Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 merits of allowing medical students in all years of the course to access the Learning Support Fund.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding arrangements for students are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 merits of increasing the NHS Bursary living allowance to match the Student Finance England maintenance loan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Bursary funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.
We have applied an uplift of 2% to all NHS Bursary maintenance grants and allowances for the academic year 2024/25. This is the first time the maintenance grant has been uplifted since 2015.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 merits of making retrospective payments to student nurses that were incorrectly labelled as being ineligible for the £5,000 annual training grant via the NHS Learning Support Fund since 2019.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no such plans.
The NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) is an annual scheme operated under rules that are published by the Department for each academic year. Eligibility for the LSF under these rules reflects eligibility for student loans set by the Department for Education.
The NHS LSF scheme is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) on behalf of the Department. It includes provisions for students to ask the NHSBSA for a review of their decisions, and to contact the Department to appeal NHSBSA decisions.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to re-establish the Tourism Industry Council; and whether she plans to include representatives from the cruise industry within its membership.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is keen to hear the views of and work with all parts of the visitor economy, including the cruise sector. Details of how Ministers will engage in this Parliament with stakeholders across what is a diverse and broad sector will be published shortly.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing incentives on the use of heat batteries similar to those on heat pumps.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Heat batteries are a promising electric heating technology, which can be charged off-peak to utilise cheaper electricity. However, they are less efficient than heat pumps and if a battery has insufficient storage capacity, it may need to draw electricity at peak times which can add to the burden on the electricity network. Consequently, policies like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, are currently focused on supporting heat pumps. However, my Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to encourage rural off-grid households to switch to hydrogenated vegetable oil in heating.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, and potentially the small number of homes unsuitable for heat pumps, as these sectors have fewest options to decarbonise. The cost of renewable liquid heating fuels is currently much higher than other fuels available to off grid customers. Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of renewable liquid fuels, like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding schemes to reintroduce beavers into the wild.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Yes, assessments of the potential merits of beaver reintroductions in England have been made.
Most notably, beginning in 2015, a 5-year trial for beaver wild release took place on the River Otter in Devon. In 2020, Natural England published assessment results for the trial. The trial was found to be successful, having brought many benefits to local ecology and communities, including creating wetland habitat and reducing downstream flood risk for housing.
Following successful completion of the trial, the Government conducted a public consultation on the approach to beaver reintroduction and management in England. In 2022, the Government published its response to this consultation. Work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions in England is continuing, including on wild release.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 merits of making retrospective payments to student nurses who were not eligible for the £5,000 annual training grant through the NHS Learning Support Fund since 2019.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to make retrospective payments to student nurses who were not eligible for the £5,000 annual training grant through the NHS Learning Support Fund since 2019.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides for people who have had their PIP suspended and are awaiting an appeal hearing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are nine possible award outcomes on a claim to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), ranging from a nil award through to an award of the enhanced rate of both the daily living and mobility component. The decision on a claim to, or an existing award of, PIP persists in law until such time as a new decision is made. As such, a claimant appealing against their decision will continue to receive the level of award, if any, that the decision entitles them to until such time as a new decision is made by the tribunal. Payment of that existing award will only be suspended in cases where there is evidence to suggest the award in place is incorrect, such as in cases of suspected fraud.
Claimants to PIP, whether they are appealing against a decision or not, can be entitled to a range of additional support depending on their circumstances, including benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that local SME bus operators are able to participate in future bus franchising schemes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Bus Services Act 2017 already requires an authority to make a statement on how they will facilitate SMEs in service provision as part of the franchising process.
On 9 September 2024, the Department consulted on updates to bus franchising guidance, these updates aim to reduce the technical barriers to franchising and support safer, more accessible services. The Department is currently reviewing the feedback received, including valuable insights from bus operators and organisations representing small-to-medium-sized operators, and will respond shortly.
The Department will continue working with local authorities to develop different franchising models that could be smaller scale, require less financial commitment and support SME participation.