Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) living in temporary accommodation, (b) being a child at risk, (c) being a looked-after child and (d) being a child of UK armed services personnel on the educational attainment of children at each of the key stages from early years to KS4.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government’s Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success, ensuring family security and providing the best start in life, with all children achieving and thriving and building skills for opportunity and growth.

Too often opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. We know that disadvantaged young people face barriers to engagement with education, which can have a negative impact on their educational outcomes. This can include practical barriers like insecure housing. If children are unable to engage with education, it doesn’t matter how good teaching and learning is, they will not benefit.

From April 2025, we will be rolling out Family Help Services that will prioritise supporting the whole family and intervening at the earliest opportunity to prevent challenges escalating. Lead practitioners will undertake assessments of all needs of the family, including those who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness, and work to support families where this may be part of a more complex set of needs.

As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year, 2024/25. This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.

The impact of pre-care and care experience can also be a significant barrier to a child’s educational achievement. In 2022/23 at key stage 2, 37% of children in care for at least 12 months and 30% of children in need achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, which is significantly lower than all pupils (60%). However, it is important to recognise that 49.9% of children in need and 58.1% of children in care for at least 12 months have a special educational need, including mental health needs.

All local authorities have a statutory duty to promote the educational achievement of children in their care and are required to appoint a virtual school head (VSH), who is responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve the educational outcomes of the authority’s looked after children, including those placed out of authority, and for championing their progress. While VSHs have had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the outcomes of looked-after children, we want to see the same for all children with a social worker. This is why we intend to extend the role on a statutory basis to support educational outcomes of all children on child in need and child protection plans, as announced in our policy statement ’Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive’.

Service children's attainment at school is on a par with that of non-service children and they achieve very well at school. However, children who move frequently perform less well than those who move school less often or not at all, whilst service pupils can also experience additional needs relating to their emotional and social well-being. Service children attract Service Pupil Premium, which is currently worth £340 per pupil and can be used by schools to help improve their wellbeing and educational progress.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to her Answer on 9 December to UIN 17876 on motor insurance - young people, how many meetings of the cross-government motor insurance taskforce have taken place; and what progress has been made in reducing motor insurance premiums.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are committed to tackling the increased costs of motor insurance, to deliver on our manifesto commitment.

As set out in my previous response, the Taskforce, including the Stakeholder Panel, met for the first time on 16th October. The Taskforce is currently exploring short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

As it takes this work forwards, the Taskforce will continue to work closely with the independent Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Competition and Markets Authority. The FCA has launched a market study into the premium finance market and is undertaking work to analyse the cause of increased claims costs in the motor insurance market.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) autistic and (b) ADHD diagnostic assessments in the Cheshire and Merseyside area.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

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 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 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. In 2024/25, £4.3 million is available nationally to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services.

We are also supporting a cross-sector taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

The Cheshire and Merseyside ICB advises that it is working with a range of partners to implement standardised pathways or models of care for neurodiversity, primarily ADHD and autism, for both children and young people, and adults. The ambition for both pathways is to enable early help, and the ability to access support without the need for diagnosis. This will ensure people’s needs are met in a more timely way, and enable assessment capacity to focus on those with the greatest need, also enabling waiting times for assessments to be reduced.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on steps local authorities should take to inform a child’s (a) GP and (b) school when they are moved into temporary accommodation.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon member to the answer to Question UIN 18551 on 17 December 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of capital investment required for Warrington and Halton hospital campus sites.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that delivering high quality National Health Service healthcare services requires the right facilities and support systems in the right places, and we understand that strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, whether through allocations prioritised locally or through national programmes, is important in achieving this.

Managing the local capital budget for its area and allocating funds according to local priorities, including investment in healthcare facilities, are matters for the local integrated care board (ICB), the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB. The ICB should have considered the investment needed for the Warrington and Halton hospital campus sites as part of their 10-year infrastructure strategy, in collaboration with the relevant trusts.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of families placed in temporary accommodation outside their local authority area in each of the last five years.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon member to the answer to Question UIN 18551 on 17 December 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of deaths of babies from families in temporary accommodation where the type of accommodation was officially recorded as a factor in that death since 2019.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable. The Homelessness Code of Guidance is clear that temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for a family with children under two if there is not enough space for a cot and that housing authorities should support families to secure a cot where needed. The department does not hold information on the deaths of babies in temporary accommodation.

It is vital that survivors of domestic abuse are housed in suitable accommodation and that safeguarding should be a top priority. Legislation is clear that temporary accommodation has to be suitable, and local authorities should keep the suitability of accommodation under review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the health of the carer of a (a) child and (b) baby is assessed (i) generally and (ii) for the impact of (A) sexual and (B) domestic violence when moving into temporary accommodation.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable. The Homelessness Code of Guidance is clear that temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for a family with children under two if there is not enough space for a cot and that housing authorities should support families to secure a cot where needed. The department does not hold information on the deaths of babies in temporary accommodation.

It is vital that survivors of domestic abuse are housed in suitable accommodation and that safeguarding should be a top priority. Legislation is clear that temporary accommodation has to be suitable, and local authorities should keep the suitability of accommodation under review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Remediation Acceleration Plan, published on 2 December 2024, whether her Department plans to set a deadline for the completion of cladding remediation works on 11 to 18 metre buildings.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

By the end of 2029, every building 11m+ with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated, have a date for completion, or the landlords will be liable for severe penalties.

We have to recognise that with so many mid-rise residential buildings still to be identified that they won’t all be fixed by 2029. But we must make sure that they all have an end date in sight – or that there will be consequences for landlords if not. This will give all residents the certainty that so many of them currently lack.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Remediation Acceleration Plan, published on 02 December 2024, what is her planned timetable for working with insurers to consider the potential merits of supporting the industry with reducing fire-related liabilities for the duration of remediation programmes.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Buildings insurance premiums remain unacceptably high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long.

My officials have already started working with the insurance industry, as announced in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, to consider whether, for the duration of remediation programmes, government might support industry to reduce fire related liabilities, in order to reduce the high insurance bills some leaseholders are facing.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of battery fires there have been relating to electric (a) cars, (b) bikes and (c) scooters since 2022.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics.

Data collected through the Incident Recording System (IRS) does not include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved batteries, for electric cars, electric bikes or electric scooters.

We are in the process of replacing the IRS, and intend to update the data it collects, covering both the questions and answer categories included within the forms. Adding new categories, including lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes, to the data collection are options beings developed to reform the IRS with a modern, secure, and flexible system.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of qualified brick layers required to help meet the Government's new house building targets.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government are working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the skilled workers needed to build 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament. This includes a £140 million package of industry investment to deliver 5,000 more apprenticeship places through 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of retaining new homes bonus payments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on 18 December, the government have committed to a further year of the New Homes Bonus (NHB) in 2025-26 which will provide £290m of funding to local government in recognition of a net increase of 214,000 homes. We have also committed to consulting on reforming the NHB in the new year.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's target is for new build homes for social rent for (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26, (c) 2026-27, (d) 2027-28 and (e) 2028-29.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has not set an annual supply target for new social rented homes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, what the target date is for publication of the final guidance on Alternative Dispute Resolution; and whether (a) developers and (b) building owners will be required to participate in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We will start reporting on audit results in 2025.

Under the terms of the developer remediation contract, signatory developers committed to use all reasonable endeavours to resolve third party disputes fairly and as quickly as possible.

In the joint plan we published on 2 December, the Government committed to publish guidance on alternative dispute resolution by March 2025. Developers that signed up to the joint plan have committed to offer alternative dispute resolution where necessary to resolve such disputes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2h of her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, what her planned timetable is for issuing final guidance on alternative dispute resolutions; and if it will be mandatory for developers and building owners to participate in alternative dispute resolution.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We will start reporting on audit results in 2025.

Under the terms of the developer remediation contract, signatory developers committed to use all reasonable endeavours to resolve third party disputes fairly and as quickly as possible.

In the joint plan we published on 2 December, the Government committed to publish guidance on alternative dispute resolution by March 2025. Developers that signed up to the joint plan have committed to offer alternative dispute resolution where necessary to resolve such disputes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, when her Department will begin publishing developer performance against audits; and whether it will report retrospectively on audits carried out since the commencement of the Developer Remediation Contract.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We will start reporting on audit results in 2025.

Under the terms of the developer remediation contract, signatory developers committed to use all reasonable endeavours to resolve third party disputes fairly and as quickly as possible.

In the joint plan we published on 2 December, the Government committed to publish guidance on alternative dispute resolution by March 2025. Developers that signed up to the joint plan have committed to offer alternative dispute resolution where necessary to resolve such disputes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what percentage of housing development on grey belt land will be required to be homes for social rent.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Our golden rules require that where development occurs on the grey belt, it delivers 15 percentage points more affordable housing than the existing local plan affordable housing requirements, up to a maximum of 50% (except where the local plan requirement is already higher). We estimate that the median affordable housing target will be 50%.

It is for local authorities to judge the right mix of affordable homes for ownership and for rent that will meet the needs of their communities. However, we have made clear that local authorities should consider the particular needs of those who require Social Rent homes when undertaking needs assessments and setting policies on affordable housing requirements.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support women in the engineering sector.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

According to Engineering UK, the engineering and technology industry employed approximately 6.3m people in 2023, with approximately 15.7% women.

There are a number of services supporting women into engineering, for example, Royal Academy Engineering and the National Careers Services. However, there is clearly more to be done.

I will be convening a group of senior energy leaders in early 2025 to discuss how diversity can be improved to help deliver the clean energy superpower mission, which will need significantly more engineers.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Remediation Acceleration Plan, published on 02 December 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of providing support to volunteer directors of Resident Management Companies and Right to Manage Companies in the event of enforcement action being taken at their building.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In accordance with the Regulator’s Code, regulators must carry out their activities in a way that supports those they regulate to comply and grow. This includes making sure they take a proportionate approach to enforcement, and educate those they regulate about their responsibilities.

MHCLG expects regulators to engage with a building’s leaseholders (including any RTMs or RMCs in place) prior to enforcement, to understand what factors are delaying remediation. If regulatory action has escalated to formal enforcement action, this may be because engagement with relevant parties has failed to produce a positive outcome. Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities also have a duty to take enforcement action where they identify category 1 hazards (the most dangerous level).

This month, MHCLG published remediation enforcement guidance for regulators to support regulators to enforce permanent remediation at unsafe buildings. Annex D of our guidance stresses the importance of regulators taking proportionate regulatory action at leaseholder-managed buildings. We recommend that – in certain cases - non-statutory action to educate RTMs and RMCs about the remediation process and their responsibilities may be the most appropriate and helpful action a regulator can take to get an unsafe building fixed.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of houses of (a) all tenure and (b) social housing tenure expected to be built in (a) Halton and (b) Chester West and Chester Council area by the end of the Parliament.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The standard method for calculating local housing need figures for each local authority, including Halton, and Chester West and Chester, is set out in the Government Response to the ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’. This can be found on gov.uk here.

The standard method should be used to identify the total number of homes needed in a local area. However, within this context it is for local authorities to identify the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those who require affordable housing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent social isolation of carers.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We want to ensure that people who care for family and friends are better able to look after their own health and wellbeing.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers. Additionally, the Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for unpaid carer support, including short breaks and respite services for carers.

Social prescribing can also work well for those who are socially isolated or whose wellbeing is being impacted by non-medical issues, and routinely present to primary or secondary care as a result.

The Department worked with NHS England and the Carers Partnership to produce a social prescribing summary document that was disseminated to local carer organisations in March 2023. This aimed to help upskill staff at carer organisations on social prescribing as an intervention for loneliness, and to increase unpaid carer health and wellbeing.