sites, informed by local criteria and surveys, rests with the relevant Partnership. Each Partnership determines the approach to site selection for their area. Although they do not require landowners’ consent prior to designation, they will require approval to undertake necessary surveys on the land and should engage with relevant landowners before selecting sites.

Yes. This Government is committed to creating a roadmap to a zero-waste economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer; waste is reduced; we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs; our economy prospers; and nature thrives.

We are reviewing the suite of packaging reforms and are going to work with our devolved government counterparts, industry and other stakeholders to determine the next steps for the Deposit Return Scheme. I would be happy to update the House in due course.

Decarbonising transport is central to delivery of the UK’s cross-economy climate targets and directly supports the Prime Minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerate our journey to net zero.

Delivering greener transport is one of five priorities the Secretary of State for Transport has set out for the Department for Transport.

The Government will respond to points raised in the Climate Change Committee’s annual report to Parliament, published on 18 July 2024, in the autumn.

The Department has no plans to commission research to compare international access to myeloma treatments. There are a number of independent publications that compare international access to new medicines, including cancer medicines, such as the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations’ W.A.I.T Indicators, which is available at the following link:

https://efpia.eu/media/vtapbere/efpia-patient-wait-indicator-2024.pdf

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in November 2020 that recommended isatuximab with pomalidomide and dexamethasone as an option for the treatment of adults with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma meeting specified clinical criteria within the Cancer Drugs Fund, for a period of managed access to collect more data and reduce the uncertainty in the available evidence base. The NICE is currently updating its guidance, taking into account real world evidence generated through the Cancer Drugs Fund and published final draft guidance in June 2024. The NICE has received appeals against its draft recommendations that will be heard by its independent appeal panel on 23 September 2024. The NICE will update stakeholders on timescales for its appraisal following the appeal hearing.

Isatuximab with pomalidomide and dexamethasone will remain available to eligible patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund in line with the NICE’s guidance published in November 2020, pending the NICE’s final updated guidance. If it is ultimately not recommended, patients who are receiving the treatment at the time will continue to do so in line with the managed access agreement entered into by the company with the NICE. There are a number of multiple myeloma topics that are currently being evaluated in the programme, some of which are expected to conclude late this year and early next year.

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS), in partnership with Genomics England (GEL), delivers a national whole genome sequencing service, as part of routine care for rare disease and cancer patients. GEL delivers the National Genomic Research Library (NGRL) to store consented genomic and clinical data, enabling approved researchers to access the data securely and responsibly for health research. The NGRL currently comprises of approximately 170,000 whole genomes. Over 1,500 academic and industry researchers have access, working across 1,000 research projects since 2018. GEL and the NHS GMS also facilitate research programmes, including the Generation Study, Diverse Data, and Cancer 2.0. In addition, eight NHS Genomic Networks of Excellence have been established to generate evidence and models of adoption for new genomic technologies, and the NHS Genomics Research and Innovation Collaborative ensures coordination between the National Health Service, GEL, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

We have received briefings on the use of the severity modifier by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in the development of its guidance for the National Health Service, on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS.

The severity modifier was introduced by the NICE in 2022 to replace the end-of-life modifier following extensive public and stakeholder engagement, as part of a number of changes that are designed to make the NICE’s methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent. The severity modifier reflects evidence of societal preferences and has already enabled the NICE to recommend innovative treatments for cystic fibrosis and hepatitis D that would not have been eligible for an end of life weighting.

Most cancers would be classed as severe and so would still have the additional weight applied. 79% of the NICE’s cancer appraisals carried out under the NICE’s updated methods have been positive, which compares with 78% under the NICE’s previous methods. The NICE continues to monitor the impact of the severity modifier on its evaluations.

There are currently no approved respiratory syncytial virus vaccines for children under the age of one year. This is a dynamic area and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, supported by The UK Health Security Agency, is continuing to keep the evidence and its advice under review.

However, it is important to be aware that the maternal vaccine is now available to pregnant women via the National Health Service, precisely to provide protection to children in the first year of life. We would strongly encourage everyone that is eligible to take up this offer as the most effective way to protect your child.

The primary aim of the autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of severe illness, hospitalisations, and deaths, arising from COVID-19. On 2 August 2024 the Government accepted the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to offer a COVID-19 vaccination to those aged 65 years old or over, those living in care homes for older adults, and those aged between six months and 64 years old who are in a clinical risk group in England this autumn. Additionally, vaccination will be offered to all frontline health and social care workers, as well as staff in care homes for older adults.

There are no plans to offer a COVID-19 vaccination to unpaid carers, including young carers, or the families and household contacts of people with immunosuppression, during the autumn 2024 campaign in England. Unpaid carers and household contacts of those with immunosuppression have previously been offered vaccination on the basis that it indirectly protected those more vulnerable with whom they are in contact. The JCVI advice for autumn 2024 is that in the era of highly transmissible Omicron sub-variants, any protection offered by the vaccines against transmission of infection from one person to another is expected to be extremely limited. The indirect benefits of vaccination in these groups, vaccinating an individual to reduce the risk of severe disease in other people, are therefore less evident than in previous years.

This government has prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners, since day one. We will continue to use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire deal as the first step towards long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, and the wider region. The Foreign Secretary has raised the issue of securing long-term peace in all his meetings with counterparts across the region, in addition to the US, Germany, and France. The UK will play our full diplomatic role in ending this conflict and creating a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

On 9 August, the Foreign Secretary's statement welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order including investigating alleged human rights violations and ensuring accountability. The British High Commissioner in Dhaka has met with the Chief Adviser and Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government in August. The British High Commission continues to engage with the Interim Government in Bangladesh on key priorities including the restoration of law and order.

The UN was clear that the outcome of Venezuela's elections cannot be deemed credible without the regime publishing full results. The Foreign Secretary has publicly called for the swift and transparent publication of full, detailed results to ensure that the outcome reflects the votes and the will of the Venezuelan people; this was echoed in a G7 statement on 31 July. The UK also joined a coalition of countries in signing a Dominican Republic-led regional statement on 16 August demanding an end to repression and respect for human rights. The UK approach is to work with international partners to achieve a peaceful solution that respects the will of all Venezuelans.

Financial secrecy facilitates illicit finance including money laundering as well as tax and sanctions evasion. It enables serious and organised crime, undermines our national security by supporting kleptocracies around the world, and it diverts resources needed for vital public services.

Tackling illicit finance in the UK, as well as in our Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies, is a priority for the new Government.

We will be working closely with the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to increase transparency, including through publicly accessible registers of company beneficial ownership. We note the progress made in a number of jurisdictions, but will be looking to work with UKOTs and CDs to urgently accelerate progress in others.

The Chancellor and I receive representations regularly from a wide range of stakeholders and welcome their views.

The current temporary duty easement for wine is due to end on 1^st February 2025.

The Chancellor and I receive representations regularly from a wide range of stakeholders and welcome their views.

The current temporary duty easement for wine is due to end on 1^st February 2025.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the state education system

Where pupils are placed in a private school because their needs cannot be met in the state sector, and they have their places funded by their Local Authority, the Local Authority will be able to reclaim the VAT they incur on these pupils’ fees. In Northern Ireland, it will be the Education Authority who fund placements in private schools and will be able to reclaim the VAT in this way.

The government is committed to a fairer business rates system. In our manifesto, we pledged to level the playing field between the high street and online giants, better incentivise investment, tackle empty properties and support entrepreneurship.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) send their Enhanced checks to a police force if there is a potential match against the names on the application form and local police systems.

DBS commissions 52 independent police disclosure units that are spread geographically across the nation and are operationally independent.

DBS has dedicated Police Performance Managers that assess, monitor and work closely with the police forces to ensure police performance against published DBS Key Performance Indicators remains strong.

The DBS’s target is to issue 80% of Enhanced checks within 14 days. DBS’ performance against this target is published every quarter: DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, the DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) regularly publishes statistics on the overall processing times for each of their services. This includes checks where they are referred to police forces.

The most recent relevant data set was published July 30th is available at: gov.uk - DBS performance.