Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing the level of legal aid provision and (b) providing alternative funding for legal representation to support Windrush compensation claimants; and if she will make a comparative assessment of the level of funding available to support applicants to the (i) Infected Blood Compensation, (ii) Horizon Convictions Redress and (iii) Windrush Compensation Schemes.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This Government is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the Home Office’s treatment of members of the Windrush community, making sure that those affected receive the compensation they deserve quickly, and ensuring cultural change is embedded permanently into the fabric of the department.
The new Windrush Unit in the Home Office is undertaking a careful and detailed review of all 30 recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review to assess how far the department has come and identify those recommendations which require more work. We recognise that people have waited far too long for action, and we are making progress to put things right.
Recruitment for the Windrush Commissioner has closed and the successful candidate will be in post by the summer. Once appointed, the Commissioner will advise on the Home Office’s response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, driving improvements and promoting lasting change across the whole Department. The Commissioner will also assure the Home Office’s delivery of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, providing advice to Ministers on the scheme’s effectiveness in achieving its objectives.
In the interim, the Government is working to ensure that Windrush victims and their families get the maximum support and compensation they are entitled to quickly and efficiently, as we promised in our manifesto.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme has been designed to be as simple as possible to access, and existing caselaw has underlined that while the application process can be emotionally complex, individuals are not required to argue complex points of law. It is not therefore our intention to introduce legal aid support for individuals to complete their claims.
Nevertheless, we have recognised the need for additional advocacy support, we are working at pace to develop a program of £1.5 million grant funding for organisations to provide advocacy and support with the application process.
This assistance will be offered alongside - but separate from - existing claims support, so that potential claimants have maximum flexibility and choice regarding the type of help they want and where they can access it. This is designed to make the prospect of making a claim more accessible for each person, keeping the needs of the individual at the heart of everything we do and keeping our support programmes under review.
We also continue to engage with community representatives and victims to ensure their voices are heard in this area. So far, officials have spoken with and listened to over 30 stakeholders, advocates and community representatives to inform the structure of the advocacy support fund.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timeline is for the review of the Windrush compensation scheme.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This Government is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the Home Office’s treatment of members of the Windrush community, making sure that those affected receive the compensation they deserve quickly, and ensuring cultural change is embedded permanently into the fabric of the department.
The new Windrush Unit in the Home Office is undertaking a careful and detailed review of all 30 recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review to assess how far the department has come and identify those recommendations which require more work. We recognise that people have waited far too long for action, and we are making progress to put things right.
Recruitment for the Windrush Commissioner has closed and the successful candidate will be in post by the summer. Once appointed, the Commissioner will advise on the Home Office’s response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, driving improvements and promoting lasting change across the whole Department. The Commissioner will also assure the Home Office’s delivery of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, providing advice to Ministers on the scheme’s effectiveness in achieving its objectives.
In the interim, the Government is working to ensure that Windrush victims and their families get the maximum support and compensation they are entitled to quickly and efficiently, as we promised in our manifesto.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme has been designed to be as simple as possible to access, and existing caselaw has underlined that while the application process can be emotionally complex, individuals are not required to argue complex points of law. It is not therefore our intention to introduce legal aid support for individuals to complete their claims.
Nevertheless, we have recognised the need for additional advocacy support, we are working at pace to develop a program of £1.5 million grant funding for organisations to provide advocacy and support with the application process.
This assistance will be offered alongside - but separate from - existing claims support, so that potential claimants have maximum flexibility and choice regarding the type of help they want and where they can access it. This is designed to make the prospect of making a claim more accessible for each person, keeping the needs of the individual at the heart of everything we do and keeping our support programmes under review.
We also continue to engage with community representatives and victims to ensure their voices are heard in this area. So far, officials have spoken with and listened to over 30 stakeholders, advocates and community representatives to inform the structure of the advocacy support fund.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to support renters.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters’ Rights Bill delivers our manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.
The Bill will improve the current system for the 11 million private renters and 2.3 million landlords in England. It will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness.
The Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 11 September 2024 and is now progressing through the House of Lords. Further detail on the measures in the Bill can be found in the relevant guidance on gov.uk here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-renters-rights-bill/guide-to-the-renters-rights-bill#prohibiting-rental-discrimination.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
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 support NHS patients on the waiting list with Cardiovascular Disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have prioritised cutting waiting lists and getting back to the standard that at least 92% of people should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, including those with cardiovascular disease. We recently published the Elective Reform Plan that sets out how we will do this, including optimising clinically led pathways, and shifting care from hospital to community. This will start with five initial specialities, including cardiology.
The Plan also outlines how there will be a reduction in the number of unnecessary cardiology diagnostics, freeing up capacity for those patients who need faster treatment. This will be done by increasing specialist input earlier in care pathways, developing standard pathways for common outpatient presentations, such as palpitation, and increasing timely access to cardiac diagnostic tests, including through straight to test.
Whilst we have already made progress, by delivering on our First Step commitment to provide two million extra appointments, we know there is more to do. We are also prioritising the experience of patients while they wait, as well as throughout their care journey. The Plan sets out how we will support patients with greater choice and control over their care, including options of whether they want to be seen in person or remotely, and whether they want routine follow up appointments, and a commitment to co-develop minimum standards of experience with patients, from which we can build and improve everyone’s experience of care.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the English Cricket Board on the recent sale of its equity in the Hundred cricket franchises.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We want a thriving sector, with robust National Governing Bodies that can use their nationwide remit to deliver sport to people across the country. Sustainable investment is important for achieving this. The Hundred will see additional investment into grassroots cricket from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which is welcomed.
I met with the ECB in September to hear about the ECB’s priorities and challenges, including investment into cricket. I also met with the ECB as well as other governing bodies in November to discuss the future of sport, including the financial sustainability of the sector; and most recently at a roundtable with the Department for Education this month to discuss the future of PE and sport.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to encourage pupils to read at breakfast clubs in primary schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department wants to give schools the flexibility to deliver their breakfast club in the way that best meets the needs of their pupils, as well as their parents and local community, and gets the school day off to a strong start.
The non-statutory guidance for early adopters will help schools on how they go further than just the minimum requirements, including ways to incorporate enriching activities into a breakfast club.
The early adopter schools will test and learn how to deliver new breakfast club provision, and the learning from these, including on enrichment, will inform a national rollout.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance entitled The reading framework, published on 10 July 2021, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that schools develop a strong reading-for-pleasure culture.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.
We know that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. The 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” like reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development. Wide recreational reading expands pupils’ knowledge about the world and about language, as well as their understanding of subject-specific academic and technical vocabulary.
In recognition of this, the department has implemented a range of measures to support reading for pleasure. The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure with funding continuing and £23 million committed for the 2024/25 academic year to support what is set out in the reading framework. For example, through the Transforming Schools Reading Culture, which is a continuous professional development offer delivered via the English hubs to support reading for pleasure.
The current national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people. This is in line with the government’s ambition for a curriculum that delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on adding the collection of school library data to the school census.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34-point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.
It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26. Given this autonomy, the department has no current plans to collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians as part of the school census.
The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of cancer symptoms in teenagers and young adults to improve early detection rates.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier, and treating it faster, so that more patients survive. This includes teenagers and young adults. We are committed to improving outcomes for all children and young people with cancer, and are considering the next steps to take forward work in this area through the relaunch of Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce in 2025.
To raise awareness of cancer symptoms in teenagers and young adults, NHS England and other NHS organisations, both nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in children. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.
To support early diagnosis, the Department is taking steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis across all cancer patient groups in England. This includes offering an additional 40,000 appointments each week so that patients can be seen as quickly as possible. To support the use of rapid diagnostic centres, non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways have been rolled out across England for patients who present with vague symptoms which could indicate multiple different types of cancer, for example unexplained weight-loss and fatigue. NHS England’s guidance on NSS services does not set a national age range for NSS pathways, and pathways aimed at children or young adults can be developed if considered locally appropriate.
The Department is also dedicated to ensuring teenagers and young adults with cancer have access to psychological support to help them through their diagnosis and treatment. In accordance with NHS England’s service specifications, all providers of young people's cancer services must ensure that every patient has access to specialist care and must reduce the physical, emotional, and psychological morbidity arising from treatment. Each Principal Treatment Centre, where care is managed, will also have a multi-disciplinary team which meets at least weekly, and includes a specific focus on the psychosocial needs of patients. Further information on NHS England’s service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-b/b05/
On 21 October 2024, the Department launched a national engagement exercise to inform the 10-Year Health Plan. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, there will be a national cancer plan. We are now in discussions about what form it should take, including how we will account for children and young people, and will provide updates in due course.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the unique (a) medical, (b) psychological and (c) social needs of (i) teenagers and (ii) young adults with cancer are included within the NHS Long-Term Plan.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier, and treating it faster, so that more patients survive. This includes teenagers and young adults. We are committed to improving outcomes for all children and young people with cancer, and are considering the next steps to take forward work in this area through the relaunch of Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce in 2025.
To raise awareness of cancer symptoms in teenagers and young adults, NHS England and other NHS organisations, both nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in children. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.
To support early diagnosis, the Department is taking steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis across all cancer patient groups in England. This includes offering an additional 40,000 appointments each week so that patients can be seen as quickly as possible. To support the use of rapid diagnostic centres, non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways have been rolled out across England for patients who present with vague symptoms which could indicate multiple different types of cancer, for example unexplained weight-loss and fatigue. NHS England’s guidance on NSS services does not set a national age range for NSS pathways, and pathways aimed at children or young adults can be developed if considered locally appropriate.
The Department is also dedicated to ensuring teenagers and young adults with cancer have access to psychological support to help them through their diagnosis and treatment. In accordance with NHS England’s service specifications, all providers of young people's cancer services must ensure that every patient has access to specialist care and must reduce the physical, emotional, and psychological morbidity arising from treatment. Each Principal Treatment Centre, where care is managed, will also have a multi-disciplinary team which meets at least weekly, and includes a specific focus on the psychosocial needs of patients. Further information on NHS England’s service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-b/b05/
On 21 October 2024, the Department launched a national engagement exercise to inform the 10-Year Health Plan. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, there will be a national cancer plan. We are now in discussions about what form it should take, including how we will account for children and young people, and will provide updates in due course.