Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Cooper this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 181–200 of 206 · this parliament
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a licensing regime for short-term lets.
While recognising the benefits that short-term lets can have for local economies, the Government appreciates that excessive concentrations in some areas of the country can impact on the availability and affordability of homes to buy and rent as well as ha...
What recent assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of child poverty in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce has started work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring and will ex...
Whether her Department plans to revise the (a) limits on earnings and (b) number of hours that can be worked for people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.
The Government recognises the challenges unpaid carers are facing and is determined to provide them with the help and support they need and deserve. It is looking closely at how the benefit system currently does this. The Secretary of State undertakes a s...
What recent estimate his Department has made of the level of household debt in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th October 2024 is attached.
What plans his Department has to address differences in ticket prices between regulated and un-regulated rail lines.
Under the current system, each train operating company offers a range of fares, some of which are regulated by Government. Train operating companies have flexibility in how they set the prices of unregulated fares; however, in practice, many closely follo...
If she will make an assessment of the potential impact on victims of SDS40 applying to sentences being served concurrently with sentences of sexual or domestic abuse.
Offenders’ eligibility for SDS40 is determined by each specific sentence. Release provisions for different sentence types and length are fixed by law. This change has amended the automatic release point for standard determinate sentences that are not excl...
How many and what proportion of primary school age children with (a) SEN Support and (b) an Education, Health and Care Plan have not attended school in Mid Cheshire constituency in each of the last five years.
The requested information is not held centrally. The department collects data on children missing education (compulsory school aged children not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education) from local authorities on a voluntary basis. T...
What proportion of children of secondary school age who were not attending school in Mid Cheshire constituency in the past five years had (a) previously been identified in the SEN Support category and (b) an ed
The requested information is not held centrally. The department collects data on children missing education (compulsory school aged children not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education) from local authorities on a voluntary basis. T...
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making actual bodily harm an excluded offence under SDS40 when being served concurrently with sexual or domestic abuse offences.
Offenders’ eligibility for Standard Determinate Sentences (SDS40) is determined by each specific sentence. Release provisions for different sentence types and length are fixed by law. This change has amended the automatic release point for standard determ...
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in protecting victims of domestic abuse when using their service.
The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet t...
If she will make an estimate of the number of victims of domestic abuse experiencing financial abuse while using the Child Maintenance Service.
The Department is assessing how it can provide statistics on domestic abuse now the application fee exemption statistics are no longer published. The Department's Chief Statistician will oversee the development of these statistics to make sure they meet t...
What proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who were not in education, employment or training in Mid Cheshire constituency in the last five years had (a) previously been identified in the SEN Support category and (b)
Data for 16 to 24 year olds not in education employment or training (NEET) is not available by constituency nor by special educational needs. National figures for overall proportions of 16 to 24 year olds NEET in England are sourced from the Office for Na...
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing measures to support students with the cost of student loans.
UK higher education (HE) creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in our economy and supports local communities. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The department is determined that the HE funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The student loan system already supports students. Unlike commercial alternatives, student loans are available to all eligible students, regardless of background or financial history. The student loan system supports eligible students by providing up front tuition fee loans to meet the full costs of tuition. In addition, eligible students qualify for loans to contribute towards students living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support paid to students from the lowest income families and those eligible for benefits. Additionally after study, student loan borrowers are protected. Borrowers only make repayments when earning over the relevant student loan repayment threshold. At the end of the loan term, any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, will be written off with no detriment to the borrower.
What steps she is taking to support a sustainable funding model for Higher Education.
The government is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The department will look carefully at all options and come forward with proposals. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The department also recognises the immediate financial strain that some HE providers are under. As such, the department continues to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of HE in England, to monitor emerging risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them. The department has already appointed Sir David Behan as interim chair to oversee the important work of refocusing the OfS' role to concentrate on key priorities, including the financial stability of the HE sector.
Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on extended producer responsibility.
The Government has interpreted that the MP is referring to the ‘Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging’ scheme as part of our packaging reforms. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which reform the UKs producer responsibility system for packaging, are due to be brought before parliament in autumn this year, with the aim of these regulations coming into force by 1 January 2025.
Whether his Department is taking steps to help support the Post Office to (a) recruit postmasters and (b) maintain existing post offices.
While Government recognises the important role postmasters play in our communities and for small businesses across the UK, issues surrounding staffing are an operational matter for the Post Office. Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria, and protects services by setting minimum services to be provided at post offices across the country. The Post Office network meets the access criteria at a national level.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of abolishing leaseholds for existing homeowners.
The Government will act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, including those designed to increase service charge transparency.Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will further reform the leasehold system. We will enact remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny. We will announce further details in due course.
If he will make an estimate of the number of pensioners who will be in fuel poverty in winter 2024-25.
The latest statistics on fuel poverty in England cover 2023 and can be found in the published Official Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics. Table 23 and Table 30 provide estimates of the number of households in fuel poverty by age of the oldest person in the household, and by employment status of the household reference person, respectively. Statistics for 2024 will be published in early 2025.
What steps he plans to take to help improve access to ADHD medication.
The Department has been working with industry to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available. We are working to resolve medicine supply issues, where they remain, for some strengths of methylphenidate. These are anticipated to be resolved by October 2024.We are asking suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.The Department has worked with specialist clinicians to develop management advice for National Health Service clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance to offer rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further, we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients, which is available at the following link:https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd/
Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide additional funding to UK Sport to support aspiring para athletes at the grassroots level.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.In Sport England's ten-year strategy, Uniting the Movement, they have ensured that each of their programmes directly help disabled people, and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with disability sport organisations.The Culture Secretary recently attended the launch of ParalympicGB’s Equal Play Campaign where she expressed her determination to put sport at the heart of the school curriculum. This includes opening up opportunities for all young people, including those with disabilities, to be able to access sport and physical activity at school.To fund the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic talent, Sport England is investing £120 million to increase participation in sport and boost diversity at a grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all young people to explore and develop their potential.