Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the level of daily standing charges for (a) gas and (b) electricity in (i) North Wales and (ii) Merseyside.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Standing charges are regulated by Ofgem. Regional standing charges may be found online at www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/get-energy-price-cap-standing-charges-and-unit-rates-region .
The main factor determining differences in standing charges is the cost of operating and maintaining the gas and electricity networks in each region.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 impact of regional variations in (a) energy costs and (b) daily standing charges for (i) electricity and (ii) gas on regional economic inequalities.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, although Ofgem regulates standing charges as they do with other elements of billing. This includes setting a cap on standing charges as part of the overall default tariff cap.
The variance in standing charges is partially due to regional differences in energy distribution costs. These costs reflect the expenses of maintaining and upgrading the distribution network in a specific area, and the number of consumers those costs are spread across.
Ofgem launched a call for input on standing charges, which closed on Friday 19 January 2024, looking at how it is applied to energy bills and what alternatives could be considered.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 had discussions with energy suppliers on taking steps to reduce the daily standing charges for gas and electricity in (a) North Wales and (b) Merseyside to at least the national average.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The regulation of standing charges is a matter for Ofgem. The cost of distributing electricity varies regionally, mirroring differences in distribution expenses across the country. These disparities stem from maintaining and upgrading distribution networks in specific areas and the number of consumers sharing these costs. Consequently, less densely populated and remote regions incur higher operational expenses.
Ofgem launched a call for input on standing charges, which closed in January 2024, looking at how they are applied to energy bills and what alternatives could be considered. I am supportive of Ofgem’s decision to gather information and evidence on the current standing charge model. Ofgem are currently assessing the responses received and will publish a decision in due course here: www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/launch-review-standing-charges-energy-bills.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 13068 on Energy: Standing Charges, whether her Department has had discussions with Ofgem on the equitability of daily standing charges for gas and electricity in (a) North Wales and (b) Merseyside.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I regularly meet with Ofgem to discuss the energy retail market, including standing charges. Ofgem’s recent Call for Input (CfI) on standing charges closed on January 19th 2024. Ofgem are considering the responses they received and are thinking about next steps.
Network charges vary by region to reflect the different costs of supplying consumers in each region. In 2015, Ofgem carried out an assessment of moving away from regional charging and the assessment showed that it would risk an increase in overall costs and reduce accountability to the customers being served.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available to adults with complex mental health needs.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Through the NHS Long Term plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment, and increasing the mental health workforce, to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services in England. Almost £16 billion was invested into mental health in 2022/23, enabling 3.6 million people to be in contact with mental health services.
As part of this, we’re set to reach nearly £1 billion of additional funding invested by 2023/24, to transform community mental health services. This is the largest area of investment within the NHS Long Term Plan for mental health, aiming to support more people with the care that is most appropriate for their needs, and that is integrated between primary and community mental health services. Over the last full financial year, 2022/23, 288,000 adults and older adults with severe mental illness were able to access mental health support through these new models.
The safety and care of mental health patients is of paramount importance. Those with complex mental health needs in an inpatient mental health facility deserve to receive safe, high-quality care, and to be treated with dignity and respect.
NHS England has established a Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme. This programme is working to support cultural change and a new model of care for the future, across all NHS-funded mental health, learning disability, and autism inpatient settings.
The ambition is to increasingly shift mental healthcare towards early intervention and prevention, with treatment primarily delivered in the community. This includes increasing the number of personalised care roles, such as peer support workers, with expansion focused on mental health services where need is greatest.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with NHS trusts in the Liverpool City Region on the adequacy of mental health provision for adults.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England is responsible for supporting integrated care boards (ICBs), National Health Service providers, and their local partners, in delivering their plans. The relevant NHS England regional team holds the primary relationship with ICBs and their partner NHS providers.
No such discussions have taken place within the last 12 months, between my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and NHS trusts in the Liverpool City Region, on the adequacy of mental health provision for adults. In June 2023 ministers met with ICBs to discuss the Right Care, Right Person policy, which included representation from the Liverpool city region.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her letter of 23 October 2023 to UK Research and Innovation on that organisation's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion board, whether her Department has paid a sum to Professor Kate Sang in relation to that letter.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the opening statement by the Secretary of State at the Lords Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee on 12 March 2024.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the online sale of dangerous weapons.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission have been referred to the Court of Appeal, in each year since the Criminal Cases Review Commission was established.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), funded by the Ministry of Justice, functions as an independent body, making decisions autonomously and without ministerial influence. Recognising the need to increase the size of its caseworker team and to carry out more outreach work with people who may need their services, the department has increased funding year on year of CCRC since 2020-21 with the budget for 2023-24 set at just under £8m.
In the period from 31/3/1997 to 30/11/2023, the CCRC completed a total of 30,082 reviews and they referred 829 cases to the appellate courts (Court of Appeal and Crown Court). A breakdown of CCRC data by year is provided in table 1.
The tracking of cases referred to the Court of Appeal based on a) new arguments, b) new evidence, and c) neither, has not been systematically recorded since the establishment of the CCRC in 1997. Case referrals are often a combination of both new evidence and other arguments, making it challenging for the CCRC to categorise cases exclusively into these specified criteria.
The number of referrals by the CCRC utilising the exceptional circumstances grounds outlined in section 13(2) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 has not been systematically documented for each year by the CCRC since its establishment. However, the CCRC are in the process of constructing a public archive for its referrals, and it is their intention to make this data available to the public in the future. It is important to note that a portion of their referrals involves cases classified as 'no appeal,' where applicants have not exhausted the standard appeal process before approaching the CCRC. In such instances, reliance on the exceptional circumstances provision in section 13(2) becomes necessary.
The CCRC receive a significant number of no appeal cases, reapplications and ineligible cases. The final column in table 1 shows the referral rate as a percentage of the cases which pass the ‘triage’ stage and are allocated to a Case Review Manager for investigation.
Table 1
Financial year | Referrals | Intake | All Cases closed | Review Cases closed | Referral rate all closed cases | Referral rate closed review cases only |
1997/98 | 11 | 1328 | CCRC system data not robust enough for reporting | |||
1998/99 | 31 | 1033 | ||||
1999/00 | 36 | 775 | ||||
2000/01 | 45 | 799 | ||||
2001/02 | 38 | 834 | ||||
2002/03 | 35 | 933 | ||||
2003/04 | 30 | 884 | ||||
2004/05 | 45 | 955 | ||||
2005/06 | 47 | 937 | ||||
2006/07 | 39 | 1051 | ||||
2007/08 | 27 | 984 | 1085 | 629 | 2.49% | 4.29% |
2008/09 | 39 | 919 | 942 | 535 | 4.14% | 7.29% |
2009/10 | 31 | 932 | 892 | 468 | 3.48% | 6.62% |
2010/11 | 22 | 933 | 947 | 533 | 2.32% | 4.13% |
2011/12 | 22 | 1040 | 878 | 469 | 2.51% | 4.69% |
2012/13 | 21 | 1625 | 1274 | 560 | 1.65% | 3.75% |
2013/14 | 31 | 1470 | 1131 | 404 | 2.74% | 7.67% |
2014/15 | 36 | 1599 | 1632 | 758 | 2.21% | 4.75% |
2015/16 | 33 | 1480 | 1797 | 1085 | 1.84% | 3.04% |
2016/17 | 12 | 1397 | 1563 | 918 | 0.77% | 1.31% |
2017/18 | 19 | 1439 | 1538 | 904 | 1.24% | 2.10% |
2018/19 | 13 | 1371 | 1449 | 773 | 0.90% | 1.68% |
2019/20 | 29 | 1334 | 1453 | 745 | 2.00% | 3.89% |
2020/21 | 70 | 1142 | 1109 | 566 | 6.31% | 12.37% |
2021/22 | 26 | 1198 | 1183 | 546 | 2.20% | 4.76% |
2022/23 | 25 | 1424 | 1275 | 573 | 1.96% | 4.36% |
2023/24 YTD | 16 | 1071 | 983 | 399 | 1.63% | 4.01% |
Work on the creation of the public archive is not complete, but the CCRC anticipate it to be approximately 125 referrals that have involved police misconduct. The CCRC do not have a breakdown on the split between corruption cases and other conduct issues, such as breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which governs the powers and procedures of the police in the investigation of criminal offenses.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many referrals by the Criminal Cases Review Commission have (a) solely and (b) in part utilised the exceptional circumstances grounds provided for in section 13 (2) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 in each year since the Criminal Cases Review Commission was established.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), funded by the Ministry of Justice, functions as an independent body, making decisions autonomously and without ministerial influence. Recognising the need to increase the size of its caseworker team and to carry out more outreach work with people who may need their services, the department has increased funding year on year of CCRC since 2020-21 with the budget for 2023-24 set at just under £8m.
In the period from 31/3/1997 to 30/11/2023, the CCRC completed a total of 30,082 reviews and they referred 829 cases to the appellate courts (Court of Appeal and Crown Court). A breakdown of CCRC data by year is provided in table 1.
The tracking of cases referred to the Court of Appeal based on a) new arguments, b) new evidence, and c) neither, has not been systematically recorded since the establishment of the CCRC in 1997. Case referrals are often a combination of both new evidence and other arguments, making it challenging for the CCRC to categorise cases exclusively into these specified criteria.
The number of referrals by the CCRC utilising the exceptional circumstances grounds outlined in section 13(2) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 has not been systematically documented for each year by the CCRC since its establishment. However, the CCRC are in the process of constructing a public archive for its referrals, and it is their intention to make this data available to the public in the future. It is important to note that a portion of their referrals involves cases classified as 'no appeal,' where applicants have not exhausted the standard appeal process before approaching the CCRC. In such instances, reliance on the exceptional circumstances provision in section 13(2) becomes necessary.
The CCRC receive a significant number of no appeal cases, reapplications and ineligible cases. The final column in table 1 shows the referral rate as a percentage of the cases which pass the ‘triage’ stage and are allocated to a Case Review Manager for investigation.
Table 1
Financial year | Referrals | Intake | All Cases closed | Review Cases closed | Referral rate all closed cases | Referral rate closed review cases only |
1997/98 | 11 | 1328 | CCRC system data not robust enough for reporting | |||
1998/99 | 31 | 1033 | ||||
1999/00 | 36 | 775 | ||||
2000/01 | 45 | 799 | ||||
2001/02 | 38 | 834 | ||||
2002/03 | 35 | 933 | ||||
2003/04 | 30 | 884 | ||||
2004/05 | 45 | 955 | ||||
2005/06 | 47 | 937 | ||||
2006/07 | 39 | 1051 | ||||
2007/08 | 27 | 984 | 1085 | 629 | 2.49% | 4.29% |
2008/09 | 39 | 919 | 942 | 535 | 4.14% | 7.29% |
2009/10 | 31 | 932 | 892 | 468 | 3.48% | 6.62% |
2010/11 | 22 | 933 | 947 | 533 | 2.32% | 4.13% |
2011/12 | 22 | 1040 | 878 | 469 | 2.51% | 4.69% |
2012/13 | 21 | 1625 | 1274 | 560 | 1.65% | 3.75% |
2013/14 | 31 | 1470 | 1131 | 404 | 2.74% | 7.67% |
2014/15 | 36 | 1599 | 1632 | 758 | 2.21% | 4.75% |
2015/16 | 33 | 1480 | 1797 | 1085 | 1.84% | 3.04% |
2016/17 | 12 | 1397 | 1563 | 918 | 0.77% | 1.31% |
2017/18 | 19 | 1439 | 1538 | 904 | 1.24% | 2.10% |
2018/19 | 13 | 1371 | 1449 | 773 | 0.90% | 1.68% |
2019/20 | 29 | 1334 | 1453 | 745 | 2.00% | 3.89% |
2020/21 | 70 | 1142 | 1109 | 566 | 6.31% | 12.37% |
2021/22 | 26 | 1198 | 1183 | 546 | 2.20% | 4.76% |
2022/23 | 25 | 1424 | 1275 | 573 | 1.96% | 4.36% |
2023/24 YTD | 16 | 1071 | 983 | 399 | 1.63% | 4.01% |
Work on the creation of the public archive is not complete, but the CCRC anticipate it to be approximately 125 referrals that have involved police misconduct. The CCRC do not have a breakdown on the split between corruption cases and other conduct issues, such as breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which governs the powers and procedures of the police in the investigation of criminal offenses.