Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has taken steps to implement recommendation 27 on page 260 of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report entitled Equality and Human Rights Monitor, published in November 2023, on the under-performance of boys relative to girls in primary and secondary education.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Raising attainment for all pupils, no matter their gender or background is at the heart of this government’s agenda and the government is committed to providing a world-class education system for all.
The latest data shows that, while girls continue to outperform boys across most headline measures, the gender gap between boys and girls is narrowing.
At key stage 2 in 2022/23, the gender gap between boys and girls at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics has decreased since 2022 and is the lowest it has been since 2016. Key stage 4 results show the gender gap has narrowed across all headline measures when comparing 2022/23 with both 2018/19 and 2021/22.
The Schools White Paper, published in March 2022, was clear about the direction of travel needed to improve attainment. It set out the department’s long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.
This is supported by significant investment in education with the overall core school budget totalling over £59.6 billion in 2024/25 which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps, and level up educational opportunities.
Alongside this, the department takes a range of steps to improve attainment and outcomes for all pupils, including improving the quality of teaching and curriculum resources, strengthening the school system, increasing attendance, and providing targeted support where needed.
The department is aware that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to reach their full potential. This is why the department has provided additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, which will rise to over £2.9 billion in 2024/25, an increase of £80 million from 2023/24.
Programmes such as free school meals that support 2 million children, the Holiday Activities and Food programme, and support for up to 2,700 breakfast clubs also support disadvantaged pupils.
The department continues to collaborate with other government departments to address out-of-school factors that we know have a significant impact on attainment outcomes.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the new draft guidance for Relationship, Sex, and Health Education will be published.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department aims to be in a position to publish a draft of the guidance for consultation very shortly so that the new guidance will be available as soon as possible.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with NHS England on the Kooth mental health platform.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
While there have been no ministerial discussions with NHS England about the Kooth mental health platform, Departmental officials have had discussions with NHS England about the platform.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to use (a) screening and (b) enhanced testing to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer as the current test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, does not meet the required accuracy for use in a national screening programme. Current methods offer insufficient benefit in relation to harms caused by overdiagnosis, which may lead to invasive investigative procedures and unnecessary treatment, to warrant roll out as an organised screening programme. The UK NSC is due to review prostate cancer again in 2024 and will consider new evidence published between the two reviews.
In November 2023 we announced we will be funding a £42 million screening trial with Prostate Cancer UK to find ways of detecting country’s most common male cancer earlier. The first-of-its-kind trial, called TRANSFORM, will use innovative screening methods like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.
Steps have been taken to use enhanced testing to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer; NHS England have streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric MRI scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Furthermore, to boost early diagnosis NHS England is supporting three pilots, including the Man Van as part of the COVID-19 catch up cancer initiative. The Man Van was launched in March 2022 to provide free health checks for men and boost early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
In addition, backed by £2.3 billion capital funding, the department is expanding diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans and checks. With 150 CDCs open already and up to 160 set to open by March 2025, these offer millions of patients the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity prioritised for cancer. This is contributing to the elective recovery delivery plan ambition for 75% of patients urgently referred by their general practice for suspected cancer to receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to improve early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer as the current test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, does not meet the required accuracy for use in a national screening programme. Current methods offer insufficient benefit in relation to harms caused by overdiagnosis, which may lead to invasive investigative procedures and unnecessary treatment, to warrant roll out as an organised screening programme. The UK NSC is due to review prostate cancer again in 2024 and will consider new evidence published between the two reviews.
In November 2023 we announced we will be funding a £42 million screening trial with Prostate Cancer UK to find ways of detecting country’s most common male cancer earlier. The first-of-its-kind trial, called TRANSFORM, will use innovative screening methods like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.
Steps have been taken to use enhanced testing to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer; NHS England have streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric MRI scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Furthermore, to boost early diagnosis NHS England is supporting three pilots, including the Man Van as part of the COVID-19 catch up cancer initiative. The Man Van was launched in March 2022 to provide free health checks for men and boost early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
In addition, backed by £2.3 billion capital funding, the department is expanding diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans and checks. With 150 CDCs open already and up to 160 set to open by March 2025, these offer millions of patients the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity prioritised for cancer. This is contributing to the elective recovery delivery plan ambition for 75% of patients urgently referred by their general practice for suspected cancer to receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended in the United Kingdom. This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, PSA.
The Government recently announced its intention to undertake a ground-breaking prostate cancer screening trial in the UK, using a combination of PSA testing and magnetic resonance imaging, to look for prostate cancer in men that otherwise do not have any symptoms.
Supported by £16 million of funding from the Government, Prostate Cancer UK's £42 million trial could help us find a way of catching prostate cancer in men as early as possible before the cancer spreads and could save thousands of lives. The UK National Screening Committee will review the findings when the research is completed.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to question 4006 on GP Practice Lists: Gender, whether the NHS has made an assessment of the potential medical impact of allowing people to register with their GP as a person of the opposite sex.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Health Service has not made a formal assessment of the medical impact allowing people to register or change their gender to that with which they identify at their general practice.
When a transgender person changes their name and gender on their NHS record, they are issued with a new NHS number. As part of this process, the patients' previous medical records are copied across to their new NHS number, ensuring continuity of care. NHS England has advised that there should, therefore, be no medical impact of the changes made.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local councils secure the specified special educational provision for children and young people as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities are statutorily responsible for securing the special educational provision specified in the Education, Health and Care plans they issue. They must work with schools, colleges, Integrated Care Services, parents and young people to design and deliver a Local Offer of services and provision to meet the Special Educational Needs of their children and young people.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission inspect local areas’ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities services. Where inspection identifies significant weaknesses, the department may intervene to require improvement.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of incarcerated males who come from single-mother households as of 23 November 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is not routinely collected, and could not be made available without incurring disproportionate cost.
A study carried out in 2012 provides information about prisoners’ family circumstances as children, though this is not disaggregated to the level requested. It can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c543de5274a1b00423088/prisoners-childhood-family-backgrounds.pdf.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of allowing patients to register with their GP as a gender which is different to the one they were assigned at birth.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Patients can request to register or change their gender to that with which they identity. No formal assessment has been made, however the Government is clear that biological sex matters and that there are different health needs between the sexes. It is important that patients continue to receive the right care for their need whilst feeling comfortable and confident to access the healthcare they need.