To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Domestic Abuse: Data Protection
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

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 ensure that providers of NHS services are protecting the whereabouts of domestic abuse victims from perpetrators.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are security and legislative protections in place to protect patient data, and ensure data is used across the health and social care system in a safe, secure, and legal way. This includes data protection rules which prevent National Health Service employees from disclosing addresses of victims of domestic abuse.

Each organisation’s terms and conditions of employment include strict guidelines on how staff handle and protect patients’ information. Staff must also be regularly trained in information governance responsibilities. Professional bodies such as the General Medical Council also set out standards which their members must meet.

General practices have two options if they are worried that having access to their record might cause harm to a patient or another individual. They can either redact specific items on the record, or disable patient access entirely.


Written Question
Bereavement Counselling: Departmental Coordination
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress the cross-government bereavement working group has made on ensuring support is available to bereaved people.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The cross-Government bereavement group was established in preparation for publication of the UK Commission on Bereavement’s (UKCB), Bereavement is Everyone’s Business report, from October 2022. The group includes representatives from over 10 Government departments.

The cross-Government bereavement group enables Government departments to share the best practice about bereavement support in the sectors for which they are responsible. The UKCB Steering Group has presented to the cross-Government working group on several occasions, and last attended a meeting of the group in September 2023.


Written Question
Department of Health and Social Care: Darlington
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent in Darlington constituency in each financial year between 2019-20 and 2022-23.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Information on spending in the Darlington constituency is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the spend of the organisations that are the closest approximation to the Darlington constituency, each year from 2019/20 to 2022/23:

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

NHS Darlington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

£177,000,000

0

0

0

NHS Tees Valley CCG

0

£1,293,000,000

£1,502,000,000

£341,000,000

NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB)

0

0

0

£5,171,000,000


The number and commissioning responsibilities of the CCGs, now ICBs, have changed during the period requested, and expenditure levels set out in the table are not directly comparable year-on-year. On 1 July 2022, the NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB replaced and took on responsibility for eight CCGs, including Tees Valley, which is reflected in the higher level of spend in 2022/23.


Written Question
North Road (Darlington) Station
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to help preserve the historic character of North Road Station during works to increase the stepping distance between the platform and the train.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The station is still under consideration for Northern’s ongoing platform improvement programme, but all issues and aspects of the station are being assessed which will include the historic character.


Written Question
Darlington Station: Finance
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on the economy of investment in Darlington railway station.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The decision to provide £105m of Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) funding to deliver the Darlington Station Enhancements scheme was taken not only due to the direct journey time and reliability improvements it will provide to rail users, but also the result of the wider economic benefits it will generate for Darlington and the region, resulting from increased productivity.

These benefits will be further enhanced through complementary investment from Tees Valley Combined Authority, who are utilising a number of funding streams – including the Active Travel England Fund – to improve the public realm surrounding the station.


Written Question
Free Schools: Darlington
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on appointing a provider for the new 48 place Autism Spectrum Disorder special free school in Darlington.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The application process for potential providers to operate Darlington’s new special free school has been completed. Ministers are considering the outcome before confirming the successful applicant.


Written Question
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Darlington
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the economic impact of (a) investment made and (b) financial support provided by her Department in Darlington constituency in the last four years.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation spend in Darlington in financial year 2020-21 (the latest available data) was £0.55 million. The interactive innovation clusters map, available at https://www.innovationclusters.dsit.gov.uk/, provides further information about clusters in Darlington.


Written Question
Motorcycles: Departmental Coordination
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will establish a cross-departmental task force to tackle illegal motorcycling.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has no current plans to establish a cross-departmental task force to tackle illegal motorcycling. Enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

The Government has established a joint Home Office, Department for Transport and National Police Chiefs’ Council Roads Policing Review to understand what can be done better to tackle road crime and improve road safety.

In addition, last year the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the powers they need to tackle the blight of anti-social behaviour, including motorcycle nuisance, facing communities across England and Wales.

The plan is backed by £160m of funding and includes supporting an increased police and other uniformed presence to target anti-social behaviour hotspots. Initially we worked with 10 police force areas, including Durham Constabulary, but from April we are providing funding of £66m to every police force in England and Wales to support a hotspot enforcement approach for both anti-social behaviour and serious violence. Hotspot patrols could be used in areas where anti-social behaviour involving motorcycles is an issue.

The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation, including in relation to offences involving motorcycles.


Written Question
Vaccination
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of investment in establishing a vaccine library.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Development of a vaccine library, including the adequacy of investment, will be a collaborative, global effort. The Government provides funding to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) through the Department of Health and Social Care and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The CEPI plays a key role in funding and coordinating the global research and development effort to develop a vaccine library.

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre (VDEC) makes a significant contribution to the development of a vaccine library through work in developing and evaluating new vaccines and vaccine technologies, some of which is funded by the CEPI.

The UKHSA is also reviewing the recommendations from the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) report, in the context of the United Kingdom, and working across Government to strengthen our 100 Days Mission endeavours even further.

More broadly, an established clinical countermeasures programme, including vaccines, is a core component of our pandemic preparedness and response capability. The programme is informed by scientific and clinical assessment of the evidence base, and is kept under review, building on lessons learned from previous outbreaks including COVID-19.


Written Question
Asylum: Children
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much and what proportion of the cost of caring for an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker with special needs who has been placed in the care of a local authority is paid for by his Department.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

In addition to money for children's social care that local authorities receive through the Local Government Finance Settlement and finance arrangements which apply to the Devolved Administrations, the Home Office provides additional funding contributions to the costs incurred by local government in looking after unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children and former UAS childcare leavers.

Local authorities supporting the greatest number of UAS children relative to their child population receive the higher rate of £143 per child per night for each UAS child.  This higher rate applies to local authorities supporting UAS children totalling 0.07% or greater of their general child population.  All other local authorities receive £114 per person per night for each UAS child in their care.   In addition, any local authority who accept the responsibility for a UAS child from a higher rate receiving local authority will receive the higher rate of £143 per child per night. This funding is not ring-fenced, and local authorities are free to use this funding as they see fit to support children in their care.