Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce food waste at farms and (b) support farmers to ensure that surplus food is redistributed.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government supports a thriving, productive and efficient farming sector that prevents waste occurring in the first place. For instance, we are supporting investment in productivity-boosting equipment, technology and infrastructure through the Farming Investment Fund. This provides grants to farmers, foresters, and growers (including contractors to these sectors) that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment.
We acknowledge that more can be done to reduce food waste in the primary production stage. The ‘fair dealings’ powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 can be used to prevent these kinds of unfair trading practices where they occur, as we are aware that unreasonably late cancellations or specification changes can sometimes lead to produce being unharvested. Last year we launched two new supply chain fairness reviews, looking into the egg and fresh produce supply chains, and building on what we have already got underway to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets. The review into the egg supply chain closed on 22 December, and the review of the fresh produce supply chain will close on 22 February. We will publish a summary of responses within 12 weeks of each consultation closing.
The Government works closely with businesses through our delivery partner the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to overcome any barriers to redistribution. This includes the development of guidance and best practice through a sector wide working group, and support for the Target Measure Act approach to understanding and acting on food waste in supply chains, including the redistribution of any surplus should it arise and is supported by the National Farmers Union. Where the NFU stands on food waste – NFUonline
Since 2018, Defra funding of nearly £13 million has supported both large and small redistribution organisations across the country to increase their capability and capacity.
The total amount of food redistributed in the UK in 2022 was over 170,000 tonnes and a value of around £590 million, an increase of 133% since 2019.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with NHS England about reducing waiting times for children and young people’s access to (a) community paediatric services, (b) occupational therapy and (c) speech and language therapy.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department holds regular meetings with NHS England on timely access to community health services. Addressing waiting times is a priority for both the National Health Service and the Department. In 2023, NHS England asked local systems to develop plans to reduce community waiting lists.
NHS England is working to improve community health services data to better understand waiting lists and identifying actions to reduce waits, including consideration of new pathways to improve effectiveness and productivity.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure the national allocation of funding for adult social care reflects (a) the number of autistic adults and (b) their potential level of need.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Public spending on adult social care is funded from both local Government revenue and central Government grants and therefore has to be viewed as part of the wider local Government funding settlement. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is responsible for the financial framework within which local Government operates and for ensuring the sufficiency of local Government funding.
Central Government grants for adult social care are largely distributed using the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formulae, which are developed by independent researchers to reflect differences in councils’ need for local authority funded social care, to ensure councils funding reflects the relative level of need in their area. These formulae account for a range of factors including population, income and wealth, levels of impairment and availability of unpaid care support.
Local authorities have discretion over how to use their funding to meet the needs of their local population, including those of autistic adults.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting the Scottish Government's approach to applying digital imprints to election content posted by unregistered third parties.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The UK-wide digital imprint regime, introduced by the Elections Act 2022, is one of the most comprehensive digital imprint regimes in the world, applying to a wide range of material. The regime represents a substantial increase in transparency of digital political advertising for members of the public by requiring those promoting eligible digital campaigning material targeted at the UK electorate to include an imprint with their name and address.
Our regime does require unregistered third parties promoting paid-for material and those promoting other electronic material on behalf of specific political entities listed in section 44 of the Act to include an imprint in the material.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the cost of (a) confining autistic adults in mental health hospitals and (b) meeting needs in the community.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Health and Social Care Committee’s report, The treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities, included recommendations in relation to assessing the costs of care and support, and redesigning financial incentives in the healthcare system, for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The Government response to the report and position on the recommendations was published 27 July 2022.
In the response, we noted the wide range of capital and revenue funding sources and the range of support that a person may draw on from multiple services. This makes an assessment of costs practically challenging. The response set out that we are clear there must be credible alternatives to inpatient care so that people can live independent, fulfilled lives in their community, without financial incentives or disincentives which prevent this from happening.
To improve our understanding of funding flows, including any financial incentives or disincentives, the Department commissioned an independent specialist consultancy firm, RedQuadrant, in September 2021 to undertake a rapid review of funding flows associated with Building the Right Support. The work concluded in March 2022 and a report was published in July 2022.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to change funding incentives to help ensure that funding follows need for the right support in the community for autistic adults.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Health and Social Care Committee’s report, The treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities, included recommendations in relation to assessing the costs of care and support, and redesigning financial incentives in the healthcare system, for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The Government response to the report and position on the recommendations was published 27 July 2022.
In the response, we noted the wide range of capital and revenue funding sources and the range of support that a person may draw on from multiple services. This makes an assessment of costs practically challenging. The response set out that we are clear there must be credible alternatives to inpatient care so that people can live independent, fulfilled lives in their community, without financial incentives or disincentives which prevent this from happening.
To improve our understanding of funding flows, including any financial incentives or disincentives, the Department commissioned an independent specialist consultancy firm, RedQuadrant, in September 2021 to undertake a rapid review of funding flows associated with Building the Right Support. The work concluded in March 2022 and a report was published in July 2022.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to update the Building the Right Support action plan.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are no current plans to update the Building the Right Support Action Plan as this is a live document and contains a number of commitments which are due to complete after March 2024.
The Building the Right Support Delivery Board continues to monitor both the implementation of the action plan and the relevant data to drive progress on reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in mental health inpatient settings, identifying new actions and mitigations as appropriate.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 202692 on Autism and Learning Disability: Community Care, what the allocation was to each Integrated Care Board for Community/ CYP key workers.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England made a funding allocation for learning disability and autism services, otherwise known as community and children and young people keyworker services, totalling £121.7 million in 2023/24. The following table shows the breakdown of this funding allocation by integrated care board (ICB):
ICB | Organisation Region | Funding allocation 2023/24 (£’000) |
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | North West | 3,964 |
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 3,044 |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | Midlands | 1,618 |
Mid and South Essex ICB | East of England | 2,427 |
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | East of England | 1,963 |
Birmingham and Solihull ICB | Midlands | 3,197 |
Cumbria and North East ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 6,929 |
Joined Up Care Derbyshire ICB | Midlands | 2,276 |
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | East of England | 2,119 |
Devon ICB | South West | 2,584 |
Lincolnshire ICB | Midlands | 1,627 |
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | Midlands | 2,119 |
Our Healthier South East London ICB | London | 3,954 |
Kent and Medway ICB | South East | 3,862 |
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | East of England | 2,969 |
East London Health and Care Partnership ICB | London | 4,356 |
North London Partners In Health and Care ICB | London | 3,287 |
Norfolk and Waveney Health and Care Partnership ICB | East of England | 2,280 |
Staffordshire and Stoke On Trent ICB | Midlands | 2,394 |
Frimley Health and Care ICB | South East | 1,435 |
Sussex Health and Care Partnership ICB | South East | 3,629 |
Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin ICB | Midlands | 1,074 |
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership ICB | North West | 6,623 |
Humber, Coast and Vale ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 3,618 |
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | South West | 1,848 |
Northamptonshire ICB | Midlands | 1,545 |
Gloucestershire ICB | South West | 1,267 |
Hampshire and The Isle Of Wight ICB | South East | 3,744 |
North West London Health and Care Partnership ICB | London | 4,924 |
Somerset ICB | South West | 1,242 |
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Health and Care ICB | Midlands | 2,501 |
Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly Health and Social Care Partnership ICB | South West | 1,304 |
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB | South East | 3,425 |
The Black Country and West Birmingham ICB | Midlands | 2,691 |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | East of England | 1,769 |
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | South West | 2,067 |
Dorset ICB | South West | 1,705 |
South West London Health and Care Partnership ICB | London | 3,031 |
West Yorkshire and Harrogate (Health and Care Partnership) ICB | North East and Yorkshire | 5,232 |
Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | Midlands | 2,011 |
Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership ICB | South East | 2,034 |
Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | North West | 6,003 |
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
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 the (a) implementation of the Care Act 2014 for autistic adults and (b) extent to which statutory provisions for such adults under that Act are being met.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have not made any specific assessments. Under the Care Act 2014, it is the responsibility of local authorities to assess individuals’ care and support needs, including those of autistic adults, and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. A new duty on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to assess local authorities’ delivery of their Care Act 2014 duties went live on 1 April 2023 and the formal assessment period has started. The CQC will examine how well local authorities deliver their Care Act duties, including those that apply to autistic people. This will increase transparency and accountability and, most importantly, drive improved outcomes for people who draw on care and support.
Our national autism strategy, published in July 2021, acknowledges the importance of autistic people being able to access community support, including social care, and that this should be available at the right time and tailored to their needs. The strategy was informed by a national call for evidence. A summary of the call for evidence findings was published alongside the strategy and included reported barriers to autistic people accessing social care.
We are currently updating the Autism Act Statutory Guidance to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people. This will include setting out what local authorities must and should be doing to meet their duties under the Care Act for autistic adults. We expect to publish the updated statutory guidance this year, following public consultation.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
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 prevalence of barriers to autistic people accessing social care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have not made any specific assessments. Under the Care Act 2014, it is the responsibility of local authorities to assess individuals’ care and support needs, including those of autistic adults, and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. A new duty on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to assess local authorities’ delivery of their Care Act 2014 duties went live on 1 April 2023 and the formal assessment period has started. The CQC will examine how well local authorities deliver their Care Act duties, including those that apply to autistic people. This will increase transparency and accountability and, most importantly, drive improved outcomes for people who draw on care and support.
Our national autism strategy, published in July 2021, acknowledges the importance of autistic people being able to access community support, including social care, and that this should be available at the right time and tailored to their needs. The strategy was informed by a national call for evidence. A summary of the call for evidence findings was published alongside the strategy and included reported barriers to autistic people accessing social care.
We are currently updating the Autism Act Statutory Guidance to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people. This will include setting out what local authorities must and should be doing to meet their duties under the Care Act for autistic adults. We expect to publish the updated statutory guidance this year, following public consultation.