Peter Gibson Portrait

Peter Gibson

Conservative - Darlington

First elected: 12th December 2019


Finance (No. 2) Bill
10th May 2023 - 18th May 2023
Firearms Bill
8th Mar 2023 - 15th Mar 2023
Powers of Attorney Bill
22nd Feb 2023 - 1st Mar 2023
Procurement Bill [HL]
25th Jan 2023 - 21st Feb 2023
Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill
23rd Jan 2023 - 25th Jan 2023
Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill
23rd Nov 2022 - 30th Nov 2022
Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill
7th Sep 2022 - 18th Oct 2022
Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill
5th Jan 2022 - 12th Jan 2022
Approved Premises (Substance Testing) Bill
8th Dec 2021 - 15th Dec 2021
Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill (England and Wales)
27th Oct 2021 - 3rd Nov 2021
Education (Careers Guidance in Schools) Bill
22nd Sep 2021 - 27th Oct 2021
Elections Bill
15th Sep 2021 - 26th Oct 2021
Women and Equalities Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 8th Jun 2021


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Peter Gibson has voted in 883 divisions, and 3 times against the majority of their Party.

17 Jun 2020 - Health and Personal Social Services - View Vote Context
Peter Gibson voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 104 Conservative Aye votes vs 124 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 253 Noes - 136
27 Jun 2023 - Schools (Gender and Parental Rights) - View Vote Context
Peter Gibson voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 10 Conservative No votes vs 25 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 34 Noes - 40
1 Mar 2024 - Conversion Practices (Prohibition) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Gibson voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 10 Conservative Aye votes vs 14 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 68 Noes - 15
View All Peter Gibson Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Penny Mordaunt (Conservative)
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(20 debate interactions)
Kit Malthouse (Conservative)
(11 debate interactions)
Andrew Selous (Conservative)
Second Church Estates Commissioner
(10 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Transport
(63 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(58 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(50 debate contributions)
Home Office
(45 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Peter Gibson's debates

Darlington Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

The HMRC mileage rate for reimbursing the use of private cars (e.g. for employees but also volunteers) has been fixed at 45p/mile (up to 10,000 miles) since 2011. The lack of any increase since then is a serious disincentive to volunteer drivers particularly as fuel has gone up again recently.

The Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"

It has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.

The Government should create an emergency fund to deal with the massive waiting lists for autism & ADHD assessments for children AND adults. This would provide resources for local health services deal with current waiting lists and new patients.

The Government should commission a review of how Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments are managed by the NHS, including through Shared Care Agreements, and increase funding to reduce waiting times.

The Government should bring forward legislation to allow assisted dying for adults who are terminally ill and have mental capacity. It should be permitted subject to strict upfront safeguards, assessed by two doctors independently, and self-administered by the dying person.

Ensure any ban fully includes trans people and all forms of conversion therapy.

Current legislation allows for public use of fireworks 16 hours a day, every day, making it impossible for vulnerable groups to take precautions against the distress they can cause. Better enforcement of existing law is insufficient; limiting their sale & use to licensed displays only is necessary.

The SNP government appears solely intent on getting independence at any cost.

The threat of covid19 is real. Children can’t be expected to maintain sufficient social distancing to keep this virus from spreading. They are social creatures. Allowing them back to school could cause a new spike in cases. They could bring it back home, even if they are a-symptomatic.

The Government should cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021 due to the disruption of Covid-19. By the time students go back to normal learning, 6 months will have passed since schools were closed to most pupils. This has already had a huge impact on the studying of so many.

Schools should move to online learning from 9 December so that all students and school staff have a chance to isolate for two weeks and then can safely meet older relatives.

Close down schools and colleges due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. We are seeing cases of students and teachers catching the virus since schools have reopened.

Matthew was taken to, ‘a place of safety’, and died 7 days later.
24 others died by the same means, dating back to the year 2000. An indicator that little was done to address the growing problems.
Something went terribly wrong with the NHS Mental Health Services provided to my son.

We propose to amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to make pet theft a specific offence, distinct from that of inanimate objects; and in sentencing, the courts must consider the fear, alarm or distress to the pet and owners and not monetary value.

Pet Theft Reform 2020: Revise the sentencing guidelines in the Theft Act 1968 to reclassify pet theft as a specific crime. Ensure that monetary value is irrelevant for the categorisation of dog and cat theft crime for sentencing purposes. Recognise pet theft as a category 2 offence or above.

I would like the government to review and increase the pay for healthcare workers to recognise the work that they do.

To revoke the Immigration Health Surcharge increases for overseas NHS staff. The latest budget shows an increase of £220 a year for an overseas worker to live and work in the UK, at a time when the NHS, and UK economy, relies heavily on them.

We would like the government to support and regard social care: financially, publicly and systematically on an equal par as NHS. We would like parliament to debate how to support social care during COVID-19 and beyond so that it automatically has the same access to operational and financial support.

Give NHS workers who are EU and other Nationals automatic UK citizenship if they stay and risk their own lives looking after the British people during the COVID crisis.


Latest EDMs signed by Peter Gibson

Peter Gibson has not signed any Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Peter Gibson, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Peter Gibson has not been granted any Urgent Questions

2 Adjournment Debates led by Peter Gibson

Thursday 15th June 2023

1 Bill introduced by Peter Gibson


A Bill to make provision about licensing in relation to taxis and private hire vehicles for purposes relating to the safeguarding of passengers and road safety; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 31st March 2022 and was enacted into law.


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
8 Other Department Questions
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, on what date will draft legislation to ban conversion practices be published.

This Government remains committed to protecting everyone from abhorrent and harmful conversion practices, including transgender people. The challenges of legislating in this area are considerable, and it is right and proper that this Government puts the draft Bill forward for pre-legislative scrutiny, as a further safeguard against unintended consequences.

Our draft Bill is being finalised. The Government expects to deliver a draft Bill that takes account of the independent Cass review, which is itself expected shortly.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of legislation in other countries which bans conversion practices for LGBT people.

Equality Hub Ministers and officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the subject of conversion practices, including representatives of LGBT organisations and counterparts in international jurisdictions, in order to fully inform our approach to this complex issue.

This engagement consists of, but is not limited to, holding conversations with victims and survivors, LGBT groups, healthcare professionals, faith groups, groups advocating for sex-based rights and parliamentarians.

Several international jurisdictions have passed legislation in this area recently, and our analysis of their approaches is ongoing.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
30th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with which stakeholders she has held discussions on a ban on conversion practices for LGBT people.

Equality Hub Ministers and officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the subject of conversion practices, including representatives of LGBT organisations and counterparts in international jurisdictions, in order to fully inform our approach to this complex issue.

This engagement consists of, but is not limited to, holding conversations with victims and survivors, LGBT groups, healthcare professionals, faith groups, groups advocating for sex-based rights and parliamentarians.

Several international jurisdictions have passed legislation in this area recently, and our analysis of their approaches is ongoing.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of existing legislation to tackle conversion practices affecting LGBT people.


No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle conversion practices affecting LGBT people.

No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to provide financial support to local newspapers.

The Government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information.

However, as the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism identified, society is increasingly moving online and local news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models.

The Government supported the majority of Cairncross recommendations and has taken them forward through a range of fiscal and regulatory interventions. With regard to financial support, this has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; and the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025. The BBC also supports the sector, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. The Government was pleased to see the BBC conduct a thorough review of this initiative in 2020, as recommended by the Cairncross Review. As set out in our response to the Review, we would support any efforts by the BBC to grow the scheme.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
13th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of extending opt-out HIV testing on a nationwide basis.

Equality Ministers maintain a keen interest in the delivery of the Government’s HIV Action Plan, which sets out the ambitious plan to achieve zero new HIV infections in England by 2030 and an interim target of an 80% reduction in new infections by 2025.

The HIV Action Plan sets out how DHSC will maintain progress made with key groups, and significantly improve diagnosis for other groups.

The previous Minister for Equalities, Mike Freer, recently met Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director for London in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Chief Advisor on HIV and Chair of the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group, to discuss implementation of the HIV Action Plan and how it links to the Government’s ambitions on improving outcomes for LGBT people.

NHS England and NHS Improvement is investing £20 million over the next three years to expand opt-out testing in emergency departments in the highest prevalence local areas to identify new cases of HIV. High prevalence is defined as those areas with five or more cases per 1,000 residents in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. DHSC Ministers would be able to respond to more detailed questions.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
7th Dec 2023
To ask the Attorney General, if she will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential application of the Offences Against the person Act 1861 in tackling the use of conversion practices with LGBT people.

The Law Officers' Convention enables the Attorney General and I to have frank discussions with our Ministerial colleagues.

The Law Officers' Convention means that we cannot disclose whether or not we have advised on a legal issue or whether we will do so in the future.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
7th Dec 2023
To ask the Attorney General, whether his Department has issued guidance to the (a) police and (b) Crown Prosecution Service on using existing legislation to tackle conversion practices against LGBT People.

The police are the responsibility of the Home Office.

While the Attorney General's Office superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the CPS are operationally independent. The CPS bring prosecutions in line with the Code for Crown prosecutors.

The Attorney General's Office has not issued any guidance to the CPS.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
8th Nov 2021
To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to prosecute individuals charged with fraud by false representation particularly in relation to fraudulent property transactions.

In March 2021, the CPS launched its first ever Economic Crime Strategy to ensure they keep at pace with the constant changing nature of crime. It is a high-level strategy which allows the flexibility to respond and adapt to new and emerging threats.

The CPS has a dedicated Specialist Fraud Division to ensure it has the right skills and resources to prosecute complex cases.

The CPS also has a Proceeds of Crime unit dedicated to asset recovery and in 2018, the CPS created three new Fraud Centres in CPS Areas to increase capability and resilience in dealing with fraud casework.

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
21st Sep 2021
To ask the Attorney General, if she will examine the length of sentence handed to Sam Pybus under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

My office received a number of referrals to review the sentence in this deeply disturbing case. I agree that the sentence appears too low, and I have referred it to the Court of Appeal to be reviewed. The case will be heard in due course and the Court of Appeal will decide whether to increase the sentence.

4th Mar 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the works on the permanent site for the Darlington Economic Campus at Brunswick Street to commence.

With reference to your enquiry regarding the naming of the Darlington Economic Campus 'William McMullen House' I am happy to advise we will consider this suggestion, alongside other suggestions, when finalising the name of building.

Naming of all new Government Hubs and other Government buildings must go through a process whereby all options must undergo sufficient due diligence. Selection of a preferred option will need to be agreed to by the Government Property Agency (GPA), occupying departments, local leaders and authorities including the Post Office.

Naming of a new Government Hub will happen nearer to the point when the building is being delivered. In the case of Darlington Economic Campus this will be in 2025/26.

Under the current programme, and subject to planning consent being granted mid-year and approval of the Full Business Case in the last quarter of this year, works will commence in the first quarter of 2025.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions Ministers from all departments have (a) held meetings at and (b) worked from the Darlington Economic Campus since August 2021.

With reference to your enquiry regarding the naming of the Darlington Economic Campus 'William McMullen House' I am happy to advise we will consider this suggestion, alongside other suggestions, when finalising the name of building.

Naming of all new Government Hubs and other Government buildings must go through a process whereby all options must undergo sufficient due diligence. Selection of a preferred option will need to be agreed to by the Government Property Agency (GPA), occupying departments, local leaders and authorities including the Post Office.

Naming of a new Government Hub will happen nearer to the point when the building is being delivered. In the case of Darlington Economic Campus this will be in 2025/26.

Under the current programme, and subject to planning consent being granted mid-year and approval of the Full Business Case in the last quarter of this year, works will commence in the first quarter of 2025.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of naming the permanent home of the Darlington Economic Campus, William McMullen House.

With reference to your enquiry regarding the naming of the Darlington Economic Campus 'William McMullen House' I am happy to advise we will consider this suggestion, alongside other suggestions, when finalising the name of building.

Naming of all new Government Hubs and other Government buildings must go through a process whereby all options must undergo sufficient due diligence. Selection of a preferred option will need to be agreed to by the Government Property Agency (GPA), occupying departments, local leaders and authorities including the Post Office.

Naming of a new Government Hub will happen nearer to the point when the building is being delivered. In the case of Darlington Economic Campus this will be in 2025/26.

Under the current programme, and subject to planning consent being granted mid-year and approval of the Full Business Case in the last quarter of this year, works will commence in the first quarter of 2025.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
23rd Sep 2021
What steps the Government is taking to deliver civil service jobs outside London.

The Government is committed to levelling-up through relocating high quality Civil Service Jobs. At Budget 2020 we set out our ambitions to relocate 22,000 roles out of London by 2030, bringing new jobs and investment to all nations and parts of the UK, with senior roles being created in areas such as Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, Darlington and Wolverhampton. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during his time as Chief Secretary to the Treasury encouraged Departments to frontload the majority of moves over this next Spending Review. I can confirm that we now have early commitments to move up to 15,000 civil service roles by 2024/25.

Departments will decide on their locations taking into account a range of factors including skills, transport links and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations, as well as ensuring locations are suitable for the long term success and sustainability of the civil service.

14th Sep 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding retrospective awards for exceptional feats of gallantry.

National gallantry awards are considered by the independent George Cross Committee and recognise the bravery of those who have put themselves in danger to save, or attempt to save someone’s life. The committee makes recommendations based on the degree of risk and how aware the nominee was of the danger.

The Committee only considers nominations for actions that took place within the previous five years. This reflects a need to ensure awards are timely, can draw on the judgement and knowledge of those involved at the time and can benefit from assessment against other contemporaneous actions. The only exception to this is where it is necessary to wait for the outcome of judicial proceedings, for example an inquest. Even in those circumstances, it is generally expected that the actions meriting an award would have taken place within, or only very little beyond five years.

28th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason hydrogen combustion engines are not eligible for automotive transformation funding.

At present, all commercial internal combustion engines produce exhaust emissions that are harmful to health. Although some companies claim hydrogen combustion engines are close to zero NOx emissions, as well as CO2, Government has yet to see evidence to illustrate that zero harmful emissions at the exhaust are possible in either laboratory or real-world conditions.

We will continue to focus innovation support to fully zero emission solutions. However, if technology developments enable renewable hydrogen to be used in combustion engines with zero harmful tailpipe emissions, then we would welcome this development.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
6th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to help eligible households access Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding past the deadline for applications.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding closed to new applications on 31 May 2023. Individuals that need additional support with an application they have submitted before the scheme closed to new applications can call the contact centre helpline on 08081753287 (08081753894 for Northern Ireland) where a representative can provide further assistance.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
6th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to reopen applications for the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding closed to new applications on 31 May, and the department does not plan to re-open the scheme. The government believes that the 3-month time window provided sufficient time for eligible households to apply for their £400 support.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
22nd Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of geographical variations in electricity standing charges.

The standing charge includes some electricity distribution costs, which vary regionally to reflect the different costs of maintaining and upgrading the distribution network in different regions. Ofgem, as the independent energy regulator overseeing network charges, has previously reviewed regional differences in network charges. Its report found that there are advantages in charges that broadly reflect the costs that different users place on the system. In particular, this cost-reflective approach to network charging supports an efficient system where overall network costs are minimised for consumers across Great Britain.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
7th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to education providers who have had their energy contracts terminated on the basis of assessments made by suppliers of the credit worthiness of those providers.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) provides a price reduction to ensure that all education providers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. EBRS also provides additional support to those on deemed and out of contract tariffs if they meet the definition of the qualifying financially disadvantaged customers as set out in the scheme’s regulations and rules.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
30th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the mechanism for receipt of support through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for (a) persons whose energy is supplied as part of a heat network and (b) residents of park homes.

Heat network suppliers and park home site owners who are supported by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) are required to pass this support on, in a just and reasonable way, to end users.

This is set out in legislation. Full guidance on the mechanism for passing through this support is set out in the scheme guidance.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether energy suppliers are permitted to take funds paid through the Energy Bills Support Scheme to settle domestic energy debts in cases where there is a payment plan in place through the benefits system.

The objective of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is to help people with the cost of their energy bills over this winter. Where credit is applied to an account, it will contribute to arrears and any agreed debt repayment plan. As set out in its consultation response, the Government expects and encourages suppliers to make it their priority to work actively to move customers with large arrears balances onto repayment plans wherever possible.

There are comprehensive rules in place to protect energy customers at risk of being in debt.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to (a) limit the impact of disruptive fireworks and (b) update guidance for businesses selling fireworks to the public for private use.

The Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously. That is why there is a comprehensive framework already in place for fireworks which controls their availability and use, as well as setting a curfew and 120 decibel noise limits to reduce disturbance to both people and animals.

The 2021 fireworks public safety information programme is now underway. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is working with animal welfare groups, safety charities, local authorities, and the industry, to promote the safe and considerate use of fireworks to the general public. The messaging also raises awareness of retailers’ responsibilities when selling fireworks, including promoting the range of guidance available through Local Authority Trading Standards and published on GOV.UK.

10th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to (a) limit the effect of fireworks on pets and livestock, (b) prohibit the illegal import of unsafe fireworks, (c) make an assessment of the adequacy of existing legislation on the sale of safe fireworks and (d) control the use of fireworks between the hours as set out in the Fireworks Regulations 2004.

There is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for fireworks to reduce the risks to people and disturbance to animals. Existing legislation controls the sale, availability and use of fireworks, as well as setting a curfew and noise limit.

Using fireworks outside the curfew hours is a criminal offence, enforced by the police and can lead to imprisonment and a substantial fine. Local Authority Trading Standards work with retailers to ensure fireworks sold are safe, and they have powers to enforce against those who place non-compliant fireworks on the market, including those imported illegally or via the internet.

It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal, including through the misuse of fireworks, and is enforced by authorities including the police and Local Authority Trading Standards.

We remain committed to promoting the safe and considerate use of fireworks through the effective legislative framework and through non-legislative measures.

4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of sports pitch provision in Darlington; and whether her Department plans to provide further funding for high-quality sports pitches for communities.

The Government is committed to delivering world class sports facilities across the country, so that everyone can take part in sport and physical activity. As part of this commitment, the Government is delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK.

Over £363 million has been invested through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme since 2019 to provide new and improved football and multi-sport grassroots facilities across the whole of the UK. Funding is delivered via The Football Foundation’s partnership with the English FA and Premier League.

So far, Darlington has received investment of £1,036,819 across four Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects, including a new artificial grass pitch and changing pavilion at Eastbourne Sports Complex. All projects can be viewed here on gov.uk.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Heritage Railway Association on the (a) availability and (b) affordability of coal.

We acknowledge the difficult circumstances facing the heritage steam sector in light of the high cost of coal on international commodity markets due in part to the Russia/Ukraine conflict. The Heritage Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, met the Chief Executive of the Heritage Railway Association along with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail in July 2023, to discuss a range of issues, including the availability and affordability of coal. In November 2023, Lord Parkinson attended the Heritage Railway Association Annual General Meeting in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where they discussed the matter further. The Department is continuing to keep an ongoing dialogue with the heritage steam sector to understand the opportunities and challenges it faces.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
5th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Get Active: a strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published on 30 August 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding deaf athletes at the elite level.

The Government’s “Get Active” strategy commits to making talent pathways accessible and inclusive, so our most talented athletes have a chance to be successful regardless of background.

Sport England has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to UK Deaf Sport to boost deaf sport at the grassroots level and build wider participation. Beyond this, they have also agreed to explore a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore support around elite competitions and suggest potential solutions.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
5th Dec 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Lucy Frazer's speech to the Royal Television Society, published on 20 September 2023, if she will publish the terms of reference of her Department’s review on the future of TV distribution.

As outlined by the Secretary of State in her speech to the Royal Television Society convention in September, the Department has commenced a programme of research and engagement on the future of TV distribution. This work will look at a range of themes, including changing audience viewing habits and developments in technology which are changing the way content is brought to our screens.

The project will take a long-term view of the trajectory of the UK’s broadcasting landscape over the next decade and beyond. It is therefore important that we ensure the full range of considerations are taken into account. We expect to set out further detail in due course.

26th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the continuity of terrestrial television coverage.

The Government remains committed to the future of digital terrestrial television, which we expect will continue to be an important way of watching for years to come.

That is why we have already legislated domestically to ensure terrestrial television broadcasting can continue until at least 2034, and will continue to make the case in international fora too.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Dec 2020
To ask the hon. Member for City of Chester, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Ministerial Correction of 9 December 2020 to the Answer to Question 124870, what the status is of the Metropolitan police investigation into the former chief executive of the Liberal Democrats following a request by the Electoral Commission for a prosecution.

The Commission is responsible for regulating political finance in the UK. In performing this role it may ask other law enforcement bodies, like the police, to consider investigating matters that sit outside the Commission's remit or enforcement powers. Whether the law enforcement body investigates, and what it concludes, are not matters for the Commission.

The Commission was notified in March 2019 by the Metropolitan Police that it had concluded its investigation in respect of a former campaigns officer of the Liberal Democrats, and that no further action would be taken.

3rd Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to support amateur boxing during the covid-19 outbreak.

Government recognises the many benefits that boxing can bring, such as relieving stress, stimulating endorphins, and building physical strength and self-confidence. Boxing clubs are also based in the heart of many communities and are therefore in a unique position to be able to engage people who may feel disconnected. We welcome the work done by organisations such as England Boxing to bring communities together through projects that tackle issues such as knife and gun crime, extremism and holiday hunger; whilst also engaging people with mental health issues, long term health conditions and those from lower socio-economic groups and BAME backgrounds.

Following the end of national restrictions, on Wednesday 2 December, gyms and indoor sport facilities reopened across all tiers. As part of this, the government has published guidance to support the phased return of Contact Combat Sports including boxing in as safe a way as possible.

Contact combat sports can now take place provided they follow the COVID-secure guidance set out in the contact combat sport framework and adhere to wider restrictions including legal gathering limits. Contact combat sports need to have their National Governing Bodies action plans approved in order to resume activity above Phase 0 of the Framework. The Framework sets out the Phases which are allowed in each tier of restrictions.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was provided through the holiday activities and food programme to projects in Darlington in each year since it was introduced.

The department has invested more than £200 million a year in our holiday, activities and food (HAF) programme since 2021. Since 2022, the HAF programme has provided 10.7 million HAF days to children and young people in this country. The expansion of the programme year-on-year has meant a total of 5.4 million HAF days provided between Christmas 2022, Easter and summer 2023.

For the 2021 programme, Darlington were allocated £519,040 in total, which included £49,090 paid to them in the 2020/21 financial year to help with start-up costs, and a further £469,050 was allocated to them during the 2021/22 financial year.

For the 2022 programme, the department allocated £466,240, for 2023 the department allocated £468,150 and this year, the department has allocated a further £469,170, bringing the total to more than £1.9 million in Darlington since the programme began, ensuring thousands of children across Darlington local authority have benefitted from healthy meals and taking part in a range of enriching activities during the longer school holidays.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
1st Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11541 on Children in Care, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the higher proportion of looked after children per head of population in the North East; and what steps she is taking to remedy those causes.

The number of looked after children across local areas varies for a range of reasons.

In February 2023, the department set out the ambitious and bold plans to reform children's social care through 'Stable Homes, Built on Love'.

The department’s strategy focuses on six pillars of action to transform children’s social care, including to help families overcome challenges at the earliest stage, keep children safe from significant harm, and make sure children in care have stable loving homes, long-term loving relationships and opportunities for a good life.

As part of this, the department is investing over £36 million this Spending Review to deliver a fostering recruitment and retention programme so foster care is available for more children who need it. This includes working with local authorities across the North East to co-design the North East Fostering Pathfinder to develop a foster care recruitment and retention programme of support, which launched in September 2023.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of children that are looked-after in (a) the North East and (b) the UK.

The latest information on the numbers and rates of children looked after (CLA) in England as of 31 March 2023, including in the North East, can be found in the 'CLA numbers and rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years - LA' table in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions’, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/213d8053-d566-431e-96a7-08dc1cb7c782.

The department publishes statistics for CLA in England only. Similar statistics for other countries in the UK are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of the support provided by local authorities for care leavers.

Supporting care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government. Care leavers face barriers to securing and maintaining affordable housing, which is why the department committed to delivering the actions within ‘Mission 5’ of the Care Review implementation plan to increase the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and to reduce care leaver homelessness by 2027.

This commitment includes bringing forward legislation, when parliamentary time allows, for ‘Staying Put’ to support young people for longer and for ‘Staying Close’ to be a national entitlement, recognising that young people in the general population are leaving home at older ages. The department will also bring forward legislation, when parliamentary time allows, to remove the local connection requirement for care leavers seeking access to social housing at the next available opportunity.

The government is providing funding for the following programmes in the current spending review period (2022/2025) to support care leavers to find suitable accommodation. This includes:

  • £99.8 million to local authorities to increase the number of care leavers that stay living with their foster families in a family home up to the age of 21 through the ‘Staying Put’ programme.
  • £53 million to increase the number of young people leaving residential care who receive practical help with move-on accommodation, including ongoing support from a keyworker, through the ‘Staying Close’ programme.
  • £3 million this and next financial year to deliver extra support for care leavers at highest risk of rough sleeping.

Ofsted inspects the adequacy of the support provided by local authorities for care leavers. In January 2023, Ofsted introduced a new, separate judgement in the inspection framework for local authority children’s services, specifically assessing the experiences and progress of care leavers.

​Alongside this, a care leaver Ministerial Board, co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, brings together relevant Ministers from across government to consider what more can be done to improve outcomes for care leavers and to help to achieve the five care-leavers-related ‘Missions’ as set out in the government’s children’s social care strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’. This includes looking to increase the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and to reduce care leaver homelessness.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support care leavers to find a home when they leave local authority care.

Supporting care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government. Care leavers face barriers to securing and maintaining affordable housing, which is why the department committed to delivering the actions within ‘Mission 5’ of the Care Review implementation plan to increase the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and to reduce care leaver homelessness by 2027.

This commitment includes bringing forward legislation, when parliamentary time allows, for ‘Staying Put’ to support young people for longer and for ‘Staying Close’ to be a national entitlement, recognising that young people in the general population are leaving home at older ages. The department will also bring forward legislation, when parliamentary time allows, to remove the local connection requirement for care leavers seeking access to social housing at the next available opportunity.

The government is providing funding for the following programmes in the current spending review period (2022/2025) to support care leavers to find suitable accommodation. This includes:

  • £99.8 million to local authorities to increase the number of care leavers that stay living with their foster families in a family home up to the age of 21 through the ‘Staying Put’ programme.
  • £53 million to increase the number of young people leaving residential care who receive practical help with move-on accommodation, including ongoing support from a keyworker, through the ‘Staying Close’ programme.
  • £3 million this and next financial year to deliver extra support for care leavers at highest risk of rough sleeping.

Ofsted inspects the adequacy of the support provided by local authorities for care leavers. In January 2023, Ofsted introduced a new, separate judgement in the inspection framework for local authority children’s services, specifically assessing the experiences and progress of care leavers.

​Alongside this, a care leaver Ministerial Board, co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, brings together relevant Ministers from across government to consider what more can be done to improve outcomes for care leavers and to help to achieve the five care-leavers-related ‘Missions’ as set out in the government’s children’s social care strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’. This includes looking to increase the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and to reduce care leaver homelessness.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
22nd Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to introduce bereavement training for teachers.

Losing a loved one can be a devastating experience for a child. Schools can play an essential role in supporting children with bereavement by providing effective pastoral support and ensuring there is a supportive school culture.

Schools are best placed to decide what pastoral support each pupil needs, including for children who have experienced a bereavement. To help schools make informed decisions about what support to provide, the department is offering every state school in England funding to train a senior mental health lead who can oversee a whole-school approach to mental wellbeing.

This training equips mental health leads to identify pupils or groups of pupils, which could include children affected by bereavement, in need of mental wellbeing support and to put in place effective support, working in partnership with specialists and families as needed. The training also supports leads to identify the training needs of other school staff, ensuring all staff can recognise and respond to pupils’ mental health concerns.

The department has recently launched a mental health lead resource hub and a targeted mental wellbeing support toolkit, both of which signpost mental health leads and other school staff toward resources and guidance, including support for bereavement.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
22nd Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Department for Education's press release entitled Major national drive to improve school attendance, published on 8 January 2024, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of this policy on children with long term conditions.

Improving attendance remains a top priority for the department. This is why it has launched a national communications campaign to remind families that “moments matter, attendance counts”.

The campaign reflects feedback from schools and local authorities and aims to primarily reach those parents whose children are taking preventable odd days of absence, or “avoidable absence”. It builds on NHS guidance and messages from the Chief Medical Officer’s letter to schools to reassure families that children can attend school with a mild cough or cold and that prolonged period of absence is likely to heighten a child’s anxiety about attending school in the future. The guidance can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/, and the letter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance.

The campaign is not aimed at parents of children who face greater barriers to attendance, such as pupils with long term medical conditions. Campaign materials shared with schools and local authorities reminded them that strategies to increase attendance should take a ‘support first’ approach in all instances. The department’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance expects schools to have sensitive conversations with children and families and work with them to put support in place for their individual needs. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63049617e90e0729e63d3953/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf. Schools must also follow the ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ statutory guidance that outlines the support that pupils with medical conditions must receive at school so they have full access to education and it is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
28th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) mental health and (b) suicide prevention provision in secondary schools.

​​Schools are best placed to decide what mental health and wellbeing support to offer to pupils. The department does not collect detailed data on suicide prevention provision in schools, but asks questions about schools’ perceptions of mental health support, as part of its regular omnibus surveys, the results of which are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-panel-omnibus-surveys-for-2022-to-2023.

​The department is supporting effective whole school approaches to mental health through our commitment to offer all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. This includes training on how to make sure they are including processes for identifying individuals or groups who need additional mental health support. There are 14,400 settings that have claimed a grant up to 31 August 2023, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.

​To expand access to early mental health support, the department is continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to schools and colleges. As of April 2023, MHSTs covered 47% of pupils in secondary schools in England. The department is extending coverage of MHSTs to an estimated 44% of pupils and learners in all schools and colleges by the end of this financial year and at least 50% by the end of March 2025.

​Suicide prevention is part of school and system wide approaches to mental health and wellbeing, where schools should promote good mental health in children, provide a supportive environment for those experiencing problems, and help secure access to more specialist help for those who need it.

​​Schools can teach older pupils about suicide in an age-appropriate and sensitive way. The Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance advises that schools should approach teaching about self-harm and suicide carefully and should be aware of the risks to pupils from exposure to materials that are instructive rather than preventative, including websites or videos that provide instructions or methods of self-harm or suicide.

​​To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the department has produced teacher training modules. The mental wellbeing module contains key knowledge and facts to help teachers understand what they must teach, and is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-mental-wellbeing.

​​The department has started work on the review of the RSHE statutory guidance. Suicide prevention is one of the key subjects that the department will explore as a priority area, and it will work with a range of experts and those with lived experience to do this.

​​

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to strengthen the training for local authority SEND officers and mediators on helping to ensure that correct decisions are made on education, health and care plans.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) casework teams in local authorities play a vital role in supporting families to navigate the SEND system and ensure they have good experiences.

As set out in the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the department is considering the skills and training that local authority caseworker teams require and will, following consultation, issue new guidance on delivering a responsive and supportive SEND casework service to families.

The department is also working with the Civil Mediation Council and the College of Mediators to strengthen the professional standards for SEND mediators to help ensure the service they provide is of a high-quality.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to provide additional funding to schools that temporarily enrol children who are temporarily residing in domestic abuse refuge accommodation.

The National Funding Formula (NFF) is used by the department to distribute funding fairly, based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. Through the NFF, schools are funded on a lagged system, based on their pupil numbers in the previous October census. The department does not adjust school funding in-year based on the arrival or departure of individual pupils. This helps to give schools more certainty over funding levels and aids their financial planning.

Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities are required to provide services for children in need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. It is important that every local authority have clear criteria for taking action and providing help across the full continuum of need. The Local Safeguarding Children Partnership should agree with the local authority and their partners what services are to be commissioned and delivered so that the right help is given to children at the right time.

In addition to the role played by the police in investigating and intervening, the following agencies have a duty to assist local authorities in their enquiries by providing relevant information and advice if called upon to do so (unless it would be unreasonable, given all the circumstances of the case):

  • Any local authority;
  • Any local housing authority; and,
  • Any local health board, special health authority, integrated care board, NHS trust.

The statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2018) is also clear that effective sharing of information between professionals and local agencies is essential for effective identification, assessment and service provision. In the case where a parent may deny the existence of a partner, the social worker should use probing, challenging questions and work closely with other agencies, for example, the police.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
16th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the time taken for school admission decisions to be made for pupils temporarily residing in domestic abuse refuges; and if she will take steps with local authorities to reduce that time.

The government has not carried out a recent assessment of the time taken to secure a school place for children living in domestic abuse refuges, but has changed the School Admissions Code in 2021 to improve support for the in-year admission of vulnerable children and help to reduce to a minimum any gaps in their education.

The 2021 Code requires admission authorities to inform parents of the outcome of their in-year application within 15 school days. Where a parent is having difficulty securing a place following the in-year process, each local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol (FAP) which requires an eligible child to be allocated a school place within 20 school days. The government extended eligibility for the FAP in the new Code to children who are living in a refuge or other relevant accommodation.

Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
13th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the results of the Children's social care: stable homes, built on love consultation.

The department published ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, an implementation strategy and consultation, setting out plans to reform children’s social care on the 2 February 2023. It set out how the department will help families overcome challenges, keep children safe, and make sure children in care have stable loving homes, long-term loving relationships, and opportunities for a good life. The consultation closed on the 11 May 2023, and a response was published on the 21 September 2023.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the re-inspection of schools is carried out by the original assessor where practicable.

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Darlington, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

23rd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the categorisations used by her Department for collecting data on the ethnicity of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people are consistent with those used by the Office of National Statistics.

The Department follows the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised standards for collecting and/or presenting statistics. More details about codes, along with information on how the codes were chosen, is available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups.

The ONS lead cross Government work to harmonise data, including on ethnicity. The Department continues to be part of this ongoing work and will look to introduce any recommendations when they are made. Further information is available at: https://analysisfunction.civilservice.gov.uk/policy-store/gss-harmonisation-team-workplan/#ethnicity.