Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve access to pension information and (b) introduce the Pension Dashboards Scheme.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government ensures everyone has access to free impartial pension guidance through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). Their MoneyHelper service provides guidance to the public on all areas of UK pensions. In September 2024, MaPS launched a new digital service to give individuals more choice on how to access guidance from Pension Wise, which is part of MoneyHelper.
Pensions dashboards will improve access to pensions information by allowing people to view information about their pensions, including the State Pension, securely and in one place online. This will help promote greater engagement with pensions information, empowering people to better prepare for retirement. MaPS oversees the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) which is responsible for designing and implementing the digital architecture that will make pensions dashboards work.
PDP continues to test the connection journeys of around 20 ‘voluntary participant’ organisations. This activity will help support the connection of pension schemes and providers to the dashboards digital architecture from April 2025, in line with the published timetable. The connection of schemes and providers in line with the dates in guidance will enable MaPS and PDP to undertake user testing, in turn helping to inform the launch of dashboard services at the earliest possible point. Further information on dashboards delivery progress is set out in PDP’s update report, published biannually on the Pensions Dashboards Programme website: www.pensionsdashboardsprogramme.org.uk/progress-update-report.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham & Beckton constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.
The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.
This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of GP provision in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve patient access.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that patients are struggling to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to improving GP provision and access to appointments across the country, including in the West Ham and Beckton constituency.
In October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will both increase the number of GPs employed and the number of appointments delivered in general practice, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to receive the care they desperately deserve. This will also secure the future supply of GPs and take pressure off the existing workforce. Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract for 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. We are currently consulting the profession on key proposals to improve access, continuity of care and GP recruitment.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy varying widely across and within communities. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups.
Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services in England include NHS England’s ‘Core 20 Plus 5’, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20 percent of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.
The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities’ London Regional Team provides system leadership for population health and reducing health inequalities across London. Partners are working together to deliver the Health and Care Vision for London, which sets out a shared ambition to make London the healthiest global city, and the best global city in which to receive health and care services. The Vision aims to tackle issues that cause poor health and health inequalities.
The Mayor of London has set out his aims and objectives for addressing health inequalities in London. This sets the direction of travel for collaborative working by the Mayor of London, partners and communities to tackle health inequalities.
Newham Local Authority received £34.2 million in Public Health Grant funding in 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, health visiting/school nursing, sexual health, and NHS Health Checks among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities. Newham Local Authority, the National Health Service and other partners are working together to improve health equity and address the social determinants of health, including through the ‘50 Steps to a Healthier Newham’ Strategy and the Newham Centre for Health Equity.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent childhood obesity.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, and is particularly concentrated in the most deprived areas.
Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of our Health Mission. We face a childhood obesity crisis and this government is taking action.
We have acted to end the targeting of junk food ads at children. We’ve also given local authorities stronger powers to block applications for unhealthy takeaways near schools to put children first.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with (a) employers and (b) further education providers to help ensure the post-16 curriculum is aligned with the future needs of the UK workforce.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.
My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills’ keynote speech on 12 November at the Association of Colleges conference recommitted to this pledge, and to working collaboratively with the sector to bring forward this strategy, building on the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the introduction of Skills England, and with a continued focus on lifelong learning.
This will launch an opportunity for further and higher education sectors, local government, learners, and employers to shape the government’s long-term strategy for skills, as well as work across government to ensure the department leverages skills in driving progress against all government missions.
Skills England is being established to build a high-skill, high-productivity workforce that is matched to employers’ needs. It will unify the skills landscape by bringing together large and small businesses with training providers, regional actors, national government, unions and other key partners. It will identify priority skills gaps, help ensure the growth and skills offer delivers value for money, meets the needs of business and ensure that the workforce is equipped with the skills needed to power economic growth.
Skills England will provide authoritative assessments of national and regional skills needs now and for the future, combining the best available statistical data with insights generated from employers and other key stakeholders.
This deep understanding of skills needs will provide a solid platform on which central government, Skills England, employers, providers, unions and regional organisations can come together to make effective decisions on where to focus to close skills gaps and mismatches. It will work closely with the Industrial Strategy Council to ensure that training schemes drive growth in the national economy.
Its work will include ensuring that there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications available that are aligned with what employers need. It will also play a crucial role in identifying which training should be eligible for the Growth and Skills offer and will work closely with employers to ensure that occupational standards meet their needs.
Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) also give employers a more strategic role in the skills system and support the department’s long-term priority to drive local economic growth. Across all areas of England, LSIPs have helped engage thousands of local businesses and have brought them together with local providers and stakeholders to collaboratively agree and deliver actions to better align provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
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 encourage investment in high streets in (a) London and (b) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to supporting businesses and communities that make our high streets successful.
This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, reforming the apprenticeship levy, and reforming business rates.
We will also use High Street Rental Auctions, to provide local authorities in England with a tool to tackle vacancy, promote minimum letting standards for commercial units and flexible rents.
The London Borough of Newham has received UK Shared Prosperity Funding which, amongst other uses, has helped support local businesses in building their financial sustainability.
Our Small Business Strategy Command Paper, to be published in 2025, will set out this Government’s intentions on supporting small businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking encourage the take-up of STEM subjects at further education level.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department continues to support the take-up of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in further education (FE). Skills, including STEM skills, are crucial for the delivery of the government’s missions. That is why the department is building a coherent, flexible, high-quality skills system to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth, underpinned by a new post-16 skills and education strategy.
The department is setting up Skills England to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to help meet the skills needs of the next decade. Aligned to the government’s industrial strategy, this work will also be underpinned by Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) which help make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market and employer needs.
The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in STEM through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels. Examples of this include:
HTQs are level 4 to 5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education as providing skills in demand by employers. To date, 169 HTQs have been approved across Digital, Construction, and Health and Science routes.
In October, the department expanded eligibility for retention incentives to include early career FE teachers in key STEM and technical subjects. FE teachers can apply for the payment between 14 October 2024 and 31 March 2025 on GOV.UK accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/targeted-retention-incentive-payments-for-fe-teachers. This targeted retention incentive gives eligible teachers in disadvantaged schools and all colleges up to £6,000 after tax. This has doubled the previous retention payments paid to school teachers and is now available to eligible teachers at all FE colleges, for the first time.
Access to future employers is critical for young people making decisions on their careers and it should not be limited to who they or their parents and guardians know. The department’s ambition is to offer a guarantee of two weeks’ worth of high-quality work experience to all young people, irrespective of their background.
To support young people with careers information, advice and guidance, the Careers and Enterprise Company, back by £30 million of government funding in 2024/25, coordinates a national network of Careers Hubs which now includes 93% of secondary schools and colleges. The network includes 400 leading employers and around 4,000 business volunteers, including many in STEM occupations. The department’s careers framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks, includes a clear expectation that all 11 to 18-year-olds should have at least one meaningful interaction with employers per year. This should include a STEM-focused encounter or event before year 11.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of apprenticeships in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s reformed growth and skills offer, which will have apprenticeships at its core, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, including through shorter duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high-quality skills at work, and fuelling innovation in businesses across the UK. Our reformed offer will be realigned with our industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, including construction, digital and technology and clean energy industries.
The department is supporting industry to use existing skills flexibilities to deliver apprenticeship training, including through the work of the National Housebuilding Council and Construction Industry Training Board in their creation of housebuilding training hubs to make 5,000 more construction industry apprenticeship places available per year.
The department has also begun work to develop new foundation apprenticeships, a training offer that will give more young people a foot in the door and supporting clear pathways and progression in work-based training and employment.
The department is also continuing outreach work in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme and targeting young people through the Skills for Life campaign.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help protect grassroots sports venues in London.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises that grassroots sports facilities are at the beating heart of communities up and down the country and is acting to support more people to get active wherever they live through the delivery of the £123 million Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25.
Community facilities provide important places for people of all ages to be active, as well as vital social spaces and community hubs. The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The Government encourages local leaders to prioritise access to sport and physical activity wherever possible. Local Authorities are responsible for decisions regarding sport and leisure provision in their area.