Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the change in the role of Minister for Disabled People from Minister of State to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on his Department's support for disabled people.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to provide a resolution mechanism for new build freeholders who dispute their estate management charge.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government wants to make estate management companies more accountable to homeowners for how their money is spent.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will make sure that homeowners who pay estate management charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager to manage the provision of services.
In addition, we will make sure that homeowners have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for and how the communal areas are being managed.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to create a statutory right to manage for freehold estates.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government wants to make estate management companies more accountable to homeowners for how their money is spent.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will make sure that homeowners who pay estate management charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager to manage the provision of services.
In addition, we will make sure that homeowners have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for and how the communal areas are being managed.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce estate management fees.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government wants to make estate management companies more accountable to homeowners for how their money is spent.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will make sure that homeowners who pay estate management charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager to manage the provision of services.
In addition, we will make sure that homeowners have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for and how the communal areas are being managed.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage safer cycling at night-time in (a) Selby and Ainsty constituency, (b) rural communities and (c) nationally.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
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.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage rural households to transition to the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel for domestic heating.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 5 September 2023, during Parliamentary debates on the Energy Act, the Government committed to exploring the potential of renewable liquid fuels for heat by issuing a consultation within 12 months.
The Government has also taken powers in the Energy Act to impose obligations on heating fuel suppliers to increase the supply of renewable liquid heating fuels, should that be necessary.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the ratio of special educational need and disability teaching staff to pupils in (a) Selby and Ainsty constituency and (b) North Yorkshire.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve treatment plans for long covid.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government has invested more than £50 million in 22 research projects for post-COVID-19 conditions to improve understanding of the diagnosis and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. We are also monitoring research being undertaken internationally. The National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including post-COVID-19 conditions.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps she has taken to reduce the waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services in Selby and Ainsty constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It is the responsibility of the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board to make available appropriate provision to meet the mental health and other care needs of the local population in Selby and Ainsty.
Nationally, we are supporting the expansion and transformation of mental health services for children and young people through the NHS Long Term Plan, as part of the accompanying investment of at least an extra £2.3 billion a year by March 2024, with the aim for an additional 345,000 children and young people to be able to get the mental health support they need. We also provided an additional £79 million for 2021/22 to allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community mental health services and around 2,000 more to access eating disorder services.
We continue to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges across the country offering early support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues.
In addition, the National Health Service is working towards implementing five new waiting time standards for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, to ensure timely access to the most appropriate, high-quality support. Four of these include children and young people.
Asked by: Keir Mather (Labour - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support young people unable to attend school as a result of having long covid.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
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.