Written questions by Newbury.

If her Department will take steps to issue guidance to local authorities on the establishment of publicly-owned bus companies.

Improving local transport services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session. The Bill will increase powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership. Government will continue working closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on the government’s ambitions, and will publish guidance to support bus reform delivered through the Buses Bill as appropriate.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure empty clinical space in hospitals is put to use.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare services requires a safe, resilient, and effective hospital estate. This means not only upgrading, but better utilising infrastructure to reduce unused spaces and increase efficiency.Managing the local capital budget for its area, reconfiguring services, including to address estates issues, and allocating funds according to local priorities, including any necessary investment to bring empty clinical space back into use, are matters for the local integrated care board (ICB). All ICBs are currently developing locally led 10-year infrastructure strategies with support from NHS England, these strategies should consider opportunities to better use space and drive improved efficiency and productivity from existing estates. Any future national capital programmes to support NHS organisations delivering local and national priorities will also be considered as part of the Spending Review process.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2024 to Question 4283 on Schools: Admissions, what steps her Department is taking to issue guidance to Local Planning Authorities on appropriate levels of section 106 contributions from developers to meet future demand for school places.

In August 2023, the department published two non-statutory guidance documents for local authorities planning for education, local planning authorities (LPAs) and other stakeholders involved in the delivery of schools.The guidance on 'Estimating pupil yield from housing development’ sets out the department’s recommended approach to calculating pupil yield from housing development to inform local plans and planning decisions and to help local authorities and LPAs justify developer contributions towards education. This guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64d0f71be5491a00134b5940/Estimating_Pupil_Yield_from_Housing_Development.pdf.The guidance on ‘Securing developer contributions for education’ promotes good practice on evidencing the impacts of development, engaging with LPAs and delivering expanded or new facilities with funding from housing development. This document can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64d0f70d7a5708001314485f/Securing_Developer_Contributions_for_Education.pdf.

If she will make an assessment of the value for money of the central costs of operating academy trusts.

The primary responsibility for the financial oversight of academy trusts rests with the trustees themselves, who are supported by the financial management and governance requirements set by the department in academy trusts’ funding agreements, the academy trust handbook and academies accounts direction. The department expects academy trustees to deliver strong governance and monitor the financial health of their trust or school. It is with strong financial management and governance that schools are able to operate most effectively and deliver high quality teaching and learning that prepares our children for the future.Academy trusts can take a cut from their funding to pay for central services for their schools. This can be more efficient and cheaper than individual schools running or procuring the functions themselves.Where academy trusts take a cut to pay for central services, they must be transparent by disclosing the basis and value in their published, audited, annual accounts. They must also include additional disclosures in their accounts about the services they deliver centrally and the charging policy they apply. They must also identify the share against each academy.The government is clear that strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and to enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.

What steps her Department is taking to support bus services in rural areas.

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas right across England. This will allow local areas to determine how best to design their bus services so that they have control over routes and schedules.The government has also committed to increasing accountability by providing safeguards over local networks across the country and empowering local transport authorities through reforms to bus funding.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of mental health practitioners working in the NHS.

To help address the chronic workforce shortages in the mental health workforce we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services, to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment. We are currently working with colleagues at NHS England to consider options to deliver this commitment.NHS England is also working to improve the retention of mental health workers through clearer career progression pathways.

What steps his Department is taking to improve mental health services in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.NHS Talking Therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, provide treatment to adults, including in the Cannock Chase constituency and Staffordshire, with common mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. People can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services or be referred by their general practitioner.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

The Department of Health and Social Care has funded, via the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) a project to look at the impact of non-GP staff in practices on patient care.Through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and practices have recruited over 37,000 additional staff including Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, and social prescribing link workers. These roles are in place to assist doctors in general practice in reducing their workload, assisting patients directly with their needs, allowing doctors to focus on more complex patients and other priorities, including continuity of care.From October, PCNs have also been able to recruit newly qualified GPs through the scheme with an additional £82m of funding. Roles employed through the scheme increase capacity and improve access to appointments.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS mental health support available to trans patients under the age of 18.

The independent Darzi investigation of the NHS in England found that NHS waiting lists for mental health services have surged, and that by April 2024, about 1 million people were waiting for mental health services. The Cass review also noted the unacceptable waiting times across Children and Young People’s Gender Services. The government and NHS England are working to improve Children and Young People’s Gender Services in a variety of ways, including expanding the number of services offered. The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations from the Cass Review to ensure children and young people with gender incongruence get the holistic care they need. In line with NHS England’s ambitious two-year implementation plan, three new services in the North-West, London, and South West have now opened. A fourth service in the East of England will open in spring of next year. NHS England is advancing towards meeting its commitment for there to be a specialist children’s gender service in every region by 2026.NHS England has rolled out an improved referral pathway into Children and Young People’s gender services, which ensures that children are assessed more holistically through referral via paediatrics or children’s mental health services. These services have been given detailed guidance, aligned to findings and recommendations from the Cass Review, on how to support this group of young people and their families. NHS England has also written to all children and young people on the waiting list to offer them a mental health assessment.

What recent progress her Department has made on recruiting police officers and police community support officers.

This Government is committed to strengthening neighbourhood policing as part of our Safer Streets Mission, putting neighbourhood police officers and community support officers back on the beat in every part of the country.We are currently working closely with policing to design our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which will involve guaranteed local patrols and new tools for the police to crack down on the crimes blighting communities, including shoplifting and antisocial behaviour.