Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department calculates the number of police officers required per 100,000 of the population in (a) Suffolk, (b) Kent, (c) Norfolk and (d) England.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
Table 11 of the data tables accompanying the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales: 30 September 2024’ release includes data on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population, both nationally and at a police force area level.
Data on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population is provided for comparative purposes and is not used as a measure of a required rate.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what primary schools in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency offer early intervention support; and what type of support is offered.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Schools, including further education colleges, sixth form colleges and 16 to 19 academies, are required to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils they support and, in the case of mainstream settings, to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person who has SEN gets the support they need. All schools should apply the ‘graduated approach’ that is outlined in the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice, which means identifying a child’s needs, planning appropriate support, implementing that support and reviewing it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the identified needs. Through this, schools should develop personalised approaches to supporting the unique needs of individual pupils.
The department is working as quickly as possible to ensure every child has the best chance in life, by prioritising early intervention and inclusive provision in mainstream settings. We know that early intervention prevents unmet needs from escalating, and that it supports children and young people to achieve their goals alongside their peers. Getting it right in the early years is essential to supporting children’s development, health and life chances. We are currently funding three specific early intervention programmes: the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinders and the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what schools in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency are using the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme; and what their uptake is.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In England, there are over 11,100 schools, two thirds of English state primaries, that have received funding to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme. In the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency there are 42 state primary schools with a reception class. 25 of these schools are registered to deliver the NELI programme. Details of all registered schools for this programme are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neli-nuffield-early-language-intervention-programme.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to improve opportunities for white working-class boys.
Answered by Bridget Phillipson - Minister for Women and Equalities
Too often white working-class boys face barriers that hold them back. Disadvantaged white British boys are one of the lowest attaining groups in our schools with only 37% reaching the expected standard in reading writing and maths at KS2 and 17.5% achieving grade 5 or above in maths and English at GCSE. This is not acceptable.
We are committed to driving high and rising standards for all children, delivered through excellent teaching, a high- quality curriculum, new RISE teams and a system which removes the barriers to learning that holds too many children back.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make a comparative estimate of the number of pensioners claiming Pension Credit in winter (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25; and how many pensioners are ineligible for the winter fuel payment in Suffolk during winter 2024-25.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We do not yet hold data on the number of Pension Credit recipients through winter 2024-25. However, Pension Credit outturn and forecasted caseload statistics are routinely published and made publicly available via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK. In 2023/24, there were an estimated 1.35m pensioner households claiming Pension Credit in Great Britain. For 2024/25, this figure is forecast to increase to 1.43m.
Looking back at winter 2023-24, there were around 108,500 pensioner households in the County of Suffolk (comprised of the Local Authorities of Ipswich, East Suffolk, Mid Suffolk, Babergh, and West Suffolk) receiving the Winter Fuel Payment but not receiving Pension Credit, and will therefore be ineligible to receive it during 2024/25. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore and the Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK
Please note that the above does not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up that we might see as a result of the Government’s Pension Credit Awareness Campaign. We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims in winter 2024-25 by Parliamentary constituencies.
The published Pension Credit figures refer to households, so the number of individual pensioners in respect of whom Pension Credit is paid will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where a claimant has a partner and / or dependents).
In addition, while Pension Credit claimants constitute the majority of those that will be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, pensioners who claim other qualifying means-tested benefits will also be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. It is not, however, possible to include those on other qualifying means-tested benefits in these figures.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to review the education provided to children in young offender institutions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Following the Education Thematic Review recently published by Ofsted and HM Inspectorate of Prisons, education delivery in young offender institutions is under review.
The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is committed to promoting the development of each child in its care by delivering a range of learning and enrichment activities that are individualised, responsive to children’s needs, and aligned with trauma-informed care. This is an integrated whole-systems approach involving various professionals.
Education providers are working alongside subject-matter experts (Heads of Education, Skills and Work) and Governors to develop broad and balanced curriculums that facilitate the holistic development of all children in the YCS’s care. This includes access to vocational training and creative learning.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of the increase to employers National Insurance contributions for Suffolk Constabulary in the 2025-26 financial year; and how much additional funding her Department plans to provide to Suffolk Constabulary for this purpose in the same period.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Suffolk Police’s funding will be up to £171.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £1.5m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.
The Home Secretary has already announced over half a billion of additional central government funding for policing in 2025-26 and has confirmed that police forces will be fully compensated for the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. Further funding and detail will be set out in the police funding settlement in the normal way.
Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26, including funding for employers National Insurance Contributions, will also be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what grounds she decided the level of funding for Suffolk Constabulary; and if she will review that funding.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Suffolk Police’s funding will be up to £171.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £1.5m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.
The Home Secretary has already announced over half a billion of additional central government funding for policing in 2025-26 and has confirmed that police forces will be fully compensated for the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. Further funding and detail will be set out in the police funding settlement in the normal way.
Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26, including funding for employers National Insurance Contributions, will also be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled African swine fever: how to spot and report the disease, updated on 27 September 2024, whether he plans to ban all personal imports of (a) pork and (b) pork products.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Preventing an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK is one of Defra’s key biosecurity priorities. The Department keeps policy on personal imports under constant review and works closely with the devolved governments on contingency planning and preventing an incursion from possibly infected goods.
We have already strengthened controls on personal imports of pork and pork products from the EU through the measures we introduced in September. We are working to develop a long-term policy on personal imports of products of animal origin and animal by-products, taking account of international examples.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) likelihood of an African Swine Fever outbreak in the UK and (b) economic impact of such an outbreak.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Epping Forest, on 28 October 2024 PQ 10798.