To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


View sample alert

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Arts: South Wales
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the (a) growth and (b) development of the creative industries in South Wales.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK Government has a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Vision, we are committed to working with industry and the devolved administrations to ensure our creative industries continue to be the best in the world. As part of this, we invited Creative Wales to become a member of the Creative Industries Council to ensure they are represented in discussions about the UK’s creative industries.

Culture and the creative industries are devolved policy areas. The UK Government has provided opportunities to support Welsh creative businesses through the following programmes:

  • The UK-wide Film & TV Restart scheme which supported 1,259 individual film and TV productions and £3.06 billion in production expenditure through the pandemic. Wales received £287.5 million – the largest share of funding of any nation after England (c.9%).

  • The £56 million Creative Clusters programme was announced in the 2018 Sector Deal: and supported R&D across the Cardiff Clwstwr one of 9 first-wave of clusters across the UK. The Clusters programme has generated approximately £252 million of private co-investment, creating or safeguarding over 4000 jobs.


Written Question
Film and Television: Government Assistance
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the film and television industry in England, including the freelance workforce, and to encourage investment from the US, following the industrial action by Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2023.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

His Majesty’s Government has set out a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and to add another 1 million jobs in the sector by 2030. That includes supporting the growth of the television and film industry.

Since 2010, HM Government has introduced a range of tax reliefs across the creative industries, including expanded relief for film and high-end television. Our screen sector tax relief is estimated to be worth more than £13 billion in Gross Value Added to the UK economy.

We have taken a number of additional steps to ensure that British film and television companies are able to invest in production, expand their businesses, and offer opportunities for cast and crew across the UK, in spite of production disruption resulting from the pandemic and the recent strike action in the United States of America.

This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas. To build on this, and support the industry not only to survive but to thrive, the Government has taken further actions. This includes our support for the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, which has helped drive a near doubling of UK studio capacity, and the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, which is expanding the global reach of UK independent content. The sector also benefits from the continued success of our screen sector tax reliefs (for film, high-end TV, animation and children’s TV), which in 2021–22 provided £792 million of support for over 1,000 projects.

We recognise the impact of the American strikes on the film and TV workforce. HMRC has a ‘Time to Pay’ policy which may provide some support to affected cast and crew. This policy allows people experiencing temporary financial difficulty to schedule their tax debts in affordable, sustainable, and tailored instalments with no maximum repayment period. These arrangements can be applied to any tax debt and are flexible, so they can be amended if circumstances change.

In the Creative Industries Sector Vision, the Government set out an ambition to improve the job quality and working practices of the sector, including supporting the high proportion of freelancers in the sector. This includes promoting fair treatment and working practices, enhancing support networks and resources for creative freelancers through Creative UK's Redesigning Freelancing initiative. DCMS and the industry will also continue to work together to produce an action plan in response to the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s Good Work Review, and proposals include the recent launch of the British Film Institute’s £1.5 million Good Work Programme for screen. The Government will continue to work with the BFI and the newly established screen sector Skills Task Force to support a strong skills pipeline in the sector and attractive careers pathways into the industry.


Written Question
Employment Schemes
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to monitor the adequacy of claimant reviews conducted by work coaches in relation to the Back to Work plan.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Claimant Commitment review meetings are currently in development and will be for those claimants who are still unemployed after the 12-month Restart programme.


Written Question
Long Term Unemployed People
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) factors that contribute to long-term unemployment and (b) impact of long-term unemployment on (i) families, (ii) communities and (iii) the economy; and what steps his Department is taking to (A) reduce and (B) minimise the impacts of long-term unemployment.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK employment support offer has several elements: a mixture of jobcentre support, national contracted provision and local contracted or grant-funded provision. The Restart scheme is nationally contracted provision for the long-term unemployed in England and Wales and sits alongside a variety of services that support jobseekers to find and progress in work.

Restart supports those who have been out of work for nine months or more and may benefit from more intensive support than the core JCP offer. Restart seeks to address some of the acknowledged barriers that long-term unemployed people face which may include awareness of current job-seeking approaches, ongoing health conditions, perceptions around confidence or lack of relevant skills.

The Department has previously published evidence on support for the long term unemployed. The Work Programme Impact Assessment, published in November 2020 and was used to inform the business case for Restart: The Work Programme: impact assessment - GOV.UK.

As part of the Restart scheme for the long term unemployed, the department is carrying out a full evaluation to assess the impact of the programme on job outcomes, earnings, and intermediate outcomes such as improvements in confidence, well-being and job-searching skills. Evidence gathered is being fed back into service delivery and future policy development.

From Restart’s launch to the end of April 2023, 450,000 people had started on the programme so far, with 150,000 of those achieving first earnings from employment, and 84,000 achieving a job outcome representing sustained employment.

Additional support for 50+ long term unemployed (LTU) customers was announced in September 2022 as part of the Growth Plan. This will provide access to additional intensive support for long-term unemployed jobseekers in jobcentres across Great Britain.

Finally, the Government recognises the important role that childcare plays for parents seeking or trying to stay in work which is why this year’s Spring Budget saw generous additional financial support for parents on Universal Credit. These changes include a 47% rise in the monthly maximum amounts that parents can be reimbursed for their childcare costs - now £951 a month for families with one child and £1630 for families with two or more children. Importantly, additional financial help with upfront childcare costs is now also being made available for parents moving into work or increasing their hours, removing a crucial barrier for many.


Written Question
NHS Trusts: Databases
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)

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 23 March 2023 to Question 160180 on NHS Trusts: Databases, whether any of the Trusts that had (a) paused and (b) suspended pilots of Palantir Foundry have (i) resumed and (ii) restarted their pilots since 23 March 2023.

Answered by Will Quince

There are currently two main Foundry pilots delivering benefits to trusts, namely the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients (IECCP) Programme which supports trusts to effectively deliver care through the implementation of the Care Coordination Solution (CCS); and the Dynamic Discharge programme to support effective hospital discharge.

The table below shows those trusts that are listed as either pausing or suspending these pilots in March 2023 and gives the reason why for each:

Trust

IECCP solution

Dynamic Discharge solution

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to upgrade of supporting systems within the Trust; due to restart once upgrades are complete.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Declined offer following discussions as existing system provided current capabilities.

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

Paused temporarily due to impact of strike action within Trust.

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Trust chose to address internal process change before participating in a digital transformation programme.

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Paused whilst work is completed to enable Dynamic Discharge module.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to operational pressures.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Foundation Trust

Trust chose to address internal process change before participating in a digital transformation programme.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to other programmes of work within their IT department.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to operational pressures, strike action and a recent EPR upgrade.

Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital

Following discussions, it was agreed that the pilot products were not designed to address the Trust’s particular issues.

University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust

The Trust made the decision not to participate in the programme based on lack of capacity of Trust resources to engage with the programme.

Notes:

  1. There are no trusts where the Dynamic Discharge programme is live, but IECCP is paused. The IECCP programme is live in some Trusts where implementation of Dynamic Discharge was paused in March. These Trusts are as follows:

- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust;

- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust;

- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and

- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

  1. The following trusts have re-engaged with the programme and are in the process of restarting with the Dynamic Discharge solution:

- Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;

- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust; and

- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

  1. Discussions are ongoing with some other trusts about the best time to re-engage with the Dynamic Discharge programme.

Written Question
NHS Trusts: Databases
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)

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 23 March 2023 to Question 160180 on NHS Trusts: Databases, for what reason each NHS Trust paused or suspended pilots of Palantir Foundry.

Answered by Will Quince

There are currently two main Foundry pilots delivering benefits to trusts, namely the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients (IECCP) Programme which supports trusts to effectively deliver care through the implementation of the Care Coordination Solution (CCS); and the Dynamic Discharge programme to support effective hospital discharge.

The table below shows those trusts that are listed as either pausing or suspending these pilots in March 2023 and gives the reason why for each:

Trust

IECCP solution

Dynamic Discharge solution

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to upgrade of supporting systems within the Trust; due to restart once upgrades are complete.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Declined offer following discussions as existing system provided current capabilities.

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

Paused temporarily due to impact of strike action within Trust.

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Trust chose to address internal process change before participating in a digital transformation programme.

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Paused whilst work is completed to enable Dynamic Discharge module.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to operational pressures.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Foundation Trust

Trust chose to address internal process change before participating in a digital transformation programme.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to other programmes of work within their IT department.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Paused due to operational pressures, strike action and a recent EPR upgrade.

Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital

Following discussions, it was agreed that the pilot products were not designed to address the Trust’s particular issues.

University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust

The Trust made the decision not to participate in the programme based on lack of capacity of Trust resources to engage with the programme.

Notes:

  1. There are no trusts where the Dynamic Discharge programme is live, but IECCP is paused. The IECCP programme is live in some Trusts where implementation of Dynamic Discharge was paused in March. These Trusts are as follows:

- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust;

- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust;

- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and

- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

  1. The following trusts have re-engaged with the programme and are in the process of restarting with the Dynamic Discharge solution:

- Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;

- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust; and

- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

  1. Discussions are ongoing with some other trusts about the best time to re-engage with the Dynamic Discharge programme.

Written Question
Employment Schemes
Wednesday 31st May 2023

Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how national employment support is (1) targeted, and (2) funded.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP has a wide range of support available for job seekers. Delivered primarily through the Jobcentre Plus network and centrally funded, the Department provides personal tailored employment advice to match people to suitable job vacancies through our network of jobcentres. More intensive targeted support for specific groups, like young people and over 50s, is also provided through the Jobcentre Plus offer.

In addition, the Department provides nationally contracted support in England and Wales for individuals who need additional support to find work beyond that provided by the Jobcentre Plus offer. This includes the Work and Health Programme, Intensive Personalised Employment Support and Restart for people who are eligible and suitable. Contracted employment support for disabled people and people at risk of long-term unemployment is devolved as part of 2016 Scotland Act.

Spring Budget announced an investment of £3.5bn over 5 years in DWP measures to boost workforce participation. This includes investment to support disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, parents, over-50s, unemployed people and people on Universal Credit and working fewer than full-time hours.


Written Question
Restart Scheme
Monday 15th May 2023

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 he is taking to reduce the number of people sanctioned by the Restart Programme.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Restart Scheme requires providers to work with participants on individual activities with the emphasis on positive engagement. Activities are agreed together, to encourage the participant to complete them voluntarily. Providers may consider mandating participants to undertake activity which helps them to prepare for, or move into, work where reasonable attempts at engagement fail without good reason. Mandation is used in a careful and considered manner.


Written Question
Cultural Heritage: Government Assistance
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support people working in the heritage sector.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The workforce and volunteers in our cherished heritage sector are critical to preserving our rich heritage for the benefit of future generations, and sharing it with the widest audience.

In November 2022, Historic England convened a cross-sector Heritage Skills Forum to provide a collective view of the skills challenges facing the sector, and to prioritise action to tackle them. Focusing on the longer term, DCMS public bodies are nurturing a skills pipeline to help preserve vital skills in the sector through training and apprenticeships programmes. For instance, a £4.3 million grant from The Hamish Ogston Foundation is generously helping to fund a heritage apprenticeship programme across the North of England delivered by Historic England.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique challenge to the sector, with many heritage professionals unable to work. To support people and organisations in the face of this challenge, HM Government delivered the unprecedented £1.57 billion Cultural Recovery Fund. This included the Heritage Stimulus Fund, which supported over 700 historic sites, allowing them to restart vital construction and maintenance projects and to preserve heritage visitor attractions. The Heritage Stimulus Fund also helped to establish a pipeline for skilled craftspeople and heritage construction.

Recent and ongoing challenges such as the rising cost of living and energy prices have created additional pressures for many heritage organisations. The Government has provided support through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme and with additional support to Energy and Trade Intensive Industries. This support will ensure that various sector employers are protected from the impact of higher energy bills and are able to remain operational and financially resilient, providing greater security to the workers they employ.

Ministers regularly engage with people working across the sector to show our appreciation for the work they do, and to hear how else we can support them.


Written Question
Restart Scheme
Thursday 30th March 2023

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 he is taking to promote the Restart programme to employers.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Restart Scheme providers are required to maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders including both local and national employers. This ensures that the Restart Scheme’s offer is complementary to local efforts to help long-term unemployed claimants progress into sustained employment. All Restart Scheme providers are contracted to have employer engagement teams as part of their business model.