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Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus
Monday 14th March 2022

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125334 on Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus, if he will publish his Department's criteria for determining which local authorities to target with an increase in training available to early years SENDCO.

Answered by Will Quince

We are in the process of procuring for additional special educational needs coordinators training for early years. We are aiming to target training in the following local authorities:

Barnsley

Gloucestershire

Redcar and Cleveland

Bath and North East Somerset

Halton

Rochdale

Birmingham

Hartlepool

Rotherham

Blackpool

Herefordshire

Salford

Bolton

Hertfordshire

Sheffield

Bradford

Kingston upon Hull, City of

Solihull

Brighton and Hove

Kirklees

Somerset

Bristol, City of

Knowsley

South Gloucestershire

Buckinghamshire

Lancashire

South Tyneside

Calderdale

Leeds

St. Helens

Cambridgeshire

Leicestershire

Staffordshire

Central Bedfordshire

Lincolnshire

Stockport

Cheshire East

Liverpool

Stockton-on-Tees

Cheshire West and Chester

Manchester

Stoke-on-Trent

Cornwall

Medway

Surrey

Coventry

Middlesbrough

Tameside

Cumbria

Newcastle upon Tyne

Torbay

Darlington

Norfolk

Wakefield

Derbyshire

North East Lincolnshire

Walsall

Devon

North Tyneside

West Sussex

Doncaster

North Yorkshire

Wigan

Dorset

Northamptonshire

Wirral

Dudley

Nottinghamshire

Wolverhampton

Durham

Oldham

Worcestershire

East Riding of Yorkshire

Oxfordshire

Gateshead

Portsmouth

These local authorities have been identified using metrics to measure levels of disadvantage in individual local authorities. The metrics used are: rates of access to free school meals alongside Early Years Foundation Stage profile outcomes, % of children eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium, % of children in receipt of an Education and Healthcare Plan and COVID-19 cases rate per 100,000 resident population across the length of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus
Monday 14th March 2022

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125334 on Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus, if he will publish the local authorities targeted for an increase in training available to early years SENDCO.

Answered by Will Quince

We are in the process of procuring for additional special educational needs coordinators training for early years. We are aiming to target training in the following local authorities:

Barnsley

Gloucestershire

Redcar and Cleveland

Bath and North East Somerset

Halton

Rochdale

Birmingham

Hartlepool

Rotherham

Blackpool

Herefordshire

Salford

Bolton

Hertfordshire

Sheffield

Bradford

Kingston upon Hull, City of

Solihull

Brighton and Hove

Kirklees

Somerset

Bristol, City of

Knowsley

South Gloucestershire

Buckinghamshire

Lancashire

South Tyneside

Calderdale

Leeds

St. Helens

Cambridgeshire

Leicestershire

Staffordshire

Central Bedfordshire

Lincolnshire

Stockport

Cheshire East

Liverpool

Stockton-on-Tees

Cheshire West and Chester

Manchester

Stoke-on-Trent

Cornwall

Medway

Surrey

Coventry

Middlesbrough

Tameside

Cumbria

Newcastle upon Tyne

Torbay

Darlington

Norfolk

Wakefield

Derbyshire

North East Lincolnshire

Walsall

Devon

North Tyneside

West Sussex

Doncaster

North Yorkshire

Wigan

Dorset

Northamptonshire

Wirral

Dudley

Nottinghamshire

Wolverhampton

Durham

Oldham

Worcestershire

East Riding of Yorkshire

Oxfordshire

Gateshead

Portsmouth

These local authorities have been identified using metrics to measure levels of disadvantage in individual local authorities. The metrics used are: rates of access to free school meals alongside Early Years Foundation Stage profile outcomes, % of children eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium, % of children in receipt of an Education and Healthcare Plan and COVID-19 cases rate per 100,000 resident population across the length of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Written Question
Marine Environment: North Yorkshire
Tuesday 22nd February 2022

Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 31 January (HL5420), and further to the research by Tim Deere-Jones reported in the Guardian article 'Study links crab deaths and dog illness to dredging for Teesside freeport', published on 7 February, what further assessment they plan to make of a potential link between the mass loss of sea-life around the North Yorkshire coast and reports of the ill-health of dogs which have walked in the sea and on the seashore.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency have been in touch with the University of Liverpool Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) which has been investigating the increase in reports of vomiting and diarrhoea (V&D) in dogs in the Northeast of England. Investigations continue, but so far SAVSNET has reported a seasonal increase across England in V&D commonly seen each year in dogs, with an exceptional peak in NE Yorkshire. There is some positive association with canine enteric coronavirus and no link to walking on the beach for the majority of cases. While it cannot definitively point to a common cause, SAVSNET does suggest this is a transmissible infection rather than contact with the beach area or sea water. Canine enteric coronavirus is an alpha-coronavirus and is not related to beta-coronavirus which causes COVID-19.

The dogs recover after a few days, although some may require supportive care from their vet.

SAVSNET stated on 3 February: “Between 29th and 31st January 2022 we had details of 208 cases submitted by vets and owners. The most common clinical signs reported were inappetence, and vomiting and diarrhoea both without blood. The majority (79%) of dogs had NOT visited the beach prior to becoming ill and many cases were reported inland (away from the coast). The vast majority of cases (94%) had been vaccinated in the last three years. The majority (56) of the 88 owners who had more than one dog reported that other dogs in the household had also shown similar signs possibly suggesting in infectious cause. The majority of dogs seem to recover within 7-14 days, although over 60% required treatment of some form. No underlying cause was reported and so the aetiology of this outbreak is still unknown.”

SAVSNET is continuing with its investigation and we continue to keep this under consideration.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 27th January 2022

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92129, on Coronavirus: Screening, what additional support the Government is providing to pharmacies in (a) England and (b) Liverpool West Derby constituency to meet increased demand for covid-19 lateral flow test kits.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We delivered approximately 280 million lateral flow device tests in December 2021 and we have procured additional stock and increased delivery capacity. We expect to deliver 90 million tests a week across the United Kingdom. In England, this includes approximately 12 million tests a week through pharmacies and seven million tests a day through GOV.UK so we do not expect that deliveries, including those to Liverpool West Derby, will be limited.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 27th January 2022

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92129, on Coronavirus: Screening, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people who are unable to visit a pharmacy may have covid-19 lateral flow test kits delivered to their home in the context of the gov.uk website indicating that those kits are out of stock for home delivery.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We delivered approximately 280 million lateral flow device tests in December 2021 and we have procured additional stock and increased delivery capacity. We expect to deliver 90 million tests a week across the United Kingdom. In England, this includes approximately 12 million tests a week through pharmacies and seven million tests a day through GOV.UK so we do not expect that deliveries, including those to Liverpool West Derby, will be limited.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 27th January 2022

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92129, on Coronavirus: Screening, and in the context of that Answer which states that there is no shortage of covid-19 lateral flow test kits, for what reason people have reported that those kits have been out of stock (a) on the gov.uk website and (b) upon collection at pharmacies following the issue of a collection code from that website.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We delivered approximately 280 million lateral flow device tests in December 2021 and we have procured additional stock and increased delivery capacity. We expect to deliver 90 million tests a week across the United Kingdom. In England, this includes approximately 12 million tests a week through pharmacies and seven million tests a day through GOV.UK so we do not expect that deliveries, including those to Liverpool West Derby, will be limited.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 27th January 2022

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92129, on Coronavirus: Screening, how people can receive covid-19 lateral flow test kits in the event that those kits are unavailable (a) on the gov.uk website for home delivery and (b) collection at their local pharmacy.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We delivered approximately 280 million lateral flow device tests in December 2021 and we have procured additional stock and increased delivery capacity. We expect to deliver 90 million tests a week across the United Kingdom. In England, this includes approximately 12 million tests a week through pharmacies and seven million tests a day through GOV.UK so we do not expect that deliveries, including those to Liverpool West Derby, will be limited.


Written Question
Schools: Coronavirus
Tuesday 7th December 2021

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to reduce covid-19 transmission in schools (a) nationally and (b) in Liverpool West Derby constituency.

Answered by Robin Walker

The government continues to manage the risk of serious illness from the spread of COVID-19. We do not yet know how Omicron’s mutations will change the behaviour of the COVID-19 virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. Omicron remains a variant of COVID-19 and can be tackled using the same mitigations that have proven effective against previous variants. This includes vaccination, testing, hand hygiene, ventilation and other measures. There is no current evidence to suggest that we need to change our approach to managing variants, including Omicron.

All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters. Vaccines are the best defence against COVID-19. They help protect young people and adults, and benefit those around them. Vaccination makes people less likely to catch COVID-19 and less likely to pass it on.

The government’s testing strategy continues to help to break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 in schools and colleges by identifying asymptomatic positive cases quickly so that those who test positive can self-isolate. This helps to reduce transmission of COVID-19, keeping pupils and students in face-to-face education.

The department has asked all secondary schools to prepare to test their pupils once on-site on return in January. We understand that this is a significant additional ask but testing continues to play a vital role in keeping COVID-19 out of schools. Testing all pupils in school boosts testing participation and will help reduce transmission after a period of social mixing over the school holidays.

In primary schools and early years settings, the department recommends that face coverings should be worn by staff and visitors in communal areas. In secondary schools and out-of-school settings, the department recommends that face coverings are now worn by all pupils (children who were aged 11 on 31 August 2021), staff and visitors in communal areas unless they are exempt.

The department has started to provide CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools and colleges, backed by £25 million in government funding. Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and is important in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The new monitors enable staff to identify areas where ventilation needs to be improved and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm.

The contingency framework gives directors of public health a range of flexible options for advising temporary measures in certain situations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings. In all cases, directors of public health should weigh any benefits in managing transmission against any educational drawbacks.

The department expects schools to follow the control measures set out in the guidance, continuing to comply with health and safety law. Schools must regularly review and update their risk assessments.

The measures outlined above apply nationally. There are no additional measures that apply to Liverpool West Derby.


Written Question
Liverpool Victoria: Finance
Thursday 8th July 2021

Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Liverpool Victoria received covid-19-related financial support from the public purse in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government is unable to provide a detailed breakdown of covid-19 related financial support individual firms have received as this information is commercially sensitive.

Details of facilities made available under the covid loan schemes have been published where required by the European Commission’s Transparency Aid Module at the following website: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/competition/transparency/public?lang=en.

For monthly data on the employers who have claimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) since December 2020, please see the published information at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employers-who-have-claimed-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.


Written Question
Rents: Arrears
Wednesday 9th June 2021

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of households that will be in 2 months’ or more accumulated rent arrears as of 1 August 2021 in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study November-December 2020 suggested that approximately 1% of private renters were 2 months or more behind. Additionally, approximately 3% of social renters were 2 months or more behind. Most renters in arrears had arrears of less than 2 months.

We do not hold data on the potential number of households that will be in 2 months' or more accumulated rent arrears as of 1 August 2021 in Liverpool West Derby constituency.

The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to support tenants with living costs. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit are in place until the end of September helping renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding.