Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for the Childcare Grant to include PhD students in receipt of stipends.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards. These loans are not based on income and are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including childcare. These support packages have provided a significant uplift in support for postgraduate students while ensuring the student support system remains financially sustainable.
However, a student would not be eligible for a doctoral loan if they are in receipt of stipends.
Postgraduate students are eligible for a different package of support to undergraduate students to help with course fees and living costs, including childcare. These students are therefore not eligible to receive the childcare grant.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the adequacy of the information available on the NHS website on cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are over 7,000 rare diseases often needing highly specialised input, and so the National Health Service’s website is not always the most appropriate platform to disseminate such information. Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with conditions such as cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. Information to support healthcare professions with the diagnosis and care of this condition is provided in the NHS England Genomics Education Programme’s Knowledge Hub.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to recruit more experienced GPs whose Certificate of Completion of Training date was more than two years ago.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value and appreciate the work that all general practitioners (GPs) do and recognise that it is vital for their roles to be satisfying, rewarding, and sustainable so that our GPs continue to contribute throughout their career.
The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs, with a Certificate of Completion of Training dated under two years ago, in primary care networks (PCNs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to secure the future pipeline of GPs, with over 1,000 doctors otherwise likely to have graduated into unemployment in 2024/25. Funding has been continued into 2025/26 with greater flexibilities also introduced to the scheme to allow PCNs to respond better to local workforce needs. Data on the number of recently qualified general practitioners for which PCNs are claiming reimbursement via the ARRS show that since 1 October 2024, over 2000 recently qualified GPs were recruited through the scheme.
The ARRS is subject to annual review as part of the consultation on the GP contract with professional and patient representatives. NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process. To build capacity in the GP workforce and reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, we have invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, the biggest increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adding specific information on Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy to (a) guidance and (b) training for PIP assessors.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment assessments assess the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition or impairment on their ability to carry out daily living activities, and to understand how a condition affects day-to-day functioning.
All health professionals (HPs) conducting these assessments are trained specialists in disability analysis and receive comprehensive training on assessing the effects of both physical and mental health conditions. Given the wide range of health conditions, many of which are rare and present with varying degrees of functional impact, it is not feasible to provide specific training on every individual condition. The Orphanet directory, for example, lists over 23,000 rare diseases.
While there is no condition-specific training on Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), HPs have access to a broad suite of Core Training and Guidance Materials. These include Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development guides, which provide detailed, quality-assured information on symptoms commonly associated with CADASIL, such as migraines and strokes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Curriculum and assessment review will include measures to support play-based learning for primary school aged children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Curriculum and Assessment Review will be informed by evidence, data and input from experts, stakeholders and the public, including over 7,000 responses to the call for evidence, and a range of research and polling.
The Review’s interim report demonstrates a continued support for a high quality, knowledge-rich curriculum that drives excellence in education across a broad range of subjects and pathways.
The Review set out that it would consider whether there is sufficient coverage of knowledge and skills that are essential to prepare children and young people for future life and to thrive in a fast-changing world.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review is independent and ongoing. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn, at which point the government will respond.
The government is working with education experts, teachers, and parents to ensure the very best for children.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the corporate report entitled Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2022, published on 25 April 2024, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for increases in incidents involving failure to provide adequate care for animals.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously. The numbers of non-compliance cases vary in any given year. In 2022 the Animals in Science Regulation Unit introduced improvements in how non-compliance is reported, which includes self-reporting. The self-reporting of non-compliance by establishments is vital to assure a culture of compliance. The increase in numbers of reported non-compliances in the annual report was driven by increased self-reporting.
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit will further evaluate trends in non-compliance as its regulatory reform programme develops. Every case is investigated, and remedies and sanctions applied according to its published non-compliance policy.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to strengthen sanctions for those who breach conditions of a licence to conduct animal experiments for scientific research.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously.
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit applies sanctions in cases of non-compliance in accordance with its compliance policy, which aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.
More rigorous sanctions are used in cases where animal welfare is impacted or there are significant systems failures.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) South Gloucestershire Council and (b) National Highways on the delivery of M4 junction 18A.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department and National Highways recognises the creation of a proposed new Junction 18A on the M4 to the northeast of Bristol as a priority for South Gloucestershire Council and other local stakeholders. I know the Department and National Highways look forward to working with South Gloucestershire Council on suitable proposals.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of plans to reform the fit note process on people with mental ill health.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Good work is good for health. We know that good work can positively impact people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. We also know that tailored work and health support can help break down the kinds of barriers that can make finding and staying in a job more difficult for those with mental health conditions.
In 2023, 24% of fit note episodes had a known diagnosis and of those, 33% are for mental and behavioural disorders. We are reforming the fit note process so that it starts with an assessment of what someone can do with the right support, rather than what they cannot. This builds on the £795m investment we made at Autumn Statement for additional funding over five years for mental health services to help support people with mental ill health to gain and/or retain employment, as well as our successful Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies programme, which is now being rolled out across England.
Our ambition is to bring together preventative healthcare and employment systems to support people who are at risk of falling out of work or who have already fallen out of work due to ill health. We continue to work with stakeholders including mental health organisations and those with lived experience, to co-develop this policy, this includes seeking insight and evidence via a public call for evidence.
This work is an essential part of the Government’s ambition to improve health outcomes, and help people get access to the support they need to return to, remain and thrive in work.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral answer of 29 April 2024 by the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing to Question 902545, Official Report, columns 32-33, if she will publish an update on the Youth Endowment Fund's schools-based work to reduce children's involvement in crime following the Minister's meeting with the Director of that Fund on 30 April 2024.
Answered by David Johnston
Engagement in education provides an important opportunity to identify and support children and young people at risk of serious violence. Through the department’s Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) Taskforce and Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST) programmes, the department is investing over £50 million to fund specialist support in mainstream schools and alternative provisions in the areas where serious violence is most prevalent.
The SAFE taskforce programmes are underpinned by evidence-based approaches to tackling serious violence, including utilising the Youth Endowment Fund’s (YEF) Toolkit for how to put these approaches into action. The department continues to work closely with YEF as they build up their evidence base for 'what works' in preventing serious violence, and as they fund the evaluations of the department's taskforce programmes. Updates to the YEF’s school-based work can be found on their website.