Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to review the funding formula for local authorities to increase the distribution of funding provided to communities in rural areas, in the context of levels costs for providing services in sparsely populated areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
After years of delaying much needed fair funding reform, we will update and improve the approach to funding allocations within the Local Government Finance Settlement by redistributing funding to ensure that it reflects an up-to-date assessment of need and local resources.
This will start with a deprivation-based approach in 2025-26 with additional funding targeted to the places that need it most. Broader redistribution of funding will follow through a multi-year settlement from 2026-27.
We will be publishing a policy statement in late November, where we will set out our intentions for reform of the local government finance system.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support local authorities in sparsely populated regions, in the context of varying levels of per capita costs for delivering services.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services, of which at least £600 million is for social care.
After years of delaying much needed fair funding reform, we will update and improve the approach to funding allocations within the Local Government Finance Settlement by redistributing funding to ensure that it reflects an up-to-date assessment of need and local resources.
This will start with a deprivation-based approach in 2025-26 with additional funding targeted to the places that need it most. Broader redistribution of funding will follow through a multi-year settlement from 2026-27.
We will be publishing a policy statement in late November, where we will set out our intentions for reform of the local government finance system.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will undertake a review of police funding allocations.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government will consider police funding, including the allocation of funding to forces, in the round as part of phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take through social care reforms to help (a) reduce waiting times for and (b) increase access to care services in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014. Local authorities have a further duty to shape their care markets and commission a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.
The majority of grant funding for adult social care is distributed to local authorities using the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula. This is designed to account for factors that affect the differences in the need for, and cost of, adult social care services that are outside of local authorities’ control, including population, income and wealth, informal care support, wages and prices, and population sparsity.
We recognise that there are challenges in adult social care. Lord Darzi’s report indicated a growing gap between requests and those receiving publicly funded care, and some people are waiting too long to get the care they need. Long-term reform is needed in adult social care, and we will work with the sector to create a sustainable care system across all constituencies that supports people to live independent and dignified lives.
In the short term, the Government is providing at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care in 2025/26, as part of the broader estimated real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%. We will set out further details at the Local Government Finance Settlement.
In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) local authority assessments consider the performance of the delivery of Care Act 2014 duties. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing its functions to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has powers to intervene. The CQC has published twelve local authority ratings and reports.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Department is taking to ensure rural police forces receive adequate funding to meet increasing demands in areas with low-population density.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The majority of public funding for police forces in England and Wales is provided by the Home Office and is agreed by the House of Commons on an annual basis at the police funding settlement. Each year the Home Office produces a Police Grant Report which is published and voted on by Parliament and contains grant funding allocations for the following year to be paid out under the Police Act 1996.
The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces. A copy of the most recent Grant Report for 2024-25 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be found online:
As announced at the Autumn budget 2024, the settlement will increase the core government grant for police forces in 2025-26 and help support frontline policing levels across the country, force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the current funding model on rural constituencies.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The majority of public funding for police forces in England and Wales is provided by the Home Office and is agreed by the House of Commons on an annual basis at the police funding settlement. Each year the Home Office produces a Police Grant Report which is published and voted on by Parliament and contains grant funding allocations for the following year to be paid out under the Police Act 1996.
The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces. A copy of the most recent Grant Report for 2024-25 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be found online:
As announced at the Autumn budget 2024, the settlement will increase the core government grant for police forces in 2025-26 and help support frontline policing levels across the country, force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that people in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas receive equitable access to social care support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014. Local authorities have a further duty to shape their care markets and commission a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.
The majority of grant funding for adult social care is distributed to local authorities using the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula. This is designed to account for factors that affect the differences in the need for, and cost of, adult social care services that are outside of local authorities’ control, including population, income and wealth, informal care support, wages and prices, and population sparsity.
We recognise that there are challenges in adult social care. Lord Darzi’s report indicated a growing gap between requests and those receiving publicly funded care, and some people are waiting too long to get the care they need. Long-term reform is needed in adult social care, and we will work with the sector to create a sustainable care system across all constituencies that supports people to live independent and dignified lives.
In the short term, the Government is providing at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care in 2025/26, as part of the broader estimated real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%. We will set out further details at the Local Government Finance Settlement.
In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) local authority assessments consider the performance of the delivery of Care Act 2014 duties. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing its functions to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has powers to intervene. The CQC has published twelve local authority ratings and reports.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve access to social care in underserved regions where the amount of care providers is lower per capita.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014. Local authorities have a further duty to shape their care markets and commission a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.
The majority of grant funding for adult social care is distributed to local authorities using the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula. This is designed to account for factors that affect the differences in the need for, and cost of, adult social care services that are outside of local authorities’ control, including population, income and wealth, informal care support, wages and prices, and population sparsity.
We recognise that there are challenges in adult social care. Lord Darzi’s report indicated a growing gap between requests and those receiving publicly funded care, and some people are waiting too long to get the care they need. Long-term reform is needed in adult social care, and we will work with the sector to create a sustainable care system across all constituencies that supports people to live independent and dignified lives.
In the short term, the Government is providing at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care in 2025/26, as part of the broader estimated real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%. We will set out further details at the Local Government Finance Settlement.
In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) local authority assessments consider the performance of the delivery of Care Act 2014 duties. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing its functions to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has powers to intervene. The CQC has published twelve local authority ratings and reports.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of funding allocated to (a) brain tumours and (b) other cancers in the last five years; and if he will take steps to increase funding available for brain tumours.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer the largest area of spend at over £121.8 million in 2022/23 reflecting its high priority. The Department does not currently have plans to make a comparative assessment of funding allocated to brain and other cancers in the last five years
The NIHR has taken steps on opportunities for brain cancer research funding. In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support and rehabilitation.
We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer, including brain tumours, earlier and treating it faster so more patients survive, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. To do this, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of restricting the use of live facial recognition software.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Live facial technology is being used effectively by some police forces to identify suspects more quickly and accurately. Its use is governed by data protection, equality, and human rights legislation supplemented by specific policing guidance.
At a Westminster Hall Debate on live facial recognition on 13 November, I was clear that the government wants to take time to think carefully about how much support the police may need from Government and Parliament to set and manage the rules for the use of this technology.