Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of whether the Bath, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board's decision to award a contract to HCRG Care Group for community-based care (a) includes social value in the contract, (b) conducts a public interest test for procurement and (c) ensures value for money while achieving the goals in the Business Case.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following a procurement process, HCRG Care Group will lead an innovative partnership with the National Health Service, local authorities, and voluntary sector groups, and will take responsibility for community services from 1 April 2025, under a contract that will run for at least a seven-year period.

The performance of HCRG Care Group, both from a clinical and non-clinical perspective, will be subject to the same scrutiny as all other health and care providers commissioned by the integrated care board (ICB), which includes NHS and non-NHS organisations. The contract contains the usual safeguards and ability to issue notices, as is standard with all NHS contracts. There is a fixed financial envelope, and the provider is contractually required to deliver the services from within this funding. HCRG Care Group will also be required to undertake regular reporting regarding financial performance to the ICB.

I understand from the ICB that social value contributions will be monitored as part of the contract monitoring process. As part of procurement evaluation, 10% of the score was weighted to social value benefits in line with central guidance. The commitments made by HCRG Care Group within their bid form part of their contract.

Furthermore, the ICB report that they had a legal duty to proceed to procurement because existing contracts were ending and there was no scope to legally extend them further. Reprocuring the contract could not be subject to consultation as it was not optional. The procurement was carried out in line with the requirements of the process, and therefore, commissioners are required to abide by the outcome.

Engagement with patients and the public took place on the ICB’s Health and Care model and elements of the ICB’s Integrated Care Strategy, which gave a framework of the priorities that fed into market engagement events with providers. These events shaped the primary and community questions response from the ICB’s Delivery Plan, and subsequent transformation priorities and key outcomes for integrated community-based care, which formed the basis of the Integrated Community Based Care programme, and the procurement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) progress she has made and (b) steps she plans to take with the Secretary of State for Transport on the HGV skills bootcamp programme.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Skills Bootcamps are an important offer in the skills landscape, supporting the development of crucial skills such as HGV driving.

Published statistics show that across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years, there were 10,545 starts on HGV Skills Bootcamps, with 6,500 completions and almost 5,000 positive employment outcomes representing new jobs, promotions or increased responsibilities.

In line with our commitment to devolution, we will fund Skills Bootcamps through funding Mayoral Combined Authorities and local areas directly, supporting the government’s commitment to empower local leaders to have greater control of skills development, alongside an increased role in supporting people into work.

The department continues to support learners and employers in the HGV sector to benefit from a range of high quality skills training, including through apprenticeships such as the Urban Driver and Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) driver C + E apprenticeship standards.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an exemption from the increase in employer's National Insurance contributions for care homes where more than half of residents are funded by the local authority.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer National Insurance costs only. This does not include support for the private sector, including private sector firms contracted by central or local government.

This is the usual approach Government takes to supporting the public sector with additional employer NICs costs, as was the case with the previous government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care and wider local government spending as part of the Spending Review process.

The Government is providing a 6.8% cash terms increase in council’s Core Spending Power in 2025-26. To support social care authorities to deliver key services in light of pressures, we announced at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement a further £200 million for adult and children’s social care. This will be allocated via the Social Care Grant, bringing the total increase of this grant in 2025-26 to £880 million, meaning that up to £3.7 billion of additional funding will be provided to social care authorities in 2025-26.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the reason that only 7% of Housing, Health and Safety Ratings System (HHSRS) inspections led to an Improvement Notice being served.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to making sure homes are safe, decent and warm.

Local housing authorities have powers to take a proactive approach to enforcement against unacceptable conditions in rented housing.

Improvement notices are just one of the types of enforcement action that can be taken by local authorities in respect of hazards. Local authorities can use informal as well as formal methods to secure compliance following inspections. Through the Renters’ Rights Bill we are strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers, including a new power to issue fines of up to £7,000 where a landlord has not taken reasonably practicable steps to remove category 1 hazards from the property.

A review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) was published in September 2022. The government is considering the outcomes of this review, in line with wider recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry Report to make sure that the guidance is as effective and accessible as possible.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of greyhounds that have been killed at racetracks since 2023.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has published data for injuries, retirements and euthanasia of greyhounds from GBGB affiliated tracks and trainers each year since 2018. This data is published online at https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/injury-and-retirement-data/(opens in a new tab).

The long-term trend for the total number of greyhounds that have died at racetracks has shown, with the exception of figures for 2023, a welcome decline. Defra will continue to monitor figures published by GBGB in the coming years to see whether any new trends are identifiable.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing asylum applications from people from Syria.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office has withdrawn the Country Policy Information Notes and Guidance relating to Syria, and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions from Syrian nationals.

We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review, so we can respond to emerging issues. When there is a clear basis upon which to make decisions on Syrian claims, we will resume the processing of them.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) requiring social media accounts to be linked to a form of ID and (b) preventing people with certain convictions from interacting with users under the age of 18.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act gives online platforms new duties to protect users from illegal content and safeguard children.

The Act stipulates that where there is a risk to children from the most harmful types of content (‘primary priority content), in-scope services including social media sites must use highly effective age assurance.

Ofcom’s draft codes also propose additional protections for under 18s to keep their accounts private and prevent them being contacted and groomed by strangers.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bob Blackman (Chair); Jess Brown-Fuller; Mary Glindon; Will Stone

Found: meeting Members present: Bob Blackman (Chair); Jess Brown -Fuller; Mary Glindon; Alison Hume; Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone

Found: Henry Tufnell Ben Lake Lee Anderson Paula Barker John McDonnell Zarah Sultana Irene Campbell Will Stone