Edward Argar

The previous government made a number of funding commitments in the Network North Command Paper and these will be examined closely by the government in the coming months.

The number of reported road collisions by collision severity and at the requested road junctions on the A52 between 2010 and 2022, for which is the latest reported year, can be found in the table below.

Funding for safety critical repairs is drawn from National Highways’ Maintenance and Renewals budget, the budget for 2024/25 is £230m for maintenance and £1.2bn for renewals.

Decisions on schemes are taken following the governance arrangements set out in National Highways’ Licence and Framework and within the level of funding agreed at the start of each Road Period. National Highways improves safety of the network through various activities including operations, maintenance and renewals; major enhancements; designated funds (including a Safety & Congestion Designated Fund). Schemes that improve safety are designed according to the safety objectives of the given section of the road network. Scheme designs are appraised for value for money and how effective they are at achieving scheme objectives.

Annual statistics on the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients and households by local authority and by Westminster parliamentary constituency are made publicly available via GOV.UK. For Winter 2022 to 2023 11,729 people received a Winter Fuel Payment in the Melton Borough.

Caseload statistics are routinely published and made publicly available via DWP Stat-xplore. At November 2023, there were 770 people claiming Pension Credit in Melton Borough.

Whether PAVA spray should be made available to officers in the youth estate was one of the matters discussed when the Secretary of State and the Minister for Prisons met representatives of the Prison Officers Association in July. We are considering all available information on this complex matter, including hearing the representations from a number of stakeholders with a range of perspectives.

Individuals released through the Standard Determinate Sentence changes, known as SDS40, and at risk of homelessness can be referred to HMPPS’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation.

The Chief Probation Officer wrote to all Local Authority Chief Executives on 02 August sharing early data on the total volume of expected prison releases for SDS40 cases and this was followed up by a meeting with all Local Authorities. This provided a high-level estimate of the potential volumes of releases by Local Authority. The indicative figure provided was that there would be c400 individuals who were at risk of homelessness; however, through assessment and intervention by Probation, we are expecting that number will now be significantly lower.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Welsh Government to mitigate any impact on Local Authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless. This includes ensuring data is shared with the 49 Strategic Housing Specialists based in prisons and the Probation-based Homeless Prevention Teams to make sure plans are in place for those who need accommodation support.

We expect the vast majority to be supported by this provision, but should there not be enough, the Lord Chancellor has authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.

Individuals released through the Standard Determinate Sentence changes, known as SDS40, and at risk of homelessness can be referred to HMPPS’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation.

The Chief Probation Officer wrote to all Local Authority Chief Executives on 02 August sharing early data on the total volume of expected prison releases for SDS40 cases and this was followed up by a meeting with all Local Authorities. This provided a high-level estimate of the potential volumes of releases by Local Authority. The indicative figure provided was that there would be c400 individuals who were at risk of homelessness; however, through assessment and intervention by Probation, we are expecting that number will now be significantly lower.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Welsh Government to mitigate any impact on Local Authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless. This includes ensuring data is shared with the 49 Strategic Housing Specialists based in prisons and the Probation-based Homeless Prevention Teams to make sure plans are in place for those who need accommodation support.

We expect the vast majority to be supported by this provision, but should there not be enough, the Lord Chancellor has authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.

Individuals released through the Standard Determinate Sentence changes, known as SDS40, and at risk of homelessness can be referred to HMPPS’s Community Accommodation Service, which can provide up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation.

The Chief Probation Officer wrote to all Local Authority Chief Executives on 02 August sharing early data on the total volume of expected prison releases for SDS40 cases and this was followed up by a meeting with all Local Authorities. This provided a high-level estimate of the potential volumes of releases by Local Authority. The indicative figure provided was that there would be c400 individuals who were at risk of homelessness; however, through assessment and intervention by Probation, we are expecting that number will now be significantly lower.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Welsh Government to mitigate any impact on Local Authorities, as well as taking practical steps to minimise the chances that individuals are released homeless. This includes ensuring data is shared with the 49 Strategic Housing Specialists based in prisons and the Probation-based Homeless Prevention Teams to make sure plans are in place for those who need accommodation support.

We expect the vast majority to be supported by this provision, but should there not be enough, the Lord Chancellor has authorised probation directors to make use of alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, as a temporary measure for the cases that we will see in the next few weeks.

I can confirm that we are continuing the plans for a phased removal of wet-shave razors and that this will be implemented in up to 30 prisons in the adult male estate in 2024/25.