Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the NHS sight test fee; and if he will take steps to increase that fee.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The level of the National Health Service sight test fee is considered annually and takes into account discussions with the Optical Fee Negotiating Committee, consideration of patient access to sight testing services, which continue to be widely available, and affordability for the NHS.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on health outcomes of universal access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. According to the Fracture Liaison Service Database 2022, at least 60 trusts in England had access to a Fracture Liaison Service. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.
Costs and benefits will be assessed, taking into consideration the evidence gathered from the 60 services already in operation in England.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress has been made on the rollout of the shared rural network in the Forest of Dean constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There have already been improvements via the Shared Rural Network in the Forest of Dean since the programme began in 2020. I have raised my concerns about the reporting of mobile connectivity with Ofcom, but according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations reports, 4G coverage from all four mobile network operators has risen from 73% to 85% and 99% of the constituency now has 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator, up from 97% in 2020.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on acute hospital bed usage of universal access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
Impacts will be assessed, including on acute hospital bed usage, taking into consideration the evidence gathered from the 60 services already in operation in England.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of SEND funding allocations on children in kinship care.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the importance of children in kinship care getting the support they need to thrive in school. Where children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the department would expect them to receive appropriate support from their school and, for those with complex SEND, also from the relevant local authority.
Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion.
In addition, since September 2024, the role of virtual school heads (VSH) has been expanded to include championing the education, attendance, and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school.
The department anticipates all children in kinship arrangements, which is estimated to be over 130,000, will benefit from the adaptation of the strategic VSH role.
This could include ensuring different kinds of kinship arrangements are visible in training for schools and working with education settings to strengthen how they address barriers to educational progress for kinship children.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage reading for pleasure by (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Forest of Dean to the answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19139.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding mechanisms she is considering to support primary schools in (a) installing and (b) maintaining library facilities.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Forest of Dean to the answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21170.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Police Federation's press release entitled Pensions update from the Police Federation of England and Wales, published on 3 December 2024, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the irregularities in pension eligibility between the (a) legacy pension system and the (b) CARE pension scheme 2015.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are many differences between the 2015 CARE police pension scheme and the legacy police pension schemes, including the age at which benefits can normally be drawn. The main public service pension schemes – including the police pension schemes – were reformed following the recommendations of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.
The 2015 scheme offers valuable pensions, improves affordability and sustainability, and is fairer to lower and middle earners. It is backed by the taxpayer, index-linked, and offers guaranteed benefits on retirement.
There are also valuable protections for the benefits that members have accrued in their legacy schemes, including the point at which they can draw benefits.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to roll out automatic number plate recognition cameras in (a) Forest of Dean and (b) other rural constituencies.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National ANPR infrastructure is governed by national standards which are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-anpr-standards. Prior to the deployment of ANPR cameras an assessment must identify a need, which could include the impact on local crime, community confidence, serious organised crime, or national security.
Police Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies are responsible for ensuring additional static ANPR cameras within their area are appropriate in line with national standards and the Data Protection Act. The Home Office has no plan to alter this arrangement.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the impact of music in shops on people with sensory sensitivities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This is so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This is an anticipatory duty, meaning providers should not wait to be asked before acting, but should expect that some of their customers will be disabled and require adaptations.
The Government welcomes steps some retailers are taking to introduce sensory friendly hours for customers who may find busy or loud shopping environments overwhelming.
Encouragingly, many establishments are already adopting practices like offering "quiet hours" or optimising acoustics for a more welcoming atmosphere.
The National Autistic Society has produced guidance for businesses on how this can be implemented: Autism Hour guidance (including tips for social distancing).pdf