Every parliamentary written question tabled by Olly Glover this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 276 · this parliament
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of re-nationalisation of forensic services in England and Wales.
The forensics market plays an important role in the provision of services in England and Wales and we have no plans to nationalise it, but we are looking at whether a new National Centre of Policing might include national capabilities such as forensics.
Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Building Digital UK on the existing levels of (a) fibre and (b) gigabit capable broadband of premises included in Project Gigabit in Didcot and Wantage constituency.
The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that in the Didcot and Wantage constituency, over 52% of premises have access to full fibre broadband, and 86% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).To improve this further, Gigaclear is currently delivering two contracts as part of Project Gigabit that will bring gigabit-capable broadband to approximately 10,000 eligible premises across Oxfordshire, including in the Didcot and Wantage constituency.
Whether she has had discussions with Eurofins Forensic Services Limited on the market for forensic services to police forces in England and Wales.
The Home Office has routine discussions with commercial forensic providers on issues relating to the forensics market, including through the Association of Forensic Science Providers which represents companies including Eurofins Forensic Services.
Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help ensure that infrastructure service suppliers do not leave areas of poor broadband connection in fully connected urban areas.
We aim to achieve nationwide gigabit capable coverage by 2030, connecting a minimum of 99% of premises across the UK. The regulatory regime has helped create a competition-friendly environment in commercially viable areas, supporting market entry and expansion by alternative network operators. Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market. We continue to monitor commercial rollout plans and adapt Project Gigabit plans accordingly. We are aware pockets of unconnected premises remain in urban and suburban areas and continue to assess the best approach to addressing these
What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that disabled children from all socio-economic backgrounds receive appropriate therapy.
The Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people, and will break down the barriers to opportunity and ensure that every child has the best start in life. This includes all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).Across England, community health services, including therapies, are locally commissioned to enable systems to best meet the needs of their communities. We are working closely with NHS England to improve access to community health services and on actions to reduce long waits.The Children and Families Act 2014 requires that education, health, and social care services work together to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. In May 2023, NHS England issued statutory guidance setting out the requirement for integrated care boards (ICBs) to have an executive lead for SEND, who will lead on supporting the Chief Executive and the board to ensure the ICB performs its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there is adequate competition in the domestic veterinary care insurance sector.
Pet insurance providers are private businesses and are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
What steps she is taking to tackle the proportion of people who die in poverty in South Oxfordshire constituency.
The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.For many years, the Special Rules applied to people who have 6 months or less to live, they have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live. Changes to the Special Rules mean that thousands of people nearing the end of life are now able to claim fast-tracked financial support from the benefits system six months earlier than they were able to previously.
What recent progress she has made on reducing the time taken for Access to Work applications to be processed.
We are committed to reducing wait times for Access to Work, and we have deployed additional staff to process claims and streamlined our delivery processes. We prioritise applications from customers starting a job in four weeks, and renewals. Access to Work continues to be in high demand and we recognise that further work is needed to ensure that it is providing a timely and effective service for customers.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support the restoration of peatlands and (b) deliver the targets in the England Peat Action Plan.
The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as peatlands. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, and going forwards will be primarily funded through Environmental Land Management schemes, such as the Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship schemes. Private finance will also be vital if we are to meet our peatland restoration ambitions. To support peatland restoration, the Government is implementing a range of policies that will mobilise private investment. These include working with the IUCN to attract investment via carbon credits through the Peatland Code. The England Peat Action Plan was published under the previous Government.
If she will outline the (a) role and (b) responsibilities of GBRX.
Network Rail has established GBRX to drive innovation and overcome the barriers to adoption of advanced technologies on Britain’s railway. It aims to unlock strategic innovation where this is most challenging, at the crossroads of track and train, partnering with world leading innovators and small and medium enterprises, and collaborating with organisations across the rail sector. GBRX will be an important step towards achieving Great British Rail’s ambitions.
What estimate she has made of the annual cost of GBRX.
GBRX has been allocated up to £4m annually through Network Rail’s existing budget.
What steps she is taking to support schools to (a) understand and (b) support autistic pupils.
The government is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that education settings should put in support to meet the needs of the child or young person when they are identified. All children and young people should be supported within their education setting. All teachers are teachers of SEND, including autism.To increase understanding of autism the department has a contract with the National Association for Special Educational Needs. This contract funds SEND training and provides support for the school and further education workforce, with over 220,000 professionals having completed autism awareness training since May 2022.In November 2024 the department brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to advise the department on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.The department has also introduced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, alongside NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, backed by £13 million funding.PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and meet the needs of neurodiverse children in around 1,600 (10%) mainstream primary schools and supports neurodiverse children at the whole-school level. It is needs led, rather than diagnosis-led, therefore it includes children without a formal diagnosis.The programme is being evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodiverse children.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen partnerships with (a) humanitarian organisations, (b) women-led organisations and (c) local civil society in development work.
A vibrant civil society is one of the most important ingredients of a healthy democracy. The FCDO recognises that stronger, more inclusive engagement with partners and local organisations can better empower those that development and humanitarian efforts are designed to serve, so we are changing how we work with local civil society, prioritising their sustainability and helping them to advocate for the needs of their communities.FCDO has also committed to putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. This includes working to ensure that international responses better reflect the voices, needs, experience, and aspirations of affected populations, in particular women and girls. We are driving change by advocating for the systematic and meaningful participation of women in humanitarian action, which includes partnerships and direct funding of women-led organisations.Through the UK's flagship partnership with the Equality Fund, funding has helped them reach over 1000 women's rights organisations across the globe, including in regions affected by conflict. The UK has supported the Start Network since its inception to deliver rapid NGO-led humanitarian crisis responses, with locally-led action central to this work. In December, the Prime Minister announced £37 million for the Grassroots and Counter Rollback Programme (2024-29). This will strengthen local and national civil society organisations and movements to expand access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and counter rollback, within their own communities and countries.
What steps he is taking to tackle the proportion of people who die in fuel poverty in South Oxfordshire constituency.
The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer and healthier lives. The Government is reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy for England, and has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years. Multiple energy efficiency schemes support fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount provides bill support to eligible low-income households.
What steps she has taken to improve the inclusivity of mainstream schools for autistic and neurodivergent young people.
The government is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that education settings should put in support to meet the needs of the child or young person when they are identified. All children and young people should be supported within their education setting. All teachers are teachers of SEND, including autism.To increase understanding of autism the department has a contract with the National Association for Special Educational Needs. This contract funds SEND training and provides support for the school and further education workforce, with over 220,000 professionals having completed autism awareness training since May 2022.In November 2024 the department brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to advise the department on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.The department has also introduced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, alongside NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, backed by £13 million funding.PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and meet the needs of neurodiverse children in around 1,600 (10%) mainstream primary schools and supports neurodiverse children at the whole-school level. It is needs led, rather than diagnosis-led, therefore it includes children without a formal diagnosis.The programme is being evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodiverse children.
What steps she is taking to improve the value for money of education, health and care plans.
For too long, the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.The department wants to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high-quality teaching and effective allocation of resources. Our approach will support families and break down the barriers to opportunity for their children.The department recognises the complex financial challenges facing the existing SEND system and the strain that the rising costs of SEND provision are putting on local government. But this government also understands that more money is not always the answer. What matters is how the money is spent and what behaviours we are incentivising within the system from funding allocations. The government wants to focus on meeting more children’s needs in mainstream which enables children to thrive, provides high value and ensures more families have confidence that their children’s needs will be met without having to pursue an EHC plan. Where EHC plans are needed we will consider what further can be done to deliver these through inclusive mainstream provision.The Delivering Better Value in SEND programme worked with 51 local authorities to review and improve the way their services are structured so they can support children and young people with SEND more effectively and sustainably. The programme required local authorities to develop action plans that place greater emphasis on early intervention in order to meet children and young people’s needs early.The department has published an independently-commissioned insight report which showed that if the system improved, 65% of children and young people could have their needs met in a more effective way, and that this could lead to tens of thousands more children having their needs met without an EHC plan, in a mainstream setting, rather than a specialist placement.The department has published a toolkit to help other local areas learn from the experience of those on the Delivering Better Value in SEND programme.
Whether she plans to make funding available for Local Authorities to clear the backlog of young people waiting for their EHCP to be implemented.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department recognises the challenges that families face in accessing support for children and young people as part of the education, health and care plan process and we are considering carefully how to address this situation. We have listened to many parents and those who advise them, local authority colleagues and partners across education, health and social care and we are reflecting on what practice could or should be made consistent nationally.The department is providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND. The department has also announced £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to invest in places for children and young people with SEND or who require AP.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase assistance to states affected by (a) fragility, (b) conflict and (c) violence.
The UK helps states affected by fragility, conflict, and violence using a range of development and diplomacy levers to support those best placed to build peace. UK funded programmes through Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the UK Integrated Security Fund (ISF) help address the underlying causes.In addition to bilateral and regional programming, the UK continues to invest in the Peacebuilding Fund, the UN's primary mechanism supporting prevention and peacebuilding activity in over 40 countries including Sudan, South Sudan, West Africa, and the Sahel. The UK has contributed over £175 million since the inception of the Peacebuilding Fund in 2006, including £5 million for 2024-2025.The UK also remains one of the largest global humanitarian aid donors, funding bilateral life-saving support during humanitarian crisis, including in many regions that are affected by conflict and violence, such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, and Ukraine.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make international conflict resolution in Sudan a foreign policy priority.
The Foreign Secretary and I have both made addressing the situation in Sudan a priority, and are actively working together with a range of regional and international partners towards ending the suffering of the Sudanese people. On 24 January, the Foreign Secretary travelled to the Chad/Sudan border and met with Sudanese refugees. During this visit, he announced his intention to convene Foreign Ministers in London this spring to galvanise international political efforts to end the conflict.
When he plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 18 November 2024 and (b) 16 January 2025 from the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage on a request for a meeting on AEAT pensions.
My office has been in touch to arrange a meeting, and I look forward to it taking place soon.