Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support community energy schemes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government’s approach to community energy is set out in the Net Zero Strategy. This includes running the Community Energy Contact Group to provide a dedicated forum to discuss the role that community energy can play in the delivery of net zero with the sector. The approach also includes support for community energy projects from Ofgem, which welcomes applications from the sector to the Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme. The Government is also supporting local authorities and community energy groups to work together to develop projects within UK Growth Funding schemes.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department provides information to patients following a (a) stroke or (b) heart attack on the symptoms of vascular dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not provide information to patients following a stroke or heart attack on the symptoms of vascular dementia. Local services in the National Health Service are responsible for providing information to patients following a stroke or heart attack on ways to reduce their risk of vascular dementia.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information the NHS provides to patients following a (a) stroke and (b) heart attack on the symptoms of vascular dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local services in the National Health Service are responsible for providing information to patients following a stroke or heart attack on ways to reduce their risk of vascular dementia.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the safeguarding adult review report by Allison Sandiford entitled Safeguarding Adult Review: Overview Report: ‘Jessica’, published on 4 April 2023.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide funding for a network of early support hubs for the provision of mental health support for young people in the forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Further policy detail will be set out in the Major Conditions Strategy Interim Report, later this year. The Government is aware of Early Support Hubs and is working with the sector to understand their role in supporting children and young people but there are currently plans to create a network of hubs across the country. There are currently around 60 hubs in England that feature early intervention and prevention services. They are locally designed and funded and often provide several different services, for example, sexual health clinics or careers advice. Integrated care boards and local authorities work with local partners to understand local needs and commission services on that basis.
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, an additional 345,000 children and young people will 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 are making good progress on expanding access year on year. The number of children and young people aged under 18 supported through National Health Service funded mental health with at least one contact with services was 689,621 in the year up to July 2022 compared to 618,537 in the year up to July 2021.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a commissioner for older people and ageing.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We have no current plans to make a specific assessment.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Local Housing Allowance to cover at least the cheapest third of rents in Hastings and Rye constituency.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum amount of housing support for those renting in the private rented sector. LHA is not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
When considering LHA, the Government recognises the importance of providing support for the most vulnerable in society whilst balancing fairness to the taxpayer.
LHA rates are being maintained are their current levels for 2023/24.
The 30th percentile of local rents calculated for the Sussex East Broad Rental Market Area (BRMA) (which covers Hastings and Rye) for the period October 2021 to September 2022 are:
30th percentile rental data
SAR | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
£82.10 | £132.33 | £172.60 | £218.63 | £276.16 |
The 30th percentile presents the closest available data to the lowest third of rents.
Current LHA rates for Sussex East BRMA
SAR | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
£74.79 | £115.07 | £149.59 | £195.62 | £230.14 |
NB - The figures in the tables represent weekly amounts
The difference in the tables would not always be received in full in a benefit award calculation due to varying household circumstances such as income levels.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, if she will take steps with relevant stakeholders to introduce an apprenticeship for roles such as teachers of the deaf before 2025 to help increase the numbers available to teach deaf children and young people.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
As stated in the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published 2 March 2023, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) are developing an apprenticeship for teachers of sensory impairment. They are working with universities, local authorities and sector representatives, including the National Deaf Children’s Society, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People to develop the qualification. Subject to approval by IfATE, the apprenticeship will be published this year, but the department does not currently expect it to be delivered until 2025; allowing for providers to prepare the courses for delivery.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the provision of technical education and skills in coastal towns; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up across the country, including in coastal areas.
This includes more investment for apprenticeships and employers in coastal communities can access funding for apprenticeships to meet their skills needs.
We have also launched T Levels, which are world-class programmes developed with over 250 leading employers to the same quality standards as apprenticeships and will ensure more young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers. T Levels are already being delivered across the country, including in coastal areas such as Scarborough, Blackpool, Hastings, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Skills Bootcamps are available online across the country, with training also being delivered in many coastal towns including South Shields (construction, engineering, green skills), North Shields (engineering, green skills), Hartlepool (creative industries), Poole (HGV driving), and Weston-Super-Mare (digital).
The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualifications for free. There are over 400 qualifications on offer in areas such as engineering, social care and accounting, alongside many others, which are delivered in all of England’s coastal areas, for example Bournemouth and Poole College and Weston College.
The government is also in the process of rolling out employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), together with supporting funding, which will help deliver a key aim of putting employers more firmly at the heart of the skills system. The policy builds on the experience from eight trailblazers, including Cumbria, Kent, Sussex, Tees Valley and West of England, which have coastal towns economies. Developing and delivering a LSIP will be a collaborative process and the expectation is that the plans will provide an agreed set of actionable local skills priorities that employers, providers, and stakeholders in an area can get behind to drive change. By ensuring skills training is more responsive to the needs of employers and local economies, people will more easily be able to develop the skills they need to get good jobs and increase prospects.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when her Department will publish the 10 year cancer plan.
Answered by Will Quince
On 7 September, the Government confirmed our commitment to publishing a 10 year cancer plan. The plan will be in line with other Government strategies and is being developed following the call for evidence held earlier this year, which received 5,000 responses. Further details will be announced shortly.