Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jo Platt this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 219 · this parliament
Whether schools will be able to refer demand for breakfast clubs to existing out-of-school clubs.
The department is committed to delivering free breakfast clubs across England. Schools can work with private, voluntary and independent providers such as existing out-of-school club providers to deliver this commitment.
What steps his Department is taking with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to establish full clinical guidelines for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of people with Tourette's syndrome.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has established a prioritisation board that takes decisions on which topics should be prioritised for the development of a clinical guideline, in line with the routing criteria set out in the NICE’s published prioritisation framework, and through engagement with experts and other interested parties. The prioritisation board is currently considering Tourette’s and tic disorders as a possible topic for guideline development, however no final prioritisation decisions have been made yet. The NICE has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/ The NICE is also developing an Early Value Assessment on digital therapy for chronic tic disorders and Tourette syndrome, and currently expects to publish final guidance in May 2025.
Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support independent cinemas to access funding for (a) infrastructure and (b) urgent works.
The government recognises the importance of cinemas as part of the UK’s film industry and as community assets, and we continue to work closely with the British Film Institute (BFI) and the cinema sector. The Government’s tax incentives, including the new Independent Film Tax Credit, are bolstering the slate of films available to be shown in British cinemas. The BFI’s Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is a collaboration of 8 film hubs, managed by leading film organisations and venues around the UK which provides support to cinemas on a local level. Film hubs are centres of expertise and support that connect cinemas, festivals and creative practitioners. Further information on BFI FAN can be found at: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bring-film-wider-uk-audience.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing electronic prescriptions for medicinal cannabis.
Cannabis-based products for medicinal use are Schedule 2 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Electronic prescribing of Schedule 2 and 3 Controlled Drugs in National Health Service primary care settings has been operational since 2019.Electronic prescriptions for controlled drugs in Schedules 2 and 3 must be sent using an advanced electronic signature and sent via the NHS Electronic Prescribing Service as part of enhanced security measures. There are no current plans to make legislative changes to enable similar systems in private healthcare to prescribe Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of technical solutions put forward by AI developers to allow individual rightsholders in the creative industries to effectively and efficiently opt-out their work from AI training, without placing additional burdens on rightsholders.
The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI closed on 25th February.It sought views from both AI developers and rights holders on creating an effective rights reservation system. We will not move forward with any option until we are confident that it will be effective, proportionate, and accessible to both individual creators and larger rights holders.The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.
Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that visual artists and creators (a) nationally and (b) in Leigh and Atherton can access licensing deals with AI developers.
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation sought views on creating an effective rights reservation system. This would provide rights holders across the UK, including those in Leigh and Atherton, with the ability to prevent AI developers from using their copyright works in AI training, and/or negotiate licences for their use.The consultation closed on 25 February. The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 30791 on Employment: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long Covid, whether the proposed reforms will (a) ensure appropriate assessment of the work capability of individuals with fluctuating conditions and (b) provide adequate support for people with ME who are unable to work due to their illness.
The Government believes there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits across Great Britain so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work and to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today. The system must also work to support disabled people and those with health to live independently. We are therefore working to develop proposals for health and disability reform and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement. This will launch a consultation on the proposals, with a conclusion to be set out in a white paper later this year. This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals, where appropriate, with disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have already started to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives, including through stakeholder roundtables and public visits. We look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months.
What steps his Department is taking to supporting people with Long Covid in the context of the closure of Long Covid clinics.
Across the National Health Service in England there are services supporting people with post-COVID syndrome, also known as long COVID. These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found on NHS England’s website, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/The commissioning of post-COVID services transitioned from the long COVID national programme to local integrated care boards (ICBs) at the end of March 2024. Funding for post-COVID services in 2024/25 was expected to be allocated based on the previous distribution for 2023/24, to minimise disruption to funding flows and maintain services.NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services which sets out the commissioning and service requirements and the oversight of post-COVID services by the ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people (CYP). It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should comprise of and the principles of care for long COVID, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services-for-adults-children-and-young-people/There is specific advice for general practitioners to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance, such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, and the Royal College of General Practitioners, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG188Primary care plays a key role in the long COVID clinical pathway, in considering and excluding potential other causes of symptoms and in determining the appropriate management of symptoms and the timing of onward referral to post-COVID services, if appropriate. A post-COVID-19 syndrome diagnostic pathway, the criteria for referral to post-COVID services, and separate adult and CYP pathways are outlined in the commissioning guidance to help provide consistency of delivery and to improve patient experience.Not all people who report long COVID symptoms will require assessment in a post-COVID assessment service. For example, some of the most common symptoms may still not warrant a specialist assessment as people can benefit from self-management advice, including from the NHS website. Some people may be seen in other disease-specific pathways, depending on their individual circumstances.NHS England has recently completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), stocktake, which aimed to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed widely recognised challenges, specifically significant variation in care delivery across England, and a lack of comprehensive activity data.Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID and ME/CFS services, noting those challenges. Discussions considered service prioritisation and potential COVID Inquiry recommendations. It was agreed that long COVID and ME/CFS services are rightly commissioned by ICBs, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.Furthermore, to support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice, to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society is available at the following link:https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26770 on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services, whether the results from the NHS England stocktake will be published.
NHS England’s long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, stocktake aimed to collate information about service commissioning, activity, and delivery, to provide a national overview of the services commissioned by integrated care boards as part of their core activity. The stocktake was completed for an internal NHS England committee and, therefore, there are no plans to publish the findings. However, those findings did confirm the widely recognised challenges of significant variation in care delivery across England, and a lack of comprehensive activity data.
With reference to his Department's consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contract regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals on cooling-off rights on the (a) film and (b) television sectors.
The Consultation on the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime closed on 10 February 2025. We are analysing the responses, including submissions from the film and television sectors. Officials have also met with relevant trade associations and individual businesses in those sectors to hear their views.The impact assessment for subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net cost to businesses is £171m per year.
With reference to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contract regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals on cooling-off rights on the (a) film and (b) television sectors.
The Consultation on the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime closed on 10 February 2025. We are analysing the responses, including submissions from the film and television sectors. Officials have also met with relevant trade associations and individual businesses in those sectors to hear their views.The impact assessment for subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net cost to businesses is £171m per year.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme consultation to enable Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to set financial limits for each independent provider delivering services under patient right of choice regulations where the level of activity is greater than £0.1 million per year on ADHD waiting times.
A patients’ right to choose is set out in legislation. The proposed 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) makes no changes to this right. As required by the Health and Care Act 2022, NHS England has conducted an assessment of the impact of the proposed NHSPS. This is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-26-NHSPS-Consultation-notice-C-impact-assessment.pdfThis impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, and should consider how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed 2025-26 NHS Payment Scheme on a patients right to choose.
A patients’ right to choose is set out in legislation, and the proposed 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) makes no changes to this right. As required by the Health and Care Act 2022, NHS England has conducted an assessment of the impact of the proposed NHSPS. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-26-NHSPS-Consultation-notice-C-impact-assessment.pdf.This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.The Government is committed to patients having the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their first appointment as an outpatient. Further information on the choices available for patients can be found on the NHS Choice Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework
Whether he plans to take steps to ensure a patients right of choice is not impacted by the proposed 2025-26 NHS payment scheme.
A patients’ right to choose is set out in legislation, and the proposed 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) makes no changes to this right. As required by the Health and Care Act 2022, NHS England has conducted an assessment of the impact of the proposed NHSPS. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-26-NHSPS-Consultation-notice-C-impact-assessment.pdf.This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.The Government is committed to patients having the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their first appointment as an outpatient. Further information on the choices available for patients can be found on the NHS Choice Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework
Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from civil society on phasing out of animal testing.
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government has been consulting civil society as this process unfolds. This includes attending meetings with animal protection organisations and considering documentation sent by such organisations to the Government.
Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to meet with representatives from civil society to discuss the Government’s strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to the use of animals in science prior to it being published later this year.
The Government is committed to supporting the use of alternative methods to the use of animals in science and the Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. The government has been and will continue to consult civil society as this process unfolds.
Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support deaf athlete swimmers with (a) training, (b) funding and (c) accessing equal opportunities
The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including d/Deaf people.Our arm's length body, Sport England, has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to support deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport. Sport England are also exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore these issues and suggest potential solutions.We also recognise the importance of ensuring access to leisure and swimming facilities. Sport England provides support for community facilities, including £250 million National Lottery and Exchequer funding each year. Sport England provides long term investment to Swim England, the National Governing Body for swimming in England, which receives up to £10.5 million for five years to invest in community swimming initiatives that will benefit everyone.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases to employers National Insurance contributions on (a) staff and (b) patients in private nursing homes.
The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2024.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to Wigan in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 9.0% in cash terms.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.
What steps the Government is taking to financially support nursing homes with increases in National Insurance contributions.
The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2024.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to Wigan in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 9.0% in cash terms.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.
What support his Department is providing to private nursing homes in (a) Leigh and Atherton constituency and (b) nationally, in the context of increases to employers National Insurance contributions.
The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2024.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to Wigan in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 9.0% in cash terms.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.