Michael Payne

The government is committed to ensuring that every child in care grows up with the love, care and support they need to achieve and thrive. All foster carers receive the National Minimum Allowance to cover the costs of looking after the children in their care. In the 2025/26 financial year this allowance is being uplifted by 3.55%.

This government is supporting children in care by expanding the ‘Mockingbird Family Model’ which is an innovative evidence-based approach. Relationships are central to the design of the programme, which involves six to ten satellite families grouped into a constellation around a hub home carer.

In Gelding this is being delivered as part of the ‘Foster For East Midlands’ Recruitment Hub which launched in March 2024 and comprises of four neighbouring local authorities, Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, and Derby City Council.

Across England ten regional fostering programmes are live, working with 64% of all local authorities collaboratively to recruit and retain foster carers who will provide loving homes, local to the children who need them. An additional £15 million was announced to support this programme in the Autumn Budget 2024, and we intend to move towards full national roll out in the next financial year. We welcome discussions with other local authorities about our national expansion plans.

The last local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for Nottinghamshire was in February 2023. Following the inspection, the department is closely monitoring the areas for priority action and improvement that were identified by inspectors and the progress made by children and young people with SEND, and has appointed a SEND adviser to support the local area SEND partnership. Nottinghamshire County Council is committed to working closely with the department to improve services and has established an independently chaired improvement board and published a SEND priority action plan to address the issues identified in the inspection report. An Ofsted and CQC monitoring inspection will be carried out approximately 18 months after the initial inspection and the next full area SEND inspection will take place within approximately three years.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to taking a community-wide approach in collaboration with local area partnerships to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and to ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.

The table below provides per-pupil funding units from 2018/19 to 2023/24, which represents the funding provided for schools in Nottinghamshire each year in the schools block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG).

The department cannot provide comparable funding for Nottinghamshire back to 2010, due to the changes in the funding system since that time. The scope of the per-pupil funding before and after 2018/19 are not directly comparable. In particular, the central services provided by local authorities were split out from the schools block funding in 2018/19, and instead funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.

The figures in the table below are provided on a cash basis. The department also publishes real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level, which does not distinguish by phase. The department uses the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels. These can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics and https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/school-funding-statistics-methodology.

These figures do not include funding for growth, premises or additional funding received through supplementary grants.

Environment Agency inspection of flood risk management assets defending the southern edge of Gedling did not identify any significant damage following winter storms. Maintenance of these assets can include blockage removal, vegetation management, and further interventions where needed, such as recent embankment repairs in Gedling. The Environment Agency estimate that c.£121,000 was spent on maintenance in Gedling in 2023/24, with approximately £300,000 planned for 2024/25.

There are no capital schemes planned in the constituency for this 6-year programme as the River Trent is well defended, benefitting from the £45M 2012 Nottingham Trent Left Bank scheme.

The Environment Agency has several strategic programmes in the constituency which may be added to our future capital pipeline.

99% of buses providing local services comply with accessibility regulations that cover the design of vehicles and incorporate a designated space to accommodate at least one wheelchair user. We recognise that in some circumstances such provision may be inadequate, and we welcome efforts by individual operators to provide a second wheelchair space. We also continue to consider the efficacy of existing bus and coach accessibility regulation, and will announce our next steps in due course.

Trains are required to have at least two wheelchair spaces, to meet legal requirements, and each train operator must ensure they are kept clear for wheelchair users. Light rail vehicles (including trams, metros and London Underground) also have wheelchair spaces in compliance with similar legal requirements. The current refurbishment of London Underground’s oldest Tube trains includes the creation of wheelchair spaces where these do not already exist.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Each local highway authority is responsible for the condition of its local network. Highway maintenance funding allocations for all local highway authorities for the current financial year are available on gov.uk. The Government will confirm funding allocations for the 2025/26 financial year shortly, and will publish them on gov.uk.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Each local highway authority is responsible for the condition of its local network. Highway maintenance funding allocations for all local highway authorities for the current financial year are available on gov.uk. The Government will confirm funding allocations for the 2025/26 financial year shortly, and will publish them on gov.uk.

This Government takes the condition of local roads seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing our road network as a priority, on which Ministers will say more in future.

Maintenance of the local highway network within Nottinghamshire, including the constituency of Gedling, is the responsibility of Nottinghamshire County Council. For 2024/25, Nottinghamshire County Council has been allocated over £20 million to help it maintain its local highway network. Future funding beyond 2024/25 is matter for the next Spending Review.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Addison’s disease. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which include increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs.  We remain committed to delivering under the framework and will publish an annual England action plan in 2025.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) provide primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical advice on best practice. Currently, the NICE has a CKS on Addison’s disease. This includes when to suspect Addison’s disease, a management section, and a self-care advice section to support both patients and family members or carers. Further information on the NICE’s CKS on Addison’s disease is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/addisons-disease/management/

NHS England has previously published a National Patient Safety Alert on Steroid Emergency Card to support the early recognition and treatment of an adrenal crisis in adults. These alerts require action to be taken by healthcare providers, to reduce the risk of death or disability. Further information on the alert is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-patient-safety-alert-steroid-emergency-card-to-support-early-recognition-and-treatment-of-adrenal-crisis-in-adults/

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and support services for autistic people, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

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. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism based on the available evidence.

The Department has been working with suppliers, NHS England, and national clinical specialists to address the current supply issues with Creon, which is a brand of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. Comprehensive guidance has been issued to the National Health Service and is being regularly reviewed and updated as the supply situation changes. This guidance includes information clinicians can share with patients, and refers to advice from patient groups aimed at supporting patients in managing the supply issues and addressing their questions.

The Department has not issued any local guidance on this supply issue, but has issued a National Patient Safety Alert in December 2024, with an action for integrated care boards to put in place a local mitigation plan for instances when patients are unable to obtain stock from their community pharmacy or dispensing general practice. In all cases of medicines supply issues, healthcare professionals should endeavour to communicate any supply issues and relevant information about resupply dates and the proposed management plan clearly with patients. They should also undertake counselling to support affected patients where possible.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. We are currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements, including in Gedling, for 2024/25.

The Government’s responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease (MND) research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Significant recent investments include, but are not limited to, £12.5 million to support the best science in the UK Dementia Research Institute, £8 million for early phase clinical research and the Experimental medicine Route To Success in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis platform trial, and £6 million for the MND Translational Accelerator. In 2022, Government funders also published a joint NIHR and Medical Research Council Highlight Notice, inviting researchers across the academic and life sciences sector to submit applications via open call. The MND Highlight Notice invites proposals for research to address important health and social care questions, and seeks to increase the amount of MND research funded.

NHS England commissions the specialised care and treatment that patients with MND may receive from the 24 specialised neurology centres across England. NHS England has published a service specification setting out national standards for organisations that provide specialised neurological care. This sets out that the service should improve the quality of life and the experience of the services for patients and their carers. The support provided includes the provision of multi-disciplinary care from specialist clinicians, including neurologists, specialist nurses, speech and language therapists, dietetics and nutrition, and physiotherapy, depending on individual clinical need. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Service Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services, including MND.

In addition, NHS England commissions a specialised communication aids service known as Augmentative and Alternative Communication, as set out in the published service specification. This service supports individuals with rapidly degenerative conditions, including MND, who are prioritised for this service. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/03/aac-serv-spec-jan-2016.pdf