Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to review the impact of the 2019 HMPPS Strategy for Care-Experienced People.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We know that people taken into care as children are disproportionately likely to end up in the criminal justice system, with research estimating that 24-31% of the adult prison population spent time in care as children.

We are committed to addressing this disproportionality, both by improving support for people with care experience while in the criminal justice system, and by working with colleagues across government to reduce the number of people with care experience who enter the criminal justice system.

As part of this, we are reviewing existing support available to people with care experience in the criminal justice system, and considering how to build on the work set out in the 2019 strategy. We are developing our approach to this currently and will say more once our plans have been finalised.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to provide targeted employment support for unemployed care leavers.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We recognise the challenges care leavers face as they move out of the care system and are working closely with Department for Education to ensure care leavers can access the right skills, opportunities, and wider support, to move towards sustained employment and career progression.

Under the new Youth Guarantee, all young people between 18-21 years will be able to access support to enter employment, education and training opportunities. This includes Care Leavers who we know are more likely than their peers to not be in education, employment or training and may benefit from more tailored support to support their transition as they leave the care provided by their Local Authority.

We are working closely with the Department for Education on the design of the Youth Guarantee, which is in the early stages of development. The Autumn Budget announced that we will establish eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazer areas to test new ways of supporting young people into employment, education or training, by bringing together and enhancing existing programmes in partnership with local areas. Further details will be set out in the up-coming ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper.

Meanwhile, care leavers who are in receipt of Universal Credit and available for work will continue to be supported by the DWP Youth Offer. This provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16-24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group and can include access to specialist work coaches, for example the Youth Employability Coaches, which help address complex barriers to work, as well as the partnership led Youth Hub network.

We have also taken steps to improve the career opportunities of care leavers through government recruitment schemes such as the Civil Service Care Leaver Internship, the Social Mobility Apprenticeship Scheme and our ongoing partnership with Movement to Work. These are all designed to consider challenges disadvantaged young people face as they take their first steps on the career ladder.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the affordability of NHS prescriptions for care leavers aged between 18 and 25.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There has been no recent assessment of the feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged between 18 and 25 years old.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that care leavers aged between 18 and 25 can access affordable public transport; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the English National Travel Concession Scheme to care leavers.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This government recognises the importance of supporting care leavers, and is keeping public transport affordable having announced a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London throughout the entirety of 2025.

Any change to the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) would require careful consideration for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. However, local authorities in England have implemented a wide range of their own local fares initiatives, including some discount schemes for care leavers, utilising alternative funding, such as Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. On 17 November, the government confirmed £712 million funding for local authorities in 2025/26 to deliver their BSIPs and protect services, as part of an over £1 billion investment in buses confirmed at the Budget.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of out of court settlements for employment tribunal cases across the NHS in each of the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This information is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England. No estimate has been made on the total cost to the public purse of out of court settlements for employment tribunal cases across the National Health Service in the last five years.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that support is available for households that (a) are not on low incomes and (b) do not have access to capital upfront to retrofit their homes.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to next year. Additional funding will be considered in Phase 2 of the Spending Review, as the Warm Homes Plan is further developed.

In addition, the Government is exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements and low carbon heating. This includes the Green Home Finance Accelerator Programme which has made £20 million available to support in developing green finance products.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the total cost to the public purse of out of court settlements for employment tribunal cases across local government in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Found: From the Chair Helen Hayes MP House of Commons Palace of Westminster London SW1A

Found: /contactus/dfe 26 November 2024 Chair of the Education Select Committee Helen Hayes

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Dr

Found: Buildings 20 Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT 14 November 2024 Dear Helen Hayes

Found: Smith Street London SW1P 3BT tel: 0370 000 2288 www.education.gov.uk/contactus/dfe Helen Hayes

Found: 5 November 2024 Ms Helen Hayes MP Chair, Education Select Committee House of Commons

Found: £13,762 £414 Elsewhere £10,227 £10,544 £317 Overseas £11,713 £12,076 £363 Helen Hayes

Found: 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ E: enquiries@dcms.gov.uk www.gov.uk/dcms Helen Hayes

Found: contactus/dfe 18 November 2024 Chair of the Education Select Committee Helen Hayes

Found: IMO: www.imohub.org.uk Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street London, SW1P 3BT Helen Hayes

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Mrs Sureena Brackenridge ; Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Education Committee member also present: Helen Hayes.

The purpose of this short inquiry is to hear from representatives of those affected by the Department's review of post-16 qualification reforms; to influence the Department's review before it concludes by the end of the year; to establish the full extent of the Department's plans for level 3 qualifications reform; and to provide clarity to schools, colleges, and students who face uncertainty about which courses will be available to them in the coming years.

Submit Evidence (by 30 Jan 2025)

A number of recent reports have set out in detail the extent of the crisis in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, which is letting down children and their families, creating intense pressure on local authority funding and on schools.