Every parliamentary written question tabled by Nadia Whittome this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 272 · this parliament
Whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of supporting leaseholders in receipt of Universal Credit to pay service charge costs when they take up (a) part-time, (b) short-term and (c) seasonal work.
The Department has not recently assessed the potential merits of supporting leaseholders in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) to pay service charge costs when they take up a) part time, b) short-term and c) seasonal work.
When she plans to publish guidance on cross-pavement EV charging solutions.
This Government is committed to accelerating the roll out of charge points for electric vehicles. Guidance for local authorities to develop policies on the safe use of cross-pavement solutions will be published in due course.
Whether his Department plans to take steps to (a) protect consumers who receive inaccurate bills from utility companies and (b) prevent utility companies from enforcing high usage bills without case investigation.
As a priority, the Government will support Ofgem to review the rules around billing accuracy and supplier billing practices to understand where improvement is needed and whether compliance action is required. Ofgem is also considering new rules to improve and incentivise better billing accuracy and debt support, including default monthly bills for households and reviewing the back billing rules to reduce how far back a supplier can bill a customer where the error was the supplier’s fault. We believe that when things go wrong, suppliers should successfully resolve issues as quickly as possible. Ofgem will work to review and improve the current complaint handling standards regulations to ensure that suppliers take ownership to manage and resolve complaints effectively and efficiently. It will also ensure there is better automatic customer compensation for failure to deter poor service and drive improvements. Under the guaranteed standards of performance (GSOPs), suppliers are required to make automatic compensation payments to customers if they fail to meet specific customer service standards.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring the installation and retrofitting of sprinklers in (a) all buildings regularly used by vulnerable people and (b) warehouses.
Building owners are required to ensure that existing care home buildings or warehouses have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. As part of this process, some owners may choose to retrofit sprinklers as part of their overall fire strategy, while others may opt for alternative measures. Recent changes to the Building Safety Act 2022 defined new roles and responsibilities all stakeholders involved in a construction project, including building owners. This ensures that safety is prioritized throughout the lifecycle of a building. Retrofitting sprinklers is not always the best option, and other fire safety measures might be more appropriate for specific buildings.
Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle digital exclusion among Arab women in the UK.
Digital inclusion is a priority for Government. It means ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to engage in our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. Digital exclusion disproportionately impacts certain demographics, creating new inequalities and exacerbating existing ones. As we develop our approach on tackling this issue we will be working closely with local communities, local authorities, businesses and charities to ensure everything we do is well targeted. We hope to announce more on this in the near future.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing a list of LGBTQ+ friendly travel destinations in travel guidance to British citizens.
FCDO travel advice provides information to help British nationals, including those who are LGBT+, make informed decisions about their foreign travel.No travel is completely safe. We try to make objective judgements and we will advise against travel when we judge that the level of risk is unacceptably high.We recognise, however, that LGBT+ people can face particular risks and challenges due to the stigma, discrimination and even violence that they can experience around the world. This is why the FCDO, in addition to country-specific advice, has worked with LGBT+ people and organisations to develop specific gov.uk guidance for LGBT+ people travelling abroad: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-foreign-travel-advice.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing English National Concessionary Travel Scheme bus passes to be used before 9.30 am.
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the times at which concessionary passes can be used.
With reference to her article in the Sun newspaper entitled We can’t pretend everything is OK: knife crime, anti social behaviour and people smugglers are plaguing our streets, published on 20 July 2024, whether the Returns and Enforcement programme has a specific name.
We have established a new Returns Transformation Portfolio, focusing on delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to safe countries, through swift decision making to remove people with no right to be in the UK. This is to ensure that asylum and immigration rules are respected and enforced.
What steps she plans to take to ensure children from the most deprived households access free breakfast clubs.
The government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary aged pupils. We have made early progress towards this, including announcing that up to 750 early adopters will be delivering these new breakfast clubs from April 2025. The government confirmed it will triple its investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million in the 2025/26 financial year to help ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day and to help drive improvements to behaviour, attendance and attainment. This will also support parents, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
What plans she has for the holiday activities and food programme.
The future of the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to decisions flowing from this autumn’s government Spending Review. The outcome of this process will be communicated in due course.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing auto-enrolment for Healthy Start.
The Healthy Start scheme is kept under review. The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins for pregnant women and children aged under four years old. Healthy Start now supports over 353,000 beneficiaries. This figure is higher than the previous paper voucher scheme.The NHS Business Services Authority operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. All applicants to the Healthy Start scheme, where they meet the eligibility criteria, must accept the terms and conditions of the prepaid card at the point of application. As the prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting these terms, the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a prepaid card. However, we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the election results in Georgia on the safety of LGBTQ+ people in that country.
We have not yet assessed the specific impact of the 27 October Georgian parliamentary elections on the safety of LGBT+ people. However, it is clear that the direction of the Georgian Dream party risks undermining freedom of expression and assembly and further discriminating against and stigmatising Georgia's LGBT+ community, including through the introduction of the Law on Family Values. We work closely with our partners to advance equality, including through the Equal Rights Coalition and the European LGBTI Focal Points Network. On 9 October, I raised my concerns over recent legislative changes, including these laws, with Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting single parents in part-time work with dependent children from the Administrative Earnings Threshold.
The Administrative Earnings Threshold determines the level of work coach support that Universal Credit customers receive. Customers on low incomes are able to access regular work coach advice and support to help them to increase their earnings, this can include advice on childcare or help to address skills gaps to aid career progression. Work Coaches take each of our customers’ personal circumstances into account when agreeing reasonable actions to look for or progress in work, including any childcare responsibilities. Alongside this, we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit by listening to the full range of views on potential changes, so that our social security system is fit for purpose. And we will also be exploring how we can better support parents, as we develop our child poverty and labour market strategy objectives.
What steps he is taking to (a) promote brain health and (b) implement targeted interventions among those most at risk of dementia from South Asian communities.
NHS England’s Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme led the development of resources to raise awareness of the specific dementia care requirements for people from ethnic minority communities to improve access, experience, and outcomes for people living with dementia from these groups.These were released in May 2023 and include an e-learning module to support clinicians and a refresh of the intercultural dementia care guide, which incorporates considerations around language and communication in the provision of culturally appropriate care. Work to update the guide specifically included focus groups with black African, black Caribbean, and South Asian communities as the largest ethnic minority groups in England.NHS England’s resource Dementia wellbeing in the COVID-19 pandemic accompanies the Dementia Well Pathway. Key priorities and actions for dementia diagnosis and post diagnostic support are included for each step. The resource highlights the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Toolkit to help provide support in identifying and addressing mental health inequalities.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of Israeli forces (a) starving and (b) killing Palestinian civilians in Northern Gaza.
As the Foreign Secretary set out in his statement of 16 October, the humanitarian situation in Northern Gaza is dire. Israel must ensure civilians are protected and ensure routes are open to allow life-saving aid through. The UK is clear that International Humanitarian Law must be upheld, and civilians protected. We continue to raise issues of International Humanitarian Law with the Israel at the highest levels.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help uphold international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in the context of the conference entitled Preparing to resettle Gaza, which took place in Israel on Monday 21 October 2024.
This government is committed to upholding international law. The UK's position on all settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. The Government will challenge those who undermine the prospects of a two-state solution or use hateful rhetoric. The UK also condemns inciteful remarks, such as those made by Israel's National Security Minister Ben-Gvir, which seek to inflame tensions and harm the viability of a two-state solution.We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. We must give the people of the West Bank and Gaza the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that Israeli settlers plan to cross into Gaza and create outposts.
Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. The Government will challenge those who undermine the prospects of a two-state solution or use hateful rhetoric. We will look at all options to take tougher action.Settlement expansion in the West Bank has reached record levels in the past year and has been accompanied by an increase in settler violence. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel and the OPTs on 14-15 July, he met with Palestinians displaced in the West Bank and was horrified to hear of acts of violence carried out by settlers. The Foreign Secretary made the UK's position clear to those communities and to the Israeli government.
If she will take steps to ensure that participation in disability sports does not affect eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended as a contribution towards the extra costs faced by people with a long-term health condition or disability. It is assessed on the basis of needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself, and can be paid at one of eight different rates to reflect those needs. Participation in sport is not necessarily an indication of needs reducing. We would hope that disabled people will take every opportunity to participate in sport, as we know that can improve health, wellbeing and overall independence. However, where needs change, it is right that the level of support in PIP should change to match those needs.
What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of defibrillators in sports stadiums.
The treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease is a priority for the Government. We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and rapid intervention is central to improving outcomes. This is why the Government is increasing the number of publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).The Government is committed to improving access to AEDs in public spaces, and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. We have made a further £500,000 available from August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Department’s Community AED Fund. The criteria specified for the original grant continues to apply, and will go to applications for AEDs in areas where there is the greatest need, including in areas of high footfall, hot spots for cardiac arrest, and areas that already have low access to AEDs, which could include sports stadiums.
With reference to the written statement of 30 July 2024 on Adult Social Care Workforce, HCWS50, whether he plans to make a further statement about how funding for Adult Social Care Learning and Development will be administered.
On 6 September 2024, the Department launched the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme. This scheme is intended to help the non-regulated adult social care workforce to complete courses and qualifications, gain recognition for existing expertise, and develop new skills and specialisms. Funding is distributed via a new online claims service administered by NHS Business Services Authority. Eligible adult social care providers can claim funding towards the cost of certain courses and qualifications, on behalf of eligible employees. Full details of the training covered by the Learning and Development Support Scheme have been published on GOV.UK website.