Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has conducted an equality impact assessment on the effect of school-attendance-linked Child Benefit rules on children with mental-health-related disabilities.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Child Benefit remains in payment until 31 August following a child’s 16th birthday. This applies without any conditions on education, so there is no impact on children of this age if they are unable to attend school for any reason.
For young people who are over 16 and under 20, Child Benefit remains payable if they continue in full-time non-advanced education or training. Legislation allows for Child Benefit to continue being paid when this education is interrupted. This can be for a period of up to six months, or for as long as is reasonable if it is attributable to the illness or disability of mind or body. Child Benefit can also still be paid in respect of young people who cannot attend education for an average of more than 12 hours per week due to an illness or disability.
The Government does not hold data on the number of families where Child Benefit has stopped because a young person over 16 has not been able to attend education due to mental ill health.
Where a young person is unable to return to education because of mental ill-health or trauma, disability benefits may provide a more suitable form of long-term support.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of Child Benefit cessation on families where a child or young person is unable to attend school as a result of clinically evidenced mental-health conditions or trauma.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Child Benefit remains in payment until 31 August following a child’s 16th birthday. This applies without any conditions on education, so there is no impact on children of this age if they are unable to attend school for any reason.
For young people who are over 16 and under 20, Child Benefit remains payable if they continue in full-time non-advanced education or training. Legislation allows for Child Benefit to continue being paid when this education is interrupted. This can be for a period of up to six months, or for as long as is reasonable if it is attributable to the illness or disability of mind or body. Child Benefit can also still be paid in respect of young people who cannot attend education for an average of more than 12 hours per week due to an illness or disability.
The Government does not hold data on the number of families where Child Benefit has stopped because a young person over 16 has not been able to attend education due to mental ill health.
Where a young person is unable to return to education because of mental ill-health or trauma, disability benefits may provide a more suitable form of long-term support.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of families who have had Child Benefit reduced or withdrawn because a child or young person has been unable to attend school due to mental ill-health.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Child Benefit remains in payment until 31 August following a child’s 16th birthday. This applies without any conditions on education, so there is no impact on children of this age if they are unable to attend school for any reason.
For young people who are over 16 and under 20, Child Benefit remains payable if they continue in full-time non-advanced education or training. Legislation allows for Child Benefit to continue being paid when this education is interrupted. This can be for a period of up to six months, or for as long as is reasonable if it is attributable to the illness or disability of mind or body. Child Benefit can also still be paid in respect of young people who cannot attend education for an average of more than 12 hours per week due to an illness or disability.
The Government does not hold data on the number of families where Child Benefit has stopped because a young person over 16 has not been able to attend education due to mental ill health.
Where a young person is unable to return to education because of mental ill-health or trauma, disability benefits may provide a more suitable form of long-term support.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review Child Benefit eligibility rules linked to school attendance in relation to absence caused by severe mental ill-health or trauma.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Child Benefit remains in payment until 31 August following a child’s 16th birthday. This applies without any conditions on education, so there is no impact on children of this age if they are unable to attend school for any reason.
For young people who are over 16 and under 20, Child Benefit remains payable if they continue in full-time non-advanced education or training. Legislation allows for Child Benefit to continue being paid when this education is interrupted. This can be for a period of up to six months, or for as long as is reasonable if it is attributable to the illness or disability of mind or body. Child Benefit can also still be paid in respect of young people who cannot attend education for an average of more than 12 hours per week due to an illness or disability.
The Government does not hold data on the number of families where Child Benefit has stopped because a young person over 16 has not been able to attend education due to mental ill health.
Where a young person is unable to return to education because of mental ill-health or trauma, disability benefits may provide a more suitable form of long-term support.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) provide an official NHS definition of dyscalculia and (b) whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including dyscalculia in NHS A-Z conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is used to classify diseases and other health conditions and is set by the World Health Organisation. ICD-11 classifies dyscalculia as a developmental learning disorder with impairment in mathematics. We want all children who struggle with maths or any other subject to be able to receive the appropriate support so they can succeed in their education. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child or young person with Special Educational Needs and Disability does not require a diagnostic label or test.
NHS England advises that the NHS.UK website is not intended to cover every condition, treatment, or service the National Health Service provides. If something is not currently covered, it does not mean the NHS does not recognise it. The key factors considered include:
NHS England appreciates the importance of providing information for conditions like dyscalculia and will continue to review and assess requests to ensure the NHS.UK website best serves the needs of the public.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) NHS England and (b) integrated care boards to ensure that NHS dental provision is effectively delivered under the Armed Forces Covenant Duty; and whether he has considered increasing levels of (i) guidance and (ii) oversight in this area to help prevent disadvantage for service families following relocation.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that Armed Forces families may move more frequently than the civilian population in support of our service personnel. Data on dental access does not suggest that Armed Forces families are being disadvantaged when compared to the civilian population. We are taking steps to improve access to dentistry and members of the armed forces community will also benefit from the improved access these changes bring about, in the same way as the civilian population.
NHS England is working proactively with the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Families Federations to provide guidance to integrated care boards in relation to local dental access for families relocating to the area and guidance for families. Signposting for Armed Forces Personnel on dentistry access for their families has been improved through the ‘Discover My Benefits website’, and A “Myth Busting” paper has been prepared by the Armed Forces Families Federation. This includes a link to the Single Point of Contact for NHS England dedicated to Armed Forces access issues.
Free NHS dental care is available to people receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments, and the treatment is for your accepted disability. We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care boards have issued best practice guidance on the provision of health and social care services for those with a learning disability.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are clear expectations of integrated care boards (ICBs) in relation to the commissioning of health services for people with a learning disability. The Model ICB Blueprint sets out the direction of travel for their role and functions in relation to commissioning services for the needs of their local population. Further information on the Model ICB Blueprint is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/strategic-commissioning-framework/
Each ICB is expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support the Board in addressing health inequalities, supporting equal access to health services, and planning to meet the needs of its local population of people with a learning disability and autistic people. NHS England has published guidance on expectations for Executive Lead roles which sets out further information, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/executive-lead-roles-on-integrated-care-boards/
There is a range of best practice guidance available to support ICBs to commission services for people with a learning disability, including guidance on Dynamic Support Registers and Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews, a service model for adults, and guidance for developing support and services for children and young people. Further information on all three guidance documents is available, respectively, at the following three links:
ICBs can also utilise NHS Futures, a digital collaboration platform which supports people working in health and social care to connect, share, and learn across organisations. NHS Futures has dedicated workspaces to support good practice, including resources on learning disability and autism.
The recently published NHS Medium Term Planning Framework emphasises the importance of improving outcomes for people with a learning disability, and our 10-Year Health Plan makes clear that people with disabilities are a priority group for more holistic, ongoing support from neighbourhood health services.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS services make reasonable adjustments to accommodate additional need when treating children with (a) SEND and (b) level 3 autism.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is dedicated to ensuring that National Health Services are accessible for everyone, including for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who are autistic. In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations must implement reasonable adjustments to enhance accessibility for disabled individuals. All organisations that provide NHS care or adult social care must follow the Accessible Information Standard.
A key initiative being rolled out is the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, supported by e-learning for health and care staff. The flag helps healthcare and social care providers identify and implement necessary reasonable adjustments for people, including any adjustment needs relevant to their SEND or autism, and supports provision of appropriate care.
NHS England has published a range of guidance to support tailored care provision. Guidance on Meeting the Needs of Autistic Adults in Mental Health Settings highlights the need for tailored support for autistic individuals facing mental health difficulties, and is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/meeting-the-needs-of-autistic-adults-in-mental-health-services/
Guidance on health and care passports sets out how passports should record a person’s health and care information, such as communication preferences, supporting consistent, and tailored care. Further information on this guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/health-and-care-passports-implementation-guidance/
Furthermore, under the Health and Care Act 2022, all Care Quality Commission registered providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism, appropriate to their role. The Government is rolling out its preferred package, the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, to the health and adult social care workforce.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken by her Department to make decisions relating to disability benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To reduce decision times for disability benefits, we have deployed additional staff and we continue to prioritise urgent cases while monitoring demand and addressing backlogs where necessary. These actions have led to faster processing of new claims, with clearance times for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children reducing significantly. We have also increased staffing in Access to Work (AtW) and we are prioritising urgent applications. This is alongside reviewing our policy framework to explore opportunities to further reduce processing times for AtW applications. We are also allocating additional resource to disputes activity to improve processing times for Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals across PIP and DLA.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
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 reduce the time taken to process mandatory reconsiderations for Child Disability Living Allowance applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is clear that decisions should be made without delay. The department has increased resources to help reduce wait times for Disability Living Allowance Child Mandatory Reconsideration decisions, by recruiting additional decision makers and reallocating decision makers from other parts of the department.
If the decision maker considers that more time is needed to gather or consider evidence in an individual case, they must give themselves that time to ensure they are confident that the decision made is correct.