Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication General Practice Workforce, published by NHS Digital on 31 August 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of 23 per cent. of GPs working more than 37.5hrs per week compared to 32 per cent. five years ago; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the funding model for GP practices so that funding is allocated per patient contact.
Answered by Will Quince
Between June 2017 and June 2022, the number of full-time equivalent doctors in general practice grew by 1,340. There are no current plans to assess or amend the funding model for general practitioner practices.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase the number of teachers for deaf children and (b) ensure that deaf awareness is included in all initial teacher training.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department is determined that all children and young people, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, receive the support they need to succeed in their education.
Our reformed Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework (ITT CCF) and the new Early Career Framework (ECF), both developed with sector experts, will equip teachers with a clear understanding of the needs of all children. This includes those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the teachers’ standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment.
Consideration of SEND underpins both the ITT CCF and ECF which were both produced with the support of sector experts. The ECF is designed to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all.
All teachers in local authority-maintained schools or non-maintained special schools in England are required to hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which is awarded upon successful completion of an ITT course.
In specialist settings, in addition to holding QTS, it is a legal requirement for teachers of classes of pupils who have sensory impairments to hold the relevant mandatory qualification. Providers must be approved by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to offer these qualifications. Teachers working in an advisory role to support such pupils should also hold the appropriate qualification.
The department intends to develop a new approval process to determine providers of mandatory qualifications in sensory impairment from the start of 2023/2024 academic year. Our aim is to ensure a steady supply of teachers of children with visual, hearing, and multi-sensory impairment, in both specialist and mainstream settings.
Wider decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rest with schools, headteachers, and teachers themselves, as they are in the best position to judge their own requirements, which may include further training and development.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the transparency of country of origin food labelling for online retailers and (b) help ensure that country of origin labelling is equally transparent in both online and in-store retailers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
Food Information to Consumers Regulations require many foods to declare the origin on the label. This includes where the consumer would be misled if it were not given, and always for specific foods such as beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat, poultry, fish, shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine and most fruit and vegetables. Additionally, there are rules that help prevent the consumer from being misled about the origin of the primary ingredient of the food, although the majority of meat and dairy products sold at retail voluntarily provide the origin of the meat or dairy ingredients.
Regulations ensure that where pre-packed foods are sold at distance or online, all mandatory particulars including country of origin should be available before the point of purchase and at the point of delivery. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, including country of origin, so that they can make informed choices in both online and in-store environments.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraphs 18 to 21 of the Government Response to the Transport Select Committee’s Third Report on the Rollout and safety of smart motorways, HC 26, published on 12 January 2022, whether (a) motorway service stations, (b) slip roads and (c) hard shoulders are defined as emergency refuge areas by National Highways in its work retrofitting all-lane running motorways.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In the Government’s response to the Transport Committee report published in January 2022, we announced that we would be committing £390 million to add around 50% more places to stop in an emergency by 2025, giving drivers added reassurance. National Highways is currently developing a detailed programme of work which will set out the type and location of emergency areas to be delivered.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timetable is for agreeing the first passenger service contracts with train operating companies.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The launch of the initial competition for passenger service contracts is expected to be in 2022 with award of the first contract in 2024.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body will regulate Great British Railways.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As independent economic and safety regulator for Britain's railways, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will regulate Great British Railways.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers the Secretary of State for Transport has to direct the work of Great British Railways.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Once established, Ministers will have strong levers to hold Great British Railways to account, including statutory powers and the ability to issue mandatory directions and guidance that sets the direction for the railway - ensuring that the new body is focused on providing value for the taxpayer and delivering for passengers and freight customers.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) organisational structure and (b) workstreams of Great British Railways will be.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, published May 2021, we are establishing a new public body, Great British Railways. Great British Railways will own the infrastructure, receive the fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables. This will require significant change to the system and a new sector operating model. Work to understand new organisational structures and workstreams for Great British Railways is in development and will be an iterative process.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to transfer responsibility for negotiating passenger service contracts from his Department to Great British Railways.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department for Transport will act as procuring authority until the legislative transfer of powers to Great British Railways. We will be starting extensive and detailed consultation with the industry on the legislative aspects of reform in due course. Where Legislation is needed it will be introduced when the Parliamentary timetable allows.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
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 equity of international travel rules in relation to covid-19 for UK residents who have (a) received one dose of a covid-19 vaccine in Scotland and one dose of the vaccine in England and (b) participated in the Novavax trial.
Answered by Maggie Throup
NHS Digital has established data flows between England and Scotland which allow United Kingdom residents to obtain a NHS COVID Pass, regardless of which nation their vaccine was administered in. These individuals are able to demonstrate their fully vaccinated status for international travel purposes.
All Novavax trial participants can now access a domestic NHS COVID Pass. The majority of trial participants can also access a NHS COVID Pass for international travel. Discussions are ongoing with other countries, including through bodies such as the G7, G20, the European Union and the World Health Organization to shape a common approach for trial participants around the world.