Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of pollution in the River Wear.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) routinely assesses the level of pollution in the River Wear, taking water samples from multiple sampling sites. The EA is working with the Coal Authority, Northumbrian Water and local farmers to reduce pollution levels in the River Wear.
Northumbrian Water who operate in and around the River Wear has been informed that the inspection rates of their facilities will increase fourfold over this financial year. This will put the onus on Northumbrian Water to increase compliance at their sites which discharge into the River Wear.
The government's Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan is driving investment to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows. This includes storm overflows discharging into the River Wear.
Since 2011, the Water and Abandoned Metal Mine programme has delivered a number of small-scale interventions in the Wear catchment to begin to address the approximately 80km of the River Wear and its tributaries that are polluted by lead, cadmium or zinc.
Defra and the EA continue to work with farmers in the River Wear catchment, and across the country, to minimise and prevent agricultural pollution. This includes through advice-led enforcement of farm regulations to bring farmers into compliance, providing significant grant funding to improve infrastructure and adopt new technologies, and paying farmers through Environmental Land Schemes to deliver improved environmental outcomes.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department used to assess applications to the Safer Roads Fund.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The local authorities that have been pre-selected for funding are invited to submit an application. This selection is based on robust Department for Transport data that has been further analysed by the Road Safety Foundation. This process is non-competitive.
After an initial meeting with Department officials to discuss their particular route and its issues, they submit their proposals for assessment. Each application is seen independently by 2 Safer Roads Fund officials at the DfT and an economist. The Safer Roads Fund Team also discuss the applications, making sure they have passed a list of criteria including governance, quality assurance, affordability and a risk register. HM Treasury must approve an overview of the proposed funded schemes before funds can be released.
As it is a non-competitive process, the eligible bids are assessed to ensure that the local authorities’ planned interventions will successfully capture the Road Safety Foundation modelled interventions to reduce risks on the selected route.
Local authorities have access at all times to support from the DfT and the Road Safety Foundation.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the support provided by Jobcentre Plus centres in County Durham.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are 10 Jobcentres within County Durham, all of which have teams who actively collaborate with a range of partners to support people into work and, help employers to fill vacancies.
The Jobcentres are working with partners such as Durham New College, Derwentside College, East Durham College, Durham County Council, Barclays, the NHS, Community Hubs, National Careers Service, and Mental Health Matters to provide a wraparound employment and skills offer for customers. This offer is designed to support customers and help them find work and, help meet the recruitment needs of local employers.
We take a sector-based approach to recruitment and our Jobcentres have been working closely with employers to run Job Fairs for various sectors including manufacturing, Civil Service, hospitality, logistics, health care, construction, retail, security, adult social care and telecoms. As an example, Durham Jobcentre recently hosted a Care focussed event with employers including Care Academy, Embracing Care, HC One, Kelly Park and the NHS.
Disability Employment Advisers (DEA’s) offer advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and those with health conditions into work. the Embracing Employment and Healthcare trial is currently being piloted within Durham City Jobcentre. Employment and Healthcare Practitioners (EHPs) are co located within the Jobcentre working with customers who apply for Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit and who have declared a health condition or disability. EHP’s work with them to understand the impact their health condition has on their daily lives, identifying their individual barriers and support them in addressing those barriers.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, HC 638, published on 21 March 2024, what correspondence his Department has received from representatives of Women Against State Pension Inequality since the publication of that report.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A search had been conducted within the Ministerial Correspondence Team and one letter has been received. However, as the Department does not have a centrally collated database a further search would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of training available to work coaches at Jobcentre Plus centres.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To ensure the continuous improvement, Work Coaches learning is regularly reviewed with policy colleagues, work psychologists and representatives from service delivery. Through our evaluation strategy at key points, we conduct surveys to gather quantitative and qualitative data on learners’ experience, the questions focus on knowledge, confidence and required support. We also hold listening circles with Work Coaches to gather evidence of the effectiveness of the learning and consolidation. All opportunities to improve our products are impacted and changes are made as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the State Pension age on women born in the 1950s in the City of Durham constituency.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not hold regional figures on the impact of changes to State Pension age.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for the implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy; and whether she plans to help tackle disparities in access to fertility services for LGBTQ+ couples.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Women’s Health Strategy is a 10-year strategy. On 17 January 2024, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out our priorities for implementing the Women’s Health Strategy in 2024. This statement is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-01-17/hcws192
Improving access to fertility treatment is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. On 15 May 2024, we laid a Statutory Instrument to update the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act to allow gamete donation for people with HIV, who have an undetectable viral load. It will also eliminate additional screening costs for female same sex couples undertaking reciprocal, or shared motherhood, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. This is part of wider work to improve access to IVF for everyone, and ensure same-sex couples have the same rights as a man and woman when accessing fertility treatment.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Commissioner for the tenant farming sector.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is currently considering next steps following analysis of a Call for Evidence that it undertook with selected industry organisations and discussions with the Farm Tenancy Forum on the role of a Commissioner. We are committed to supporting the tenanted sector and continue to put their needs and voices at the heart of our decisions.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure effective implementation of the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice (the Code) was published following full endorsement by all organisations represented in the joint Government and industry Farm Tenancy Forum (the Forum) across the industry, including in farming media. Forum members are proactively embedding the Code within their organisations, as well as advising on other industry organisations’ uptake of the Code. The Forum Chair has written to land agents to establish their proposals for embedding the Code. Defra is working closely with the Forum to assess the response to the Code and its effectiveness.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of current legal protections afforded to tenant farmers.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working with the Farm Tenancy Forum to closely monitor and understand the application and impact of current legal protections afforded to tenant farmers. This will be further explored in Defra’s June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. We will keep the need to consult or legislate, or both, under review.