Keir Mather

The Government recognises the growing importance of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) to the UK economy. The Government has been actively working since 2021 to better understand how the SEPs framework functions to ensure the balance between innovation and competition is maintained. This included launching a questionnaire for small and medium businesses (SMEs) in March 2023, to better understand their SEP licensing experiences. Subsequently, the IPO presented recommendations to Ministers who are currently reviewing those recommendations with a view to ensuring Government helps implementers, especially SMEs, navigate and better understand the SEPs ecosystem and Fair Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing.

The collapse of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of the novel gambling product Football Index, had a significant impact on former customers, and we recognise the frustration and anger that this has caused. As a result, the Government announced an Independent Review, conducted by Malcolm Sheehan KC, which looked at how the company had been regulated and identified lessons learned for various agencies. These recommendations have since been implemented.

Company liquidation proceedings are ongoing, and former customers will be considered among the creditors as company assets are divided.

Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. School attendance is mandatory, and parents have a duty, under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that their child of compulsory age receives an efficient full-time education between ages five and sixteen.

The department recognises that some children may face barriers to attendance due to diagnosed medical conditions, such as long COVID. Long COVID is an umbrella term for symptoms that persist or develop after someone recovers from COVID-19. The severity of these symptoms can vary significantly and the support for pupils should recognise this.

The department’s new attendance guidance makes it clear that children with long term medical conditions may require additional support and that schools should provide this support where necessary to help them access their full-time education. This should include having sensitive conversations with pupils and parents, making reasonable adjustments where necessary, and considering additional support from external partners (including the local authority or health services). The department expects schools to work with families to develop specific support approaches for attendance and ensuring effective pastoral support is in place.

In some circumstances, pupils’ symptoms may be so severe that they are unable to attend mainstream education. The guidance entitled ‘Ensuring a Good Education for Children who cannot attend school because of health needs’ sets out that a local authority must arrange suitable full-time education (or as much education as the child’s health condition allows) for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education. A link to the guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school.

All teachers are teachers of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult, and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

In 2022/23, there were 18.2 pupils for every teacher in North Yorkshire local authority.

The department is committed to ensuring all children and young people receive the right support to succeed in their education, to be proud of their achievements in their early years, at school and in further education, to find employment, to lead happy and fulfilled lives, and to experience choice and control as they move into adult life.

In the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the department sets out its vision to improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of needs and timely access to support to meet those needs.

The Department recognises the importance of oracy, which is why spoken language is already part of the National Curriculum for English for 5 to 16 year olds. For Early Years, the Department is investing up to £17 million in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the language skills of reception age pupils who need it most following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the Department has secured over £28 million to support the speech and language of pupils worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which are today’s 3 and 4 year olds, delivered through the new family hubs network.

In secondary schools, the GCSE English Language qualification ensures that pupils are able to listen to and understand spoken language and use spoken Standard English effectively. Provisional 2023 data published by Ofqual shows that overall entries to GCSE English Language increased by 4.9% since summer 2022. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series#gcse-entries.

The Department funds the National Poetry Recitation Competition, which encourages both primary and secondary schools to participate, to improve pupils’ knowledge and enjoyment of poetry and to improve oracy through poetry recitation and recall.

The £67 million English Hubs Programme, launched in 2018, is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Since its launch, the English Hubs Programme has provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousand schools in England.

​Selby and Ainsty's local English Hub, Outwood English hub, is working to engage and support primary schools across the region to improve the teaching of phonics, including offering showcase events especially for local schools. Outwood English Hub is planning to host a showcase at the Parsonage Hotel and Spa in Escrick later in the Autumn term.

Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010. The number of FTE teachers in North Yorkshire Local Authority rose to 4,582 in 2022, an increase of 342 (8%) since 2010.

The Department is taking action to increase teacher recruitment and retention.

The Department recently announced that the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and head teachers have been accepted in full. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over 30 years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.

The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.

The Department is also providing a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas (EIAs). North Yorkshire is an EIA. There are 30 schools in the North Yorkshire Local Authority area eligible for the Levelling Up Premium, including three schools in the Selby and Ainsty constituency. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.

The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support, and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF). Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.

To support teacher retention, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing and to support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the workload reduction toolkit and the education staff wellbeing charter. More than 2,800 schools have signed up to the charter so far. The education staff wellbeing charter can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The workload reduction toolkit is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit.

The Department recently announced that it will also convene a workload reduction taskforce to explore how we can go further to support trusts and head teachers to minimise workload.

At the National Farmers Union Conference in February the Prime Minister and Defra Ministers announced a new £75million one-off grant for internal drainage boards (IDBs) in 2024/25. This is following the winter storms and flooding and will be used to better protect agricultural land and rural communities. It will contribute towards helping IDBs recover and repair assets damaged from the recent flooding and will contribute towards modernising IDB infrastructure to lower costs and increase resilience to climate change.

Defra officials are working closely with the Environment Agency and the Association of Drainage Authorities (membership body that represents the interests of IDBs) on the details of the fund and application processes. We aim to allocate grants from June.

Defra works closely with local authorities on all matters pertaining to air quality, including through providing relevant training and resources.

Local authorities are also able to bid for funding for projects to tackle emissions in their communities through our annual Local Air Quality Grant. We have committed to spend at least £6million on such projects this year.

The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, which is a blight on our local communities and the environment and damages legitimate businesses. We have strengthened regulators' powers, are tightening the law and have increased the Environment Agency's budget by £10 million per year to make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. The Prime Minister’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support councils across the country to take tougher action against those who fly-tip such as by raising the upper limit on fixed penalty notices to £1,000, which we did earlier this year.

The Environment Agency’s Yorkshire Area has a dedicated team focussed on the investigation of waste crime across Yorkshire. All reports of waste related crime are recorded on the Environment Agency National Incident Recording System and investigated in order of seriousness.

As of 1 September 2023, the Environment Agency’s Yorkshire team is dealing with 37 active illegal waste sites across Yorkshire with 10 ongoing serious and significant investigations. None of these are in the Selby area. The team has completed six investigations into illegal waste sites and these have been authorised for prosecution and are being progressed. One of these is in the Selby area although the site is no longer active. Since September 2022, the Environment Agency has closed 34 illegal sites in Yorkshire.

Flood risk in North Yorkshire is complex and the Environment Agency works collaboratively with partners, including Local Authorities, Internal Drainage Boards and Yorkshire Water, to manage the risk of flooding and better protect people and properties in the county.

The Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management six-year Capital Investment Programme from 2021 to 2027 will see over £130 million being invested into North Yorkshire (including York), resulting in over 2000 properties benefitting from increased protection. Over 70 projects will be delivered across the county, including a new major £16 million flood alleviation scheme for Tadcaster, as well as further schemes within the Selby and Ainsty constituency in Selby, Cawood and Riccall.

The City of York Council OuseWem project programme looks at long-term catchment-scale nature-based solutions to help to improve flood resilience across North Yorkshire and in York. This forms part of the Government’s £150 million flood and coastal resilience innovation programme. This innovative project will secure a sustainable reduction in flood risk and plays a key role in the delivery of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. A mixture of built flood defences alongside working with nature, adaptation, and increased resilience is key given North Yorkshire’s predominantly rural nature.

All types of road vehicle headlamps are designed, tested and approved to internationally recognised standards to help prevent undue glare on a broad range of roads and environments. However, the Government is aware of concerns raised by members of the public and we are considering options for building our evidence base on this issue.

The Government is investing over £3 billion in active travel over this Parliament, including high quality cycle infrastructure and cycle training opportunities. The safety of vulnerable road users is a priority for the Government, and the Department is determined to make the roads safer for everyone.

North Yorkshire has been allocated over £1.1 million capital funding through the Active Travel Fund over the last three years, and over £428,463 of revenue funding. This funding supports not only the provision of safe cycle infrastructure but also activities including cycle training.

The Highway Code sets out a number of requirements for cycling at night, including that cyclists must use lights, as well as providing advice on matters such as reflective clothing and accessories. Enforcement of these matters is the responsibility of the police.

The Government is investing over £2 billion in funding for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). This includes £1 billion from redirected HS2 funding to level up bus services in the North and Midlands as part of Network North.

The support provided for bus services (including rural bus services) in Yorkshire is £137million. This includes:

The National Bus Strategy, published in March 2021, set out the Government’s vision for delivering better bus services for passengers across England. The Strategy asked that all English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London publish Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). Over £1 billion has been allocated to LTAs in BSIP/BSIP+ funding to improve local bus services. In addition North Yorkshire LTA have been allocated an extra £1.463 million BSIP+ funding for 2023/24. Any funding for improving bus services in Selby and Ainsty will be from North Yorkshire’s BSIP+ allocation.

The Government also introduced the £2 bus fare cap on 1 January to help passengers save on their regular travel costs. The scheme is set to run until 31 October, and covers over 5,000 routes in England outside London, including in Selby and Ainsty. The scheme will then be replaced by a longer-term £2.50 fare cap until 30 November 2024, with the Government investing over £300 million across both schemes.

When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours – including closures – train operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers who are disabled, and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. When consulting, operators should have also clearly considered other equality-related needs. Operators prepared Equality Impact Assessments, and these were available on their websites during the consultation.

The consultations closed on 1 September and the independent passenger bodies, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, are currently assessing the proposals and consultation responses. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly.

I cannot comment on individual cases for data protection reasons. A response to your letter of 22 February 2023, was sent to you on 11 March 2023 advising you of the actions we were taking on your constituent’s claim.

Bereavement Support Payment is available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. Parents who are separated but still in a legal union may still access this benefit provided their deceased spouse or civil partner was not in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children on the date of death.

We currently have no plans to change the eligibility criteria for Bereavement Support Payment.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to this question in the House on the 18th December, Hansard reference: Vol 742, Col 1107 found here.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) provides non-contributory, “no-fault” benefit for disablement because of an accident at work or one of over 70 ‘prescribed’ diseases known to be a risk from certain jobs. The department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which IIDB can be paid. A disease can only be recommended for prescription by IIAC if:

a) the risk to workers in a certain occupation is substantially greater than the risk to the general population, and

b) the link between the disease and the occupation can be established or presumed with reasonable certainty.

The question of whether sarcoidosis should be added to the list of prescribed diseases for which IIDB can be paid will be referred to IIAC. If recommendations are made by IIAC on this matter, they will be carefully considered by the department.

As a principal part of the service design the Department uses data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and its own benefits data to assess 91% of Paying Parents earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation. We also receive evidence of income directly from Universal Credit where a customer is in receipt of Universal Credit with earnings.

Primarily, calculations are based on historic income amounts from the latest available tax year, provided via interface by HMRC, where a complete tax year is available within the last 6 years. Where historic tax year information is unavailable, or a customer requests a supersession on the basis that PP income is 25% different from the historic amount, we have two routes based on the PP employment circumstances:

• Where a customer is employed, we directly interface with Real Time Information (RTI) to obtain real time evidence of a customer’s current income.

• Where a customer is self-employed, we require a fully complete and verified Self-Assessment Tax Return, of a more current tax year than that provided previously by HMRC. This negates mid-year changes for Self Employed customers as self-employed income can fluctuate from month to month.

Where a paying parent receives unearned income which can be legally considered in assessing child maintenance either parent can request a variation to the normal maintenance calculation. Cases involving suspected misrepresentation or fraudulent behaviour can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given.

Where a change to current income is applied, CMS will further verify this against HMRC evidence at Annual Review, and again at a Periodic Current Income Check (+11 months from change to Current Income) to re-verify the income evidence with RTI. This provides comprehensive assurance as it is independent of the Paying Parent and directly interfaces with HMRC, reducing the opportunity for misrepresentation or inaccuracies. We have increased the proportion of changes where we automatically interface with RTI, including changes instigated by Receiving Parents.

In October 2023, the Government announced intentions to introduce legislation so that unearned income can be taken into account automatically when the maintenance calculation is made to ensure a paying parent’s maintenance calculation reflects their ability to pay. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on how best to implement this.

The National Audit Office accuracy figures are published on their website and confirm CMS achieved better than 99% for the last 6 years (2016/17 to 2021/22) however, they are still auditing 2022/23 accuracy.

While the Government’s policy remains, that there are no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, there are extensive arrangements currently in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone, including for those with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with heart disease may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on a low income can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. The scheme provides income related help to people who are not automatically exempt from charges, but who may be entitled to full or partial help if they have a low income and savings below a defined limit.

To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption or the NHS Low Income Scheme, Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPCs) are available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three month and 12 month certificates available, which can be paid for in instalments.

Our two-year urgent and emergency care recovery plan, backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding, was published in January 2023, to drive sustained improvements in urgent and emergency care waiting times.

At York Hospital, an expanded and redesigned emergency department was opened in July 2023. This has improved the provision of services, including same day emergency care (SDEC). SDEC supports patients’ access to timely diagnosis and treatment, without the need for admission to hospital.

The latest published data shows that at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the proportion of patients waiting 12-hours from decision-to-admit to admission has reduced by 6.9% in March 2024 compared to the previous year.

Tourette syndrome was discussed in 2022 by a cross-agency topic prioritisation group, made up of senior executives from the Department, NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The group did not consider it to be a national priority at that time and therefore decided not to prioritise development of a NICE guideline on Tourette syndrome.

NICE is currently finalising a new approach to topic prioritisation, which will come into effect in May 2024, operationalised through an integrated prioritisation board led by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer. NICE plans to consult on its new prioritisation process and a common framework for topic selection at the beginning of March. Details will be made available on the NICE website in due course. NICE is also developing medical technologies guidance on digitally-enabled therapy for tic disorders in children and young people. This is in the early stages of development. NICE expects to consult on the draft guidance between 5 September and 3 October 2024, with publication of final guidance in December 2024.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Tourette’s syndrome, although it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR has funded, or supported studies into, the causes of and treatments for Tourette’s syndrome, including a study on deep brain stimulation in people with the condition and a mixed-methods study to co-design a service model for children and young people with tic disorders.

Individual employers are responsible for ensuring that staff are trained, competent and have the necessary skills to safely and effectively treat patients in their care, including those with Tourette’s syndrome and other neurological disorders.

NHS England’s e-learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders, within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.

The Department has no specific plans to increase the number of specialist practitioners researching and treating Tourette’s Syndrome. The majority of services for people with Tourette’s syndrome are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan the provision of services subject to local prioritisation and need. In June 2023, NHS England published the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), which sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The LTWP is a high-level plan to support the NHS workforce as a whole, and is designed to identify the right supply of staff across all clinical pathways and specialisms rather than workforce plans for specific services.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Tourette’s syndrome, although it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR has funded, or supported studies into, the causes of and treatments for Tourette’s syndrome, including a study on deep brain stimulation in people with the condition and a mixed-methods study to co-design a service model for children and young people with tic disorders.

Individual employers are responsible for ensuring that staff are trained, competent and have the necessary skills to safely and effectively treat patients in their care, including those with Tourette’s syndrome and other neurological disorders.

NHS England’s e-learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders, within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.

The Department has no specific plans to increase the number of specialist practitioners researching and treating Tourette’s Syndrome. The majority of services for people with Tourette’s syndrome are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan the provision of services subject to local prioritisation and need. In June 2023, NHS England published the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), which sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The LTWP is a high-level plan to support the NHS workforce as a whole, and is designed to identify the right supply of staff across all clinical pathways and specialisms rather than workforce plans for specific services.

Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis with which the Government does not interfere.

Nonetheless, the Government believes that the impact of branch closures should be mitigated where possible so that all customers, wherever they live, continue to have access to appropriate banking services.

The Government supports industry working together to provide alternative banking and cash services, such as Banking Hubs. To date, industry has committed to delivering new shared Banking Hubs in over 90 communities. Further alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority also sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This seeks to ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly. The Consumer Duty also requires that firms deliver “good outcomes” for customers.

Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. These rates are also used by self-employed drivers to claim tax relief on business mileage (simplified motoring expenses). The AMAP rates are not mandatory, and employers can choose to pay more or less than the AMAP rate. It is therefore ultimately up to employers to determine the rate at which they reimburse their employees.

Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review, and in considering changes to the AMAP/simplified motoring expenses rates, the Government has to balance support for individuals with the responsible management of public finances, which fund our essential public services. Any changes will be announced at a future fiscal event.

However, the Government recognises that transport is a major cost for individuals and families. At Spring Statement 2022 the Government announced a temporary 12-month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre. In order to continue supporting all motorists, the Government extended the 5p fuel duty cut, which is worth £100 to the average driver over the year.

The government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking and cash services.

The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities across the UK, including free withdrawal and deposit facilities in relation to personal current accounts.

Decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue, and the government does not intervene in these. However, under FCA guidance, firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This seeks to ensure that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.

Alternative options for access to banking can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.