Nov. 22 2023
Source Page: Lancashire devolution dealFound: Lancashire devolution deal
Nov. 22 2023
Source Page: Lancashire devolution dealFound: Lancashire devolution deal
May. 01 2024
Source Page: L29 8YA, The Lancashire Wildlife Trust Ltd: environmental permit application advertisement - EPR/LP3529SV/A001Found: L29 8YA, The Lancashire Wildlife Trust Ltd: environmental permit application advertisement - EPR/LP3529SV
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of drug offences in (a) Preston and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Reducing drug-related crime is a key priority of the Government’s 10-year drugs strategy.
We are making good progress. Since April 2022 we have closed over 2,500 county lines and delivered over 6,000 major and moderate organised crime group disruptions.
We are also investing £532m into drug treatment which reduces crime and reoffending. There are now 24,500 more people in treatment across England, including increases in Lancashire.
We are targeting treatment referrals at offenders. The percentage of prison leavers continuing treatment after release has also risen to a record high of 52% - an increase of 10% in the last 12 months.
We are working with the National Police Chiefs Council to increase police referrals into drug treatment, as well as expanding Drug Testing on Arrest to identify those who use drugs. This builds on £2.1 million funding to deliver Project ADDER – a co-ordinated approach across policing and treatment to crack down on supply and support people tackle their addiction – in 13 hard hit areas including Lancashire.
The government has asked every area in England to form a Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP) to work together to reduce drug-related harm and crime. Preston is covered by the Lancashire CDP, and the Government has supported the establishment of the Pan Lancashire Drugs and Alcohol Alliance, to help coordinate work across Lancashire’s three CDPs.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help connect rural communities in Lancashire to broadband.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to improving broadband coverage in rural areas, with gigabit broadband coverage delivered through the £5 billion Project Gigabit. Alternative connectivity solutions are being investigated for very hard to reach premises.
According to the independent website thinkbroadband.com, 98% of premises in Lancashire have access to a superfast broadband connection, while 88% of premises can access a gigabit-capable connection. To further extend gigabit-capable coverage, Lancashire is included in Project Gigabit’s cross regional framework tender, launched in July 2023. We expect to announce this contract in the summer.
Less than 1% of premises are unable to access a decent broadband connection of 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload and may be able to get an improved connection through the Broadband USO, which gives consumers the right to request a decent broadband connection if their current connection falls below these speeds.
Written Evidence Feb. 09 2024
Committee: Human Rights (Joint Committee)Found: CJB0004 - Criminal Justice Bill 2023 University of Central Lancashire, and University of Central Lancashire
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help ensure that anti-social behaviour is investigated in (a) Preston and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The investigation of anti-social behaviour in Lancashire is a matter for the Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire.
Last year the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.
The Plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes funding an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we worked with 10 police force areas, including Lancashire Constabulary which received £1,050,000. From April this has been extended to every police force in England and Wales and Lancashire will receive £ 1,713,512 for the hotspot programme tackling areas of high incidents of both ASB and serious violence.
Mar. 01 2024
Source Page: Dr M Tattersall v Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: [2024] EAT 24Found: Dr M Tattersall v Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: [2024] EAT 24
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of support for children with SEND in Lancashire.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Lancashire were last inspected under the previous Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) framework and were issued with a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) with 12 areas of significant weakness. Following their revisit inspection, published in August 2020, Lancashire were moved onto an Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) for five areas of significant weakness which were deemed to have not made sufficient progress. A department Case Lead, alongside a NHS England and a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) adviser, worked with the local authority and monitored their progress against the APP. After a series of reviews and data analysis, in 2021 the decision was taken that based on the evidence provided, that Lancashire had demonstrated clear and sustained progress against the areas highlighted in the accelerated progress plan.
As with all local areas, the department has continued to provide support and challenge to Lancashire through their regional case lead, who seeks regular assurance, through conversations with SEND leads, that they are sustaining the progress made. The department also analyses Lancashire’s position through the annual SEN2 data publication, assessing their data performance and using this information to shape discussions. This progress will be assessed in the next Ofsted and CQC inspection, with all local authorities due to be inspected by the end of 2027.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to (a) expand and (b) improve autism services in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Preston for (A) adults and (B) children.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services to support autistic people, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB advises that it is currently reviewing its all-age autism pathway, and is in the initial stages of completing consultations with system partners and stakeholders. The ICB is aiming to complete the review, and proposals for a future pathway for 2025/26, by the end of this calendar year. In addition to this work, the ICB is reviewing the service specifications in place for the keyworker team, specialist autism team, and forensic autism team with the local provider, to ensure that the commissioned offer reflects the current needs of their population.
Nationally, we are taking steps to improve autism services. NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services on 5 April 2023. These documents are intended to help the National Health Service improve autism assessment services, and improve the experience for adults and children who are going through an autism assessment. They also set out what support should be available before an assessment, and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism.
We are currently updating the Autism Act Statutory Guidance to support the NHS and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people. This will include setting out what NHS organisations and local authorities must and should be doing to support autistic people.