Jessica Toale

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Lady’s Parliamentary Question of 30/09/24 is attached.

Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that children benefit from its wide-reaching protections.

The Act requires all services in scope to take steps to protect users, including children, from illegal content and criminal behaviour. In addition, services likely to be accessed by children are required to risk assess their service and provide safety measures, including the use of highly effective age assurance, to protect children from harmful content.

Ofcom has duty to promote media literacy to help the public understand the nature and impact of where harmful content and online behaviour affects certain groups.

Dorset had their Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Local Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in March 2024, which identified positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The report, published on 15 May 2024, included no Areas for Priority Action (APAs), and highlighted that leaders in Dorset are ambitious and focused on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND. The report also stated that children and young people with SEND and their families are placed at the heart of all that leaders do. Effective co-production across the partnership ensures that the needs of children and young people lead decision-making.

The department has been working closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local area partnership since their Area SEND Inspection in June 2021, where Ofsted and CQC identified eight areas of significant weakness. The department has since been holding regular monitoring meetings with the local area, in partnership with NHS England, focussing on the impact of actions taken on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND and their families. The latest monitoring meeting highlighted that the local authority and partners are taking positive steps to improve services, with some evidence of early impact. However, there are still ways to go to ensure that all children and families receive the service they require and deserve.

The department has put in place a wider range of support for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and local area partners through the appointment of a Sector Led Improvement Partner and SEND advisor support. The department will continue working with the local area to ensure they deliver further improvements in services for all children and families in the local area, including those in the constituency of Bournemouth West.

Dorset had their Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Local Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in March 2024, which identified positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The report, published on 15 May 2024, included no Areas for Priority Action (APAs), and highlighted that leaders in Dorset are ambitious and focused on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND. The report also stated that children and young people with SEND and their families are placed at the heart of all that leaders do. Effective co-production across the partnership ensures that the needs of children and young people lead decision-making.

The department has been working closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local area partnership since their Area SEND Inspection in June 2021, where Ofsted and CQC identified eight areas of significant weakness. The department has since been holding regular monitoring meetings with the local area, in partnership with NHS England, focussing on the impact of actions taken on improving the lives of children and young people with SEND and their families. The latest monitoring meeting highlighted that the local authority and partners are taking positive steps to improve services, with some evidence of early impact. However, there are still ways to go to ensure that all children and families receive the service they require and deserve.

The department has put in place a wider range of support for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and local area partners through the appointment of a Sector Led Improvement Partner and SEND advisor support. The department will continue working with the local area to ensure they deliver further improvements in services for all children and families in the local area, including those in the constituency of Bournemouth West.

Impact Risk Zones (IRZs) are a digital geographical information tool developed by Natural England to help Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) assess the potential risks to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) from development proposals. They also cover Habitat Sites that are underpinned by a terrestrial SSSI designation, including Special Areas of Conservation.

Natural England supports the delivery of sustainable development by providing advice to LPAs on how to protect and enhance the natural environment. The IRZ tool helps LPAs know when to consult Natural England for advice and is designed to aid better spatial planning and early consideration of the risks to SSSIs to reduce delays in the planning process.

Natural England is satisfied that the zones provide appropriate advice to LPAs but continues to review the evidence that underpins the IRZs to ensure it reflects the latest understanding of SSSI sensitivities.

The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Wessex Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.

The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

There is only one permitted discharge into the sea within the area of the Bournemouth West constituency, which is a water industry pumping station at Pier Approach. The discharge for this pumping station is through a pipe out to sea and should only operate during storm conditions or in an emergency. With respect to Bournemouth, the Environment Agency will publish the 2024 Event Duration Monitoring data, showing how long and how often storm overflows have been used, in March 2025. The data for previous years is available here. Wessex Water now publishes its spill data in near-real time online and this can be viewed here.

The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Wessex Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.

The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

There is only one permitted discharge into the sea within the area of the Bournemouth West constituency, which is a water industry pumping station at Pier Approach. The discharge for this pumping station is through a pipe out to sea and should only operate during storm conditions or in an emergency. With respect to Bournemouth, the Environment Agency will publish the 2024 Event Duration Monitoring data, showing how long and how often storm overflows have been used, in March 2025. The data for previous years is available here. Wessex Water now publishes its spill data in near-real time online and this can be viewed here.

The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Wessex Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.

The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

There is only one permitted discharge into the sea within the area of the Bournemouth West constituency, which is a water industry pumping station at Pier Approach. The discharge for this pumping station is through a pipe out to sea and should only operate during storm conditions or in an emergency. With respect to Bournemouth, the Environment Agency will publish the 2024 Event Duration Monitoring data, showing how long and how often storm overflows have been used, in March 2025. The data for previous years is available here. Wessex Water now publishes its spill data in near-real time online and this can be viewed here.

The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Wessex Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.

The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July, HCWS3.

There is only one permitted discharge into the sea within the area of the Bournemouth West constituency, which is a water industry pumping station at Pier Approach. The discharge for this pumping station is through a pipe out to sea and should only operate during storm conditions or in an emergency. With respect to Bournemouth, the Environment Agency will publish the 2024 Event Duration Monitoring data, showing how long and how often storm overflows have been used, in March 2025. The data for previous years is available here. Wessex Water now publishes its spill data in near-real time online and this can be viewed here.

We are absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.

We have made no such assessment. It is not possible to make direct, like for like comparisons between State Pension amounts received under the pre 2016 State Pension system and the new State Pension. Under both systems, the amount people are entitled to varies according to their National Insurance record. It is not the case that everyone in the new system receives more than everyone in the pre 2016 system.

The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support to those who’s ability to work is constrained by providing care for someone else for at least thirty-five hours per week. The eligibility conditions for the benefit use income as a proxy for ability to work.

We know that some carers are keen to maintain contact with the labour market, so we want to encourage carers to combine some paid work with their caring duties wherever possible.

This is why the Government has announced that from April 2025 the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit will be pegged to the level of 16 hours work at the National Living Wage (NLW) and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. This means that unpaid carers will be able to earn up to £196 per week net earnings and still receive Carer’s Allowance compared to £151 now.

The DWP has a dedicated Trauma Informed Approach Integration Programme and we are at the start of an ambitious journey. Our integration programme applies the six core pillars of the approach; safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration and cultural consideration within the framework of, our colleagues, our customers, our culture and the context of our interactions (whether that is physical, telephony, digital or postal). Alongside internal and external experts, we have established an eight-stage roadmap for implementation. We anticipate we will have completed the eight stages of design by 2030, making trauma informed approaches fundamental to our business-as-usual approach.

With response to the query around what training is provided, as part of a wider trauma informed training framework we have piloted an introductory module for all colleagues to develop awareness of the pervasive impacts of trauma and to develop the skills required for trauma informed interactions with customers. This product is currently in iteration to align with the wider trauma informed framework of learning that becomes more intensive depending on the colleague’s role. This module is part of a wider roll out within the framework which will be coproduced with customers, colleagues and experts. Supplementary learning products will also be made available to support embedding trauma informed principles into our business-as-usual approach.

The Trauma Informed Approach recognises the pervasive impacts that trauma may have on an individual’s life; these impacts can span social, emotional, physiological, neurological and spiritual functioning. The impacts of trauma can make interacting with services a difficult and potentially retraumatising experience, the trauma informed approach is a way of trying to avoid and mitigate this risk whilst creating a safe and empowering environment for all colleagues and customers. The approach has six core pillars: safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration and cultural consideration (Office for Health Improvements and Disparities, 2022).

The DWP has a dedicated Trauma Informed Approach Integration Programme and we are at the start of an ambitious journey. Our integration programme applies the six core pillars of the approach within the framework of, our colleagues, our customers, our culture and the context of our interactions (whether that is physical, telephony, digital or postal). The design of the programme has been informed by close working with operational teams across the department and is being tested in our Trauma Informed ‘Pulse points’ and innovation hubs. Alongside internal and external experts, we have established an eight-stage roadmap for implementation across the DWP with a core focus on co-production with colleagues, customers and stakeholders. We anticipate we will have completed the eight stages of design by 2030, making trauma informed approaches fundamental to our business-as-usual approach.

DWP and our assessment providers are committed to providing a quality, sensitive and respectful service, with an approach aimed at continual improvement.

We recognise that attending a consultation can be a stressful experience for some people, which is why where there is sufficient available evidence, Personal Independence Payment assessments are carried out via a paper-based review. Where an assessment is required, claimants are encouraged to include another person where they would find this helpful, for example, by reassuring them or helping them during the consultation. The person chosen is at the discretion of the claimant and might be, but is not limited to, a parent, family member, friend, carer or advocate.

The Department’s Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising benefit services to improve customer experience, build trust in our services and the decisions we make, and create a more efficient service.

The Government believes there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits across Great Britain so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work, and to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today.

We will bring forward a Green Paper in spring 2025. We will listen to and engage with disabled people as we develop proposals for reform in this area and across the employment support system.

The independent pay review body for doctors and dentists recommended a 6% pay uplift for 2024/25. The Government accepted the recommendation and has proposed that National Health Service primary care dentistry contract values be uplifted by 4.64%, net of pay (6%) and expenses (1.68%) elements.

The Government is acting to consider and implement the overall uplift to contract values as soon as possible.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. In the 24 months to June 2023, 245,772 adults saw an NHS dentist in the Dorset ICB, equal to 39% of the adult population in the ICB. In the 12 months to June 2023, 73,084 children saw an NHS dentist in Dorset, equal to 51% of the child population in the ICB.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. In the 24 months to June 2023, 245,772 adults saw an NHS dentist in the Dorset ICB, equal to 39% of the adult population in the ICB. In the 12 months to June 2023, 73,084 children saw an NHS dentist in Dorset, equal to 51% of the child population in the ICB.

While data is not held for each year since 2015, as of 10 July 2024, there are 18 dental practices currently offering National Health Services in the Bournemouth West constituency. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-Dentist

The following tables show the number of Finished Consultant Episodes for tooth extraction, with caries as the primary diagnosis code, from 2018/19 to 2022/23:

Source: the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ annual statistics on tooth extractions, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hospital-based-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds

Data in 2022/23 was reported for the age band zero to four years old. However, data for all previous years was reported for the age band zero to five years old. The data is reported as the number of Finished Consultant Episodes, therefore the data does not represent the number of individual children who received these treatments, as one child may have had more than one Finished Consultant Episode.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets.

​We will put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

We will introduce tougher powers to tackle antisocial behaviour via a Crime and Policing Bill, including a new Respect Order to tackle repeat offending. The introduction of Respect Orders will be announced when parliamentary time allows.

We know that drugs drive crime and cause harm to individuals and society. We will take action as part of our Safer Streets Mission to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour across the country including cracking down on the drug gangs profiting from this harmful trade.

The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes identifying a range of options to reduce the use of hotels over time and ensuring efficiency and value for money across all accommodation arrangements.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Information on the location of individuals awaiting a decision on their asylum application is not published.

The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes identifying a range of options to reduce the use of hotels over time and ensuring efficiency and value for money across all accommodation arrangements.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Information on the location of individuals awaiting a decision on their asylum application is not published.

The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes identifying a range of options to reduce the use of hotels over time and ensuring efficiency and value for money across all accommodation arrangements.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Information on the location of individuals awaiting a decision on their asylum application is not published.

This Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and that includes improving the criminal justice system response to sexual assault and rape.

The Home Office publishes information on the number of sexual offences and rapes reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales at Community Safety Partnership Area, Police Force Area and Region in our police recorded crime and open data tables which can be found here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The data requested is also summarised in the tables below:

The government have implemented a new mandatory standard method for assessing housing needs which aligns with our ambition to build 1.5 million new homes in this parliament.

Delivering on that ambitious milestone requires local planning authorities to plan for sufficient homes, as well as commercial development and wider infrastructure, through their local development plans.

Local plans clearly spell out to developers and communities where development will and will not take place, bringing certainty to all parties. They are also the mechanism through which local communities can have their say in how homes are built.

The government inherited a planning system in which only 31% of local planning authorities have adopted plans in the last five years. That is not sustainable, and I am clear that it is unacceptable for local planning authorities to not make a local plan.

We are determined to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible, to progress towards our ambition of achieving universal plan coverage and ensure plans contribute positively to our ambition of delivering 1.5 million homes. To that end, we have implemented transitional arrangements and have committed to providing funding to authorities that are at advanced stages of plan making but who will need to revise their draft plans.

We want to work in partnership with local planning authorities to deliver for their communities, but where they fail to do so the Deputy Prime Minister will make use of the intervention powers available to her to get local plans in place.

Homelessness levels are far too high and can have a devastating impact on those affected, including a range of health issues. The Government will look at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament. We are also committed to abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

This Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and supporting the businesses and communities that make our town centres successful.

Through the English Devolution Bill we will introduce a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets which will help this Government safeguard our high streets. This measure will empower local communities to reclaim and revitalise empty shops, pubs, and community spaces, helping to revamp our high streets and eliminate the blight of vacant premises.

Alongside these steps, my officials continue to work closely with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council to support their town centre regeneration plans.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of prosecutions at magistrates’ courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2023, including breakdowns for specific offences.

However, magistrates’ court proceedings data held centrally is collated at a Local Justice Area (LJA) level only and is therefore not available for Bournemouth specifically. To view the number of prosecutions at courts located in the Dorset LJA, select ‘Dorset’ in the ‘Police Force Area’ filter (Dorset LJA is the only LJA in the Dorset police force area).

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of prosecutions at magistrates’ courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2023, including breakdowns for specific offences.

However, magistrates’ court proceedings data held centrally is collated at a Local Justice Area (LJA) level only and is therefore not available for Bournemouth specifically. To view the number of prosecutions at courts located in the Dorset LJA, select ‘Dorset’ in the ‘Police Force Area’ filter (Dorset LJA is the only LJA in the Dorset police force area).