Written questions by Davies.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the performance of (a) Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, (b) Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board and (c) NHS Shropshire Telford and Wrekin with respect to (i) waiting times, (ii) value for money and (iii) CQC reports

The Government has been clear that National Health Services are currently not meeting the high standards that patients should expect, and is committed to supporting the NHS to return to the standards set out in the NHS Constitution. As a first step, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance, which will report this month.NHS England holds integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS providers to account for delivery of national priorities and statutory functions and oversees them via the NHS Oversight Framework, which assesses the effectiveness of each NHS system across five themes: quality of care, access, and outcomes; preventing ill-health and reducing inequalities; people; finance and use of resources; and leadership and capability. More information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/B1378_NHS-System-Oversight-Framework-22-23_260722.pdfNHS England has allocated the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB to segment four of the NHS Oversight Framework segmentation. As a result, both are receiving national mandated support with NHS England’s Recovery Support Programme. They are also subject to NHS England’s regulatory undertakings.The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB are currently in Tier 1 for urgent and emergency care, electives, and cancer, which means they receive intensive and significant national and regional support and oversight. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's overall rating from the Care Quality Commission, published in May 2024, is ‘requires improvement’.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) economic growth, (b) new homes and (c) new jobs that will be delivered by the Telford Land Deal; and whether her Department will take steps to extend the scope of the deal to other Government-owned land.

The Department and Homes England are working with Telford and Wrekin Council through the Telford Land Deal and Funding and Co-operation Agreement to deliver up to 2,800 homes as well as 8,500 jobs and 300,000 sqm of employment floorspace. Homes England continues to engage with Telford and Wrekin Council and other councils across England on opportunities in their areas.

What steps he plans to take to ensure the long-term (a) funding and (b) sustainability of hospices.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people, and their loved ones, at the end of life.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth and range of palliative and end of life care provision within their ICB footprint.The Government is going to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community, and we recognise that it is vital to include palliative and end of life care, including hospices, in this shift.The Department, alongside NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the onward interest charge of the Public Works Loan Board to local councils on (a) housing growth, (b) economic growth, (c) job creation and (d) local government viability.

The PWLB lending facility exists to provide cost effective loans to local authorities to support investment and service delivery. HM Treasury keeps the interest rates of PWLB loans under review to ensure that PWLB lending remains supportive of prudent investment by local authorities, while meeting the requirement in the National Loans Act 1968 that HM Treasury does not lend at a loss. This includes keeping under review the discounted rate for investment in social housing through Housing Revenue Accounts that is currently available until June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if she will allow upper tier councils to increase council tax by a set cash amount.

Council tax levels are decided by individual local authorities. Decisions on future local authority funding will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb swimming the English Channel.

As the first person recorded to swim unaided across the Channel, Captain Matthew Webb’s achievement has no doubt inspired many people to undertake record breaking challenges of endurance. My department is not planning to commemorate the anniversary. Parliamentarians may choose to mark the occasion in other ways, for example by tabling a debate or an Early Day Motion to mark the achievement.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that up to date population data is used to determine (a) local government, (b) police and (c) fire authority grant funding.

We understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver for local residents and ensuring we can deliver our missions. We are committed to delivering a multiyear settlement in this Parliament giving certainty on allocations going forward. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.

What assessment her Department has made on the potential economic impact of linking the M54 and M6 north.

The proposed M54 to M6 link road in the Road Investment Strategy was most recently assessed as high value for money and with a benefit to cost ratio of 3.17.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of electrifying the train track from Telford to (a) Wolverhampton and (b) Shrewsbury.

With an indicative cost of ~£270m, Midlands Connect, the sub-national transport body which researches, develops and progresses transport projects in the Midlands, view electrification of this route as prohibitively expensive. However, they are refreshing the Business Case for line speed improvements to this route, and my officials are in regular contact with Midlands Connect to support them in this work. The Minister of State for Rail expects to receive an updated Business Case later this year.

Which schemes the UK Infrastructure Bank has (a) accepted and (b) declined, by local authority area; and how much and what proportion of infrastructure finance available to the bank remained as of 4 July 2024.

The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) sets out financial information in their Annual Reports and Accounts, which are published on their website at https://www.ukib.org.uk/publications and provided to the house on a yearly basis. Further UKIB provides factsheets for each deal it enters into via their website, which can be found at https://www.ukib.org.uk/factsheets.

Whether she has made an estimate of the potential savings generated by selling Jobcentre buildings and co-locating with other public bodies.

DWP continually review One Public Estate opportunities, and at any time, a number of these are individually being evaluated. The department’s estate is leased rather than owned, so there are no opportunities to sell buildings. However, there can be divestment running cost savings, although these need to be balanced by the material investment costs of re-location to new premises, which are typically substantial. In each case, a value for money assessment is undertaken, alongside customer and operational considerations.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the independent report into child sexual exploitation in Telford, published on 12 July 2022.

The findings of the independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Telford exposed shocking cases of the most vulnerable in our society being abused and let down by adults who were supposed to protect them. The Government recognises the important role local inquiries like this, and others in Rotherham, Oldham and elsewhere, play in improving our response to child sexual abuse and exploitation.The report of the independent inquiry in Telford did not make any direct recommendations for national government. However, we review the findings of all local inquiries, and other reports such as the Final Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and HMICFRS’ inspection of policing’s response to group-based child sexual exploitation, to ensure we are constantly reviewing and updating national policies.At a national level, the Government continues to drive national action to better safeguard children, provide support and care to victims and survivors, and ensure perpetrators face the full force of the law. This includes funding the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce, which is giving practical, expert, on the ground support for local forces investigating child sexual abuse, with a focus on complex and organised child sexual exploitation; and the Tackling Organised Exploitation programme, which is helping forces to uncover more of this offending.As you know, I have had contact with Telford survivors and will ensure that their voices are part of any future progress.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of not having a permanent Chief Constable since 2023 on the governance of West Mercia Police; and what discussions she has had with (a) the force and (b) the Police and Crime Commissioner on that matter.

Strong and consistent leadership is essential in ensuring high standards in police forces. In the absence of a permanent Chief Constable, regulations allow for an acting Chief Constable to be in place on an interim basis, in order to provide for consistency in leadership.The recruitment of Chief Constables is a matter for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). Schedule 8 to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 sets out the requirements that PCCs must follow when appointing a Chief Constable. This includes a requirement for the local Police and Crime Panel to review and report on the proposed appointment, as well as the Panel’s right to veto the proposed appointment with a two-thirds majority. PCCs should use the national guidance set out by the College of Policing for appointing chief officers, which includes advice on encouraging applications and generating a strong and diverse pool of applicants.

Media and Sport, what support her Department is providing to (a) Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and (b) the wider World Heritage Site in Ironbridge Gorge.

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is a National Portfolio Organisation funded by Arts Council England, and receives £749,709 annually.In 2022 Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) also received £9.975m from Cultural Assets Fund as part of DCMS Culture Recovery Fund.In addition, since 1994, National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £12.7 million within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site area and has awarded the IGMT more than £20.9 million.Historic England, the Government’ statutory advisor on heritage and a DCMS arm's length body, provides support and advice on specific issues related to the management of the wider Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

What her Department's planned timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published in October 2022; and whether the Government plans not to implement any of the recommendations in that report.

I will be taking robust action on tackling child sexual abuse as a priority. The work of the Inquiry over seven years and its final recommendations marks an important contribution in that regard.The strength and bravery of the victims and survivors who came forward to share their stories cannot be overstated.I will be working with ministerial colleagues across government over the coming weeks to revisit the final 20 recommendations of the Inquiry to determine our key priorities going forward.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to help prevent flooding in Ironbridge Gorge; and what investment his Department is providing to protect (a) businesses and (b) properties from flooding in that area.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding and coastal erosion is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities. This Government will improve resilience and preparation across central Government, local authorities, local communities and emergency services to better protect communities across the UK. We will launch a new Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the delivery of new flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes, which will ensure we’re prepared for the future and help grow our economy. Over the past 10 years, the Environment Agency (EA) has deployed the temporary flood barriers within Ironbridge Gorge 19 times, reducing flood risk to 23 homes along the Wharfage. The EA is supporting Telford & Wrekin Council in developing a scheme to reduce flood risk to those properties currently undefended in the Ironbridge Gorge. The council has secured investment of £1.14m and the project is planned to reduce flood risk to a further 32 properties. The EA is also exploring options to reduce flood risk in neighbouring Coalbrookdale investing £70k to update its flood model. As well as investing in flood risk management projects, the EA also provides a free Flood Warning Service in the Telford constituency.

Communities and Local Government, what powers combined authorities have to expand; what criteria they need to fulfil to expand; what consent from other public bodies will be required for expansion; and what the timescales are for such expansions.

The process for combined authority expansion is set out in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. A combined authority must apply to the Secretary of State regarding their proposal to expand. There must be a public consultation on that proposal across the whole of the proposed expanded area. The legislation sets out the consent criteria for expansion which will depend on the nature of the proposal. The timescales for expansions are subject to this process, along with Parliamentary timescales for approval of the required secondary legislation and will therefore vary for any combined authority seeking to expand. We will consider all aspects of devolution and Combined Authorities in the landmark English Devolution Bill.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of introducing a direct train from Telford to London.

No assessment has been made of the economic benefit of introducing a direct train from Telford to London. Since June 2024, Telford Central has had a regular fast service every 30 minutes to and from Birmingham New Street that provides good onward connections to and from London Euston, and journey times of as little as 2 hours 20 minutes.

What her Department's population assumption is for Telford for (a) pre school, (b) primary school, (c) secondary and (d) SEND provision in each academic year from 2020-21 to 2025-26.

The department collects and publishes forecasts made by local authorities of demand for primary and secondary pupil places from the annual School Capacity (SCAP) survey, which are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. Forecast data is generated by local authorities based on their own data and local knowledge. These forecasts are challenged extensively during data cleaning processes. As with any forecast figures, there will be variation between the forecasts and the subsequent actual pupil numbers, and the level of accuracy is expected to reduce as forecasts are made further into the future. This information is published at local authority level, with the latest publication covering the period 2022/23 to 2027/28, available for Telford and Wrekin here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d7c2bc7-052b-43f5-e0cc-08dccd7b577b. Previous years can be found in earlier publications, all available on Explore Education Statistics. Data on special educational needs provision was collected for the first time in SCAP in 2023 and published as official statistics in development in 2024 within the aforementioned publication. The department also publishes pupil population projections at national level and by school type annually, which are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/national-pupil-projections. The latest publication includes historic pupil populations, plus projected population to 2028. These projections are not available at local authority level.