Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 increase the availability of autism assessments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.
NHS England is also working with research organisations to explore evidence-based models that support improved outcomes for those people waiting for an autism assessment.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prohibiting the use of weed killers such as glyphosate.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides, including weed killers, is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. Pesticides are only authorised following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.
We recently held a useful and informative roundtable event with some local authorities to discuss the work they had done to reduce the use of glyphosate and other weed killers in the urban environment.
Active substances used in pesticides are periodically reviewed to ensure they still meet safety standards and requirements set out in legislation. We will consider the GB position on glyphosate when its approval is next due for renewal.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) a legal code of conduct for and (b) mandatory inspections of the premises of funeral directors.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is thoroughly evaluating all potential next steps to ensure that the high standards upheld by many within the funeral director sector are consistently reflected throughout the entire industry. This includes assessing the potential merits of a legal code of conduct for funeral directors and mandatory inspections of their premises. Further updates on the next steps will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answers of 6 March 2025 to Question 36136 on Geothermal Power: County Durham and to Question 36137 on Data Centres: Energy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for AI hubs in County Durham by using geothermal energy production.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of continued innovation and improvements in the efficiency of AI.
AI Growth Zones will help shift energy demand to areas with more capacity, reducing pressure on congested parts of the grid. DSIT are working closely with DESNZ and the National Energy System Operator to align AI energy demand with future energy planning and ensure long-term sustainability.
Through the AI Energy Council, we will also build on this progress by exploring bold, clean energy solutions to ensure our AI ambitions align with the UK’s net zero goals.
UK government and local authorities will actively seek to secure the best deal possible for local communities where AI Growth Zones are allocated.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing musical and wider cultural education alongside the child poverty reduction strategy.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Participation in the arts can bring a range of benefits for children and young people, over and above its intrinsic value, including a positive impact on academic outcomes in other curriculum areas, as well as benefits to children’s wellbeing and attitude to learning.
That is why this government is committed to ensuring the arts are no longer the preserve of the privileged few.
The department has announced a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will support excellent teacher training in the arts. We have also invested in the Music Opportunities Pilot, with a £2 million contribution from the department, offering free instrument and vocal lessons to disadvantaged pupils. In addition, we are providing £79 million revenue funding per year for the Music Hubs programme, supporting children to access music opportunities in and beyond school, with an additional £25 million capital for musical instruments, equipment and adaptations for pupils with special education needs and disabilities.
The government has also established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum, so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music and drama.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. Evidence suggests that children growing up in low-income families miss childhood experiences central to their wellbeing, including being less likely to participate in extra-curricular activities and having less access to wider social and cultural activities.
This government’s commitment to a deep understanding of the drivers and experience of poverty in households across the UK underpins every aspect of our approach to the Child Poverty Strategy. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience and better local support especially in the early years.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of suicide prevention training provided to (a) prison and (b) probation staff.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All new members of prison staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention, and all staff who undertake key roles relating to risk assessment and case management also receive specific training relating to those roles. This training is subject to regular review and feedback is sought from participants as part of this process. An e-learning module has recently been made available for all staff to access on postvention support following a self-inflicted death in custody, and the effectiveness of this will be reviewed in due course.
There are two suicide prevention learning packages for probation staff: a Zero Suicide Alliance package for all staff, and a package aimed at new entrant Professional Qualification in Probation and Probation Service Officers which was developed internally as part of a broader introduction to mental health. Following completion of this latter package the majority of the intended group stated that they felt more prepared to work in this area and more confident about this part of their role. The effectiveness of this learning will continue to be reviewed to ensure that it meets the needs of the business going forward.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of suicide prevention training for staff in police custody suites.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to preventing deaths in or following police custody, including suicides both in custody and following release.
The College of Policing’s 'Vulnerability in Custody' training package, launched in 2022, seeks to improve the consistency and quality of custody training, focusing on identifying vulnerability and managing risk. This training was developed in response to recommendations made in the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody led by Dame Elish Angiolini. The College is undertaking an evaluation of the training package which will be completed in June.
The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing, and key health and voluntary sector stakeholders to improve support for those at risk of suicide following release from police custody.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to tackle compensation delays for people impacted by the Horizon Post Office scandal; what steps he is taking to (a) close the loophole that allows the Post Office to reset the compensation timeline by requesting information and (b) improve (i) transparency and (ii) accountability in the process.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is doing all it can to increase the pace of redress across all four Horizon compensation schemes. We are making upfront fixed offers and making interim and partial payments where possible. We continue to seek options to speed up redress in discussion with the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board.
Requests for information are intended to enable the Post Office and Department to increase its offers to claimants, including where there is a reasonable concern about the basis of calculation. We continue to work to ensure that requests are only issued where necessary, with communication of these requests handled sensitively and in the interests of claimants.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential across the Durham Coalfield for producing sustainable geothermal energy from disused mines.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To achieve net zero at lowest cost, we must look at how to accelerate all low carbon technologies including geothermal. The mine water from coal mines shows good potential as a renewable source for heat networks. The government is therefore supporting mine water schemes at Gateshead and Seaham Garden Village through the Heat Network Investment Project and the Green Heat Network Fund. Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the Durham Coalfield potential the Northeast Local Enterprise Partnership published a report in 2021, assessing options to increase deployment and the Mining Remediation Authority has released opportunity maps.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) impact of (i) banks, (ii) finance and (iii) debt collection companies' practices on consumers and (b) merits of bringing forward regulation to prevent overcharging when debts are reclaimed.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government expects fair treatment of individuals in debt and recognises the important role of responsible practices for debt recovery. We likewise recognise the negative impact that aggressive pursuit of debt can have on individuals.
For financial services debts, such as a bank loan, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires firms to treat their customers fairly and offer a range of appropriate forbearance options. Debt collection firms must also follow FCA rules when collecting financial services debts, and the FCA has a broad enforcement toolkit to penalise firms which breach them.
More broadly, the FCA requires that consumer credit firms provide credit in responsible manner. Under FCA rules, firms must assess a potential borrower’s creditworthiness before extending credit to them. Firms must also only offer credit that is suitable for a potential borrower’s needs and circumstances and ensure that the credit does not lead to over-indebtedness.
The Government remains committed to improving debt collection practices across sectors. In March 2024, the FCA published a joint letter alongside Ofgem, Ofwat, and Ofcom setting out their shared expectations for how firms should support customers in financial difficulty and rules governing this in their respective sectors.