Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have been identified as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in (a) Bradford East constituency, (b) the City of Bradford Metropolitan District and (c) Yorkshire and Humber.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out.
The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have been surveyed for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in (a) Bradford East constituency, (b) the City of Bradford Metropolitan District and (c) Yorkshire and Humber.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.
It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.
The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance.
There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.
The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.
The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.
Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.
All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.
Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.
Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.
While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.
The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.
All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.
Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2023 to Question 196273 on Fireworks: Licensing, if she will publish a list of the (a) organisations and (b) stakeholders her Department has met with to (i) listen to and (ii) understand their views on inconsiderate use of fireworks between 2019 and 2023.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government engages with a wide range of stakeholders in relation to product safety, both in person but also through regular correspondence. We do not hold a full list of organisations and stakeholders that have been met where fireworks have been discussed. However, our engagement includes, but is not exclusive to, trade associations, animal welfare organisations, the industry, members of the public, parliamentarians and other government departments.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police officers had a length of service that was (a) less than one year, (b) one year to less than two years, (c) two years to less than five years, (d) five years to less than 10 years and (e) more than 10 years in West Yorkshire as of 31 March in each year since 2010.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the length of service of police officers in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area (PFA), annually in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulleting which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
Information on the length of service of police officers employed by West Yorkshire Police can be found in table JL5 of the data tables accompanying each publication for the year ending 31 March 2016 onwards.
The Home Office does not publish information on the length of service of police officers that have left the police service. The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin however this does not include information on their length of service.
Data on the number of police officers leaving West Yorkshire Police, in the years ending March 2007 to 2023, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172932/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers who left West Yorkshire Police had a length of service that was (a) less than one year, (b) one year to less than two years, (c) two years to less than five years, (d) five years to less than 10 years and (e) more than 10 years in the year to 31 March in each year since 2010.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the length of service of police officers in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area (PFA), annually in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulleting which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
Information on the length of service of police officers employed by West Yorkshire Police can be found in table JL5 of the data tables accompanying each publication for the year ending 31 March 2016 onwards.
The Home Office does not publish information on the length of service of police officers that have left the police service. The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin however this does not include information on their length of service.
Data on the number of police officers leaving West Yorkshire Police, in the years ending March 2007 to 2023, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172932/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the Major Conditions Strategy will include a funded plan for timely diagnoses of dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Major Conditions Strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda with a shift to integrated, whole-person care. The Strategy will cover prevention and treatment of dementia, including diagnosis.
Over the next phase of the Major Conditions Strategy, we will focus on areas where we believe we will make the greatest impact across all conditions; this focus will include embedding early diagnosis and treatment delivery in the community.
The launch of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, which aims to speed up the development of new treatments, was supported by £95 million of Government funding; £131 million committed to the next five years of the UK Dementia Research Institute; and £11 million investment into digital innovations to detect and diagnose dementia.
This contributes to delivering the Government’s commitment to double funding for dementia research to £160 million a year by 2024/25. This will span all areas of research, including diagnosis and treatment of dementia, enabling the best possible care and quality of life for people with dementia.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the White Paper entitled People at the Heart of Care, published in December 2021, what his Department's timescales are for beginning the consultation on increasing the Disabled Facilities Grant cap.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As with all aspects of the Disabled Facilities Grant, the Government will continue to keep the upper limit under review. Local areas also already have discretion to increase the cap on the grant on a case-by-case basis or in line with a locally published housing assistance policy.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to (a) reduce the noise levels of all categories of fireworks, (b) ban the sale of category 3 and 4 fireworks and (c) introduce licences for selling fireworks.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks and believes that the existing regulatory framework strikes the right balance between allowing individuals to enjoy fireworks while reducing the risks and disturbances to individuals, animals and property. The majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner and there are enforcement mechanisms in place to tackle situations when fireworks are misused.
The Department has no plans to i) reduce the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks for public sale, ii) ban the sale of category 3 and 4 fireworks or iii) amend the existing licensing scheme for selling fireworks but the Government continues to monitor the situation and engage with stakeholders to listen to and understand their views.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides local authorities on food waste collections; and whether she plans to issue any further guidance.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will provide support and advice through statutory and non-statutory guidance and ensure best practice is widely available to assist local authorities.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)