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
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
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
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.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to (a) page 8 of the Home Office's Tackling violence against women and girls strategy, published July 2021 and (b) Section 54 of the Online Safety Act 2023, whether men and boys are included within Ofcom's guidance on protecting women and girls.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Shadow Minister (Education)
The phrase Violence Against Women and Girls (otherwise known as ‘VAWG’) is an umbrella term used by the Government, which refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. This definition is set out in our 2021 Tackling VAWG Strategy which seeks to support all victims of these crimes, including male victims.
The Online Safety Act takes an approach which will protect all users online, which includes men and boys. The section 54 guidance is a summary document, pulling together measures that protect users from content and abuse as set out in the Act, that disproportionately affects women and girls, but do not only affect women and girls.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Section 54 of the Online Safety Act 2023, what guidance Ofcom issues to media providers on the type of (a) content and (b) activity that disproportionately affects women and girls.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Shadow Minister (Education)
Ofcom will produce guidance which will summarise in one clear place measures that can be taken to tackle the abuse that women and girls disproportionately face online.
The guidance will capture online activity and content as set out in the Act, including the priority offences, the priority harms to children, and relevant content and activity subject to the Category 1 duties.
Ofcom’s timelines for producing the guidance are set out in its implementation plan which was published on 26 October 2023.
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, with reference to the press release entitled Government to deliver 160 community diagnostic centres a year early, published on 31 October 2023, which community diagnostic centres in Yorkshire are (a) already operational and (b) due to open in the next twelve months.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Government has confirmed it is now on track to meet its target to open 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) by March 2025, and expects to achieve this a year early in March 2024. 10 CDCs are currently operational in Yorkshire, with a further eight due to open ahead of November 2024, and a further final CDC planned to open by March 2025. In total, 19 CDCs are due to open in Yorkshire by March 2025. CDCs in Yorkshire have been defined as those open under the following integrated care boards (ICBs):
- Humber and North Yorkshire ICB;
- South Yorkshire ICB; and
- West Yorkshire ICB.
The following CDCs in Yorkshire are already operational:
- Armley Moor Health Centre CDC;
- Askham Bar Community Care Centre CDC;
- Barnsley Glassworks CDC;
- Bradford District and Craven CDC;
- East Riding Community Hospital CDC;
- Huddersfield CDC;
- Leeds CDC;
- Montagu Hospital CDC;
- Rotherham Diagnostics CDC; and
- Selby War Memorial CDC.
The following CDCs in Yorkshire are due to open in the next twelve months:
- Beeston Village Centre CDC;
- Halifax CDC;
- Hull & East Riding CDC;
- North Lincolnshire CDC;
- Ripon CDC;
- Scarborough Gateway CDC;
- Wakefield CDC; and
- Withernsea Community Hospital CDC.
The CDC in Hull & East Riding is due to open by March 2025.
The Department and NHS England count CDCs delivering activity and accessing national CDC revenue funding as open. This may include activity delivered in temporary facilities while the full CDC is built.
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, how many and what proportion of hospital trusts run specialist in-patient smoking cessation services; and what recent estimate he has made of when all hospital trusts will provided these services.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
As of September 2023, 74% of trusts were delivering an inpatient smoking cessation service. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, it has been agreed that integrated care boards will determine locally when they achieve a 100% level of trusts providing this service.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that streaming content is age appropriate for viewers.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Media Bill, introduced to Parliament on 8 November, will give Ofcom new powers to draft and enforce a Video-on-demand Code, aimed at mainstream TV-like on-demand services. This will be similar to the Broadcasting Code, which sets out appropriate standards for content on linear television. The Code will include new rules for on-demand content including rules on harmful and offensive material, and specific protections for under-eighteens.
Ofcom will also be given an enhanced ongoing duty to assess video-on-demand providers’ audience protection measures, such as pin codes, content warnings, and age ratings, to ensure that the systems put in place to protect younger audiences are effective and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, which organisations the Crown Prosecution Service (a) met and (b) consulted as part of developing its consultation on proposed revisions to its legal guidance on sexual offences involving deception as to gender.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
The Crown Prosecution Service is unable to supply details of organisations they consulted as part of the proposed revision of their legal guidance on 'Deception as to Gender' as the information requested is the subject of a Freedom Of Information request which is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, which organisations the Crown Prosecution Service (a) met and (b) consulted when developing Annex D of its legal guidance on domestic abuse.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
The information requested is subject to an open Freedom Of Information request to the Crown Prosecution Service, which they are considering in the normal way.