Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on increasing the number of mental health support teams in schools.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local populations. We are supporting them to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/2024 compared to 2018/2019.
Part of this increased investment will enable an additional 345,000 children and young people aged between 0-25 years of age to access National Health Service-funded mental health services and mental health support teams in schools and colleges. Spend for children and young people’s mental health services has increased from £841.4 million in 2019/2020 to £994.8 million in 2021/2022, with a planned spend of £1.0815 billion in 2022/2023. This funding is across both NHS specialised commissioning and local commissioning. The source of this data is the NHS England dashboard, which is published quarterly. Previous and most recent NHS mental health dashboards are available at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard
We are making good progress on expanding access year on year, as the number of children and young people aged under 18 supported through NHS-funded mental health services, with at least one contact with services, was 689,621 in the year up to July 2022 compared to 618,537 in the year up to July 2021.
As of spring 2022, there were 287 mental health support teams in place in around 4,700 schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. Mental health support teams now cover 26% of pupils, a year earlier than originally planned. By next month we except this to have increased to 399 teams, covering around 35% of pupils.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS mental health support is in place for young people.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local populations. We are supporting them to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/2024 compared to 2018/2019.
Part of this increased investment will enable an additional 345,000 children and young people aged between 0-25 years of age to access National Health Service-funded mental health services and mental health support teams in schools and colleges. Spend for children and young people’s mental health services has increased from £841.4 million in 2019/2020 to £994.8 million in 2021/2022, with a planned spend of £1.0815 billion in 2022/2023. This funding is across both NHS specialised commissioning and local commissioning. The source of this data is the NHS England dashboard, which is published quarterly. Previous and most recent NHS mental health dashboards are available at the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard
We are making good progress on expanding access year on year, as the number of children and young people aged under 18 supported through NHS-funded mental health services, with at least one contact with services, was 689,621 in the year up to July 2022 compared to 618,537 in the year up to July 2021.
As of spring 2022, there were 287 mental health support teams in place in around 4,700 schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. Mental health support teams now cover 26% of pupils, a year earlier than originally planned. By next month we except this to have increased to 399 teams, covering around 35% of pupils.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect the (a) populations and (b) habitats of (i) hedgehogs, (ii) red squirrels and (iii) rare species of wildlife in the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government remains committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, that is why we have set four legally binding targets to drive and measure improvements in nature recovery in England. These targets are: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan and policies to deliver against our species biodiversity targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. The EIP23 revises the 25-Year Environment Plan as part of our obligations under the Environment Act.
Measures introduced in the Environment Act such as biodiversity net gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies will help deliver actions to recover species such as the hedgehog. Additionally, our new environmental land management schemes will pay for sustainable farming practices, creating and preserving habitat such as such as woodland, heathland and species-rich grassland, as well as making landscape-scale environmental changes, all of which could benefit species such as hedgehog.
Defra, Natural England and the Forestry Commission are signatories to the United Kingdom Squirrel Accord. This partnership, of over 40 organisations seeks, to secure and expand red squirrel populations through the delivery of actions set out in the England Red Squirrel Action Plan. Additionally, Defra has provided £300k, to support research and development of fertility control methods to reduce numbers of grey squirrels and impacts on red squirrels, tree health and forestry. Work to reduce grey squirrel impacts will be supported by Defra’s commitment in the EIP to update the 2014 Grey Squirrel Action Plan, detailing commitments to support landowners to manage the numbers of grey squirrels.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to support small businesses to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are taking steps to help small businesses reduce their use of single-use plastic items.
The 5p single-use carrier bag charge was introduced in England in October 2015 and has had a dramatic impact. The number of single-use plastic carrier bags sold by the main retailers has fallen from 7.6 billion in 2014, to 197 million in 2021/2022, a reduction of over 97%. To build on the success of the charge so far and to create a level playing field for all large and small businesses alike, we increased the charge from 5p to 10p and extended it to all retailers from 21 May 2021.
We recently announced measures to ban the supply of single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and balloon sticks, and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and beverage containers, including cups from October 2023. This ban will apply to all businesses including small businesses.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that breeders of dogs adhere to breeding licensing conditions.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licenced dog breeders must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences. It is an offence to breach a license condition or carry on a licensable activity without a license and Local authorities are afforded powers to prosecute such cases under the 2018 Regulations. To assist local authorities in their application of the licensing regime, the Government maintains statutory guidance which they must have regard to. This aims to improve consistency in interpretation and application of the licensing regime across England.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to provide mental health support for NHS staff.
Answered by Will Quince
It is a priority for this Government to support the mental health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff. NHS planning guidance for 2023/24 emphasised the need to support staff and has asked systems to refresh their 2022/23 whole system workforce plans to improve staff experience and retention through a systematic focus on all elements of the NHS People Promise.
The NHS People Plan and People Promise set out a comprehensive range of actions to strengthen health and wellbeing, equality and diversity, culture and leadership and increase opportunities for flexible working.
NHS England have developed a number of health and wellbeing initiatives which include a wellbeing guardian role, a focus on healthy working environments, empowering line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and a comprehensive emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support package.
NHS staff can also access NHS Practitioner Health, a national support service for staff with more complex mental health needs brough about by serious issues such as trauma or addiction.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring all workplaces to have a trained mental health first aider.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the Health and Safety (First-Aid Regulations) 1981 which require employers to provide first aid to employees who are injured or become ill at work.
The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations are designed to help individuals who require immediate intervention or support where necessary until professional emergency care arrives. They already require employers to consider mental health alongside physical health when undertaking a first aid needs assessment.
Training employees in mental health first aid can have a role to play as part of a holistic approach to raising awareness of and responding to potential mental health issues in the workplace. However, this should be risk based and informed by the employer’s assessment of first aid needs. Regulatory change to prescriptively mandate mental health first aid training would not allow employers to tailor their approach to workplace mental health to meet their particular needs and would likely introduce substantial financial burden that may be unwarranted.
The Government commissioned ‘Thriving at Work’ review recommended, in 2017, that employers adopt a set of core mental health standards that will provide a comprehensive approach to transforming mental health in the workplace. HSE is continuing its work with the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care, Joint Work and Health Directorate, to help employers better support all employees to remain in and thrive at work, including those with mental ill health or wellbeing.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a national strategy for eye care.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
NHS England, through the transformation programme, is considering how eye care services should be commissioned to ensure future sustainability. NHS England have appointed Louisa Wickham as a national clinical director for eyecare to oversee the recovery of eye care services and longer-term transformation. This sits alongside action already being taken to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of sight threatening conditions.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on regulating the eye surgery industry.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made. Doctors performing refractive eye surgery in the United Kingdom must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of all medical doctors practising in the UK. Providers who carry out refractive eye surgery must also be registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. All refractive eye surgery locations are monitored and, where necessary, inspected by CQC. If CQC become aware of any concerns regarding an individual medical practitioner, then CQC will notify the GMC.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on his Department's target to train senior civil servants as Wellbeing Confident Leaders.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Wellbeing Confident Leaders training was a cross-government initiative led by Civil Service HR (CSHR).
When the programme concluded on 31 March 2019, 61% of Cabinet Office Senior Civil Servants had received the Wellbeing Confident Leaders Training.
This programme was removed due to the development of the new Civil Service Teaming, which is open to all grades, and continues to be available.