Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) complaints and (b) other feedback can be provided to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff within HMCTS buildings; and what steps (i) operations, cluster and group managers in courts and (ii) senior officials in HMCTS take to ensure feedback processes are fit for purpose.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Both (a) complaints and (b) other feedback can be provided directly to HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff within HMCTS buildings. In instances where feedback cannot be provided in person, HMCTS also accepts complaints and feedback, in writing (by email and letter), over the phone or online via the HMCTS gov.uk website.
(i) Local managers in courts are regularly involved in responding to complaints across all communication channels. There is guidance available to all staff to set out how complaints and feedback can be received. (ii) Feedback processes are considered as part of the overall user experience that senior officials routinely review.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's (a) policies, (b) procedures and (c) service standards are for officials in (i) his Department, (ii) the HM Courts and Tribunals Service and (iii) the Judicial Office on ensuring the timeliness and effectiveness of communications to (A) Ministers in his Department and (B) judges; what records are kept of receipt of such communications; whether (1) triggers and (2) alerts are in place if communications are not provided within agreed service standards; and who has responsibility for dealing with concerns relating to any such communications.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There are a number of polices, procedures and service standards across MoJ and its agencies including HM Courts & Tribunals Service that ensure the effective communication between the relevant area of the MoJ, Ministers and Judges. This includes different polices or procedure depending on the type of communication. In HMCTS, OPTIC is used as a complaints management system to handle correspondence, including ministerial correspondence which includes triggers and alters that ensure service standards are maintained.
Judicial Office is independent and has its own policies, procedures and service standards for communications that likewise ensure effective communication between departments and to ministers and judiciary.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November to Question 3424 on Rheumatology: Consultants and Nurses, what (a) methodology and (b) criteria were used to determine the required increase in specialist training places to meet NHS demand for full time equivalent grade 1 paediatric and adult rheumatology consultants.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over the last 30 years, the National Health Service has developed sophisticated modelling techniques to guide the allocation of resources against patient need. The current resource allocations methodology considers over 150 separate factors to determine population-weighted healthcare need for each NHS integrated care board.
This methodology is combined with NHS England’s, and previously Health Education England’s, demand forecasting model that utilises hospital episode statistics alongside Office for National Statistics population projections to understand future growth in demand for key hospital services in each region and is further adjusted based on regional deprivation.
This provides a robust method for understanding the distribution of future healthcare demand on the medical workforce, including paediatric and adult rheumatology consultants. The model provides a reliable and transparent methodology on which to base the distribution of trainee posts across regions which can be revisited if changes occur.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2023 to Question 3424 on Rheumatology: Consultants and Nurses, how her Department determines the commensurate increase in specialist training places to meet NHS demands without an estimation of vacancies for Full Time Equivalent Grade 1 (a) adult and (b) paediatric rheumatology consultants.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over the last 30 years, the National Health Service has developed sophisticated modelling techniques to guide the allocation of resources against patient need. The current resource allocations methodology considers over 150 separate factors to determine population-weighted healthcare need for each NHS integrated care board.
This methodology is combined with NHS England’s, and previously Health Education England’s, demand forecasting model that utilises hospital episode statistics alongside Office for National Statistics population projections to understand future growth in demand for key hospital services in each region and is further adjusted based on regional deprivation.
This provides a robust method for understanding the distribution of future healthcare demand on the medical workforce, including paediatric and adult rheumatology consultants. The model provides a reliable and transparent methodology on which to base the distribution of trainee posts across regions which can be revisited if changes occur.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a time-limited energy tariff to help lower the cost of energy bills for (a) elderly people, (b) disabled people, (c) families with young children and (d) other people who are vulnerable to the cold.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The outlook for energy prices has improved significantly. The Ofgem price cap has more than halved since its peak at the beginning of this year.
The Government is providing Cost of Living Payments to UK households on eligible means tested benefits, including over 6 million people across the UK eligible ‘extra-costs’ disability benefits’, for those who face wider affordability challenges. This is in addition to ongoing winter support payments such as the Warm Home Discount, the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment.
The Government will continue to monitor the situation and keep options under review.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using long-term empty properties to provide affordable homes in the North West.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local authorities already have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus, they receive the same level of reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has a plan to increase the number of (a) adult and (b) paediatric full time equivalent (i) fully qualified grade one rheumatology consultants and (ii) rheumatology specialist nurses in England over the next (A) 12 months, (B) five years and (C) 15 years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific estimate has been made of adult or paediatric consultant rheumatologist vacancies. There are currently 1,153 full time equivalent doctors working in the specialty of rheumatology. This is 142 or 14% more than in 2019. In 2022/23 and 2023/24, Health Education England, now part of NHS England, increased the number of specialist rheumatology training posts by 12 and five respectively.
The Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) published on 30 June 2023 aims to double the number of medical school places in England, taking the total number of places to 10,000 by 2028/29 and 15,000 by 2031/32. The LTWP commits to an adequate growth in foundation placement capacity, as those taking up these new places begin to graduate, and a commensurate increase in specialty training places that meets the demands of the National Health Servuce in the future. This will substantially increase the potential pipeline for rheumatologists and other medical specialties.
The LTWP also sets out an ambition to almost double the number of adult nursing training places, taking the total number of places to nearly 28,000 by 2028/29 and nearly 38,000 by 2031/32. This will substantially increase the potential pipeline for nurses specialising in rheumatology.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of full time equivalent fully qualified grade one (a) adult rheumatology and (b) pediatric rheumatology consultant vacancies in England.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific estimate has been made of adult or paediatric consultant rheumatologist vacancies. There are currently 1,153 full time equivalent doctors working in the specialty of rheumatology. This is 142 or 14% more than in 2019. In 2022/23 and 2023/24, Health Education England, now part of NHS England, increased the number of specialist rheumatology training posts by 12 and five respectively.
The Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) published on 30 June 2023 aims to double the number of medical school places in England, taking the total number of places to 10,000 by 2028/29 and 15,000 by 2031/32. The LTWP commits to an adequate growth in foundation placement capacity, as those taking up these new places begin to graduate, and a commensurate increase in specialty training places that meets the demands of the National Health Servuce in the future. This will substantially increase the potential pipeline for rheumatologists and other medical specialties.
The LTWP also sets out an ambition to almost double the number of adult nursing training places, taking the total number of places to nearly 28,000 by 2028/29 and nearly 38,000 by 2031/32. This will substantially increase the potential pipeline for nurses specialising in rheumatology.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) Rough Sleepers Accommodation Programme, (b) Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme and (c) Local Authority Housing Fund.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
DLUHC have just awarded a three-year contract to the Centre for Homelessness Impact to evaluate the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping system, including accommodation programmes such as the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme.
As of October 2023, our Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme had delivered over 5,300 homes for rough sleepers across England. We remain confident that the overall target of 6,000 homes will be achieved.
The £200 million Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme was announced in September 2022 aiming to deliver homes for adults experiencing severe multiple disadvantage and specialist accommodation for young people (under 25) who are at risk of, or already experiencing, rough sleeping in the areas of highest need.
Following the conclusion of the first two rounds of the Local Authority Housing Fund in 2024, DLUHC will conduct an evaluation of the fund.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to extend Cost of Living Payments beyond the Spring.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are currently no plans to extend the Cost of Living Payments beyond the Spring. Cost of Living payments enabled us to target further support during the rising cost of living pressures. Delivering lump sum payments got support faster to those who needed it, reflecting our commitment to providing direct and timely relief to those who need it most. The rate of inflation has slowed, and we have been able to implement uprating to other benefits in the meantime to reflect increased costs. This includes increasing benefits and the state pension by 10.1% in April 2023 in line with inflation. The Secretary of State has completed his annual statutory review of pensions and benefits and his decisions were announced to Parliament on 22 November. From April 2024, Universal Credit amounts will be up-rated by 6.7%.