Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how she plans to distribute funding through the Children's Hospice Grant in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England currently supports palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. Last year, NHS England confirmed that it will be renewing the funding for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million of funding for children’s hospices using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24. This prevalence-based approach ensures funding matches local need.

The distribution of the 2024/25 funding to children’s hospices will be via integrated care boards (ICBs), in line with the wider move to a devolved National Health Service, in which ICBs are best placed to meet the health and care needs of their local population.

The Department and NHS England hope to be able to provide the greater clarity that the sector is seeking on this important funding stream to children’s hospices, in the coming weeks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of sending coroner inquest notification letters to bereaved family members using signed for delivery.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

While the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, it does not have operational responsibility for coroner services as they are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. Moreover, coroners are independent judges and the way in which they manage their investigations and inquests is a matter for them.

Rule 9(1) of the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013 requires the coroner to notify the deceased person’s next of kin of the date, time and place of the inquest hearing. The method by which this notification is provided is a matter for the individual coroner service.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing bereaved family members to receive coroner inquest notifications by text message.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

While the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, it does not have operational responsibility for coroner services as they are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. Moreover, coroners are independent judges and the way in which they manage their investigations and inquests is a matter for them.

Rule 9(1) of the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013 requires the coroner to notify the deceased person’s next of kin of the date, time and place of the inquest hearing. The method by which this notification is provided is a matter for the individual coroner service.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.25(3) of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, how local authorities can apply for funding for additional special school places.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The Spring Budget confirmed plans for 15 additional special free schools. An announcement on the location of these schools will be made by May 2024.

The department has received a large number of high quality applications from local authorities through the most recent special free schools application round. Funding available at the time allowed us to approve 33 new special free schools, in March 2023.

The Spring Budget announcement means that the department can now go further, by considering high quality applications that the department was not able to approve at the time. This means that the department does not currently plan to invite new local authority applications.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) damages and (b) legal costs to the Department following legal action by Professor Kate Sang.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I refer the hon. Member to the opening statement by the Secretary of State at the Lords Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee on 12 March 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to ensure that patients' relatives are aware of their right to a second opinion when a doctor makes a do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decision.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Patient facing guidance setting out how the decision for a do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) is made, and how individuals or their families can get support if they have concerns about a DNACPR, including second opinions and review, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/do-not-attempt-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-dnacpr-decisions/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will ask the Care Quality Commission to undertake an assessment of the quality of the commissioning of children's palliative care services by integrated care boards.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently completed the integrated care system (ICS) assessment pilots, which included an assessment of how health and social care provision is planned, coordinated, and delivered in a cohesive way.

For the pilots, the CQC assessed data and local intelligence relating to the safety and effectiveness of different types of services across primary care, secondary care, and adult social care. This included hospices and other palliative and end of life care services. ICS assessments do not inspect individual services or focus on specific sectors. The CQC seeks information from local and regional CQC operations teams, NHS England, and professional regulators such as the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, to identify areas of good practice and high-performing services, as well as risks and concerns relating to specific providers or sectors. The CQC looks at aggregate ratings of different types of services within a geographical area to identify areas of risk that might require a particular focus during assessments.

The CQC’s ICS assessment methodology incorporates interviews and focus groups with commissioners, providers, patient representative groups, and voluntary and community sector organisations to understand how people experience care. Work continues to define the final methodology and approach, in line with the existing Departmental priorities.

The Department is in ongoing discussions with NHS England about oversight and accountability of National Health Service palliative and end of life care commissioning, and I have met with NHS England officials personally on this matter on a number of occasions. We remain committed to improving patient access to, and quality of, palliative and end of life care, and are working with NHS England to achieve this.

NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling integrated care boards (ICBs) to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities, and ensure that funding is distributed fairly, based on prevalence.

Additionally, as of April 2024, NHS England will include palliative and end of life care in the list of topics for regular performance discussions between national and regional leads. These meetings will provide an additional mechanism for supporting ICBs to continue improving palliative and end of life care for their local population.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16913 on Planning Permission: Reform and with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, if he will publish the justification for retaining 'and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development' in that Framework.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16914 on Green Belt: Planning Permission and with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, if he will publish the justification for not incorporating the words 'Green Belt boundaries are not required to be reviewed and altered if this would be the only means of meeting the objectively assessed need for housing over the plan period' in that Framework.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16908 on Green Belt: Planning Permission and with reference to the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework on 19 December 2023 and the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 December 2023 on The Next Stage in Our Long Term Plan for Housing Update, HCWS161, if he will publish specific guidance clarifying whether local authorities being located wholly within the green belt can represent an exceptional circumstance to justify an alternative approach to using the standard method calculation when assessing housing need for the purposes of making a local plan.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16912 on Planning Permission: Reform and with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, if he will publish the justification for omitting from that paragraph the words ‘so far as possible, taking into account the policies of’ in that Framework.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16911 on Planning Permission: Reform, with reference to the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework on 19 December 2023, for what reason the words as a minimum were omitted from paragraph 35(a).

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with (a) NICE and (b) Bristol Myers Squibb on restarting the NICE appraisals process for luspatercept (Reblozyl).

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Departmental officials regularly discuss a range of issues with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including on access to medicines such as luspatercept (Reblozyl). The Department has had no discussions with Bristol Myers Squibb on this specific topic.

Luspatercept has a licence in the United Kingdom for the treatment of adult patients with transfusion-dependent anaemia due to very low, and low and intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome with ring sideroblasts, who had an unsatisfactory response to, or are ineligible for, erythropoietin-based therapy. The NICE had to terminate its appraisal of luspatercept for treating anaemia caused by myelodysplastic syndromes because the manufacturer did not provide an evidence submission. The NICE will review this decision if the company decides to make a submission.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) number and (b) type of reusable NHS medical equipment that has been sent to landfill in the past 12 months.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency within the sector. Presently, through our Design for Life Programme, we are working with industry, the health and care system, and academic partners to explore options for developing medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery by default. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, infrastructure, and policy environments that support this aim, with the intention of publishing a roadmap later this year.

The NHS clinical waste strategy, published on 7 March 2023, sets out NHS England’s ambition to transform the management of clinical waste by eliminating unnecessary waste, finding innovative ways to reuse, and ensuring waste is processed in the most cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable way.

NHS England has developed a waste planning tool consistent with this clinical waste strategy for all National Health Service providers, which includes improved segregation, waste minimisation, and increased reuse programmes. This will lead to reductions in the road miles which waste travels, increases in the use of re-usable sharps bins, and support plans made towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon from waste management.

As part of the Design for Life programme we recognise that in order to assess progress for reuse and waste prevention, we will need to define future data requirements and align digital infrastructure to improve the gathering of core data. As such, at this juncture, the Department does not have centralised data on the rates of disposal for reusable medical technologies, nor how many trusts have relevant waste prevention policies for these products.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussion she has had with NHS England on the reasons why reusable NHS equipment is not permitted to be returned and reissued to new patients.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency within the sector. Presently, through our Design for Life Programme, we are working with industry, the health and care system, and academic partners to explore options for developing medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery by default. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, infrastructure, and policy environments that support this aim, with the intention of publishing a roadmap later this year.

The NHS clinical waste strategy, published on 7 March 2023, sets out NHS England’s ambition to transform the management of clinical waste by eliminating unnecessary waste, finding innovative ways to reuse, and ensuring waste is processed in the most cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable way.

NHS England has developed a waste planning tool consistent with this clinical waste strategy for all National Health Service providers, which includes improved segregation, waste minimisation, and increased reuse programmes. This will lead to reductions in the road miles which waste travels, increases in the use of re-usable sharps bins, and support plans made towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon from waste management.

As part of the Design for Life programme we recognise that in order to assess progress for reuse and waste prevention, we will need to define future data requirements and align digital infrastructure to improve the gathering of core data. As such, at this juncture, the Department does not have centralised data on the rates of disposal for reusable medical technologies, nor how many trusts have relevant waste prevention policies for these products.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts have policies on reduction of landfill wastage of reusable NHS equipment.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency within the sector. Presently, through our Design for Life Programme, we are working with industry, the health and care system, and academic partners to explore options for developing medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery by default. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, infrastructure, and policy environments that support this aim, with the intention of publishing a roadmap later this year.

The NHS clinical waste strategy, published on 7 March 2023, sets out NHS England’s ambition to transform the management of clinical waste by eliminating unnecessary waste, finding innovative ways to reuse, and ensuring waste is processed in the most cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable way.

NHS England has developed a waste planning tool consistent with this clinical waste strategy for all National Health Service providers, which includes improved segregation, waste minimisation, and increased reuse programmes. This will lead to reductions in the road miles which waste travels, increases in the use of re-usable sharps bins, and support plans made towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon from waste management.

As part of the Design for Life programme we recognise that in order to assess progress for reuse and waste prevention, we will need to define future data requirements and align digital infrastructure to improve the gathering of core data. As such, at this juncture, the Department does not have centralised data on the rates of disposal for reusable medical technologies, nor how many trusts have relevant waste prevention policies for these products.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2024 to Question 13143 on Roads: Safety, and with reference to the Answer of 28 February 2023 to Question 150393 on Roads: Safety, whether it remains his policy to publish an updated Road Safety Strategic Framework.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to road safety, and we are working on a number of measures to keep our roads and road users safe.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the federated data platform will include functionality to enable the creation of a consolidated national allergy register.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The current use cases for the Federated Data Platform (FDP) are:

- elective recovery, to address the backlog of people waiting for appointments or treatments;

- care coordination, to enable the effective coordination of care between local health and care organisations and services, reducing the number of long stays in hospital;

- vaccination and immunisation, to continue to support the vaccination and immunisation of vulnerable people while ensuring fair and equal access and uptake across different communities;

- population health management, to help integrated care systems proactively plan services that meet the needs of their population; and

- supply chain management, to help the National Health Service put resources where they are needed most, and buy smarter so that we get the best value for money.

The creation of a consolidated national allergy register, or identifiable national clinical data registries, is not in the current scope of the FDP, which will not be processing identifiable patient data at a national level. More products will be developed on the FDP throughout the lifecycle of this programme.

The FDP programme has developed a front door process and demand assessment framework which will be used for new requirements coming into the programme. The assessment framework assesses ideas and requests on the basis of their fit to the core FDP objectives and targeted business case outcomes, as well as assessing against the feasibility of successful delivery when considering things like cost, capacity, wider system dependencies, and other factors. In regard to a consolidated national allergy register, we would expect discussions to be held initially within the National Disease Registry Service.

Alongside the FDP, NHS England are investing in platform modernisation, including the Patient Outcomes and Registries Platform (ORP) which is a unified national registry platform integrated into NHS England’s system data infrastructure for improved data security, flow, linkage, and analysis, and faster pace of registry development.

The ORP’s directions cover all outcome registries, patient-reported outcome measures and patient-reported experience measures, and shared decision-making and data collections across a wide range of conditions, including all surgical and interventional procedures in the NHS and independent sector. A national allergy register or registry may be in the scope for the ORP’s coverage.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2024 to Question 17136 on Tax Avoidance, whether it is HMRC’s policy to seek to recover tax due for liabilities incurred before December 2010, where a taxpayer has not received correspondence relating to an open compliance check for longer than 12 months.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

In the 2019 Independent Loan Charge Review, Lord Morse recommended that the Loan Charge should only apply to loans made on or after 9 December 2010. The Government accepted this recommendation.

However, Lord Morse was also clear that, for years before this date, where there is an open enquiry or assessment under appeal HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should still have the ability to pursue the tax due under the existing rules. HMRC has proceeded on this basis.

HMRC continues to work with and support taxpayers to resolve all outstanding enquiries and assessments relating to their use of disguised remuneration (DR) loans, in accordance with their published DR settlement terms and HMRC’s Litigation and Settlement Strategy

As part of its overall compliance processes and its commitment to update taxpayers at least annually, all of these taxpayers should have received correspondence from HMRC in the last 12 months.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) Evusheld 2 and (b) other covid-19 treatments for the immuno-compromised are available to patients.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether all new licensed medicines, including medicines for COVID-19, should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE aims, wherever possible, to publish guidance close to licensing and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, normally within three months of final guidance.

The NICE has published guidance that recommends three medicines, paxlovid, xevudy, and roactemra, for the treatment of COVID-19, both in the community and for patients in hospital. This guidance ensures that patients who are at the highest risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19 have access to clinically and cost-effective treatments.

The NICE has started its appraisal of sipavibart, which has been referred to as evusheld 2.0, through its standard processes, and its Appraisal Committee will meet to consider its recommendations in October 2024. The NICE will aim to publish its guidance as close as possible to licensing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will have discussions with NICE on developing a fast track approval process for covid-19 treatments for the immuno-compromised.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether all new licensed medicines, including medicines for COVID-19, should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE aims, wherever possible, to publish guidance close to licensing and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, normally within three months of final guidance.

The NICE has published guidance that recommends three medicines, paxlovid, xevudy, and roactemra, for the treatment of COVID-19, both in the community and for patients in hospital. This guidance ensures that patients who are at the highest risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19 have access to clinically and cost-effective treatments.

The NICE has started its appraisal of sipavibart, which has been referred to as evusheld 2.0, through its standard processes, and its Appraisal Committee will meet to consider its recommendations in October 2024. The NICE will aim to publish its guidance as close as possible to licensing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March to Question 17451 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, whether Hertfordshire County Council was one of the local authorities from which her Department received a high-quality application through the most recent special free schools application round.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The department received a total of 85 applications from local authorities to open a special free school in a very competitive application round, including an application from Hertfordshire County Council.

The department plans to select a further 15 successful applications. This will remain a competitive process. This approach means we can move quickly to appoint trusts to run these schools.

The department plans to announce those local authorities that have been successful for the additional special free schools later this year.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to commission research into new models of (a) assessment and (b) support for people with autism.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Gateway to Research lists 50 active Medical Research Council (MRC) projects looking at autism and/or neurodevelopment. There are a further 27 projects funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Innovate UK. These cover a range of research questions from using AI based diagnostics for autism spectrum disorders to optimising technology used on recruitment platforms to meet the needs of neurodiverse applicants.

Autistica, a UK based charity engaged in funding and campaigning for research on autism and related conditions, is receiving £378k through Government support for Early Career Researcher fund.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of average waiting times for autism assessments on employment rates.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are no plans for DWP to make this specific assessment. Whilst we recognise the importance of early identification of autism, a diagnosis is not required to be eligible for reasonable adjustments and the provision of workplace support. These are made, in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, based on functional need.

We are encouraging employers to adopt more neuro-inclusive working practices, which benefit neurodiverse employees irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis. The Buckland Review into Autism Employment, published on 28 February this year, has created a focus for action to improve the recruitment and retention of autistic people. It has identified workplace barriers, and the working practices and initiatives that can reduce them, in order to create a more inclusive working environment for autistic employees and autistic jobseekers.

This is supported by Disability Confident, our scheme to increase employers’ understanding of how to recruit, retain and support disabled employees and the Support with Employee Health and Disability online service which guides employers through health and disability scenarios at work, including making reasonable adjustments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of average waiting times for autism assessments on other health and care services.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

There are no current plans to make this specific assessment. We recognise the importance of early identification of autism so that an individual’s needs can be identified sooner, and support put in place earlier in life.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines on autism highlight the importance of conducting an autism assessment as soon as possible so that appropriate health and social care interventions, and advice and support, can be offered. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with the NICE’s guidelines.

In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance will help the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults. The operational guidance makes it clear that people should be able to access support and care from other services for needs that appear linked to physical and mental health, including while they are waiting for an autism assessment. This year, the Department is updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the NHS and local authorities in delivering improved outcomes for autistic people.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of average waiting times for autism assessments on educational attainment.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government recognises that there can be long waits for autism assessments. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is taking steps to improve access to assessments for autism. In 2023/24 DHSC allocated £4.2 million to improve services for autistic children and young people including assessments, pre-and post-diagnostic support, and the continuation of the Autism in Schools programme. Additionally, in April 2023, NHS England published a national framework to support the local NHS to commission and deliver autism assessment services for children, young people, and adults.

The Department for Education wants all children and young people to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The SEND Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with SEND does not require a diagnostic label or assessment. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all children and young people and put support in place where needed, including arranging diagnostic tests where appropriate.

The 2023 SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan set out the department’s vision to improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and practitioner standards will be developed to support frontline professionals, including one on autism.

The department’s Universal Services contract brings together SEND-specific continuing professional development and support for the school and further education workforce to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those with autism, through one programme, which aims to reach 70% of schools and colleges in England per year.

The contract offers autism awareness training and resources: over 135,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training provided by the Autism Education Trust through the programme's train the trainer model.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Questions 16908, 16909, 16910, 16911, 16912, 16913 and 16914, and the Answer of 15 March to Questions 18292, 18293, 18294, 18295 and 18296, if he will make an assessment of whether those responses are consistent with the requirements (a) in the Ministerial Code that Ministers should be as open as possible with parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest and (b) in the Guidance on drafting answers to parliamentary questions.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

As I have previously outlined, the most up to date and comprehensive information on the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement and the revised published framework, which is what I referred the Hon Member to.

The purpose of the NPPF is to create a consistent and understood framework for development within an industry that emphasises the importance of certainty and clarity. It is, by definition, the stated position of the Government for that very reason. If the Government has further detail it wishes to impart, it will do so in the usual way.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will set a target date for British National (Overseas) passport holders to be able to use eGates at the UK border.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The Government regularly reviews eGate eligibility for all nationals arriving in the UK, including British National (Overseas) passport holders.

In the New Plan for Immigration, the Government set out our ambition to digitise the border. To deliver this we aim to increase the use of eGates at the border by those currently eligible and investigate options to extend eGate eligibility to those unable to use them. Any shorter-term changes need to be balanced against the impact these have on delivering the longer-term ambition.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2024 to Question 16027 on Suicide, how much of the £57 million allocated for suicide (a) prevention and (b) bereavement services has been allocated to local authorities; and by what date must the funds be spent.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The £57 million of funding was made available across the period from April 2019 to March 2024. Neither the Department nor NHS England holds information centrally on how much of this funding has ultimately gone to local authorities. NHS England allocates funding to integrated care boards, who in turn commission activities across local authority and health settings.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) the Environment Agency and (b) local authorities on the effectiveness of mechanisms to enforce the responsibilities of riparian owners for the maintenance of river banks.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ministers regularly meet with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to discuss flood and water management matters.

Riparian landowners, those whose land adjoins a watercourse, are required under common law to maintain watercourses, including the removal of debris and blockages, which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away, as well as maintenance of the bed and banks, and any trees or shrubs growing on the banks. Where a stream or culvert becomes silted up, choked with weeds, or the flow of water has been obstructed causing flood risk to others, the Environment Agency and local authorities have statutory powers to require the relevant person to maintain the flow of the watercourse. The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK. By April 2024, new engagement guidance will be published to help Risk Management Authorities, Environment Agency staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.

The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Policy Statement sets out what we expect from those responsible for all assets and watercourses – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance and ensure timely repairs where necessary.

Defra has commissioned an independent review of statutory powers and responsibilities associated with FCERM assets across all flood risks and coastal erosion. The review started work in 2021 and is expected to report this spring. This will review whether current mechanisms and legal powers are clear and effective and relevant expertise is shared; this includes the non-statutory powers and responsibilities of riparian landowners and asset owners. The review team is working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that it considers good practice and practitioner concerns, within the sector. Defra will consider its findings after publication.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 19192 on Tax Avoidance, whether it is his Department's policy to cease recovery of any liabilities incurred before December 2010 in cases where a taxpayer has not received an update for a period of 12 months or more from the initial date of an open enquiry or assessment.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

In the 2019 Independent Loan Charge Review, Lord Morse recommended that the Loan Charge should only apply to loans made on or after 9 December 2010. The Government accepted this recommendation.

Lord Morse was also clear that, for years before this date, where there is an open enquiry or assessment under appeal, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should still have the ability to pursue the tax due under the existing rules. HMRC has proceeded on this basis and it is its policy to collect tax where it has the ability to do so.

As part of its overall compliance processes and its commitment to update taxpayers at least annually, all of these taxpayers should have received correspondence from HMRC in the last 12 months.

When HMRC opens an enquiry, the information sheet provided includes information about a taxpayer’s right to apply to the First Tier Tribunal for the enquiry to be closed. One of the grounds for making such an application is where there has been an excessive delay during which a taxpayer has not received any communication from HMRC.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the average distance that medical students allocated a placement under the UK Foundation Programme travel from their medical school to their allocated placement; and what the (a) shortest and (b) longest distance is for those students allocated a placement in 2024.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information requested is not held by the Department.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason people born after 1 January 1983 are required to provide a valid passport when giving notice of marriage.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Every person who gives notice to marry or to form a civil partnership in England and Wales must provide evidence of their given name, surname, date of birth, and nationality. A valid passport or another specified document can be used as evidence of nationality.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 4 October 2022 to Question 46153 on Parrots: Non-native Species, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of ring-necked parakeets on other native wildlife.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

An assessment carried out in 2021 concluded there was sufficient evidence to warrant the inclusion of ring-necked parakeet as a target species on the General Licence to kill or take wild birds for conservation purposes.

A prior risk assessment for ring-necked parakeets was published by the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat in March 2011 (See risk assessment here: RA_Psittacula_krameri_(Ring-necked_Parakeet) (nonnativespecies.org)). The conclusion of this assessment was that this species posed a medium risk (with low uncertainty), with the potential to negatively impact populations of cavity nesting birds.

These risk assessments may be updated when substantive new scientific evidence is made available that could alter the outcome of the risk assessment. The assessment has already concluded that this species poses a conservation threat. Defra is not aware that there is new evidence currently that would alter the conclusion of the risk assessment. Therefore, there are no immediate plans for a re-assessment of ring-necked parakeets.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) Awareness Week

Shrewsbury to London Euston Avanti West Coast service

Occupied Palestinian Territories and arms exports to Israel

Roger Daltrey’s 24 years of Royal Albert Hall shows for Teenage Cancer Trust

Marlie Packer 100th cap

Alleged comments by Frank Hester

Hosting refugees and asylum seekers: Council Tax Single Person Discount

Murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher

Found: _NC4 Ms Harriet Harman Dame Margaret Hodge Sir Peter Bottomley Daisy Cooper Ms Karen Buck

Found: _NC4 Ms Harriet Harman Dame Margaret Hodge Sir Peter Bottomley Daisy Cooper Ms Karen Buck

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Farry Caroline Lucas Wendy Chamberlain Caroline Nokes Sarah Champion Ms Harriet Harman Daisy

Found: Albans District Council , Daisy Cooper MP, Sport England, CPRE Hertfordshire and Keep Chiswell Green