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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of United Utilities' monitoring of the ecology of lake Windermere.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of United Utilities' monitoring of the ecology of lake Windermere.
In England, the Environment Agency (EA) undertakes monitoring and reporting on water ecology and publish these results via the ‘Water Hub’.
United Utilities (UU) monitor their discharges under Operator Self-Monitoring (OSM). The EA audits this monitoring and may take appropriate compliance and enforcement action in relation to the results of this monitoring.
UU also monitor spills from assets including Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) via Event Duration Monitoring. The EA checks this data and the equipment used to collate it. All eight operational Wastewater Treatment works and Pumping Stations in the Windermere catchment have been inspected in the last 13 months, in some cases on multiple occasions. The EA also responds to reports of environmental incidents and takes appropriate action.
As my noble friend the Minister knows, there are hundreds of thousands of children who simply do not go to school. How do we measure the limitations they are facing in the educational sphere?
As my noble friend the Minister knows, there are hundreds of thousands of children who simply do not go to school. How do we measure the limitations they are facing in the educational sphere?
My noble friend is right. It is important that we tackle absenteeism in the way that this Government have outlined and that I have talked about at this Dispatch Box on previous occasions, whether that is persistent absenteeism, where we see a higher proportion of students with special educational needs, or those who have been completely removed from schools and are no longer on school registers. It is also important that we introduce, as we intend to do through legislation, the registers for children who are not in school, so that we can ensure, first, that our schools are appropriately inclusive, so that parents do not feel the need to remove their children and children do not absent themselves from schools because of their inability to be able to learn, but also so that we can track children when they are not in school.
My Lords, has my noble friend the Minister looked at other exciting things going on to try to get hold of these young people and make sure they get some training? Has she seen the examples of the professional league football teams that provide just this? They provide schooling and proper education and, alongside that, allow the young people—mainly young men, but also women—to come along and do some training with professional
footballers. This has been very successful in places in the north, such as at Carlisle United, where we have a very successful scheme.
My Lords, has my noble friend the Minister looked at other exciting things going on to try to get hold of these young people and make sure they get some training? Has she seen the examples of the professional league football teams that provide just this? They provide schooling and proper education and, alongside that, allow the young people—mainly young men, but also women—to come along and do some training with professional
footballers. This has been very successful in places in the north, such as at Carlisle United, where we have a very successful scheme.
My Lords, I have not thought about it from that angle, but it is really interesting. I wonder whether it may be necessary for me to go and look more closely at what is happening. Do they do it for cricket as well? If so, I am definitely interested.
My Lords, is the Minister aware that there are problems with cavity wall insulation in various older houses, in that the cavities are not large enough to qualify for government assistance? Will he look into that and see if anything can be done to move it forward?
My Lords, is the Minister aware that there are problems with cavity wall insulation in various older houses, in that the cavities are not large enough to qualify for government assistance? Will he look into that and see if anything can be done to move it forward?
I am certainly aware of some technical challenges with different technologies. We have a multiplicity of different housing types. Of course, if the cavities are too small, those properties can benefit from internal or external wall insulation. I would be happy to have a look at that for the noble Lord.
My Lords, we know that we have fewer trees in this country than most countries in Europe, yet we also know that trees capture CO2 and other noxious gases. If we are to meet our national obligations to try to reduce global warming, we will have to step up our planting of trees; there is no other way we are going to be able to do it.
My Lords, we know that we have fewer trees in this country than most countries in Europe, yet we also know that trees capture CO2 and other noxious gases. If we are to meet our national obligations to try to reduce global warming, we will have to step up our planting of trees; there is no other way we are going to be able to do it.
The noble Lord is absolutely right: we have to practise what we preach domestically, which is why we have put an enormous amount of money through the Nature for Climate fund to promote that and through other schemes. We are encouraging land managers to look at tree planting and are seeing an increased number being planted. The supply chain to support that is so important. I have just come back from Costa Rica, which has doubled its tree cover in recent years, and we want to increase ours significantly in the UK.
My Lords, we all welcome the Minister’s answer about open access land, and I am encouraged by it. The previous Government proposed that it be mountains, moorland, heath, et cetera. In addition to that, the Forestry Commission decided it would open up its forests wherever possible. Can the Minister give me an assurance that there will be no pressure at all on the Forestry Commission to weaken its provision of access for the people?
My Lords, we all welcome the Minister’s answer about open access land, and I am encouraged by it. The previous Government proposed that it be mountains, moorland, heath, et cetera. In addition to that, the Forestry Commission decided it would open up its forests wherever possible. Can the Minister give me an assurance that there will be no pressure at all on the Forestry Commission to weaken its provision of access for the people?
My Lords, public access is already available to over 1 million hectares of England’s open access land, including areas of coast, heath, moor and mountains, as I said, as well as 258,000 hectares of public forest estate. That commitment remains.
My Lords, I was pleased to hear the Minister say that she supported freedom of information. Will she continue to shout that loud and clear? I was the author of the original White Paper, and we made the point that unless our constituents and electors have knowledge, there cannot be democracy. I hope she will make that point loud and clear.
My Lords, I was pleased to hear the Minister say that she supported freedom of information. Will she continue to shout that loud and clear? I was the author of the original White Paper, and we made the point that unless our constituents and electors have knowledge, there cannot be democracy. I hope she will make that point loud and clear.
I support the noble Lord. I think this was probably his approach when he conceived the legislation, which is not entirely easy because of the burdens. You have to have a balance between letting sunlight in wherever we can by making things available—not using them as an excuse for cover-ups; we have perhaps had too many of those historically—and keeping secret private advice to Ministers so that they can take decisions in an objective fashion, consider options that are not always welcome and come to the right conclusions. I think that is very important, and I speak as someone who, strangely, has been both a civil servant and a Minister.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the number of staff working in the NHS.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the number of staff working in the NHS.
A record number of staff are working in the NHS, including more than 6,000 more doctors and more than 16,400 more nurses than last year. We have backed the NHS long-term workforce plan with more than £2.4 billion over five years. This will put us on course to double the number of medical school training places, almost double the number of adult nursing training places and increase the number of GP training places by 50% by 2031. It will also ensure that the NHS workforce is put on a sustainable footing for the future.
I thank the Minister for his Answer, but he knows that there is a dire shortage of staff right across the NHS, with 47,000 nursing vacancies. The recruitment of nurses to training places is down 13% this year. Some 170,000 workers in the NHS left their jobs last year, mainly under stress. Today, we have the news that a survey found that 32% of students who are currently in medical school have said that they intend to emigrate on completing their studies. I repeat what I asked in my Question: what plans do the Government have to increase the number of staff working in the NHS?
I thank the Minister for his Answer, but he knows that there is a dire shortage of staff right across the NHS, with 47,000 nursing vacancies. The recruitment of nurses to training places is down 13% this year. Some 170,000 workers in the NHS left their jobs last year, mainly under stress. Today, we have the news that a survey found that 32% of students who are currently in medical school have said that they intend to emigrate on completing their studies. I repeat what I asked in my Question: what plans do the Government have to increase the number of staff working in the NHS?
The whole House will, I think, recognise that we have extensive plans that are, as I said, backed by £2.4 billion. That is what the long-term
workforce plan was all about. There were many requests for us to put it in place and that is what we have delivered. All of this comes in the context of 63,000 more members of staff over the past year—actually, around 280,000 more members of staff since 2010. Those are substantial increases. Do we need to do more? Yes. Is that what the long-term workforce plan is all about? Yes.
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount paid for all agency staff in the NHS, including hiring and organisational costs, for (1) April 2019, and (2) April 2023.
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount paid for all agency staff in the NHS, including hiring and organisational costs, for (1) April 2019, and (2) April 2023.
NHS England advised costs for agency staff of £594.8 million for the quarter including April 2019, as reported in the NHS England and Improvement Financial Performance Report, First Quarter 2019/20, a copy of which is attached. The data has not been finalised for publication for 2023/24.
NHS England does not collect hiring costs at an organisational level.
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total wage bill for all NHS staff for (1) April 2019, and (2) April 2023.
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total wage bill for all NHS staff for (1) April 2019, and (2) April 2023.
Data submitted to the NHS Pay Review Body shows that National Health Service provider permanent and bank staff spend was £55.7 billion in 2019/20, while in 2021/22 the spend was £66.2 billion. Data for 2022/23 is not yet available.
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of equipment procured for NHS Nightingale Hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has now been transferred to other NHS facilities.
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of equipment procured for NHS Nightingale Hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has now been transferred to other NHS facilities.
The information requested is not held centrally by the department. NHS England advises that each host trust is responsible for managing a list of assets and equipment including beds and medical equipment from the Nightingale hospitals, some of which will have been absorbed by host trusts. The remaining surplus stock has been collected and made available for national redistribution under the existing warehousing, asset tracking and logistics contracts.
To ask His Majesty's Government how much resource has been expended on NHS Nightingale Hospitals.
To ask His Majesty's Government how much resource has been expended on NHS Nightingale Hospitals.
The total cost for the Nightingale hospital programme was £362 million, all of which was incurred during financial year 2020/21.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS Nightingale Hospitals were started and how many completed during the response to COVID-19.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS Nightingale Hospitals were started and how many completed during the response to COVID-19.
Seven temporary Nightingale hospitals were established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these were decommissioned during 2021. Validated data on the total number of patients treated in Nightingale hospitals is not available centrally.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients have been treated in NHS Nightingale Hospitals.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients have been treated in NHS Nightingale Hospitals.
Seven temporary Nightingale hospitals were established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these were decommissioned during 2021. Validated data on the total number of patients treated in Nightingale hospitals is not available centrally.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS Nightingale Hospitals established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been decommissioned, and when.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS Nightingale Hospitals established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been decommissioned, and when.
Seven temporary Nightingale hospitals were established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these were decommissioned during 2021. Validated data on the total number of patients treated in Nightingale hospitals is not available centrally.
My Lords, one of the greatest concerns of individuals working in the NHS is lack of confidence about the future. The real problem is retention. I understand that there is a massive shortfall of staff. Will the Minister tell us how big that shortfall is and what the Government are doing to make it up?
My Lords, one of the greatest concerns of individuals working in the NHS is lack of confidence about the future. The real problem is retention. I understand that there is a massive shortfall of staff. Will the Minister tell us how big that shortfall is and what the Government are doing to make it up?
The noble Lord is absolutely correct; that is why I was delighted, as I think all sides of the House were, by the launch of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. As Amanda Pritchard, the CEO of the NHS, said, it was a “truly historic” moment for the NHS; it absolutely recognises that staff are the backbone of it all and that we need to do everything to recruit and retain them. Retention is all about professional development and all those things that make up staff morale.
My Lords, I have attended a great number of football matches, and I see what appears to be an inconsistency in various clubs’ attention and response to individuals running on to
the pitch—they are probably the most dangerous individuals, because they have a contempt. I have an interest in Carlisle United, and we have a policy that, if someone comes on to the pitch, we exclude and ban them. Will the Minister consult every club in the Football League to make sure that they take the same strong action against individuals?
My Lords, I have attended a great number of football matches, and I see what appears to be an inconsistency in various clubs’ attention and response to individuals running on to
the pitch—they are probably the most dangerous individuals, because they have a contempt. I have an interest in Carlisle United, and we have a policy that, if someone comes on to the pitch, we exclude and ban them. Will the Minister consult every club in the Football League to make sure that they take the same strong action against individuals?
The noble Lord makes an important point, and, yes, we work with clubs of all tiers and sizes across the country to look at this issue. The policing of football matches is an operational decision for local police forces—the local police commander will make a risk assessment and deploy resources accordingly. That is of course right, but we and the police speak regularly to clubs of all sizes about these issues.
My Lords, does the Minister guarantee that the inquiry will be provided with the figures outlining the serious loss of personnel in the NHS, which is causing serious problems in the cancer field, as we have heard about today, and which have occurred over the period that it is investigating?
My Lords, does the Minister guarantee that the inquiry will be provided with the figures outlining the serious loss of personnel in the NHS, which is causing serious problems in the cancer field, as we have heard about today, and which have occurred over the period that it is investigating?
I assure the noble Lord that anything that is Covid related is being made available to the inquiry, subject to some security points.
The impact of the Covid measures on the wider NHS and health is a matter for the chair but is inherently relevant.
My Lords, why do the Government not face up to the reality that TransPennine Express is a small player compared with the problem of cancellations on the west coast main line, especially by Avanti? I understand that there were three yesterday morning alone. When can we have a proper mainline service on the west coast?
My Lords, why do the Government not face up to the reality that TransPennine Express is a small player compared with the problem of cancellations on the west coast main line, especially by Avanti? I understand that there were three yesterday morning alone. When can we have a proper mainline service on the west coast?
I am not aware of the reasons for those cancellations, but I remind all noble Lords that sometimes cancellations have to happen that are not the fault of the train operating companies. We have worked very closely with Avanti, and we know that the proportion of Avanti-caused cancellations fell from an average of 13.2% in early January to just 1.4% at the end of March. Occasionally, it is not Avanti’s fault, and it is right that it does not take the blame in those circumstances.