Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the (a) reasons for which they have appointed and (b) cost of appointing an international development Minister.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I have had no discussions with the Scottish Government in regards to the appointment of an international development Minister. Under the devolution settlement, Ministerial appointments, including pay, are a matter for the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with local authorities on ensuring that residents do not live on estates without completed works of estate adoption.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Respecting the established framework of devolution of powers and responsibilities to local government it is mainly for developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate managing and funding arrangements for developments with common areas or shared services. The Government is also closely examining the findings of the Competition and Market Authority report that was published on 26 February.
Simultaneously, the Government is making estate management companies more accountable to existing homeowners for how their money is spent. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will make sure that existing homeowners who pay estate management charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager to manage the provision of services. On freehold estates reform more generally, we understand the strength of feeling on this issue and we are considering it further.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total amount of (1) resource expenditure, and (2) capital expenditure, repurposed from previously allocated funding to form part of the package of overall funding offered to restore devolution in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK Government is providing the Northern Ireland Executive with a comprehensive £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise public services, better manage public finances and pave the way for transformation of public services.
Within this package, as set out by the UK Government last month, we are providing the Northern Ireland Executive with £708 million to support public services over five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29. This is comprised of £85 million new funding and removing the ring-fence on £623 million of existing Northern Ireland funding streams.
As the £623 million being un-ringfenced is from unallocated Northern Ireland funding streams, none of the Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant has been repurposed as part of the UK Government’s financial package.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what areas of previously allocated expenditure within the Northern Ireland Block Grant were repurposed to form part of the package for restored devolution in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK Government is providing the Northern Ireland Executive with a comprehensive £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise public services, better manage public finances and pave the way for transformation of public services.
Within this package, as set out by the UK Government last month, we are providing the Northern Ireland Executive with £708 million to support public services over five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29. This is comprised of £85 million new funding and removing the ring-fence on £623 million of existing Northern Ireland funding streams.
As the £623 million being un-ringfenced is from unallocated Northern Ireland funding streams, none of the Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant has been repurposed as part of the UK Government’s financial package.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding UK Research and Innovation has (a) allocated and (b) provided to BioYorkshire in the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As agreed in the Devolution Deal, UKRI, including Innovate UK, will work with the new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and Mayor when elected to consider how to bring together different research and innovation funding streams and opportunities across the region to support the BioYorkshire initiative. UKRI has given a range of funding to partners involved with this initiative, including through its formula-based block grants to universities.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is engaging with (a) local authorities and (b) mayoral combined authorities on (i) branding and (ii) promotion of (A) science, (B) technology and (C) innovation.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of the government’s devolution deals, DSIT is committed to working with Mayoral Combined Authorities to strengthen collaboration on science, innovation and technology.
Through the Innovation Accelerator programme, DSIT with UKRI and DBT are championing the UK’s science, technology and innovation offer and promoting regionally-led activities in Glasgow, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Great campaigns promote UK export or investment opportunities. The GREAT.gov.uk website provides support for UK companies, overseas buyers and overseas investors into the UK for a broad range of sectors including science and technology.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of a call from over 250 members of the Inequalities in Health Alliance (IHA) for a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase healthy life expectancy by five years, by 2035. We are supporting people in living healthier lives, helping the National Health Service and social care provide the best treatment and care for patients, and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.
The Government continues to work together, through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)-led Levelling Up Inter-Ministerial Group, to progress the wider levelling up agenda. The levelling up missions are mutually reinforcing, and we are exploring new and existing opportunities for cross-Government action on the drivers of health, to support progress on the health mission and our wider common interests.
We are also working with the DLUHC to maximise opportunities to develop partnerships through English devolution and the Levelling Up Partnerships programme. These provide opportunities to test what works at a local and regional level, to support the health mission.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-government strategy to tackle health inequalities.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase healthy life expectancy by five years, by 2035. We are supporting people in living healthier lives, helping the National Health Service and social care provide the best treatment and care for patients, and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.
The Government continues to work together, through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)-led Levelling Up Inter-Ministerial Group, to progress the wider levelling up agenda. The levelling up missions are mutually reinforcing, and we are exploring new and existing opportunities for cross-Government action on the drivers of health, to support progress on the health mission and our wider common interests.
We are also working with the DLUHC to maximise opportunities to develop partnerships through English devolution and the Levelling Up Partnerships programme. These provide opportunities to test what works at a local and regional level, to support the health mission.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of guaranteeing the children's hospice block grant for three years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made of the potential merits of ring-fencing the funding for children’s hospices, or of the potential merits of guaranteeing the children’s hospice funding for three years. Details of 2025/26 funding will, however, be confirmed in due course.
We recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in the availability and delivery of high-quality, personalised palliative and end of life care for people of all ages, and their loved ones.
As made clear in the Health and Care Act 2022, it is the statutory duty of integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission palliative and end of life care services in response to the needs of their population, including for children and young people.
NHS England currently supports palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. Last year, NHS England confirmed that it will be renewing the funding for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million of funding for children’s hospices, using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24. This prevalence-based approach ensures funding matches local need.
NHS England has worked closely with sector experts and sector representatives in establishing the current prevalence-based approach to deciding allocations, as well as in determining the proposed mechanism for continued funding in 2024/25.
Funding in 2024/25 will be distributed via ICBs, in line with National Health Service devolution. All ICBs in England will be formally notified of the distribution method to be used very shortly. The Department and NHS England hope to be able to provide the greater clarity that the sector is seeking on this important funding stream to children’s hospices, in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing the block grant for children's hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made of the potential merits of ring-fencing the funding for children’s hospices, or of the potential merits of guaranteeing the children’s hospice funding for three years. Details of 2025/26 funding will, however, be confirmed in due course.
We recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in the availability and delivery of high-quality, personalised palliative and end of life care for people of all ages, and their loved ones.
As made clear in the Health and Care Act 2022, it is the statutory duty of integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission palliative and end of life care services in response to the needs of their population, including for children and young people.
NHS England currently supports palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. Last year, NHS England confirmed that it will be renewing the funding for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million of funding for children’s hospices, using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24. This prevalence-based approach ensures funding matches local need.
NHS England has worked closely with sector experts and sector representatives in establishing the current prevalence-based approach to deciding allocations, as well as in determining the proposed mechanism for continued funding in 2024/25.
Funding in 2024/25 will be distributed via ICBs, in line with National Health Service devolution. All ICBs in England will be formally notified of the distribution method to be used very shortly. The Department and NHS England hope to be able to provide the greater clarity that the sector is seeking on this important funding stream to children’s hospices, in the coming weeks.