Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will conduct a review of the decision to delegate the power to hold leases for GP premises to integrated care boards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England currently accepts ICBs holding leases only as a last resort or by exception due to the significant capital required. While we know that is not the most effective use of ICB resources, it is an important safeguard. We are committed to fixing the front door of the NHS by supporting GPs and ICBs through, for example, the £100 million of capital funding announced at the Budget for GP estate upgrades.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the rise in the rate of employer national insurance contributions on pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget. This enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer national insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, the Department will set out further details on allocation of funding for next year in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending funding settlements for the Household Support Fund beyond one year.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise that certainty helps Local Authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare assistance. Committing to funding the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 will allow them to plan their approach with greater certainty.
No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that teachers have the (a) classroom support and (b) equipment needed to support pupils with SEND.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
High quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.
On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.
A new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) is due to be implemented from September 2025, which contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, such as developing an understanding of different pupil needs and learning how to provide opportunities for success for all pupils.
The availability of training and career progression opportunities for teaching assistants helps ensure schools have the skilled staff they need to deliver high quality education. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has recently approved a new Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship, allowing teaching assistants to specialise in one of three areas: SEND, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, or Curriculum Provision. The apprenticeship will be available for candidates to undertake in 2025.
In addition, assistive technology (AT) can break down barriers to opportunity for students with SEND. The department is broadening the effective use of AT for teachers through research, training and guidance.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the pupil premium for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Every child, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to progress and succeed in school and beyond. This government is committed to breaking the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success. That is why removing barriers to opportunity and raising school standards are at the heart of the department’s mission to transform life chances and ensure all children can achieve and thrive.
The department is providing over £2.9 billion of pupil premium funding in 2024/25 to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in England.
The department is taking time to consider the various funding formulae going forward, recognising the importance of establishing a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed. We will consider the pupil premium as part of that process, and decisions on pupil premium funding for 2025/26 will be taken later this year.
The department will continue to support schools to achieve maximum impact from the pupil premium.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether UK Export Finance is taking steps to support companies in Newbury constituency sell their goods and services overseas.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Businesses based in Newbury can take advantage of the range of products that UK Export Finance provides to facilitate exporting, including loan guarantee and insurance facilities.
In 2023/24 alone, UKEF provided £8.8 billion support to help UK businesses sell their goods and services overseas.
Businesses in Newbury and across the country may also want to consider other support for exporting that is available from the Department for Business and Trade, such as our network of International Trade Advisers and guidance on GREAT.GOV.UK.
To obtain further information about the range of support available, businesses in Newbury can reach out to their local Export Finance Manager, for whom contact details are available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-an-export-finance-manager.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled Budget 2024 Briefing, published by Tech First in October 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of child poverty on resource allocation in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The schools national funding formula (NFF) targets funding to schools which have pupils with additional needs. In the 2024/25 financial year, over £4.4 billion (10.2%) of the formula is allocated according to deprivation factors in the NFF, including free school meals (FSM) for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and over £7.8 billion (17.8%) is allocated for additional needs overall.
The department has recently published provisional factor values for the 2025/26 NFF, including the increases to the deprivation factors within the formula. This is published at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2025-to-2026.
The core schools budget grant (CSBG), announced earlier this year to support schools with the costs of the 2024 pay awards for support staff and teachers, likewise includes a deprivation factor. This means pupils who have been eligible for FSM at any point over the past six years attract additional funding to their schools through the CSBG.
On top of this funding through the NFF and CSBG, the department also provides additional funding to schools through the pupil premium to improve the attainment and wider outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2024/25 financial year, total pupil premium funding is worth over £2.9 billion.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the clean air policy addresses the risks of (a) carbon monoxide and (b) other indoor air pollutants.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with other organisations to develop advice and recommended actions which can improve detection of, and prevent accidental exposure to, carbon monoxide in homes. This includes participating in a cross-Government group on gas safety and carbon monoxide awareness, which promotes a joined-up approach to improving gas safety and reducing carbon monoxide poisoning risks.
The UKHSA Clean Air Programme includes efforts both to build the evidence base and raise awareness of indoor air quality and its health impacts. Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on indoor air quality at home, designed to raise awareness of the importance of good air quality in people's homes and advise on how to achieve this.
Building regulations already require that carbon monoxide alarms are fitted alongside the installation of fixed combustion appliances of any fuel type, excluding gas cookers, in all tenures. The ingress of outdoor air can affect indoor air quality, and the Government is committed to delivering a comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of lifting the two-child benefit cap on funding for local authorities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the (a) quality and (b) safety of homes.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Regulations set standards for the design and construction of new building work covering safety, security, accessibility, water and energy use. They are intended to protect people’s health and welfare and may apply when somebody is putting up a new building, making material changes to a building, extending an existing building or altering building services. The Regulations apply to new building work and are supported by guidance set out in Approved Documents. Recent significant updates to the Building Regulations and fire safety guidance in Approved Document B have included the ban on combustible materials in and on the external walls of new residential buildings higher than 18 metres; setting a threshold for provision of sprinklers in new blocks of flats taller than 11 metres; making provision for wayfinding signage for fire fighters in residential buildings above 11 metres; and providing additional guidance on evacuation alert systems in new residential buildings over 18 metres in height. An 18-metre threshold height for second staircases in new residential buildings has been introduced from March 2024. The Building Safety Act 2022 requires the safety and standard of buildings to be kept under review; Building Regulations can then be updated as needed. This mechanism offers Government a source of evidence if Regulations or guidance need amendment or to reflect advances in building safety knowledge and technologies.