Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress in ensuring immigrants from Hong Kong achieve employment commensurate with their education and skills; and what steps they are taking to assist new and recent arrivals to achieve this.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Since April 2021, DLUHC's Hong Kong British National (Overseas) [BN(O)] Welcome Programme has provided universal and targeted support. For the financial year (FY) 23/24, this included funding for VCSE organisations at both a national and regional level to deliver employability support.
In 2024/25, we continue to fund local authorities across England to provide English language support, alongside a network of Welcome Hubs across the UK.
Recent research has shown that almost half of employed BN(O)s, of all levels of skill and qualifications, report that their job does not match their skills and experience. To address this need, further VCSE grant funding is being provided in FY 24/25, for targeted employability support in England only. The deadline for grant applications was the 28 April and the successful organisation will be announced shortly.
BN(O) visa holders can also contact their local Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Hub (delivered by Strategic Migration Partnerships) which DLUHC funds for further information on employability support offered locally.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government who (1) has been, or (2) will be, consulted in central Nigeria regarding the ‘Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria’ programme.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) has access to a large network of subject matter experts from Nigeria. This includes farmers, pastoralists, politicians, academics and civil society figures. The evidence, research, data and analysis we collect from these experts allows us to understand the local context of the areas SPRiNG is designed to operate in. The FCDO welcomes further collaboration with civil society in Nigeria on the SPRiNG programme.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not made an assessment of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas. We have been made aware by the National Wildlife Crime Unit of a perceived increase in the use of catapults against animals. The Government takes wildlife crime seriously and it is a matter of concern. Under provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife. We expect all crime to be reported to police and investigated appropriately.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status is not used by the developers of solar farms as a way of bypassing local planning scrutiny and avoiding accountability to the local community.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) recently consulted on Operational reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects consenting process. As part of their response DLUHC has introduced secondary legislation and new guidance that provide greater clarity for applicants on whom to consult and when. This came into force on 8 March. These reforms will ensure the system should incentivise early, meaningful engagement between parties as applications for projects are developed.
The established consultation procedures with Interested Parties that are undertaken during the development consent Examination by the Planning Inspectorate, or by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero following receipt of the Examination report will continue to be delivered. On 15 May, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State made a Written Ministerial Statement reinforcing the importance of applicants following the expectations on siting solar developments set out in the Renewable Energy National Policy Statement. Applications will not be consented if they have not met the requirements, and that includes community engagement as required by the Planning Act. Planning Inspectorate guidance on the pre-application stage was updated on 30 April this year and can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/planning-act-2008-pre-application-stage-for-nationally-significant-infrastructure-projects (also attached).
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
All catering contracts for department buildings are procured by the Government Property Agency (GPA).
Contractually, all suppliers appointed by GPA are required to comply with the Government Buying Standards, owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The relevant part of the standards is local and environmentally sustainable sourcing. Wherever possible, food sourcing should prioritise locally produced food and food produced to higher environmental production standards. Contracting authorities and/or tier 1 suppliers should aim for at least 50% of food spend to be on locally produced food or food certified to higher environmental production standards. Progress towards this target must be reported annually.
This contractual provision will be monitored as part of the governance and report requirements of GPA's new contracts.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in care are moved more than 10 miles away due to a lack of appropriate local care options.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions’ 2023 data shows that 70% of children who were looked after on 31 March 2023 were placed within 20 miles of home and 21% were placed over 20 miles from home. This data is published on GOV.UK. Information for the remaining 9% was not known or not recorded. In most cases this will be because the child was an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child but it could also be because the home address was not known or for reasons of confidentiality. Information on reasons why children were placed more than 20 miles from their home is not held centrally by the department.
Sometimes out of area placements are essential to keep a child safe, but the department recognises there are challenges in the children’s social care sector. At the Spring Budget, the government announced a £165 million boost to expand places in secure and open residential children’s homes, on top of the £259 million secured at Spending Review 2021. This takes the total planned investment to over £400 million. This Spring Budget funding is expected to create a further 200 open children’s homes (OCHs) places and rebuild Atkinson and Swanwick secure children’s homes (SCHs). This is in addition to the 95 new OCHs, providing 360 additional placements, and two brand new regional SCHs in London and West Midlands created by the Spending Review funding. This total investment illustrates the department’s commitment to support councils in continuing to deliver high-quality services to vulnerable children and families.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the eligibility age for a free bus pass to 60.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those who have reached state pension age, currently aged sixty-six. ENCTS costs around £1 billion annually and any changes to the minimum statutory scheme, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations and extend free bus travel to those not eligible for ENCTS, however, these additional concessions are not funded by central government but by local authorities from local resources, such as council tax. Since 2010/11 almost all of the travel concession authorities in England have offered some form of discretionary concession.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for the procurement of food and drink for canteens and restaurants in a number of government buildings across Britain, including Defra buildings.
Contractually, all suppliers appointed by GPA are required to comply with the Government Buying Standards, owned by Defra.
The relevant part of the standards is local and environmentally sustainable sourcing.
Wherever possible, food sourcing should prioritise locally produced food and food produced to higher environmental production standards. Contracting authorities and/or tier 1 suppliers should aim for at least 50% of food spend to be on locally produced food or food certified to higher environmental production standards. Progress towards this target must be reported annually.
This contractual provision will be monitored as part of the governance and report requirements of GPA's new contracts.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the sustainability of library services.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all upper-tier local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is for local authorities to identify the needs of local residents and to fund and provide a library service that meets those needs.
His Majesty’s Government has provided an additional £600 million on top of the £64 billion Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 — an increase of 7.5% in cash terms. This uplift will help to reduce pressure on councils’ budgets, and protect services including public libraries.
We will be publishing a refreshed Government strategy for public libraries later this year, informed by the independent review of English public libraries conducted by Baroness Sanderson of Welton, which was published in January here. The forthcoming strategy will set out our plans to ensure that people across the country can benefit from excellent library services, and HM Government will explore opportunities to increase library use and engagement in line with the recommendations made in Baroness Sanderson’s independent review.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March to Question 18351 on Universal Support: Veterans, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Universal Support programme in supporting veterans.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Support is being delivered in two phases. Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) is being delivered across 42 local authority areas in England, and two areas in Wales providing support for up to 25,000 disabled people and people with health conditions and new support through the Work and Health Programme Pioneer for an additional 25,000 people across England and Wales. Veterans can access Pioneer support, and IPSPC if they have a disability or health condition.
Universal Support will be delivered through around 50 Local Authority led delivery areas, covering all of England and Wales. We expect areas will go live with Universal Support in a phased way from Autumn 2024.
The next release of published statistics for the Work and Health Programme (WHP) is planned for 30 May 2024. This was announced in the latest Work and Health statistics release.
This release will include statistics on starts, referrals and individual referrals to WHP Pioneer, which is part of the first phase of Universal Support (US). Statistics on job outcomes and first earnings from employment will be released in later publications.
The Secretary of State has also committed to the publication of data for the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) provision as part of the first phase of US. This will be pre-announced prior to publication.