Question

To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if she will hold discussions with the Electoral Commission on the reasons for which it rejected the application from (a) Kingston Independent Residents Group and (b) Workers Party Britain on registering a description that included the leaders of those parties.

Answered by Cat Smith

Parties have the option to register descriptions which can appear on the ballot paper, instead of the party name. As the registrar for political parties, electoral law requires the Commission to assess whether a party’s description meets the requirements set out in law. If it does not, the description cannot be registered.

If a person, other than the candidate, is named in a description and thus appeared on the ballot paper, it is likely to mislead a voter about the candidate standing in their area. It would not therefore meet the legal requirements for a description, and the Commission would be required to refuse it.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of the UK's (a) participation in Operation Prosperity Guardian and (b) military air strikes on Yemen.

Answered by Leo Docherty

The Net Additional Costs of Military Operations will be identified and reported in the Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

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 merits of removing the two-child limit for benefits.

Answered by Jo Churchill

There are no plans to make such an assessment.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2024 to Question 25444 on Political Parties: Registration, if she will ask the Commission to make an assessment of the consistency of those rules with the approval of a description on a ballot paper of the Liberal Party that includes reference to Steve Radford's candidate.

Answered by Cat Smith

All applications to register new party descriptions are assessed against the criteria set out in law. The criteria are designed to ensure voters can mark the ballot paper with confidence.

The description referenced was registered 23 years ago. The Commission has since updated its approach to descriptions that feature individuals’ names, to ensure the statutory criteria which prevent voters from being misled or confused are met.

The Commission periodically reviews the registers of political parties to ensure registered details continue to meet the statutory tests. It will consider descriptions that include an individual’s name as part of its programme of future reviews.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the level of real-terms funding since 2010 on schools in Rochdale constituency; and if she will make it her policy to increase the level of real-term funding for schools in Rochdale constituency to 2010 levels.

Answered by Damian Hinds

This government is committed to providing a world class education system for all children and has invested significantly in education to achieve that. Overall school funding, including the recently announced additional pensions funding, is rising to £60.7 billion in 2024/25, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This means that real terms funding for schools in England has increased rather than decreased since 2010.

Through the National Funding Formula (NFF), funding is distributed fairly based on the needs of each school and their pupils and all schools attract a per pupil increase in funding. Mainstream schools in the Rochdale Constituency are attracting an extra £1 million in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24 through the schools NFF, which is an increase of 1.9% per pupil in their pupil-led funding. This means schools in the Rochdale Constituency will attract over £112.1 million, based on the schools NFF. Constituency figures are based on an aggregation of school-level allocations through the NFF, and final allocations will depend on the local authority’s funding formula.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a circular economy strategy for plastics which sets (a) targets and (b) measures for the (i) elimination and (ii) recycling of single-use plastics.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how we want to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042 and move towards a circular economy. In 2023 we published the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) which set out our progress in this area and future plans.

Where the evidence supports the case, we will not hesitate to introduce bans and other measures to limit its use. We have brought in multiple bans and restrictions, including most recently in October 2023, on the supply of many unnecessary single-use plastic items. To tackle the use of virgin plastic and incentivise the use of recycled plastic, the Government brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022.

Meanwhile, our Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging reforms will incentivise businesses to use packaging that is more easily recyclable and where possible, eliminate single-use plastic.

We do not currently intend to publish any further strategies as we continue to work on our plans laid out in the EIP.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a strategy to tackle youth homelessness.

Answered by Felicity Buchan

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 24417 on 8 May 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that National Highways reduces litter on (a) motorways, (b) access roads, (c) junctions and (d) verges.

Answered by Guy Opperman

National Highways are responsible for litter collection on motorways and some trunk roads. Local authorities manage litter collection on the rest of the roads in England including junctions and verges.

National Highways inspect and grade the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in accordance with Defra’s Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse and litter is picked almost every day on their roads. Their activities are reported and monitored via its corporate Performance Indicator outlined in the Roads Investment Strategy. The Office for Road and Rail also play an important role in monitoring on behalf of the Secretary of State, by ensuring that National Highways’ deliver its commitments.

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 help tackle teenage drug addiction.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

Alcohol or drug dependence is rare in young people under the age of 18 years old, although they may be drinking problematically. The most effective and sustainable approach to reducing alcohol and drug harms in young people is by giving them the best start in life, the best education possible, and keeping them safe, well, and happy.

Statutory guidance on relationships, sex, and health education requires all primary and secondary school pupils to be taught the key facts and risks of alcohol and drug use, as well as how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. The Department has worked with the PSHE Association to develop the lesson plans on alcohol and is currently commissioning an update of the resources, to be published later this year. Current resources are available at the following link:

https://pshe-association.org.uk/drugeducation

Through the cross-Government Drug Strategy, the Department has allocated £532 million of additional funding through to 2024/25, to support improvements in alcohol and drug treatment, including facilitating 5,000 more young people into age-appropriate treatment by 2024/25. Local authorities can also invest their allocation in options from a menu of interventions, some of which include strengthening the services available to young people and families.

The Government also has an information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents and concerned others:

https://www.talktofrank.com/

Manchester Arena terror attacks

Arms sales to Israel

School funding

Day for Mourning and Solidarity with Gaza

Children's Hospice Week

Hamilton Academical and the Scottish Championship

World Hypertension Day 2024

Scrutiny of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and arms exports to Israel

Diagnosing Coeliac disease

St Leonard’s Catholic School, City of Durham (No. 2)

Llanymddyfri Rugby Club – Clwb Rygbi Llanymddyfri

Defective cavity wall insulation

Gaza

Sub-postmasters

Two child benefit cap

Medical support for children in Gaza

Food banks

Islamophobia Awareness Month

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Found: Galloway Tim Farron Sir Desmond Swayne Chris Green Fiona Bruce Sir Edward Leigh Sir Jacob

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