Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rachael Maskell this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 681–700 of 704 · this parliament
If he will take steps to ensure that the Army continue to have a presence in the city of York.
The Army remains committed to retaining an Army Regular, Reserve and Cadets presence in and around York in Yeomanry and Worsley Barracks, Queen Elizabeth Barracks and Towthorpe Lines.
If he will increase the use of Armed Forces personnel in supporting movements of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office leads on coordinating the HMG’s humanitarian response to deliver lifesaving assistance to the civilian population in Gaza. The Ministry of Defence has provided military support when requested to facilitate the delivery of lifesaving assistance. Royal Fleet Auxiliary Cardigan Bay is in the Eastern Mediterranean and tasked with providing support to the Cypriot Maritime Aid Corridor. We continue to monitor the situation and consider what further assistance Defence could contribute to the HMG and international efforts.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of broadening the eligibility criteria for children to receive free school meals.
This government has not made a formal assessment of the merits of broadening the free school meals (FSM) eligibility criteria.This adds to the department’s programmes which provide over 3 million children with free and nutritious meals. Such programmes include FSM, which 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive, and universal infant free school meals which benefit around 1.3 million pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2.Additionally, the government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, to set children up for the day and ensure they are ready to learn.
What steps she is taking to enable the state education system to provide alternative provision without recourse to the private sector.
The government is committed to meeting children's educational and social needs earlier, so that wherever possible they can remain in their mainstream school. Where alternative provision is required, it should be as part of a planned intervention delivered through local partnerships, with the right educational and welfare expertise to support the child's needs.
What her policy is on the bus fare cap post 2024.
Delivering reliable and affordable public transport services for passengers is one of my top priorities as I know how important this is for passengers and for local growth. The government is urgently considering the most effective and affordable ways to deliver on these objectives.
Whether she plans to review the licensing of taxis.
The Government keeps all policies under review. We will be considering what actions can be taken to improve the existing taxi and private hire vehicle licensing system.
When he plans to commence preparations for winter planning; and if he will make it his policy to prioritise funding for increased levels of care in the community in those plans.
Guidance on winter planning for health and care services is expected to be issued by the summer recess, building on NHS England’s 2024/25 operational planning guidance published in April 2024.The Government has been clear that as part of the future reforms of the National Health Service, we must increasingly shift from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where the NHS focuses on prevention, and where more services are delivered in local communities.
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of capacity in secure and forensic mental health facilities; and whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential merits of increasing the number of prisoners moved into such facilities.
No such recent assessment has been made. However, NHS England has advised that work is currently underway with the 15 Adult Secure Provider Collaboratives across England to speed up the safe and timely transfer of appropriately assessed people from prison. This includes identifying existing capacity, including workforce estates and location, that can be reconfigured at pace; identifying where additional capacity, including workforce and estates, may be required; and, scoping at pace, the creation of alternative clinically safe service models.Decisions about transferring people with severe mental health needs from prison to secure hospital are made on the basis of a robust clinical assessment to ensure that people in prison get the care they need in the right setting.Ministers have not yet had any such discussions. My colleague, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Women's Health and Mental Health, will be meeting with her Ministerial counterparts in the Ministry of Justice in due course to discuss matters relating to offender health and how our departments can work together.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a per capita funding arrangement for NHS dentistry.
One of our missions is to rescue and rebuild National Health Service dentistry. To do this, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.There are no perfect payment systems, and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system, so that we deliver a system better for patients and professionals.Between 2011 and 2022, the Department tested a prototype system which included a mix of capitation and activity payments. The results of that trial are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dental-contract-reform-evaluating-the-results-of-the-prototype-scheme/dental-contract-reform-a-report-on-learnings-from-the-dental-contract-prototype-test-between-april-2016-and-march-2019
If she will take steps to enable children brought to the UK by the UNHCR to be reunited with their parents.
Keeping families together as part of the resettlement process is a priority. Children resettled through the UK Resettlement Scheme will usually arrive in the UK with their parents or carers.As part of UNHCR’s assessment, UNHCR will first seek to reunify unaccompanied children with parents or family members within the host region or wherever their family members may be. For unaccompanied children, UNHCR will refer a child to the UK or another participating State should they consider that it would be in the child’s best interest to be resettled.The government provides a safe and legal route to bring families together through its refugee family reunion policy. This allows individuals with protection status in the UK to sponsor their partner or children to reunite with them, provided they formed part of the family unit before their sponsor fled the country of their habitual residence in order to seek protection. We will seek to ensure that this route works effectively.
If she will take steps to establish a fair funding formula for (a) SEND and (b) education.
The department will take time to consider the various funding formulae that the department and local authorities use to allocate funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It is important that there is a fair education funding system, that directs funding to where it is needed. Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not yet been set which means that decisions on the high needs and schools national funding formulae as well as the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.
If she will review the (a) governance and (b) accountability structures of multi academy trusts.
This government has committed to remove barriers to opportunity and raise school standards to ensure the school system is enabling every child to thrive, no matter their background. The government is clear strong accountability is non-negotiable. That is why the government has committed to bring Multi-Academy Trusts into the inspection system, to make the system fairer and more transparent, and enable intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the required standards.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the amount of (a) food, (b) medical and (c) other humanitarian aid that is able to enter Gaza.
The UK is committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it. The Foreign Secretary announced on 19 July that we will restart funding to UNRWA, releasing £21 million for Gaza and the region. We have also announced an additional £5.5. million to UK NGO UK-Med so they can continue their work in Gaza saving lives and delivering emergency medical care to those most in need.During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 14-15 July he made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other interlocutors that Israel must meet its commitment to "flood Gaza with aid".
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take diplomatic steps at the UN General Assembly to help de-escalate the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
The Government is determined to do all we can to help bring the conflict in Gaza to an end and make progress towards long-term peace and security in the Middle East, including through the auspices of the UN. We are pushing for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law and protection of civilians, and unfettered humanitarian access to enable a rapid increase of aid into Gaza.We want a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution: a safe, secure Israel alongside a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.
If he make an assessment of the effectiveness of the roll-out of the shingles vaccine.
From September 2023, the routine shingles vaccination programme changed from the Zostavax vaccine to the more effective Shingrix vaccine, to better protect individuals from the effects of shingles, provide better clinical outcomes and reduce pressures on the health system. A phased expansion of the routine eligible cohort from people aged 70 years old to those aged 60 years old also began in September 2023, as Shingrix provides a substantially superior and longer duration of protection.Uptake is in line with where we expect it to be at this stage. Data from approximately 40% of general practices across England showed that uptake of the first dose of Shingrix in adults turning 65 years old in the first quarter of the programme roll-out was 25.1%. The data also showed that uptake of the first dose of Shingrix in adults turning 70 years old in the same period was 34.2%. This is comparable to uptake of Zostavax in those aged 70 years old in the early part of the programme roll-out, and is anticipated to increase over time.Published data is cumulative and there is a time lag because, whilst the data covers all eligible individuals that quarter, individuals whose birthday is at the end of a quarter have far less time to receive the vaccine than those at the beginning and may then be picked up in the next or subsequent quarters. Individuals become eligible when they turn 65 or 70 years old but then remain eligible until aged 80 years old and may not come forward or be called to receive the vaccine immediately. This is accounted for in planning the programme and in relation to vaccine supply.With the new vaccine schedule, patients now need two doses of the shingles vaccine. Ensuring patients receive both doses is vital to making sure patients receive the full benefits. To ensure patients come in for their second dose, which is due from six to 12 months following their first dose, NHS England is encouraging local systems to let patients know when and where they will receive their second dose to increase follow-through, send reminders, promote the programme and frame the overall goal in terms of having maximum protection by receiving both doses. A consistent offer and sustained communication to the public is key to achieving uptake of both first and second dose to all those eligible in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the sale of UK arms to Israel on the conflict in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary met with President Netanyahu in Israel on 14 July and pushed for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza. This government will uphold our international legal obligations and act in line with the UK’s Strategic Export License Criteria. We have commissioned new advice and will come to a considered decision.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people from Gaza who are studying in the UK to be able to bring their families to the UK.
The Government is determined to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, rapidly increase aid, and the return of all hostages. The government is keeping all existing pathways under review in response to events. The current position is that Palestinians who wish to join family members in the UK can do so via the existing range of routes available to work, study or settle/join family in the UK. Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules. Immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes. Students from Gaza seeking to bring dependants to the UK may do so where they meet the relevant requirements of Appendix Student of the immigration rules.
What steps he plans to take to tackle the backlog in autism and ADHD assessments.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with the relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways. This guidance will help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people and adults referred to an autism assessment service.The Department are supporting a cross-sector taskforce that NHS England has launched into challenges in ADHD service provision. The taskforce is expected to report on its findings and recommendations later this year.
If he will take steps to ensure that hospices receive adequate funding.
We understand that financially times are difficult for many voluntary and charitable organisations, including hospices, due to the increased cost of living. We want a society where these costs are manageable for both voluntary organisations, like hospices, and the people whom they serve.The Government is going to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community, and we recognise that hospices will play a vital role. We will consider the next steps on palliative and end of life care more widely in the coming weeks.
Whether he is taking steps to reduce waiting times for dentists to take qualifying dental exams.
The General Dental Council (GDC) is responsible for setting requirements for entry to the dentists register and administers the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE), which assesses the knowledge and skills of dentists holding qualifications not otherwise recognised for registration. The Royal College of Surgeons operates the Licence in Dental Surgery, which is an alternative examination for such dentists.The GDC tripled the capacity of sittings for part 1 of the ORE from August 2023 through all of 2024, and is running an additional sitting of part 2 of the ORE in 2024. Together, these steps have created more than 1,300 additional places across the two parts. The GDC has opened tendering for provision of parts 1 and 2 of the ORE for the next five years, looking to improve the flexibility and availability of the ORE. Department officials continue to meet regularly with the GDC to discuss this important issue.