Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve support for kinship carers.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government recognises the valuable and important role that kinship carers play. This government also appreciates that kinship carers often take on this role at a time in their lives when they are least expecting to raise a family.

We have recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to 10 local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover certain costs, such as supporting a child to settle into a new home with relatives, can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends.

This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home by allowing children to grow up within their families and communities, reducing disruption to their early years, so they can focus on schooling and building friendships.

The government also recently announced the appointment of the first ever National Kinship Care Ambassador. The Ambassador advocates for kinship children and their carers and works directly with local authorities to help them improve services, whilst sharing good practice across areas.

The department has recently published the updated guidance for local authorities, the Kinship Care statutory guidance, which is available on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/670d3ed5e84ae1fd8592f2fa/Kinship_Care_-_statutory_guidance_for_local_authorities__October_2024.pdf. This guidance outlines the framework for the provision of support for kinship children and kinship families.

This government is also extending the delivery of over 140 peer support groups across England, available for all kinship carers to access, where they can come together to share stories, exchange advice and support each other. We are also delivering a package of training and support that all kinship carers across England can access.

I am determined to give every child the opportunities they deserve, and kinship carers play a crucial role in delivering this. This government is considering how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system to deliver better outcomes for children and families, including how best to support kinship families.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Child Poverty Taskforce plans to (a) assess the (i) extent and (ii) potential impact on children of and (b) make recommendations on tackling hygiene poverty.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Taskforce recognises families' access to essentials, including hygiene essentials, as a fundamental aspect of child poverty. Addressing acute poverty, including access to essentials, is a core focus of the work to develop through the child poverty strategy. This is set out in more detail in the 23 October publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the clinical trial at Mount Sinai Health System, New York, published on 2 October 2024, on treating invasive bladder cancer which avoids removal of the bladder.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made a formal assessment of the policy implications following this clinical trial. The adoption of new treatments into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and commissioner decisions.

The recommended treatment plan for muscle-invasive bladder cancer depends on how far the cancer has spread. All hospitals use multidisciplinary teams to treat bladder cancer. These are teams of specialists that work together to make decisions about the best way to proceed with treatment.

Found: Aberconwy) Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat, Witney) Gordon McKee (Labour, Glasgow South) Ms Julie Minns

Found: Aberconwy) Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat; Witney) Gordon McKee (Labour; Glasgow South) Ms Julie Minns

Found: Aberconwy) Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat, Witney) Gordon McKee (Labour, Glasgow South) Ms Julie Minns

Found: Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Torcuil Crichton; Harriet Cross; Wera Hobhouse; Josh MacAlister; Ms Julie Minns

Found: Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Torcuil Crichton; Harriet Cross; Wera Hobhouse; Josh MacAlister; Ms Julie Minns

Found: Aberconwy) Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat, Witney) Gordon McKee (Labour, Glasgow South) Ms Julie Minns

Found: Sir Christopher Chope Torcuil Crichton Wera Hobhouse Josh MacAlister Anneliese Midgley Julie Minns

Found: Bangor Aberconwy) Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat; Witney) Gordon McKee (Labour; Glasgow South) Ms Julie Minns

Found: Aberconwy) Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat, Witney) Gordon McKee (Labour, Glasgow South) Ms Julie Minns

Found: Louise Haigh , in the Chair Gareth Bacon Liam Conlon Kate Dearden Mark Ferguson Ms Julie Minns

The committee has a remit to scrutinise the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.  Much of the that scrutiny focuses on specific issues. But it also holds wider sessions looking at the work of the Department more broadly, often by speaking directly to the Secretary of State, but also bringing in the arms length and associated bodies.

Submit Evidence (by 13 Jan 2025)

The committee has launched an inquiry on how to build the workforce that is needed to deliver the policies and infrastructure for the UK’s clean, secure energy mission.  

Submit Evidence (by 13 Jan 2025)

The Committee has launched an inquiry into community energy. The Committee aims to:

Building on the evidence received in the previous Committee’s Heating our homes inquiry, the Committee will hold a one-off session on Retrofitting homes for net zero. The Committee will invite two stakeholder panels to consider the policy changes needed to deliver low carbon heating and energy efficient homes.