Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether local authorities were informed of the methodology for the decision-making process for selecting successful bids to Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund before his Department's publication on 20 November 2023.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
On 20 November it was announced that the third round of the Levelling Up Fund will invest £1 billion in 55 projects across Great Britain. This will build on the success of rounds one and two which saw £3.8 billion awarded to 216 projects across the UK.
Listening to feedback from parliamentarians and local government, we decided not to run an additional competition, instead drawing on the pool of existing bids submitted at Round 2 which we were not able to fund earlier in the year but were assessed as high quality and ready-to-deliver.
This new approach builds on the approach set out in the Funding Simplification Plan and is intended to maximise efficiency and reduce burdens on applicants.
The Secretary of State informed the LGA conference, in July, that Round 3 would take a new approach and in October confirmed the intention to announce ahead of the autumn statement.
I made an Oral Statement on the 20 November and further details on project selection are set out in our published methodology note. Following rounds 1 and 2 of the Fund, ministers and officials held feedback discussions with unsuccessful local authorities.
Before the announcement, officials from my department undertook appropriate due diligence to gauge the viability of the Round 3 selection.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason the Odsal Stadium regeneration bid for Levelling Up Fund Round 3 was rejected.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
On 20 November it was announced that the third round of the Levelling Up Fund will invest £1 billion in 55 projects across Great Britain. This will build on the success of rounds one and two which saw £3.8 billion awarded to 216 projects across the UK.
Listening to feedback from parliamentarians and local government, we decided not to run an additional competition, instead drawing on the pool of existing bids submitted at Round 2 which we were not able to fund earlier in the year but were assessed as high quality and ready-to-deliver.
This new approach builds on the approach set out in the Funding Simplification Plan and is intended to maximise efficiency and reduce burdens on applicants.
The Secretary of State informed the LGA conference, in July, that Round 3 would take a new approach and in October confirmed the intention to announce ahead of the autumn statement.
I made an Oral Statement on the 20 November and further details on project selection are set out in our published methodology note. Following rounds 1 and 2 of the Fund, ministers and officials held feedback discussions with unsuccessful local authorities.
Before the announcement, officials from my department undertook appropriate due diligence to gauge the viability of the Round 3 selection.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when local authorities were informed of the final decisions for allocation of funds from Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
On 20 November it was announced that the third round of the Levelling Up Fund will invest £1 billion in 55 projects across Great Britain. This will build on the success of rounds one and two which saw £3.8 billion awarded to 216 projects across the UK.
Listening to feedback from parliamentarians and local government, we decided not to run an additional competition, instead drawing on the pool of existing bids submitted at Round 2 which we were not able to fund earlier in the year but were assessed as high quality and ready-to-deliver.
This new approach builds on the approach set out in the Funding Simplification Plan and is intended to maximise efficiency and reduce burdens on applicants.
The Secretary of State informed the LGA conference, in July, that Round 3 would take a new approach and in October confirmed the intention to announce ahead of the autumn statement.
I made an Oral Statement on the 20 November and further details on project selection are set out in our published methodology note. Following rounds 1 and 2 of the Fund, ministers and officials held feedback discussions with unsuccessful local authorities.
Before the announcement, officials from my department undertook appropriate due diligence to gauge the viability of the Round 3 selection.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the maximum funding available through the Disabled Facilities Grant to take account of increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local areas already have discretion to make grants above the current upper limit on a case-by-case basis, or in line with a locally published housing assistance policy. As with all aspects of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), the Government will continue to keep the upper limit under review.
The paper entitled Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care, published in April 2023, announced a further £102 million of funding for housing adaptation support, including £50 million in 2023/24 and £52 million in 2024/25. This is in addition to the £573 million per year which is already available for the DFG. The increase will enable local areas to fund supplementary services that are agile and help people stay independent, support hospital discharge, and make minor adaptations.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 support families' with childcare following changes to work related activity requirements for lead carers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
From 28 June 2023, the DWP will now provide even more help with upfront childcare costs for parents on Universal Credit who wish to move into or progress in work.
At the same time, we have also increased the generosity of the Universal Credit childcare costs maximum amounts by nearly 50%.
These changes are part of a much wider package of generous childcare reforms including a phased introduction of 30 hours of free childcare for almost all working parents of children aged between nine months and three years of age.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2023 to Question 199185 on Sleeping Rough, and with reference to page 36 of his Department’s publication entitled End Rough Sleeping for Good, CP 713, published in September 2022, what steps he has taken to share accountability with devolved Administrations for delivering a strategy on ending rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
This Government remains committed to its goal to end rough sleeping within this Parliament and we need all partners, local and national government, third and private sector, to work together.
My Hon Friend may already be aware that each of the devolved administrations has published their own strategies on ending homelessness and rough sleeping. We remain committed to collaborating with the devolved administrations and my officials meet regularly with their counterparts to share best practice.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on the sale of high caffeine (a) drinks and (b) foods to under-16-year-olds.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
There are no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on the sale of high caffeine foods to children under 16 years old. We have consulted on a proposal to end the sale of energy drinks, which are high in caffeine, to children in England and we will be setting out our full response to the consultation in due course.
Manufacturers currently must label foods to which caffeine is added for a physiological purpose: “Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or pregnant women” and all drinks (except tea and coffee) containing over 150mg of caffeine per litre as “High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women”.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to (a) adult hearing loss services and (b) sight loss services in Bradford South constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department does not currently have any plans to make such an assessment. Commissioning of hearing and sight loss services takes place at a local level based on the needs of the local population, and we expect commissioners to follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Regarding sight loss services, the development of integrated care systems and the National Ophthalmic Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme represents an opportunity to join up social and clinical care and ensure that there is an integrated approach to covering all aspects of eye care including access to sight loss services.
For hearing loss, the Action Plan on Hearing Loss (2015) sets out key objectives on hearing loss, including prevention, early diagnosis, maximising independence and enabling people to take part in everyday activities. ‘Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups’ was published in July 2016. This framework supports the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.
Where sight or hearing loss leads to a social care need, local authorities are responsible for assessing an individual’s eligibility for care and support.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to remove (a) electricity and (b) gas standing charges for customers on pre-payment meters.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The standing charge is a fixed charge that suppliers pass on to their customers to cover the cost of providing a live supply. It includes the cost of using pipes and power lines carrying the supply, the maintenance and installation of meters and billing and accounting.
Ofgem has recently consulted on levelling the cost of standing charges on Prepayment Meters by socialising prices across payment types, to make standing charges more equal across different payment types. Ofgem is currently considering the responses, with an aim to implement changes in April 2024, following the end of the Energy Price Guarantee.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with Ofgem on the adequacy of regulation for (a) electricity and (b) gas standing charges.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
DESNZ Ministers regularly meet with Ofgem to discuss issues relating to the energy retail market.
The setting of the standing charge is a commercial matter for suppliers. It reflects the ongoing costs that suppliers incur to provide a live supply of energy to individual properties, regardless of how much energy is consumed.
The standing charge includes transmission and distribution costs and the Supplier of Last Resort levy.
The allocation of these costs is regulated by Ofgem.
The energy price cap also set by Ofgem limits what suppliers can charge for the standing charge to consumers on default tariffs.