Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support Government has provided (a) before, (b) during and (c) after flooding instances in (i) Somerset and (ii) the South West.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in building, maintaining and repairing flood defences, better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.
Defra works with National Resilience, part of the Home Office, to maintain the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of over 100 teams from the Fire and Rescue Service and voluntary organisations with boats and other assets and who are available for national deployment in England, through Local Resilience Forum (LRF) coordination
Government recovery support after flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. The recent flooding impact did not trigger the Flood Recovery Framework or Property Flood Resilience Grant. For context, the framework was activated after storms Babet (October 2023) and Henk (January 2024), affecting over 8,500 homes and businesses.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a national capability for flood rescue (a) led by Fire and Rescue Authorities and (b) underpinned by a statutory duty.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Defra is the lead government department for flooding in England, they hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.
This is coordinated through the National Resilience Assurance Team, for which Merseyside FRS are the lead authority. The National Asset Register holds assets from the Fire and Rescue Service and Non-Government Organisations who are assured to the standards set out in the Flood Rescue Concept of Operations.
Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their general powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework.
The Home Office is undertaking further work alongside Defra, the National Fire Chiefs Council and other relevant stakeholders to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the Fire and Rescue Services flooding response and resilience system.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a national register of community assets as a measure to safeguard against the inappropriate sale or disposal of such assets by local councils.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
The department already has mechanisms in place to help with the safeguarding of local assets. A public or privately owned asset can be nominated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) if its principal use furthers the community’s social well-being. When a listed asset comes to be sold, a moratorium on the sale (of up to six months) may be invoked, providing local community groups with a better chance to raise finance, develop a business and bid to buy the asset on the open market.
The decision of whether an ACV nomination meets the statutory test set out in the Localism Act 2011 is a decision for the local authority and they must publish a list of their decisions. The Government does not hold a central list of this information or become involved in local decisions, as it is appropriate these issues are dealt with at a local level and local authorities are accountable to local people for the decisions they take.
Local groups can also apply to the £150 million Community Ownership Fund to protect treasured local assets which make the biggest difference to their community. We have already invested £103.2 million to support 333 projects across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide a complete list of (1) data sets, and (2) projects which are currently active within the Office for National Statistics Integrated Data Service.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Clement-Jones
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
24 January 2024
Dear Lord Clement-Jones
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking if we will provide a complete list of (1) data sets, and (2) projects which are currently active within the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Integrated Data Service (IDS) (HL1623).
The IDS currently has 92 datasets ingested into the service. These datasets are available to accredited analysts and researchers from both the government’s analytical function and the wider research communities.
In terms of analysis taking place within the service, there are currently 15 live analytical projects within the IDS. While this is the number of live projects, there are other analysis proposals at a conceptual or approvals stage that will support policy development.
Future information on analyses and data will be made available in due course to ensure continued transparency of data and analysis within the IDS, in line with other Trusted Research Environments, such as the ONS’s Secure Research Service.
To ensure full transparency, a complete list of data sets and projects are listed in Annex A and Annex B respectively.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Annex A:
A complete list of datasets which are currently within the Integrated Data Service.
Data Set Name |
Valuation Office Agency (VOA) |
Pluto Business to Business Matrix |
Energy Performance Certificate |
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) |
Standard Industrial Classification/Standard Occupational Classification (SIC/SOC) References |
Annual Population Survey |
Business Register Employment Survey |
ONS Births |
ONS Deaths |
GP Registration aggregate count |
Aggregate Age/Sex counts for mid-year pop stats |
Aggregate Age/Sex count for mid-year internal migration |
Aggregate Age/Sex counts for UK regular Forces and Gurkhas |
Aggregate Age/Sex counts for by prison, age and sex |
Personal Demographics Services – Flag 4 National monthly July 2022 |
Statistical Population Dataset v4.1 |
Long Term International Passenger Survey (IPS) |
Dynamic Population Model (DPM) International Emigration monthly |
International Immigration monthly |
Integrated Data Asset – Energy Performance Certificates |
Integrated Data Asset – Ordnance Survey Private Outside Space |
Integrated Data Asset – Land Registry Price Paid |
Geographical Look ups |
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) Attribute Data |
Population Statistics; Synthetic |
Regions (December 2019) England Boundaries Generalised Clipped (BGC) |
Census 2021 – MVP |
Labour Force Survey UK – People |
Labour Force Survey UK – Household |
Labour Force Survey UK – Longitudinal |
Business Enterprise R&D (BERD) |
Business Structure Database (BSD) |
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)-Census 2011 |
Update to Births |
Update to Deaths |
Redelivery of Census 2021 (extra variables) |
Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) |
General Practitioner Episodes Statistics (GPES) |
Census 2021 linked to Labour Force Survey (LFS) |
ONS Mortality |
Indices of Depravation |
Mid-Year Population Estimates |
Small Area Population Estimates |
Business Register Employment Survey (BRES Un indexed) |
Census 2011 Origin Destination EW |
ONS Geography Boundary Products |
ONS Geography Products |
Aggregated Workplace Zone Geography |
Census 2011 Output Tables |
Census 2011 Output Tables Long |
England Wales Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Lookup |
National Travel Survey Data |
Census 2021 Output Tables |
Census 2021 Output Tables Long |
OpenStreet Map Data |
DfT Origin Destination Pairs |
Bus Timetable Data |
Journey Times to Key Services |
Trip End Model Program |
International Passenger Survey (IPS) |
(Nomis – Claimant accounts |
Nomis – Jobseeker allowances |
Nomis – Population estimates |
Nomis – Annual Business Inquiry |
Nomis – Business Register Employment Survey (BRES) |
UK Small Area gross value added (GVA) estimates |
Police Crime Data |
Synthesizing Census Data |
Business Enterprise Research and Development - Great Britain |
Monthly Business Survey - UK |
International Trade in Services - UK |
Annual Foreign Direct Investment Survey - UK |
Annual Purchases Survey - UK |
Quarterly Capital Expenditure Survey - UK |
E-commerce Survey - UK |
UK Manufacturers’ Sales by Product Survey |
COVID-19 Vaccine Opinions Survey - England |
Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy Survey - UK |
Census 1991 Individual - Great Britain |
Census 2001 Individual - UK |
Effects of Tax and Benefits - UK |
Foreign Direct Investment - UK |
Mergers & Acquisitions Survey - UK |
Public Health Research Database |
General Lifestyle Survey – Great Britain |
Monthly Business Survey for Construction and Allied Trades GB |
Labour Force Survey Longitudinal, Household & Personal - UK |
Business Register Employment Survey (BRES – Indexed against Business Index only) |
Annual Acquisition and Disposals of Capital Assets Survey - UK |
Census 1991 Household - Great Britain |
Annual Survey of Goods and Services - UK |
Census 2001 Household - UK |
Annex B
A complete list of projects which are currently active within the Integrated Data Service.
Project Title |
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) - ONS/HMT levelling up |
Testing Bayesian methods for Demographic Accounting |
Exploring Census 2021 Data to identify specific industry sectors or economic activity groups that require further analysis |
Describing the interaction of climate and health in global official statistics. |
Evaluating placed based programmes (DLUHC / ONS project) |
Count of usual resident stratified by sex, age, ethnic group and deprivation for various geographies in England |
Energy Efficiency of Housing |
Exploring the health drivers of economic inactivity |
Intermediate Consumption |
Producing estimates of school aged children, by Local Authority, and pupil characteristics |
Mobility and Geospatial Programme |
Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities Subnational Expenditure by Local Authority District |
Synthesizing the Census for and in the IDS |
Differences between Census 2021 and ONS household surveys in relation to the estimates of Welsh language ability |
XGOV Levelling-up analysis |
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to developing a publicly accessible database on the UK’s subsurface to optimise understanding of it.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The subsurface enables a wide range of essential services that underpin our economy and society. The Government continues to invest to develop our understanding of the subsurface, for example:
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support culturally-significant markets in (a) Romford and (b) England.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Heritage has a vital role to play in levelling up, and can act as a powerful catalyst for increasing opportunities and prosperity. Connecting people with their local heritage can help strengthen a sense of civic pride, identity, and ownership.
Romford Market Square, High Street and North Street is designated as a conservation area and included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, meaning that Historic England offers public funding for the repair and conservation of the asset at risk. It focuses its grants on those sites which are most in need of repair and which, without additional investment, would be at risk of deterioration.
His Majesty’s Government is taking action in towns across England to protect culturally significant marketplaces. Historic England is delivering funding to markets across England through its £95 million High Street Heritage Action Zones programme. Towns such as Redruth, Skipton, Gosport and Newport are receiving funding to repair and restore their historic markets as part of a wider programme of regeneration of their high streets.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund also supports a number of heritage projects relating to markets and their history in England. Since 1994, millions of pounds of National Lottery Heritage Fund investment has been awarded to support projects to improve the condition of England’s historic markets and to share their history with local residents and visitors alike.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Historic England register Heritage at Risk, published on 9 November, what steps they are taking to support, repair and maintain new entries on that register.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Once a new entry is added to the Heritage at Risk Register, Historic England offers public funding for the repair and conservation of the asset at risk. It focuses its grants on those sites which are most in need of repair and which, without additional investment, would be at risk of deterioration. The National Lottery Heritage Fund will also factor the Heritage at Risk Register into its assessments of applications for its National Lottery Grants for Heritage. The work supported by such funding results in assets at risk being taken off the register – including, this year, ecclesiastical heritage sites such as Sheerness Dockyard Church, Sheffield General Cemetery, and St. John The Evangelist, Rutland.
Historic England offers grants to enable churches to employ support officers, who work locally to help those responsible for places of worship which are at risk to plan repairs, manage projects, and fundraise. Since 2008, more than 40 posts have been funded through this programme.
Historic England also works with other bodies which award grants to help avert harm to our heritage, advising them on where to focus their resources so that they have the greatest impact for historic places and the people that benefit from them. Partnerships with owners, organisations, local authorities, and community groups are vital in making these projects successful.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 developing Bootham Park Hospital for use as housing for refugees.
Answered by Will Quince
The combined holding costs to NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and the local health system for the former Bootham Park Hospital site from 2017 to date have totalled £2,636,808. These costs are for the entire site, part of which remains in occupancy, and includes security, utilities, site and waste management.
The former Bootham Park Hospital was declared surplus to healthcare requirements by the then local Clinical Commissioning Group in 2016 and the site was vacated by the National Health Service, with the exception of the separate chapel building, in late 2017. The property was subsequently occupied by the NHSPS facilities management team, with the majority of the main building mothballed, and was then prepared for marketing and sale by NHSPS to release the health system from the considerable ongoing costs of managing this property, which is classified as a heritage asset.
NHSPS’s current assessment is that the costs of returning the property to any form of operational healthcare use would be very significant given the current estimate for backlog maintenance and operating costs.
An initial proposed sale did not proceed, and the site was remarketed with the new prospective purchaser developing a scheme and obtaining planning permission for a 172-unit retirement village, which was approved by City of York Council in February 2023. As it is a heritage asset, this matter is now referred to the Secretary of State for the Department of Housing, Levelling Up and Communities to consider, on which a decision is expected shortly, and this will establish beneficial planning consents. Recently, NHSPS has been informed that the prospective site purchaser has withdrawn from the sale contract and the site will therefore shortly be remarketed.
Whilst the former Bootham Park Hospital has been declared surplus to healthcare requirements, if other public sector bodies wish to facilitate the delivery of alternative public services from the building, they would be able to register their interest and make an offer. This will be assessed by NHSPS through the process for sale of surplus assets in accordance with requirements set out in HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money and Disposal of Heritage Assets.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to make the building at Bootham Park Hospital available for use by public services.
Answered by Will Quince
The combined holding costs to NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and the local health system for the former Bootham Park Hospital site from 2017 to date have totalled £2,636,808. These costs are for the entire site, part of which remains in occupancy, and includes security, utilities, site and waste management.
The former Bootham Park Hospital was declared surplus to healthcare requirements by the then local Clinical Commissioning Group in 2016 and the site was vacated by the National Health Service, with the exception of the separate chapel building, in late 2017. The property was subsequently occupied by the NHSPS facilities management team, with the majority of the main building mothballed, and was then prepared for marketing and sale by NHSPS to release the health system from the considerable ongoing costs of managing this property, which is classified as a heritage asset.
NHSPS’s current assessment is that the costs of returning the property to any form of operational healthcare use would be very significant given the current estimate for backlog maintenance and operating costs.
An initial proposed sale did not proceed, and the site was remarketed with the new prospective purchaser developing a scheme and obtaining planning permission for a 172-unit retirement village, which was approved by City of York Council in February 2023. As it is a heritage asset, this matter is now referred to the Secretary of State for the Department of Housing, Levelling Up and Communities to consider, on which a decision is expected shortly, and this will establish beneficial planning consents. Recently, NHSPS has been informed that the prospective site purchaser has withdrawn from the sale contract and the site will therefore shortly be remarketed.
Whilst the former Bootham Park Hospital has been declared surplus to healthcare requirements, if other public sector bodies wish to facilitate the delivery of alternative public services from the building, they would be able to register their interest and make an offer. This will be assessed by NHSPS through the process for sale of surplus assets in accordance with requirements set out in HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money and Disposal of Heritage Assets.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with NHS Property Services on the future use of Bootham Park Hospital.
Answered by Will Quince
The combined holding costs to NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and the local health system for the former Bootham Park Hospital site from 2017 to date have totalled £2,636,808. These costs are for the entire site, part of which remains in occupancy, and includes security, utilities, site and waste management.
The former Bootham Park Hospital was declared surplus to healthcare requirements by the then local Clinical Commissioning Group in 2016 and the site was vacated by the National Health Service, with the exception of the separate chapel building, in late 2017. The property was subsequently occupied by the NHSPS facilities management team, with the majority of the main building mothballed, and was then prepared for marketing and sale by NHSPS to release the health system from the considerable ongoing costs of managing this property, which is classified as a heritage asset.
NHSPS’s current assessment is that the costs of returning the property to any form of operational healthcare use would be very significant given the current estimate for backlog maintenance and operating costs.
An initial proposed sale did not proceed, and the site was remarketed with the new prospective purchaser developing a scheme and obtaining planning permission for a 172-unit retirement village, which was approved by City of York Council in February 2023. As it is a heritage asset, this matter is now referred to the Secretary of State for the Department of Housing, Levelling Up and Communities to consider, on which a decision is expected shortly, and this will establish beneficial planning consents. Recently, NHSPS has been informed that the prospective site purchaser has withdrawn from the sale contract and the site will therefore shortly be remarketed.
Whilst the former Bootham Park Hospital has been declared surplus to healthcare requirements, if other public sector bodies wish to facilitate the delivery of alternative public services from the building, they would be able to register their interest and make an offer. This will be assessed by NHSPS through the process for sale of surplus assets in accordance with requirements set out in HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money and Disposal of Heritage Assets.