Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5796 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, if she will set a target date to respond to the consultation entitled Pavement Parking: options for change, which closed in November 2020.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are currently considering the views expressed in the consultation responses. Our plan is to publish a formal response to the consultation, summarising the views received and announcing the Government’s next steps for pavement parking policy in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of families with children about whom (a) care and (b) protection issues have been raised who are offered a family group conference.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold this data
Statutory guidance for local authorities, such as ‘Working together to safeguard children’ and the ‘Children’s social care national framework’, encourages local authorities to consider family group decision making, such as family group conferences, from the earliest point of a family’s involvement in children’s social care and to repeat them, as considered appropriate, throughout the system.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2024 to Question 5795 on M25: Noise, when Next Generation Concrete Surfacing will take place between Junctions 8 and 9 on the M25.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A section of the M25 between Junction 8 and Junction 9 was treated with Next Generation Concrete Surfacing (NGCS) in September 2024 and wider implementation of NGCS on the M25 is expected to be undertaken from 2026. At present, National Highways is unable to confirm when specific sections of the M25 will be treated, but all concrete sections of the M25 are planned to receive noise mitigation treatment.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress she has made on progressing prisoners who remain in custody on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences and who have served their minimum term towards release from incarceration.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government is focused, as a matter of urgency, on ensuring that all serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners have the opportunity to reduce their risk, via effective and deliverable sentence plans, as well as supporting them to engage fully with those plans. We will shortly be publishing a refreshed IPP Action Plan, that is being worked on and will be delivered by very senior officials in HM Prison and Probation Service. More broadly, we continue to focus on delivering good education, training and work opportunities in prison to build skills alongside support for IPP prisoners to access employment and accommodation on release.
It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, and we are committed to making further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for those serving the IPP sentence, but not in a way that impacts public protection. The Government will continue to consult with organisations and campaign groups to ensure it takes the appropriate course of action to support those still serving IPP sentences.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting war (a) widows and (b) widowers from changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to pensioners. Everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement.
Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the Government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control.
Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households that need it most, that is, those receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. These are, Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. This approach retains support for pensioners on low incomes.
We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we are urging pensioners to come forward and check their eligibility for Pension Credit to ensure as many people in need as possible have access to this support. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them.
Other measures to support pensioners include the State Pension, which is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so, protecting 12 million pensioners through the Triple Lock. Based on current forecasts, the full rate of the new state pension is set to increase by around £1,700 over the course of this Parliament.
The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.
The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK maintains funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is proud to be a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having contributed £1.4 billion since 1995. The UK continues to be a supportive partner to the GPEI and will take every opportunity to ensure every child everywhere is safe from polio. The UK is working with the international community to coordinate efforts and ensure sustainable resources for all upcoming global health replenishments. Effective coordination across the Global Health Initiatives will be needed to deliver for the global health challenges ahead.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the new NHS Commercial Framework allows for increased use of indication-specific pricing agreements to support patient access to future cancer innovations.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, NHS England committed to undertake two consultations on amendments to the NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. The first of these launched on 31 July 2024 for eight weeks. The proposed amendments would make the framework more explicit about the circumstances in which NHS England will consider indication specific pricing mechanisms. They would also align the framework with the Competition and Markets Authority statement on combination medicines.
NHS England and the Department engaged with key stakeholders throughout the consultation period, and NHS England intend to publish an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the draft regulations proposed following the UK fresh produce sector: review of the supply chain, published on 14 December 2023.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness in the supply chain across all sectors, including the fresh produce supply chain. Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling contractual unfairness wherever it exists.
We will soon share proposals building on the consultation with industry, and will continue to work closely with stakeholders from the fresh produce sector on the best way to achieve this.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish a strategy for ensuring people living with (a) Crohn’s disease and (b) other forms of inflammatory bowel disease are able to access treatment in a timely manner.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme on gastroenterology aims to reduce variations in care, increase early diagnosis and proactive management of Crohn’s disease and colitis, and increase access to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist nurses. The National institute for Health and Care Excellence has also produced a range of guidance on IBD, and Crohn’s disease and colitis, to support early diagnosis and effective management of these conditions. It ensures that the care provided to people with IBD is based on the best available evidence. In the last two years, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended four new drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including Upadacitinib, Risankizumab, Mirikizumab, and Etrasimod.
NHS England’s National Bladder and Bowel Health Project is delivering better care for people with IBD, with a focus on developing clinical pathways. NHS England commissions specialised colorectal services nationally to support equity of access to high-quality treatment for patients with IBD requiring complex surgery. This work is supported within NHS England by the clinical leadership of the Specialised Colorectal Services Clinical Reference Group, which is made up of experts in surgery, medicine, radiology, pathology, and nursing, alongside patient and public voice representatives.
To raise awareness of IBD among general practitioners and other primary care staff, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Toolkit. The toolkit outlines when to suspect IBD, the appropriate investigative tests and diagnostic tools for IBD, how to manage a flare-up of symptoms and how to support patients with IBD.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to adjust the upper limit on house purchases using a Lifetime ISA in line with inflation.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.
Any unauthorised withdrawals are subject to a 25% withdrawal charge. This recoups the Government bonus, any interest or growth arising from it, and a proportion of the individual’s initial savings. HMRC is currently undertaking social research on the LISA with existing account holders and those who are eligible but have not opened a LISA.
HMRC commits to publishing all research in their Annual Report and Accounts. The findings from all strands of research on the LISA will be published in due course.
The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.