daily report monday, 22 october 2018 contents...2018/10/22 · daily report monday, 22 october 2018...
TRANSCRIPT
Daily Report Monday, 22 October 2018
This report shows written answers and statements provided on 22 October 2018 and the
information is correct at the time of publication (07:16 P.M., 22 October 2018). For the latest
information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements,
please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/
CONTENTS
ANSWERS 7
BUSINESS, ENERGY AND
INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 7
Business: Human Rights 7
Clothing: Manufacturing
Industries 7
Conditions of Employment: EU
Law 8
Consumers: Dispute
Resolution 8
Consumers: Subscriptions 8
Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Public Expenditure 9
Ford Motor Company: Engines 9
Fracking: Climate Change and
Environment 10
Post Offices: Franchises 10
Shops: Urban Areas 10
Trading Standards: Finance 11
CABINET OFFICE 11
Absent Voting 11
Crown Commercial Service:
Keir 12
Employment: Learning
Disability 12
Keir 12
Keir: Contracts 12
Russia: Subversion 13
Temporary Employment: North
East 13
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS 14
Housing Estates: Sales 14
DEFENCE 14
Armed Forces: Mental Health
Services 14
Arms Trade: Exports 15
Army: Cadets 15
Autonomous Weapons 15
Defence: Scotland 16
HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark 16
Ministry of Defence: Written
Questions 16
Navy: Cadets 16
Royal Military Academy:
Foreign Nationals 17
Treasury: Public Expenditure 17
Warships: Procurement 18
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND
SPORT 18
Arts and Design: Trade
Promotion 18
Boxing: Northern Ireland 18
Broadband 19
Internet: Wales 19
Northern Ireland Boxing
Association 19
Vasilijs Melniks 19
EDUCATION 20
Apprentices: Taxation 20
Assessments: Standards 21
Children: Dyslexia 21
Children: Hearing Impairment 21
Free School Meals: Liverpool 22
Freedom and Autonomy for
Schools National Association:
Electronic Government 22
GCE A-level 22
IGCSE 23
Local Government: Private
Finance Initiative 24
Schools: Greater London 24
Secondary Education: Pupil
Exclusions 25
Social Work 26
Special Educational Needs 26
Students: Loans 27
Teachers: Pay 29
Teachers: Pensions 29
Teachers: West Midlands 29
Teaching Excellence
Framework Independent
Review: Public Appointments 30
Universities: Finance 30
University Academy
Warrington 31
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND
RURAL AFFAIRS 31
Abandoned Vehicles 31
Flood Control 31
Fracking 32
Greyhound Board of Great
Britain 33
Nature Conservation:
Developing Countries 33
Pet Travel Scheme 34
Plastic Bags: Fees and
Charges 35
Primates: Pets 35
FOREIGN AND
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 35
Bangladesh: Demonstrations 35
Bangladesh: Elections 36
Bangladesh: War Crimes 37
Benin: Elections 37
Cameroon: Elections 37
Cameroon: Violence 38
China: Organs 38
Conservative Party:
Conferences 39
Human Rights 39
Human Rights: Business 39
India: Prisoners 40
Israel: Bedouin 40
Libya: Human Rights 40
Libya: Politics and
Government 41
Prisoners: British Nationals
Abroad 42
Syria: Chemical Weapons 43
USA: International Criminal
Court 43
Yemen: Armed Conflict 44
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 44
Allergies: Medical Equipment 44
Audiology: Paediatrics 45
Blood: South West 45
Breast Cancer: East Sussex 46
Cattle 46
Co-proxamol 46
Dental Services 47
Diabetes: Health Education 47
Diabetes: Medical Equipment 48
Diabetes: Pregnancy 49
Disability: Health Services 50
Drugs 50
Epilepsy: Nutrition 50
Exercise 51
Female Genital Mutilation 51
General Practitioners:
Liverpool 52
Hospices: Finance 52
Hospitals: Admissions 52
Influenza: Vaccination 53
Leicester General Hospital 54
Lung Diseases: Rehabilitation 55
Medical Equipment: UK Trade
with EU 56
Mental Health 57
Mental Health Services:
Children and Young People 57
NHS: Negligence 59
NHS: Waste Disposal 60
Palliative Care 60
Pigmeat 61
Pregnancy Loss Review 61
Sheep 61
Sign Language: Hospitals 62
Stem Cells: Donors 62
Sugar: Consumption 63
Urology: Medical Equipment 63
Usher Syndrome: Health
Education 64
HOME OFFICE 65
Agriculture: Migrant Workers 65
Airports: Biometrics 65
Airports: Immigration Controls 65
Asylum: Housing 66
Drugs: Crime 67
Female Genital Mutilation:
Arrests and Prosecutions 68
Hate Crime 68
Home Office: Staff 69
Human Trafficking 69
Human Trafficking: Organs 70
Immigrants: EEA Nationals 70
Immigrants: Entry Clearances 71
Immigrants: EU Nationals 71
Immigration: Security 71
Medicine: Research 72
Money Laundering 72
National County Lines
Coordination Centre: Staff 73
Police: Expenditure 73
Police: Finance 74
Police: Merseyside 75
Proceeds of Crime 75
HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 76
Affordable Housing: Liverpool 76
Change of Use 76
Council Tax: Dorset 76
Grenfell Tower: Fires 77
Homelessness: Mental Health 77
Housing: Construction 78
Housing: Safety 79
Local Government Finance 80
Local Plans 80
Social Rented Housing:
Regulation 81
Supported Housing: Learning
Disability 81
INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT 82
Bangladesh: Overseas Aid 82
Bangladesh: Rohingya 83
Department for International
Development: Social Media 84
Developing Countries: Brexit 85
Developing Countries: Nature
Conservation 85
Israel: Palestinians 86
Yemen: Overseas Aid 86
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 87
Department for International
Trade: Contracts 87
Overseas Trade 87
Trade Promotion 88
UK Trade with EU: Exports 90
JUSTICE 90
Bedford Prison 90
Bedford Prison: Prisoners'
Release 91
Companies: Fraud 91
Employment Tribunals
Service: Appeals 91
European Convention On
Human Rights 92
Prisons: Reviews 92
Prosecutions: Greater London 92
Risley Prison: Staff 93
Sexual Offences: Bristol 93
Young Offenders: Greater
London 94
Youth Justice 94
NORTHERN IRELAND 95
British Irish Council 95
PRIME MINISTER 95
Members: Correspondence 95
TRANSPORT 96
Bus Services: Greater
Manchester 96
Bus Services: South Yorkshire 96
Crossrail 97
Dangerous Driving 97
Department for Transport:
Public Expenditure 98
Driving Instruction 99
Driving: Licensing 99
Electric Vehicles 100
Food: Transport 101
High Speed 2 Railway Line 102
Hospitals: Parking 102
London-Brighton Railway Line:
Fares 103
Public Transport: Disability 103
Railways: Compensation 104
Railways: Disability 104
Railways: Pay 104
Roads: Repairs and
Maintenance 105
TREASURY 105
Capital Gains Tax 105
Competition and Markets
Authority: Finance 106
Employment: Taxation 107
Help to Buy Scheme:
Oxfordshire 107
Insurance Premium Tax:
Public Sector 108
Mortgages: EU Law 108
Personal Pensions: Tax
Allowances 108
Police: Pensions 109
Private Rented Housing:
Stamp Duty Land Tax 110
Revenue and Customs:
Offices 110
Taxation (International and
Other Provisions) Act 2010 110
Taxation: EU Law 111
WALES 111
Ports: Wales 111
Wales Office: Contracts 111
WORK AND PENSIONS 112
Department for Work and
Pensions: Interserve 112
Disability Living Allowance:
Appeals 112
Employment and Support
Allowance: Arrears 113
Employment and Support
Allowance: Maladministration 113
Employment: Disability 113
Maternity Allowance: Universal
Credit 114
National Insurance
Contributions 115
Paternity Pay: Self-employed 115
Personal Independence
Payment: Appeals 116
Personal Independence
Payment: Hearing Impairment 116
Personal Independence
Payment: Multiple Sclerosis 118
Poverty 119
Social Security Benefits:
Forms 119
Social Security Benefits:
Immigrants 120
Social Security Benefits:
Medical Examinations 120
Universal Credit 121
Universal Credit: Housing 123
Universal Credit: Liverpool
Riverside 123
Universal Credit: Mental
Illness 124
Universal Credit: Nottingham 124
Universal Credit: Preston 124
Universal Credit: Terminal
Illnesses 125
MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS 127
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 127
Dementia: Health Services 127
WRITTEN STATEMENTS 128
DEFENCE 128
Call-Out Order to Support Air
Policing Operations 128
HOME OFFICE 128 Opt-in Decision on the
Proposal of the European
Parliament and the Council on
European Production Orders
and European Preservation
Orders for cross-border
access to electronic evidence
in criminal matters 128
Notes:
Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared.
Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an
oral question and has since been unstarred.
ANSWERS
BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Business: Human Rights
Jo Swinson: [180125]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which projects
on business and human rights his Department has funded in each of the last five years;
and what the total spend of each such project was in each of those years.
Kelly Tolhurst:
The UK’s National Action Plan to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on
Business and Human Rights sets out a rolling programme of actions requiring both
legislative and non-legislative approaches. The Department has funded one project in
the last five years. The Department matched funding from the Dutch Government
toward the development of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, a private sector-
led initiative that ranks some of the world’s largest companies by their human rights
policies, processes, and practices. The total spend on this project from UK
Government was £60,000 in 2014/15 and £20,000 in 2015/16.
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
Stephen Timms: [180080]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what
discussions his Department has had with fashion brands and businesses based in
Europe on their concerns on accessing the UK after March 2019.
Kelly Tolhurst:
This Department engages regularly with UK based businesses across a range of
sectors, including fashion brands and businesses, many of whom also have a
European base, and we understand the concerns of these businesses about retaining
frictionless trade.
This is why Government has been clear that the best outcome is for the UK to leave
the EU with a deal and why, following months of intensive work and detailed
discussions, we proposed a third option for our future economic relationship, based
on the frictionless trade in goods.
At March European Council, the UK and EU agreed that during the implementation
period, the UK would be treated as a Member State for the purposes of international
agreements, including trade agreements.
This provides certainty and confidence that there will be no disruption to existing
relationships underpinned by international agreements as we move into the
Implementation Period.
Conditions of Employment: EU Law
Jon Trickett: [180641]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the
Cabinet has held discussions on removing worker's rights that derive from EU law after
the UK has left the EU.
Kelly Tolhurst:
This Government has committed not to roll back workers’ rights when we leave the
European Union (EU). This commitment stands regardless of whether there is a
Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU or not, and irrespective of where
the rights originated. The EU (Withdrawal) Act ensures that existing rights are
retained in UK law when the UK leaves the EU.
We are committed to ensuring everyone is treated fairly at work. In order to ensure
our legal framework keeps pace with the changing world of work, and workers have
access to the rights they deserve, the Prime Minister commissioned Matthew Taylor
to carry out an independent review of modern working practices in the UK. We
responded to the review in February 2018, committing to firm action and future
legislation and launched four consultations on the detail. We are currently considering
the responses and will respond in due course.
Consumers: Dispute Resolution
Martyn Day: [180258]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to the April 2018 Green Paper on Modernising Consumer Markets, if he will make an
assessment of the potential merits of the mandatory participation in alternative dispute
resolution being extended to cover non-regulated markets.
Kelly Tolhurst:
The Government is making such an assessment as part of its review of the system of
alternative dispute resolution. The Modernising Consumer Markets Green Paper
asked for views on whether there should be an automatic right for consumers to
access alternative dispute resolution in sectors with the highest levels of consumer
harm.
Consumers: Subscriptions
Martyn Day: [180260]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to the April 2018 Green Paper on Modernising Consumer Markets, what estimate he has
made of the annual cost to consumers who fail to cancel subscriptions following initial
free trials; and if he will make a statement.
Kelly Tolhurst:
The Government has not estimated the annual cost to consumers of unwanted
subscriptions.
The Government is committed to tackling the problem of subscription traps and has
asked Citizens Advice to lead work on behalf of the Consumer Protection Partnership
to recommend any actions needed to prevent consumers paying for unwanted
subscriptions.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure
Rebecca Long Bailey: [180218]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the
change has been to his Department's budget in real terms in each year since 2010; and
what the projected real terms changes are for each year to 2022.
Richard Harrington:
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was created in
July 2016, so its first full year budget was for the financial year 2017/18.
BEIS budgets decreased in real terms by 3.8% between 2017/18 and 2018/19.
BEIS budgets are projected to increase in real terms by 4.9% between 2018/19 and
2019/20. (2019/20 budgets are yet to be approved by Parliament so may be subject
to change.)
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that there will be
a Spending Review in 2019 which will set planned departmental budgets beyond
2019/20.
Note: “BEIS budgets” refers to total Departmental Expenditure Limits, excluding
depreciation, taken from the Autumn Budget 2017 publication.
Ford Motor Company: Engines
Gill Furniss: [180279]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to faulty engines of the Ford Ecoboost, what steps the Office of Product Safety and
Standards plans to take to support both the recall of that vehicle and consumers that
have been affected.
Kelly Tolhurst:
The Office for Product Safety and Standards was established in January 2018 to
further improve the UK’s leading product safety system. It covers general consumer
product safety, but not vehicles, food, medicines, medical devices, construction
products or workplace equipment which are all covered by separate bodies.
The Department of Transport has policy responsibility for vehicle safety and the
Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency, an executive agency of the Department for
Transport, is responsible for automotive safety defect and recall matters.
Fracking: Climate Change and Environment
Paul Blomfield: [179204]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what
assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) the ability of the Government to
meet its climate change targets and (b) the environment of reducing regulations on shale
gas extraction; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry:
The Government is firmly committed to meeting its ambitious climate change targets
and contributing to the global effort to tackle climate change through the Paris
Agreement.
Shale gas has the potential to be a home-grown energy source which can lead to
jobs and economic growth, contribute to our security of supply, and be compatible
with our climate change objectives.
Pursuant to my response to Question 175969, there are no plans to reduce the
robust regulations for shale gas extraction - we have been clear that shale gas
development must be safe and environmentally sound.
Post Offices: Franchises
Gill Furniss: [180280]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much
money from the public purse has been spent on the Post Office franchising programme
since 2013.
Kelly Tolhurst:
Government has invested over £2 billion in the Post Office since 2010. Funding has
been split between subsidy funding to support branches that are not economically
viable and investment funding to modernise the post office, including transforming
branches and franchising some directly managed branches. The split for the current
funding package between April 2018 to March 2021 is £210 million in investment
funding and £160 million in subsidy.
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the
company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent
business. Thus, the precise allocation of funding to different programmes is an
operational matter for Post Office Limited and is reported in their annual report and
accounts which can be found on their website at http://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/.
Shops: Urban Areas
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180111]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make
an assessment of potential changes to the level of high street retailing in the next five
years.
Kelly Tolhurst:
This Government recognises that High Street retailing is evolving, but high streets
remain a crucial part of our local and regional economies, creating jobs, nurturing
small businesses and injecting billions of pounds into our economy.
Under current assessments, the majority of employment remains in high street retail.
95% of retail jobs related to traditional retailers in 2017, with 5% of jobs accounted for
by online only retailers.
To make assessments of potential changes, we have assembled an industry led
expert panel focusing on what consumers and local communities want from their high
streets of the future. In conjunction with the expert panel, evidence sessions are also
being held across the country. We want to know what the public, and young people in
particular, want from their high streets of the future. The responses will be considered
by the expert panel and help to inform their recommendations.
Trading Standards: Finance
Martyn Day: [180259]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the UK
Government will provide additional funding to National Trading Standards and Trading
Standards Scotland.
Kelly Tolhurst:
The Department has provided a single enforcement grant of £12,961,000 to National
Trading Standards and of £1,215,000 to Trading Standards Scotland for financial
year 2018/19. We keep the funding needs of both organisations under constant
review.
CABINET OFFICE
Absent Voting
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180655]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will undertake a review of the (a) reasons
and (b) extent of increases in postal and proxy vote applications in constituencies in (i)
Northern Ireland and (ii) England in advance of any changes required to the system for
such applications for the next General Election.
Chloe Smith:
The Government will continue to keep electoral legislation, for all non-devolved polls,
under review and consider what changes, if any, may be required before the next
General Election.
The Government has no plans to undertake such a review. Relevant to postal and
proxy working more generally, the Government responded to the Review in
December 2016, addressing each of the concerns raised in turn, setting out a number
of measures for tackling the risk of fraud. The Government is considering the way
forward on the recommendations made by Sir Eric Pickles, a number of which relate
to absent voting, and will continue to consider how to improve the integrity of electoral
processes more generally.
Changes to electoral law in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Secretary of State
for Northern Ireland.
Crown Commercial Service: Keir
Jon Trickett: [179114]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the Crown Commercial
Service has had with Kier in the last 12 months.
Oliver Dowden:
This is information is not held centrally. However, I can confirm that Kier attended a
Buildings Strategic Category stakeholder engagement event with officials in the last
twelve months.
Employment: Learning Disability
Vicky Foxcroft: [179257]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the
number of people with learning disabilities who have been in (a) full-time and (b) part-time
employment in each of the last five years.
Chloe Smith:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority.
I have asked the Authority to reply.
Attachments:
1. UKSA response [PQ179257 Vicky Foxcroft MP.pdf]
Keir
Jon Trickett: [179112]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions his Department has
had with Keir on that company's financial sustainability.
Oliver Dowden:
Cabinet Office officials are in regular contact with the largest suppliers to government
in the normal course of business. Discussions cover a range of issues including
contract and financial performance.
Keir: Contracts
Jon Trickett: [179111]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the total value
of Government contracts held by the construction firm Keir.
Oliver Dowden:
Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details
of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
Russia: Subversion
Tom Watson: [177631]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any unsuccessful attempts have been
made by Russia to interfere in the UK's democratic processes in the last three years.
Tom Watson: [177632]
To ask the Cabinet Office, whether any indirect attempts have been made by Russia to
interfere in the UK's democratic processes in each of the last three years.
Mr David Lidington:
The Government has said previously that we have not seen evidence of successful
foreign
interference in UK elections and we take any allegations of interference in UK
democratic
processes by a foreign government extremely seriously. That remains the case. We
know
that certain states routinely use disinformation and other means as a foreign policy
tool,
and have seen evidence of this happening elsewhere. It should therefore not surprise
us
that they might try to influence democratic processes in the UK.
Temporary Employment: North East
Julie Elliott: [179209]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed in the North
East (a) on zero-hour contracts and (b) in non-permanent jobs.
Chloe Smith:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority.
I have asked the Authority to reply.
Attachments:
1. UKSA response [PQ179209 Julie Elliott MP.pdf]
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Housing Estates: Sales
Frank Field: [175982]
To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners,
which housing estates (a) in the Greater London area and (b) elsewhere have been sold
by the Church Commissioners; and whether guarantees were sought that those estates
would remain in social housing ownership.
Dame Caroline Spelman:
[Holding answer 11 October 2018]: In 2005 and 2006 following careful consideration
the Church Commissioners took the decision to sell what were known as the Octavia
Hill Estates, comprising approximately 1,580 flats and houses within the Greater
London area.
The sales, to a joint venture between Grainger plc and Genesis Housing Group, were
subject to the residents’ leases, and the rights and obligations contained in these
remained. A commitment was made to engage with residents’ associations and to
keep in touch with tenants as the sales progressed to keep them fully informed.
Some tenants had the right to purchase their properties and this was communicated
to the qualifying tenants.
In 1985 the Church Commissioners took the decision to sell their residential property
holdings in Brixton to a housing association. According to the records of the
Commissioners covenants were not placed on these properties and to the best of
knowledge these properties are still owned by a housing association.
The Church Commissioners are not and have never been a social housing provider
and have a statutory duty to deliver the best possible return on their investments to
fund the work and mission of the Church of England across the country. The Church
Commissioners continue to provide new housing across the country where they have
land holdings and affordable housing is a key part of that provision.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
Sir David Evennett: [907176]
What steps he is taking to improve mental health support for members of the armed
forces and veterans.
Mark Lancaster:
The Ministry of Defence works with a range of partners to ensure that serving
personnel and veterans receive the mental health support they need. Last year we
published a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy setting out measures to
further improve the mental health of the Armed Forces. Earlier this year we
commissioned a new 24/7 Mental Health Helpline for serving personnel and their
families from Combat Stress, linking into its existing service for veterans.
Arms Trade: Exports
Lloyd Russell-Moyle: [180282]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2018 to
Question 176572 on Arms trade: exports, what estimate he has made of the number of
UK jobs that depend (a) directly and (b) indirectly on arms exports.
Stuart Andrew:
The Ministry of Defence does not hold this information.
Army: Cadets
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180112]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army Cadets there were in each
year between 2007 and 2017.
Stuart Andrew:
The Ministry of Defence publishes official statistics on Cadet strengths. The number
of Army Cadets as at 1 April each year between 2007 and 2017 can be found in the
publications below.
2007-2016 (Excel Spreadsheet - Table 1, Row 27)
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-2016
2017 (Excel Spreadsheet - Table 1, Cell M34)
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-2018
Autonomous Weapons
Jo Swinson: [180126]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the merits of
the possible guiding principles set out in the final report of the 2018 Group of
Governmental Experts on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous
weapons.
Stuart Andrew:
Her Majesty's Government welcomes the Chair's summary of possible guiding
principles in the field of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). These
principles mark a move towards international consensus on the key considerations in
the LAWS debate, and will provide a useful basis for further discussions as the Group
of Governmental Experts (GGE) continues its work next year.
Defence: Scotland
Ged Killen: [907182]
What estimate he has made of the change in real terms defence spending in Scotland
since 2010.
Stuart Andrew:
Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure with Scottish industry has increased in real
terms from £1.372 billion in 2013-14 to £1.592 billion in 2016-17.
The number of jobs supported by MOD expenditure with industry in Scotland
currently stands at 10,500, and this has increased every year since 2013.
HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark
Luke Pollard: [178537]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the new out of service dates are for (a)
HMS Albion and (b) HMS Bulwark; and if he will make a statement.
Stuart Andrew:
The out of service dates for HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark remain 2033 and 2034
respectively.
Ministry of Defence: Written Questions
Deidre Brock: [180221]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish an substantive
Answer to Questions 142890 and 142899, on Clyde Naval Base: Submarines, tabled on
10 May 2018 by the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith.
Stuart Andrew:
The work to retrieve and assess the data to provide a substantive answer to the hon.
Member's questions is still ongoing. Once the process is complete I will provide a
response, placing a copy in the Library of the House.
Navy: Cadets
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180113]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Sea Cadets there were in each
year between 2007 and 2017.
Mark Lancaster:
The Ministry of Defence publishes official statistics on Cadet strengths. The number
of Sea Cadets as at 1 April each year between 2007 and 2017 can be found in the
publications below.
2007-2016
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-2016
2017
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-2018
Royal Military Academy: Foreign Nationals
Layla Moran: [180289]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many foreign nationals received training
at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in each year between 2005 and 2017.
Mark Lancaster:
The table below shows the number of International Cadets who attended the Royal
Military Academy Sandhurst in each financial year (FY) between 2005 and 2017. This
includes attendees on the Regular Commissioning Course, Commissioning Course
Short (Reserves) and the International Trainer Development Course.
FY
2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-
08
2008-
09
2009-
10
2010-
11
2011-
12
2012-
13
2013-
14
2014-
15
2015-
16
2016-
17
2017-
18
Int.
Cdts
70 60 70 70 70 70 60 70 70 70 110 90 110
Notes:
These figures are single service estimates and are not official statistics produced
by Defence Statistics.
Commissioning Course Short data prior to Financial Year 2006-07 is not available.
Figures have been rounded to 10 to limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality;
numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent
systematic bias. “-” denotes zero or rounded to zero.
Treasury: Public Expenditure
Sir Henry Bellingham: [907169]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future funding of his Department.
Gavin Williamson:
I have regular discussions with the Chancellor.
This Government is committed to spending at least 2% of GDP on defence and the
Ministry of Defence’s budget will rise at least 0.5% above inflation every year of this
Parliament, taking it to almost £40 billion by 2021.
Warships: Procurement
John Spellar: [907175]
What priority his Department accords to the preservation of UK shipbuilding capacity
when awarding contracts to build the fleet solid support ships.
Stuart Andrew:
The Government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy was clear that for reasons of
national security warships must be built in the UK.
Fleet solid support ships do not fall under the National Shipbuilding Strategy definition
of a warship. All non-Warships are procured through international competition to
secure best value for money.
We have encouraged UK shipyards to participate in the competition and have been
pleased with the positive engagement so far.
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Arts and Design: Trade Promotion
Stephanie Peacock: [R] [178521]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his
Department is taking to promote the arts and fashion industry to emerging markets.
Margot James:
Ministers regularly undertake international visits to emerging markets as well as
meeting incoming delegations from these countries to promote the UK's art and
fashion industries.
As part of the Creative Industries Sector Deal, the government has established an
industry-led Trade and Investment Board, comprising members from across the
creative industries - including the fashion and design industries - which will oversee
development and delivery of an export strategy with ambitious targets. The Board’s
trade activities have been supported by at least £4m this financial year.
DCMS also works very closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the
British Council, the Department for International Trade and the GREAT campaign,
both in London and throughout the global network of British Embassies, to ensure the
arts, fashion and all other cultural and creative industries are fully integrated into the
UK Government's wider trade and promotion activities in emerging markets around
the world.
Boxing: Northern Ireland
Gavin Robinson: [180212]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is
taking to support boxers from Northern Ireland in representing boxing for (a) Northern
Ireland and (b) the UK.
Tracey Crouch:
Athletes in Northern Ireland have the choice as to whether they wish to represent the
UK or Ireland in their given sport. However, at times this will be subject to the
overarching rules applied by the individual Governing bodies of the sport. Eligibility
and selection for international competition remain matters for the relevant sports
authorities.
Broadband
Stephen Timms: [180084]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the
Answer of 13 September 2018 to Question 172405 on Broadband, when he plans to
discuss with BT and Ofcom how transparency measures might be introduced.
Margot James:
Discussions with Openreach and Ofcom about greater transparency of build plans
have started and are ongoing.
Internet: Wales
Chris Ruane: [180105]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the 100 wards in
Wales were with the lowest proportion of people who had not accessed internet services
within the last 6 months in each of the last 3 years.
Margot James:
My department does not hold the information requested.
Northern Ireland Boxing Association
Gavin Robinson: [180211]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his
Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that the Northern Ireland Boxing
Association are included as a constituent part of GB Boxing; and what support the
Government can provide for the Northern Ireland Boxing Association's application to join
The International Boxing Association.
Tracey Crouch:
I refer the Honourable Member to my response to PQ 179240 on 18th October.
Vasilijs Melniks
Chi Onwurah: [180723]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling
Commission undertook due diligence on Vasilijs Melniks before granting a licence to the
Park Lane Casino in London.
Tracey Crouch:
The Gambling Commission has advised me that it undertook enhanced and
significant due diligence in relation to Mr Melnik’s Park Lane Club casino licence
application in 2014. Based on the result of those checks it was satisfied as to his
suitability to be associated with the licence. The Gambling Commission is currently
reviewing Silverbond’s (Park Lane Casino’s) licence to provide gambling in Britain.
Details of the Commission’s processes may be found at the following links:
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gambling-businesses/Apply-for-a-
licence/What-you-need-to-send-us-when-you-apply-for-an-operating-licence-medium-
to-large-businesses.aspx
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/Statement-of-principles-for-licensing-
and-regulation.pdf
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/Regulatory-
action/Review-a-licence.aspx
EDUCATION
Apprentices: Taxation
Catherine McKinnell: [180191]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, a) what estimate he has made of the amount
of unspent funds in employers’ accounts under the Apprenticeship Levy; for what reasons
those funds remain unspent; and whether he has plans to extend the period of time within
which levy-paying employers can use those funds.
Anne Milton:
At the end of September, the total balance of employers’ Apprenticeship Service
accounts was £2.7 billion, which includes government top-ups. This will change as
payments are made in and out of apprenticeship service accounts. Some of these
funds are already committed.
The apprenticeships programme (and therefore the expenditure) is demand-led.
Employers choose which apprenticeships they want to offer, how many apprentices
they want to employ and when they want them to begin. We do not anticipate that all
employers who pay the levy will need or want to use all the funds in their accounts.
Levy-paying employers have up to 24 months in which to spend the funds available
to them. The 24 month expiry period is designed to give employers time to develop
their apprenticeship programmes whilst encouraging employers to take action to
create new apprenticeship opportunities. We currently have no plans to extend the
expiry period.
Assessments: Standards
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180097]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of
requests for exam re-marking for (a) GCSE, (b) BTEC, and (c) A-Level exams by
students at (i) community and academy comprehensive schools, (ii) community and
academy grammar schools, and (iii) private schools in each of the last five years.
Nick Gibb:
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I
have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the hon. Member and a copy
of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Children: Dyslexia
Henry Smith: [R] [179182]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to
local authorities on assessments for children who may have dyslexia.
Nadhim Zahawi:
Schools are required under the Children and Families Act (2014) to identify and
address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils or students they support,
and guidance is set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of
Practice. This includes arranging for appropriate tests where the school’s own
assessments indicate that this is necessary
Children: Hearing Impairment
Thelma Walker: [180286]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the
adequacy of funding available to local authorities for specialist education services for deaf
children.
Nadhim Zahawi:
We want children with special educational needs and disabilities to be able to reach
their full potential.
Nationally, high needs funding has risen by £1 billion since 2013-14, to just under £6
billion in 2018-19. Allocations for individual local authorities can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-
2019.
However, we recognise that costs have increased which is why we are providing
extensive support to schools to deliver the best value possible with available
resources. This includes a high needs benchmarking tool to allow local authorities to
compare their spending in this area.
We are monitoring the impact of our national funding formula on high needs and are
keeping the overall level of funding under review.
Free School Meals: Liverpool
Luciana Berger: [180172]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many recipients of free school meals
there have been in Liverpool in each of the last 10 years.
Nadhim Zahawi:
The number of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals is published at the
annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-
january-2018.
For 2018, the number and percentage of pupils eligible for and claiming free school
meals by local authority can be found in Tables 8a to 8e, in the Schools pupils and
their characteristics 2018 - LA tables of the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their
characteristics: January 2018’ statistical release.
Information for earlier years (from 2008 onwards) can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.
Freedom and Autonomy for Schools National Association: Electronic Government
Layla Moran: [180288]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the speech entitled Damian
Hinds speech at Confederation of School Trusts conference, published by his
Department on 11 October 2018, for what reasons parts of that speech have been
redacted on the gov.uk website; and who took the decision to redact sections of that
speech.
Nadhim Zahawi:
In line with the Government Communications Service propriety guidance, published
by the Cabinet Office and based on the Civil Service Code, the Department for
Education redacted political content from the version published on GOV.UK. The
guidance is available at:
https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Government-
Communication-Propriety-Guidance-Feb-16-1.pdf.
The speech by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is available on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/damian-hinds-speech-at-confederation-of-
school-trusts-conference.
GCE A-level
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180634]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in A
Level results in (a) Coventry South, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England
in the last five years.
Nick Gibb:
The Department publishes pupil attainment data through a number of headline
measures for each local authority and region of England; these figures can be
compared to the national (England) average for all pupils.
The headline measures for 16-18 study for each local authority and region in England
for the academic years 2009/10 – 2017/18 are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years.[1]
Due to A and AS Level reforms and changes to headline measures (including
methodological changes), the available figures are only directly comparable between
2009/10 – 2014/15 and 2015/16 – 2017/18.
The last five years’ figures for A Level results for England, the West Midlands region,
and Coventry Local Authority are summarised in the tables attached. Constituency
level information is not published for 16-18 performance measures.
[1] For each year, select the ‘revised’ publication and then open the ‘Local authority
tables’. For 2015/16 - 2016/17 the headline attainment measures are the average
point score (APS) per entry and APS per entry expressed as a grade for each
qualification type. These can be found in table ‘9a all’ (2017/18); table ‘9a all’
(2016/17); table 9a (2015/16); table 12c (2014/15); table 12a (2012/13 - 2013/14);
table 9a (2011/12); table 10 (2010/11); table 9 (2009/10).
Attachments:
1. 180634_a_level_results_england_w_midlands_coventry
[180634_a_level_results_england_w_midlands_coventry.pdf]
IGCSE
Lucy Powell: [180739]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of IGCSE
entries were taken in (a) state-funded schools (b) independent schools in 2018.
Nick Gibb:
The number and proportion of international GCSE entries in state-funded schools and
independent schools in 2017/18 is provided below:
INSTITUTION TYPE
NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL GCSE
ENTRIES
% OF ALL
INTERNATIONAL
GCSES
State-funded 7,824 23%
Independent 26,024 76%
Other (e.g. Pupil Referral Units and
Alternative Provision)
337 1%
All schools 34,185
For pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2018, the number and proportion of entries in
approved international GCSEs, which count in the departments’ school and college
performance tables, is provided below:
INSTITUTION TYPE
NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL GCSE
ENTRIES
% OF ALL
INTERNATIONAL
GCSES
State-funded 5,782 76%
Independent 1,848 24%
Other (e.g. Pupil Referral Units and
Alternative Provision)
21 0%
All schools 7,651
Local Government: Private Finance Initiative
Stella Creasy: [180183]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September
2018 to Question 173578 on Local Government: Private Finance Initiative, how much
funding his Department has allocated in the form of private finance initiative (a) grants
and (b) credits to each local authority in each financial year since 2010.
Nick Gibb:
Since 2010, the Department has not allocated any new funding to local authorities for
Private Finance Initiative projects.
Schools: Greater London
Clive Efford: [179078]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate has been made of the cost of
relocating flood defences to enable a school to be built on the Bowring sports ground
SE12; and if he will make a statement.
Nadhim Zahawi:
As is usual when developing proposals for a new free school, the department has
undertaken various site surveys and consultations. This has informed the
development of the design and provided an estimate of construction costs for the
proposed new school. In this case, this includes investigating options and obtaining
estimated costs to relocate part of the existing flood defences at the former Bowring
Sports Ground.
At this stage, the estimated cost to relocate the existing flood defences is
approximately £604,000. The proposals remain, however, subject to obtaining
planning permission and the procurement of a building contractor. As such, this figure
will be subject to further refinement as the plans are developed. When planning
approval is achieved, the department will procure a contractor to construct the new
school, and construction costs will be agreed at that time.
Secondary Education: Pupil Exclusions
Catherine McKinnell: [180188]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made
of trends in the level of fixed-period exclusions in secondary schools in (a) the North East
of England and (b) England.
Catherine McKinnell: [180189]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) exclusions and (b) instances
of off-rolling in school year (a) ten and (b) eleven there were in the North East of England
in each year since 2010.
Nick Gibb:
The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England
2016 to 2017’ includes information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed
period exclusions. The full release is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-
england-2016-to-2017.[1]
The attached table provides the number of exclusions in the North East of England in
national curriculum years 10 and 11 for academic years 2010/11 to 2016/17.
The Department does not hold information centrally on the number of pupils taken off
roll. Local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to establish the identities of
children of compulsory school age in their area who are not registered pupils at a
school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise.
The law is clear that a pupil’s name can only be deleted from the admission register
on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration)
(England) Regulations 2006 as amended.
If a school removes a child from their roll when not at the point of a standard
transition, it must inform the local authority and set out the grounds for their action.
When removing a pupil’s name, the notification to the local authority must include: the
full name of the pupil, the full name and address of any parent with whom the pupil
normally resides, at least one telephone number of the parent, and the pupil’s future
address and destination school, if applicable.
[1] National and regional information by academic year is available in the Underlying
data section of the release, in the file ‘national_region_la_school_data_exc1617.csv’.
The data can be filtered by the columns ‘year’, ‘level’ and ‘region_name’.
Attachments:
1. 180188_180189_Exclusions_years_10_and_11
[180188_180189_Exclusions_years_10_and_11.pdf]
Catherine McKinnell: [180725]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if will publish a ranked list of the reasons for
fixed-period exclusions of pupils in secondary schools in (a) the North East and (b)
England in the last two years.
Nick Gibb:
The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England
2016 to 2017’ includes information on the reasons for exclusions. The full release is
available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-
exclusions-in-england-2016-to-2017.[1]
[1] National and regional information on reasons for exclusions by academic year by
school type is available in the underlying data section of the release, in the file
“reason_for_exclusion_exc1617.csv”. The data can be filtered by the columns “year,
“level”, “region_name” and “school_type”.
Social Work
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180098]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on the adequacy of funding allocated to (a) Step Up to
Social Work (b) other programmes that promote diversity in the social work profession;
and if he will make a statement.
Nadhim Zahawi:
The government is committed to continuing investment in the education and training
of social workers and securing a diverse workforce representative of service users. A
further round of applications to Step Up to Social Work will launch in February next
year with up to 700 participants starting training in January 2020. The department is
also currently procuring provision of fast-track social work education in 2020 and
2021 following the successful Frontline programme. Separately, the government
supports proposals for a new graduate apprenticeship which will provide a route into
social work for a broader range of people. This is in addition to existing investment in
bursaries for social work students attending traditional university social work degree
programmes.
Special Educational Needs
Ben Bradley: [180302]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to
improve outcomes for children with special educational needs.
Nadhim Zahawi:
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms introduced by the
Children and Families Act (2014) were the biggest in a generation. Since then, we
have given £391 million to local areas to support implementation of the new duties
under the act and a great deal of progress has been made with 98% of statements
transferred to education, health and care (EHC) plans, where appropriate, by April
2018.
We want to ensure that families are able to participate meaningfully in developing
local services and have a contract worth £20 million with the Council for Disabled
Children (CDC) and Contact, to improve local information, advice and support and
provide a national helpline; and a contract worth £3.8 million with Contact, in
partnership with KIDS and the CDC, to promote and develop strategic participation by
young people and parent carers.
We have in place a new contract with the Whole School SEND Consortium to embed
SEND within approaches to school improvement in order to equip the workforce to
deliver high quality teaching across all types of special educational needs. The
programme of work includes building a community of practice with the involvement of
10,000 schools by 2020 and 15,000 schools by 2022, across the eight regional
schools commissioners’ regions.
We are establishing a SEND Commissioning Board for children and young people
with high needs to help support local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups
to improve planning and commissioning of SEND provision.
We have published a roadmap for reforming alternative provision that will see us
focus on sharing best practice across the sector and launched a £4 million innovation
fund. We have also announced an externally led review of school exclusions, carried
out by former children’s minister Edward Timpson CBE, looking into why certain
groups of pupils – including those with SEND – are more likely to be excluded than
others, and launched a review into the outcomes of and support for children in need.
Finally, we have asked Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission to design a
programme of further local area SEND inspections to follow the current round and to
develop an approach for further inspection or monitoring of those areas required to
produce a written statement of action. The inspections consider how effectively local
areas identify, meet the needs of and improve the outcomes of children and young
people with SEND. They have proved a catalyst for supporting local areas to improve
their services and deliver better outcomes for children and young people.
Students: Loans
Angela Rayner: [180208]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 10
October 2018 on Government Asset Sale, HCWS979, what book value his Department
has placed on the student loans to be sold in the second sale.
Mr Sam Gyimah:
The department calculates the book value for the pool of loans for any given sale
after the sale has completed, and the fully audited number for the second sale will be
available in the 2018-2019 annual accounts.
Angela Rayner: [180209]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6
December 2017 on Government Asset Sale, HCWS317, what estimate he has made of
what the minimum price for the sale was that would have achieved value for money
according to HM Treasury Green Book rules.
Mr Sam Gyimah:
Disclosing the minimum value is considered commercially sensitive and would put
achieving the best value for money for future sales at risk.
The approach to Sale 1, including the tests the department used to assess value for
money, was reviewed by the National Audit Office, which concluded that in terms of
preparation, process and proceeds, the government achieved value for money.
Following HM Treasury Green Book principles, the department used a range of
measures to assess that the sale offered value for money, as set out in the report that
was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 7 December 2017.
Angela Rayner: [180210]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6
December 2017 on Government Asset Sale, HCWS317, if he will publish the full value for
money assessment undertaken in this asset sale; and what the the evidential basis was
for his Department’s conclusion that the sale represented value for money according to
HM Treasury Green Book rules.
Mr Sam Gyimah:
It is a requirement of Section 4 of the Sale of Student Loans Act (2008), that the
Secretary of State lay a report before Parliament about arrangements following a
sale, including the extent to which the arrangements give good value, within three
months of a sale. For Sale 1, this report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses
on 7 December 2017.
Angela Rayner: [180748]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution by the
Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation to the hon Member for
Kettering of 11 October 2018 on Student Loan Book: Sale, Official Report, column 286, if
he will (a) publish the range of estimates for the expected proceeds of the sale and (b)
place in the Library a copy of the information shared with the hon. Member for Kettering.
Mr Sam Gyimah:
The government and its advisers are continuing to refine the range of estimates for
the expected proceeds of the sale.
A report on the sale arrangements, and the extent to which they gave good value, will
be placed in the House Libraries within three months of the date of the transfer
arrangements.
Teachers: Pay
Jo Stevens: [180794]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion
of school teachers in England that are paid over £50,000 per annum.
Nick Gibb:
The proportion of full and part-time teachers in state-funded schools in England with
salaries of £50,000 or more in November 2017 is 13%.
The figures provided are available from table 9a, from the publication ‘School
Workforce in England, November 2017’. This is available at the following web link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-
2017.
Teachers: Pensions
Angela Rayner: [180747]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018
to Question 176323 on Teacher's Pensions, what proportion of the projected rise in
employer contribution costs is due to the change to the Scape discount rate.
Nick Gibb:
The Superannuation Contributions Adjusted for Past Experience (SCAPE) discount
rate is only one of a number of factors that need to be taken into account when
completing pension scheme valuations. Taken in isolation, the SCAPE rate change
from CPI+2.8% to CPI+2.4% results in an increase of around 7 percentage points on
the employer contribution rate. This is equivalent to the full projected rise in employer
contribution costs across the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
The Department for Education intends to fund state-funded schools and further
education providers, but will shortly be running a public consultation to seek views
and understand better the impact of the proposed changes to inform action the
Department will take.
Teachers: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180639]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with
headteachers in (a) Coventry South, (b) Coventry and (c) the West Midlands on schools
the increase in funding of teachers' pay as set out in the 2018 School Teachers' Review
Body report.
Nick Gibb:
Officials from the Department have met with a number of stakeholder groups when
developing the Teachers’ Pay Grant, including the National Association of Head
Teachers, the Association of School and College Leaders and the Local Government
Association.
Teaching Excellence Framework Independent Review: Public Appointments
Gordon Marsden: [180102]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he has made on appointing
the Chair of the Independent Review into the Teaching Excellence Framework.
Mr Sam Gyimah:
We have made excellent progress in appointing an independent reviewer of the
Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework and I hope to make an
announcement shortly.
Universities: Finance
Jared O'Mara: [179313]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to replace potential lost
funding for universities as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Mr Sam Gyimah:
We remain confident that we will agree a mutually advantageous deal with the EU –
we do not want or expect a no deal scenario. It is, however, the duty of a responsible
government to continue to prepare for a range of potential outcomes, including the
unlikely event of no deal. Extensive work to prepare for this scenario has been under
way for almost two years and we are taking the necessary steps to ensure the
country continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave. We have now
published 106 specific technical notices – including on Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+ –
to help businesses, universities, citizens and consumers prepare for a no deal
scenario.
In the event of a no deal scenario the government’s underwrite guarantee will cover
funding for successful competitive bids to Horizon 2020 submitted before exit day. In
July 2018, we extended this guarantee to cover all successful competitive bids by UK
entities to Horizon 2020 calls open to third country participation submitted between
exit day and the end of 2020. The guarantee will apply for the lifetime of qualifying
projects, even where this extends beyond 2020.
The government will cover funding for successful Erasmus+ bids from UK
organisations that are submitted while the UK is still a Member State, even if they are
not approved until after we leave. The government will need to reach agreement with
the EU for UK organisations to continue participating in Erasmus+ projects and is
seeking to hold these discussions with the EU. The government has also extended
the underwrite guarantee to cover the payment of awards under successful
Erasmus+ bids submitted post-March 2019 until the end of 2020. The eligibility of UK
organisations to participate in calls for bids once the UK is no longer a Member State
is subject to agreement between the EU and the UK.
University Academy Warrington
Helen Jones: [180645]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the
new provider for University Academy Warrington has (a) expertise in and (b) a track
record of raising the attainment of working class pupils; and if he will make a statement.
Nadhim Zahawi:
In selecting a preferred sponsor for University Academy Warrington, the Regional
Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire will consider the trust’s
track record of working with pupils who have similar characteristics to those at
University Academy Warrington, alongside a range of other criteria, including the
raising of attainment.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Abandoned Vehicles
Daniel Kawczynski: [179169]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether local
authorities are responsible for removing abandoned cars from private land.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
Local authorities’ duties in respect of abandoned vehicles stem from the Refuse
Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods &
Environment Act 2005.
The Government’s guidance on abandoned vehicles is published here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/abandoned-vehicles-council-responsibilities
Where it appears to a local authority that a vehicle in its area is abandoned, it will be
its duty to remove the vehicle. This duty applies to all land in the open air or any land
forming part of a highway. However, in respect of such vehicles that are not on the
carriageway, this duty does not apply where the costs of removing them to the
nearest convenient carriageway is unreasonably high.
It is up to councils to decide how best to meet their statutory duties in respect of
abandoned vehicles, and how to prioritise this against other local services.
Flood Control
Dan Jarvis: [R] [180729]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring
forward legislative proposals to make it mandatory for (a) utility companies and (b) the
private sector to contribute financially to flood protection when their infrastructure is at
risk.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
Utility companies are responsible for the resilience of their supplies. The 2016
National Flood Resilience Review requires utility companies to develop plans for
permanently improving resilience of service provision from the most severe flood
events.
In 2019, we will update the national flood and coastal erosion risk management
strategy, looking to strengthen joint delivery across organisations. We will look at
current partnership arrangements ahead of a review of funding needs beyond 2021,
seeking to attract more non-public sector investment, and make sure all relevant
agencies are able to respond quickly and effectively to support communities if and
when flooding does occur.
Dan Jarvis: [R] [180730]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to
the 2018 NAO report on the financial sustainability of local authorities published by the
NAO in March 2018, what plans he has to (a) promote a sustainable means of funding
flood defences and (b) mitigate the risk that flooding presents to communities and the
economy.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
The NAO report states that while local authority spending power has decreased, local
Government spending on floods has increased by 29% in real terms since 2010.
This Government is investing £2.6 billion capital to better protect the country from
flooding. £2.6 billion is a real terms increase – up from £1.7 billion in the 2010-2015
Parliament, and £1.5 billion between 2005 and 2010. Local authorities have access to
this funding for flood defence improvements on the same terms as the Environment
Agency and internal drainage boards.
Other funding for local authority needs, including for local flood management, is
provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Over this
spending period, councils will be able to access more than £200 billion to spend on
local services. The majority of this funding is non-ring-fenced as it is for local
authorities, who are independent of central Government, to manage their budgets in
line with locally determined priorities.
Fracking
Kate Hollern: [180215]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent
assessment his Department has made of the effect on the local environment of fracking.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
The Environment Agency (EA) has carried out an assessment of the environmental
risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and the measures that are needed to
ensure that the local environment is protected. Based on this, the EA has developed
and published detailed guidance setting out the conditions that fracking operations
must meet.
Businesses proposing to explore for oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing require
environmental permits from the EA, which are subject to a detailed site specific
assessment. The permits set legally binding conditions on the activities and how they
are carried out to protect the local environment. They include requirements to monitor
groundwater, surface water and air quality before, during and after operations.
Greyhound Board of Great Britain
Anna Turley: [180246]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the
Department has made an assessment of adequacy of the injury and retirement data
published by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
David Rutley:
The format of the injury and retirement data published by the Greyhound Board of
Great Britain (GBGB) for the first time in March this year was requested and
approved by Defra. Alongside publication of the data, which has been independently
verified, the GBGB also made several commitments to improve the figures, which the
Government has welcomed. Defra will continue to monitor the data, and the progress
of GBGB’s commitments.
Nature Conservation: Developing Countries
Mr Ranil Jayawardena: [177767]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and
what proportion of UK Overseas Development Assistance is allocated to training park
rangers for the protection of endangered species.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
We cannot provide this as a percentage of Overseas Development Aid (ODA) spend,
as ODA spend varies in line with the 0.7% commitment. However through Defra’s
Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund around £18.5million has been allocated to 61
projects in developing countries. Defra Challenge Fund projects focused on training
rangers are as follows:
Combatting illegal wildlife trade in the W-Arly-Pendjari landscape - ZSL
Increasing capacity for anti-poaching and enhancing human-elephant coexistence -
Tanzanian Elephant Programme
Developing elephant eco-guardians: fundamental for co-ordinated anti-
poaching/trafficking initiatives in Mali - Wild Foundation, Mali Elephant Project
Counter-Poaching Training Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa - Tusk Trust.
Pet Travel Scheme
Louise Haigh: [180250]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to
the report Puppy Smuggling: When will this cruel trade end?, published by the Dogs
Trust, what steps his Department is taking to tackle abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme.
David Rutley:
Defra takes the health and welfare of dogs coming into the UK very seriously. We
share Dogs Trust’s concerns about illegal puppy trafficking, where commercial
operators have abused European Union (EU) pet travel rules to traffic underage
puppies into the UK, using falsified pet passports to conceal the animals’ true ages.
Defra has zero tolerance for this abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme. Defra has
published guidance for owners on buying a pet. This contains guidelines such as
buying from a reputable supplier and viewing the animal and its documentation, and
also highlights the trade in illegal imports. A wider public communications campaign
is also being planned.
We have increased resourcing at major UK ports. The UK carries out more checks at
the border than most other EU Member States and penalties are in place where
people are found to be breaking these rules. The Animal and Plant Health Agency
(APHA) is working in partnership with Dogs Trust, enforcement bodies and transport
carriers to identify non-compliant animals destined for Dover and Folkestone ports.
This partnership began in December 2015 and has since then resulted in over 800
puppies being seized and placed into quarantine.
Defra has also launched an intelligence-led Task Force to work on this issue. We are
working with a wide range of stakeholders (including Dogs Trust) to develop long
term solutions to the illegal puppy trade.
Defra considers it extremely important to raise the profile of this issue at an EU level.
In 2017, an EU Platform on Animal Welfare was set up, and the UK is a member of
this. It contains a specific, smaller subgroup on the dog trade. Defra considers this
subgroup to be an important initiative and our Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer will
speak at a conference on the Online Puppy Trade in Brussels in November, which is
affiliated with this subgroup.
Defra has in recent months held a consultation on a proposed ban on commercial
third party puppy and kitten sales in England. This would mean that anyone looking to
buy or adopt a puppy or kitten must either deal directly with the breeder or with one of
the nation’s many animal rehoming centres. It is hoped that this will drive up animal
welfare standards and deter those motivated to traffic puppies into the UK and sell
them on for financial gain. This consultation closed in September and is now being
reviewed.
We welcome the latest Dogs Trust report and will be reviewing the evidence it
presents to consider what further action can be taken to end the illegal puppy trade.
Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180096]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment
he has made of the effectiveness of the single use carrier bag charge; and whether he
has plans to expand the scheme to other single use items.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
The single use carrier bag charge introduced in 2015 has seen plastic bag sales in
major supermarkets drop by 86%. This is equivalent to 19 bags per person in
2016/17 in England, compared with 140 bags each before the government introduced
the charge. It has taken 13 billion plastic bags out of circulation in the last two years
and last year alone generated over £51.6 million for charities and other good causes.
The HMT call for evidence on tackling single use plastic waste through the use of
fiscal measures or new charges closed in May. A summary of responses was
published in August ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget on 29 October.
Primates: Pets
Mr Roger Godsiff: [180094]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an
assessment of the potential merits of banning (a) the keeping of primates as pets and (b)
the sale of primates as pets.
David Rutley:
Keepers of animals including primates must provide for the welfare needs of their
animals as required by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. To assist in this regard, there is
the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-human Primates.
Anyone keeping a primate as a pet in a domestic setting, or otherwise causing
unnecessary suffering, would be in breach of the 2006 Act and liable to a penalty of
six months’ imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both. The Government has
announced that the maximum custodial penalty for causing unnecessary suffering to
an animal will rise from six months’ imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment.
As of 1 October new laws were introduced regulating the sale of pets. The new laws
provide strict minimum welfare standards for any business selling pets. In addition,
Defra has worked with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group on the development of
voluntary minimum standards for the online advertising of pets, which now include a
prohibition on the sale of primates on five of the main online advertising sites.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
Bangladesh: Demonstrations
Emily Thornberry: [178486]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information
his Department holds on the number of people (a) detained and (b) charged for
involvement in recent demonstrations led by (i) students and (ii) young people in
Bangladesh on (A) reform of public-sector employment quotas and (B) road safety in that
country.
Mark Field:
There are no reliable figures for those detained and charged for their part in the
recent public sector quota reform, and road safety protests, including no official
figures. Media reporting in Bangladesh on the public-sector quota reform protests,
indicated 30 students were arrested then granted bail during court hearings held in
August. Media reporting in Bangladesh of the road-safety protests quoted a Dhaka
Metropolitan Police spokesperson on 15 August that there had been 97 arrests.
I was deeply concerned by the violence we saw in Dhaka in response to road safety
protests and by the action taken against those peacefully protesting against the
public sector quota system. In a statement on 7 August, the British High
Commissioner to Bangladesh, Alison Blake, together with other EU Heads of Mission,
was clear that the Government of Bangladesh should investigate incidents of unlawful
or disproportionate violence against road safety protestors and journalists and hold
the perpetrators to account. Subsequently, Joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office
and Department for International Development Minister Alistair Burt expressed our
concern regarding the response to the road safety protests with the Government of
Bangladesh, during his visit to Bangladesh from 28-31 August.
Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office. We raised freedom of expression as a key concern in
Bangladesh during the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review and we
continue to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to work with Bangladeshi Civil
Society to address their concerns regarding freedom of expression.
Bangladesh: Elections
Emily Thornberry: [178485]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the
Government has plans to provide election observers to monitor the conduct of the
forthcoming general election in Bangladesh; and what recent discussions he has had with
his counterparts in other EU members states on the potential deployment of an EU
Election Monitoring Mission to Bangladesh in advance of those elections.
Mark Field:
The UK supports election monitoring in Bangladesh through a Department for
International Development project that funds domestic observers to monitor the
political environment around elections, including observation of sub-national
elections. This project will also provide local observers to monitor conduct on the day
of the general election. The UK has consistently advocated for an EU election
observation mission to Bangladesh.
I want to see a general election in Bangladesh that is free, fair and inclusive and I
encourage the Government of Bangladesh and the main opposition parties to engage
in an effective dialogue to lay the groundwork for this. The Foreign Secretary made
these points to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met on 24 September at
UNGA. I made these points to the senior Bangladeshi interlocutors, including the
State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, and senior members of the
opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, during my visit to Bangladesh
from 29 June to 1 July.
Bangladesh: War Crimes
Emily Thornberry: [178487]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information
his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of cases heard by the
International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh that have resulted in (i) convictions and (ii)
acquittals.
Mark Field:
There are no reliable figures on the number of cases heard by the International
Crimes Tribunal, and the proportion of those being convicted or acquitted. Foreign
and Commonwealth records indicate there have been 18 verdicts delivered since
2013, all convictions. Six executions have taken place as a result of these
convictions, though the number of death penalties handed down is higher, with some
of those convicted having absconded. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has
consistently opposed the use of the death penalty in Bangladesh.
Benin: Elections
Emily Thornberry: [177649]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what
representations he has made to his Benin counterpart on the imposition of a law in that
country requiring any (a) candidate and (b) party wishing to stand in its parliamentary
elections to pay an upfront fee equivalent to £340,000.
Harriett Baldwin:
The British Government has not made representations to the Government of Benin
regarding the new electoral law passed on 3 September 2019. The British
Government nevertheless continues to encourage Benin to continue to reform its
electoral processes in advance of the 2019 parliamentary elections in order to further
safeguard and consolidate the country's positive democratic progress.
Cameroon: Elections
Jo Swinson: [179156]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment
he has made of how (a) free and (b) fair the elections in Cameroon were on 7 October
2018.
Harriett Baldwin:
The African Union's Election Observation Mission found that the elections were
conducted in a relatively orderly manner in most of the country but violence affected
polling in the Anglophone regions. I was concerned by reports of violence and
casualties on polling day in Anglophone regions and by how difficult it was for citizens
to vote there. I called on all parties to follow proper procedure for tallying results and
exercise restraint.
Cameroon: Violence
Jo Swinson: [179157]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment
he has made of the accuracy of reports of the escalation of violence in the Anglophone
regions of Cameroon; and if he will make a statement.
Harriett Baldwin:
We are aware of reports of increase in violence in the Anglophone region, especially
in the lead up to the Presidential elections which took place on 7 October. The
situation there is such that it is difficult to obtain an accurate account of what is
happening or verify social media reports. We continue to engage with the
Government of Cameroon on this and wider issues and deliver the message that we
want to see an end to violence and a meaningful process to address the core issues
in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. We will also continue to underline that all
parties have a responsibility to work for peace and stability and to use only legal and
peaceful means to voice grievances.
China: Organs
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180659]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make
representations to his Chinese counterpart on a reported increase in forced organ
harvesting.
Mark Field:
We are aware of reports that suggest a process of involuntary organ removal may be
taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are
being specifically targeted. The UK government fully supports the Declaration of
Istanbul (May 2008), which encourages all countries to draw up legal and
professional frameworks to govern organ donation and transplantation activities.
As the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Europe and the Americas, Sir
Alan Duncan, stated in a Westminster Hall debate on 11 October 2016: “Although I
do not doubt the need to maintain close scrutiny of organ transplant practices in
China, we believe that the evidence base is not sufficiently strong to substantiate
claims about the systematic harvesting of organs from minority groups. Indeed,
based on all the evidence available to us, we cannot conclude that this practice of
“organ harvesting” is definitely happening in China.”
Conservative Party: Conferences
Emily Thornberry: [180673]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many
representations his Department has received since his reference to the Soviet Union
when speaking about the EU at the Conservative party conference on 30 September
2018.
Sir Alan Duncan:
None.
Human Rights
Mrs Madeleine Moon: [179149]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is
taking to (a) support and (b) protect human rights defenders in the UK’s human rights
priority countries.
Mark Field:
In November 2017 the then Foreign Secretary issued a revised version of the UK
Guidelines on Working with Human Rights Defenders to the diplomatic network,
giving it advice on how best to support human rights defenders. Depending on the
local context, this might involve making public statements, attending trials, or working
privately with the host government. In addition, posts in all Human Rights Priority
Countries are required to have a Human Rights Strategy which includes working with
human rights defenders. Funding for projects through the Magna Carta Fund further
supports the work of the diplomatic network in supporting human rights defenders.
Working at the multilateral level, in November 2017 we helped secure consensus on
the UN General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights Defenders to support and
protect human rights defenders.
Human Rights: Business
Jo Swinson: [180124]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which projects on
business and human rights his Department has funded in each of the last five years; and
what the total spend of each such project was in each of those years.
Mark Field:
For the 2018-19 financial year, the department intends to spend through the Magna
Carta Fund a total of £107,000 supporting business and human rights projects.
Information for projects relating to business and human rights in previous financial
years is not readily available; we will write to the Hon Member in due course.
India: Prisoners
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180658]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make
representations to his Indian counterpart on the seven Indians in the Orissa region who
have been in prison on murder charges for 10 years awaiting an appeal hearing.
Mark Field:
Our close relationship with the Government of India means we discuss a wide range
of matters, including religious tolerance and minority rights. However, we are unable
to intervene in Indian legal proceedings. An appeal hearing remains at the
prerogative of the Indian authorities.
Israel: Bedouin
Paula Sherriff: [180244]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral
contribution by the Minister for the Middle East of 4 July 2018, Official Report, column
333, on the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, what progress he has made on the
investigation.
Alistair Burt:
My officials have looked into the matter and understand that demolitions are carried
out by private contractors on behalf of the Israeli authorities. I can assure you that the
Government is fully committed to encouraging respect for human rights among UK
businesses, including promoting the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Guidelines. Where a company decides to trade is however a decision for each
company to reach. At Prime Minister’s Questions on 17 October, the Prime Minister
reiterated the UK’s strong opposition to Israel’s proposed demolition of Khan al-
Ahmar.
Libya: Human Rights
Emily Thornberry: [178483]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his
Department has received reports of human rights abuses perpetrated by Libyan militias
allied to the Government of National Accord.
Emily Thornberry: [178484]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to
UN Security Council Resolution 1970, what recent steps the Government has taken to
support the issue of International Criminal Court warrants for the arrest of members of (a)
the Libyan National Army and (b) other armed groups in Libya.
Alistair Burt:
The UK has been clear about the need for perpetrators of human rights abuses in
Libya to be held to account, regardless of their affiliation. We have taken action in the
UN Security Council to sanction militia commanders who undermine Libya's peace
and security. We have also called clearly on all Libyan parties to co-operate fully with
the International Criminal Court, including in the case of Major Al-Werfalli. The UK co-
sponsored a resolution at the March 2018 session of the Human Rights Council
calling for greater accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses in
Libya.
Libya: Politics and Government
Emily Thornberry: [178479]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent
assessment he has made of the feasibility of holding parliamentary and presidential
elections in Libya that are compliant with the outcome of the talks between Libyan
factions in Paris on 29 May 2018.
Emily Thornberry: [178480]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent
assessment he has made of the ability Libya to hold a free and fair referendum on that
country's draft constitution.
Emily Thornberry: [178481]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment
he has made of progress on the outcomes of talks held by representatives of local and
municipal councils (a) in Tunis in December 2017; (b) in Shahat in January 2018 and (c)
in Tripoli in March 2018.
Emily Thornberry: [178482]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has
made an assessment of the adequacy of the security arrangements for voters
participating in the planned constitutional referendum and elections in Libya.
Alistair Burt:
The UN Action Plan launched in September 2017 makes clear that elections and a
referendum on the country's constitution will be important milestones in Libya's
political transition. UN Special Representative to the Secretary General Ghassan
Salamé has also been clear about the need for elections to be preceded by the
necessary political, technical and security preparations, and for progress towards a
new constitutional framework that commands sufficiently broad support among
Libyans. The Libyans present in Paris in May this year set out an ambitious timetable
in relation to these objectives, but further progress is needed. Italy will host an
international conference on Libya in Sicily next month to discuss outstanding issues.
The UK is supporting the work of Libya's national and local election commissions –
including by providing £1.2 million to UN Development Programme over two years to
support fair and safe local and national elections in Libya.
Local and Municipal Councils and wider civil society will play an important role in any
sustainable solution to Libya's problems. We support the UN-led National Dialogue
process, which has brought together and consulted with a range of Libyans from
across the country; and we are encouraged by recent exchanges between municipal
representatives from east and west Libya.
Prisoners: British Nationals Abroad
Robert Halfon: [179187]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in which countries
UK citizens are incarcerated in prisons.
Harriett Baldwin:
As of May 2018, we are aware of 2,325 British nationals in detention in 114 countries
abroad. This can include British nationals in immigration detention, in police custody,
on remand awaiting trial, and sentenced prisoners. The length of custodial sentence
being served by individuals ranges widely, from very short periods up to life
imprisonment.
Robert Halfon: [179188]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he
has made of the average length of prison sentence of UK citizens incarcerated in prisons
outside the UK.
Harriett Baldwin:
As of May 2018, we are aware of 2,325 British nationals in detention in 114 countries
abroad. This can include British Nationals in immigration detention, in police custody,
on remand awaiting trial, and sentenced prisoners. The length of custodial sentence
being served by individuals ranges widely, from very short periods up to life
imprisonment.
Robert Halfon: [179189]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he
has made of the longest prison sentence of a UK citizen currently incarcerated in a prison
outside the UK.
Harriett Baldwin:
As of May 2018, we are aware of 2,325 British nationals in detention in 114 countries
abroad. This can include British Nationals in immigration detention, in police custody,
on remand awaiting trial, and sentenced prisoners. The length of custodial sentence
being served by individuals ranges widely, from very short periods up to life
imprisonment.
Robert Halfon: [179190]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he
has made of the shortest prison sentence of a UK citizen incarcerated in a prison outside
the UK.
Harriett Baldwin:
As of May 2018, we are aware of 2,325 British nationals in detention in 114 countries
abroad. This can include British Nationals in immigration detention, in police custody,
on remand awaiting trial, and sentenced prisoners. The length of custodial sentence
being served by individuals ranges widely, from very short periods up to life
imprisonment.
Syria: Chemical Weapons
Chris Williamson: [180698]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the
Government received information following the inspection of Barzeh by the Organisation
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at any time in the six months before missile
strikes were initiated against that location on 14 April 2018.
Alistair Burt:
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reports on a
monthly basis to the UN Security Council on the Syrian chemical weapons
programme. Its report of 24 November 2017 noted Syria's declaration of parts of the
Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC) and the OPCW assessment that this
declaration remained incomplete. The OPCW report of 23 March 2018 reported on
the inspections at the Barzeh facility of the SSRC, and repeated the conclusion that
outstanding issues remained unresolved and the declaration remained incomplete.
Chris Williamson: [180699]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the
Answer of 17 September 2018 to Question 172062 on Syria: chemical weapons, what the
evidential basis is for his statement that the Director General of the Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported that they had been prevented from deploying
to Douma by Russia and Syria.
Sir Alan Duncan:
The Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) reported in detail on 16 April and again on 18 April to the Executive Council
meeting of the OPCW about the attempted deployment of the Fact Finding Mission to
Douma. The UK is a member of the Executive Council and was represented at both
meetings. The OPCW Director General's relevant statements to the Executive
Council are available on the website of the OPCW.
USA: International Criminal Court
Richard Burden: [179090]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent
assessment he has made of the effect of the US Administration’s relationship with the
International Criminal Court on the work of that institution; and if he will make a
statement.
Mark Field:
On 10 September US National Security Advisor, John Bolton delivered a speech
concerning the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Preliminary Examination into the
situation of Afghanistan. On 12 September the ICC issued a statement saying it will
continue its independent and impartial work, undeterred. The UK has always been
clear that the ICC can play an important role in ending impunity for the most serious
international crimes. It has our full support in pursuing the mandate it was given
under Rome Statute.
Yemen: Armed Conflict
Kate Hollern: [180216]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps
his Department has taken to support initiatives to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen.
Alistair Burt:
The Goverment remains committed to supporting the UN Special Envoy's efforts to
end the conflict in Yemen, including through diplomatic engagement with the parties
to the conflict and countries in the region. The Foreign Secretary met the foreign
ministers of the United States, United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on
27 September at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Foreign
Secretary urged a renewed push for political progress and discussed how to put in
place confidence-building measures. Through the cross-government Conflict, Stability
and Security Fund, the Government is providing funding to the UN Special Envoy's
office to bolster UN capacity to facilitate the peace process.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Allergies: Medical Equipment
Jonathan Ashworth: [180734]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to increase the supply of epipens.
Steve Brine:
The Department is working very closely with all the manufacturers of adrenaline auto-
injectors, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England,
and others to try to resolve these issues and improve the situation as quickly as
possible. Supplies of adult adrenaline auto-injectors are currently available and
sufficient to meet demand. Additional supplies of junior adrenaline auto-injectors have
arrived this week and the situation is expected to improve further in the coming
weeks.
Audiology: Paediatrics
Bambos Charalambous: [180843]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a
national tariff for paediatric audiology services.
Caroline Dinenage:
There is not a distinct paediatric audiology outpatient price. However national tariffs
are available for daycase, elective and non elective care for Audiometry or Hearing
Assessments, between five and 18 year olds and Audiometry or Hearing Assessment
for four year olds and under.
James Frith: [180851]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department
has made of the number of audiologists specialising in paediatrics that will be needed up
to 2020.
Caroline Dinenage:
Data on local National Health Service plans covering the number of audiologists
specialising in paediatrics that will be needed up to 2020 is not collected centrally.
Responsibility for assessing and managing staffing levels, including specialty staff,
rests with individual NHS trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how
many staff they need to provide a given service.
Blood: South West
Luke Pollard: [178538]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to
increase the volume of blood donations in Plymouth and the South West.
Matt Hancock:
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the collection, manufacturing
and issuing of blood products to the National Health Service in England. NHSBT
needs to collect more than 6,000 blood donations every day to treat patients in need
across England. Each donation has the potential to save or improve up to three lives.
NHSBT holds a number of national marketing campaigns throughout the year as part
of wider activity to recruit 200,000 new donors each year to replace those who can
longer donate for reasons such as illness, travel or pregnancy.
There are a number of blood donation sessions in Plymouth and the South West,
including Plymouth Blood Donor Centre which is open Monday to Friday. From 20
November there will be an increase in blood appointments on Tuesdays, from 29 to
around 110 appointments.
NHSBT regularly reviews its blood donation programme to ensure that the venues,
staff numbers and session frequency are all in place to ensure that the amount of
blood collected is sufficient to meet patient needs.
Breast Cancer: East Sussex
Peter Kyle: [180266]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his
Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of specialised nursing care for
people with secondary breast cancer in (a) East Sussex and (b) Brighton and Hove.
Steve Brine:
Service models, for the provision of specialised nursing care for people with
secondary breast cancer, are a matter for local trusts. East Sussex and Brighton and
Hove both offer excellent care for those living with a secondary breast cancer
diagnosis. East Sussex offers a well-established, integrated specialist nursing service
for all people with breast cancer. The service consists of four Macmillan Breast Care
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) clinically led by a Macmillan Nurse Consultant. They
employ an integrated service model where each CNS is equally skilled in caring for
patients with breast cancer at all stages of their care, and patients are signposted to
other group and individual support services such as their Cancer Counselling
Service. The Brighton and Sussex Cancer Centre is one of the few in the United
Kingdom which has a specifically designated metastatic breast care nurse and the
Cancer Alliance is seeking to share their experience with the rest of the region.
In the Cancer Workforce Plan for England, published in December 2017, Health
Education England (HEE) set out the case for the need to target additional training
support for several priority professions, including clinical radiology, histopathology,
oncology and diagnostic and therapeutic radiography. During HEE’s follow-up work to
phase 1 of the Cancer Workforce Plan, the cancer nurse workforce will also be
reviewed. Health Education England will support the expansion of Cancer Nurse
Specialists so that every patient has access to a CNS or other support worker by
2021. We plan to work with partners like East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Cancer
Alliances and Macmillan to identify and develop clear career pathways into the CNS
role as part of a wider review of the contribution nurses can make to cancer.
Cattle
Mr Charles Walker: [180664]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of England's
total cattle stock slaughtered annually do not pass vet inspections for release into the
human food chain.
Steve Brine:
The proportion of total condemnations was 0.40% for cattle in Food Standard Agency
approved slaughterhouses in England.
Co-proxamol
Darren Jones: [180284]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are plans to
review guidance on the licensing and availability of co-proxamol.
Matt Hancock:
There are currently no plans to review the licensing or availability of co-proxamol.
Co-proxamol is a combination of paracetamol and dextropropoxyphene which was
licensed for the treatment of pain.
In 2004, the safety of co-proxamol was reviewed and it was concluded that the
benefits of co-proxamol did not outweigh the risks of accidental overdose and death
and that co-proxamol should be withdrawn from the market. All licences in the United
Kingdom were cancelled by the end of 2007.
This was communicated to healthcare professionals in January 2005 with reminders
in 2007 and 2011. Where possible existing patients were to be switched to alternative
pain medication and no new patients should have been prescribed co-proxamol. It
remains the case that co-proxamol is an item that should not be routinely dispensed
in primary care following NHS England guidance.
As an unlicensed medicine, co-proxamol can be prescribed on a named patient basis
if it is judged to be the most appropriate treatment by the prescribing doctor.
Dental Services
Luke Pollard: [178535]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to allow
dental therapists to hold NHS dental contracts.
Steve Brine:
There are two forms of primary care dental contract, a General Dental Services
Contract or a Personal Dental Services Agreement. Dental therapists are able to hold
either of these providing the individual meets the general criteria set for holding such
contracts or agreements. There are no plans to change these requirements.
Diabetes: Health Education
Keith Vaz: [178468]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS patients have
been offered structured diabetes education after their diagnosis since March 2018.
Keith Vaz: [178475]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS patients over
the age of 65 have been offered (a) diabetes education and (b) dietary intervention since
March 2018.
Steve Brine:
The importance of structured education and of appropriate dietary advice and support
for people with diabetes is recognised. The National Diabetes Audit reporting
timescales mean that data for periods since March 2018 are not yet available. Due to
the time lag in allowing people a year to attend structured education, data for
education of people diagnosed in 2018 will not be published until the autumn of 2020.
Data is not collected on dietary intervention.
Keith Vaz: [178469]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS patients with
diabetes have been offered on-going nutritional advice by a registered dietitian since
March 2018.
Steve Brine:
The information requested is not centrally held.
Keith Vaz: [178470]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has
taken to encourage the take-up of dietary patterns that reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Steve Brine:
Being overweight or obese is the main modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes,
therefore, Public Health England (PHE) encourages the population to follow a healthy
balanced diet through a variety of communications including the Government’s 5 A
Day campaign, PHE’s catering guidance, the Change4Life and OneYou social
marketing campaigns and the NHS.UK website.
Following the dietary pattern advocated by the Eatwell Guide, maintaining a healthy
weight and following the Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity recommendations
will help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Keith Vaz: [178471]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his
Department holds on the number of (a) overweight and (b) obese NHS patients with type
2 diabetes that achieved weight loss of at least 15kg since their diagnosis.
Steve Brine:
The information requested is not centrally held.
Diabetes: Medical Equipment
Grahame Morris: [180697]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral
contribution by the Prime Minister on 17 October 2018, if he will publish the procedure for
a diabetic to obtain a Freestyle Libre Glucose Monitoring System through the NHS.
Steve Brine:
The Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee North, one of four NHS England
committees providing guidance on the use of drugs and devices, has issued advice
on the use of Freestyle Libre to support clinical commissioning groups (CCGs),
suggesting a careful start to its use and data collection to better understand the
benefits for patients. However, ultimately it is for CCGs, who are primarily responsible
for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In
doing so, they need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect
the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence and take into
account national guidelines.
Diabetes: Pregnancy
Keith Vaz: [178473]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of
the number of pregnant women with diabetes that have taken 5mg of folic acid a day until
the end of the 12th week of pregnancy.
Steve Brine:
The National Pregnancy in Diabetes (NPID) Audit provides a view of the care of
women with pre-existing diabetes1 in pregnancy, and the outcomes of those
pregnancies. NPID covers pregnancies in England and Wales and measures the
effectiveness of care against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Clinical Guidelines2. In 2016, 172 antenatal diabetes services participated in the
audit.
The most recent NPID Audit in 2016 reports on the number of pregnancies where
women with diabetes took folic acid at a dose of 5mg up to the end of the twelfth
week of pregnancy and can be found in the following table.
The following table details the number of pregnancies which ended in 2016 in women
with pre-existing type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and where the mother took a 5mg dose of
folic acid up to the end of the 12 th week of pregnancy.
TYPE 1 DIABETES TYPE 2 DIABETES
Total pregnancies 1,623 1,610
Number of pregnancies where
women took 5mg folic acid
679 367
Percentage of pregnancies
where women took 5mg of folic
acid
41.8 22.8
Notes:
1. NPID does not report on gestational diabetes.
2. NICE Diabetes in Pregnancy: Management of diabetes and its complications from
pre-conception to the post natal period is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/NG3
Disability: Health Services
Mrs Sharon Hodgson: [178478]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is
taking to ensure the (a) availability and (b) adequacy of the health services provided to
deafblind people.
Caroline Dinenage:
NHS services must ensure that people with a sensory impairment receive information
that they can access and understand, for example braille, and professional
communication support, if they need it, to meet the Accessible Information Standard.
The Care Quality Commission, when inspecting the quality of care delivered by
providers looks at how services implement the Accessible Information Standard.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, children and young people who are
deafblind may be eligible for special educational support, and health, education and
social care services should work together to assess and plan to deliver this. The Care
Quality Commission is inspecting all local areas over five years to assess the quality
of these local arrangements for special educational need (in addition to the routine
inspection of providers of health and social care).
Drugs
Paul Blomfield: [180179]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis was
for the request to pharmaceutical companies to increase stocks of medicines by six
weeks in August 2018; and what recent estimate he has made of the length of time that
there will be border disruption in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and
if he will make a statement.
Stephen Barclay:
Six weeks is the current cross-Government planning assumption that the Department
is using as the basis for our contingency plans but will of course be subject to revision
in light of future developments.
Epilepsy: Nutrition
Luciana Berger: [180714]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made
of the effect of medical nutrition on the management of drug-resistant epilepsy.
Steve Brine:
The Department has made no specific assessment of the effect of medical nutrition,
also known as the ketogenic diet, on the management of drug-resistant epilepsy.
However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence sets out best practice
guidance for clinicians in ‘Epilepsies: diagnosis and management’ which is available
at the following link:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg137
Exercise
Keith Vaz: [178472]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his
Department has taken to encourage people to undertake at least 150 minutes of
moderate to vigorous physical activity each week.
Steve Brine:
We are committed to promoting physical activity. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of
State for Health and Social Care recently launched Moving Medicine, which is a
practical web tool for health professionals to use with their patients and Public Health
England is working with the Royal Colleges to embed physical activity within clinical
practice so that health professionals can use routine consultations to promote
physical activity. The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers have also endorsed and
published physical activity guidelines for disabled adults to encourage them to be
active.
Female Genital Mutilation
Keith Vaz: [178462]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of female
genital mutilation have been recorded by the NHS in the last three years.
Matt Hancock:
The following table shows from April 2015 to March 2018, 16,265 individuals have
been recorded, where female genital mutilation (FGM) was identified or a procedure
for FGM was undertaken. Each patient is only counted once, no matter how many
attendances they had during the year.
Individuals, newly recorded and total attendances by quarter, April 2015 to March
2018, England
NUMBER
Year 1 Individuals 2 Newly Recorded 3 Total attendances 4
2015/16 6,185 6,185 9,335
2016/17 6,640 5,585 9,500
2017/18 6,195 4,495 9,490
Total 16,265 16,265 28,325
Source: NHS Digital
Notes:
1. Figures are based on the latest state of the database – records can be added,
removed or amended after the year end. As such, published figures may not match
previously published figures.
2. Individuals refers to all patients in the reporting period where FGM was identified or
a procedure for FGM was undertaken. Each patient is only counted once, no matter
how many attendances they had during the year.
3. Newly Recorded refers to an individual’s first appearance in the FGM dataset.
Newly recorded does not necessarily mean that the attendance is the woman or
girl’s first attendance for FGM.
General Practitioners: Liverpool
Luciana Berger: [180171]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the ratio of GPs to
patients was in each Liverpool parliamentary constituency in each of the past 10 years.
Steve Brine:
The ratio of patients per general practitioner is provided in the table attached. Figures
are not available at a parliamentary constituency level; therefore figures have been
included at the lowest available level corresponding to these areas, specifically
primary care trusts prior to 2013, and clinical commissioning groups from 2013
onwards.
Hospices: Finance
Colleen Fletcher: [180771]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much statutory funding
each Clinical Commissioning Group in England provided to hospices in each of the last
five years.
Caroline Dinenage:
This information is not held centrally. As with many NHS services, the funding and
commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual
National Health Service commissioners have responsibility.
Hospitals: Admissions
Jonathan Ashworth: [180194]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of
the number of emergency admissions to NHS trusts in England from people over 65
years of age within 28 days of discharge in each financial year from 2013-14 to 2017-18.
Jonathan Ashworth: [180195]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will estimate the number of
emergency admissions among people aged over 80 within 28 days of their discharge
from hospital by NHS trust for each calendar year from 2013 to 2018.
Stephen Barclay:
The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at
disproportionate cost.
Influenza: Vaccination
Dr David Drew: [180629]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on the
provision of the FluMist flu vaccine in schools; whether take-up of that vaccine by schools
is voluntary; and what procedures his Department has put in place for parents who do not
wish their children to be immunised with that vaccine.
Steve Brine:
The take-up of Fluenz, the children's flu vaccine, is voluntary and parents are
provided with a consent form to be completed before vaccination through the schools
programme.
A child who is unable to have the live attenuated influenza vaccine, for reasons other
than being medically contraindicated, will continue to derive benefit from the
programme by virtue of the reduction of transmission among their peers.
Helen Jones: [180646]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure
that GPs contact patients who are entitled to a free flu vaccination invite those patients to
be vaccinated.
Steve Brine:
The general practitioner (GP) Contract and the ‘Directed Enhanced Service
Specification; Seasonal influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination
programme 2018/19’ describes the service that GPs should offer. GPs are expected
to proactively call eligible patients for vaccination and also to recall them if they are
defined as at risk due to an underlying medical condition.
During each season, NHS England teams take all opportunities in their
communication with practices to reinforce this requirement, and Public Health
England have made available resources to encourage GPs to promote flu
vaccination.
Helen Jones: [180648]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people
eligible for free flu vaccination have received that vaccine in each of the last five years for
which figures are available.
Steve Brine:
Data on the proportion of people eligible for a free flu vaccination that have received
vaccine in each of the last five years is available in the attached table.
Attachments:
1. PQ180648 attached document [Copy of
PQ180648_VaccineUptake_Past5yearsAmended.xlsx]
Leicester General Hospital
Keith Vaz: [178463]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many services are planned
to be moved to (a) Glenfield Hospital and (b) Leicester Royal Infirmary as a result of the
downgrade of Leicester General Hospital.
Stephen Barclay:
Services planned to be transferred to Glenfield Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary
as a result of the planned changes at Leicester General Hospital are shown in the
following tables
The service changes between Leicester General Hospital, Glenfield Hospital and
Leicester Royal Infirmary are designed to ensure the best possible arrangements for
the shared use of clinical expertise and equipment. These changes are also designed
to provide care that is as integrated as possible for patients, reducing the need for
transfers between hospitals
Leicester General Hospital to Glenfield Hospital – 23 Services
ANAESTHETICS GENERAL SURGERY NEUROSURGERY SPINAL SURGERY
Chemical Pathology Geriatric Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine
Clinical Immunology Hepatobiliary and
Pancreatic Surgery
Pain Management Stroke Medicine
Dermatology Hepatology Renal Access Surgery Transplant
Endocrinology Integrated Medicine Rheumatology Urology
End Stage Renal
Failure
Nephrology Sleep
Leicester General Hospital to Leicester Royal Infirmary – 12 Services
COLORECTAL SURGERY MATERNITY SCANS
Emergency General Surgery Neonatal Intensive Care
Gynaecology Neonatology
Gynaecology Oncology Obstetrics
Haematology Rheumatology
Infectious Diseases Well Baby
Leicester General Hospital to both Glenfield Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary –
4 Services.
CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
Interventional Radiology
Gastroenterology
Neurology
Lung Diseases: Rehabilitation
Andrew Selous: [178476]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation.
Steve Brine:
Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments for chronic lung
disease. Respiratory care is one of the focuses of the National Health Service long-
term plan currently in development and new guidelines from the National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence are due to be published in December.
The Department supports the NHS to increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation
and improve the quality of care for people with long-term respiratory conditions
through the following actions:
- a national roll out of the RightCare programme by NHS England which directs
clinical commissioning groups to offer pulmonary rehabilitation as part of an optimal
pathway for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients;
- the COPD best practice tariff encourages NHS providers to refer patients for
pulmonary rehabilitation as a financial incentive; and
- a pulmonary rehabilitation service accreditation programme run by the Royal
College of Physicians.
Sir Kevin Barron: [180099]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation.
Sir Kevin Barron: [180100]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the World
COPD Day on 21 November 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the
NHS long-term plan includes an expansion of pulmonary rehabilitation services.
Steve Brine:
Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments for chronic lung
disease. Respiratory care is one of the areas being considered as part of the National
Health Service long-term plan currently in development and new guidelines from the
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are due to be published in
December.
The Department supports the NHS to increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation
and improve the quality of care for people with long-term respiratory conditions
through the following actions:
- a national roll out of the RightCare programme by NHS England which directs
clinical commissioning groups to offer pulmonary rehabilitation as part of an optimal
pathway for COPD patients;
- the COPD best practice tariff encourages NHS providers to refer patients for
pulmonary rehabilitation as a financial incentive;
- a pulmonary rehabilitation service accreditation programme run by the Royal
College of Physicians.
Medical Equipment: UK Trade with EU
Paul Blomfield: [180720]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is
taking to ensure that tariffs are not levied on the import of EU produced medical devices
after the UK has left the EU.
Stephen Barclay:
The Government’s White Paper that was published in July 2018, 'The future
relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union', sets out the UK’s
vision for a bold, ambitious and innovative new partnership with the EU. The White
Paper makes proposals for a free trade area between the UK and EU with zero tariffs
across all goods, including medical devices and also agricultural, food and fisheries
products, with no quotas.
We continue to negotiate to secure a partnership which would allow as frictionless as
possible movement of goods between the UK and the EU, without tariffs or other
trade barriers. The Government’s White Paper is the best way to achieve this and
ensure an ambitious new partnership with the EU, whilst respecting the referendum
result and the integrity of the United Kingdom.
We remain confident that a deal can be achieved between the UK and the EU.
However, as is our duty as a responsible Government we are preparing for all
scenarios. In order to be prepared for such a scenario the Government is considering
a range of options for our future tariff regime and will carefully consider the evidence
available to us before making a final decision in the interests of UK business,
consumers and patients.
The UK has one of the strongest and most productive life sciences sectors in the
world. This Government is committed to ensuring a positive outcome for the sector,
that enhances competitiveness and builds on the success that we are rightly proud
of, as we exit the European Union. We want our deep and special partnership with
the EU to include life sciences and to ensure that patients are protected.
Mental Health
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180638]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle
the effects of loneliness on physical and mental health in (a) Coventry, (b) the West
Midlands and (c) England.
Caroline Dinenage:
On Monday 15 October the Prime Minister launched England’s first Loneliness
Strategy which lays the foundation for people to build better and more meaningful
connections.
The Government is committed to working alongside businesses, healthcare
professionals, charities, community groups and local authorities to have a real and
lasting impact on loneliness and reduce its impact on physical and mental health.
Mental Health Services: Children and Young People
Luciana Berger: [180711]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has
taken to ensure that clinical commissioning groups spend funds allocated for children and
young people’s mental health services on those services.
Matt Hancock:
It is not always possible to track actual expenditure on specific services against all
funds allocated for those services. However, we can confirm that the clinical
commissioning group spend on children and young people’s mental health has
increased, rising from £516 million in 2015/16, to £619 million in 2016/17 and to £687
million in 2017/18.
NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Operational Planning and Contracting
Guidance 2017-2019 makes it clear that additional transformation funding for mental
health care made available to support the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health
should “not be used to supplant existing spend or balance reductions elsewhere”.
This requirement applies to deliverables for improved children and young people’s
mental health services as well as for adult services.
Luciana Berger: [180712]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph
2.16 of the National Audit Office report, Improving children and young people’s mental
health services, published on 9 October 2018, what assessment he has made of the
effect on his Department's ability to measure the expansion of NHS workforce against
sustainability and transformation plans of Health Education England not expecting to
have data on the number of NHS staff working in children and young people’s services
until 2019.
Matt Hancock:
Although some relevant data on staff roles is available on the National Health Service
Electronic Staff Record, this does not currently align with the staff groups targeted for
growth within the mental health workforce plan.
Because the Department is keen to track progress with implementation of the plan we
asked Health Education England (HEE) to develop a Mental Health Workforce
Dashboard to monitor plans for the delivery of the workforce targets. This uses:
- Data from Strategic Transformation Partnership regional plans (to monitor staff
expansion plans);
- NHS Digital data to track the size of the whole mental health workforce;
- Data from NHS Improvement on staff retention rates; and
- Data from HEE on the numbers of trainee staff currently studying and those
undertaking specific courses for upskilling themselves to work in mental health.
For the longer term a project is underway, led by the Department, to improve the way
in which NHS Digital data captures changes in workforce numbers. We are hoping
that this will enable more accurate reporting of actual staff changes from early next
financial year.
Luciana Berger: [180713]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 14
on page 9 of the National Audit Office report, Improving children and young people's
mental health services, published on 9 October 2018, what steps he is taking to recruit
additional NHS staff to work in those services.
Matt Hancock:
Health Education England (HEE) has established a Mental Health Workforce Delivery
Group attended by the Department and its arm’s length bodies. The group oversees
implementation of the workforce plan through regional Sustainability and
Transformation Partnerships (STPs).
HEE have introduced an online resource for their regional leads in support of
workforce planning, called ‘Recipe for good workforce planning’. This includes a
‘confirm and challenge’ process whereby HEE Regional Leads work closely with STP
partners to ensure that workforce growth is happening according to STP delivery
plans. Regional leads challenge where plans for staff expansion fall short of those
required by ‘Stepping Forward’ and ensure that plans are in place to mitigate risks.
NHS England is also holding quarterly ‘deep dives’ with all the regional teams to
review progress against provider and STP level plans.
NHS: Negligence
Mr John Baron: [180108]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to
improve the quality of assessments of liability by the NHS in advance of the
commencement of legal proceedings.
Mr John Baron: [180110]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made
of the accuracy of assessments of liability by the NHS in advance of the commencement
of legal proceedings in the last three years.
Stephen Barclay:
NHS Resolution handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of National Health
Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England.
The Department oversees the performance of NHS Resolution in relation to claims
management through its sponsorship arrangements which include a Framework
Document and quarterly accountability meetings with reporting against a range of
Key Performance Indicators. In addition, the National Audit Office has conducted a
Value for Money assessment of the costs of clinical negligence, including examining
the role and activities of NHS Resolution in detail. No concerns have been raised to
NHS Resolution in relation to its decision making through either process.
NHS Resolution has advised that 70% of cases were resolved in 2017/18 without
court proceedings of which 39% resulted in no payment of damages. Less than 1%
go to trial with most ending in judgment in favour of the NHS. All its cases are
thoroughly reviewed and in the great majority of clinical negligence cases, NHS
Resolution obtains independent expert evidence before reaching a decision on
liability.
Mr John Baron: [180109]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion
of the litigated claims in which the NHS paid damages in the last 12 months were as a
result of (a) breach of duty and (b) or causation.
Stephen Barclay:
NHS Resolution handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of National Health
Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England.
NHS Resolution has provided the following information.
NHS Resolution has advised it does not pay damages unless on the balance of
probabilities there is both a breach of duty and causation. NHS Resolution’s last
audited period of accounts which is contained in its Annual Report for 2017-18
showed that it had 3,902 cases where damages have been paid on litigated claims
settled in the financial year 2017-18.
NHS: Waste Disposal
Jonathan Ashworth: [180735]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has
made an estimate of the cost to (a) NHS trusts and (b) the public purse of transferring
clinical waste management contracts from Healthcare Environment Services to Mitie at
15 NHS trusts.
Stephen Barclay:
The National Health Service trusts will meet the increase in cost to have their waste
disposed of by Mitie. It is not possible at this stage to disclose the cost differential
from transferring the contract from Healthcare Environment Services to Mitie, as the
Mitie contract has been let on a price per tonne basis for all waste collected from the
15 trusts, rather than an overall contract price. Details of the price per tonne paid to
Mitie is subject to commercial sensitivity.
Jonathan Ashworth: [180736]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans
to allocate funding to NHS trusts for the transfer of clinical waste management contracts
from Healthcare Environment Services to Mitie, including any legal expenses; and if he
will make a statement.
Stephen Barclay:
All costs relating to the transfer of clinical waste management contracts from
Healthcare Environment Services to Mitie, including any legal expenses, will be met
from the overall group funding budget for health.
Palliative Care
Alex Sobel: [180295]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to ensure that end of life patients are able to die at home.
Caroline Dinenage:
Our Commitment to you for end of life care’, published in 2016, set out what everyone
should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make
high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to
enable personalisation; improve care quality; enhance education and training in end
of life care; and encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The Commitment
also sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including
ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice,
including at home.
Through the Mandate to NHS England, we have asked NHS England to deliver the
Choice Commitment, and for 2018-19, we have set NHS England the objective of
increasing the percentage of people identified as likely to be in their last year of life.
Earlier identification should mean that a person’s end of life care can be improved by
personalising it according to their needs and preferences at an earlier stage and to
enable the right care planning can take place which is key to supporting someone to
die in a place of choice. NHS England will use the Quality and Outcomes Framework
to demonstrate such an increase by looking at the percentage of people who are on
the general practitioner register for supportive and palliative care, and consider
expected levels based on local populations. Currently the national English average is
0.37%, it is anticipated this figure will increase in the 2018/19 period.
NHS England has launched an ‘Identification Project’ with four integrated care
systems/sustainability and transformation partnership areas to demonstrate how the
number of people identified in the last year of life can be increased in practice, to train
staff and share learning.
Pigmeat
Mr Charles Walker: [180663]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of England's
pig stock slaughtered annually do not pass vet inspections for release into the human
food chain.
Steve Brine:
The proportion of total condemnations was 0.12% for pigs in Food Standard Agency
approved slaughterhouses in England.
Pregnancy Loss Review
Catherine McKinnell: [180728]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the
publication of the findings of the pregnancy loss review.
Matt Hancock:
The Pregnancy Loss Review was commissioned by the Department in March 2018.
The Department continues to work with the Review’s independent co-leads to engage
with stakeholders such as parents, charities and medical professionals. The findings
of the Review are intended to be published in 2019.
Sheep
Mr Charles Walker: [180665]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of England's
total sheep stock slaughtered annually do not pass vet inspections for release into the
human food chain.
Steve Brine:
The proportion of total condemnations was 0.17% for sheep in Food Standard
Agency approved slaughterhouses in England.
Sign Language: Hospitals
Luke Pollard: [178534]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to ensure hospital staff can support British sign language interpreters to assist deaf
patients.
Caroline Dinenage:
Compliance with the Accessible Information Standard is a legal duty: organisations
that provide National Health Service care or adult social care have been required to
meet the Standard since August 2016. Compliance with the Standard is also a
requirement of the NHS Standard Contract 2018/19.
Commissioners must actively support compliance by organisations from which they
commission services and they must also seek assurance from providers with regard
to compliance.
The Care Quality Commission, when inspecting providers, also looks at how services
implement the Accessible Information Standard.
Stem Cells: Donors
Colleen Fletcher: [180770]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to ensure that adequate numbers of donors are available for patients requiring a
stem cell transplant.
Matt Hancock:
Since 2011 the Department has provided more than £26 million in financial support to
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Anthony Nolan to enable improved
provision of stem cells for patients requiring a transplant, supporting the recruitment
and management of donors.
Departmental funding has also enabled the establishment of a unified stem cell
registry for the United Kingdom, the ‘Anthony Nolan and the NHS Stem Cell Registry’.
There are now 1.4 million potential donors on the UK’s aligned registry.
Each of the UK’s stem cell registries that collectively form the ‘Anthony Nolan and the
NHS Stem Cell Registry’ is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association
(WMDA) – a group of organisations and individuals who promote global collaboration
and best practices for the benefit of stem cell donors and transplant patients.
The WMDA’s ‘Search and Match Service’ is a global database of life-saving donors
that provides a fast search facility to find the best matched donor or cord blood unit in
the world for a patient in need of a blood stem cell transplant.
Sugar: Consumption
Keith Vaz: [178474]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has
taken to encourage people to ingest lower amounts of (a) free sugars, (b) sugar-
sweetened beverages, (c) added fructose and (d) polyols.
Steve Brine:
Many of the key measures in our childhood obesity plan will have an impact on
reducing sugar intake across all age groups. These include the soft drinks industry
levy, sugar reduction and wider calorie reformulation programme, restricting
promotions of fatty and sugary products, calorie labelling in restaurants, and banning
the sale of energy drinks to children, which will improve our eating habits and reduce
the amount of sugar we consume.
Public Health England’s flagship social marketing campaign, Change4Life, supports
the Government’s sugar reduction agenda. In recent years there have been a number
of Change4Life campaigns to encourage families to cut down on sugar, including
Sugar Swaps (2015), Sugar Smart (2016), Be Food Smart (2017) and a healthier
snacking campaign in 2018. These campaigns work alongside other One You
campaigns encouraging adults to adopt a more healthy diet.
Urology: Medical Equipment
Paul Blomfield: [180717]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made
of the potential effect on the import and export of urology devices to the UK of the UK not
reaching a deal on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Stephen Barclay:
Patient safety is paramount in our exit negotiations and maintaining continuity of
supply of medical products is a key part of ensuring patients continue to receive the
safe high-quality care they need on day one of European Union exit and thereafter.
While we remain confident of getting a good exit deal for the United Kingdom, the
Department is making extensive preparations for a variety of EU Exit scenarios
including planning for a No Deal outcome to ensure that there is no disruption to the
supply of medical devices.
The Government’s plans are multifaceted and include increasing stock levels
nationally, putting in place arrangements to facilitate continued supply of products
directly from the EU, and working with key suppliers, wholesalers and distributors to
ensure that they are securing their own supply channels. These plans cover medical
devices and clinical consumables including urology devices.
Paul Blomfield: [180718]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to
ensure that urology devices produced in the UK can continue to be sold in the EU without
regulatory barriers after the UK leaves the EU.
Paul Blomfield: [180719]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to
ensure the maintenance of frictionless trade in relation to medical devices after the UK
leaves the EU.
Matt Hancock:
The Government is committed to the safe and effective regulation of medical devices
in the United Kingdom; ensuring patients and the public have fast access to new,
innovative devices.
The future regulatory system for medical devices is subject to negotiation. The White
Paper proposal sets out a proposed UK-European Union free trade area for goods, to
ensure continued frictionless access at the border to each other’s markets,
underpinned by an upfront commitment to a common rulebook on goods and a
Facilitated Customs Arrangement to avoid customs checks and controls at our
borders.
Furthermore, UK and EU negotiating teams have already agreed a time-limited
implementation period that will maintain access to each other’s markets on current
terms - providing certainty for businesses across the EU and UK and time to prepare
for the future.
On 22 August the Government also set out its plans for medical devices regulation in
the unlikely event of no deal, through a technical notice. This announced that the UK
will recognise medical devices approved for the EU market and CE-marked, and will
also comply with all key elements of the Medical Devices Regulation and the in vitro
diagnostic Regulations, which will apply in the EU from May 2020 and 2022
respectively.
Usher Syndrome: Health Education
Mrs Sharon Hodgson: [178477]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is
taking to ensure the (a) availability and (b) adequacy of health services for patients with
Usher Syndrome.
Steve Brine:
Patients with Usher syndrome have a wide range of needs, with many services being
commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England
commissions more specialist services such as cochlear implants (which are suitable
for some patients with Usher syndrome). NHS England also commissions the
complex genetic analysis associated with Usher syndrome.
Whilst NHS England is considering a number of new interventions for some patients
with retinitis pigmentosa, some of these interventions are not suitable for patients
who are also deaf or have selective frequency hearing loss because they prevent the
hearing of device alarms and alerts.
CCGs are also responsible for working with their local communities to understand the
needs of the local populations and make decisions about how best to commission
services that meet those needs, in partnership with other local commissioners and
organisations and taking into account any relevant guidance.
HOME OFFICE
Agriculture: Migrant Workers
Jenny Chapman: [180695]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of whether the Government's plans for a skills-based immigration system after the UK
leaves the EU will meet the skills requirements of the agri-food sector.
Caroline Nokes:
The Government will publish a White Paper setting out its plans for the future
immigration system later this autumn. We have always been clear that we want
decisions about the future immigration system to be based on evidence and we will
carefully consider the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations in its recent
report before setting out our plans.
The Government announced on 6 September its plans to introduce a pilot scheme for
the admission of 2,500 workers from outside the EU to help meet seasonal labour
needs in the agricultural sector.
Airports: Biometrics
Nick Thomas-Symonds: [180254]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans
to support trials of new biometric technologies at UK airports.
Caroline Nokes:
The Home Office continues to explore a range of digital options to improve the
security and efficiency of our visa and border systems. These proposed changes are
part of the government’s commitment to ensure the security of the UK border for the
safety and benefit of customers and taxpayers.
Airports: Immigration Controls
Nick Thomas-Symonds: [180255]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of the effect on reducing immigration queuing times at airports allowing passengers from
five eyes partner countries to use ePassport gates would have.
Caroline Nokes:
We keep our border and immigration system under regular review to understand what
changes can made to improve the passenger experience without reducing border
security.
Asylum: Housing
Alex Sobel: [180296]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the criteria used
by (a) UK Visas and Immigration and (b) providers of asylum accommodation to assess
the vulnerability of tenants.
Caroline Nokes:
The Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2005 provide that in
considering whether to provide support under Section 95 and 98 of the Immigration
and Asylum Act 1999 to asylum seekers or their family members, account must be
taken of their special needs if they are vulnerable. The Regulations define a
vulnerable person as:
A minor
A disabled person
An elderly person
A pregnant woman
A person who has been subjected to torture, rape or other serious forms of
psychological, physical or sexual violence;
A person who has had an individual evaluation of his situation that confirms he/she
has special needs.
Accommodation providers are also contractually required to take account of any
particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate. The
definition of vulnerability in the contracts is the same as the one set out in the 2005
Regulations.
The particular circumstances of other supported asylum seekers and their
dependants who may have other particular vulnerabilities are also carefully
considered, for example because they have care needs or health problems that
require a need for a specific type of accommodation or accommodation in a particular
location. Further details regarding these policies can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-requests-policy
https://horizon.fcos.gsi.gov.uk/file-wrapper/asylum-seekers-care-needs
https://horizon.fcos.gsi.gov.uk/file-wrapper/healthcare-needs-and-pregnancy-
dispersal-guidance
Alex Sobel: [180297]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what processes are in place to
ensure that (a) service users and (b) advocates of service users are able to challenge
refusals to relocate them to a different property under the new (i) Asylum Accommodation
and Support and Advice and (ii) Issue Reporting and Eligibility Support contracts.
Caroline Nokes:
Under the new Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Service Users or
their advocates will continue to be able to make relocation requests directly to the
Home Office.
The new Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility Provider will also be required to assist
Service Users with applications to move accommodation. In the event of a refusal,
the Service User and/or those representing will be able to submit further
representations and evidence to support a relocation request.
Helen Hayes: [180826]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions he plans to
make in the new asylum accommodation contracts to ensure that pregnant women and
new mothers have access to adequate maternity care and advice.
Caroline Nokes:
Under the new asylum accommodation contracts, Providers will be contractually
required to take account of the needs of all those that they accommodate, including
expectant mothers.
The contract will also ensure that standardised health checks are undertaken whilst
Service Users are accommodated in Initial Accommodation and Providers will also be
contractually responsible for securing GP registrations for Service Users. This
service, where necessary, will include facilitating and providing assistance to attend
medical appointments.
Helen Hayes: [180827]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions will be in the
new asylum accommodation contracts to ensure accommodation is safe for young
children and infants before families are placed.
Caroline Nokes:
The new contracts will require accommodation providers to provide safe, habitable, fit
for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent
Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or local housing
legislation.
The contracts will also include provision for childcare equipment, including cots, high
chairs, sterilisation equipment and child safety gates where necessary.
Drugs: Crime
Joan Ryan: [180089]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent meetings his
Department has had with representatives of (a) Uber and (b) Airbnb on the county lines
drug trade.
Victoria Atkins:
We recognise the value and opportunity presented by workers in those services used
by county lines drug dealers to identify perpetrators and potential victims who are
being used to move, store or deal drugs. This includes those in the transport and
accommodation sectors.
Home Office officials have ongoing engagement with both representatives of Über
and Airbnb in order to highlight county lines exploitation to their drivers and hosts
respectively. We are also delivering a communications campaign to raise awareness
within the wider transport sector and community.
Female Genital Mutilation: Arrests and Prosecutions
Keith Vaz: [178461]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a)
arrested and (b) prosecuted for offences relating to female genital mutilation in the most
recent period for which data is available.
Victoria Atkins:
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is
clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering
to women and girls.
The Home Office does not collate information on arrests and prosecutions centrally.
Information on FGM referrals from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
from 2010-18 is available in the CPS’s Violence Against Women and Girls Report. To
date, there have been no convictions for FGM.
The Serious Crime Act 2015 introduced a number of measures to help overcome the
barriers to prosecution, including: a new mandatory reporting duty for known cases of
FGM in under-18s; extended extra-territorial jurisdiction over FGM offences
committed abroad; lifelong anonymity for victims; FGM Protection Orders (FGMPOs),
and a new offence of failure to protect a girl from the risk of FGM. To date, 248
FGMPOs have been made to protect victims and those at risk.
In addition, the police and CPS have put in place joint FGM investigation and
prosecution protocols. Border Force, the police and other agencies regularly carry out
joint operations at the border to raise awareness of practices such as FGM. Earlier
this month, the Home Office launched an FGM communications campaign which
seeks to prevent FGM by changing attitudes among affected communities. The
campaign also highlights that FGM is a crime and encourages communities to report.
Hate Crime
Jo Stevens: [180795]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of trends in the level of reported hate crime since January 2015; and if he will make a
statement.
Victoria Atkins:
The Home Office holds hate crime data for all police forces in England and Wales on
an annual basis. The number of hate crimes recorded by the police has increased by
79% between 2014/15 and 2017/18, from 52,465 to 98,098 offences. This increase is
thought to be driven by general improvements by the police in how they record crime,
better identification of hate crimes, willingness of victims to come forward, and a
genuine increase in these offences around certain events such as the EU
Referendum and the terrorist attacks in 2017.
Better recording is an important part of how to tackle hate crime and support victims.
However, it should be seen in the context of the latest data from the independent
Crime Survey for England and Wales which shows there has been a downward trend
in hate crime incidence with hate crime falling by 40% over the last decade.
On 16 October 2018 the Government published ‘Action Against Hate: The Uk
Government’s plan for tackling hate crime: ‘two years on’’ - a refresh of the 2016 Hate
Crime Action Plan, which includes an update on action so far and new commitments
in relation to increasing the reporting and recording of hate crime .
Home Office: Staff
Jessica Morden: [180674]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) staffing and (b)
caseload levels have been in his Department's post-decision casework unit in each of the
last eight years.
Jessica Morden: [180675]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) average and (b)
longest processing time was for documents to be issued following a decision by his
Department's post-decision casework unit in each of the last eight years.
Caroline Nokes:
There is no single overarching post-decision casework unit within UK Visas and
Immigration (UKVI). We are therefore unable to provide the staffing, caseload or
processing time information requested.
Within UKVI there are a number of units that consider further applications after an
initial decision has been made. The scope and handling of work conducted by these
units depends on the category of application originally submitted.
Human Trafficking
Kate Green: [R] [180185]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) positive and (b)
negative Conclusive Grounds decisions were made to potential victims of human
trafficking after referral to the National Referral Mechanism and the 45 day reflection
period in each quarter of 2017.
Victoria Atkins:
Data on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decisions is published every quarter by
the National Crime Agency. The quarterly reports for 2017 can be found here:
http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-
statistics/2017-nrm-statistics
Human Trafficking: Organs
Vernon Coaker: [R] [179106]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of
the proportion of human trafficking cases that are linked to organ harvesting; and if he will
make a statement.
Vernon Coaker: [R] [179107]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had
with European counterparts on the proportion of human trafficking that is linked to organ
harvesting; and if he will make a statement.
Victoria Atkins:
There have been no confirmed cases of organ harvesting in the UK. The threat of
organ harvesting is likely to be used by traffickers as a form of coercion and control in
other forms of trafficking.
There have been a very small number of instances of organ harvesting reported
through the National Referral Mechanism (6 conclusive ground decisions in total), but
these relate to instances where victims felt they were at risk of organ trafficking,
rather than attempted or confirmed cases.
Our threat assessment on the scale and nature of human trafficking, including organ
harvesting, is kept under regular review, informed by liaison with European
counterparts.
Immigrants: EEA Nationals
Steve Double: [180248]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of the potential merits of the recommendations made by the Migration Advisory
Committee in their recent report EEA migration in the UK; and if he will make a
statement.
Caroline Nokes:
The Government will publish a White Paper setting out its plans for the future
immigration system later this autumn. We have always been clear that we want
decisions about the future immigration system to be based on evidence and we will
carefully consider the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations in its recent
report before setting out our plans .
Immigrants: Entry Clearances
Paul Blomfield: [180715]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason his Department
has reduced the validity of biometric residence permits issued to people granted indefinite
leave to remain from 10 to six years; and if he will make a statement.
Caroline Nokes:
Under existing EU technical specifications, the UK is required to ensure that all
Biometric Residence Permits in circulation after 31 December 2024 meet new EU
encryption technology standards.
Therefore, anyone with indefinite leave to remain, issued with a BRP after 31
December 2014 is issued with a shorter validity Permit to ensure it can be replaced
with a new document, free of charge, in time for the deadline. As the UK will have left
the EU by this point, we are also considering how best to document migrants’
immigration status in the future border and immigration system.
Immigrants: EU Nationals
Hilary Benn: [180101]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications have
been received from EU nationals for settled status; and how many of those applications
(a) have been granted, (b) have been refused and (c) are awaiting a decision.
Caroline Nokes:
As set out in my Written Statement on the EU Settlement Scheme on 11 October
(HCWS997), I have written to the Rt Hon Member for Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford, the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, with our early findings
from the initial private beta phase and placed a copy of that letter in the Library.
We will continue to monitor findings and will publish a full report with our findings
once this first phase, which runs until later this month, has been completed.
Immigration: Security
Stella Creasy: [180182]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what timeframe has been set by
his Department for the completion of security checks for immigration applications; and
what steps his Department taken when that timeframe is not met.
Caroline Nokes:
Security checks are an important part of the process of considering immigration
applications made to the Department.
Different areas complete different checks and have different expected timescales for
security such checks to be completed.
The department publish transparency data on the number of applications which are
considered within service standards across different immigration routes, and this data
is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-
data
Medicine: Research
Ian Murray: [180160]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has
taken to ensure that the medical research sector will be able to recruit talented overseas
professions through the immigration system that will be introduced after the UK leaves
the EU.
Ian Murray: [180161]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to assess the
skills of prospective migrants using measures other than their expected salary in reforms
to the UK's immigration system; and if he will make a statement.
Caroline Nokes:
The Government will publish a White Paper setting out its plans for the future
immigration system later this autumn. We have always been clear that we want
decisions about the future immigration system to be based on evidence and we will
carefully consider the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations in its recent
report before setting out our plans .
Money Laundering
Keith Vaz: [178464]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps his
Department has taken to tackle money laundering in the UK.
Mr Ben Wallace:
The Government has made significant progress in developing our response to the
threat from money laundering. We want to ensure that the full force of government
can be used against criminals and kleptocrats who seek to use the UK as a haven for
their illicit funds.
As part of the Criminal Finances Act, Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) were
introduced on 31 January 2018. UWOs are an important addition to existing
investigation powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and compel individuals to
explain the sources of their wealth where it is suspected that their lawful income
would be insufficient to obtain specified property and they are a non-EEA politically
exposed person or suspected of being involved in serious crime. Three UWOs have
been applied for, and all granted, since the UWO power came into force in January.
The Home Office works with law enforcement agencies to encourage the use of
UWOs.
The Act made it easier to seize the funds of criminals and those suspected of
financing terrorism from bank accounts, and introduced powers to prevent the
laundering of money through works of art, precious metals and stones, and casino
chips. The Act also contains powers to deal with the failure to prevent tax evasion.
The Home Office has established a suspicious activity report (SARs) Reform
Programme, working with reporters, law enforcement and regulators, to design an
effective regime that ensures that there is no safe space to move, use or hide illicit
finances.
The Government has also announced the setting up of the National Economic Crime
Centre (NECC) in the National Crime Agency. The NECC will be hosted in the NCA
and will be staffed by partners from across the law enforcement community (including
the NCA, Financial Conduct Authority, HMRC, City of London Police and the Serious
Fraud Office) and from the Private sector. It will build on the work already done by
these organisations to enable economic crime is tackled in a more coordinated way
National County Lines Coordination Centre: Staff
Joan Ryan: [180086]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of the roles
and responsibilities of (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff at the National County Lines
Coordination Centre.
Joan Ryan: [180087]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the recruitment and
appointment process is for filling posts at the National County Lines Coordination Centre.
Victoria Atkins:
The National County Lines Co-ordination Centre is a joint initiative between the
National Crime Agency and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, supported by £3.6m
of Home Office funding. It is one of our key commitments set out in the Serious
Violence Strategy.
The Centre is fully operational and has around 40 staff in post. The Home Office is
not involved in the set up and running of the Centre as it is an operational matter for
the NCA and police.
Police: Expenditure
Lucy Powell: [180740]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of
the (a) amount of direct Government funding and (b) contribution from council tax through
the police precept to each police force in England in each year from 2009 to 2016.
Mr Nick Hurd:
Earlier this year the Home Office published a statistical bulletin setting out the
breakdown of general Government grant funding and precept funding for each force
for the years 2015-16 to 2018-19, available at the link below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-funding-for-england-and-wales-2015-
to-2019
Police Grant Reports and accompanying Written Ministerial Statements setting out
the grant funding provided by the Home Office are available for the years since 2010-
11 at the address below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-finance
The 2009-10 Police Grant Report can be found at the link below.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm
ent_data/file/98274/police-grant-report.pdf
Council tax information for Police and Crime Commissioners in England since 2011-
12 is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and
is available at the link below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-tax-statistics
The 2009-10 and 2010-11 council tax information can be found at the links below.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919221338/http://www.communities.
gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/counciltax200910
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919171510/http://www.communities.
gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/counciltax201011
Police: Finance
Lucy Powell: [180737]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of reserve funding
police forces held at 31 March in each year since 2009.
Mr Nick Hurd:
Reserves are an important tool for police leaders, but this is taxpayers’ money and
we need real transparency about how it is being used.
That is why in January the Government published information on police reserves and
provided guidance to Police and Crime Commissioners making clear that they must
be more open with taxpayers about their plans to use them.
The exact level of reserves is a matter for individual Police and Crime
Commissioners, who have a legal duty to set balanced annual budgets and ensure
they have adequate reserves. Police reserve levels since 2011 are published in the
Police Financial Reserves section on gov.uk. These can be found by following the
link below. Earlier figures can be found in former Police Authority statements of
accounts.
We will shortly be publishing March 2018 police reserve figures on gov.uk, following
the publication of Police and Crime Commissioners’ annual accounts
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-financial-reserves
Police: Merseyside
Luciana Berger: [180173]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there
were in Merseyside in each of the last eight years.
Mr Nick Hurd:
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers
employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These
data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical
publication.
Data on the number police officers employed by Merseyside Police, as at 31 March
each year and going back to March 2007, can be found in the Open Data Table
accompanying the main release:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362
/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods
Proceeds of Crime
Keith Vaz: [178465]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of
the total debt to the public purse for confiscation orders.
Keith Vaz: [178466]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money his
Department has recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 since January 2017.
Keith Vaz: [178467]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money was
recovered from criminal proceeding by the National Crime Agency since January 2015.
Mr Ben Wallace:
Data on outstanding confiscation orders is published annually by HMCTS as part of
their trust statement. The latest trust statement was published on 17 July 2018
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-courts-tribunals-service-trust-
statement-2017-to-2018), indicating a gross value of confiscation order debt at
£1,961million, of which £152million is considered recoverable.
Data on asset recovery performance under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is
published annually by the Home Office. The latest data, showing asset recovery
performance year on year from 2013-2018, was published on 13 September 2018 (
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/asset-recovery-statistics ).
Data on asset recovery performance at the National Crime Agency is published
annually in their annual report, which is published according to financial year.
HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Affordable Housing: Liverpool
Luciana Berger: [180170]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how
many affordable homes were built in Liverpool in each of the last 10 years.
Kit Malthouse:
The number of additional affordable homes provided in Liverpool is published in live
table 1008C https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-
affordable-housing-supply
Change of Use
John Healey: [178243]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
recent assessment he has made of the quality of homes that were converted into
residential dwellings under permitted development.
James Brokenshire:
National permitted development rights play an important role in the planning system,
providing flexibility, reducing bureaucracy and making the most effective use of
existing buildings. Permitted development rights for change of use are making an
important contribution to the delivery of new homes across the country. All homes,
whether granted permission on a planning application or through a permitted
development right, are required to meet Building Regulations, including fire safety.
A local authority building control body is required to hold a record of any compliance
certificate issued in relation to Building Regulations. Where there are outstanding
non-compliance issues in relation to building regulations it is for the local authority to
consider enforcement.
Council Tax: Dorset
Sir Christopher Chope: [180627]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the
average amount of council tax is across the area of (a) the Shadow Dorset Unitary
Authority and (b) the Christchurch, Poole and Bournemouth Shadow Authority for the
purpose of his Department's approach to council tax harmonisation.
Rishi Sunak:
I wrote on 17 October to the leaders of the shadow Dorset Council and the shadow
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council setting out the approach to council tax
harmonisation we are minded to adopt.
It will be for each of the councils to calculate any average council tax across its area
needed for the purposes of any approach to council tax harmonisation that we adopt,
in accordance with the secondary legislation that makes provision for that approach.
Grenfell Tower: Fires
John Healey: [178241]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how
many households affected by the Grenfell Tower fire require rehousing; and how many of
those households are in (a) emergency, (b) temporary and (c) permanent
accommodation.
John Healey: [178242]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how
many households in (a) Barandon Walk, (b) Testerton Walk, (c) Hurstway Walk, (d)
Treadgold House and (e) Bramley House require rehousing as a result of the Grenfell
Tower fire; and how many of those households have been rehoused in (i) emergency
accommodation, (ii) temporary accommodation and (iii) permanent accommodation.
James Brokenshire:
Further to the update provided in July 2018, as of 11 October 2018, the latest data
from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) shows that 204
households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk require rehousing. Of this
number, 39 households are in emergency accommodation (22 households are in
hotels, 14 in serviced apartments and 3 with friends and family). 35 households are
currently living in temporary accommodation, and 130 households have moved into a
permanent home.
Council tenants from Barandon Walk, Testerton Walk, Hurstway Walk, Treadgold
House and Bramley House who do not feel able to remain in their homes, are eligible
to be rehoused under RBKC’s Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy. As of 11 October, 5
of these households are in emergency accommodation (3 are in hotels, 2 are in
serviced apartments) and 72 households are currently living in temporary
accommodation, while they await permanent rehousing. 2 households have moved to
new permanent accommodation. In order to prevent individual households being
made identifiable, I am unable to provide a breakdown of the location of these
households based on which part of the Estate they originally lived in.
Homelessness: Mental Health
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180636]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on
the effect of long-term homelessness on mental health.
Mrs Heather Wheeler:
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Health
and Social Care on matters of mutual departmental interest, including through the
Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce.
We recognise that poor mental health can both contribute to, and be exacerbated by,
homelessness and rough sleeping. Having stable and appropriate housing is
invaluable for people living with a long-term mental health problem. We also know
that rough sleeping can exacerbate existing, underlying mental health conditions and
can result in a mental health crisis.
In 2018/19 the Department for Health and Social Care will provide up to £2 million in
health funding to test models of community-based provision designed to enable
access to health and support services for people who are sleeping rough. This will
include services to support people with both mental ill health and substance misuse
issues. We are undertaking a rapid audit of provision targeted at people who sleep
rough that can be used to inform future commissioning decisions. The Department for
Health and Social Care has asked NHS England to spend up to £30 million on health
services for people who sleep rough, over the next five years.
Housing: Construction
John Healey: [178239]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how
many residential units were granted planning permission in each financial year since
2006-7.
James Brokenshire:
The Department sources information on the number of residential units granted
permission in the last 12 months from Glenigan. The latest snapshot of the planning
system is routinely published in the department’s quarterly ‘Planning Applications in
England’ publication, the latest of which, with notes relevant to the below data (found
on page 30), can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm
ent_data/file/741789/Planning_Applications_April_to_June_2018_-
_statistical_release.pdf
Figure 6 on page 11 shows a chart of the quarterly year to date time series from
Quarter 1, 2007 to Quarter 2, 2018. Please see the table below for the underlying
figures requested for each financial year from 2006/07 to 2017/18.
Number of residential units granted planning permission in the previous 12
months by financial year.
FINANCIAL YEAR
RESIDENTIAL UNITS GRANTED PERMISSION
(ROUNDED TO THE NEAREST 100)
2006/07 249,800
2007/08 256,900
2008/09 183,000
2009/10 176,900
2010/11 173,900
FINANCIAL YEAR
RESIDENTIAL UNITS GRANTED PERMISSION
(ROUNDED TO THE NEAREST 100)
2011/12 192,400
2012/13 198,800
2013/14 240,000
2014/15 261,900
2015/16 264,700
2016/17 313,700
2017/18 365,700
Source: Glenigan
Grant Shapps: [180142]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether
the Objectively Assessed Need criteria includes population growth as a result of
immigration.
Kit Malthouse:
The National Planning Policy Framework expects councils to identify their objectively
assessed need for housing and other uses. The new Framework, published in July,
expects a standard method to be used for assessing housing need, which is based
on national projections of population and household growth. The population
projections take into account anticipated changes in net migration based on past
trends.
Housing: Safety
John Healey: [178240]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
recent estimate he has made of the number of high-risk residential buildings.
James Brokenshire:
The Final Report of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety,
which was published in May 2018, identifies all multi-occupancy high-rise residential
properties which are 10 stories high or more as being ‘higher-risk residential
buildings’. It states that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 of these buildings
currently in existence. This is calculated according to information provided by Land
Registry and Ordnance Survey. An explanation of the data sources can be found in
Appendix C of the Review:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-building-
regulations-and-fire-safety-final-report
Local Government Finance
Chris Ruane: [180104]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will
publish the amount of funding per head of population his Department has allocated to
each local authority in ranked order for each year since 2010.
Rishi Sunak:
Core Spending Power is a measure of the resources available to a local authority to
fund its services. It includes Settlement Funding Assessment (business rates
baseline funding level plus Revenue Support Grant), Council Tax and other central
government grants. There is no consistent measure of Core Spending Power prior to
2015-16. Figures for the period 2015-16 to 2019-20 are available at the below link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679611
/Core_Spending_Power_Supporting_Information.xlsx.The Department does not
publish Core Spending Power per capita. The Office for National Statistics has
published population statistics which can be found at the below link:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/popu
lationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorth
ernireland.
Local Plans
Grant Shapps: [180140]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the
(a) duties and (b) responsibilities are for a Government Local Plan Inspector.
Grant Shapps: [180141]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, under
what circumstances a Government Local Plan Inspector is able to recommend the
alteration of a Local Plan; and whether an inspector is able to recommend such an
alteration when it will have an effect on the level of housing allocation in a locality.
Kit Malthouse:
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 sets out that Inspectors are
appointed by the Secretary of State to carry out an independent examination to
assess whether a local plan is sound. The National Planning Policy Framework tests
of soundness require the plan to be positively prepared, justified, effective and
consistent with national policy. If the plan does not meet those tests, the Local
Planning Authority can request that the Inspector recommends main modifications to
make the plan sound. These could cover any matter within the scope of the tests of
soundness, which could include the level of housing allocation within the locality. All
proposed main modifications are subject to public consultation
Social Rented Housing: Regulation
Rushanara Ali: [178503]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with
reference to paragraph 94 of the Social Housing Green Paper and paragraph 19 of the
Review of Social Housing Regulation call for evidence, whether the proposals for
changes to the threshold of the serious detriment test used in the consumer home
standard would require the introduction of new legislation.
Kit Malthouse:
Under section 198A(2) of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, the Regulator
may only intervene in the breach of consumer standards if there is or may be a
“serious detriment” to existing or potential tenants. The Regulator of Social Housing
has published guidance on how it assesses compliance the regulatory standards,
which may be found at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm
ent_data/file/698332/Regulating_the_Standards_April_2018.pdf.
As part of the review of social housing regulation we will consider whether serious
detriment remains the right threshold for intervention, and any change to this
threshold will require amendment to primary legislation.
Supported Housing: Learning Disability
Mr David Lammy: [178458]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
estimate he has made of the number of people with complex and severe learning
difficulties who are living in supported living accommodation.
Mrs Heather Wheeler:
Independent research commissioned by my department and the Department for Work
and Pensions estimated that at the end of 2015 there were around 47,000 supported
housing units across Great Britain for people with learning disabilities. The research
was published in 2016 and can be found at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm
ent_data/file/572454/rr927-supported-accommodation-review.pdf
Mr David Lammy: [178459]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
recent assessment his Department has made of the suitability of supported living
accommodation for people with complex and severe learning difficulties.
Mrs Heather Wheeler:
We have made no recent assessment but we are committed to the vital role that
supported housing plays in the lives of many vulnerable people. As announced on 9
August, my department and the Department for Work and Pensions are working
closely with supported housing stakeholders to develop additional oversight of the
quality and value for money of housing across the whole supported housing sector.
This will include accommodation for people with complex and severe learning
difficulties.
More widely, the Department for Health and Social Care invested £25 million over
2016-18 in 52 separate projects, in housing and technology to support people with a
learning disability to live as independently as possible with the right care and support.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Bangladesh: Overseas Aid
Mrs Anne Main: [180138]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she
has made of the value for money of the provision of development assistance to
Bangladesh for freedom of expression and political engagement.
Alistair Burt:
The Strengthening Political Participation phase 2 (SPP2) programme works to track,
mitigate and prevent violence in politics and elections. The social and economic costs
to families and communities are very high - before and after the 2014 elections,
almost 900 people were killed and over 38,000 were injured across Bangladesh.
Whilst the SPP2 programme cannot guarantee an end to violence in politics, it makes
an important contribution to this aim.
The SPP2 programme is subject to annual review which includes an annual Value for
Money (VfM) assessment. The first and most recent annual review of SPP2 was
conducted in April 2018 and is published online via DFID’s web portal for
Bangladesh. Overall the VfM propositions made in the business case remain on
track.
Mrs Anne Main: [180139]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has
made of the progress of the strengthening political participation phase two aid project in
Bangladesh.
Alistair Burt:
The last annual review of the Strengthening Political Participation phase 2 (SPP2)
Programme was carried out in April 2018. In the first year the project scored an ‘A’
and all programme components were under implementation. The annual review is
published on DFID’s web portal and contains recommendations on how to maximise
the impact of the programme in an election year. The next review is due by April
2019.
Diplomatic engagement also supports SPP2 goals and activities pushing for inclusive
and peaceful elections in Bangladesh and increased tolerance for open debate and
dialogue. DFID is still confident that the SPP2 Programme provides critical support to
democratic governance in the country and is more relevant than ever in an election
year.
Bangladesh: Rohingya
Rushanara Ali: [179216]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has
had with the Bangladeshi Government to ensure there are no delays in granting access
to international NGOs operating in Bangladesh.
Rushanara Ali: [179218]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether any of her
Department's partners have had their permits to operate within the refugee camps in
Cox’s Bazar rescinded by the Government of Bangladesh; and if she will make a
statement.
Rushanara Ali: [179219]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has
had with her Bangladeshi counterparts on allowing NGOs to carry radios in the refugee
camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Alistair Burt:
We are aware of NGO concerns regarding access and ability to deliver in the camps.
DFID Bangladesh humanitarian leads are in regular contact with the head of the NGO
platform in Cox’s Bazar and directly with our NGO partners. We and other
development partners work with UN agencies to raise issues with the Bangladesh
government including timely and transparent processing of authorisations.
NGOs have discussed access to radios with the UN Resident Coordinator and
Government officials. Currently NGOs can only access radios through UN partners,
which creates some restrictions. DFID is aware of these issues, and continues to
raise this issue with the UN.
Rushanara Ali: [179217]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her
Department has allocated to mental health support for Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s
Bazar.
Alistair Burt:
Up to March 2018, the £59m first tranche of UK funding to the humanitarian crisis
included support to ACF and UNICEF to provide emergency psychosocial support to
adults and adolescents; play sessions to ease stress and trauma for children under
16 years; and established child friendly spaces for 34,019 children.
In March 2018, a further tranche of £70m was announced and included funding to
UNHCR and UNICEF to provide support to adolescents with life-skill based education
and safe spaces, and support sexual and gender-based survivors with appropriate
assistance.
Rushanara Ali: [179220]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the UK's
contribution to humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees includes resources to
improve lighting in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp; and if she will make a statement.
Alistair Burt:
UK funding to ICRC has supported: light installation in 53 gender segregated latrines
and bathing spaces; 13 newly constructed latrine blocks with solar lighting; 115 street
lights; 8,500 solar lamps, with priority to women and girls; and 5,000 solar lanterns for
Rohingya, with plans to distribute a further 36,000 solar lanterns this year. Funding to
IOM and Christian Aid will support the installation of solar lamps in camps covering
almost 10,000 refugees.
Helen Jones: [180644]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her
Department has allocated to provision of secure and properly screened toilets for
Rohingya women refugees in Bangladesh in each of the last three years.
Alistair Burt:
The UK has been a leading donor in responding to the Rohingya crisis; since August
2017 we have committed £129m. The needs of women and girls are a key
consideration of all our programming
This support has already delivered toilets and hygiene facilities for over one million
people and emergency latrines for over 280,000 people. This includes the
construction of 53 latrines and bathing spaces that are segregated for women and
girls and have lights installed for their safety. Recent allocations to partners, including
Christian Aid, UNICEF and UNHCR, will support additional latrines, tube wells, water
points and bathing cubicles and 14 women friendly spaces with washing and
sanitation facilities.
Department for International Development: Social Media
Tulip Siddiq: [179275]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department
has spent on promoted content on (a) Twitter, (b) Facebook and (c) Instagram in each
month since June 2017.
Harriett Baldwin:
The Department for International Development has spent £0 on promoted activity
with these platforms since June 2017 through its media buying agency Carat. The
Department spent £1,000 on Facebook to drive up awareness of Soccer Aid for
UNICEF in June 2018.
Developing Countries: Brexit
Catherine McKinnell: [180726]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made
of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on (a) producers and (b)
workers in developing countries.
Harriett Baldwin:
DFID is working closely with other governmental departments in taking all necessary
steps to ensure that we are prepared for a no deal outcome, to ensure we will be able
to meet our development objectives in all scenarios. We remain committed to
spending 0.7% of our national income on development assistance.
The UK is preparing for a range of possible scenarios to maintain existing trading
relationships, and our Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in
place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. As the UK exits the
EU, we will seek to replicate the effects of the EU’s Economic Partnership
Agreements, which are development-focused trade deals with African, Caribbean and
Pacific countries.
Developing Countries: Nature Conservation
Mr Ranil Jayawardena: [179262]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of Official
Development Assistance is spent on protecting endangered species.
Harriett Baldwin:
There is no exact figure for the proportion of overseas development assistance spent
on protecting endangered species. DFID is supporting a range of activities to support
tackling IWT and to conserve nature and wildlife, including by reducing poverty,
strengthening borders and creating green corridors, including committing over £600m
funding between 2011-2021. This includes:
- £150m for the Global Environment Facility from 2018 to 2022 (as well as £100m
from Defra) – this includes the world’s biggest fund on tackling IWT, the Global
Wildlife Programme, of which the UK has contributed $17m (approximate £13m)
during the same period.
- £46m from 2013 to 2021 countering Illicit Financial Flows in Africa and mobilising
international action against corruption.
- £328m from 2011 to 2021 to support work in the forestry sector, increasing trade in
legal timber and reducing the demand for illegal and unsustainable food and timber
products.
Israel: Palestinians
Alan Brown: [180249]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made
of the amount of international aid funding allocated to properties at Khirbet al-Halawah
that were demolished by Israeli forces; what (a) discussions she has had with her
counterparts in the EU and (b) representations she has made to the Israeli Government
on those demolitions; and if she will make a statement.
Alistair Burt:
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA),
nine structures have been demolished in Khirbet al-Halawah so far in 2018, of which
four were donor funded. We have not made an estimate of the value of international
aid allocated to these structures. No structures directly funded by the UK in the West
Bank in recent years have been demolished. Whilst we have not raised these specific
demolitions with counterparts in the European Union or the Government of Israel, we
continue to raise concerns with the Israeli authorities about demolitions and evictions
of Palestinians from their homes in general, which cause unnecessary suffering to
ordinary Palestinians, calls into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state
solution, and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International
Humanitarian Law.
The UK supports Palestinian communities at risk of forcible transfer in Area C of the
West Bank through a legal aid programme, which helps residents challenge decisions
in the Israeli legal system. Additionally, we are supporting Palestinian development in
Area C and helping nearly 500 Palestinian families to remain on their land through
improving infrastructure and enabling access to education and health services.
Rushanara Ali: [180314]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her
Department has made of the effect of Israeli Government restrictions on the movement of
goods into Gaza on UNWRA provided aid and humanitarian resources in each of the last
five years.
Alistair Burt:
I remain deeply concerned about restrictions on movement and access in Gaza, and
the impact that this is having on the humanitarian situation. We have not made a
specific assessment of the effect of these restrictions on UNRWA, which liaises with
the Government of Israel directly to coordinate the movement of goods for their
operations. Nevertheless, my officials and I regularly raise the need to ease
restrictions on Gaza with our counterparts in the Government of Israel.
Yemen: Overseas Aid
Kate Hollern: [180217]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her
Department has taken to support people in Yemen affected by the conflict in that country.
Alistair Burt:
The UK continues to be at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Yemen,
helping secure vital access for food, fuel and medicine to enter the country and
consistently being one of the largest donors to the crisis. On 3 April 2018, the UK
announced an additional £170 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen
for this financial year (2018/2019). This funding will meet immediate food needs for
2.5 million Yemenis and will bring the total UK bilateral support to Yemen to over
£570 million since 2015.
Most recently, on World Food Day (16 October), the UK announced a package of
£96.5 million which will help UNICEF tackle malnutrition in Yemen over the coming
three years. This package will screen 2.2 million children under the age of five for
malnutrition and provide urgent treatment for 70,000 of the most vulnerable children.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Department for International Trade: Contracts
Tom Brake: [180070]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether gagging clauses have been
used in contracts drawn up between his Department and any charities, voluntary sector
organisations, social enterprises or companies with the intention of stopping any criticism
of Ministers of his Department.
George Hollingbery:
Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of
£10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February
2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive
Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
Overseas Trade
David Simpson: [180148]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with
the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the UK trading on WTO terms
after the UK leaves the EU.
George Hollingbery:
We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That
remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it
is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, so we have
already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that
we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal and trade with the EU reverts to WTO
terms.
Consequently, no deal planning and trading on WTO terms forms a necessary part of
the discussions across Whitehall between all members of Cabinet, including the
Department for Exiting the European Union.
Trade Promotion
Ian Austin: [180666]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11
October 2018 to Question 178257 on Trade Promotion, if he will publish the visits
undertaken by each Trade Envoy in the last year.
Graham Stuart:
The table below outlines all overseas visits undertaken by the PM’s Trade Envoys
from October 2017 – September 2018. In total they have undertaken 61 overseas
visits to 41 markets in the last year.
TRADE ENVOY MARKET VISITED DATE MARKETS VISITED:
Adam Afriyie MP Ghana Ghana, Guinea Ghana,
Guinea
8-11 November 2017 8-13
April 16-21 September 2018
Andrew Murrison MP Morocco Tunisia 7-10 February 2018 No visit
Andrew Percy MP Canada 4-9 November 2017 8-12
February 2108 27-11 June
2018
Andrew Selous MP South Africa 6-9 February 2018 27-30
August 2018
Baroness Bonham-Carter Mexico 10-16 February 2018 23-30
September 2018
Baroness Morris Kuwait 5-8 December 2017
Baroness Nicholson Azerbaijan, Kuwait(for Iraq
conference) Turkmenistan
12-16 February 2018 28 May-1
June 2018
Baroness Northover Angola Zambia 7-10 November 2017 19-21
September 2018 26-28
September 2018 8-16
February 2018
Ed Vaizey MP Vietnam Cambodia, Laos
Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos
5-11 November 2017 8-12
February 2018 29 September -
3 October 2018
Jeremy Lefroy MP Ethiopia 8-11 November 2017 11-16
February 2018 28-31 May
TRADE ENVOY MARKET VISITED DATE MARKETS VISITED:
2018 3-5 September 2018
John Howell MP Nigeria 6-9 November 2017
Julian Knight MP Mongolia 5-10 April 2018 19-24
September 2018
Lord Astor Oman 2-6 October 2017 11-14
February 2018
Lord Faulkner Taiwan 24-31 January 2018 17-22
September 2018
Lord Hollick Tanzania 1-4 October 2017
Lord Janvrin Turkey 2-5 October 2017 12-14
February 2018
Lord King Saudi Arabia 23-25 September 2017
Lord Lamont Iran 23-28 September 2018
Lord Popat Uganda Rwanda 16-24 November 2017 13-16
February 2018
Lord Risby Algeria 6-9 November 2017 29-1 May
2018
Mark Menzies MP Columbia, Chile Columbia,
Chile Peru
4-10 November 2017 31
March-11 April 2018 23-28
September 2018
Mark Pritchard MP Georgia, Armenia 6-9 October 2017 1-10
November 2017 7-21 February
2018 6-11 June 2018
Paul Scully MP Thailand 5-11 November 2017
Ranil Jayawardena MP Sri Lanka 14-17 February 2018 17-21
September 2018
Rehman Chishti MP Pakistan 8-11 November 2017 11-15
February 2018 14-18
September 2018
Richard Graham MP Malaysia Indonesia 3-5 November 2017 31 July –
3 August 2018 11-13 April
2018
TRADE ENVOY MARKET VISITED DATE MARKETS VISITED:
Rushanara Ali MP Bangladesh 20-31 July 2018
Simon Hart MP Panama, Costa Rica,
Dominican Republic
10-13 April 2018
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson Egypt 28 July – 1 August 2018 22-27
September 2018
UK Trade with EU: Exports
Jared O'Mara: [179314]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans his Department has to
support businesses that export to the EU in the event that that the UK leaves the EU
without a deal.
Graham Stuart:
The Department for International Trade has carried out significant preparations for a
‘no deal’ scenario, and alongside other Departments has published technical notices
to guide businesses on preparing for this eventuality. Our technical notices cover
trade remedies, export control regulation, and trade agreement continuity, as well as
a further technical notice on tariffs which we published jointly with HMRC and HMT.
We are also preparing the Department to provide business-friendly answers to EU
Exit enquiries on areas within our competence. Together with other Departments we
are ensuring that businesses can access Government information on EU Exit online.
Businesses, including current exporters to the EU, will benefit from the Department
for International Trade’s strong offer regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations.
This offer includes impartial export advice from International Trade Advisors, our
overseas network with a presence in 108 countries, and access to digital services
that sit on our great.gov.uk platform.
JUSTICE
Bedford Prison
Mohammad Yasin: [180840]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the
implications for the Government's policies of the Independent Monitoring Board's report of
17 October 2018 on HMP Bedford.
Rory Stewart:
I am currently considering the content and recommendations of the report from the
IMB at HMP Bedford. I will respond to the report as soon as that process is
completed, and I will ensure a copy of the response is shared with you.
We have published an action plan to stabilise HMP Bedford following an Urgent
Notification by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. The action plan can be found at the
following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/justice-secretary-publishes-plans-to-stabilise-
bedford-prison
Bedford Prison: Prisoners' Release
Mohammad Yasin: [180838]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to accept the
recommendation of the Independent Monitoring Board report of 17 October 2018 on HMP
Bedford to permit prisoners with a date for release to make an application for universal
credit; and if he will discuss that recommendation with the Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions.
Rory Stewart:
Prisoners are able to meet a DWP Work Coach in their prison in the weeks before
release who can help them prepare their claim for Universal Credit. The Work Coach
can make an appointment at the relevant Job Centre as early as the day of release
and an advance of a full month’s benefit including the housing element, if appropriate
can be made within hours.
The MoJ is working closely with DWP to improve the process for access to benefits
for prison leavers.
Companies: Fraud
Jo Swinson: [180123]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the outcome of his
Department's call for evidence on corporate liability for economic crime.
Lucy Frazer:
The Ministry of Justice carried out a call for evidence on corporate criminal liability for
economic crime in 2017, to establish whether further reform of the law was
necessary. The response will be issued in due course.
Employment Tribunals Service: Appeals
Colleen Fletcher: [180773]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost to HM Courts and
Tribunal Service was to administer a First-Tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child
Support Appeal) in relation to personal independence payments in the last 12 months.
Lucy Frazer:
The information requested is not held centrally. The cost of personal independence
payment hearings is included in the overall cost of the First-tier Tribunal (Social
Security and Child Support Appeal).
European Convention On Human Rights
Tom Brake: [180064]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans for the
European Convention on Human Rights to remain in force when the UK leaves the EU.
Edward Argar:
The UK will remain a party to the ECHR after it has left the European Union. The
decision to leave the European Union does not change our strong commitment to
recognising and respecting human rights.
Prisons: Reviews
Mohammad Yasin: [180839]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 4 of the 17 October 2018
Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board on HMP Bedford, if he will undertake
a review of the role of local prisons.
Rory Stewart:
As well as constructing new prisons, the Government’s Prison Estate Transformation
Programme is working to reconfigure the existing estate so that prisoners will be held in the
right place at the right time in their custodial journey and their rehabilitation can be managed
more effectively. This work will see the organisation of the adult male prison estate - including
local prisons -simplified into three key functions: reception, training and resettlement.
Reception prisons will manage men on remand, fixed recalls and those with a very short time
to serve, and they will allocate other individuals for transfer to the next prison. Resettlement
prisons will prepare people for release into the community, and they will hold shorter-
sentenced men, as well as people transferred from training prisons. To support
reconfiguration, we have developed evidence-based Models for Operational Delivery (MODs)
for each prison function and also for specialist cohorts. The MODs are best-practice toolkits
that will enable governors and commissioners to deliver effective services for their functions
and specialist cohorts. The combination of building new prisons and the reconfiguration of the
existing estate will address basic issues such as safety and decency, reduce crowding, and
drive improvements in rehabilitation. By improving the match between the supply of places
and the demands of the population men will be able to progress through the estate to access
the right regimes for their needs and prisons will be able to better carry out their function.
Prosecutions: Greater London
Helen Hayes: [180268]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effect on
the public purse of transferring young offender cases from Camberwell Green
Magistrates Court to Bromley Magistrates Court.
Lucy Frazer:
HM Courts & Tribunals Service officials will monitor the operational effect of the
transfer of young offender cases from Camberwell Green Magistrates Court to
Bromley Magistrates’ Court.
The assessment made in the response to the consultation published on 8 February
2017 was that the closure would provide a saving to the public purse. Consolidating
workload into Bromley Magistrates’ Court and Croydon Magistrates’ Court will result
in efficiency gains by improving the utilisation of the London region’s court estate, and
reducing the cost of the estate by removing the annual running costs of maintaining a
separate building. The receipts from the sale of the building will be reinvested into the
transformation of HM Courts & Tribunals Service to modernise courts and tribunals.
Risley Prison: Staff
Helen Jones: [180643]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy
of the number of (a) prison officers and (b) qualified mental health practitioners employed
at HMP Risley.
Rory Stewart:
HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics detailing staffing by establishment are
published quarterly. The latest publication can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-
workforce-quarterly-march-2018
Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring
prisons are safe, secure and decent. We now have over 3,500 additional staff in post
compared to October 2016. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach
required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose -
protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.
Increased staff numbers will enable us to implement the key worker role, giving staff
dedicated time to provide one-to-one support to individual prisoners and, for example,
identify where mental health support may be needed.
Staffing for prison healthcare services at HMP Risley is a matter for healthcare
providers under contract to NHS England. Prison governors work collaboratively with
NHS England commissioners to support the commissioning of high quality healthcare
services across the prison estate in England.
Sexual Offences: Bristol
Darren Jones: [180285]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been under
the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in relation to arrangements where sex has been requested
in return for accommodation in the City of Bristol.
Rory Stewart:
It is not possible to identify from centrally held data the number of offenders convicted
for arrangements where sex had been requested in return for accommodation in
Bristol under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as this particular offence cannot be
disaggregated from the broader offence of ‘sexual offences’. Additionally, any data
held at a court level refers to where the defendant was dealt with rather than where
the offence was committed.
Young Offenders: Greater London
Helen Hayes: [180271]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate his Department has made
of the rate of youth reoffending in (a) Dulwich and West Norwood and (b) London after (i)
three, (ii) six and (iii) 12 months of attending court.
Rory Stewart:
The Ministry of Justice measures proven reoffending from the point at which an
offender is released from custody, receives a non-custodial conviction at court or
receives a youth caution, reprimand or warning. Proven reoffending is not measured
from the point of attending court.
The Ministry of Justice measures reoffending over a one year follow-up period plus a
further six month waiting period to allow the offence to be proven in court.
Reoffending rates are not available by constituency, they are available down to lower
tier unitary authority. Reoffending rates by geographical area are available online:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728736
/Geographical_data_tool_oct05_sep16.xlsx
Youth Justice
Helen Hayes: [180824]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has plans to improve
the efficiency of the youth justice system; and what steps he is taking to reduce rates of
youth re-offending.
Edward Argar:
Reducing reoffending by children in the youth justice system is a key aim of the
system. Although fewer young people are committing crimes for the first time, those
who do are some of the most troubled in our society.
We are continuing to work with the Home Office to deliver the Serious Violence
Strategy, pursuing those responsible for crime, protecting victims and communities,
and preventing vulnerable people from being exploited. This includes tackling the
increase in serious violence and drug-related crime, with an emphasis on responding
to county lines activity. This year the government has awarded £22 million for the
Early Intervention Youth Fund to support local areas to tackle these problems.
Learning from this fund will inform the upcoming £200 million Youth Endowment
Fund, and will help deliver a public health approach to addressing serious violence.
We also fund Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to support young people at a local
level, in partnership with other services (for example, police, health, education and
social care). We have had significant success in reducing the under 18 custodial
population in recent years.
To improve safety and the life chances of children in custody we established the
Youth Justice Reform Programme in 2017. We have expanded frontline capacity in
Young Offender Institutions by 20%, equating to over 120 new posts and we are
introducing a new Youth Justice Specialist officer role in youth custody tied to a
professional qualification in youth justice.
We have developed a new approach to behaviour management in custody and are
working with the NHS on a new approach to strengthen the provision of mental health
care for young people. We are investing in the development of Enhanced Support
Units for children with the most complex needs, one of which has already been
opened at Feltham YOI, and are also developing plans for secure schools, with the
aim of improving outcomes for young people in custody.
Since the creation of our Youth Justice Reform Programme in 2017, Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Prisons reports have highlighted improvements in all the under-18
sites they have inspected. It’s promising to see our reforms are starting to have an
impact on the ground, but we absolutely must continue to invest in system-wide
reform to further improve safety and rehabilitative outcomes for children.
NORTHERN IRELAND
British Irish Council
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180114]
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many times the British Irish
Council have met since January 2017.
Mr Shailesh Vara:
Since January 2017 the British Irish Council has held two summits; one in 2017, and
one in 2018.
PRIME MINISTER
Members: Correspondence
Angela Rayner: [179238]
To ask the Prime Minister, when she plans to respond to the letter of the hon. Member for
Ashton-under-Lyne of 21 March 2018 on the enforcement of the Ministerial Code.
Mrs Theresa May:
My Office does not have a record of receiving a letter dated 21 March 2018 from the
Hon. Member. An undated letter from the Hon Member was received by my Office on
8 March which mentioned Ministerial Code issues, to which a reply was sent by the
(Acting) Cabinet Secretary.
Deidre Brock: [180220]
To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to her oral Answer of 12 September 2018,
Official Report, column 749, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Edinburgh
North and Leith in relation to Questions 136216 and 135115 tabled in April 2018 and
March 2018 on the visit of Aggregate IQ founders to Downing Street.
Mrs Theresa May:
The transparency data published on a quarterly basis relates to ministerial meetings
with external organisations and individuals. I have not met Aggregate IQ and there
was therefore nothing to publish in the transparency data.
TRANSPORT
Bus Services: Greater Manchester
Jim McMahon: [180276]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what power the Mayor of Greater Manchester
has to franchise bus services; and whether the Government has provided additional
funding to facilitate such franchising.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
The Bus Services Act 2017 gave Mayoral Combined Authorities, including Greater
Manchester, the powers they need to franchise buses. No additional funding has
been provided to Greater Manchester Combined Authority to facilitate such
franchising.
Bus Services: South Yorkshire
Stephanie Peacock: [178524]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department allocated
to bus services serving (a) Barnsley and (b) South Yorkshire in the 2017-18 financial
year.
Stephanie Peacock: [178525]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to
increase the number of bus services that serve (a) Barnsley and (b) South Yorkshire.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service
provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised
bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their
other spending priorities. The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local
authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.
£250m of Bus Services Operators Grant (BSOG) payments are made to bus
companies and local authorities.
Bus operators in Yorkshire & Humber were paid a total of £25,874,000 BSOG in
2017-18 to help meet some of their fuel costs in running local bus services.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council received a total of £20,959 in BSOG during
2017-18 to support subsidised local bus services; South Yorkshire Passenger
Transport Executive received £1,127,171 and Sheffield City Council received
£106,858.
BSOG spend figures are published annually on Gov.uk and can be found via this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bus-services-grants-and-funding#bsog-
spend
Crossrail
Mr Jim Cunningham: [179101]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on the cost to the public purse of the delay to Crossrail.
Joseph Johnson:
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
covering a variety of subjects.
Dangerous Driving
Ian Austin: [180667]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to
increase driver awareness of the dangers of overtaking (a) cyclists and (b) other
vulnerable road users without leaving sufficient space.
Jesse Norman:
The Highway Code provides guidance for drivers on being aware of cyclists and other
vulnerable road users and allowing adequate distance when passing them.
The Department is aware that not all road users follow the rules on safe overtaking
and on 18 October 2018 the Department that the Highway Code will be reviewed to
help keep cyclists, vulnerable road users and pedestrians safe on the roads.
This followed announcements in the summer committing to update the Highway Code
in relation to close passing and highlighting a UK-wide initiative to help police enforce
against dangerous drivers who pass cyclists too closely.
Department for Transport: Public Expenditure
Andy McDonald: [180207]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the change has been to his
Department's budget in real terms in each year since 2010; and what the projected
change will be in real terms in each year to 2022.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
DfT expenditure for the years from 2010/11 to 2019/20 (the final year of the current
Spending Review period) is set out in the tables below.
Two separate tables are provided to reflect the major change in the accounting
treatment of Network Rail from the 2015/16 financial year onwards, following its
earlier reclassification from the private sector into the public sector.
For years up to and including 2014/15, Network Rail was not within the DfT Group
accounts and DfT’s annual grant to Network Rail was therefore scored as Capital
DEL expenditure (nominal value between £3bn and £4bn per year in each year
shown). From 2015/16 onwards, Network Rail came into the DfT Group and its
annual grant from DfT (which remains in place) became an intra-group transfer, and
as such no longer scores as Capital DEL expenditure. Meaningful comparisons
between these two periods cannot be made for this reason.
Data shows spending outturn for years up to 2017/18, and spending plans for
2018/19 and 2019/20. Network Rail spending is currently classified in AME and is
outside the scope of these figures. Departmental budgets from 2020/21 onwards are
have not yet been agreed and will be set as part of next year’s Spending Review.
2010/11 to 2014/15
£000S
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Resource DEL (nominal) 5,806,274 5,487,143 5,191,309 4,701,510 3,459,901
Capital DEL (nominal) 7,928,710 7,933,844 8,536,711 8,545,473 9,446,280
Total DEL (nominal) 13,734,984 13,420,987 13,728,020 13,246,983 12,906,181
Total DEL (2017/18 prices) 15,372,493 14,826,138 14,866,033 14,086,691 13,550,177
Real-terms change year-on-year -3.6% 0.3% -5.2% -3.8%
2015/16 to 2019/20
£000S
2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20
Resource DEL (nominal) 3,069,420 2,926,615 3,673,000 3,761,009 3,327,396
£000S
Capital DEL (nominal) 5,960,594 5,419,249 6,351,907 8,069,900 10,518,500
Total DEL (nominal) 9,030,014 8,345,864 10,024,907 11,830,909 13,845,896
Total DEL (2017/18 prices) 9,405,417 8,504,327 10,024,907 11,452,961 13,236,994
Real-terms change year-on-year -9.6% 17.9% 14.2% 15.6%
Sources:
2019/20 plans: 2017/18 DfT Annual Report & Accounts
2018/19 plans: 2018/19 DfT Main Estimate
Outturn: DfT Annual Report & Accounts for 2017/18 and earlier years
Driving Instruction
Ian Austin: [180668]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the inclusion in driver
education on road safety of up-to-date visual tools and materials, including virtual reality
films, to ensure that people are made aware of their driving from the perspective of other
road users.
Ian Austin: [180669]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits
of promoting virtual reality road safety awareness films as an educational tool for drivers.
Jesse Norman:
The Department has used the ‘Innovation Challenge Fund’ to assess how new
technologies such as virtual reality can help learner drivers to develop their hazard
perception skills prior to taking their tests.
Virtual reality road safety awareness films are likely to be helpful in driver education.
They promise to bring an added spatial dimension to the experience and can be very
engaging when used well. It is important that they should always be based on the
kinds of established behavioural change techniques used by the THINK! Campaign,
the best local authority driver education, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards
Agency.
Driving: Licensing
Tom Brake: [180625]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018
to Question 173935 on driving: licensing, what estimate he has made of the number of
staff that will need to be recruited in order to meet increased demand for International
Driving Permits in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Chris Grayling:
From 1 February 2019, International Driving Permits will be issued by 2,500 Post
Office branches using existing Post Office staff. While staffing levels are a matter for
Post Office Ltd, we do not believe there will be a need to recruit further staff to offer
the enhanced service.
Tom Brake: [180626]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018
to Question 173935 on Driving: Licensing, what estimate he has made of the (a) number
of International Driving Permits which will need to be issued in 2019-20, (b) individual
cost of securing an International Driving Permit and (c) administrative cost of processing
each application for an International Driving Permit in the event of the UK leaving the EU
without a deal.
Chris Grayling:
a) The government is confident of securing a comprehensive deal to ensure the
continued recognition of our driving licences in the EU. Work that has been done
estimating the likely impact, indicates that up to 0.5m International Driving Permits
(IDPs) may need to be issued in most outcome scenarios.
b) Each IDP will cost £5.50, a fee which has not increased since 2004. For complete
coverage in the EU after exit day a motorist will need 2 IDPs (One in the 1949
Convention format, and one in the 1968 Convention format) at a total cost of £11.00.
However, the 1968 IDP which will be valid in 23 EU Member States, plus Norway and
Switzerland is valid for 3-years reducing the annual cost to around £1.85 per year.
c) The administrative cost of acquiring an IDP is a matter for the Post Office.
Electric Vehicles
Grahame Morris: [178498]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the
uptake of electric vehicles as part of the 2040 target to end the sale of conventionally
fuelled cars.
Grahame Morris: [178499]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce a vehicle replacement
scheme to help make the transition to electric vehicles affordable for families on average
and below average incomes.
Grahame Morris: [178500]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking support UK car
manufacturing after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make an assessment of the
potential merits of introducing incentives to strengthen domestic demand for new electric
vehicles.
Jesse Norman:
In January 2018, the Government published its Industrial Strategy Automotive Sector
Deal to support the continuing competitiveness of the UK’s automotive sector and its
local supply chains.
The Government’s Road to Zero Strategy – published in July – set out its ambitions
for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. The transition will
be supported by a package of demand, supply and infrastructure measures, and £1.5
billion in funding. This includes assisting consumers in meeting the cost of ultra low
emission vehicles with a variety of plug-in grant funding schemes for eligible ultra low
emission cars, vans, taxis and motorcycles.
The Government’s recent international Zero Emission Vehicle Summit emphasised its
ambitions to lead this global transition, bringing other nations along through the
‘Birmingham Declaration’. At the Summit the Prime Minister announced £106 million
in an R&D funding package for innovators in ultra low emission vehicle technology,
including in new battery and low carbon technologies.
By supporting new ultra low emission vehicles, the Government is also helping to
build the second hand market in the UK, which already offers a wide range of more
affordable models. Owners of used ultra low emission vehicles are able to take
advantage of the favourable tax regime now in place, alongside local initiatives such
as free parking and grant schemes to help with the cost of installing chargepoints.
There are no plans to introduce a vehicle scrappage or replacement scheme.
Food: Transport
Jim Shannon: [178306]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the
Government in Northern Ireland on the transportation of perishable food produced in
Northern Ireland abroad after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Chris Grayling:
My Department has discussed this issue with officials in the Northern Ireland Office
and Northern Ireland Government officials and I am aware of the short time margins
that perishable food is transported under.
We are committed to securing an agreement that works for the entire United Kingdom
- for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and all parts of England. An agreement that
works for the unique circumstances of the Island of Ireland is at the very heart of the
Government’s negotiating position.
As the hon. Member will be aware the key market for the Northern Ireland food and
drinks processing sector is Great Britain which accounts for 50% of total sales.
Ireland is the second largest market representing almost 15% of total sales. Other EU
sales represents a little below 8% of total sales for the sector.
In the event of delays caused by increased checks at EU ports, the UK Government
will implement contingency arrangements to manage the flow of traffic across the UK.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Dame Cheryl Gillan: [180623]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect
of the construction of High Speed Two on the (a) habitat and (b) population of barn owls.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
The impact of HS2 on barn owls was assessed to inform the Phase One
Environmental Statement which recorded a nationally significant adverse effect on
the UK’s barn owl population.
HS2 Ltd has therefore developed a barn owl mitigation plan to reduce this significant
effect. The plan assumes that 80 pairs are affected by the Phase One Scheme and
consists of measures to: avoid disturbance to the species during construction; reduce
the collision risk of the railway to the birds; provide new artificial nesting sites at a
safe distance; and monitor the new nesting sites to ensure uptake by barn owls.
The potential effects on barn owls have also been assessed in the Phase 2a
Environmental Statement, and will be assessed in a Phase 2b Environmental
Statement in due course.
Mr Roger Godsiff: [180632]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his latest estimate is of (a) the overall
cost and (b) cost of each element of HS2; and what the timetable is for the completion of
phase 2.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
At the 2015 Spending Review (SR15), the Government restated the long-term
Funding Envelope for delivery of the full HS2 scheme of £55.73bn (2015 prices), of
which £27.18bn was allocated to Phase One and £28.55bn for Phase Two. We
remain determined to deliver HS2 within this total Funding Envelope, with cost targets
to be set for HS2 Ltd to deliver the programme below this amount.
We intend to complete Phase 2a by 2027– six years earlier than initially planned. The
planned opening date for the full HS2 network remains unchanged at 2033.
Hospitals: Parking
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180637]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the
(a) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on
the cost of parking at hospitals; and if he will make a statement.
Jesse Norman:
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any recent discussions with the
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care nor the Chancellor of the Exchequer on
this issue. The Department for Transport is not responsible for policy in relation to
hospital car parks, as this is a matter for the Department for Health and Social Care.
More widely, private sector and local authority car parks are the responsibility of the
Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government. The Department for
Transport is responsible for policy in relation to on-street parking.
London-Brighton Railway Line: Fares
Peter Kyle: [180823]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018
to Question 178358 on the London to Brighton Railway line, what the timetable is for a
decision on the options his Department is considering to simplify the Brighton mainline
fare structure.
Joseph Johnson:
The Department cannot set a timetable at this time. Our work must take into account
both the options for the specification of the successor to the TSGN franchise and its
broader fares policy, with the Rail Review charged with recommending the most
appropriate organisational and commercial frameworks to be able to offer good value
fares for passengers.
Simplification of fares on the Brighton Main Line, where historic competition has
created a particularly complex fares structure, remains a key priority.
Public Transport: Disability
Chris Evans: [179198]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the
potential merits of introducing transport fee concessions to all assistants of a disabled
individual where that individual requires more than one assistant to use public transport.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
This Government is determined to make sure that disabled people have the same
access to transport as everyone else, and that they are able to travel easily,
confidently, and without extra cost. The Disabled Persons Railcard entitles disabled
people and a carer to a third off their rail fares, and the Government provides around
£1 billion of funding each year to enable local authorities in England to provide
statutory and discretionary concessions for 9.8 million disabled and older travel pass
holders.
Local authorities are able to offer additional local bus concessions, such as
companion passes for disabled people who require assistance to travel. The detail of
such further concessions, including the number of carers who can travel at reduced
cost, is a matter for local authorities.
In the Inclusive Transport Strategy, published in July 2018, we committed to conduct
a review into the eligibility criteria of the Disabled Persons Railcard. This review will
examine the issue of the total ticket cost for a disabled person and their carers.
Railways: Compensation
Andy McDonald: [179230]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his speech at the
Conservative party conference on 1 October 2018, what specific stronger obligations he
plans to introduce to rail franchises in relation to passenger compensation rights.
Joseph Johnson:
We will continue to monitor and report on Train Operating Companies’ (TOCs’)
performance in making the claim process easier for passengers. We will mandate
increased use of technology to inform passengers pro-actively that they are entitled
to claim, using Apps, email and onboard announcements and hold TOCs to account
for delivering claim processes that are swift and simple.
Separately from franchise agreements, the Government is supporting the
establishment by the industry of an independent Rail Ombudsman before the end of
2018 to investigate and rule on unresolved customer complaints, with the power to
issue decisions, including on compensation, that are binding on the industry.
Railways: Disability
Laura Smith: [179303]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that provisions
for disability inclusive rail services are included in future rail franchise agreements to
enable disabled people to travel for (a) work and (b) pleasure.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
Our vision is for disabled people to have the same access to transport as everyone
else, being able to travel confidently, easily and without extra cost. The Inclusive
Transport Strategy, launched in July 2018, is the next step in our ambition to deliver
accessible transport.
In future rail franchise competition processes we will require bidders to provide
enhanced services for those with accessibility needs including enhanced disability
and equality awareness training for staff.
Railways: Pay
Andy McDonald: [179231]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative risk assessment he has
made of (a) imposing and (b) negotiating changes to the measure of inflation used for rail
industry pay negotiations.
Joseph Johnson:
In August, the Secretary of State for Transport wrote to the Rail Delivery Group and
to the trades unions, asking them to adopt CPI, and not RPI, as the basis for inflation
when negotiating wage deals. As you know, CPI is the more widely used and reliable
measure of inflation.
This would be a significant step in ensuring that costs in the rail industry do not rise
faster than ticket prices. It will help to ensure that the railway is affordable for the fare
paying and tax paying public for decades to come, while making sure that those who
work on the railway continue to receive fair reward. Of course, pay negotiations and
the settlements reached by individual employers and trade unions remain a matter for
local collective bargaining.
In his letter to the trades unions the Secretary of State invited them to meet with the
Rail minister so this might be discussed further.
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr Jim Cunningham: [180633]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on the amount spent on re-surfacing roads in (a) Coventry,
(b) the West Midlands and (c) England since 2010.
Jesse Norman:
Coventry City Council is a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Between 2010/11 and 2017/18 the Department for Transport provided the West
Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) with over £386 million to upgrade and
improve local highways within the West Midlands area. It has been for the WMCA to
distribute this funding to its constituent members such as Coventry City Council.
The Department for Transport has also directly allocated Coventry City Council over
£10 million to upgrade and improve local highways within the City between 2010/11
and 2017/18, in addition to funding for roads which fall within the strategic road
network and are managed by Highways England.
In England, outside London, between 2010/11 and 2014/15 the Department for
Transport provided local highway authorities with £4.7 billion for highway
maintenance. In 2015 the Department announced a six year funding package for
highway maintenance. Between 2015/16 and 2021/22 it is providing local highway
authorities in England, outside London, with £6.2 billion for highway maintenance.
This includes £296 million for a Pothole Action Fund.
TREASURY
Capital Gains Tax
Anneliese Dodds: [180290]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a comparative
assessment of the effect on the revenue that has accrued to the public purse of other EU
countries of the introduction of a deferred payment of capital gains tax for trusts ceasing
to be resident or non-resident individuals who trade through a national branch or agency.
Mel Stride:
The introduction of a deferred payment of capital gains tax for trusts ceasing to be
resident or non-resident individuals who trade through a national branch or agency
(Clause 36 of the draft Finance Bill) is not expected to have any impact on the
revenue accruing to the public purse of other EU countries.
The effect of clause 36 is that those migrating trusts and non-resident individuals who
defer capital gains tax as a result of the measure will still pay the same amount of tax
in the UK, but over a longer period with interest charged on outstanding amounts.
Anneliese Dodds: [180291]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what has been the annual cost to the public
purse of section 187 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 for each year since its
introduction.
Mel Stride:
The Government does not hold data specifically on the annual cost of section 187 of
the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. Information on the use of section 187 is
reported to HMRC in tax returns, but the relevant data is not held in a centralised
form, and the cost of gathering for statistical purposes is disproportionate.
Competition and Markets Authority: Finance
Martyn Day: [180257]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will provide additional funding
to the Competition and Markets Authority.
Elizabeth Truss:
At the Autumn Budget 2017, the Government committed over £1.5bn of additional
funding to help departments and the devolved administrations to prepare for the UK’s
exit from the EU in 2018/19. A full breakdown of allocations can be found in the Chief
Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March
(https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-
statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was allocated £23.6 million in 2018/19
as part of this.
At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional
funding for department’s EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. The Treasury has received
the CMA’s bid and will announce further details about allocations in due course.
At the same time, the Chancellor announced £2.8m a year in additional funding for
the CMA to take on more cases against companies acting unfairly.
All long-term funding decisions are for the next Spending Review, which will take
place in 2019.
Employment: Taxation
Grahame Morris: [178496]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the check employment status for
tax tool to ensure that it’s results are aligned with case law.
Grahame Morris: [178497]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will conduct an assessment of the check
employment status for tax tool to determine whether it meets Government digital service
standards.
Grahame Morris: [178502]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what testing his Department has conducted on
the accuracy of the check employment status for tax tool.
Mel Stride:
The Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) service is designed to determine
whether an existing or future contract will be one of employment or self-employment.
CEST results are aligned with case law. Its results have been tested by HM Revenue
and Customs (HMRC) against known case law and settled cases. HMRC published
the list of cases that were used to test the accuracy of CEST on
www.gov.uk/government/publications/cest-tool-tested-against-tax-cases/test-results-
produced-after-cests-development.
CEST was rigorously tested throughout development with input from external
stakeholders prior to release. The accuracy of CEST was checked as part of that
process.
CEST was developed in accordance with government data standards. Government
Digital Services (GDS) standards assessments are only required for transactional
services. Because CEST is a tool for guidance purposes, and not a transactional
service, a GDS assessment was not appropriate.
HMRC will stand by the result of CEST, provided the information entered is accurate
and in line with HMRC guidance. CEST gives an answer in 85% of cases, and where
it does not, more detailed guidance and support is available.
HMRC continues to improve the CEST tool and is working with stakeholders to better
understand the points raised about CEST in responses to the recent consultation on
addressing non-compliance with the off-payroll working rules in the private sector.
Help to Buy Scheme: Oxfordshire
Layla Moran: [180848]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to
Question 176641 on help to buy scheme: Oxfordshire, if he will (a) publish and (b) place
in the Library the calculation relating to the average value of a property completion under
that scheme in Oxfordshire.
John Glen:
Between the introduction of the Help to Buy ISA in December 2015 to March 2018,
the average property purchase price in Oxfordshire under the scheme was £196,618.
This is based upon 624 property purchase completions taking place, with a total
expected value of c.£122.7 million. The information is recorded and published in the
Help to Buy ISA Quarterly Statistics accompanying tables. The last release of these
was 16th August 2018, which can be found using the following link -
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-isa-scheme-quarterly-statistics-
december-2015-to-31-march-2018
Insurance Premium Tax: Public Sector
Vicky Foxcroft: [178517]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of
Insurance Premium Tax on public sector organisations.
John Glen:
The Government regularly keeps all taxes under review. This includes Insurance
Premium Tax.
Insurance Premium Tax is a tax paid by insurers on all general insurance premiums.
It is therefore up to them whether to pass on this cost to consumers, including public
sector organisations.
Mortgages: EU Law
Tim Loughton: [180624]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of
the EU Mortgage Credit Directive on the cost of mortgages.
John Glen:
The Government conducted an impact assessment when implementing the EU
Directive in 2015 and assessed that there would be minimal costs incurred as a result
of businesses absorbing the regulatory changes from the FCA.
Personal Pensions: Tax Allowances
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180657]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of
higher rate tax relief claimed by people with personal pensions in each of the last ten
years for which figures are available.
John Glen:
Information on the cost of pensions tax relief is published in the HM Revenue and
Custom (HMRC) National Statistics table ‘Registered pension schemes: cost of tax
relief’, available on GOV.UK, please find the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-
relief
Estimates of the number of people making contributions into personal pensions and
the value of their contributions by different income levels can be found in Table 3.8 at
the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/deductions-and-reliefs-2010-to-2011
Estimates for previous years can be found in the national archives:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121102223513/http://hmrc.gov.uk/stats/i
ncome_distribution/menu-by-year.htm
Police: Pensions
Louise Haigh: [180816]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from
police forces on changes to police pension contributions.
Elizabeth Truss:
The Treasury has received representations from a number of employer organisations,
including bodies representing police forces, subsequent to my Written Ministerial
Statement of 6 September announcing the draft amending directions for the 4-yearly
valuations of Public Service Pension Schemes. The finalised directions will be
published later this year.
Representations have included comments on potential changes to pension
contributions.
Louise Haigh: [180817]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the
cost to each police force of the revision of assumptions on public sector pension
contributions.
Elizabeth Truss:
The Treasury does not collect data at the level of individual police forces. We
continue to work closely with the Home Office on all aspects of police funding.
Louise Haigh: [180818]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from
police bodies on the potential effect of changes to employee pension contributions on
police numbers.
Elizabeth Truss:
The Treasury has received representations from a number of employer organisations,
including police bodies, subsequent to my Written Ministerial Statement of 6
September announcing the draft amending directions for the 4-yearly valuations of
Public Service Pension Schemes. The finalised directions will be published later this
year.
Representations have included comments on the effects of potential changes to
pension contributions.
Private Rented Housing: Stamp Duty Land Tax
Mr Gregory Campbell: [180656]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue to
the public purse from the introduction of the three per cent surcharge on buy to let
properties between April 2016 and April 2018.
Mel Stride:
HMRC has already published estimates for the Higher Rates on Additional Dwellings
(HRAD) 3% receipts for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 tax years in its Annual Stamp
Taxes Publication:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-stamp-tax-statistics
It should be noted that application of the 3% surcharge on a substantial interest in an
additional dwelling does not only apply to buy-to-let properties.
Revenue and Customs: Offices
Chris Ruane: [180107]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) location, (b) postcode
and (c) number of employees of each the HMRC offices that have (i) closed and (ii)
relocated in each year since 2010.
Mel Stride:
The location, postcode and number of employees of each of the HMRC offices closed
in each year from 2010, are detailed in the attached table.
The information requested concerning the number of staff relocated from HMRC
offices closed in each year from 2010, can only be provided at a disproportionate
cost.
Attachments:
1. HMRC office closures 2010 - 2018 [HMRC Office Closures 2010-2018Table.docx]
Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010
Anneliese Dodds: [180292]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has accrued to the public purse each
year as a result of the implementation of Chapter 8, Part 6A of the Taxation (International
and Other Provisions) Act 2010.
Mel Stride:
It is not possible to provide details of the tax effect arising from the introduction of the
Hybrid and other Mismatch regime in Part 6A of the Taxation (International and other
Provisions) Act 2010.
The hybrid mismatch regime came into force on 1 January 2017. The majority of
corporation tax returns which will reflect the impact of these rules have not yet been
received.
Taxation: EU Law
Anneliese Dodds: [180293]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a comparative
assessment of the effect on the revenue that has accrued to the public purse of other EU
countries of the implementation of Council Directive (EU) 2017/1852 on tax dispute
resolution mechanisms in the European Union.
Mel Stride:
No such comparative assessment has been undertaken.
Anneliese Dodds: [180294]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government plans to participate after
the UK has left the EU in (a) EU Directive 2018/822 and (b) other agreements that
facilitate the disclosure of information pertaining to cross-border tax arrangements.
Mel Stride:
The UK is implementing this Directive as would be required by the terms of the
Implementation Period. After leaving the EU, the UK will continue to participate in a
wide range of information exchange agreements and will remain committed to all
global tax transparency standards.
WALES
Ports: Wales
Jo Stevens: [180793]
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when the Government plans to publish its
contingency plans for the transport network servicing trade and travel through Welsh
ports to Ireland in the event that no deal is reached for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Alun Cairns:
We do not want or expect a no deal scenario. It is however the duty of a responsible
Government to continue to prepare for a range of potential outcomes including the
unlikely event of no deal.
We have now published 106 specific technical notices, including on transport, trading
with the EU, and the Common Travel Area, to help businesses, citizens and
consumers to prepare for March 2019 in the event of a no deal scenario. These are
available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-prepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-
with-no-deal
Wales Office: Contracts
Tom Brake: [180076]
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether gagging clauses have been used in
contracts drawn up between his Department and any charities, voluntary sector
organisations, social enterprises or companies with the intention of stopping any criticism
of Ministers of his Department.
Mims Davies:
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (Wales Office) has not used any
gagging clauses in contracts it has signed.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Department for Work and Pensions: Interserve
Tommy Sheppard: [180799]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of
the effect on staffing levels at each tier of employment in her Department of the
appointment of Interserve as the contractor for facilities management.
Justin Tomlinson:
Interserve does not provide any services which are provided, or were previously
provided, by DWP staff. It is unlikely, therefore, that DWP staffing levels would be
affected.
Tommy Sheppard: [180800]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of
the quality of services delivered by Interserve since it was contracted to provide facilities
management services to his Department.
Justin Tomlinson:
Since contract commencement DWP has assessed the quality of services as per the
terms of the agreed contract delivered by Interserve and this is via a performance
management system which measures service delivery against agreed contractual
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This performance management is monitored on a
monthly basis by DWP Integrator (Sodexo).
Disability Living Allowance: Appeals
Maria Eagle: [177612]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July
to Question 167889 on Disability Living Allowance: Appeals, what estimate she has made
of the length of time it will take for claimants of disability living allowance to receive
backdated payments as a result of decisions made by her Department being overturned
on appeal.
Sarah Newton:
Information about the length of time it takes for claimants of Disability Living
Allowance to receive backdated payments as a result of decisions made by DWP
being overturned on appeal is not available.
Employment and Support Allowance: Arrears
Chris Ruane: [180651]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the
announcement, ESA Underpayments: Forecast Numbers Affected, Forecast Expenditure
and Progress on Checking, published by her Department on 17 October 2018, what the
reasons are for the delay in the estimated completion date of arrears payments to
claimants of Employment and Support Allowance.
Sarah Newton:
As previously announced, those cases identified as part of the initial activity, will be
completed by April 2019. The only exception to this is deceased customer cases
where the time it takes to identify next of kin means it may take until the end of the
year.
The decision in July to review cases back to the point of their conversion to ESA
means more claimants will receive payments but requires us to review an additional
250,000 cases. We are now able to confirm that these additional cases will be
completed throughout the course of 2019.
Employment and Support Allowance: Maladministration
Chris Ruane: [180652]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department
has made of the factors that contributed to her Department's errors in calculating
employment support allowance payments; and what procedures are being put into place
to minimise the risk of further such errors.
Sarah Newton:
The Department has strengthened its governance arrangements for the identification
and management of actual or potential errors, so the impact on individuals can be
understood and an appropriate response put in place.
The National Audit Office conducted an investigation into the underpayment errors in
transferring people to Employment and Support Allowance from other benefits and
the Public Accounts Committee published their recommendations on 18 July 2018.
The Department’s response to this investigation was published on 9 October 2018
and is available here: ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/treasury-
minutes-october-2018 ).
Employment: Disability
Sir David Amess: [178456]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to
increase the number of employers that sign up to the disability confident scheme.
Sarah Newton:
Staff in the DWP Disability Confident team are working constantly to engage with
employers, run events and support the scheme. We have recently been working with
Jobcentre Plus districts in Devon & Cornwall and South Yorkshire to identify new
opportunities to engage with employers. The learning from this is currently being
shared across Jobcentre Plus and should lead to a significant increase in employer
sign-ups. Over 8,300 organisations are currently signed up to Disability Confident and
this number continues to grow substantially.
The Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG), comprising senior leaders
from significant British businesses across all sectors, helps to increase engagement
with employers and encourage and support them on their Disability Confident
journeys. The group promotes the business benefits of disability employment and
works with DWP officials to identify any changes or developments that will improve
the effectiveness of the scheme.
In the public sector, with all main Government departments now signed up as
Disability Confident Leaders we are turning focus on Local Authorities, Police, Fire
Authorities and NHS Trusts. 75% of Local Authorities are already Disability Confident.
Sir David Amess: [178457]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what budget her Department
allocated to the disability confident scheme in the last year for which figures are available.
Sarah Newton:
The DC scheme is delivered internally by DWP, using DWP staff and other internal
resources. There is no external resources budget set for it.
Maternity Allowance: Universal Credit
David Hanson: [176007]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in receipt of
maternity allowance have applied for universal credit that have worked for less than 26
weeks continuous weeks.
David Hanson: [176008]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of
the potential merits of enabling working women in receipt of maternity allowance who
have not met the qualifying period for Statutory Maternity Pay to claim full universal credit
payments.
Alok Sharma:
Universal Credit is a means tested system of support. Where claimants already
receive Maternity Allowance to meet their living costs it is right that their Universal
Credit award is adjusted to take account of the support that they are already receiving
(as currently is the case with other DWP legacy means tested working age benefits).
Information about the number of women in receipt of maternity allowance who have
applied for universal credit that have worked for less than 26 weeks continuous
weeks is not available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate request.
National Insurance Contributions
Jo Swinson: [180122]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is
taking to encourage people to check their national insurance contribution records in
advance of their retirement.
Guy Opperman:
Checking your National Insurance record regularly is very important and the
Government has designed services and supporting communications to make this as
easy for people as possible. Our online service, Check your State Pension (CySP), is
key in supporting the communication campaign. This service provides a State
Pension forecast (based on the individual’s current National Insurance record and an
assumption that future years count towards their State Pension), and the earliest date
the individual can get their State Pension. Users can look at their National Insurance
record, where they will also find out how many qualifying years they have and any
gaps in their contributions.
The Department has carried out a comprehensive communication campaign to bring
the new State Pension and the role of people’s National Insurance records to
people’s attention. This has been through advertisements in newspapers, on social
media and on radio stations across the country as well as working through
Stakeholders to raise public awareness of the changes. There is also a significant
package of on-line information about the State Pension at www.gov.uk.
Between April 2000 and the end of April 2018, the Department provided more than 22
million personalised State Pension statements to people who requested them (either
online or by telephone or post, and based on both old and new State Pension rules).
We continue to encourage people to request a personalised State Pension Statement
as part of our on-going communications.
Paternity Pay: Self-employed
Darren Jones: [180283]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to
introduce a paternity allowance for self-employed fathers.
Justin Tomlinson:
My Department have no plans to introduce paternity allowance for self-employed
fathers.
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Maternity Allowance (MA) are paid to women to
replace earnings to help them take time off work before and after their baby is born,
in the interests of their health and wellbeing.
Statutory family related leave entitlements focus on employees as they have less
flexibility and autonomy over the work they do and when they take time off work.
The Government agrees with the principle of equalising parental benefits for the
employed and self-employed. But as set out in the Government Response to the
Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, it is right to only consider making
changes to this area once we have carefully considered this in the wider context of
tax, benefits and rights over the longer term.
Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
Kate Hollern: [180214]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of personal
independence payment assessment results have been overturned on appeal.
Sarah Newton:
Since Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced 3.5m decisions have
been made up to June 2018, of these 9% have been appealed and 4% have been
overturned.
Personal Independence Payment: Hearing Impairment
Layla Moran: [178374]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a primary
disability of deafness or hearing impairment aged 16 to 25 applied for personal
independence payments in the latest year for which figures are available.
Debbie Abrahams: [178504]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a primary
disability of deafness or hearing impairment aged between 16 to 25 applied for personal
independence payment in the last 12 months.
Sarah Newton:
[Holding answer 17 October 2018]: In the application process, claimants’ main
disabling condition is only recorded for collation by the Department at assessment. It
is not recorded at the point of application. The Department does not therefore hold
data on the number of applicants to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with a
primary disability of deafness or hearing impairment.
Layla Moran: [178375]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the outcome was of all
applications that deaf people aged 16 to 25 made for personal independence payment;
how many of those people (a) requested a mandatory reconsideration or (b) appealed to
the social security tribunal; and what the outcome was of those (i) reconsiderations and
(ii) appeals in the last year for which figures are available.
Debbie Abrahams: [178505]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications her
Department has received from deaf people aged 16 to 25 for personal independence
payments in the last 12 months; and (a) what the outcome of each claim was and (b) how
many of those applicants have requested a mandatory reconsideration or appealed to the
social security tribunal.
Sarah Newton:
[Holding answer 17 October 2018]: In the application process, claimants’ main
disabling condition is only recorded for collation by the Department at assessment. It
is not recorded at the point of application. The Department does not therefore hold
data on the number of all applicants or outcome of all applications to Personal
Independence Payment (PIP) for people with a primary disability of deafness or
hearing impairment.
For those who have undergone a PIP assessment, information on the number of
initial decisions in 2017/18, and mandatory reconsiderations and appeals, for people
aged 16 to 25 with a main disabling condition of a hearing disorder are shown in the
table below.
Initial decisions, mandatory reconsiderations and appeals
NUMBER
Initial Decisions
Total 1,450
Awarded 620
Disallowed 830
Withdrawn #
Mandatory Reconsiderations
Registrations 410
Clearances 400
New Decision - Award Changed 60
New Decision - Award Unchanged 340
Decision Not Revised 0
Withdrawn/ Cancelled #
Appeals
Receipts 160
Clearances 60
Decision overturned 40
NUMBER
Decision maintained 20
Data has been rounded to the nearest 10. Components may not sum to totals due to
rounding.
'#' fewer than 5 decisions in this category.
The data relates to initial PIP decisions in 2017/18 and any MRs and appeals relating
to those initial decisions recorded up to June 2018 (the latest published data on
appeals). Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet
have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.
PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and is
for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims.
Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer
system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the
decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.
Appeals data is taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management
information. Therefore this appeals data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s
Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording
and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.
Some decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the
claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at
tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at
mandatory reconsideration and the number of people who had a decision changed at
tribunal appeal cannot be added together.
Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been
lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but
before it was heard at Tribunal).
Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis
Dr David Drew: [180092]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what
proportion of people with multiple sclerosis in the Stroud constituency are no longer
eligible for the higher rate of mobility support as a result of the transition from disability
living allowance in each year since the introduction of personal independence payment.
Sarah Newton:
Due to small, disclosive sample size issues, the information requested for people with
multiple sclerosis in the Stroud constituency, who are no longer eligible for the higher
rate of mobility support following a Disability Living Allowance reassessment to
Personal Independence Payment, is not available.
Poverty
Dan Jarvis: [R] [180731]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of
the implications for her policies of the new measure of poverty recommended by the
Social Metrics Commission: a new measure of poverty, published in September 2018;
and if she plans to adopt that new measure.
Dan Jarvis: [R] [180732]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of
the implications for her policies on reducing the number of households living in poverty of
the Social Metrics Commissions report, A new measure of poverty in the UK, published in
September 2018.
Dan Jarvis: [R] [180733]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Social Metrics
Commission’s new measure of poverty, if will she undertake an assessment of the effect
of all government policies on poverty in the UK.
Justin Tomlinson:
We welcome the work that the Social Metrics Commission has done. Measuring
poverty is complex, and this report offers further insight into that complexity and the
additional measures that can be taken into consideration. From discussions with
SMC they acknowledge that further work needs to be done (particularly around data
availability and quality). We will carefully consider their recommendations and the
detail behind the methodology they have employed when this has been made
available.
Social Security Benefits: Forms
Mr Roger Godsiff: [175933]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assistance job centres
provide to claimants who struggle to complete benefits applications forms; and what
procedures are followed by jobcentres when a claimant requests assistance with filling in
forms or expresses that they have difficulty in doing so.
Alok Sharma:
Where our customers advise us that they need assistance to access our services and
information, we make reasonable adjustments to meet their individual needs. This
means the Department communicates with customers in a variety of different formats
such as Braille, audio, large print, through third party interpreters or by arranging for a
member of staff to visit the customer in their home.
Service delivery teams within jobcentres provide a professional and supportive
environment for our customers, providing digital coaching, helping claimants set up
their Universal Credit claims and also maintaining them.
Claimants who require additional support to complete a claim form have the option to
book a one to one appointment with a member of the Service Delivery team to
receive assistance. In addition telephony support is in place for those vulnerable
claimants who cannot ‘self-serve’ online and where a claimant is unable to manage
their own affairs, an appointee can act on their behalf, taking responsibility for making
and maintaining any benefit claim.
Social Security Benefits: Immigrants
Vicky Foxcroft: [176460]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has
made of the number of benefits claims made by migrants with the right to work in the UK
but not in possession of a Biometric Residence Permit in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.
Alok Sharma:
DWP procedures require non-UK nationals to provide proof of their UK immigration
status upon application for an income related benefit. This may be in the form of a
Home Office Biometric Residence Permit or a valid passport or visa stamped by the
Home Office granting leave to remain and recourse to public funds. Claimants who
provide proof of UK immigration status with recourse to claim public funds are eligible
to claim DWP income-related benefits on the same basis as UK citizens.
Biometric Residency Permits were introduced by the Home Office in December 2012.
As of 31 May 2015 new regulations require non-EEA nationals, seeking permission
from overseas to enter the UK for more than six months to apply for a Biometric
Residence Permit from the Home Office.
The Department does not centrally collect statistical information categorised by the
type of immigration status document provided and the information requested could
only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Angela Crawley: [176400]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much money from the public
purse has been paid to private firms to carry out health assessments for her Department
in each year for which information is available.
Sarah Newton:
2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
Total
Expenditure
(£m)
112.8 112.4 114.3 80.7 280.4 367.8 443.8 449.3
These figures cover the direct cost of delivering work capability assessments, the
medical assessments undertaken for other benefits, costs relating to written and
verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new
technology and other service improvement expenditure incurred by the Department.
Universal Credit
Maria Eagle: [174624]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the amount given in budgetary
advances to claimants awaiting their first universal credit payment is calculated.
Maria Eagle: [174625]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how exceptional circumstances is
defined when determining whether a universal credit claimant in receipt of a budgetary
advance is eligible for the three month discretionary period after the first universal credit
payment before repayments of the advance begin.
Maria Eagle: [174626]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of (a) legacy
benefits, (b) personal independence payments and (c) universal credit in the Garston and
Halewood constituency have been given a budgetary advance to cover a delay in
payment of their benefit in the last 12 months.
Alok Sharma:
The purpose of a Budgeting Advance is to help pay for emergency household costs,
or for help getting a job or staying in work. It is not an advance of benefit; therefore no
Budgeting Advances have been paid in the last 12 months to cover delays in the
payment of benefits.
A Budgeting Advance is available to claimants where they have been in receipt of
Universal Credit, or a combination of a legacy benefit and Universal Credit, for at
least 6 months or for a lesser period of time if it relates to either them, or their partner,
obtaining or retaining employment.
The calculation of the amount of a Budgeting Advance available to a claimant will
vary depending upon whether they are single, part of a couple and/or responsible for
a child or qualifying young person. It will also be reduced pound for pound by any
savings they may have over £1000 and eligibility can be affected depending upon the
amount of earnings received in the previous six month period. A Budgeting Advance
is repayable over 12 months, which can be extended by up to 6 months in
exceptional circumstances.
Exceptional circumstances would be an unforeseen expense that occurs after an
advance is agreed, and continued recovery for the initial agreed repayment period
would cause the claimant and their household genuine hardship.
Hugh Gaffney: [176565]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent equalities impact
assessment her Department has conducted on its plans for the managed migration to
universal credit.
Alok Sharma:
In line with Ministers’ legal duties, equality impacts have been considered in
developing our plans for managed migration to universal credit. We will continue to
consider these impacts as our plans for managed migration develop.
Kate Hollern: [180213]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date universal credit is
planned to be fully rolled out and operational.
Alok Sharma:
The national rollout of the Universal Credit Full Service will be completed on 12
December 2018 for new claims.
The current roll out schedule can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-transition-to-full-service
Ged Killen: [180312]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of
the number of instances where universal credit claimants have not received universal
credit payments due to being paid every four weeks rather than per calendar month.
Alok Sharma:
The amount of Universal Credit paid reflects, as closely as possible, the actual
circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period, including any
earnings reported by the employer during that assessment period, regardless of
when they were paid. Monthly assessment is aligned to the way the majority of
employees are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This
means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a
rise in their Universal Credit.
Some claimants are paid in differing patterns, including four-weekly, fortnightly,
weekly or on a variable day every month, which may mean that for some months
these claimants receive two or more sets of earnings during one Universal Credit
assessment period (AP). This may reduce, or in some cases completely reduce the
Universal Credit award the claimant receives that month.
We have produced guidance to help ensure claimants, staff and representatives are
aware of the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment
cycles: this is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-different-earning-
patterns-and-your-payments/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-
payments-payment-cycles.
Stuart C. McDonald: [180774]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's target time
is for processing applications for alternative payment arrangements under universal
credit.
Alok Sharma:
DWP have no targets for processing applications for Alternative Payment
Arrangements (APA). All APA cases are dealt with urgently and are considered on a
case by case basis by dedicated teams.
Universal Credit: Housing
Laura Smith: [176608]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to extend direct
to landlord payments to all claimants of the housing element of universal credit.
Alok Sharma:
Universal Credit incentivises work by making the journey from unemployment to
employment as smooth as possible, without the hurdles that exist within the current
system. Paying claimants their housing costs direct means their landlord sees no
changes in rent payments when they move into work. Consequently the Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP) will, in the majority of cases, pay eligible housing costs
directly to the claimant as has been the case for Housing Benefit in the Private
Rented Sector since 2008.
Nonetheless, both the claimant and landlord are able to request an alternative
payment arrangement (APA) to have rent paid direct to the landlord at any point in
the claim should the need arise.
Universal Credit: Liverpool Riverside
Dame Louise Ellman: [180103]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of
the effect of the proposed roll-out of universal credit in Liverpool Riverside constituency
on the household finances of claimants of benefits in that constituency; and if she will
make a statement.
Alok Sharma:
When fully rolled out, Universal Credit will support low income families with around
£60 billion a year across the whole of Great Britain. In addition, Universal Credit
covers up to 85% of childcare costs, up from 70% in the old system.
The Department has made no assessment in Liverpool Riverside specifically.
However we continue to evaluate progress as we roll out Universal Credit nationally
in a careful and co-ordinated way, reviewing against key measures, to ensure safe
and secure delivery.
We know that work is the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit is designed
to strengthen incentives to move into and progress in work. The impact of Universal
Credit cannot be considered in isolation– it is a key component of a broader strategy
to move Britain to a higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society.
Universal Credit: Mental Illness
Catherine McKinnell: [180727]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the
number of people with mental health needs that will be unable to move to universal credit
because they do not understand the communication about that transition in (a) the North
East and (b) the UK.
Alok Sharma:
We do not underestimate the challenge that managed migration represents, we are
co-designing the process with stakeholders, making sure it works for everyone and
building in safeguards to ensure that vulnerable claimants are fully supported.
We are not migrating everyone at once. Migration will begin with begin with small-
scale testing (with up to 10,000 people being migrated in 2019) to ensure that the
process works well, before the volume of migration increases.
The Managed Migration regulations, will come before Parliament in the autumn,
provide the flexibility and fail-safes to protect vulnerable claimants. We are designing
a process to ensure a smooth transition with continuous support.
Universal Credit: Nottingham
Mr Chris Leslie: [180642]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for the roll-out
of universal credit in Nottingham; which categories of claimants will be included in each
phase of that roll-out; and what deadline is planned for the completion of that roll-out.
Alok Sharma:
Universal Credit was recently rolled out to jobcentres in Nottingham on Wednesday
17 October, and in December, Universal Credit will be live in every Jobcentre in the
country.
The Managed Migration regulations will come before Parliament in the autumn, and
during 2019 we will test and refine our processes on a small scale to ensure they are
working well before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards, and complete the
process in 2023.
Universal Credit: Preston
Sir Mark Hendrick: [175952]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of
the effect of delays in the payment of universal credit benefits on (a) food bank use and
(b) child poverty levels in Preston.
Alok Sharma:
Under the legacy system £2.4 billion of benefits did not get paid at all because
claimants could not navigate the complexity of the system. Universal Credit puts this
right, ensuring this money goes to 700,000 claimants who need it.
There are many and varied reasons why people use food banks and it is misleading
to link this to any single cause. People on Universal Credit move into work faster and
stay in work longer. Work offers families the best opportunity to move out of poverty
and Universal Credit strengthens incentives for parents to move into and progress in
work. There are 300,000 fewer children in absolute poverty compared with 2010 – a
record low.
Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses
Stephen Timms: [178221]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has a fast
track process to ensure that a claimant who has submitted a DS1500 receives the first
Universal Credit payment within seven days; and if she will make a statement.
Alok Sharma:
[Holding answer 16 October 2018]: The Department and the Universal Credit
Programme have regular meetings with key stakeholders to understand how our
policies are working and discuss potential areas for improvement. The design of
Universal Credit for terminally ill claimants is based on the well tested processes that
have been in place in Employment and Support Allowance, as have the
documentation of illness requirements. We will continue to keep these under review
to ensure that they work as effectively as possible.
If the claimant does not have a DS1500 but is deemed as terminally ill then we will
fast track the Work Capability Assessment process so that the report is provided
within 48 hours.
If a claimant has been diagnosed as terminally ill with a prognosis of 6 months or less
and been provided with a DS1500 or one has already been provided, Universal
Credit will automatically award the Limited Capability for Work and Work Related
Activity element without the requirement to refer this for a Work Capability
Assessment decision.
All claimants are able to apply for an advance of their Universal Credit to ensure they
do not face financial hardship whilst they are awaiting the assessment of their
Universal Credit award.
Stephen Timms: [178222]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who have
submitted a DS1500 form have waited (i) two weeks; (ii) three weeks; (iii) four weeks; (iv)
five weeks or more to receive their first Universal Credit payment in the most recent
twelve month period for which data are available.
Alok Sharma:
[Holding answer 16 October 2018]: The information requested is not readily
available, as it is not collated centrally, and to provide it would incur disproportionate
cost.
MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Dementia: Health Services
Stephanie Peacock: [178523]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is
taking to ensure that people diagnosed with dementia have access to clinical support
within a reasonable travelling distance from their home.
An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 October 2018. The
correct answer should have been:
Steve Brine:
The number of PSA tests for suspected prostate cancer in primary care is not
routinely collected.
The Government is committed to delivering the Challenge on Dementia 2020 to
make England the world-leader in dementia care and support, research and
awareness by 2020. The joint declaration on post-diagnostic dementia care and
support is an unequivocal joint commitment between the Government, health,
social care, and the third sector to improve care and support for people with
dementia.
Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for services and
support for people with dementia. The Government and NHS England would
expect CCGs to commission services that take into account relevant guidance,
including National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and the
Dementia Care Pathway, which sets out benchmarks to improve the delivery
and quality of care and support.
WRITTEN STATEMENTS
DEFENCE
Call-Out Order to Support Air Policing Operations
Minister of State , Ministry of Defence (Mark Lancaster): [HCWS1023]
Changes made by the Defence Reform Act 2014 allow reservists to be called out under
section 56(1B) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 if it appears to the Secretary of State that
it is necessary or desirable to use members of a reserve force for any purpose for which
members of the regular services may be used. Reservists called out under this power
may be required to serve for a period of up to twelve months.
A new order has been made under section 56(1B) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to
enable reservists to be called into permanent service in support of the United Kingdom’s
contribution to air policing operations.
With the changing international strategic threat, I consider there is a requirement for an
order that enables the mobilisation of reservists to support tasks which provide for, or
contribute to UK air security and policing, including associated strategic tasks. This order
also provides for related activity elsewhere in the world, including, for example, the
protection of the UK’s overseas territories, providing Force Protection for air assets, in so
far as the activity provides for, or contributes, to the continued security of the UK, its
overseas territories, service people and assets.
The order takes effect from the beginning of 1 November 2018 and shall cease to have
effect at the end of 29 September 2019, making it coterminous with other standing call-
out orders.
For operations that fall outside the scope of these orders, for example Military Aid to the
Civil Authorities, or warfighting, or for operations which are likely to involve a large
number of reservists, I would expect to make separate call-out orders.
HOME OFFICE
Opt-in Decision on the Proposal of the European Parliament and the Council on
European Production Orders and European Preservation Orders for cross-border
access to electronic evidence in criminal matters
The Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service (Mr Nick Hurd):
[HCWS1024]
Until the UK leaves it remains a full member of the European Union with all the rights and
responsibilities this entails. The Government will continue to consider the application of
the UK’s right to opt in to, or opt out of, forthcoming EU legislation in the area of Justice
and Home Affairs on a case by case basis, with a view to maximising our country’s
security, protecting our civil liberties and enhancing our ability to control immigration.
The Government has decided not to opt in to the Proposal of the European Parliament
and the Council on European Production Orders and European Preservation Orders for
cross-border access to electronic evidence in criminal matters.
Law enforcement access to data held by service providers is an important issue and we
support the underlying objective of improving cross-border access to electronic evidence.
However, from the start of discussions on this issue, we have not supported the need for
new EU legislation. That is because it is not clear that new EU legislation will be a
practical and effective way to address the global issue of providing lawful access to data
held anywhere in the world.