Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) successfully renewed its Disability Confident Level 3 Leadership Certification in January 2024. This demonstrates our commitment to making the MOD a place that welcomes and encourages people with disabilities.
The MOD has a Disability Champion who is responsible for promoting inclusive behaviour; the postholder facilitates constructive challenge, fosters good relations in the workplace and contributes to the development of an inclusive culture. The Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) is owned by a HR Diversity and Inclusion policy lead who is responsible for engaging with stakeholders across the Department to ensure disability sits at the heart of our policies and processes and can be measured against the DCS criteria.
MOD supports the use of the DCS within its recruitment of civilian personnel and all MOD appointments advertised through Civil Service Jobs ask applicants if they wish to apply using DCS when they start their application. It is MOD policy that candidates using the scheme will be invited to interview provided they meet the minimum essential criteria for the advertised position. Recruiting panels also consider and implement any reasonable adjustments needed for interviews to ensure the selection process is fair for all candidates.
MOD also provides adjustments to support employees with disabilities throughout their employment as part of our responsibilities as an inclusive employer. These provisions take various forms, such as smart and flexible working, the provision of equipment and furniture for both office and home working, and IT software.
The MOD continues to monitor the effects of all actions aimed at making Defence a more attractive, diverse and inclusive employer. This work is having a positive effect on our overall representation of people who have declared a disability which has risen to 14% as at October 2023, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from April 2023.
The MOD has a range of inclusive training and career development opportunities, which are offered on a fair and open basis. The Future Leaders Scheme for eligible Grade 6&7 personnel, and the Senior Leaders Scheme for eligible Senior Civil Servants both offer successful candidates an accelerated development offer for those with a declared disability. The MOD’s Autism Exchange Intern Programme, developed in 2015, is a multi-award-winning programme which supports young people who are on the autistic spectrum to degree/postgraduate level qualifications. Reverse mentoring and challenge boards have also been implemented across the Department using staff from a range of under-represented groups, including those with disabilities. The MOD Talent Management Toolkit also offers advice and guidance to managers to ensure that all employees are treated fairly with regards to career advancement.
Finally, MOD has a DCS action plan and works with relevant stakeholders to implement actions; the group meets regularly to review progress against agreed actions.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) knives and (b) other similar weapons were taken off prisoners at HMP Parc in the last six months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data on finds for April 2023 onwards is subject to future publication. Data to March 2024 will be released on 25th July, in the 23/24 HMPPS Annual Digest.
Figures for the number of finds within prison custody, including finds of weapons, are published once per year on a financial year basis in the HMMPS Annual Digest: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2022 to March 2023 - GOV.UK, specifically in tables 8.2b, 8.3 and 8.4 of this link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c143b41e10bf000e17cf9e/8.__Finds.ods.
HMPPS continues to work extensively with G4S and is closely overseeing the prison to improve safety and reduce harm. All establishments are required to have a safety strategy in place, which includes actions to address violence. HMPPS remains committed to providing a safe, decent and secure environment for all committed to our care.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of cases in which domestic abuse was disclosed were referred by the Child Maintenance Service to an Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and recognises that domestic abuse often continues and can worsen after separation, which can have detrimental impacts on the welfare of children. CMS therefore continues to evolve and make positive changes to the way we deliver our service and to support our case workers.
We have measures in place to ensure victims and survivors of domestic abuse can access and use our services safely.
Of 29,000 new applications to the CMS in the quarter ending December 2023, 56% of applications were exempt from the application fee, largely on the grounds of domestic abuse.
The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the CMS. Latest statistics are available up to December 2023. Table 2 of the of the National tables provides the volume of applications and volume of those with an exemption due to domestic abuse for the period 2021-2023.
Quarter of Application | Application Fee Exemptions due to Domestic Abuse | Total Application Fee Exemptions | Percentage of Applications with an Exemption |
[note 1] | |||
Jan to Mar 2021 | 10,500 | 10,600 | 58% |
Apr to Jun 2021 | 11,800 | 11,900 | 60% |
Jul to Sep 2021 | 12,400 | 12,500 | 59% |
Oct to Dec 2021 | 11,600 | 11,600 | 60% |
Jan to Mar 2022 | 15,100 | 15,200 | 57% |
Apr to Jun 2022 | 17,300 | 17,500 | 55% |
Jul to Sep 2022 | 17,600 | 17,900 | 53% |
Oct to Dec 2022 | 14,700 | 14,900 | 55% |
Jan to Mar 2023 | 17,600 | 17,800 | 55% |
Apr to Jun 2023 | 17,800 | 18,100 | 56% |
Jul to Sep 2023 | 18,500 | 18,800 | 54% |
Furthermore, in October 2023 the CMS introduced regulations to completely remove the application fee for all families, this came into force on the 26 February 2024.
We are also trialling the use of a single, named case worker team to help ensure victims of domestic abuse are appropriately supported. Evaluation of the trial will inform the future service we offer to survivors of domestic abuse.
CMS have procedures to prevent unwanted contact between parents and provide advice on bank accounts with a centralised sort code so their location cannot be traced. Additionally, CMS can act as an intermediary in Direct Pay cases to facilitate the exchange of bank details, which helps to ensure no personal information is shared between parents.
Further changes, The Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 28 June 2023. On 8 May 2024, the Department published a public consultation, Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, which follows the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023. The consultation proposes to remove the Direct Pay service completely, which will go further than the measures set out in the Act and provide the same level of protection for all parents. The consultation closes 31st July 2024. The Government will then carefully consider the feedback and a response will be published. To find out more information go to: Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We support our case workers to deliver our service by ensuring they receive appropriate training and have access to signposting and support that could be utilised to assist survivors of domestic abuse.
Through extensive Stakeholder engagement CMS reviewed their domestic abuse training in 2021. Training was delivered to all case workers to ensure they are equipped to recognise coercive and controlling behaviour and appropriately signpost parents in vulnerable situations. All caseworkers have access to the District Provision Toolkit which contains the most up to date information for signposting to help and support for domestic abuse across England, Scotland, and Wales.
A Domestic Abuse Plan was developed which outlines key steps for caseworkers to follow to ensure victims of domestic abuse are supported. This includes advice on contacting the police if the parent is in immediate danger or calling the police on behalf of the parent if requested to do so. Additionally, the plan directs case workers to consider a referral to an Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader if a customer requires further support.
The number of ACSSL cases that have been referred by CMS colleagues, where the referral has been categorised as ‘domestic abuse’ are as follows:
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023* |
ACSSL Referrals from CMS colleagues categorised as domestic abuse | 3 | 3 | 1 |
It should be noted that disclosure of domestic abuse does not automatically require an Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader (ACSSL) to become involved in supporting a case. Additionally domestic abuse may be reported at any stage of case, we do not gather data on all cases therefore the information requested on the proportion of referrals is not held, however given ACSSL referrals are very low this is also likely to be very low.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are being taken to ensure that the UK's defence spending aligns with the current strategic threat landscape, particularly in the light of emerging hybrid and cyber warfare tactics observed in recent international conflicts.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since the latest Defence Command Paper was published the security landscape has continued to deteriorate and hybrid threats persist. The volatile, complex and ambiguous security environment demands a fully integrated approach to deterrence and our defence - including across domains, across the spectrum of competition, across Government, and with allies and partners - exploiting all the levers of state power.
To support this, the Prime Minister has committed to defence spending reaching 2.5% of GDP in 2030. Defence is establishing a prioritisation process to work through future capability and investment choices which will conclude at the next Spending Review. In the immediate term, this increased investment will be focused in part on accelerating investment in new technology for defence and ensuring our Armed Forces are benefitting from the latest technologies.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release - March 2024, published on 18 April 2024, for what reason the number of buildings assessed and found to require remediation has decreased compared to the quarterly report for (a) Crest Nicholson and (b) McCarthy and Stone.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
In our most recent publication, the department provided guidance that a building is only defined as requiring remediation if a work assessment has been completed. We understand there may be other buildings requiring remediation, and we are urgently requesting that buildings complete these work assessments. Should they determine work is required, future statistical releases will reflect that.
We expect developers to remediate the buildings for which they are contractually responsible as quickly as reasonably practicable, in line with the terms of the developer remediation contract. The time it may reasonably take to assess buildings will vary depending on factors including when third parties grant the developer access to the building and how the developer prioritises work to assess buildings across its portfolio, taking into account the relative safety risk likely to be associated with each building.
The department meets with developers regularly and closely monitors the performance of each developer against its contractual obligations, including progress on assessments. The developer remediation contract and the Government’s statutory Responsible Actors Scheme mean that developers face significant consequences if they fail to comply with their contractual obligations.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release - March 2024, published on 18 April 2024, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the pace of building assessments conducted by (a) Bellway, (b) Crest Nicholson and (c) Taylor Wimpey.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
In our most recent publication, the department provided guidance that a building is only defined as requiring remediation if a work assessment has been completed. We understand there may be other buildings requiring remediation, and we are urgently requesting that buildings complete these work assessments. Should they determine work is required, future statistical releases will reflect that.
We expect developers to remediate the buildings for which they are contractually responsible as quickly as reasonably practicable, in line with the terms of the developer remediation contract. The time it may reasonably take to assess buildings will vary depending on factors including when third parties grant the developer access to the building and how the developer prioritises work to assess buildings across its portfolio, taking into account the relative safety risk likely to be associated with each building.
The department meets with developers regularly and closely monitors the performance of each developer against its contractual obligations, including progress on assessments. The developer remediation contract and the Government’s statutory Responsible Actors Scheme mean that developers face significant consequences if they fail to comply with their contractual obligations.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release, updated on 18 April 2024, for what reason London Square Development (Holdings) Limited has no start dates planned for the remediation of its buildings.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
In our most recent publication, the department provided guidance that a building is only defined as requiring remediation if a work assessment has been completed. We understand there may be other buildings requiring remediation, and we are urgently requesting that buildings complete these work assessments. Should they determine work is required, future statistical releases will reflect that.
We expect developers to remediate the buildings for which they are contractually responsible as quickly as reasonably practicable, in line with the terms of the developer remediation contract. The time it may reasonably take to assess buildings will vary depending on factors including when third parties grant the developer access to the building and how the developer prioritises work to assess buildings across its portfolio, taking into account the relative safety risk likely to be associated with each building.
The department meets with developers regularly and closely monitors the performance of each developer against its contractual obligations, including progress on assessments. The developer remediation contract and the Government’s statutory Responsible Actors Scheme mean that developers face significant consequences if they fail to comply with their contractual obligations.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of prescriptions that were written by pharmacists in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service does not currently commission prescribing services from community pharmacists but pharmacists working in other NHS settings, including general practices, can prescribe on the NHS.
The following table show the total number of items prescribed, the number of items prescribed by a pharmacist, and the percentage this equates to in terms of overall prescribing in England, in each of the last five years:
Year | Total number of items | Items prescribed by a pharmacist | Percentage of items prescribed by a pharmacist |
2019 | 1,118,845,270 | 22,089,868 | 1.97% |
2020 | 1,122,769,640 | 30,824,967 | 2.75% |
2021 | 1,128,633,578 | 36,145,631 | 3.20% |
2022 | 1,162,723,444 | 40,701,768 | 3.50% |
2023 | 1,203,435,207 | 45,713,123 | 3.80% |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority
The number of pharmacists that are independent prescribers is increasing. From 2026 all newly qualified pharmacists will be prescribers and we are upskilling the current workforce. NHS England are piloting services with varying models to evaluate how this could work in future clinical services in community pharmacy. In future, prescribing in community pharmacy has the potential to unlock more clinical services in community pharmacy, taking further pressure off general practice.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to expand support available through Jobcentres in Southport constituency.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The local Jobcentre team are collaborating with a range of partners to support people into work and help employers fill vacancies. In addition to hosting job fairs, delivering Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), and hosting employer Group Information Sessions, Southport Jobcentre is working with Sefton Council, local colleges, care & childcare providers, manufacturing, retail, education, agriculture, and hospitality companies, to provide an employment and skills offer to help meet the recruitment needs of local employers.
Southport Jobcentre has been working closely with employers such as Sainsbury’s and McDonald’s to hosts SWAP’s for Southport residents to have direct access to live vacancies. The Jobcentre has also collaborated with Southport College to hosts job fairs to bring together national and local employers for job opportunities as well as providers to support customers with breaking down barriers to work. Additionally, the Jobcentre looks forward to supporting Southport’s future regeneration and exciting projects which includes the Southport Enterprise Arcade, the Garrick Theatre development and the Marine Lake Events Centre.
Disability Employment Advisers (DEA’s) offer advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work, alongside close working with Merseycare, The Peer Mentoring Service, Life Rooms, and Sefton Council. Southport Jobcentre colleagues also attend local events to highlight the support available, including Access to Work, Disability Confident and the Working Health Pioneer programme.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's report entitled Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, published on 20 July 2021 on the finances of people with complex disabilities.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, we explored how the benefits system can better meet the needs of claimants now and in the future, by improving claimant experience of our services, enabling independent living, and improving employment outcomes.
We received over 4,500 written responses to the Green Paper, and held consultation events with disabled people and people with health conditions and their representatives. These included both virtual and face-to-face events, with events in Scotland, Wales and every region of England.
We carefully considered the feedback we received to our consultation in developing the next steps set out in the Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023. As stated in the White Paper, we are continuing to develop and refine our policy proposals.