Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many local authorities have increased the level of fines for littering since April 2018.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra does not collect data on the level of fixed penalties set by local authorities for littering nor on the extent of littering in each constituent part of England.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support people with inconsistent internet access to access universal credit.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Most people claiming Universal Credit will be able to access and navigate the internet, to make and maintain their Universal Credit account. Our published Universal Credit Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be easy. However, we recognise that some will need help.
For those requiring help, assistance is available through Universal Support. On 1 October 2018 we announced the Department’s new partnership with Citizens Advice (and Citizens Advice Scotland) to provide an improved nationwide Universal Support.
Assisted Digital Support, which is a component of Universal Support, provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Further support is offered via training courses which claimants are referred to by their work coaches.
Additionally, all jobcentres across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. For those few that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available vial the Freephone UC helpline. The UC Service Centre will establish the best means of support available, and in exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support people who do not have a computer to access universal credit.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Most people claiming Universal Credit will be able to access and navigate the internet, to make and maintain their Universal Credit account. Our published Universal Credit Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be easy. However, we recognise that some will need help.
For those requiring help, assistance is available through Universal Support. On 1 October 2018 we announced the Department’s new partnership with Citizens Advice (and Citizens Advice Scotland) to provide an improved nationwide Universal Support.
Assisted Digital Support, which is a component of Universal Support, provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Further support is offered via training courses which claimants are referred to by their work coaches.
Additionally, all jobcentres across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. For those few that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available vial the Freephone UC helpline. The UC Service Centre will establish the best means of support available, and in exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support people with low computer literacy to access universal credit.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Most people claiming Universal Credit will be able to access and navigate the internet, to make and maintain their Universal Credit account. Our published Universal Credit Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be easy. However, we recognise that some will need help.
For those requiring help, assistance is available through Universal Support. On 1 October 2018 we announced the Department’s new partnership with Citizens Advice (and Citizens Advice Scotland) to provide an improved nationwide Universal Support.
Assisted Digital Support, which is a component of Universal Support, provides help, support and skills claimants need to make and maintain their digital account online. Further support is offered via training courses which claimants are referred to by their work coaches.
Additionally, all jobcentres across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. For those few that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available vial the Freephone UC helpline. The UC Service Centre will establish the best means of support available, and in exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to maximise internet service provider options for people in rural areas.
Answered by Margot James
We are currently investing £1.7 billion of public money in superfast broadband coverage across the UK. We reached the target of 95% coverage of the UK by the end of 2017 and are continuing to roll out with another 2% coverage expected.
As part of funding requirements, network providers receiving funding under the BDUK Superfast programme are required to provide wholesale access, which creates competition in the retail market and seeks to maximise the number of internet service provider options for consumers.
To ensure no-one is left behind, the Better Broadband Scheme ensures all UK premises have access to an affordable broadband service from a range of ISPs delivering at least 2Mbps. From 2020 we are also introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation so everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request high-speed broadband of minimum 10Mbps up to a reasonable cost threshold.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that mobile phone provider coverage checkers are accurate.
Answered by Margot James
Ofcom has power under the Communications Act 2003 to require coverage data from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and publishes this data online. Ofcom’s statutory powers to require the provision of information are fundamental to its ability to carry out its regulatory functions, and the information provided by operators must therefore be timely, complete and accurate. Each MNO also publishes data online with regard to its own coverage, and this data is subject to the ASA CAP Code.
Ofcom recently announced that they will open an investigation into errors found in data provided by EE and Vodafone, and whether these would constitute a breach of the operators’ obligations. This investigation is ongoing.
The Government is clear that it is essential that the data provided to consumers, whether on MNO websites or through Ofcom, must be the best available, and able to be used with confidence.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps against broadband infrastructure companies who exclude specific houses as they deem their driveways to be too long when installing fibre broadband in an area.
Answered by Margot James
The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, published in July, set out the Government’s ambitions to provide world-class digital connectivity that is gigabit-capable, reliable, long-lasting and widely available across the UK. The Review set out the regulatory and policy environment to facilitate this, alongside the measures that my Department’s Barrier Busting Task Force is taking to reduce the cost of deployment of digital infrastructure.
The Government hopes such measures will enable operators to deploy infrastructure as far as possible, including to harder to reach or more expensive areas.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding he plans to allocated to Poole Hospital as a result of the increase in funding for the NHS, announced by the Prime Minister in July 2018.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To support the National Health Service to deliver for patients across the country, the Government has announced a new five-year budget settlement for the NHS, which will see funding grow on average by 3.4% in real terms each year. This will mean the NHS budget will increase by over £20 billion in real terms by 2023-24 compared with today. This additional funding will underpin a 10-year plan to guarantee the future of the NHS for the long term. Decisions have not yet been taken on the share of funds to be allocated to individual NHS organisations. The plan will set a vision for the health service and ensure every penny is well spent, which will then inform local allocations.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding he plans to allocate to Royal Bournemouth Hospital as a result of the increase in funding for the NHS, announced by the Prime Minister in June 2018.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To support the National Health Service to deliver for patients across the country, the Government has announced a new five-year budget settlement for the NHS, which will see funding grow on average by 3.4% in real terms each year. This will mean the NHS budget will increase by over £20 billion in real terms by 2023-24 compared with today. This additional funding will underpin a 10-year plan to guarantee the future of the NHS for the long term. Decisions have not yet been taken on the share of funds to be allocated to individual NHS organisations. The plan will set a vision for the health service and ensure every penny is well spent, which will then inform local allocations.
Asked by: Michael Tomlinson (Conservative - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked-after children and (b) care leavers went on to further education in 2016-17.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The information requested is not held centrally.
The number of care leavers aged 19 to 21 years old, who were in education other than higher education in the year ending 31 March 2017, was 5,090. For care leavers aged 17 to 18, the number was 4,610. Information on care leavers aged 17 and 18 years old was collected for the first time for the year ending 31 March 2016 and is published as experimental statistics.
These figures were published in 2017, in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017 (SFR 50/2017)’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.
Education other than higher education refers to all studies excluding degrees, diplomas in higher education, teaching and nursing qualifications, HNDs, ONDs, and BTEC levels 4-5, all of which fall under the category of higher education.