Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will work with the Secretary of State for Education to set a target for the proportion of children to have benefited from cycling proficiency training by the end of Year 6, including through the Bikeability programme.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Since 2007 the Department for Transport has provided funding for over four million children in England, outside London, to learn safe cycling skills through Bikeability cycle training, and our manifesto commits us to extending cycle training to every child.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department holds on usage of the 2019 guidance on Teaching online safety in school; and what plans he has to update that guidance.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The ‘Teaching online safety in schools’ guidance was first published in 2019 and focuses on how schools can ensure pupils understand how to stay safe online, as part of existing curriculum requirements. It brings together information that will help schools deliver online safety content within their curriculum and embed it within their wider whole school approach.
The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.
Between 2019 and 2022, it has been viewed as follows:
Year | Page Views |
2019 | 41,304 |
2020 | 16,374 |
2021 | 15,323 |
2022 | 9,140 |
The department is currently finalising an update of the guidance and we expect to publish it by the end of the year. The updated guidance will reflect that the relationships, sex and health education curriculum became statutory from September 2020 and will include updated weblinks, where these have changed over time.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) UK and (b) international academic research on the impact of childcare support programmes on workforce participation.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly looks at evidence from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and Labour Market release from the Office for National Statistics and the department’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series, the latest results of which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents.
The department also monitors take-up of the entitlements via national statistics from the Early Years census, conducted in the third week of January each year. Further information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
External evidence is used to help make international comparisons on the impacts of increasing employment rates, for example modelling that underpins the PwC Women in Work Index 2022. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html. This forms part of a wider evidence base, with caution taken when comparing childcare provision in different countries due to broader differences in school start date, funding models, and parental leave arrangements.
More specifically, the department carried out evaluations on both the early and full rollouts of our 30 hours free childcare entitlement to review its early impact. The evaluation of the early rollout is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf. The evaluation of the first year of national delivery is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout.
The department regularly asks parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on their families, including on their ability to work. This is undertaken through the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has used (a) UK and (b) international academic research on the workforce participation effect of childcare support programmes to inform its childcare policies.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In assessing the impact of its free childcare entitlements, the department regularly looks at evidence from a range of different research publications. This includes the Families and Labour Market release from the Office for National Statistics and the department’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents series, the latest results of which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents.
The department also monitors take-up of the entitlements via national statistics from the Early Years census, conducted in the third week of January each year. Further information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.
External evidence is used to help make international comparisons on the impacts of increasing employment rates, for example modelling that underpins the PwC Women in Work Index 2022. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html. This forms part of a wider evidence base, with caution taken when comparing childcare provision in different countries due to broader differences in school start date, funding models, and parental leave arrangements.
More specifically, the department carried out evaluations on both the early and full rollouts of our 30 hours free childcare entitlement to review its early impact. The evaluation of the early rollout is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf. The evaluation of the first year of national delivery is also accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-final-evaluation-of-the-national-rollout.
The department regularly asks parents about the effect that 30 hours free childcare has on their families, including on their ability to work. This is undertaken through the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward the annual publication of the final version of Keeping Children Safe in Education to avoid clashing with the start the school year.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Department publishes a near final version of the keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) statutory guidance in late spring or early summer. This approach ensures that schools and colleges have sufficient time to digest revisions and to plan any necessary training, ahead of implementation in the next school year.
It is rare for material changes to be made between the for-information version and the final publication in September. Where this does occur, changes are strictly limited to reflect vital information in response to unexpected or emerging issues.
To bring forward the final version publication date would mean the guidance would be released during the summer holidays, which schools and colleges have signalled is not appropriate. However, the Department will consider adding a question when we next consult on KCSIE in relation to preferred scheduling.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the principal reasons for which the average age of labour market exit has changed in the period since (a) 2019 and (b) the earliest year for which data is readily available.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The average age of exit from the labour market was published within the ‘Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over, trends over time’ Official Statistics, published on 8th September 2022, with latest data relating to 2022.
The changes in the average age of exit between 2019 and 2021 – which saw the average age of exit fall from 65.3 years to 65.1 years for men and from 64.3 years to 64.0 years for women, reflect challenges in the labour market amongst older workers during the pandemic period, which saw the employment rate falling for the 50–64 year-olds age group and the inactivity rate increasing.
Between 2021 and 2022, the average age of exit has increased for both men (from 65.1 years to 65.4 years) and women (from 64.0 years to 64.3 years).
There has been a steady upward trend in the average age of exit, over the past 20 years (from 63.2 years in 1999 to 65.3 years in 2019 for men, and from 60.8 years in 1999 to 64.3 years in 2019 for women). This trend reflected increasing employment rates for both men and women over this period and, during which time, the State Pension age increased.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
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 Policy Paper entitled Levelling Up and Regeneration: further information, published by his Department on 11 May 2022, what his timescale is for providing further information will be available on the proposed alignment test to replace the duty to co-operate.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The duty to cooperate is widely agreed not to have achieved this objective. Therefore, the duty will be abolished by the current draft of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, and replaced by a more flexible requirement for authorities to align emerging plan proposals with neighbouring planning authorities and other public bodies and infrastructure providers where relevant.
The new policy requirement will be an important element of local plan examinations by a planning inspector, who can form a planning judgement on the proposals put forward.
This policy requirement is still being developed and is intended to be set out in a revised National Planning Policy Framework, which will be subject to further consultation in due course. However, the important difference is that as a policy requirement, shortcomings in alignment can be capable of being rectified by the planning authority or inspector, whereas under the current duty to cooperate, failures result in the failure of the local plan.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on (a) implementing section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and (b) assessing the potential merits of supplementary regulations to adopt (i) private wastewater pumping stations and (ii) other existing sewerage assets constructed since July 2011.
Answered by Steve Double
The Government has reviewed the case for implementing Section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. We will consult in due course on making regulations concerning the adoption of existing private sewerage assets by sewerage companies.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending the Advance Payment Code to empower local highway authorities to resolve unresolved section 38 Highways Act 1980 negotiations.
Answered by Karl McCartney
Local authorities are responsible for the setting their own design standards for their streets. It is not possible to design national standards as every community is different. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide the standards for their network. The Department provides good practice guidance to assist local authorities in setting design standards
Where a developer obtains planning permission for a new development they will consider how or if they wish the roads on that development to be adopted. They may seek to have roads on that development adopted by entering into an agreement with the highway authority under the Highways Act 1980, or they may decide that their development will remain private and that the roads will not become public highway – for example as in a gated community.
Local authorities can use planning conditions or section 106 planning obligations to secure a commitment from developers to provide and maintain communal spaces and facilities. It is up to developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate funding arrangements for developments with common areas or shared services. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are responsible for planning policy.
No assessment has been made of amending the advance payment code to resolve section 38 Highways Act 1980 negotiations. We have previously published an advice note on the process of adopting private roads into the public road network and an updated version is to be published shortly.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if officials in his Department will hold discussions with representatives of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport on standardising procedures and requirements across local highways authorities to increase the number of housing estate roads for adoption by specifying minimum adoption standards and enable developers to offer those roads for adoption.
Answered by Karl McCartney
Local authorities are responsible for the setting their own design standards for their streets. It is not possible to design national standards as every community is different. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide the standards for their network. The Department provides good practice guidance to assist local authorities in setting design standards
Where a developer obtains planning permission for a new development they will consider how or if they wish the roads on that development to be adopted. They may seek to have roads on that development adopted by entering into an agreement with the highway authority under the Highways Act 1980, or they may decide that their development will remain private and that the roads will not become public highway – for example as in a gated community.
Local authorities can use planning conditions or section 106 planning obligations to secure a commitment from developers to provide and maintain communal spaces and facilities. It is up to developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate funding arrangements for developments with common areas or shared services. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are responsible for planning policy.
No assessment has been made of amending the advance payment code to resolve section 38 Highways Act 1980 negotiations. We have previously published an advice note on the process of adopting private roads into the public road network and an updated version is to be published shortly.