Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible families are receiving Healthy Start in Liverpool West Derby.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/
The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start, but it does hold data on the number of people receiving health start. The number of people on the scheme receiving Healthy Start in February 2025 for Stroud is 356.
The NHSBSA does not currently hold data on the number of people who are eligible for the scheme. An issue was identified with the Healthy Start source data that is used to calculate the uptake of the NHS Healthy Start scheme. The NHSBSA removed data for the number of people eligible for the scheme and the uptake percentage from January 2023 onwards.
The issue has only affected the data on the number of people eligible for the scheme. It has not prevented anyone from joining the scheme or continuing to access the scheme, if they are eligible.
The following table shows the number of people on the scheme for all three wards in Liverpool West, as of February 2025:
Ward | Number of people on the digital scheme |
West Derby Deysbrook | 36 |
West Derby Leyfield | 16 |
West Derby Muirhead | 20 |
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 41982 on Sewers, whether he plans to launch a consultation with stakeholders on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on the adoption of private sewerage assets by sewerage companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises that current arrangements for private sewerage need review. The Government has included private sewerage in the terms of reference for the Independent Water Commission and will examine how best to address the problems. The Government is committed to using legislation to reform the water sector and will continue to do so where necessary.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to reject investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms in future trade deals with Colombia.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government has no plan to negotiate a new trade deal with Colombia.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Education Support's annual survey titled Teacher Wellbeing Index, what steps her Department is taking to support teachers' mental health.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Liverpool West Derby to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29516.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of integrated care boards limiting access to prescriptions for gluten-free products on people with coeliac disease.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not plan to make such an assessment. NHS England guidance on prescribing gluten-free foods in primary care was developed in 2018 to communicate to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The guidance stated that CCGs may further restrict the prescribing of gluten-free foods by selecting bread only, mixes only or they may choose to end prescribing of such foods altogether having considered whether it is appropriate for their population, taking account of their legal duties to advance equality and have regard to reducing health inequalities. The guidance is available at the following link:
Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services are now the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs), rather than CCGs. NHS England guidance should be considered when ICBs formulate local policies, and prescribers are expected to reflect local policies in their prescribing practice. The guidance does not remove the clinical discretion of prescribers in accordance with their professional duties.
The national prescribing position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on National Health Service prescription and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to help African countries manage (a) debt burdens and (b) service payments.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary regularly meets with international counterparts. As set out by the Foreign Secretary, Chancellor, and the former Minister for Development, tackling unsustainable debt is a key development priority for this government. Where low-income countries are facing unsustainable debt, the government's position is that they should undertake a restructuring through the G20 Common Framework. We welcome recent Common Framework debt agreements with Zambia and Ghana and are calling for efforts to strengthen and speed up debt restructurings.
We are also focussed on strengthening the system for the future. This means improving debt transparency, strengthening debt management, global implementation of sustainable lending and borrowing practices, and wider roll out of Natural Disaster Clauses which pause debt repayments when a climate or health disaster hits.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure local authorities have adequate levels of Government funding.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.
Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax. This includes: an additional £2 billion of grant through the Settlement; a guarantee that local authorities in England will receive at least £1.1 billion in total in 2025-26 from the new Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme; and a further £233 million of additional funding for homelessness services.
We are also taking immediate action to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most in 2025-26.
The Government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27.
The Ministry works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis.
We recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. Funding allocations from future settlements are subject to the outcome of future Spending Reviews.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a UK-EU youth mobility scheme.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the number of people that died of natural courses in prison while serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection in 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The total number of prisoners who died of natural causes1,2 whilst in custody3,4 whilst serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection, January 2024 to December 2024, England and Wales.
| Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 |
Total | 12 |
It is right that IPP sentences were abolished in 2012. The Government is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken to support those still serving IPP sentences.
Data Sources and Quality
Deaths figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. As classification of deaths may change following inquest or as new information emerges, numbers may change from time to time.
(1) Apparent cause is based on the HMPPS classification of deaths in prison custody
(2) Figures for deaths during previous years may change due to late notifications and changes in classification following an inquest, which may not be concluded for several years after the death, so it is likely that numbers in some categories will be revised once classifications have been finalised. Prisoner information can occasionally be updated after death when improved data becomes available
(3) Figures include incidents during contracted out escorts
(4) Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce rail fares.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to reforming the overcomplicated fares system with a view to simplifying it. While it is our ambition, through public ownership, to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
This year's 4.6 per cent increase will be the lowest absolute increase in three years and will support the Government's long-term plan to achieve financial sustainability of the railway.