Jon Cruddas

We have spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past 3 years on our early education entitlements and the government continues to support families with their childcare costs. On 25 November 2020, we announced a £44 million investment for the 2021-22 financial year, for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers. The Early Years National Funding Formula allocates our funding fairly and transparently.

Last year, when access to childcare was restricted to vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, the government block-bought early years places so that childcare providers received early entitlement funding even when children were not able to attend settings. On 1 June 2020, early years was one of the first sectors to re-open, and has been able to welcome all children to settings ever since. The government has also provided unprecedented support to businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak, through schemes such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. As a result, childcare providers have been able to furlough their staff whereby they have experienced a drop in their income from parents or government to help with staffing costs.

As with other sectors, the COVID-19 outbreak has been an uncertain time for childcare providers, with many reporting concerns about long term viability of their settings as a result. Our policy is to ensure that there are sufficient childcare places to meet demand from parents. Despite the level of uncertainty faced by providers over the COVID-19 outbreak, Ofsted data shows that as of 31 March 2021, the number of childcare places for providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable since August 2015. This is in the context of declining birth rate (in 2019 there was a 12.2% decrease in live births since the most recent peak in 2012).

A recent survey by Ipsos MORI in March 2021 found that nearly nine in ten (88%) parents of 0 to 4 year olds whose child used formal childcare before COVID-19 reported that their child was using formal childcare at the time of the survey.

We liaise regularly with local authorities and they have not reported to us a significant number of parents unable to secure a childcare place, this term or since early years settings re-opened fully on 1 June 2020. Where parents have been unable to temporarily secure a childcare place (for example, due to their usual setting being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak), this has been able to be quickly resolved locally, and local authorities are not reporting significant sufficiency of supply issues. We continue to work with local authorities and the sector to ensure there is sufficient, safe and affordable childcare for those who need it most.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been liaising with the Local Government Association (LGA) in regards to a draft guidance document and has input to a section covering environment and drainage. This considers the discharge of effluent from hand car washes. To ensure that local councils are made aware of such considerations for this form of car washing, the EA considered that the publication of the guidance would be made by the LGA as opposed to writing to individual councils.

The EA joined a workshop held by the Responsible Car Wash Scheme on 26 November 2019 in London, where the guidance was discussed. The EA is awaiting confirmation from the LGA that the guidance has been published and issued to local authorities.

A copy of the dated correspondence from the Environment Agency to major supermarkets will be placed in the Library of the House. Replies were not requested and have not been recorded centrally.

The guidance was updated in May 2019 and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pollution-prevention-for-businesses.

The Environment Agency has restructured this guide to improve the experience of users and eliminate duplication.

Compliance with the Eel (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 is assessed against the provision of: catch data for eels less than 12cm long; recorded consignments of live eels from aquaculture businesses; and 60% of live eels (12 cm or less) placed onto the market. The Environment Agency 2016/17 assessment of industry compliance received 390 catch returns from 452 authorised fishers and is pursuing the remainder. All other data was provided.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have no current plans to appoint a National Clinical Director for allergy. This is kept under review and new National Clinical Directors or Specialty Advisers are appointed as necessary. The Department hosted a roundtable meeting in January 2022, attended by NHS England and NHS Improvement and stakeholders, where the potential benefits of a National Clinical Director for Allergy was discussed.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have no current plans to appoint a National Clinical Director for allergy. This is kept under review and new National Clinical Directors or Specialty Advisers are appointed as necessary. The Department hosted a roundtable meeting in January 2022, attended by NHS England and NHS Improvement and stakeholders, where the potential benefits of a National Clinical Director for Allergy was discussed.

Although 81% of adult social care providers and 73% of care home beds are rated as good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, it is completely unacceptable that standards in some settings fall below those rightly expected by care users and their families.

The Department is working with the adult social care sector to implement Quality Matters – a shared commitment to achieve high quality adult social care for service users, families, carers and everyone working in the sector, through six actions.

The Care Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities in England to promote a diverse, sustainable, high quality market of care and support providers for people in their local area to meet their needs. The Department has supported local authorities with their market related duties through a sector-led approach and has brought together guidance and support in an on-line hub available on GOV.UK.

This summer we will publish plans to reform our social care system to make it sustainable for the future. The consultation will set out options to put the social care system on a more secure footing and address issues to improve the quality of care and reduce variation in practice, including for those in the Dagenham and Rainham area.

The number of doctors who obtained their certificate of completion of training in the allergy specialty and paediatric allergy, immunology and infectious diseases in 2016 and 2017 is shown in the table below:

Source: Health Education England

The number of trainees that will qualify in 2018 will be known at the end of the academic year.

Primary care also has a vital role in the management of allergies. The Royal College of General Practitioners offers a range of resources to educate general practitioners about the various presentations of allergic disease, how to assess an atopic patient and when to investigate in primary care or refer to secondary care.

Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for securing high quality outcomes for people with long term conditions, including allergies. Departmental staff support ministers on a wide range of issues, including those concerning allergies, and work closely with NHS England to secure the necessary expertise when needed.

Tax Free Childcare (TFC) is delivered by the Childcare Service via GOV.UK. Parents and childcare providers manage their accounts via the Service.

There is not a cost to parents or providers in managing their accounts. A small number of providers may incur set up costs to ensure their processes are compatible with the online system. HM Revenue & Customs, who administer TFC, do not hold this information.

The Department publishes quarterly official statistics recording the number of local council tax support claimants, at the following address: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/910192/LCTS_claimants_2020-21_Q1.xlsx . The next release covering the second quarter of 2020/21 is planned for 25 November.

The Department collects monthly monitoring returns on the financial impact of Covid-19 on local authorities, including data on the number of local council tax support claimants. In the most recent round, returns were received from 310 out of 314 billing authorities surveyed.

The Department publishes annual revenue budget and outturn data on local authority revenue expenditure and financing. These include council tax revenue foregone under local council tax support schemes. Outturn data for 2020-21 are scheduled for publication by Autumn 2021. These will capture costs to local authorities of providing local council tax support during the pandemic and will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing#2020-to-2021 .

My Department is working with local authorities to collate data on the impacts of Covid-19 through a financial monitoring survey. The survey includes questions on changes in the number of households claiming council tax support in 2020-21 and about support provided through the £500 million Council Tax Hardship Fund which was announced at the Budget.

The Department regularly meets with a wide range of stakeholders – including representatives from local authorities, the Local Government Association, debt advice bodies, and other Government Departments – to discuss council tax policy, including local council tax support

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations can be found at the following links on gov.uk:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/business-expenses-and-hospitality-for-dclg-senior-officials

The Department does not maintain a record of all meetings which take place between officials and external organisations.