Every parliamentary written question tabled by Michael Wheeler this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 106 · this parliament
If she will make an estimate of the proportion of employees receiving Statutory Sick Pay whose period of sickness absence reaches (a) one, (b) four, (c) six, (d) eight, (e) sixteen and (f) twenty-eight weeks.
As Statutory Sick Pay is administered and paid by employers, this information is not held by government. Therefore, we are not able to make an assessment of the proportion of employees who are currently receiving Statutory Sick Pay for specific periods of sickness absence.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the (a) consultation on NHS Right to Choose ADHD changes and (b) use of feedback from that consultation.
Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job; we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.
What estimate she has made of the number of young people out of work in Worsley and Eccles constituency.
The information requested is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
What steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce the time taken to (i) investigate and (ii) review research and development tax credit claims and (b) support small businesses to access tax relief schemes available to them.
When HMRC receives an R&D relief claim, it goes through a risk assessment process. New additional information requirements mean HMRC can more accurately identify claims that may not be compliant and reduce the number of valid claims being picked for a compliance check. The length of a compliance check will depend however on a range of factors, including the complexity of the claim and customer engagement. At Autumn Budget, HMRC published the Approach to Research and Development Tax Reliefs for 2023 to 2024, which shows that the average time to complete a compliance check for 2023-24 was 246 days, down from 269 days in 2022-23. HMRC processed 92% of R&D claims within 40 days in 2023 to 2024. This is above HMRC’s published customer service aim to process 85% of claims within 40 days of receipt. Processing means paying the claim, making contact to request further information, or refusing the claim, and, for claims identified as high-risk, starting an appropriately targeted compliance check. Small businesses are vital to high streets and communities, and essential to the success of the government’s growth mission. The Government recognises the important role tax reliefs, including the R&D reliefs, play in strengthening small businesses’ ability to invest and grow. Whilst it is right that HMRC is taking action to address error and fraud, the government is committed to responding to stakeholder feedback and improving administration to ensure the R&D reliefs continue to support our most innovative businesses.
What steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS dentistry in Worsley and Eccles constituency.
The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For Worsley and Eccles constituency, this is the NHS Greater Manchester ICB.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
Whether her Department holds information on the cost of two zones (1+2) Manchester Metrolink adult annual travelcards in 2010.
Light rail, including the Manchester Metrolink, is devolved in England where local authorities, such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority, own and are responsible for the operations and financial sustainability of their own systems. This includes setting the costs for their own ticketing and annual fares. As such, the Department does not hold such records information on the cost of two zones (1+2) Manchester Metrolink adult annual travelcards in 2010. The honourable member may wish to contact Transport for Greater Manchester who are better placed to provide such information.
What information her Department holds on the cost of a standard-class annual rail season ticket from (a) Eccles, (b) Moorside, (c) Patricroft and (d) Swinton to (i) Deansgate, (ii) Manchester Oxford Road, (iii) Manchester Piccadilly, and (iv) Manchester Victoria in 2010.
The price of standard class annual season tickets in 2010 for journeys from the requested stations to these Manchester stations was £741.50.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of delayed invoice payments on (a) self-employed individuals, (b) sole traders and (c) small businesses in the construction industry.
Smart Data Foundry research shows that small businesses, including those in the construction industry were owed on average an estimated £22,000 in late payments in 2022. This represents a significant cash flow challenge for small businesses, undermining opportunities to invest and innovate.In September 2024 we announced a package of measures to help ensure small businesses and the self-employed are paid promptly to improve the resilience of supply chains and boost economic growth across the UK.We will soon launch a public consultation on further measures to address late payments and long payment terms, including specific measures to address the construction contractual practice of retention payments.Source: Smart Data Foundry (2022) – Payment Speed and Timeliness for UK Small & Micro Businesses – https://smartdatafoundry.com/resources/news/payment-speed-and-timeliness-for-uk-small-and-micro-businesses
Whether his Department is taking steps to help small businesses respond to the payment of delayed invoices by larger businesses.
In September 2024 we announced a package of measures to help ensure small businesses are paid promptly by the large businesses they supply.This included the newly launched Fair Payment Code by the Small Business Commissioner, and upcoming legislation to require that large companies include payment performance reporting headlines within their annual reports.We will soon launch a public consultation on further measures to address late payments and long payment terms, including strengthened powers for the Small Business Commissioner.
How many people have been waiting over six months to access CAMHS support in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan.
A copy of two tables breaking down the number of people waiting over six months to access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service support in Salford and Wigan since 2020 is attached.
How many referrals have been accepted by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each of the last five years.
The following table shows the number of referrals accepted by child and adolescent mental health services in Salford in each month from 2020/21 up to December 2024, the month for which most recent data is available:Month2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21April26719628712775May32530426917184June301386223156101July385378158127130August19424333678121September317243277153175October366262295123161November343340277107176December302246305118117January 283265126107February 269300173106March 316288170169Source: NHS England The following table shows the number of referrals accepted by child and adolescent mental health services in Wigan in each month from 2020/21 up to December 2024, the month for which most recent data is available:Month2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21April12551100444May13011197275June11896873012July7992534120August5045393923September11772621834October166107663430November163118875328December97108463425January 136829525February 115637534March 132919740Source: NHS England
How many speech and language therapists have worked for the NHS in (a) Salford, (b) Wigan and (c) the North West in each of the last five years.
The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent speech and language therapists working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the NHS England North West region in each of the last five years: Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation TrustWrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNorth West RegionOctober 2019110351,035October 2020136341,066October 2021169391,102October 2022182341,175October 2023199361,261October 2024215371,339Source: NHS England, NHS Workforce StatisticsNote: These staff will provide services in a range of settings including in education. However, therapists will also be directly employed by other providers, including schools, independent provision and third sector/ charitable organisations for which data is not held centrally.
What the average time was between (a) referral and (b) first contact for mental health services for people aged 17 years and under in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each of the last five years.
The following table shows the median waiting time in days between a referral start date and first contact, within the three-month rolling reporting period, for referrals for children and young people aged under 18 years old who are supported through National Health Service funded mental health services, from August 2023, the earliest date available, to November 2024, for Salford and Wigan:SalfordReporting periodMedian wait time (days)WiganReporting PeriodMedian wait time (days) November 20246 November 20241October 20247October 20241September 20247September 20244August 20245August 20244July 20246July 20243June 20243June 20241May 20245May 20242April 20245April 20243March 20245March 20245February 20245February 20245January 20245January 20243December 20235December 20232November 20234November 20232October 20234October 20231September 20236September 20232August 20236August 20235Source: NHS Futures.
How many parents or young people have taken (a) Salford and (b) Wigan to appeal at a tribunal against an Education, Care and Health Plan decision in each of the last five years; and what (i) number and (ii) proportion of those appeals were (A) determined in favour of the appellants, (B) determined in favour of the local authority, (C) withdrawn, (D) conceded before the hearing and (E) still awaiting a hearing.
Information about appeal outcomes to SEND is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK. Appeal outcomes are not broken down by Local Authority in the published data as requested in this PQ. These data are provided for academic years September to August as follows:Salford2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24(A) Number and proportion of those appeals determined in favour of the appellants6 43%20 69%41 62%46 62%54 58%(B) Number and proportion of those appeals determined in favour of the local authority2 14%0 0%2 3%2 3%1 1%(C) Number and proportion of withdrawn appeals2 14%4 14%9 14%18 24%7 8%(D) Number and proportion of appeals conceded before the hearing2 14%5 17%10 15%2 3%14 15%(E) Number and proportion of appeals still awaiting a hearing0 0%0 0%2 3%2 3%15 16%Total number of appeals to the tribunal1429667493 Wigan2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24(A) Number and proportion of those appeals determined in favour of the appellants1 50%5 28%4 22%10 50%13 34%(B) Number and proportion of those appeals determined in favour of the local authority1 50%1 6%0 0%1 5%0 0%(C) Number and proportion of withdrawn appeals0 0%3 17%5 28%4 20%5 13%(D) Number and proportion of appeals conceded before the hearing0 0%9 50%9 50%5 25%15 39%(E) Number and proportion of appeals still awaiting a hearing0 0%0 0%0 0%0 0%5 13%Total number of appeals to the tribunal218182038 1 - In addition to the categories requested appeals can be struck out. This is included in the total number of appeals.2 - (B) Is the total of cases where the appellant wins the majority of the appeal (i.e. the appellant may be successful in 2 out of the 3 sections they appeal against).3 - The information provided has been extracted from local management information.
What the average funding per pupil was in mainstream schools in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, (b) Salford (c) Wigan (d) the North West and (e) England in each of the last five years.
Local authorities receive their core funding for schools through the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Local authorities are then responsible for designing a local formula, within certain parameters, to distribute the funding that they receive from the department to schools in their area. This local formula is used to determine funding for both the maintained schools and academies in each area.As the DSG is allocated at local authority level, DSG allocations broken down to the level of individual constituencies are not available. The individual allocations that schools within Worsley and Eccles constituency receive are determined by the local funding formula set each year by Salford and Wigan local authorities.However, the DSG funding allocations at local authority, regional and national level for each of the last five years are set out below. The per-pupil funding figures include premises funding but exclude growth and falling rolls funding. One Year per-pupil funding SalfordWiganNorth WestEngland2021/22£ 5,474£ 5,069£ 5,221£ 5,2282022/23£ 5,638£ 5,199£ 5,366£ 5,3742023/24£ 5,972£ 5,472£ 5,644£ 5,6482024/25£ 6,315£ 5,776£ 5,962£ 5,9572025/26£ 6,816£ 6,266£ 6,454£ 6,443
How many Sure Start centres have closed in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan since May 2010; and what the (i) name and (ii) postcode was of each centre.
Data on Sure Start children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools (GIAS) database portal, which can be accessed here: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.Based on information supplied by Salford and Wigan local authorities, no centres have closed in Salford or Wigan since May 2010. However, Salford local authority has converted 11 children’s centres into children’s centre linked sites since May 2010. Wigan local authority has converted 15 children’s centres into children’s centre linked sites since May 2010. ‘Children’s centre linked sites’ are formerly children's centres in their own right, but they no longer meet the statutory definition of a children’s centre. They offer some early childhood services on behalf of another children's centre.The information on children’s centres closed since May 2010 is based on data supplied by the local authorities for Salford and Wigan as at 14 February 2025. These figures could change again in future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.
What the average processing time was for applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme by people resident in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each of the last five years.
The majority of cases are decided within 12 months, although some more complicated cases can take significantly longer.The table below shows the average time for decisions to be made on applications* for criminal injuries compensation by people resident in Salford**.Decision dateAverage time to first decision2020447 days2021546 days2022504 days2023391 days2024473 daysThe table below shows the average time for decisions to be made on applications* for criminal injuries compensation by people resident in Wigan**.Decision dateAverage time to first decision2020332 days2021400 days2022329 days2023325 days2024390 days*The tables do not include archived bereavement applications because the address of the applicant is not retained. In most cases, applications are archived three years after the case has been closed.**The above tables include all awards where the applicant named Wigan or Salford as the town in their home address in their application.
How many mental health support teams there were in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, (b) Salford and (c) Wigan in each year since 2014.
The following table shows a summary of mental health support teams in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, Salford and Wigan in each year since 2014.Financial YearNumber of teams 2021/2022Two2022/2023Two2023/2024Three teams specific to Wigan and one footprint team across Wigan and Bolton2024/2025Four Wigan teams in total, of which three are specific to Wigan and one footprint team across Wigan and Bolton.Source: NHS EnglandNote: there were no teams in existence between 2014 and 2020/21. Salford has three Community Mental Health Teams covering the Salford locality and this has been the case since prior to 2014. Since 2022, Salford has also implemented a living well offer as part of the core community mental health pathway, working into each of the five primary care networks in the city. There are also specialist teams, for example, Early Intervention in Psychosis, adult community eating disorders, Home Based Treatment and MH Liaison, in addition to primary care mental health talking therapies, covering the Salford population.Wigan mobilised its first two mental health support teams in 2021/22 with the staff in post and starting their training course in Sept 2021 and the team going live in the spring of 2022.In 2023/24 Greater Manchester Mental Health was allocated funding for 2.58 new teams for the Wigan and Bolton footprint. This was an additional team for each locality and the development of a footprint higher education offer.
With reference to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (a) how many people received awards and (b) what the value of those awards were in (i) Salford and (ii) Wigan in each of the last five years.
The table below provides the number of compensation awards paid in each of the last five calendar years to applicants living in Salford, and the value of those awards.Salford Calendar YearNumber of awards paidTotal value of those awards202035£194,060202118£108,830202242£332,287202333£565,719202441£296,010 The table below provides the number of compensation awards paid in each of the last five calendar years to applicants living in Wigan, and the value of those awards.Wigan Calendar YearNumber of awards paidTotal value of those awards202081£604,141202151£440,578202253£459,049202368£833,057202465£1,105,245*The tables do not include archived bereavement applications because the address of the applicant is not retained. In most cases, applications are archived three years after the case has been closed.**The above tables include all awards where the applicant named Wigan or Salford as the town in their home address in their application.
How many GP practices there (a) are and (b) were in 2010 in Worsley and Eccles constituency.
The data provided has been sourced from NHS England and shows the number of general practices (GPs) in the Worsley and Eccles constituency in January 2025 and January 2014, as no data is available prior to this. The data only includes main practices and does not include branch practices. The data is as follows:- as of January 2025, there are 14 GPs in the Worsley and Eccles constituency; and- as of January 2014, there were 20 GPs in the Worsley and Eccles constituency.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement, and so this does not necessarily indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area.