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Written Question
Wetlands
Friday 2nd February 2024

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to recommendation 4.10 in the Annex entitled Guidelines for the implementation of the wise use concept in the publication entitled Guidelines for development and implementing National Wetland Policies adopted by Resolution VII.6 of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, whether his Department plans to formulate a National Wetland Strategy.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK plays an active role to support and implement the conservation and wise use of wetlands through the Ramsar Convention. In England we are not currently planning to publish a separate National Wetland Strategy but have set out our plan to recover nature and restore our habitats and wetlands in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23), as well as our England Peat Action Plan. We are also meeting our commitments under the Ramsar Convention, as laid out in our Environmental Improvement Plan and the National Adaptation Plan, through establishing a UK Wetland Inventory - mapping our wetlands for the first time and supporting future action to protect these vital habitats.

We recognise that wetland restoration will be critical to protect the vast number of wetland species as well as providing critical nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaption. By 2030 we have domestically committed to halt the decline in species abundance and by 2042 we aim to reverse species decline; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats outside protected sites. Many wetlands are also Protected Sites, of which we have committed to restore 75% to favourable condition by 2042.

Alongside setting targets in other areas including water and air quality, we are taking targeted action to recover our wetlands. Our recently announced and government-supported Lost Wetlands Nature Recovery Project will reclaim, restore and rewet a mosaic of wetland habitats over 5,000ha in South Greater Manchester and North Cheshire, previously lost to industrialisation, urbanisation and agricultural intensification. Defra has also launched a 60,000-hectare Nature Recovery Project focusing on the Somerset Wetlands, with the 6,140-hectare super National Nature Reserve at its heart. These projects will enhance connectivity, species recovery and resilience to climate change.


Written Question
Horizon IT System: Compensation
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of the Post Office Horizon Scandal GLO compensation claimants are represented by lawyers who have not signed up to the tariff of reasonable legal costs.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

My Department has offered to meet the reasonable legal costs of postmasters applying to the GLO scheme in line with a tariff agreed with claimants’ legal representatives. I wrote to all GLO postmasters in December 2022 advising them not to engage any lawyer who asks them for payment, as this might mean their compensation would be reduced by legal costs which they could not recover. My Department’s understanding is that only one lawyer has been engaged on that basis, representing one or two out of 492 claimants in the GLO scheme.


Written Question
Midwives
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people entered the NHS midwifery workforce through (a) undergraduate training, (b) an apprenticeship, (c) a postgraduate conversion, (d) a return to midwifery programme and (e) international recruitment in the most recent period for which data are available; and if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of each such route on the size of the midwifery workforce in each of the (i) last and (ii) next five years.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England is currently considering the methodology for undertaking a proper assessment of the impact of the various supply routes into the midwifery workforce.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan published in 2023 sets out the need to grow midwifery education and training, in line with the conclusions of the Ockenden Review. We will increase midwifery training placements from a baseline of 3,778 places to 4,269 places, and that by 2028 we envisage that about 5% will be through apprenticeships. We envisage that trusts will meet establishment levels set by midwifery staffing tools and achieve fill rates by 2027/28. Recent investment in midwifery of 650 training places in 2019 and 1,000 in each of the following three years means we expect to see solid growth in midwives of between 1.8 and 1.9% per year over the course of the plan. These increases are being measured against the 2018/19 baseline of 2,715 starters on midwifery programmes. And in early 2022, a funding offer was agreed to support 300 places for adult nurses on the shortened midwifery programme.


Written Question
Midwives: Flexible Working
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of flexible working arrangements for midwives.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

‘We work flexibly’ is one of the elements contained in the NHS People Promise with a commitment to deliver for staff, including midwives by 2024/25.

NHS England has created and shared flexible working arrangement resources and delivered bespoke webinars and workshops on the issue. They have also brought together midwifery leaders from across the system to share good practice, foster collaboration and support the implementation of flexible working across maternity services.

In September 2021, contractual changes took effect for employees covered by the NHS Terms & Conditions of Service Handbook which includes the right to request flexible working from day one without the need to provide a justification.

However, no assessment of the adequacy of the availability of flexible working arrangements specifically for midwives has been made.


Written Question
Wetlands
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will support wetlands-focused research on barriers relating to (a) private finance for, (b) land use change affecting and (c) long-term management of wetland sites.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government has a goal of stimulating at least £500m per year of private investment into nature recovery in England by 2027, rising to at least £1bn per year by 2030. Defra is putting in place interventions to set the conditions for this to happen, including publishing a nature markets framework, partnering with the British Standards Institute on nature investment standards, stimulating a pipeline of investable nature projects (including multiple projects in wetland areas), and enabling public funding for nature to crowd-in private investment.

The Government is also supporting eight blue finance projects with around £750,000 of grants through the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund. This funding is being used to develop a pipeline of projects that can demonstrate viable private-sector investment models, ultimately working to restore important coastal and marine habitats such as saltmarsh. Four of the five Protected Site Strategy Research and Development Pilots involve pressures affecting wetlands, including long-term management and financing, while Natural England is additionally progressing two projects on peatland National Nature Reserves on selling carbon using the Peatland Code.

Defra already supports a range of research projects relating to wetlands, including a recent collaboration with the British Trust for Ornithology modelling the impacts of different land use change scenarios on a range of wetland species. We also fund the Wetlands Bird Survey through grant in aid via JNCC. Through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, UK Administrations are working with DESNZ and Defra to address key research questions relating to blue carbon habitats.

Internationally, we provide regular financial and in-kind support to the Ramsar Wetlands Convention to promote the protection and wise use of wetlands.


Written Question
Wetlands
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to celebrate World Wetlands Day.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Yes, my Department will be marking World Wetlands Day, including through a variety of communications and engagement activities. Wetlands play a crucial role in sustaining life globally - they benefit water, food, livelihoods, climate, cultural pursuits, and biodiversity – and this day marks an opportunity to promote these benefits.

This year’s World Wetlands Day theme is ‘Wetland and human wellbeing’, reflecting that Wetlands positively impact mental wellbeing by promoting mindfulness and emotional balance through the connection to nature they provide and offer recreational opportunities, contributing to stress management and relaxation.


Written Question
Chemicals: Regulation
Thursday 30th November 2023

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how often the Health and Safety Executive reviews and updates the UK REACH Candidate List of substances of very high concern for authorisation; and what estimate he has made of when the next update of that list will be published.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Although the Health and Safety Executive annually reviews substances for potential inclusion in the UK REACH Candidate List of substances of very high concern for authorisation, it is not anticipating an update to the list before 2025.


Written Question
Antisocial Behaviour
Monday 27th November 2023

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

In March, the Government launched the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, backed by £160m of funding overseen by the ASB taskforce. This includes funding Police and Crime Commissioners to increase patrolling in ASB hotspot areas and to run immediate justice schemes.

In July we launched Round 5 of the Safer Streets Fund funding PCCs to deliver ASB and crime prevention measures.


Written Question
Employment: Childcare
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of parents who have been unable to return to the workforce due to being unable to access school-aged childcare.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department understands that parents may struggle to return to work or may work fewer hours when their children are of school age. A key barrier is the availability of school-age wraparound childcare. In 2022, 43% of non-working mothers with children aged 5 to14 said that if they could arrange good quality childcare that was convenient, reliable and affordable, they would prefer to go out to work.

The availability of wraparound childcare differs across schools and local authorities. In March 2023, only 60% of primary schools reported to currently offer childcare at both ends of the day. This means that although there is some excellent provision, whether delivered by schools or providers, not all families are receiving the support that they need to enable them to work.

For this reason, the government is investing £289 million in a new wraparound childcare programme to support local authorities to work with primary schools and private providers to set up and deliver more wraparound childcare before and after school in the term time. This is the first step in the government’s ambition for all parents of primary school children who need it to access childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm. Successfully meeting this objective will go some way to ensuring that parents have enough childcare to work full time, more hours and more flexible hours.

Eligible working parents can continue to access support with childcare costs when their children are of school age: through Tax Free Childcare, worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged up to 11, or £4,000 per year for children aged up to 17 with disabilities, and the childcare element of Universal Credit for children up to age 16.


Written Question
Childcare: Finance
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Siobhan Baillie (Conservative - Stroud)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 55 of the Spring Budget 2023, what the planned timescales are for spending the £289 million in start-up funding for childcare; and how much and what proportion of that funding will be allocated to childcare school-aged children.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a transformative set of childcare reforms. This included the largest ever investment in childcare including expansions of early years entitlements and wraparound childcare.

The department is investing £289 million in a new wraparound childcare programme to support local authorities to work with primary schools and providers, including childminders, to set up and deliver more wraparound childcare before and after school in the term time. The department’s ambition is for all parents of primary school children who need it to access childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm.

Parents should expect to see an expansion in the availability of wraparound care from September 2024, with every parent who needs it able to access term-time wraparound childcare by September 2026. Programme funding allocations will be announced at the necessary points to support local authorities and schools to meet these timescales.