Helena Dollimore

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was created in February 2023, so no data is held for prior to this time.

There has been no spend on either (a) media or (b) voice training for Ministers between February 2023 and 4^th July 2024 in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

DSIT was created on 7 February 2023. Between 7 February 2023 and 5 July 2024, we have spent no money on (a) media or (b) voice training for Ministers.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent anything on media or voice training for Ministers since 4 July 2024. We are not aware of any expenditure on media or voice training for Ministers under the previous government between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.

The department’s records show there has been no budget spent on media and/or voice training for Ministers between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.

Departmental officials are working closely with trustees at the University of Brighton Academies Trust on the actions they are taking to address concerns raised by staff and parents.

This includes an ongoing review into a number of organisational changes that are planned over the coming months. I will continue to monitor progress on these discussions.

I am pleased that the trust has made a number of changes already, including the appointment of new trustees to the academy trust’s board, a review of the trust’s financial management, and the appointment of an Executive Director of Change.

Academy trusts are the responsible, accountable body for all the money allocated to their individual academies, and the 2023 Academy Trust Handbook permits academy trusts to amalgamate academies’ General Annual Grant (GAG) to form one central fund. This allows academy trusts to direct funds in line with improvement priorities and needs across their schools.

The handbook also sets out that, where a trust decides to pool GAG, it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy. The academy trust must also have an appeals mechanism in place. If an appeal is not resolved, an appeal can be escalated to Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

Academy trusts are the responsible, accountable body for all the money allocated to their individual academies, and the 2023 Academy Trust Handbook permits academy trusts to amalgamate academies’ General Annual Grant (GAG) to form one central fund. This allows academy trusts to direct funds in line with improvement priorities and needs across their schools.

The handbook also sets out that, where a trust decides to pool GAG, it must consider the funding needs and allocations of each constituent academy. The academy trust must also have an appeals mechanism in place. If an appeal is not resolved, an appeal can be escalated to Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, the Department spent £2,292 on media training for members of the Ministerial team. No spend on voice training for Ministers was incurred during this period.

The Secretary of State has already met with CEOs of all 16 water companies, including Southern Water, setting out his expectations from government going forward. He will have further conversations with water company chief executives in due course, including with Southern Water, on a range of issues, and will be sure to raise the experiences of those impacted by flooding and supply interruptions and scrutinise their plans to improve.

The kind of surface water flooding that Hastings experienced in 2023 generally occurs after extreme rainfall when water cannot immediately drain away or soak into the ground. It can happen very quickly, be difficult to predict and can be exacerbated by impermeable built environment and overwhelmed drainage capacity.

The responsibility for local flood risk management falls to lead local flood authorities (LLFA), in collaboration with water companies. The Government’s Flood Resilience Taskforce will deliver flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes. In addition, our Water Bill will put water companies under tough special measures where they do not meet performance expectations, by strengthening regulation as a first legislative step towards improving the sector.

When a flood occurs, LLFAs investigate which risk management authorities have relevant flood risk management functions and whether they have exercised those functions.

The Secretary of State has already met with CEOs of all 16 water companies, including Southern Water, setting out his expectations from government going forward. He will have further conversations with water company chief executives in due course, including with Southern Water, on a range of issues, and will be sure to raise the experiences of those impacted by flooding and supply interruptions and scrutinise their plans to improve.

The Secretary of State has already met with CEOs of all 16 water companies, including Southern Water, setting out his expectations from government going forward. He will have further conversations with water company chief executives in due course, including with Southern Water, on a range of issues, and will be sure to raise the experiences of those impacted by flooding and supply interruptions and scrutinise their plans to improve.

For the period requested, there was NIL spend on these types of training.

Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, media training was received by Minister Caroline Johnson MP, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Public Health, and Lord Markham, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.

The following table shows the number of doctors who applied for training in the Core Anaesthetics programme, as well as how many training places were available across the United Kingdom in each of the last five years:

Source: Workforce, Training and Education, Competition Ratios, published by NHS England and available at the following link:
https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios

Doctors undertake two years of foundation training after graduation, which is followed by a choice of core training programmes. Most of those in core training then apply for higher specialty training programmes.

For 2024, there were 4,177 applications across the 25 specialty training programmes that comprise medical specialty training, which came from 2,897 unique applicants due to doctors being able to apply to a number of different specialities when seeking specialty training posts. The number of unique applicants for prior years is not held by the Department.

The attached table shows the number of doctors who applied for training in the 25 individual specialty training programmes that comprise medical specialty training, along with how many training posts were available across the United Kingdom in each speciality, in each of the last five years.

This information is drawn from information published by NHS England on the Competition Ratios for all doctor training specialties each year, which is available at the following link:

https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios

The Department spent a total of £1,500, including VAT, on media training for ministers between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024. There was no expenditure on voice training for ministers during this period.

Like so many Hon. members across the House, I dearly miss the late Baroness McDonagh, who was sadly taken from us by glioblastoma. I’m determined to improve overall survival rates and treatment for rarer cancers like these and I met with officials and leading clinicians on glioblastomas this week to discuss what more we can do.

The requested information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. No money has been spent on voice training for Ministers.

Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, the Department spent £3.3k on media training for members of the Ministerial team. No spend on voice training for Ministers was incurred during this period.

The Directorate of Defence Communications and Top Office Group in the Ministry of Defence Head Office spend on media and voice training for Ministers between the 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024 is nil.

Playgrounds are an essential part of social infrastructure and government is committed to improving access to safe play spaces. The provision of playgrounds in parks and public spaces is primarily a matter for local authorities. We support local government and recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places. In addition, the National Design Guide demonstrates how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive, with an integrated mix of uses that are accessible for all.

We will use our bold £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods to bolster a wide range of community assets, including play areas. Over the next decade, the plan will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support to each of 75 eligible communities across the UK, bringing together “neighbourhood boards” to develop local regeneration plans in partnership with local authorities: Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus - GOV.UK.

Playgrounds are an essential part of social infrastructure and government is committed to improving access to safe play spaces. The provision of playgrounds in parks and public spaces is primarily a matter for local authorities. We support local government and recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places. In addition, the National Design Guide demonstrates how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive, with an integrated mix of uses that are accessible for all.

We will use our bold £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods to bolster a wide range of community assets, including play areas. Over the next decade, the plan will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support to each of 75 eligible communities across the UK, bringing together “neighbourhood boards” to develop local regeneration plans in partnership with local authorities: Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus - GOV.UK.

Investing in preventative services is critical for reducing the number of households and children in temporary accommodation. The Government has made the largest-ever investment in prevention services, increasing funding for homelessness services by £233 million to a total of £1 billion for homelessness and rough sleeping in 2025/26.

The Spending Review has protected this record level of investment for the next three years, and provided £100 million, including from the Transformation Fund, to fund increased homelessness prevention activity by local authorities.

The Department organised no (i) media or (ii) voice training for Ministers during this period, and therefore the estimated cost to the public purse is none.

The Department carries out media training in-house and so did not spend any money on media or voice training for Ministers in this period.