Every parliamentary written question tabled by Caroline Dinenage this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 341–358 of 358 · this parliament
Media and Sport, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of jobs that are supported by the film and TV industry.
The film and TV sector forms a critical part of UK society, democracy and its creative industries. DCMS estimates that the number of filled jobs within the film and TV industry is 182,000, as of the 2023-2024 financial year. The Government is committed to continue supporting growth and job creation in this sector.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 August 2024 to Question 3668 on Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay, when his Department next plans to review the pay structures of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute. Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility. The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Alverstoke Coastal Defence Scheme will receive Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management catch up funding.
The Environment Agency has worked with Gosport Borough Council to agree a business case for the Alverstoke Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management scheme. This scheme aims to better protect 99 residential and 9 commercial properties from flooding. The project has received £1 million of Government funding to date with a further £0.2 million yet to be allocated. However, due to inflation in the construction industry and other factors, costs have risen. Currently, the project has a funding gap of £3.6 million. The Environment Agency are working with the Government to reduce partnership funding gaps on schemes that have been impacted by rising costs.
If he will set out a timetable for providing selective internal radiation therapy to NHS liver cancer patients.
Each National Health Service liver cancer patient will be offered the treatment their clinicians consider to be the most effective, and this may include the use of selective internal radiation therapy.
What fiscal steps she is taking to support the film and TV industry.
The creative industries play a key role in driving economic growth. The Government is committed to supporting the creative industries as a key part of its plan to fix the foundations of the economy. As part of this, film and TV companies benefit from extra tax relief through the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which provides generous support for production costs. A total of £1.6 billion was paid out to film and TV companies in financial year 2022-23. In addition, on 9 October the Government announced that it will finish legislating a new Independent Film Tax Credit. This policy will go further to support independent films and develop a pipeline of UK film talent.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 August 2024 to Question 3668 on Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing pay rises to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary that are in line with those offered to (a) Royal Navy personnel and (b) civil servants.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute. Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility. The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.
What steps his Department is taking to tackle staff shortages in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute. Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility. The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.
If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of tax credits for the film and television industry on (a) the number of productions taking place in the UK, (b) foreign direct investment in the UK and (c) employment in the film and television industry; and if she will estimate the cost of those credits.
An evaluation of the creative industry tax reliefs covering Film Tax Relief, High-end Television Tax Relief, Animation Tax Relief and Children’s Television Tax Relief was published in 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industry-tax-reliefs-evaluation The government keeps the tax system under review. HMRC decides which reliefs to evaluate against several criteria, including the annual cost associated with a relief and whether the relief’s design has recently changed substantially. All tax reliefs are subject to regular assessment against the evaluation criteria. The cost of the film and high-end television tax reliefs is published in HMRC’s Creative Industries Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-statistics-august-2024/
If she will take steps to review the minimum reduction in the level of income that is required to trigger a review of a parent's child maintenance payments.
When a parent’s income has changed by at least 25%, their calculation can be updated. The 25% income change tolerance was set to offer a stable maintenance liability, to provide greater certainty to both parents, whilst also remaining fair in dealing with unexpected and major changes in circumstances; and, to set the threshold at a level which supports operational efficiency. The Department is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation, and the 25% income change tolerance falls within the scope of this review.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of selective internal radiation therapy for NHS liver cancer patients.
The Department has made no such assessment, however the National Health Service has concluded that there is not enough evidence to make selective internal radiation therapy available to treat liver cancer patients at this time. The assessment can be found on the NHS website, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ccp-statement-sirt-in-the-treatment-of-secondary-liver-cancers.pdf
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 2857 on Pension Credit: Gosport, if she will make it her policy to collect that data at constituency level.
Estimates of the number of Pension Credit entitled non-recipients (ENRs) are based on survey data. The survey sample sizes for ENRs are too small to calculate take-up rates in smaller geographical areas. This means that we are unable to collect data at constituency level using this methodology. Further information around the take-up statistics can be found at: Background information and methodology for financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the workspace for Ministry of Defence Police at (a) DM Gosport and (b) other Defence Munition sites.
Defence site owners complete generic site assessments. The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) assess the adequacy of their direct workspace, such as officer environs, and ensure equipment and vehicles are fit for officers to perform their duties safely and effectively. The MOD takes the security of Defence people, assets and sites extremely seriously and MDP works with MOD stakeholders to manage and mitigate any risk to MOD security and to ensure that MDP deployment is optimised across Defence sites.
What steps his Department is making to improve retention rates in the Ministry of Defence Police.
The Department has approved a new package of regional and function allowances that significantly improve the attractiveness of the overall pay offer for joining the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) and aligns to those of its counterparts in Home Office Forces. In addition, the MDP has increased the regularity of its recruitment campaigns and introduced a combination of regional and national entry routes. The MDP has also rolled out new equipment to its officers to enhance their working conditions.
Whether his Department has made a risk assessment of the potential withdrawal of Ministry of Defence Police from (a) DM Gosport and (b) other Defence Munition sites.
We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.
What estimate he has made of the number of staff that the Ministry of Defence Police will have in the 2025-26 financial year; and whether a risk assessment was undertaken when determining this.
The officer requirement for 2025-26 is dependent on a number of factors including operational need and changes in Defence priorities. We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.
What steps his Department is taking to recruit new officers to the Ministry of Defence Police.
There are currently recruitment and retention issues affecting policing nationally. To counteract this, we target our recruitment campaigns in locations facing the most acute recruitment challenges, and we use a variety of outreach methods to promote opportunities to join the Force, including social media; events; briefings; and our recruitment website. Recruitment levels are kept under constant review and are driven by Defence requirements and operational need.
Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing the Oliver McGowan mandatory training on learning disability and autism in education settings.
The government aims to support all pupils with special education need and disabilities (SEND), including with autism, to achieve and thrive at school. High quality teaching and support is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for pupils, including those with autism or other SEND.While the department recognises the value of Oliver McGowan training, this training was developed for health and social care staff.Within education settings, school staff can access a range of training as appropriate to their career stage. Training to support pupils with autism includes information on when to draw on the expertise of health and social care professionals.Headteachers should also use their professional judgement to identify any further training for teaching staff they employ. This may include the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training and specific specialisms for individual staff when that is relevant to them, the school and its pupils. This can also include the Universal Services (US) Programme.The US programme brings together SEND-specific continuous professional development and support for the school and further education workforce. The programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those with autism, and aims to reach 70% of schools and colleges in England per year. The contract offers autism awareness training and resources. Over 185,000 professionals have received autism training from an Autism Education Trust training partner since the US programme launched in May 2022.
What the Ministry of Defence Police budget is in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial year; and whether he undertook a risk assessment before determining the budget for the next financial year.
The annual budget for the Ministry of Defence Police is as follows: Financial year 2024-25 = £182.7 million. Budgets for 2025-26 for all Government Departments will be set through the ongoing Spending Review. We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.