Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
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 through the Pride in Place Programme to support the long-term economic regeneration of town centres in Scotland.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through the Government's Pride in Place Programme, up to £5.8 billion is being invested over 10 years in 284 neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation, including 24 towns and neighbourhoods in Scotland. In each area, a Neighbourhood Board will work with the local community to decide how this funding is spent, which could include investment in town centre regeneration projects, where these reflect local priorities.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department provides to Neighbourhood Boards in Scotland to ensure local communities can effectively maximise Pride in Place funding.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published guidance on GOV.UK here to support delivery of the Pride in Place Programme. The Government has set up a designated Communities Delivery Unit, sitting within MHCLG, which provides direct ongoing support to local authorities, MPs and Neighbourhood Boards. The Government is also establishing a Network for Neighbourhoods across the UK, which will help areas to build connections and share learning, and give Neighbourhood Boards access to expertise and support.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with LINK on the criteria used to assess communities for Banking Hubs in towns such as Larkhall.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Under the statutory access to cash regime, LINK is the coordination body for cash access arrangements and undertakes cash access assessments. Where an assessment identifies a gap, LINK determines the additional cash access service required, which may include a banking hub.
When asked to carry out a cash access assessment, LINK takes into consideration a wide range of criteria, including those unique to each location, such as the size and vulnerability of the population, existing and remaining cash access facilities and the number of shops. Specifically, LINK takes into consideration population demographics, public transport links and whether it is reasonable for people to travel to nearby facilities, including the actual travel distance. LINK uses a catchment area of 3 miles in rural locations and 1 mile in urban areas and considers if there is a significant impact on nearby towns.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans he has to work with the Scottish Government to improve (a) rail and (b) bus routes in (i) Hamilton and Clyde Valley and (ii) Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Scotland Office ministers have regular meetings with the Deputy First Minister, where we discuss local economic growth as one of the key missions of this Government. Our two Governments effectively co-manage the successful Glasgow City Region Growth deal, which includes funding for infrastructure.
Both local and national rail and bus routes in Scotland are devolved, however, and therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has received data from the Scottish Government on the average waiting time for a child autism assessment in (a) Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency, (b) Lanarkshire and (c) Scotland in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support local businesses in Hamilton town centre.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The Government will bring forward a Small Business Strategy Command Paper next year, setting out the Government’s vision for small businesses, including those in Hamilton Town Centre, from boosting scale-ups to growing the co-operative economy, creating thriving high streets, and addressing access to finance and late payments.
The government will commit to funding key growth programmes in 2025-26 including Help to Grow: Management across the UK, which helps businesses and entrepreneurs unlock their potential through bespoke support and resources.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce levels of child poverty in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Statistics for the total number of adults living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level. Statistics on the total number of adults living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs at regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication and can be found in tabs “5_Relative_ParlC” and “6_Absolute_ParlC”. These are only produced on a before housing cost basis. A link to these statistics can be found here: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child.
The Child Poverty Taskforce has started work and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Child Poverty Strategy will be published in the Spring and is UK-wide.
In September, the Taskforce heard from local leaders about the challenges faced in their communities, and how it can best work with Mayors, local authorities and other bodies to develop innovative solutions to tackle child poverty. This marked the first of a series of thematic sessions with key organisations, charities and experts on specific topics that will help to shape the strategy.
The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults were living in absolute poverty in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Statistics for the total number of adults living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level. Statistics on the total number of adults living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs at regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication and can be found in tabs “5_Relative_ParlC” and “6_Absolute_ParlC”. These are only produced on a before housing cost basis. A link to these statistics can be found here: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child.
The Child Poverty Taskforce has started work and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Child Poverty Strategy will be published in the Spring and is UK-wide.
In September, the Taskforce heard from local leaders about the challenges faced in their communities, and how it can best work with Mayors, local authorities and other bodies to develop innovative solutions to tackle child poverty. This marked the first of a series of thematic sessions with key organisations, charities and experts on specific topics that will help to shape the strategy.
The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children were living in absolute poverty in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Statistics for the total number of adults living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level. Statistics on the total number of adults living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs at regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication and can be found in tabs “5_Relative_ParlC” and “6_Absolute_ParlC”. These are only produced on a before housing cost basis. A link to these statistics can be found here: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child.
The Child Poverty Taskforce has started work and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The Child Poverty Strategy will be published in the Spring and is UK-wide.
In September, the Taskforce heard from local leaders about the challenges faced in their communities, and how it can best work with Mayors, local authorities and other bodies to develop innovative solutions to tackle child poverty. This marked the first of a series of thematic sessions with key organisations, charities and experts on specific topics that will help to shape the strategy.
The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage.