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.
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 effectiveness of the new Border Target Operating Model (a) generally and (b) at tackling the illegal import of products of animal origin.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra continues to monitor and review the impact of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), including the Border Control Post at Sevington. We are working closely with industry, trade partners and enforcement agencies to minimise disruption and costs to trade, while continuing to protect our biosecurity. The effectiveness of the import controls has been demonstrated throughout September and October by the interception at Sevington of 34 consignments of plants infested with Pochazia Shantungensis, a fruit tree pest native to China but now present in mainland Europe. The consignments were destroyed, preventing the potential for a damaging outbreak for UK fruit growers.
The BTOM is designed to assure the biosecurity of legal, commercial imports. Illegal imports of products of animal origin are dealt with through intelligence led checks, conducted at the border by Border Force, in Border Force facilities, with the assistance of Port Health Authorities.
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 press release entitled Immediate measures to step up safeguards against African swine fever from Europe, published on 26 September 2024, to help prevent an outbreak of African Swine Fever in the UK, whether additional funding has been allocated to (a) Border Force and (b) Port Health Authorities to help implement the measures.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has made additional funding of £1.9 million available to Dover District Council for the Port Health Authority, for the remainder of this financial year (2024 to 2025), to support Border Force to conduct safeguarding checks on the illegal import of products of animal origin. This is in addition to the £1.2 million already committed. This total funding of £3.1 million is based on the existing staffing costs provided by Dover Port Health Authority. This funding is only for this financial year. Defra has also contributed operational equipment to support Border Force with relevant checks.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2024 to question 4377 on Pension Credit, what progress her Department has made contacting pensioner households that are in receipt of Housing Benefit; and if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners her Department expects to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment in the next 12 months.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We will be writing shortly to the approximately 120,000 pensioners we have identified who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.
As a result of the Winter Fuel Payment changes announced on 29 July, we estimate the take-up rate of Pension Credit to increase by 5 percentage points. This is the equivalent of around an additional 100,000 successful claims to Pension Credit by 21 December 2024 (allowing for a maximum of 3 months backdating to ensure entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment for 2024/25).
In the long term, the Government will bring together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, so that pensioner households receiving Housing Benefit also receive any Pension Credit that they are entitled to, which was pushed back by the previous Government.
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 the eligibility criteria was for the expanded Farming Recovery Fund.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of the ongoing challenges farmers have been facing following the winter storms and the wet weather in late 2023 and early 2024. Defra is committed to maintaining food production and supporting thriving farm businesses as well as protecting communities from flooding. All spending commitments will be confirmed in the spending review. This includes the Farming Recovery Fund, more information on the expanded Farming Recovery Fund will be made available soon.
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 discussions he has had with Suffolk County Council on the costs of implementing section 19 actions in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
S19 recommendations are far reaching and span across several organisations. If all recommendations were to be implemented the cost in central Suffolk and North Ipswich would be in the tens of millions. Efficiency is gained through close partnership working, for example between Suffolk County Council (SCC) and the Environment Agency (EA). The EA has been working closely with SCC and will continue to work together for the communities impacted.