Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the (a) reliability and (b) longevity of back-up Voice over Internet Protocol phone batteries for vulnerable people; how many (i) telephone exchanges and (ii) mobile telephone masts have back-up generators; and if he will take steps to ensure that (A) the 999 service and (B) other critical infrastructure in Cornwall remains telecommunication operational at all times.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 18 November, the Department published guidance which defines the groups of vulnerable people to whom Communication Providers must provide extra support as they are migrated from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony.
The Department also published a checklist of actions that telecoms companies should take before migrating customers to VoIP without their active consent. One of the actions stipulated in the checklist is for telecoms companies to provide resilience solutions that go beyond Ofcom’s regulatory minimum of 1 hour of continued, uninterrupted access to emergency services during power outages for users that depend on their landline.
The Department does not record the number of telephone exchanges and mobile telephone masts with back-up generators in the UK. However, the Communications Act 2003, mandates public telecom providers to take measures to protect the security and resilience of their networks, including critical infrastructure and access to 999. The sector does this by having backup generators in phone exchanges and allowing all 999 calls from mobiles to switch to another network if needed. Ofcom sets, monitors, and enforces these regulations. The Department is working together with Ofcom and other key stakeholders to enhance the power resilience of telecommunications across the UK.
Asked by: Torsten Bell (Labour - Swansea West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the remedial work on buildings with (a) faulty cladding systems and (b) defects in compartmentalisation (i) includes independent verification of the (A) suitability and (B) longevity of the solutions and (ii) is otherwise effectively quality assured.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
The Government is committed to ensuring that historic, life-critical fire safety defects in affected buildings are addressed. Our remediation programmes have processes in place to ensure that work is done to the appropriate standard and is remedied if not.
While the specific controls and assurances of remediation programmes differ, both developers and applicants to government remediation funds must provide a Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Walls (FRAEW), which will assess risks and recommend remedial works to address these risks where necessary. These are carried out by independent Fire Risk Assessors and robust processes are in place to assess the FRAEWs submitted.
All remedial works must also obtain Building Control approval which provides independent assurance that the works comply with Building Regulations.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in Enfield North constituency.
Answered by Damian Hinds
There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England and the vast majority are unaffected by RAAC. Around 1% have confirmed RAAC in some areas of their buildings. There are two schools with confirmed RAAC in the constituency of Enfield North: Ark John Keats Academy and St Ignatius College.
The department is supporting its schools and colleges to keep any disruption to education to an absolute minimum. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of caseworkers. Each case is unique and schools and colleges are being supported to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. All schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils.
The government has confirmed to schools and colleges, including those in Enfield North, how it will fund them to remove RAAC permanently, either through grants or through the school rebuilding programme (SRP). The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
Schools joining the SRP are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of the temporary accommodation they are using. The department has committed to responsible bodies that it will confirm when works are expected to start by the end of the summer term.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department is working with responsible bodies to support them to agree the scope of works they are procuring. In some cases, this may involve undertaking technical assessments to inform the design of building works and in other cases the removal or RAAC is already underway and will be completed in the coming months.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for completing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) remedial works in schools in Enfield North constituency.
Answered by Damian Hinds
There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England and the vast majority are unaffected by RAAC. Around 1% have confirmed RAAC in some areas of their buildings. There are two schools with confirmed RAAC in the constituency of Enfield North: Ark John Keats Academy and St Ignatius College.
The department is supporting its schools and colleges to keep any disruption to education to an absolute minimum. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of caseworkers. Each case is unique and schools and colleges are being supported to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. All schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils.
The government has confirmed to schools and colleges, including those in Enfield North, how it will fund them to remove RAAC permanently, either through grants or through the school rebuilding programme (SRP). The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
Schools joining the SRP are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of the temporary accommodation they are using. The department has committed to responsible bodies that it will confirm when works are expected to start by the end of the summer term.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department is working with responsible bodies to support them to agree the scope of works they are procuring. In some cases, this may involve undertaking technical assessments to inform the design of building works and in other cases the removal or RAAC is already underway and will be completed in the coming months.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in Enfield North constituency.
Answered by Damian Hinds
There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England and the vast majority are unaffected by RAAC. Around 1% have confirmed RAAC in some areas of their buildings. There are two schools with confirmed RAAC in the constituency of Enfield North: Ark John Keats Academy and St Ignatius College.
The department is supporting its schools and colleges to keep any disruption to education to an absolute minimum. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of caseworkers. Each case is unique and schools and colleges are being supported to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. All schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils.
The government has confirmed to schools and colleges, including those in Enfield North, how it will fund them to remove RAAC permanently, either through grants or through the school rebuilding programme (SRP). The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
Schools joining the SRP are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of the temporary accommodation they are using. The department has committed to responsible bodies that it will confirm when works are expected to start by the end of the summer term.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department is working with responsible bodies to support them to agree the scope of works they are procuring. In some cases, this may involve undertaking technical assessments to inform the design of building works and in other cases the removal or RAAC is already underway and will be completed in the coming months.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of new scientific discoveries in the field of longevity and radical life extension in order to better public health; and whether they have a strategy to promote longevity science.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We continue to monitor new research that shows promise for improving the health of the public. The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR's strategy, Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter, highlights the need to fund research which responds to demographic pressures, including an ageing population. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ageing.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete have had remedial work completed in the last 12 months.
Answered by Damian Hinds
A list of education settings with confirmed RAAC and the funding route to remove RAAC was published on 8 February. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information.
The government is funding the removal of RAAC either through grants, or through the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP). The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.
Schools joining the SRP will be prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The department will also take into account the suitability and longevity of the temporary accommodation they are using. The department has committed to responsible bodies that it will confirm when works are expected to start by the end of the summer term.
For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department is working with responsible bodies to support them to agree the scope of works they are procuring. In some cases, this may involve undertaking technical assessments to inform the design of building works and in other cases the removal of RAAC is already underway and will be completed in the coming months.
Asked by: Lord Morrow (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their announcement of the proposed ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, what is their reason for not proposing a threshold of longevity for recognition of a cultural practice.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government has taken on board guidance from UNESCO which defines Intangible Cultural Heritage as ‘traditional, contemporary, and living at the same time’. In line with this, we want to ensure that newer practices of Intangible Cultural Heritage can be recognised as well as more long-standing ones.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to complete its review of the police funding formula before the end of this Parliamentary session.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government is clear on the need to review the distribution of funding across forces in England and Wales, which is why we are undertaking a review of the formula. We have engaged closely with the policing sector on an evidence-based assessment of policing demand and the relative impact of local factors on forces, and this work remains ongoing.
Our priority is to deliver a robust, future-proofed funding formula that allocates funding in a fair and transparent manner. Although we are working to introduce new funding arrangements as soon as feasible, their quality and longevity is our focus.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of maintenance per mile on (a) motorways, (b) the strategic road network and (c) the local road network in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The plans for maintaining and renewing the Strategic Road Network (SRN) are set as part of a five-year Road Investment Strategy and are aimed at sustaining the availability, safety, performance, operation, reliability, and longevity of the SRN’s physical assets to deliver value to road users.
National Highways are responsible for the management of the Strategic Road Network which includes motorways and some major A roads, and their expenditure on Maintenance and Renewals is published online in its annual report and accounts:
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/media/0k1mwvsp/nh_ar23_interactive.pdf.
This reflects that in the financial year 2022/23 National Highways spent £240 million on maintenance of the SRN and £908 million on renewals (replacement or refurbishment of assets as they reach the end of their service life).
The Annual Report and Accounts also outlines that NH oversees 4,541 miles of road across its network. On average more is spent on maintaining each mile of the SRN compared to each mile of the local road network, which reflects the considerably higher traffic volumes carried.
On the local road network, local authority expenditure data is collected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Total expenditure data is only available up until 2021/22, where total maintenance expenditure for local authority roads was £4.168 billion.