Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish her Department’s acquired brain injury action plan.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers are currently considering next steps and the potential for a national Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan and will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will consider introducing a pathway for Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 15 June in response to Question 6594.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review Personal Independence Payment assessment guidance in relation to Functional Neurological Disorder to ensure that claimants are not being refused the daily living component on the basis that they do not have a diagnosed mental health condition.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the impact of a health condition or impairment on a person's ability to carry out the daily living and mobility activities prescribed in legislation, rather than on a particular diagnosis.
All PIP claimants are assessed to determine their entitlement. As part of the assessment process, a health professional (HP) considers a claimant's ability to carry out a range of everyday activities and advises which assessment criteria they believe apply. DWP will then consider all available evidence before making a decision on entitlement.
All assessment suppliers are required to ensure that HPs have appropriate training and knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments, including Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). All HPs undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners and receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impact of health conditions on day-to-day activities, alongside awareness training covering a range of conditions, symptoms and disabilities.
From 9 September 2024, the educational material for all Health Assessment Advisory Service HPs has been provided by DWP, ensuring HPs have the skills and knowledge to deliver safe, informed and compassionate assessments. In addition, HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Materials. These resources provide clinical and functional information on a broad range of conditions, including FND.
Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP, all training and guidance materials are undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A dedicated team is leading this work to ensure materials remain aligned with national best practice standards, supported by independent clinical experts who provide external quality assurance of content.
The department keeps its guidance under review to ensure it remains accurate, reflects current clinical understanding and supports fair and consistent decision making.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether utility companies that excavate private roads in order to carry out works associated with the installation or maintenance of utility services are required to reinstate and repair those roads to an appropriate standard upon completion of the works.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Utility companies are required to reinstate streets following completion of their works. For privately maintained streets, the Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways provides that surfacing should be reinstated to match the existing construction as far as is reasonably practicable and to the reasonable satisfaction of the street manager, while requirements relating to backfill and the area surrounding utility apparatus continue to apply.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on improving the affordability of travel for post-16 students attending schools, colleges and training providers in rural areas.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Both the Department for Transport and the Department for Education recognise that rural communities face transport challenges. The Department for Transport is developing a new transport poverty tool to help national and local bodies in England identify where transport connectivity and affordability may be barriers in accessing employment and essential services. In developing this tool, officials are considering a range of data sources, together with the perspectives of academics, local transport authorities, community organisations and residents through targeted research, to understand better the transport issues people, particularly those in low-income households, experience. The department has piloted the use of this tool in several key policy areas intended to support young people to participate in education, training and work by understanding and removing barriers.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the presence of fipronil and its metabolites in drinking water in the UK stemming from pet parasite treatments; and whether she can confirm that UK drinking water is free from those chemicals.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Regulation 4 of The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 stipulates that ‘drinking water must be wholesome meaning it does not contain any substance at a concentration or value which is harmful to human health’.
Information on veterinary medicines in drinking water is available in a Drinking Water Inspectorate report.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that PSVAR requirements do not restrict access to post-16 education for students in rural communities where there is no suitable alternative public transport available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government strongly supports the aims of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 and believes that disabled children and young people should be able to travel alongside their classmates.
Compliance with these regulations in the home-to-school coach sector has been slow, which is why the Government has been offering exemptions to coach operators since 2019.
We recognise that closed-door home-to-school services, including those carrying students to further education or training, are particularly important in rural communities where alternative public transport may be limited.
We have therefore introduced a further four-year exemptions scheme for eligible home-to-school coach services, protecting essential transport while ensuring that accessible vehicles are available where they are needed.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has issued guidance to bus operators on offering discounted fares for children and young people through non-digital methods.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not issued specific guidance to bus operators on offering discounted fares for children and young people through non-digital methods.
Decisions on fare offers and ticketing arrangements are generally made by local transport authorities and bus operators, reflecting local needs and circumstances.
The Government supports affordable bus travel through the National Bus Fare Cap and the Local Authority Bus Grant. The Local Authority Bus Grant gives local transport authorities flexibility to introduce local fare initiatives for children and young people and determine how those schemes are delivered.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of bus fares on access to further education for post-16 students in rural areas; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging bus operators to introduce discounted travel passes for students travelling to and from further education colleges.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of affordable and reliable bus services in helping children and young people access education and other opportunities. Decisions on introducing local concessionary travel schemes are generally matters for local transport authorities, who are best placed to consider local transport needs and priorities.
The Government supports affordable bus travel through the Local Authority Bus Grant, which gives local transport authorities flexibility to introduce local fare initiatives and targeted support for children and young people. For the first time, the formula used to allocate this funding takes rurality into account, reflecting the particular challenges faced by rural areas.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has has made of the potential contribution of business-led regenerative agriculture programmes to improving soil health, biodiversity and water management.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Farming Roadmap, food security and restoring nature are, over the long term, inseparable. The most resilient farms are profitable because they work with the environment.
The Government is backing a shift towards lower input, more sustainable farming systems, with £310 million of funding allocated through SFI26 this year. SFI is largely aligned with regenerative agriculture, including actions for cover crops, no till farming and providing insect rich habitats.
The Roadmap also recognises the important role that the private sector and farmer-led collaboration can play in supporting the adoption of sustainable farming practices.