Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many places will be available on the Building Better Relationships programme for people (a) in custody and (b) on probation in 2024-25.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are unable to provide data on the number of people on probation who have been assessed as eligible for the Building Better Relationships programme (BBR) or who are waiting for a place on that programme as of 23 April 2024 without incurring disproportionate cost. We are also unable to provide the number of available places on the BBR programme for people on probation in 2024-25 without incurring disproportionate cost. This information is not collated and recorded centrally. Regions collect their own management information and waiting lists vary with average waiting times for BBR between one and five months. Each region manages their own accredited programme referrals and allocation of places is based on risk and order expiry date.
We are unable to provide data on the number of filled custodial places on the Building Better Relationships (BBR) programme in 2023-24 at this time as to do so would breach official statistics publication rules outlined in the Code of Practice for Statistics as they will form a subset of future published statistics. Data for 2023-2024 will be published in the Prison Education and Accredited Programme Statistics report on 26 September 2024.
There are 210 places available on the BBR programme for people in custody for 2024-25. This is subject to review related to changes in both the demand for different programmes, and the transition to new programmes being introduced in-year.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the 200 custodial places on the Building Better Relationships programme were filled in 2023-24.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are unable to provide data on the number of people on probation who have been assessed as eligible for the Building Better Relationships programme (BBR) or who are waiting for a place on that programme as of 23 April 2024 without incurring disproportionate cost. We are also unable to provide the number of available places on the BBR programme for people on probation in 2024-25 without incurring disproportionate cost. This information is not collated and recorded centrally. Regions collect their own management information and waiting lists vary with average waiting times for BBR between one and five months. Each region manages their own accredited programme referrals and allocation of places is based on risk and order expiry date.
We are unable to provide data on the number of filled custodial places on the Building Better Relationships (BBR) programme in 2023-24 at this time as to do so would breach official statistics publication rules outlined in the Code of Practice for Statistics as they will form a subset of future published statistics. Data for 2023-2024 will be published in the Prison Education and Accredited Programme Statistics report on 26 September 2024.
There are 210 places available on the BBR programme for people in custody for 2024-25. This is subject to review related to changes in both the demand for different programmes, and the transition to new programmes being introduced in-year.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights on the economy.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO has not made an assessment of this nature.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Euro NCAP about the criteria by which certificates are issued.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Euro NCAP does not issue certificates but provides motorists with objective information on the crash safety and driver assistance systems fitted to passenger cars. The 1-5 star rating system helps consumers compare the safety potential of different models, helping to include safety in their purchasing decision.
The testing protocols are reviewed periodically to reflect evolving technologies. As a member of Euro NCAP, the Department for Transport has a place on the Board of Directors, which meets three times per year and has a role in agreeing the strategic direction of the organisation and approving new protocols.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their policy for the NHS to refer to "people who have ovaries" rather than "women" and whether this phraseology has been market tested with women, including those for whom English is a second language, to ensure that it is fully understood.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is not Government policy for the National Health Service to refer to ‘people who have ovaries’ and this phraseology has not been market tested. We have been clear that biological sex matters and it is important to use language that recognises the separate health and biological needs of men and women.
For all sex-specific conditions, we expect the language used to put biological sex, for example “women”, front and centre, with biologically-relevant information relating to specific organs or hormones secondary.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about the financing of those in social care.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and officials in the Department have regular conversations with representatives of local government, including the Local Government Association and the Association for Directors of Adult Social Services, regarding the costs of meeting the needs of adults who draw on care and support. The Department regularly engages with local authorities, who are responsible for assessing eligibility for financial assistance as set out in the Care Act, to understand the impact charging policy has on individuals who draw on care. The Department also regularly engages with individual local authorities to better understand their financial plans for commissioning and delivering adult social care.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the long-term impact of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 on the provision of (a) healthcare, (b) transport and (c) other public services.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Strikes Act ensures there is a balance between the ability to strike and ensuring the public can continue to access essential services during strike action. Impact assessments have been published for the Act, as well as subsequent regulations, including for passenger rail, ambulance services, fire and rescue services and border security.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will support any proposal at UNECE’s Working Party 29 in June to re-establish the Informal Working Group on (vehicle headlight) glare.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK will consider any proposals at UNECE Working Party 29 on their merits based on a range of factors, including the availability and assessment of new independent evidence or justification. The UK government has committed to research headlamp glare to identify root causes and potential countermeasures, which may in due course support the establishment of a UNECE Informal Working Group to develop, amend and implement changes to the appropriate international regulations.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of high levels of pollutants in food produced near waste incinerators in Europe; and whether they have any plans to conduct similar assessments in the UK.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has not made any assessment of reports on this subject and does not plan to conduct any such assessments in England.
The impact on food produced in proximity to waste incinerators is considered as part of environmental permitting regulations. The EA is responsible for deciding whether new incinerators in England should get a permit to operate. For each permit application it receives, the EA uses the results of air quality modelling and a human health risk assessment (HHRA) to determine the impact of the proposed incinerator.
The HHRA assesses impacts on the food chain. Impact assessments are very conservative and permit decisions are based on worst-case scenario impacts.
The EA also consults the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on every permit application it receives and will not issue a permit if the proposed plant could cause significant pollution or harm to human health, including via the food chain.
The FSA is responsible for the management of public health risks in relation to food. In general, the FSA considers that if incinerator facilities are correctly operated and monitored, with the appropriate level of emissions abatement, there should be no impact on the local area in terms of elevated levels of contaminants in soil and locally produced food. Measures are in place to manage the risk from chemical contaminants and keep levels as low as reasonably achievable through good practices and regulatory controls.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of cars that have been sold in the past five years are fitted with headlights which, once dipped, cause dazzle to oncoming traffic; and what discussions they have had with Euro NCAP on that matter.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Prior to sale and registration all vehicle manufacturers must demonstrate that the mandatory dipped beam headlamps satisfy detailed technical requirements controlling aim and light emitted to minimise the occurrence of glare to oncoming traffic. In addition, the Government recently committed to carrying out independent research to assess the prevalence of headlamp glare and to identify root causes and potential countermeasures. EURO NCAP does not assess vehicle lighting and no associated discussions have taken place.