Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much official development assistance funding was allocated for tuberculosis (a) prevention and (b) treatment in Malawi in each financial year since 2015-16.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In November 2022, the UK pledged £1 billion to the 7th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which will help to provide tuberculosis (TB) treatment and care for 98,000 people, screen 1.8 million people for TB and provide 3,700 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. Previous UK contributions to the Global Fund were £800 million during 2014-16, £1.2 billion during 2017-19, and £1.4 billion during 2020-22.
The UK contribution to the Global Fund is not earmarked by country or disease, so the requested breakdown is not available. However, the Global Fund allocation to Malawi was US$450 million in 2017-19 (including $9 million for TB), $513 million during 2020-22 (including $20 million for TB) and a pledged total of $517 million for 2023-25 (including $20 million for TB).
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what amount of UK ODA is projected to be allocated to tuberculosis (a) prevention and (b) treatment in Malawi in each of the next three financial years.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I am pleased to confirm the UK will pledge £850 million to the Global Fund's Eighth Replenishment 2026-2028. This investment is expected to help save up to 1.3 million lives and avert up to 22 million new cases of HIV, TB, and malaria globally, delivering up to £13 billion in economic returns. The Global Fund allocation to Malawi will be determined following the conclusion of the replenishment.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of grant available under the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme to cover the estimated costs of remediation to bring older networks in line with the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (a) nationally and (b) for heat networks in (i) Lambeth and (ii) Southwark.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The draft requirements of, and costs associated with, the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme will be published in a consultation and options assessment shortly. Heat network regulation is designed to be proportionate and to reduce costs in the longer term.
Further details on funding allocations for heat network schemes including the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan later this year.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of users of the Your Apprenticeship app in each month since 12 February 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Your Apprenticeship App has been developed with input from apprentices to ensure it meets their needs. The app allows apprentices to track their progress throughout their apprenticeship journey and to record evidence of their knowledge, skills and experience required to demonstrate occupational competency. As of 14 October, there have been almost 60,000 downloads and over 285,000 page views by users of the app.
The first phase of development is the minimum viable service, and this is being rolled out through a gradual onboarding of users as government continues to develop, test and enhance the functionality available.
In early testing the government identified a subset of users on the Android platform who could not access some features of the app. A solution was quickly implemented with users confirming it to be resolved.
Users are encouraged to contact the apprenticeship support team if they experience difficulties or have queries about the Your Apprenticeship app.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the technical capabilities of the Your Apprenticeship app.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Your Apprenticeship App has been developed with input from apprentices to ensure it meets their needs. The app allows apprentices to track their progress throughout their apprenticeship journey and to record evidence of their knowledge, skills and experience required to demonstrate occupational competency. As of 14 October, there have been almost 60,000 downloads and over 285,000 page views by users of the app.
The first phase of development is the minimum viable service, and this is being rolled out through a gradual onboarding of users as government continues to develop, test and enhance the functionality available.
In early testing the government identified a subset of users on the Android platform who could not access some features of the app. A solution was quickly implemented with users confirming it to be resolved.
Users are encouraged to contact the apprenticeship support team if they experience difficulties or have queries about the Your Apprenticeship app.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to review the adequacy of the level of take-up of the Your Apprenticeship app.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Your Apprenticeship App has been developed with input from apprentices to ensure it meets their needs. The app allows apprentices to track their progress throughout their apprenticeship journey and to record evidence of their knowledge, skills and experience required to demonstrate occupational competency. As of 14 October, there have been almost 60,000 downloads and over 285,000 page views by users of the app.
The first phase of development is the minimum viable service, and this is being rolled out through a gradual onboarding of users as government continues to develop, test and enhance the functionality available.
In early testing the government identified a subset of users on the Android platform who could not access some features of the app. A solution was quickly implemented with users confirming it to be resolved.
Users are encouraged to contact the apprenticeship support team if they experience difficulties or have queries about the Your Apprenticeship app.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is he taking to ensure that reported faults in the Your Apprenticeship app are repaired.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Your Apprenticeship App has been developed with input from apprentices to ensure it meets their needs. The app allows apprentices to track their progress throughout their apprenticeship journey and to record evidence of their knowledge, skills and experience required to demonstrate occupational competency. As of 14 October, there have been almost 60,000 downloads and over 285,000 page views by users of the app.
The first phase of development is the minimum viable service, and this is being rolled out through a gradual onboarding of users as government continues to develop, test and enhance the functionality available.
In early testing the government identified a subset of users on the Android platform who could not access some features of the app. A solution was quickly implemented with users confirming it to be resolved.
Users are encouraged to contact the apprenticeship support team if they experience difficulties or have queries about the Your Apprenticeship app.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of schools' compliance with the School Food Standards.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and that schools comply with the school food standards.
School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the school food standards and should work with the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.
In November 2024, the department and National Governance Association launched an online training course on school food for governors and trustees. This training is designed to improve understanding of the school food standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account on their whole-school approach to food.
We continue to work with the Food Standards Agency following the findings of the compliance pilot run by the department and the Food Standards Agency during the 2022/23 academic year.
Additionally, to ensure the quality and nutritional value of meals, we are working with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. As we revise the School Food Standards, we will consider approaches to compliance to ensure children get the healthy, nutritious meals they need.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to prevent branches of fast food brands opening in (a) sixth-forms and (b) colleges.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. We encourage a whole-school approach to healthy eating and would not expect fast food brands to be opening within sixth forms or colleges.
All sixth forms which are part of a secondary school must follow the school food standards. The standards apply even if the sixth form section of the school is located in a separate building or on a separate site. Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty, and we would expect food provided in the sixth form sections to follow the standards.
Further education colleges in England are autonomous institutions, but local planning policies and college governance often restrict or discourage fast food outlets, especially if they conflict with health promotion efforts. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning authorities should refuse applications for hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate, unless the location is within a designated town centre.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department encourages schools to request a debriefing from their local ambulance service after a defibrillator or CPR resuscitation attempt.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
In 2023, the department provided defibrillators to state-funded schools in England, where existing provision was not in place.
The department recognises that individuals may need support following a resuscitation attempt. Our defibrillator guidance advises that should a rescuer require support after an incident, they may be able to request a debriefing from their local ambulance service, or they can seek support from their GP. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.