Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex
Gov Responded - 26 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Jess Phillips's petition debate contributionsThe Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"
Commit to not amending the Equality Act's definition of sex
Gov Responded - 25 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Jess Phillips's petition debate contributionsIt has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.
Provide more funding for stalking advocates for victims of stalking
Gov Responded - 27 Aug 2021 Debated on - 31 Jan 2022 View Jess Phillips's petition debate contributionsThe Government should provide more funding for stalking advocates for victims of stalking. This would help support victims, and should also help the police to investigate cases more thoroughly, potentially helping prevent threats to life.
Make it a legal requirement for nightclubs to thoroughly search guests on entry
Gov Responded - 4 Nov 2021 Debated on - 8 Nov 2021 View Jess Phillips's petition debate contributionsI would like the UK Government to make it law that nightclubs must search guests on arrival to prevent harmful weapons and other items entering the establishment. This could be a pat down search or metal detector, but must involve measures being put in place to ensure the safety of the public.
Release the Home Office's Grooming Gang Review in full
Gov Responded - 19 May 2020 Debated on - 3 Feb 2021 View Jess Phillips's petition debate contributionsThe Government is refusing to release official research on the characteristics of grooming gangs, claiming it is not in the “public interest”.
We, the British public, demand the release of the official research on grooming gangs undertaken by the Government in full.
We the British People Request a Public Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Gov Responded - 5 Nov 2020 Debated on - 3 Feb 2021 View Jess Phillips's petition debate contributionsThe Home Secretary said what happened to victims of child sexual exploitation gangs was “one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience.” Last year local authorities identified 18,700 suspected victims of child sexual exploitation. We want an independent public inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
These initiatives were driven by Jess Phillips, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Jess Phillips has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Jess Phillips has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Police (declaration) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Tonia Antoniazzi (Lab)
Victims of Crime and Anti-social Behaviour, Etc (Rights, Entitlements and Related Matters) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Peter Kyle (Lab)
Doctors and Nurses (Developing Countries) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Andrew Mitchell (Con)
Demonstrations (Abortion Clinics) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Rupa Huq (Lab)
Planning (Affordable Housing and Land Compensation) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Helen Hayes (Lab)
Pregnancy and Maternity (Redundancy Protection) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Maria Miller (Con)
Parental Rights (Rapists) and Family Courts Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Louise Haigh (Lab)
Gender-based Pricing (Prohibition) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Christine Jardine (LD)
Stalking Protection Act 2019
Sponsor - Sarah Wollaston (LD)
Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Philip Davies (Con)
Tobacco Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Kevin Barron (Lab)
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Sponsor - Karen Buck (Lab)
Online Forums Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Lucy Powell (LAB)
National Living Wage (Extension to Young People) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Holly Lynch (Lab)
Fire Safety Information Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Maria Miller (Con)
Courts (Abuse of Process) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Liz Saville Roberts (PC)
Workers' Rights (Maintenance of EU Standards) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Melanie Onn (Lab)
Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Liz Saville Roberts (PC)
Public Authority (Accountability) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Andy Burnham (Lab)
Companies Documentation (Transgender Persons) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Con)
The Crown Prosecution Service (‘CPS’) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including offences charged by way of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This data may be further disaggregated by the child abuse case monitoring flag. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and includes allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s.
Section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 provides an offence of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour; Section 2 provides for a single offence of human trafficking covering sexual and non-sexual exploitation; and, Section 4 provides that it is an offence to commit another offence with a view to committing a trafficking offence under Section 2.
Since the Act came into force and up to the end of March 2020, the number of Modern Slavery Act offences flagged as child abuse is as follows:
| 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 2 } | 1 | 21 | 26 | 5 | 30 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 4 } | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
This data does not indicate the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the charged offence.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of exploitation carried out on victims of modern slavery or trafficking offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Crown Prosecution Service (‘CPS’) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including offences charged by way of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This data may be further disaggregated by the child abuse case monitoring flag. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and includes allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s.
Section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 provides an offence of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour; Section 2 provides for a single offence of human trafficking covering sexual and non-sexual exploitation; and, Section 4 provides that it is an offence to commit another offence with a view to committing a trafficking offence under Section 2.
Since the Act came into force and up to the end of March 2020, the number of Modern Slavery Act offences flagged as child abuse is as follows:
| 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 2 } | 1 | 21 | 26 | 5 | 30 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 4 } | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
This data does not indicate the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the charged offence.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of exploitation carried out on victims of modern slavery or trafficking offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
In the last round of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund (Round 8), the average grant won by female led applications was £504,797 and the average grant won by male led applications was £516,276. The difference between these two figures is not statistically significant.
The Energy Entrepreneurs Fund has collected data on the gender of the principal applicants in all previous rounds and analysis has shown there is no statistical difference in success rates between female and male applicants. The Department will continue to monitor this in future rounds of the scheme to ensure this remains the case.
Innovate UK does not currently hold data in this form. Innovate UK are committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion in business innovation, they wish to find the best and most talented innovators from a diverse range of backgrounds, and provide them with the resources, advice and self-belief to succeed.
Programmes have been implemented to tackle the low number of female applicants, for example the Women in Innovation programme, launched in 2016, and the Young Innovators programme, launched in 2017.
Since 2017, Innovate UK have shared an EDI survey with people registering for support to gather EDI data, however, low completion rates (16%) resulting from this approach has required a change. From June 2020, all applicants for Innovate UK competitions are required to complete a new EDI survey. The survey asks questions on gender, age, ethnicity and disability status. This data will then be aggregated, anonymised and analysed to inform future actions to address under-representation across competitions.
Historic data analysis indicates that between 2013 and 2016, 14.3% of applications submitted were led by a woman. Analysis since 2016 indicates that this percentage has increased to around 24% (70% increase) and can be attributed to the focus on Women in Innovation, including the Innovate UK 2019 Women in Innovation Awards. A new competition for Women in Innovation Awards opened on 1 September 2020.
Most recently, Innovate UK’s “Business-led innovation in response to global disruption” competition (Open April 2020), 21.7% of applications were woman-led. This is in line with the levels we have seen since the growth of woman-led applications following the Women in Innovation focus.
On International Women’s Day, the Government committed almost £3 million and a package of business support to help inventions by women and young people like clean energy solutions and healthcare services. Over 100 entrepreneurial women and young people are set to benefit from government-backed funds to turn inspiring ideas into thriving businesses.
Three companies in the Arlington Group entered administration on 7 May 2020. When any company becomes insolvent and redundancies are made, it is undoubtedly a distressing time for the company’s employees and workers and my officials at the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service are ensuring that relevant payments are made. Former employees of the Arlington Group can claim redundancy payments and other contractual amounts (subject to statutory limits) such as unpaid wages, notice pay and outstanding holiday pay from the National Insurance Fund.
BEIS officials are working closely with the administrators to identify and offer support to ensure that employees who may require assistance because of a disability, are helped to submit claims so that they can be paid as soon as possible. I also understand that officials in the Solihull Jobcentre have been supporting affected employees by providing help and explaining the support that is available through Jobcentre plus.
The new pro-competition regime will remove the obstacles to competition and drive growth in digital markets, delivering lower prices for UK families, and giving consumers more choice and control over the services they use online.
The Draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill was announced as part of the Queen's Speech 2022 and will be published as soon as parliamentary time allows. Arrangements for pre-legislative scrutiny will be decided in due course.
The government has great sympathy for those affected by historical adoption practices. Our hearts go out to the parents and children of those involved. Although from a modern perspective these practices are clearly wrong, they took place at a time when society shared very different values.
Thankfully society today takes a very different attitude to single parents. Lessons of the time have been learned and led to significant changes to legislation and practice. Single parents are now supported to help ensure that children and their families stay together, and children are only removed permanently by a court, without the consent of the parents, if it is satisfied that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to suffer significant harm.
Parents now have legal representatives appointed to support them, to ensure their views are heard and that evidence put forward can be challenged. In addition, NHS maternity services now have robust policy guidance and processes in place to safeguard care for vulnerable women and babies.
A range of help and support is available for those affected by historical adoption practices. For example, they can access intermediary services, provided by local authorities, voluntary adoption agencies and registered adoption agencies, to help them trace their birth children or birth parents and establish whether contact is possible. Birth relatives and adopted adults can also add their details to the Adoption Contact Register at the General Register Office to find a birth relative or an adopted person.
We recognise that none of the above can change the heartbreak and impact of things done in the past and repeat again our deepest sympathy for all those affected.
The Department is committed to supporting schools to implement relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE) and has published non statutory implementation guidance titled ‘Plan your Relationships, Sex and Health Curriculum’, alongside teacher training materials. Both are designed to provide teachers with further clarity and practical advice on how to implement the RSHE curriculum, to help all teachers increase their confidence and quality of teaching.
The teacher training module on intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health, covers contraception, fertility, and abortion. Information on this is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. Specifically, pupils will be taught the facts about contraception, reproductive health, and medically and legally accurate, impartial information regarding pregnancy.
Schools must be aware of issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and gender stereotypes, and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, and that any occurrences are identified and tackled. As part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, all pupils should be taught, at an age-appropriate point, how stereotypes, particularly stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage.
To support the teaching of these subjects, the Department has published implementation guidance and teacher training modules to equip all schools to construct a comprehensive curriculum.
There are many external resources available to support the delivery of RSHE lessons. The Department does not play a role in assessing these. Any material used should align with the teaching requirements set out in the statutory guidance. Schools should assess all resources carefully to ensure they are age appropriate, meet the outcome of the relevant part of the curriculum, and are in line with the school’s legal duties in relation to impartiality and the Equality Act.
Schools must be aware of issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and gender stereotypes, and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated, and that any occurrences are identified and tackled. As part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, all pupils should be taught, at an age-appropriate point, how stereotypes, particularly stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage.
To support the teaching of these subjects, the Department has published implementation guidance and teacher training modules to equip all schools to construct a comprehensive curriculum.
There are many external resources available to support the delivery of RSHE lessons. The Department does not play a role in assessing these. Any material used should align with the teaching requirements set out in the statutory guidance. Schools should assess all resources carefully to ensure they are age appropriate, meet the outcome of the relevant part of the curriculum, and are in line with the school’s legal duties in relation to impartiality and the Equality Act.
Children and young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans are expected to attend education settings if, following a risk assessment, it is determined that their needs can be as safely or more safely met in the educational environment.
We have recently published guidance that sets out how schools should be supporting children and young people with EHC plans as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance. In that guidance, we are clear that children and young people with EHC plans in mainstream and Alternative Provision settings who have not been attending and are in eligible year groups, should experience the same return to settings as their peers, informed by their risk assessment. Specialist settings should work towards welcoming back as many children and young people as can be safely catered for in their setting.
However, there are various reasons as to why it may not possible for all children and young people to attend education settings on a full time basis (for example, because they are clinically extremely vulnerable, or they attend a specialist setting that is operating an attendance rota). As a result, it may be impossible for local authorities and commissioning health bodies to carry out their normal statutory duty to secure or arrange in full the special educational provision that would normally be delivered through a full-time placement in an education setting. Examples of this include social skills training in small groups, or the delivery of a personalised curriculum with 1-1 support from a teaching assistant.
Because of these exceptional circumstances, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has issued a notice to modify temporarily this duty, so that they can discharge this by using their ‘reasonable endeavours’. The modified duty applies to all local authorities and health commissioning bodies in England. The current notice is in force from 1 June to 30 June 2020 (inclusive), following a notice that was issued for the month of May. The Secretary of State can issue a further notice if necessary.
The modified duty relates to the provision for each individual child and young person. Local authorities and health commissioning bodies must not apply blanket policies about the provision to be secured or arranged. Instead, in deciding what provision must be secured or arranged in discharge of its modified duty, the local authority and health commissioning body should work with education settings and other partners to consider: specific local circumstances; the needs of, and circumstances specific to, each child and young person with an EHC plan; and the views of children, young people and their parents as to what might be appropriate.
We are committed to ceasing this temporary change to the duty on local authorities and health commissioning bodies at the earliest opportunity and are keeping this under close review.
Guidance on maintaining educational provision sets out that schools should continue to offer provision to the children of critical workers and vulnerable children following school closures to help tackle COVID-19. It includes a range of sectors which are considered critical, and whilst it does not specify organisations or roles, there is scope for sensible local decision making on work that is critical. Many parents working in sectors which are listed will still be able to look after their children at home. For those that cannot, in the first instance they should confirm with their employer if their role is critical and if they are able to work from home, to establish whether they meet the criteria for their children to attend school. We are asking individuals, employers and schools to make sensible judgments about the policy.
The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision.
The Department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. Through the new subjects of relationships, sex and health education, we want to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society.
?These subjects will help in ensuring all young people, at age appropriate points, know the signs of unhealthy or abusive relationships and that violence in relationships and domestic abuse is unlawful and never acceptable. Throughout these subjects there is a focus on ensuring pupils know how to get further support.
Specifically, the guidance sets out that relationships and sex education will cover the concepts of, and laws relating to, sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, forced marriage, rape, domestic abuse and female genital mutilation, and how these can affect current and future relationships. The guidance can be accessed via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/relationships-and-sex-education-and-health-education.
The Department is committed to supporting schools to deliver high quality teaching of relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education.
Many schools are already teaching aspects of these subjects as part of their relationships and sex education provision or personal, social, health and economic education programme. Schools have flexibility to determine how to deliver the new content, in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum. The Department expects that schools will take a variety of approaches and not limit the delivery to taught lessons.
To support schools in their preparations, the Department is investing in a central package to help all schools to increase the confidence and quality of their teaching practice. We are currently developing a new online service featuring innovative training materials, case studies and support to access resources. This will be available from April 2020 with additional content added through the summer term, covering all of the teaching requirements in the statutory guidance. We will also publish an implementation guide which will be provided to all schools as part of this service and face-to-face training offers will be available for schools that need additional support.
The Department is currently working with lead teachers, non-specialist teachers, schools and subject experts to develop this central programme of support to help ensure it meets the needs of schools and teachers. It will complement the wide range of training opportunities that are being provided by local authorities and sector organisations.
The department’s statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) includes detailed information about all forms of harm and abuse, including domestic abuse, its impact on children and how to recognise the signs. KCSIE sets out that all school and college staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated. Every school and college should have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who will provide advice and support to staff to carry out their safeguarding duties and who will liaise closely with other services such as children’s social care. KCSIE is clear that if staff have any concerns about a child and/or a child makes a disclosure, they should follow the school or college’s child protection policy, and speak to the DSL to seek support and advice on what to do next. Where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer harm, it is important that a referral to children’s social care, and if appropriate the police, is made immediately.
Local authority children’s social care should act as the principal point of contact for safeguarding concerns relating to children. Once a referral has been accepted, the lead practitioner role falls to a social worker. For children who are in need of immediate protection and removal is required, action must be taken by the social worker, the police or the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, as soon as possible after the referral has been made. It is essential that social workers provide effective support to children and families affected by domestic abuse. Our children’s social care reform programme is working to improve social work practice across the country through initial education, continued professional development and tougher professional regulation.
The information requested is not held centrally. Data on the number of FTE young people’s violence advisors employed in England and Wales is not collected by my department.
Young people’s violence advisors are either employed by local authorities or organisations like SafeLives who then work with local authorities.
The Department for Education funds the training of children’s social care workers through fast-track initial education courses for students intending to become child and family social workers and for continuing professional development programmes. The amounts for the last three years are set out in the table below.
In addition and separate to this funding, there is a cross-government commitment and the Department for Health and Social Care funds the training of child and family social workers through investment in bursaries and other support for those following general courses of initial social work education.
2017-18 (£) | 2018-19 (£) | 2019-20 (£) |
27,892,545 | 38,953,709 | 33,588,569 |
The Control of Pollution Act 1974 enables local authorities to serve a notice imposing requirements on construction or demolition works, including the hours during which the works may be carried out. Generally, local authorities require construction work to be carried out between the hours of 8am and 6pm on Monday-Friday, and 8am-1pm on Saturdays, with no working on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
We do not consider it appropriate to specify permitted hours for construction works in national law. Local authorities are the main enforcers of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and decisions around managing noise are best taken by them using their knowledge of the specific context.
The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) outlines that noise needs to be considered when development may create additional noise, or would be sensitive to the prevailing acoustic environment. The PPG details how noise, including during construction, should be considered during both plan making and decision making. The National Planning Policy Framework also states that planning policies and decisions should mitigate and reduce to a minimum potential adverse impacts resulting from noise from new development – and avoid noise giving rise to significant adverse impacts on health and the quality of life.
Defra has convened the Interdepartmental Group for Costs and Benefits (Noise subject group) to review the available evidence relating to the health effects from environmental noise exposure. This includes construction noise, and the group has published two reviews on this subject which are available at:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32357581/ and
It is not possible to have a single objective noise-based measure which would apply to all situations without giving rise to unintended consequences. This is because effect levels are likely to be different for different noise sources, different people and at different times. We therefore consider it best to allow local authorities some flexibility to make decisions using their specific knowledge of the local context.
The Control of Pollution Act 1974 enables local authorities to serve a notice imposing requirements on construction or demolition works, including the hours during which the works may be carried out. Generally, local authorities require construction work to be carried out between the hours of 8am and 6pm on Monday-Friday, and 8am-1pm on Saturdays, with no working on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
We do not consider it appropriate to specify permitted hours for construction works in national law. Local authorities are the main enforcers of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and decisions around managing noise are best taken by them using their knowledge of the specific context.
The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) outlines that noise needs to be considered when development may create additional noise, or would be sensitive to the prevailing acoustic environment. The PPG details how noise, including during construction, should be considered during both plan making and decision making. The National Planning Policy Framework also states that planning policies and decisions should mitigate and reduce to a minimum potential adverse impacts resulting from noise from new development – and avoid noise giving rise to significant adverse impacts on health and the quality of life.
Defra has convened the Interdepartmental Group for Costs and Benefits (Noise subject group) to review the available evidence relating to the health effects from environmental noise exposure. This includes construction noise, and the group has published two reviews on this subject which are available at:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32357581/ and
It is not possible to have a single objective noise-based measure which would apply to all situations without giving rise to unintended consequences. This is because effect levels are likely to be different for different noise sources, different people and at different times. We therefore consider it best to allow local authorities some flexibility to make decisions using their specific knowledge of the local context.
The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union has led to delays for customers. The DVLA has been working with a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements. The current increased demand for the DVLA’s services has also contributed to delays with paper applications.
The DVLA has introduced additional online services and recruited additional staff. The DVLA is urgently securing extra office space to house more staff as surge capacity accommodation and resource to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.
The DVLA understands the impact that delays can have on people’s everyday lives and is working as quickly as possible to process paper applications and return people’s documentation to them.
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) provides support for all homeowners who qualify for an income related benefit and unable to meet their mortgage repayments due to short or long-term illness, unemployment, a personal crisis, or other income shock. SMI helps people maintain their existing, reasonable mortgage commitments so they can remain in their home providing effective protection against repossession for as long as they need it.
As announced in the Autumn Statement, from 3rd April, we will extend the support SMI provides by reducing the qualifying period from nine months to three and extending eligibility to Universal Credit (UC) claimants with earnings. These changes will strengthen the protection SMI provides by offering support quicker and to more people. There are no planned further changes.
No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing alternative mortgage products for those who are in receipt of benefits on a long-term basis.
In autumn 2021, the Department commissioned an independent review of ways in which the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) supports survivors of domestic abuse. The Review was completed in April 2022.
The final report and recommendations are currently being reviewed by the department.
The CMS continues to take the safety of all its customers extremely seriously and has processes in place to ensure parents experiencing domestic abuse are supported and can set up a child maintenance arrangement safely.
The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions with reference to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September. The relevant benefits are increasing by 3.1% from April.
The latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In the Birmingham, Yardley constituency 32.3% (9,058) of children were in families in absolute low income before housing costs in 2021.
With almost 1.32 million vacancies across the UK, our plan for tackling poverty is firmly focussed on supporting people to move into and progress in work. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.
The latest statistics show that in the UK in 2020/21 there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty, before housing costs, than in 2009/10 and 540,000 fewer children in workless households.
This plan includes our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs has been expanded by £500 million and Way to Work, which is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022. We have recruited around 13,500 additional work coaches who are all trained to develop a detailed knowledge of their local labour market and to offer claimants the tailored support they need to take advantage of new opportunities wherever they live in the UK.
We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. Under the first round of funding, Birmingham City Council was allocated £12,791,135.04 of funding, and they are provisionally allocated the same amount again for the extension of the fund.
The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via the Real Time Information (RTI) system.
The waiting time for an earnings dispute can depend on the complexity of the query. DWP will triage all disputes and are able to resolve non-complex queries internally, where the query is more complex DWP will seek support of HMRC to resolve, we aim to resolve disputes, both complex and non-complex, within 7 working days.
There are variations in regional demand, and some areas are currently experiencing waiting times in excess of 7 working days, which we are working to bring back in line.
HMRC have been embarking on employer education to reduce future occurrences of error. Large employers have dedicated customer compliance leads that work with employers to mitigate the risk of high volumes of citizens being impacted at any one time. HMRC have guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to encourage accurate reporting dates.
The information requested is published and can be found here:
The department acknowledges there has been a rise in outstanding changes of circumstances in the last reported quarter from end of June 2021 to the end of September 2021. The Department has redeployed resources to address this rise in outstanding work since the publication of these statistics and estimates that this will show an arresting of growth in the next statistical release.
The Carer’s Allowance (CA) weekly earnings limit has increased by nearly a third since 2010 (£100 to £128), reflecting the increase in average earnings in recent years.
Going forward we plan to modernise the CA earnings rules and processes so they do more to support carers in combining their caring responsibilities with work where they can, by automating more of the earnings process by making fuller use of HMRC’s real time earnings information.
The Government keeps the earnings limit under review and increases it when warranted and affordable.
In order to meet the definition of exempt accommodation in Housing Benefit legislation, the provider of the claimant’s accommodation must be a non-metropolitan county council in England, a housing association, registered charity or voluntary organisation.
Exempt accommodation providers can work with third parties such as leasing properties from them. Local authorities will consider this when assessing the Housing Benefit claim and deciding whether the conditions set out in the legislation have been met. Additionally, registered charities are regulated by the Charity Commission (in England and Wales) whilst voluntary organisations such as community interest companies have their own regulators that oversee their activities.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the support they need to use the CMS safely.
Parents who have experienced domestic abuse are exempt from paying the application fee. There are no ongoing charges for using Direct Pay, which is designed to be a safe service for victims of domestic abuse.
The CMS provides advice and support to help parents use the Service, without needing to have contact with an abusive ex-partner. This includes acting as an intermediary and providing information to parents about how to set up non-traceable payment methods. In addition, all CMS caseworkers have received specific training, developed with input from Women’s Aid, on domestic abuse so they can quickly identify parents who need additional support.
Those found to be abusing the system are subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers and the Child Maintenance Service will pursue these, where appropriate.
No one should use this time as an excuse to avoid their child maintenance payments. However, where paying parents experience a change in income, we can review their case and check if the amount paid should change. If it does not, they should continue to make payments.
No one will get away with giving false information and those abusing the system will find themselves subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers.
All CMS staff are trained in how to support women who disclose domestic abuse and have access to The Domestic Abuse Plan which guides caseworkers through the appropriate action to take to help safeguard vulnerable women.
There are currently no plans to place Child Maintenance Service guidance or training materials in the Library.
All CMS staff are trained in how to support women who disclose domestic abuse and have access to The Domestic Abuse Plan which guides caseworkers through the appropriate action to take to help safeguard vulnerable women..
Additionally, earlier this year we introduced a bespoke Domestic Abuse Awareness training course that was developed with Women’s Aid and has been delivered for our staff across the country.
We know this is a worrying time for people, and DWP are ready to support anyone impacted by job loss.
In response to covid-19, DWP has established an alternative service to our usual face to face offer. People will be able to access redundancy help and job search advice on the Department’s new Job Help campaign website. There’s also information on gov.uk. and updated information packs provided to employers to help them signpost employees to the support that is available. The support available includes:
In addition, officials in the Solihull Jobcentre have supported both the employer and employees of Arlington Automotive, by providing a factsheet which gives an overview of the help and support through Jobcentre plus; details regarding the National Careers Service and relevant links. The factsheet is also available in alternative formats.
Employees with concerns about social distancing measures in their workplace can contact the Health and Safety Executive Concerns and Advice Team by completing an on-line form accessible on the HSE website https://www.hse.gov.uk/ or by calling the team on 0300 003 1647.
Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm (on Wednesdays from 10am to 5pm). HSE encourages workers to try to resolve workplace concerns through local discussions before contacting the enforcement body where possible.
HMCTS has set out its priorities for managing the response to the coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-courts-and-tribunals-planning-and-preparation. This includes advice to those self-isolating to contact the tribunal in which the hearing is to take place. Judges can consider an audio or video hearing.
The National Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Service Specification as reviewed and updated in June 2023 now reflects the offence of non-fatal strangulation. The specification states ‘Appropriate medical and forensic interventional support is provided to all service users presenting with sexual assault and/or sexual abuse where the presenting need also indicates non-fatal strangulation.’ It also references the Institute for Addressing Strangulation guidelines. From April 2024, all SARCs will collect data on incidences of non-fatal strangulation where it is part of a sexual assault/rape and thus has necessitated attendance at a SARC.
Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and are on low incomes may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through the Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment schemes.
The following table shows the number of patients on the transplant waiting list in the West Midlands as of 28 November 2022. Suspended patients refers to those who have been temporarily removed from the list.
Active | Suspended | Total | |
Total | 687 | 431 | 1,118 |
Source: NHS Blood and Transplant
NHS Blood and Transplant does not hold the data on the average waiting time for organ donation in the West Midlands or the number of people removed from the waiting list in the West Midlands due to a clinical decision.
The following table shows the number of transplants which took place in the West Midlands in 2021/22 and 2022/23 as of 28 November.
2021/22 | 2022/23 to date | |
Total | 377 | 260 |
Source: NHS Blood and Transplant
NHS England is working with general practitioner IT system providers to reproduce the Dementia Quality Toolkit (DQT) using SNOMED coding. The DQT includes system searches which can be used by general practitioners to identify people whose records suggest that they might have dementia, but do not have a recorded diagnosis. Publication of the toolkit is anticipated by April 2023.
In 2021/22, the Government made £17 million available to clinical commissioning groups to address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. This included identifying areas of good practice in dementia diagnosis and provision of pre and post diagnostic support, which will be shared with dementia clinical networks and stakeholders. In 2022/23, NHS England has initiated a project to fund two trusts in each region to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate tool to improve diagnosis of dementia in care homes.
NHS England has commissioned the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network to investigate the underlying variation in dementia diagnosis rates in targeted areas in England. This investigation includes the assessment of population characteristics such as rurality, ethnicity and age to provide context for variation and enable targeted investigation and provision of support locally.
No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Birmingham Yardley. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Birmingham Yardley.
The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.
The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.
National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.
In September we announced ‘Our Plan for Patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Birmingham Yardley. Making it easier to access general practice through our ABCD priorities will expand this route as a gateway to mental health care.
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand these services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Walsall South.
We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand these services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Walsall South.
We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.
Health Education England is developing a career framework for cancer nurses and allied health professionals, which will include training in emotional and psychological support. In addition, a project to establish training standards and job roles for cancer support workers will also include training in the knowledge of cancer, cancer treatments and the potential short and long term effects and enhanced communication and psychological skills to support patients, including those with solid tumours and blood cancer.
No specific assessment has been made of the provision of psychological support for blood cancer patients. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked Cancer Alliances to review mental health provision for these patients through its 2022/23 planning guidance. Access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies long term condition pathways have been identified as a priority to support integration of mental health and physical health services for patients with co-morbid long-term conditions, such as cancer.