Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide additional ringfenced funding to councils for local museums.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Museums and galleries play a crucial role in our civic life, and delivering central and local government priorities. Their programmes and activities promote education and wellbeing, and they are central to the vibrancy of our towns, cities and communities. We encourage all councils to continue investing in and partnering with local cultural providers, to safeguard communities’ access to museums and their heritage.

The government is committed to stabilising local government funding. We look forward to engaging further with sector stakeholders, metro mayors, and across Whitehall, to promote the value of museums to society and their role in delivering our policy priorities.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many museums have closed in the last 10 years.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Birkbeck University’s Mapping Museums project monitors museum openings and closures across the UK. In the last ten years, data indicates that 29 Arts Council England Accredited museum sites have closed in England.

I look forward to engaging further with sector stakeholders, and across Whitehall, to promote the value of museums to society and their role in delivering our policy priorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children are being treated for poverty related illness in (a) Blyth and Ashington constituency and (b) the North East.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The data requested is not held by NHS England, as poverty is not a metric used for the classification of illness. Although poverty is not a direct cause of specific health conditions, it can be a risk factor for physical and mental ill health. The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. This will include delivery of an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start at life.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families use foodbanks in Blyth and Ashington constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Statistics for the total number of families using foodbanks is not available at a constituency level.

Figures for families using foodbanks in the North East in the past 30 days and 12 months is available on Stat-Xplore: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of poverty levels on birth rates.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is not possible to make a robust assessment of the impact of poverty levels on birth rates. This is because poverty levels are potentially one of a very wide range and complex interaction of social, economic and personal factors which might affect birth rates. It is not possible to isolate the potential impact of poverty levels from the vast range of other possible factors.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in Blyth and Ashington constituency are impacted by the two child benefit cap.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The number of Universal Credit households affected by the policy to provide support to a maximum of 2 children, in Blyth and Ashington in April 2024 was 770.

The equivalent figure for Child Tax Credits is not held by this department as it is administered by HM Revenue & Customs.

Notes:

1. The new 2024 Parliamentary Constituencies are derived by using postcode lookup data against the claimant address however, this is only available for England and Wales and is not present for all households in this data source.

2. 2024 Parliamentary Constituencies are approximate and therefore figures may not match exactly with the previous 2019 Parliamentary Constituencies they correspond to.

Challenging stigma

Sycamore Gap

Anniversary of the Featherstone Massacre

Four day working week

The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024

Alcohol harm

NHS staff car parking charges

Found: Robert gives evidence to the inquiry. ”1380 Likewise, on 27 April and in response to a question from Ian