Paula Barker MP: written questions 2024
170 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Fire and Rescue Services: SafetyHome OfficeTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to ensure that Fire Authorities maintain nationally agreed safety standards.
Answer: Expectations of FRAs from Government are set out in the Fire and Rescue National Framework, which all FRAs must have due regard to. Whilst the National Framework does not include explicit reference to operational safety standards, I will consider if this ...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordColombia: Politics and GovernmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Colombia.
Answer: Colombia is an important partner for the UK, with our shared priorities including the environment and security. We are working with the Colombian Government and others on implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement. President Petro is committed to implemen...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordIsraeli SettlementsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 527More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with his Israel counterparts on illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Answer: The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. The Foreign Secretary raised this with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President H...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPalestinians: Recognition of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 526More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the potential UK recognition of a Palestinian state.
Answer: During the Foreign Secretary's visit on 14 July to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories he emphasised the need for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution in meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister K...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian SituationForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 525More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the famine in Gaza.
Answer: The people of Gaza face a humanitarian catastrophe. There is a high risk of famine across Gaza and more than 4 in every 5 people have been forced to flee their homes. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 14-15 July he made clear to Prime Mini...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to stabilise local authority revenue budgets.
Answer: Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.We understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver for local residents and e...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on local authority insourcing of adult social care services.
Answer: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This inc...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing First: North West and West MidlandsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to confirm the future of the Housing First pilots in (a) the Liverpool City Region, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the West Midlands combined authority areas.
Answer: The Government is clear that homelessness has a devastating impact on those affected. We want to take a long-term approach and, working with Mayors and councils across the country, we will develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordVagrancy Act 1824Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will set out a timeline for the commencement of the repeal of the Vagrancy Act 1824.
Answer: The Government is clear that homelessness is too high and can have a devastating impact on households affected.We need to take a long term approach and to tackle the different factors that can cause people to become homeless.We will consider these issues ...
Answered 24 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordTemporary Accommodation: CostsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 520More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to local authorities of providing temporary accommodation.
Answer: The Government recognises that homelessness has a devastating impact on those affected as well as placing financial strain on councils. Local authorities have reported the mounting costs of providing temporary accommodation. This information can be access...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordBed and Breakfast Accommodation: ChildrenMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 518More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to prevent households with children being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.
Answer: The Government is clear that homelessness has a devastating impact on those affected. We want to take a long-term approach and, working with Mayors and councils across the country, we will develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordHomelessnessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when her Department will publish its expected timeline for establishing a unit to end homelessness.
Answer: The Government is clear that homelessness has a devastating impact on those affected. We want to take a long-term approach and, working with Mayors and councils across the country, we will develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordFree Schools: LiverpoolDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 516More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure Kings Leadership Academy in Liverpool is ready to accept pupils from September 2025.
Answer: To open a free school, the department must be satisfied that the site is suitable and deliverable. The department has acquired the site for the school. However, there are a number of planning conditions that the department needs to satisfy before the scho...
Answered 24 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 515More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to increase the number of school places in areas where there exists a shortage.
Answer: The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity survey. The department provides capital fundin...
Answered 30 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: LiverpoolDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 513More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number school places in Liverpool.
Answer: Data on state-funded school places is published at local authority level in the annual school capacity statistics publication. The latest data available shows that, as at 1 May 2023, there were 75,150 state-funded school places, (39,570 primary and 35,580...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 512More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve pay across the adult social care sector.
Answer: Ensuring workers in the United Kingdom receive fair pay for their work is a key pillar of the Plan to Make Work Pay. Building on the foundations of the creation of the National Minimum Wage, we will make sure that that minimum wage is a real living wage t...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordCare Workers: Agency WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the (a) exploitation of and (b) potential waste in public funding for agencies arranging adult social care workers from overseas.
Answer: We have seen unacceptable increases in unethical practices and exploitation of international recruits in the adult social care sector. We are committed to improving the way international recruitment works in adult social care, to ensuring individuals wor...
Answered 30 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Conditions of EmploymentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 510More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to enhance employment protections in the adult social care sector.
Answer: Our Plan to Make Work Pay sets out a significant and ambitious agenda to ensure workplace rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people, and deliver economic growth.Those working in social care have been ignored for too long, and so will be ...
Answered 24 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 509More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department plans to have with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the (a) funding and (b) commissioning of adult social care services.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care has regular discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on adult social care funding, and the commissioning of adult social care services. The Department will continue to work closely...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the adult social care sector.
Answer: The government recognises that there are ongoing challenges with domestic recruitment in adult social care and that the sector has become overly reliant on international recruitment. While the adult social care workforce in England grew by 4.2% in 2023/24...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament record
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