Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Personal Independence Payment planning and following a journey descriptors to include (a) access to toilets and (b) fear of falling over due to mobility issues.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was developed in collaboration with independent specialists in health, social care and disability, including disabled people, and through public consultation between 2010-2012 prior to its introduction in 2013. This comprehensive consultation process informed the development of the PIP assessment criteria, as set out in legislation. There are currently no plans to change the criteria.
Activity 11 was designed to assess barriers to mobility that individuals may face that are associated with mental, cognitive, intellectual or sensory ability, as opposed to physical ability. This includes whether people can leave home to make journeys and whether they are able to plan and successfully follow those journeys. With regard to access to toilets, any continence issues would be considered separately under activity 5, and mobility issues under activity 12. Fear of falling down due to mobility issues could be considered under activity 11 if it is sufficient to impact on a claimant’s ability to leave home, plan or follow journeys as per the PIP regulations.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 20 March (HL3102), what has been the nature of the consultation with representatives of subsequent genocides which will be included in the UK Holocaust Memorial Learning Centre; and what was the outcome of those consultations.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission issued a Call for Evidence which received almost 2,500 responses. The Commission’s conclusions, together with a list of organisations providing formal responses, was published in the Commission’s report Britain’s Promise to Remember (2015).
Comments were invited on the 10 shortlisted designs for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, details of which were published online and exhibited at sites in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff in 2017. Two public exhibitions of the chosen design were held in 2018.
Full consultation on the planning application opened in January 2019. Around 4,500 comments were submitted online, ahead of the planning inquiry at which 69 people made oral representations. The independent Planning Inspector provided a summary of written representations and a detailed appendix of oral representations in his report recommending that planning consent should be awarded.
The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise. That process has not concluded and the noble Baroness is welcome to make any suggestions or views known to the foundation directly.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 20 March (HL3105), on what dates and in which locations or websites the consultations on a UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre took place; and whether there is a record of the responses.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission issued a Call for Evidence which received almost 2,500 responses. The Commission’s conclusions, together with a list of organisations providing formal responses, was published in the Commission’s report Britain’s Promise to Remember (2015).
Comments were invited on the 10 shortlisted designs for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, details of which were published online and exhibited at sites in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff in 2017. Two public exhibitions of the chosen design were held in 2018.
Full consultation on the planning application opened in January 2019. Around 4,500 comments were submitted online, ahead of the planning inquiry at which 69 people made oral representations. The independent Planning Inspector provided a summary of written representations and a detailed appendix of oral representations in his report recommending that planning consent should be awarded.
The scope and content of the Learning Centre exhibition will be developed by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, drawing on a wide range of external advice and expertise. That process has not concluded and the noble Baroness is welcome to make any suggestions or views known to the foundation directly.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of levels of (a) public and (b) stakeholder support for the construction of a new mainline station at Old Oak Common.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Various national public consultation exercises have been undertaken throughout the development of the HS2 Phase One scheme. More recently, Network Rail have engaged with regional stakeholders whilst planning for Great Western Main Line possessions resulting from Old Oak Common construction and are planning to increase engagement in the coming year as the HS2 project enters peak construction. Stakeholder consultation has also been undertaken on an ongoing basis and continues during construction via a variety of rail industry, local Government and HS2-specific forums, including with passenger groups representing all passengers travelling through the area.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the publication entitled Raising accessibility standards for new homes: summary of consultation responses and government response, updated 29 July 2022, what his planned timetable is for raising the baseline regulatory requirements for accessibility of all new homes to the M4(2) accessible and adaptable requirement.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023. Councils can only adopt a plan that is sound; it should be consistent with national policy, be supported by evidence and take the views of local people into account. Each plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent Inspector who plays an important role in examining plans impartially to ensure that they are legally compliant and sound. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including older people and people with disabilities, and reflect this in their local plan.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will require the Planning Inspectorate to reject any local plans which do not include a policy statement and target for wheelchair accessible new homes which are built to M4(3) standards to ensure that there are more wheelchair accessible homes nationally.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government has set out its intention to mandate higher accessibility standards for all new homes by raising the minimum standard in Building Regulations in England in due course. Councils can only adopt a plan that is sound; it should be consistent with national policy, be supported by evidence and take the views of local people into account. Each plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent Inspector who plays an important role in examining plans impartially to ensure that they are legally compliant and sound.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government by which legal process they expect consent for the East West Rail route section between Bedford and Cambridge to be obtained, and what is the current timescale for obtaining that consent and starting construction.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
East West Rail Company is expected to make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to obtain planning consent for the preferred East West Rail route alignment. The DCO application will follow public consultation in 2024. Timing for construction commencing is subject to the DCO application being successful.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on the proposed generational ban on tobacco products.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old this year or younger will never be legally sold tobacco products.
In development of this policy, we have, and will continue to, speak to a broad range of local and regional stakeholders. In line with the UK’s obligations under the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we will not engage with stakeholders who have links to the tobacco industry when developing this policy.
A public consultation on the Smokefree Generation policies closed on 6 December and received contributions from a broad range of stakeholders. The Department of Health and Social Care will respond to the consultation in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support she plans to provide to help retailer workers implement a generational ban on the sale of cigarettes.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products. On 12 October 2023, we launched a UK-wide consultation to gather views on these proposals and their implementation. This, alongside regular engagement with the retail sector, will help to shape the proposals and ensure we provide support to retail workers to implement the future legislation.
We are also providing £5 million this year and £15 million thereafter to support new national marketing campaigns. These campaigns will help to explain the legal changes of the smokefree generation, and prepare the public, retailers, and other relevant stakeholders for the future changes.
Asked by: Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Government of New Zealand on the proposed generational ban on smoking.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old this year or younger will never be legally sold tobacco products. On 12 October 2023, we launched a UK-wide consultation to gather views on these proposals and their implementation.
In development of this policy, we have, and will continue to, speak to a range of stakeholders including in the public health community both in the UK and globally, and government officials in countries such as New Zealand.