Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to help reduce waiting lists for Approved Driving Instructor exams; and what recent progress her Department has made in reducing those backlogs.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is seeing an increased demand for Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) tests for those wishing to qualify as driving instructors. Since 2018-19, DVSA has seen a 152% increase in the number of those applying to start the ADI qualification process. This number continues to rise significantly and has increased to over 19,000 in 2024-25, a 17% increase compared to 2023-24
DVSA recommends trainee ADIs use the ‘Book to Hold’ service. All tests must be paid for at the time of booking, including where tests are booked to ‘hold’. This gives DVSA an accurate picture of where demand is, and it can then ensure that it deploys its examiner resources in the right areas. Once ADI examiner programmes have been finalised, the DVSA will contact those on the hold list in the order they booked their test to hold to arrange a test.
DVSA aims to train four more ADI examiners by the end of 2025. The agency has an ongoing national campaign to recruit more ADI examiners. This will help to increase the number of available ADI tests.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Our trade deal with India is great news for Scotland, increasing exports, growing our economy and securing jobs.
Scottish products will benefit from significant tariff reductions. That includes whisky, where the current 150% tariff will be halved from day one, and reaching just 40% after 10 years. The Scotch Whisky Association has described this as ‘a once in a generation deal and a landmark moment for Scotch Whisky’.
Other Scottish exports including chocolate, biscuits and salmon will reduce from a 33% tariff to 0%.
And did the SNP back this transformation deal for Scotland? Of course not. They didn't back the US or EU deals either.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of workplace safeguarding rights for volunteers in the third sector.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Volunteers serve at the heart of our communities nationwide, dedicating their time to create positive change and enhance the lives of those around them. The Government is committed to supporting volunteering, which is critical to a vibrant, connected and resilient civil society.
We monitor the rights and responsibilities placed on volunteers to ensure they are proportionate. These rights and responsibilities reflect that volunteers are not contracted employees, however sometimes do act on behalf of organisations. Legislation for paid employees or workers including the Equality Act 2010 and the Employment Rights Act 1996, does not apply to volunteers. Volunteers do have other protections, including through the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support democracy in Georgia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 16 December I spoke with Georgian Dream's Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili, about recent events in Georgia, and about Georgia's negative democratic trajectory. I stressed that police violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We have also suspended all programme support to the Georgian government, restricted defence cooperation, and limited engagement with Georgian Dream representatives. We continue to call on Georgia to realign itself with European values.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of spending on road infrastructure in (a) the North East and (b) England over the last 15 years by (i) percentage of total Departmental spend and (ii) per head.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Figures on public sector expenditure at national and regional levels are published as part of HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics (available here for current and previous publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis). In the most recent publication, figures are provided from 2019/20 to 2023/24.
The figures included below are in 2023/24 prices.
In 2023/24, capital expenditure for the Department of Transport and its partner bodies on national and local roads was £284m in the North East of England and £3,754m in England. Capital expenditure on national and local roads in the North East of England was 0.94% of total Department for Transport expenditure. Capital expenditure on national and local roads in England was 12.39% of total Department for Transport expenditure.
Department for Transport Expenditure and Capital Expenditure on national and local roads by Selected Regions, 2023/24 prices, £m (2019/20 to 2023/24) | |||||
Expenditure | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Total DfT Expenditure | 25,010 | 35,113 | 32,393 | 30,039 | 30,306 |
Capital Expenditure in North East England: national roads and local roads | 193 | 315 | 301 | 369 | 284 |
As a Proportion of Total DfT Expenditure | 0.77% | 0.90% | 0.93% | 1.23% | 0.94% |
Capital Expenditure in England: national roads and local roads | 4,049 | 4,176 | 3,563 | 3,641 | 3,754 |
As a Proportion of Total DfT Expenditure | 16.19% | 11.89% | 11.00% | 12.12% | 12.39% |
Applying regional population estimates from the ONS to HMT’s Country and Regional Analysis data allows for a view of per capita spend by region. In 2023/24, capital expenditure per capita on national and local roads was £105 in the North East of England and £65 in England.
Department for Transport Capital Expenditure on national roads and local roads by Selected Regions £ per capita, 2023/24 prices, (2019/20 to 2023/24) | |||||
Region | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
North East England | 73 | 119 | 114 | 138 | 105 |
England | 72 | 74 | 63 | 64 | 65 |
The Government remains committed to driving prosperity across the United Kingdom, ensuring that growth is felt at both a regional and national level.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the (a) total cost to the public purse for, (b) proportion of her Department’s total expenditure that was spent on and (c) spend per head for transport infrastructure in (a) the North East and (b) England the last 15 years.
Answered by Mike Kane
Figures on public sector expenditure at national and regional levels are published as part of HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics (Available here for current and previous publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis). In the most recent publication, figures are provided from 2019/20 to 2023/24.
In 2023/24, capital expenditure from the Department for Transport and its partner bodies was £489m in the North East of England and £17,298m in England. Capital expenditure in the North East of England was 1.6% as a proportion of total Department for Transport expenditure. Capital expenditure in England was 57.1% as a proportion of total Department for Transport expenditure.
Department for Transport Expenditure by Selected Regions, 2023/24 prices, £m (2019/20 to 2023/24) | |||||
Expenditure | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Total Expenditure | 25,010 | 35,113 | 32,393 | 30,039 | 30,306 |
Capital Expenditure in North East England | 336 | 480 | 511 | 549 | 489 |
As a Proportion of Total Expenditure | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.6% |
Capital Expenditure in England | 13,186 | 14,485 | 16,675 | 16,959 | 17,298 |
As a Proportion of Total Expenditure | 52.7% | 41.3% | 51.5% | 56.5% | 57.1% |
Applying regional population estimates from the ONS to HMT’s Country and Regional Analysis data allows for a view of per capita spend by region. In 2023/24, capital expenditure per capita from the Department for Transport was £180 in the North East of England and £300 in England.
Department for Transport Capital Expenditure by Selected Regions per capita, 2023/24 prices, £ (2019/20 to 2023/24) | |||||
Region | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
North East England | 127 | 182 | 193 | 205 | 180 |
England | 234 | 257 | 295 | 297 | 300 |
The Government remains committed to driving prosperity across the United Kingdom, ensuring that growth is felt at both a regional and national level.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding is available for patients to receive the immunotherapy drug Futibatinib through the NHS; and what criteria his Department uses to determine whether a patient is eligible for any funding.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England funds the use of licensed medicines that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Futibatinib is licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and has been recommended by the NICE for the treatment of previously treated advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement. However, Taiho Pharma Europe, the company that markets futibatinib, has advised NHS England that they are not currently able to supply it to the National Health Service. Patients with previously treated advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement are able to access a different treatment, pemigatinib, which is also licensed and recommended by the NICE for this indication.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
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 adequacy of the NHS supply of Futibatinib.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England funds the use of licensed medicines that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Futibatinib is licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and has been recommended by the NICE for the treatment of previously treated advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement. However, Taiho Pharma Europe, the company that markets futibatinib, has advised NHS England that they are not currently able to supply it to the National Health Service. Patients with previously treated advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement are able to access a different treatment, pemigatinib, which is also licensed and recommended by the NICE for this indication.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of qualified teacher status on the quality of teaching.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
Evidence shows that high quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving the outcomes of children, which is why qualified teacher status (QTS) is so important. The government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring the best life chances for every child. As part of this, we are ensuring that new teachers entering the classroom have, or are working towards, QTS.
Teachers who have undertaken initial teacher training (ITT) leading to QTS have demonstrated that they meet all the teachers’ standards at the appropriate level and have had access to high quality, regulated training, followed by a statutory induction. The children in their classes will benefit from having professionally qualified, well-trained teachers.
All primary and secondary ITT courses leading to QTS must incorporate the ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) in full. The CCF is based on the best available evidence of what makes high quality teaching. A review of the CCF alongside the Early Career Framework (ECF) was undertaken during 2023. Building on the evidence underpinning the frameworks, in addition to what the department learnt from the first few years of CCF implementation and ECF delivery, the content of the ITT, CCF and the ECF were reviewed and updated into the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This covers the first three years or more of a teacher’s career and articulates what trainee and new teachers need to know and be able to do. From September 2025, the ITTECF will replace the CCF and become mandatory for accredited ITT providers to incorporate into their primary and secondary ITT courses leading to QTS.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school children are (a) eligible for and (b) registered to receive free school meals in Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The most recently published figures on free school meals (FSM) eligibility are from the January 2024 school census, published in June 2024 here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
The statistics are based on counts of pupils who are eligible for FSM and are known by their school to be claiming. The department does not hold information on pupils who are eligible but do not claim.
Where statistics were published prior to the changes in parliamentary constituency boundaries, they will be updated to reflect the new boundaries in the next publication of statistics. This is expected to be in June 2025 for schools’ and pupils’ statistics.
The constituency of Gateshead Central and Whickham is made up of elements of two old constituencies: Gateshead and Blaydon. As of January 2024, 35% of pupils at state-funded primary schools in Gateshead and 21% of pupils at state-funded primary schools in Blaydon were eligible for and claiming FSM. This compares with 24% for the whole of England.
The schools and pupils publication includes data at school level. This can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency, which can be accessed here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. GIAS reflects the changes made following the general election parliamentary constituency changes. Updates to geographical data in GIAS are made on a quarterly basis using data published by the Office for National Statistics.