Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities operate a clear system for accessing high needs top up funding, in the context of her Department's High Needs operational guidance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Local authorities have flexibility to determine how to allocate high needs funding, including top up funding, in line with their statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014. In doing so, they must take account of the costs that would reasonably be expected to be met from a maintained school’s core budget or an academy’s general annual grant.
The department’s operational guidance advises local authorities on ways in which they can administer high needs top-up funding transparently, consistently and in accordance with the relevant conditions of grant. The department follows up any evidence of breaches of those grant conditions.
The operation of the high needs funding system is currently under review, with the aim of supporting the reforms that we have set out in the schools white paper.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has provided to Access to Work case managers on assessing applications; and when that guidance was last updated.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Access to Work case managers assess applications in line with the Department’s published Access to Work: staff guide - GOV.UK, available on GOV.UK. This guidance provides the framework for assessing applications and determining entitlement to Access to Work support.
The guidance was last updated on 18 June 2026.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to assess whether sites like the Shelford landfill have followed environmental permit rules.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Waste management sites are regulated through environmental permits to ensure best practice and minimise environmental impact. Permits set conditions requiring operators to accept only appropriate waste, prevent pollution, and avoid nuisances like odours and noise. The Environment Agency uses a risk-based approach to site inspections by focusing on higher-risk or non-compliant sites. Shelford has been identified as a priority site and received increased regulatory attention over the last 12 months. This has included 5 unannounced site inspections and 22 compliance reports covering data reviews and response to reports of odour from the local community.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recent notification of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987, including the rationale for the proposed amendments.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 are a matter for the Home Secretary as the responsible authority for the scheme.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 on serving and retired scheme members.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 are a matter for the Home Secretary as the responsible authority for the scheme.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which stakeholders were consulted in the decision-making process of changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Changes to the Police Pension Scheme 1987 are a matter for the Home Secretary as the responsible authority for the scheme.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of new housing developments on water infrastructure in Canterbury.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Water companies, including South East Water, are under a statutory duty to produce Water Resources Management Plans and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans.
In response to Canterbury’s Local Plan consultation, the Environment Agency has recommended close liaison between the Authority and South East Water to ensure that planned housing growth is located where additional water is available to supply new development and that the phasing of that development occurs in line with any planned delivery of water supply infrastructure by the Water Company.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current status is of further modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis of MenABCWY vaccination in teenagers considered by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s meningococcal sub-committee; and whether that work will inform any wider review of (a) meningococcal group B vaccines and (b) meningococcal group B vaccine eligibility criteria.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March in the context of the recent meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, that the Joint Committee on Vaccinations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective as well as an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme.
The JCVI gives advice to ministers based on the best evidence reflecting current good practice and/or expert opinion. The process involves a robust, transparent, and systematic appraisal of the available evidence from a wide range of sources. The JCVI aims to work with key stakeholders while maintaining the independence of its processes and considerations.
The JCVI is required to consider the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination programme as part of their Code of Practice, which is available at the following link:
The JCVI meningococcal sub-committee meeting heard presentations regarding modelling of MenABCWY vaccination in adolescents in their meeting on 13 November 2025. The minutes of this meeting are available in the document attached. This meeting took place before the 2026 outbreak in Kent and the subsequent request from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to review eligibility for the meningococcal group B vaccine in older children and young adults. The context of the recent meningococcal outbreak in Kent will be important to consider in any updated modelling which is considered by the JCVI going forward.
It is also important to note that there are currently no MenABCWY vaccines licensed in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether external organisations, including charities and patient organisations, will have opportunities to submit written evidence to any review of meningococcal group B vaccines or meningococcal group B vaccine eligibility criteria.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March in the context of the recent meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, that the Joint Committee on Vaccinations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective as well as an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme.
The JCVI gives advice to ministers based on the best evidence reflecting current good practice and/or expert opinion. The process involves a robust, transparent, and systematic appraisal of the available evidence from a wide range of sources. The JCVI aims to work with key stakeholders while maintaining the independence of its processes and considerations.
The JCVI is required to consider the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination programme as part of their Code of Practice, which is available at the following link:
The JCVI meningococcal sub-committee meeting heard presentations regarding modelling of MenABCWY vaccination in adolescents in their meeting on 13 November 2025. The minutes of this meeting are available in the document attached. This meeting took place before the 2026 outbreak in Kent and the subsequent request from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to review eligibility for the meningococcal group B vaccine in older children and young adults. The context of the recent meningococcal outbreak in Kent will be important to consider in any updated modelling which is considered by the JCVI going forward.
It is also important to note that there are currently no MenABCWY vaccines licensed in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what timetable the Department expects for any review by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation of meningococcal group B vaccines or meningococcal group B vaccine eligibility criteria.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March in the context of the recent meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, that the Joint Committee on Vaccinations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective as well as an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme.
The JCVI gives advice to ministers based on the best evidence reflecting current good practice and/or expert opinion. The process involves a robust, transparent, and systematic appraisal of the available evidence from a wide range of sources. The JCVI aims to work with key stakeholders while maintaining the independence of its processes and considerations.
The JCVI is required to consider the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination programme as part of their Code of Practice, which is available at the following link:
The JCVI meningococcal sub-committee meeting heard presentations regarding modelling of MenABCWY vaccination in adolescents in their meeting on 13 November 2025. The minutes of this meeting are available in the document attached. This meeting took place before the 2026 outbreak in Kent and the subsequent request from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to review eligibility for the meningococcal group B vaccine in older children and young adults. The context of the recent meningococcal outbreak in Kent will be important to consider in any updated modelling which is considered by the JCVI going forward.
It is also important to note that there are currently no MenABCWY vaccines licensed in the United Kingdom.