Seema Kennedy

The Government will be guided by the fuel poverty strategy published in March 2015 which sets out a clear policy of working towards improving energy efficiency standards across the English housing stock, including in the homes of the fuel poor. The strategy highlighted a concern relating to issues faced by park home residents in keeping their homes warm. Therefore, the Government is undertaking further research and working with stakeholders to understand the drivers of fuel poverty in park homes.

DECC has also been ensuring park homes residents are able to benefit from our existing schemes targeted at the fuel poor such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Warm Home Discount (WHD).

This Government is committed to giving young people the skills they need to succeed in life.

We are supporting 3 million more apprenticeships in this Parliament, and we are ensuring that employers play a leading role in the design of our new Degree Apprenticeships. Following our Higher Education Green Paper, we will be launching a technical consultation on the Teaching Excellence Framework, which will ensure our universities continue to focus on helping their students into employment.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) holds the statutory responsibility to investigate and report on drinking water quality incidents that affect public water supplies in England and Wales. It continues to carry out a detailed and thorough investigation into the recent cryptosporidium outbreak in Lancashire. Once the final report is completed, it will be made publicly available.

Water companies are required to provide safe supplies of drinking water to the public. Where contamination of a public water supply occurs, whether by cryptosporidium or by any other cause, the water company involved is expected to take all appropriate measures to ensure that the public remains safe, and that a safe supply of drinking water is restored. The DWI has a rigorous independent regulatory and inspection regime, and holds enforcement powers to ensure that the likelihood of such an event is minimised, and, when they do occur, that the measures taken to resolve any issues are in interests of the customer.

Defra is the sponsor department for the water industry and is responsible for setting the legal and policy framework for the regulatory regime as applied by Ofwat (the economic regulator) and the DWI (the drinking water quality regulator). When the DWI produces its report on the recent cryptosporidium incident in Lancashire, Defra will consider, with other stakeholders, what wider lessons can be learnt about the effectiveness of the current regime.

We recognise intermittent internet access is a frustration felt by many rail passengers. I have met with Virgin Trains to discuss their ambitions to improve internet connectivity on both West Coast and East Coast main lines. I recognise that this is an important issue for West Coast passengers and that we need to find a solution where all passengers can benefit.

Free Wi-Fi is being introduced on all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises in England and Wales. All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to present a phased implementation plan for free Wi-Fi. The West Coast franchise is being tendered this year with the new contract commencing in 2018, which will include this obligation.

On-train Wi-Fi addresses some of the issues, however we recognise that there is more to do that will require enhancements to trackside infrastructure. That’s why we are working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a shared understanding of the technical and commercial challenges, and seek out potential solutions.

An implementation plan for the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health was published in July which will see Mental Health spending increase by £1billion by 2020.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health set out in his speech to the Local Government Association on 1 July that we all have a responsibility at an individual, family, and community level to identify people with care needs such as loneliness and provide support and improve their wellbeing.

Through the Care Act 2014 the Department has required local authorities to have measures in place to identify people in their area who would benefit from universal services to help reduce, delay or prevent needs for care and support. This includes needs that may arise from social isolation.

The Department has supported a ‘digital toolkit’ for local commissioners, which was developed by the Campaign to End Loneliness. Since its launch in July 2012, the toolkit has been supporting commissioners in understanding, mapping and commissioning for loneliness and social isolation in their communities.

Alongside work to build our understanding of the issue and expanding the evidence base, we have launched the Prevention Library where local authorities can exchange ideas and experience of the impact of information, advice and befriending services.

To improve early diagnosis of cancer, the Department of Health and Public Health England (PHE, since 2013) have run numerous national Be Clear on Cancer public awareness campaigns, including two national campaigns on breast cancer in women over 70. PHE ran the first campaign early in 2014 and the second campaign is running from 13 July to 6 September 2015 to raise awareness of breast cancer symptoms, including non-lump symptoms and encourage women with symptoms to see their general practitioner (GP) without delay. The campaign is targeting women over 70 with the key message of “1 in 3 women who get breast cancer are over 70, so don’t assume you’re past it.” The campaign will run on television, radio, digital and out of home media. As with all Be Clear on Cancer campaigns, the impact of this campaign will be evaluated.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published an updated guideline “Suspected cancer: recognition and referral” on 23 June 2015, to ensure that it reflects latest evidence and can continue to support GPs to identify patients with symptoms of suspected cancer, including breast cancer and urgently refer them as appropriate.

Cancer screening remains an important way to detect cancer early, and women aged 50 to 70 are invited for free breast screening every three years. Women over 70 can request free three yearly screening. We have invested in a research trial to investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of extending the programme to women aged 47-49 and 71-73 and over two million women have now been randomised. Results from the trial will be available in the early 2020s.

The Government is carrying out a public consultation exercise, seeking the views of Chagossians and other interested parties, about a potential resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The consultation is scheduled to last 12 weeks, concluding on 27 October. I am pleased that an estimated five hundred Chagossians in the UK, Seychelles, and Mauritius have joined meetings with members of the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration to talk through the consultation document. Though we have been clear that this document is not a statement of UK Government policy, as no decision has yet been taken, it sets out the most realistic hypothetical scenario in which possible resettlements, including a pilot option, could take place. The consultation period will help us understand Chagossians’ aspirations and the level of demand for the options set out. This consultation continues the conversation with Chagossian communities as part of our review of resettlement policy started in 2012, which included an independent feasibility study, which concluded at the end of January 2015.

The government is committed to supporting savers, and government officials meet regularly with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals to discuss the role that payroll deduction can play in promoting workplace saving, particularly in relation to the credit union movement. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is funding a £38m project to enable participating credit unions to expand their services to many more consumers, including to employees via workplace payroll savings. DWP is also looking into providing payroll savings facilities for their staff who are members of a credit union.

The Government has not made any recent assessment. The family court has a wide range of enforcement powers to secure compliance with a child arrangements order.

Where a person named in a child arrangements order breaches it without good reason, the court may make an enforcement order requiring that person to carry out unpaid work. The court may also order that person to pay financial compensation for any loss suffered by another person named in the child arrangements order. These sanctions are in addition to the general powers of the court to treat the breach of a court order as a contempt of court, which is punishable by a fine or imprisonment. The court may alternatively vary the terms of the child arrangements order (reconsidering the provisions made) if it considers this necessary to make the arrangements work in the best interests of the child.

The Fresh Start Agreement created a Joint Agency Task Force to identify strategic priorities and co-ordinate joint operations against those involved in cross-border organised crime.

Tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland is primarily a matter for the devolved Department of Justice, under the auspices of the Organised Crime Task Force.