Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of (a) railway signals, (b) motorway signs and (c) cash machines that rely on the public switched telephone network.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The change to digital landlines will affect many sectors of the economy. Generally, we cannot definitively comment on the number or proportion of any services and devices that rely on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). They are procured from various manufacturers and function differently depending on their make. Many services and devices are also purchased privately by individuals or businesses who have no obligation to supply us with this information.
Having said that, we know that an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK currently use telecare services. Of these, roughly 1.3 million use alarms in their own homes and 0.5 million in a range of care homes, supported housing and sheltered living arrangements. There are multiple different telecare manufacturers; the make-up of their devices, including their connectivity solution, depends on the provider.
We understand that National Highways do not have any motorway signs that depend on the PSTN, as they own and operate their own switched network. With regards to railway signals, Network Rail has a migration programme for its estate but does not use PSTN telephony for its signals.
DSIT convenes the relevant government departments, agencies and stakeholders to a Cross Whitehall meeting on a quarterly basis to encourage all parties to consider the potential impacts of the PSTN migration on their respective sectors.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many (a) traffic lights, (b) CCTV cameras and (c) telecare systems rely on the public switched telephone network.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The change to digital landlines will affect many sectors of the economy. Generally, we cannot definitively comment on the number or proportion of any services and devices that rely on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). They are procured from various manufacturers and function differently depending on their make. Many services and devices are also purchased privately by individuals or businesses who have no obligation to supply us with this information.
Having said that, we know that an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK currently use telecare services. Of these, roughly 1.3 million use alarms in their own homes and 0.5 million in a range of care homes, supported housing and sheltered living arrangements. There are multiple different telecare manufacturers; the make-up of their devices, including their connectivity solution, depends on the provider.
We understand that National Highways do not have any motorway signs that depend on the PSTN, as they own and operate their own switched network. With regards to railway signals, Network Rail has a migration programme for its estate but does not use PSTN telephony for its signals.
DSIT convenes the relevant government departments, agencies and stakeholders to a Cross Whitehall meeting on a quarterly basis to encourage all parties to consider the potential impacts of the PSTN migration on their respective sectors.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support local authorities with housing vulnerable elderly citizens in (a) Romford and (b) England.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 201711 on 23 October 2023. This is part of the £2 billion of funding committed to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over three years.
The right housing can play a vital role in delivering improved wellbeing and health, and greater independence, for many older people. It is for local authorities such as London Borough of Havering in Romford to plan for the right housing options, working with local partners, based on the needs of older people locally.
The £11.5 billion Affordable Homes programme (2021-26) (England) includes delivery within the programme of new supply of supported and sheltered housing. This is alongside other investment in specialist housing for older and disabled people with personal care needs, through the Department for Health and Social Care.
The Government has established an independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce to look at how a greater choice of housing might be provided for older people. The year-long Taskforce launched in May 2023 and the Government is looking forward to receiving its final recommendations in 2024.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support local authorities with housing vulnerable homeless families in (a) Romford and (b) England.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 201711 on 23 October 2023. This is part of the £2 billion of funding committed to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over three years.
The right housing can play a vital role in delivering improved wellbeing and health, and greater independence, for many older people. It is for local authorities such as London Borough of Havering in Romford to plan for the right housing options, working with local partners, based on the needs of older people locally.
The £11.5 billion Affordable Homes programme (2021-26) (England) includes delivery within the programme of new supply of supported and sheltered housing. This is alongside other investment in specialist housing for older and disabled people with personal care needs, through the Department for Health and Social Care.
The Government has established an independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce to look at how a greater choice of housing might be provided for older people. The year-long Taskforce launched in May 2023 and the Government is looking forward to receiving its final recommendations in 2024.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Greenwich Hospital in meeting the aims set out in its Royal Charter.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Greenwich Hospital meets the needs of serving and former Royal Navy and Royal Marine (RN/RM) Service personnel and their families as set out in its founding Royal Charter through a variety of activities. These include the provision of sheltered housing and support to former RN/RM personnel; bursaries to receive education at the Royal Hospital School for children of RN/RM personnel; education bursaries to serving individuals, support for welfare projects and other recreational projects, and distribution of grants across the Navy charity sector.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has taken to support charitable sheltered housing providers to upgrade to achieve a band C Energy Performance Certificate.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2019 Conservative Manifesto committed to a £3.8bn Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of social rented homes. The SHDF will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below EPC C to that standard.
£778 million of Government funding was allocated for Wave 2.1 of the SHDF in March 2023. Registered charities who own social housing were able to apply directly to Wave 2.1 of the SHDF.
The Autumn Statement announced that £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available for energy efficiency from 2025 to 2028.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking fiscal steps with Cabinet colleagues to support (a) housing associations and (b) tenants with the cost of gas and electricity for communal spaces in (i) sheltered, (ii) extra care and (iii) nursing homes.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Communal residential spaces may be under a commercial energy contract, covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). This provides a price reduction to ensure that eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. If the communal area is covered by a domestic energy contract, it may be eligible for the Energy Bill Support Scheme. An intermediary that will or has received support from any of the above schemes is required to pass support on to end-users in a just and reasonable way.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether people living in flats in sheltered accommodation and who are off the gas grid will be eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payment.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Alternative Fuel Payment of £200 will provide support for those in properties using fuels such as heating oil, liquified petroleum gas, coal or biomass for heating. Households which are off the gas grid and which use alternative fuel as their main source of heating will be eligible.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation to protect residents of retirement villages and for setting minimum standards for operators of retirement communities.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In the Levelling Up White Paper, we committed to a new taskforce on the issue of older people's housing, which will look at ways we can provide greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people, and support the growth of a thriving older people's housing sector in this country.
Where retirement housing providers are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing, the Regulator has the role of ensuring that providers are well-managed and are able to meet the regulatory standards.
The Care Quality Commission oversees standards of personal care services in housing-with-care retirement settings irrespective of housing tenure.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government is taking steps to define the role of (a) extra care and (b) retirement villages in the social care system.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 September to Question UIN 51650.