Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Cooper this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 181–197 of 197 · this parliament
If she will make an estimate of the number of victims of domestic abuse experiencing financial abuse while using the Child Maintenance Service.
The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet t...
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in protecting victims of domestic abuse when using their service.
The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet t...
What proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who were not in education, employment or training in Mid Cheshire constituency in the last five years had (a) previously been identified in the SEN Support category and (b)
Data for 16 to 24 year olds not in education employment or training (NEET) is not available by constituency nor by special educational needs. National figures for overall proportions of 16 to 24 year olds NEET in England are sourced from the Office for Na...
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing measures to support students with the cost of student loans.
UK higher education (HE) creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in our economy and supports local communities. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The department is determined that the HE funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The student loan system already supports students. Unlike commercial alternatives, student loans are available to all eligible students, regardless of background or financial history. The student loan system supports eligible students by providing up front tuition fee loans to meet the full costs of tuition. In addition, eligible students qualify for loans to contribute towards students living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support paid to students from the lowest income families and those eligible for benefits. Additionally after study, student loan borrowers are protected. Borrowers only make repayments when earning over the relevant student loan repayment threshold. At the end of the loan term, any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, will be written off with no detriment to the borrower.
What steps she is taking to support a sustainable funding model for Higher Education.
The government is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The department will look carefully at all options and come forward with proposals. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The department also recognises the immediate financial strain that some HE providers are under. As such, the department continues to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of HE in England, to monitor emerging risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them. The department has already appointed Sir David Behan as interim chair to oversee the important work of refocusing the OfS' role to concentrate on key priorities, including the financial stability of the HE sector.
Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on extended producer responsibility.
The Government has interpreted that the MP is referring to the ‘Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging’ scheme as part of our packaging reforms. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which reform the UKs producer responsibility system for packaging, are due to be brought before parliament in autumn this year, with the aim of these regulations coming into force by 1 January 2025.
If he will make an estimate of the number of pensioners who will be in fuel poverty in winter 2024-25.
The latest statistics on fuel poverty in England cover 2023 and can be found in the published Official Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics. Table 23 and Table 30 provide estimates of the number of households in fuel poverty by age of the oldest person in the household, and by employment status of the household reference person, respectively. Statistics for 2024 will be published in early 2025.
What steps he plans to take to help improve access to ADHD medication.
The Department has been working with industry to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available. We are working to resolve medicine supply issues, where they remain, for some strengths of methylphenidate. These are anticipated to be resolved by October 2024.We are asking suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.The Department has worked with specialist clinicians to develop management advice for National Health Service clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance to offer rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further, we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients, which is available at the following link:https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd/
Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide additional funding to UK Sport to support aspiring para athletes at the grassroots level.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.In Sport England's ten-year strategy, Uniting the Movement, they have ensured that each of their programmes directly help disabled people, and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with disability sport organisations.The Culture Secretary recently attended the launch of ParalympicGB’s Equal Play Campaign where she expressed her determination to put sport at the heart of the school curriculum. This includes opening up opportunities for all young people, including those with disabilities, to be able to access sport and physical activity at school.To fund the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic talent, Sport England is investing £120 million to increase participation in sport and boost diversity at a grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all young people to explore and develop their potential.
Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy of the level of provision of youth services.
This Government is committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential and recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving their life chances and wellbeing.As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people. This is funded from the local government settlementAdditionally, as a government we are keen to ensure that there is appropriate youth provision to stop young people being drawn into crime and facing other poor outcomes. This is why we are creating the Young Futures programme, which will see the establishment of Prevention Partnerships in every local authority and the rollout of youth hubs across England and Wales. These Partnerships, supported by a network of hubs, will bring local services together and deliver support for young people to help them live safe and healthy lives.This will build on the DCMS funding to invest £500 million in youth services to ensure every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of abolishing leaseholds for existing homeowners.
The Government will act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, including those designed to increase service charge transparency.Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will further reform the leasehold system. We will enact remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny. We will announce further details in due course.
What steps he is taking to tackle the potential security threat posed by Chinese state-linked companies in the Government supply chain.
The Procurement Act 2023 introduces new powers to exclude and debar suppliers from public sector contracts if they pose a national security risk. To implement these powers, the Cabinet Office has established the new National Security Unit for Procurement, responsible for investigating suppliers on national security grounds, both within the government supply chain and for the wider public sector.We have also taken action to remove surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive government sites. A timeline for removal was published on 29 April 2024. The Cabinet Office is monitoring progress against this timeline and departments are on track to replace all such equipment by April 2025.
Whether his Department is taking steps to help support the Post Office to (a) recruit postmasters and (b) maintain existing post offices.
While Government recognises the important role postmasters play in our communities and for small businesses across the UK, issues surrounding staffing are an operational matter for the Post Office. Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria, and protects services by setting minimum services to be provided at post offices across the country. The Post Office network meets the access criteria at a national level.
What steps his Department is taking to tackle shortages in ADHD medications.
The Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of this intensive work, some issues have been resolved. Many strengths of lisdexamfetamine and all strengths of atomoxetine capsules and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available. We are working to resolve medicine supply issues, where they remain, for some strengths of lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate. These are anticipated to resolve by August and October 2024, respectively.We are asking suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.The Department has worked with specialist clinicians to develop management advice for National Health Service clinicians, to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance to offer rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further, we have widely disseminated our communications, and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd/
What progress his Department has made on producing statutory guidance under the Down Syndrome Act 2022.
The Department is currently considering next steps on producing the Down syndrome statutory guidance, as required under the Down Syndrome Act 2022, and further information will be provided in due course.Officials have engaged with stakeholders to progress the development of draft guidance. This has included the establishment of an advisory group to inform the development process, and carrying out a national call for evidence and review of the evidence to gain a better understanding of the specific needs of people with Down syndrome and how these can be met by relevant authorities. The call for evidence received over 1,500 responses, including responses from people with Down syndrome, their families and carers, professionals, organisations, and stakeholder groups representing people with genetic conditions.
What fiscal steps she is taking to support the independent hospitality sector; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reducing the rate of VAT for and (b) providing other targeted support to that sector.
The Government very much recognises the importance of independent hospitality. As new Ministers we are keen to engage with the sector to understand its priorities.VAT is the UK's second largest tax forecast to raise £176 billion in 2024/25, helping to fund our public services including the NHS and education. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events.
If she will take steps to ensure that feedback is provided to applicants for Access for All funding who were not awarded such funding in the announcement on 24 May 2024; and whether she plans to provide further funding under that scheme.
Given the short time since the general election, I regret I am not yet able to comment on next steps regarding specific station applications through the Access for All programme. However, please be assured that we are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.