Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 tackle the disproportionally high rates of STI diagnoses among people of Black Caribbean heritage.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) routinely collects data to understand the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the communities most impacted by STIs, conducts research to understand the drivers for the higher rates of STIs in some Black communities, then translates these findings into resources for local partners to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of Black communities.
In 2021, UKHSA co-produced a resource with third-sector partners to support commissioners and providers in developing interventions for improved sexual health and wellbeing in people from a Black Caribbean background which is available at the following link:
This was based on the translation of findings of research conducted through the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit on blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections available at the following link:
https://bbsti.hpru.nihr.ac.uk/our-research/research-themes
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing local area energy planning on a statutory footing.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is considering the role of local energy plans, working closely with Ofgem as part of its ongoing governance review into local energy institutions, and with other key stakeholders including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and UK Research and Innovation.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing statutory provisions on local area energy planning.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government recognises the potential merits of local energy plans, however it is vital that any approach endorsed by government is considered carefully to ensure it is deliverable, cost-effective and aligned with wider policy.
The Government is considering the role of local energy plans, working closely with Ofgem as part of its ongoing governance review into local energy institutions and with other key stakeholders including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and UK Research and Innovation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist local NGOs in (a) Mozambique, (b) Kenya, (c) Ethiopia and (d) Somalia access (i) UK and (ii) UN funding for humanitarian and peacebuilding projects.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are key partners for the FCDO and they play a central role in delivering UK funded humanitarian support in Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. We work and consult closely with local NGOs to aid their planning, delivery and ability to access funding.
In Ethiopia in 2021 the UK provided US$18 million to the UN's Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF) which supported a range of international and Ethiopian NGOs. Similarly, the UK-funded 'Building Resilient Communities in Somalia programme has supported a number of Somali NGOs alongside international civil society organisations. In Kenya, UK humanitarian support is delivered via UN agencies but local NGOs are key partners in delivering assistance. In Mozambique the 'Transparency and Accountability for Inclusive Development Programme' provides funding and technical assistance to local civil society organizations to carry out research, advocacy, and work with government to increase transparency, accountability and improve service delivery.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to work with local NGOs in (a) Mozambique, (b) Kenya and (c) Ethiopia to help ensure they are consulted on the planning and delivery of aid projects funded by the (i) UK and (ii) UN.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are key partners for the FCDO and they play a central role in delivering UK funded humanitarian support in Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. We work and consult closely with local NGOs to aid their planning, delivery and ability to access funding.
In Ethiopia in 2021 the UK provided US$18 million to the UN's Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF) which supported a range of international and Ethiopian NGOs. Similarly, the UK-funded 'Building Resilient Communities in Somalia programme has supported a number of Somali NGOs alongside international civil society organisations. In Kenya, UK humanitarian support is delivered via UN agencies but local NGOs are key partners in delivering assistance. In Mozambique the 'Transparency and Accountability for Inclusive Development Programme' provides funding and technical assistance to local civil society organizations to carry out research, advocacy, and work with government to increase transparency, accountability and improve service delivery.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to help (a) Southport and (b) other seaside towns preserve their cultural heritage..
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government works to preserve the rich cultural heritage of our seaside towns in many ways, including through the statutory heritage protection system, which recognises heritage assets of national significance and helps to protect them for the nation. There are currently 293 designated heritage assets in Southport, including 281 Listed Buildings.
Historic England, the Government's statutory adviser on heritage matters, regularly undertakes research and thematic designation projects which focus on recognising and protecting the cultural heritage assets of seaside towns – buildings, venues and other amenities which are often central to the local visitor economy. Historic England is currently working with local partners, such as Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, on initiatives which will assist in revitalising Southport’s economy and the appreciation and protection of its historic environment.
Through the High Street Heritage Action Zones programme, HM Government has invested over £23 million in coastal communities, breathing new life into high streets, benefiting local people and businesses, and providing assistance to much-loved historic buildings.
The recent announcement of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund included a range of projects focused on protecting and celebrating the cultural heritage of seaside towns. These include £50 million for the new major visitor attraction Eden Project North in Morecambe, transforming a derelict site on Morecambe’s seafront to create a world-class cultural and visitor destination. It also includes a £40 million for Blackpool to deliver a new Multiversity, a carbon-neutral, education campus in the Talbot Gateway Central Business District, £19 million to improve access to Bexhill's art deco De La Warr pavilion, and £20 million to renovate Great Yarmouth's North Quay. The announcement also confirmed that there will be a further round of the Levelling Up Fund, providing more opportunity to level up seaside communities and other places across the UK.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 assess the potential impact of poverty on (a) the mental health of and (b) suicide rates in people living in poverty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The link between poverty and mental health is well-established in academic research literature. Data published by OHID shows that people living in the most deprived areas of England have a higher risk of suicide than those living in the least deprived areas. The Department hasn’t specifically assessed or commissioned further research on this issue. There is clear evidence about the important role that work can play in lifting people out of poverty and in improving health and wellbeing for people with health conditions, including mental health. That is why we have undertaken a range of activities to understand how best to support people with mental health conditions find and retain work, for example our Employment Advisors in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies initiative.
Last year the Department for Health and Social Care launched a call for evidence on what can be done across government in the longer term to support mental health, mental wellbeing and prevent suicide, which closed on 7 July 2022. The call for evidence recognises that people can be in crisis because of a complex combination of mental ill-health and social factors, including financial insecurity. DHSC are learning from the contributions to the call for evidence and from the evaluation of the Better Mental Health Fund, which offered funding to some of the most deprived local authority areas in England to improve mental health and mental wellbeing in local communities – this included funding services to support people facing financial insecurity. insecurity.
The call for evidence and Better Mental Health Fund evaluation are shaping our understanding of what works, and where we need to go further. The Treasury’s Breathing Space programme aims to directly address poor mental health caused by financial hardship, targeting support to those with debt problems. DHSC are investing an additional £2.3billion a year into mental health services by 2023/24, which will by then enable an extra two million people to be treated by NHS mental health services
This year Government will spend over £245bn through the welfare system, including around £66 billion on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain. All benefit rates and State Pensions will increase in line with the Consumer Prices Index for the year to September 2022. This will mean that, subject to parliamentary approval, they will increase by 10.1% in April. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1% subject to parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of a reduction in the size of the private rented sector on renters, including (a) students, (b) workers requiring short term accommodation and (c) low income families without local connections.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Renters Reform Bill will deliver a package of reforms for the Private Rented Sector. We are conducting a detailed impact assessment which will be published in due course.
While the government is committed to helping people to own their own home, a healthy housing market is built upon the co-existence of a range of tenures, including the private rented sector, to meet individual needs and requirements The Private Rented Sector is an important part of the housing market for the 4.6 million households who live there.
The department monitors the market and uses a range of data to support our understanding of the Private Rented Sector. This includes department-commissioned research, such as the annual English Housing Survey and the English Private Landlord Survey. We have carried out extensive engagement with stakeholders and we will continue to monitor the impact of our reforms on the sector.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to page 13 of the Veterans Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024, what steps he has taken to ensure data on veterans' homelessness is collected consistently.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Our veterans play a vital role in keeping our country safe and we are committed to providing them with the support they need. The department has changed the guidelines for the reporting of homelessness statistics so that local authorities are required to capture more characteristics of a homeless applicant, including whether they previously served in the UK Armed Forces.
As I made clear during the second reading of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill on 18 November, the Government has research underway to provide an up-to-date estimate of the size and cost of the supported housing sector across Great Britain, as well as estimate of future demand. The research project is due to report by the end of 2023.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to page 13 of the Veterans Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024, whether his Department has completed its review into the supply of supported housing for veterans.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Our veterans play a vital role in keeping our country safe and we are committed to providing them with the support they need. The department has changed the guidelines for the reporting of homelessness statistics so that local authorities are required to capture more characteristics of a homeless applicant, including whether they previously served in the UK Armed Forces.
As I made clear during the second reading of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill on 18 November, the Government has research underway to provide an up-to-date estimate of the size and cost of the supported housing sector across Great Britain, as well as estimate of future demand. The research project is due to report by the end of 2023.