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Daily Report Thursday, 25 October 2018

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 25 October 2018 and the

information is correct at the time of publication (06:34 P.M., 25 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 6

ATTORNEY GENERAL 6

Prosecutions 6

Prosecutions: Appeals 6

Treaties: Prosecutions 6

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 7

Business: Regulation 7

Carbon Budgets: Climate

Change 7

Climate Change: International

Cooperation 8

Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy:

Contracts for Services 8

Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy:

Staff 10

Electricity: Northern Ireland

and Republic of Ireland 10

Energy Supply: EU Countries 10

Furniture: Manufacturing

Industries 11

Nuclear Power: Employment 11

CABINET OFFICE 11

Electronic Government 11

Government Departments:

Cybercrime 12

DEFENCE 12

France: Nuclear Weapons 12

Islamic State 12

Ministry of Defence: Land 13

Ministry of Defence: Staff 13

Nuclear Powered Vessels:

Construction 14

Patrol Craft: Procurement 14

Shipbuilding: Warships 14

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND

SPORT 14

Arts: Northern Ireland 14

Cybercrime 15

Telecommunications: Rents 15

EDUCATION 16

Children: Day Care 16

Further Education: North West 17

Home Education 18

Poverty 18

Primary Education: Nurseries 19

Pupil Exclusions 19

Pupil Premium 20

Schools: Finance 20

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND

RURAL AFFAIRS 21

Agriculture: Subsidies 21

Dairy Farming 21

Fisheries: South West 21

Grouse Moors 22

Water: Conservation 22

EXITING THE EUROPEAN

UNION 23

EU Countries 23

Research: EU Grants and

Loans 23

UK Relations with EU: Security 23

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 24

Burma: Freedom of

Expression 24

Chad: Libya 24

Development Aid 25

International Law 25

Kosovo: Recognition of States 25

Kosovo: Serbia 25

Libya: Armed Forces 26

Libya: Elections 27

Libya: Violence 28

South Africa: British Nationals

Abroad 29

South East Asia: Foreign

Relations 29

UN General Assembly 30

USA: Asia 30

USA: INF Treaty 30

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 31

Accident and Emergency

Departments: Greater London 31

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling 31

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation 31

Analgesics 32

Breast Cancer: Nurses 32

Buprenorphine 33

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

Social Security Benefits 33

Doctors: Training 33

Drugs: Disclosure of

Information 34

Drugs: Rehabilitation 34

Electronic Cigarettes 35

Fire Prevention: Hospitals 36

Food: Standards 36

Health Services: Hinckley 37

Heart Diseases: Screening 37

Immigrants: Health Services 37

Influenza: Vaccination 38

Insulin 38

Lung Diseases: Rehabilitation 39

Maternity Services: Closures 40

Medical Records: Databases 40

Mental Health Services: West

Midlands 40

Mental Illness: Children and

Young People 43

NHS Property Services:

Internet 43

NHS Shared Business

Services 43

NHS: ICT 44

NHS: Pensions 46

NHS: Repairs and

Maintenance 46

Primary Health Care 47

Primary Health Care: Ethnic

Groups 47

Smoking 47

Social Services: Bureaucracy 48

Surgery: Waiting Lists 48

Syringes 49

Vaccination 49

HOME OFFICE 50

Asylum: Children 50

Asylum: Housing 50

Business: Slavery 51

Drugs and Slavery 51

Drugs: Crime 51

Immigrants: EU Nationals 52

Shops: Crimes against the

Person 53

Speed Limits: Cameras 54

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 54

Buprenorphine 54

Care Homes: Insulation 55

Controlling Migration Fund:

Greater London 55

Council Tax: Dorset 55

Mobile Homes 56

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 56

Africa: Female Genital

Mutilation 56

Developing Countries:

Education 57

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 57

Defence: Export Credit

Guarantees 57

Department for International

Trade: Staff 58

Import Duties 58

JUSTICE 58

Bill of Rights: Northern Ireland 58

Debt Collection: Regulation 59

Merseyside Community

Rehabilitation Company 59

Offenders: Females 60

Prisoners: Self-harm 60

Prisons: Crimes of Violence 61

Prisons: Sexual Offences 61

Probation: Greater London 62

Road Traffic Offences 62

LEADER OF THE HOUSE 62

Voyeurism 62

SCOTLAND 63

Domestic Visits: Glasgow

North East 63

Museums and Galleries:

Glasgow 63

Scotland Office: Universal

Credit 63

TRANSPORT 63

High Speed 2 Railway Line 63

Large Goods Vehicles:

Accidents 64

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety 66

Northern 66

Northern: Industrial Disputes 67

Public Transport: Deeside

Industrial Park 67

Railways: Concessions 67

TREASURY 68

Banks: Fraud 68

Employment: Taxation 69

European Investment Bank 69

National Insurance

Contributions: Older Workers 70

Peugeot: Coventry 70

Ports: Infrastructure 71

Poverty 71

Prudential Regulation

Authority 71

Research and Development

Expenditure Credit 72

Revenue and Customs:

Cumbernauld 72

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES 73

Minister for Women and

Equalities: Universal Credit 73

WORK AND PENSIONS 73

Carer's Allowance:

Prosecutions 73

Children: Maintenance 74

Department for Work and

Pensions: Contracts 75

Employment and Support

Allowance 76

Employment and Support

Allowance: Ross, Skye and

Lochaber 76

Families: Disadvantaged 77

Personal Independence

Payment: Multiple Sclerosis 78

Poverty: Lone Parents 78

Severe Disability Premium 79

Social Security Benefits:

Children 80

Social Security Benefits:

Medical Examinations 80

Unemployed People: Basic

Skills 81

Universal Credit 81

Universal Credit: Depressive

Illnesses 84

Universal Credit: Glasgow

North East 85

Universal Credit: Mental

Illness 85

Universal Credit: Scotland 86

Universal Credit: Single

Parents 86

WRITTEN STATEMENTS 88

ATTORNEY GENERAL 88

HM Crown Prosecution

Service Inspectorate

(Reappointment of Chief

Inspector) 88

CABINET OFFICE 88

Cabinet Committees and

Implementation Task Forces 88

EXITING THE EUROPEAN

UNION 88

EU Exit 88

General Affairs Council,

October 2018 90

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 91

DFID’s work to prevent and

respond to sexual exploitation,

sexual abuse and sexual

harassment in the aid sector 91

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 93

Appointment of new Prime

Minister's Trade Envoys to

Tanzania and Kenya 93

World Trade Organisation

Update 94

JUSTICE 94 Opt-in decision on the

proposal for a Regulation of

the European Parliament and

of the Council establishing the

Justice programme 94

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

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Prosecutions

Caroline Lucas: [181270]

To ask the Attorney General, how many times he has been asked to consent to a

prosecution; and in how many of those cases he (a) granted and (b) refused consent in

each of the last five years.

Mr Geoffrey Cox:

The Law Officers have received 705 applications for consent since 1 January 2013.

Consent has been declined in 33 applications. Consent was declined on 14

occasions as there was insufficient evidence and on 19 occasions because a

prosecution was not in the public interest.

Prosecutions: Appeals


To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions he has agreed to (a) review and (b)

reconsider his consent to prosecution; and on how many of those occasions he withdrew

his consent in each of the last five years.

Mr Geoffrey Cox:

The Attorney General will consider requests to review decisions where new evidence

becomes available.

However, the requested information would require the examining of AGO case files

and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Treaties: Prosecutions

Tracy Brabin: [182226]

To ask the Attorney General, which international treaties and associated guidance he

referred to when granting consent to prosecute; and what the offences were to which

those treaties and guidance applied in each of the last five years.


To ask the Attorney General, how many times he has referred to an international treaty or

convention and its guidance on interpretation and implementation when assessing

whether to grant consent to prosecute for a criminal provision that derives from or

implements that treaty or convention in the last five years.

Mr Geoffrey Cox:

The Law Officers consider each consent case on its merits and take in to account

international treaties, conventions and associated guidance on their interpretation

and implementation where necessary.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-10-18/181270




Data on what information was considered in each case can only be provided at

disproportionate cost.

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Business: Regulation

Dr Matthew Offord: [180701]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will

publish the criteria his Department used to determine the £9 billion Business Impact

Target.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Government announced on 20 June 2018 that the Business Impact Target for

this Parliament would be set at £9 billion of savings to business, as outlined in the

2017 Conservative Party manifesto. In setting the target, my rt hon Friend the

Secretary of State had regard to the criteria specified in section 21(6) of the Small

Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Carbon Budgets: Climate Change


To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what

assessment his Department has made of the implications for the Fourth and Fifth Carbon

Budgets of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special Report on 1.5

degrees.

Claire Perry:

We are leading the world in our response to the IPCC report – commissioning our

independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), for advice on our

long-term targets a week after publication of the IPCC report. The CCC’s focus for

this particular advice will rightly be on our long-term targets, including the costs,

benefits and deliverability of more ambitious targets.

The UK carbon budgets already set in legislation are among the most stringent in the

world, requiring a 57% cut in emissions by 2028 - 2032 from a 1990 baseline. The

Government’s focus is on delivering those challenging targets as part of our Clean

Growth Strategy. As part of their ongoing analysis on our progress, the CCC already

advise on a decarbonisation pathway that takes us on a steeper trajectory than

legislated carbon budgets (see the CCC’s Progress Report of June this year).

Under the Climate Change Act, the CCC will next advise us on carbon budget levels

in 2020 when they set out their views on the sixth carbon budget (2033-2037).



https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/reducing-uk-emissions-2018-progress-report-to-parliament/

https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/reducing-uk-emissions-2018-progress-report-to-parliament/

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: [180662]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he

is taking to work with his counterparts from other countries to ensure that global

temperatures do not exceed 1.5 degrees C.

Claire Perry:

One hundred and eighty one of the 197 parties to the UN Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) have now ratified the Paris Agreement, and I am proud

that the UK is one of them. The UK is fully committed to working with other countries

to achieve the Paris Agreement goals including limiting global average temperature

increase to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. We are

actively involved in the UNFCCC negotiations and are fully committed to finalising the

rulebook that will underpin the Paris Agreement at COP24 this December. We drive

the work of several progressive groups, comprising developed and developing

countries, such as the High Ambition Coalition. We are one of the largest contributors

of international climate finance, helping developing countries mitigate and adapt to

climate change through coalitions and partnerships, and we will spend at least £5.8bn

on this between 2016 and 2020. Additionally, we are promoting global alliances to

encourage clean growth, such as the Powering Past Coal Alliance, to reduce

emissions from the most polluting fuel, which I launched last year, and which now has

over 70 members. We are also working to build on the progress made at the UK Zero

Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit, hosted by the Prime Minister in September 2018, to

help the development of the ZEV market around the world and tackle carbon

emissions. The UK is also showing leadership through domestic action, between

1990 and 2017 we have reduced our emissions by 43% whilst growing our economy

by 71%, demonstrating that it is possible to grow your economy while reducing

emissions.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Contracts for Services

Rebecca Long Bailey: [182266]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which

companies his Department has contracted for the provision of departmental services; and

how many staff are employed under those contracts by those companies.

Richard Harrington:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has contracts

for the provision of services with the following suppliers:

1. Aramark 2. Arcadis (Formerly EC Harris) 3. BT 4. Capital Works 5. Clarity Travel 6. Criticall Limited



7. Egress Switch 8. Engie 9. HRG Travel 10. ITRS (Internet Research and Training Services 11. Marsh 12. Microsoft 13. Minerva Elite Performance Ltd 14. Office Labs 15. Oracle 16. RBS 17. Restore (previously TNT) 18. SSCL 19. Swiss Post Solutions 20. UK SBS 21. Westminster City Council

BEIS do not hold records on how many people are employed on each contract.

Suppliers are responsible for their own resource allocation on a contract.


To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many

and which services in his departmental are sub-contracted to private providers.

Richard Harrington:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has the

following 15 service categories which are sub-contracted to private providers:

1 SECURITY

2 Catering

3 Facilities Management

4 Professional Services

5 Provision of Technical Advisory Services

6 Managed Print Service

7 IT Services

8 Fixed and Mobile Telephony Services

9 Provision of Legal Services

10 Shared Services

11 Provision of Gas Meter and Electricity Meter

Testing Services

12 Call Centre Provision


1 SECURITY

13 Smart Metering Engineering Services

14 Regulatory Design Services

15 Business Support Services

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff


To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many

staff working in his Department are on (a) permanent, (b) fixed-term and (c) causal

outsourced contracts.

Richard Harrington:

As at September 2018, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

currently has 3583 Permanent staff, 158 Fixed Term Appointment as per payroll

returns (exc. Loan/secondments/Faststreamers) and 83 agency temps and contractor

staff. Figures based on Headcount not FTE.

Electricity: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Stephen Crabb: [180676]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he

plans to take to ensure the continuation of the Single Electricity Market on the island of

Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU Internal Energy Market.

Claire Perry:

The Government is committed to facilitating the continuation of the Single Electricity

Market in any scenario. We are developing plans for EU Exit for the Single Electricity

Market with Northern Ireland institutions,  and these plans are being designed to

provide the flexibility to respond to different negotiated outcomes, as well as the

unlikely event of no agreement being reached.

Energy Supply: EU Countries

Stephen Crabb: [180677]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what

assessment he has made of the possibility of the UK remaining a member of the EU

Internal Energy Market but not sharing a common rule-book with other members.

Claire Perry:

The UK is exploring with the EU the options for our future energy relationship. One

option would be for the UK to participate in the Internal Energy Market (IEM). In this

case, the UK proposes a common rulebook with the EU on the technical rules for

electricity trading, such as the market coupling mechanism.




Furniture: Manufacturing Industries


To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he

has made an assessment of the potential effect on the operations of bed manufacturers

in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) the rest of the UK of leaving the EU; and if he will make a

statement.

Richard Harrington:

BEIS engages regularly with UK based businesses and trade associations across a

range of sectors including consumer goods. We understand the concerns of these

businesses about retaining frictionless trade and want all manufacturers across the

UK, including in West Yorkshire, to thrive now and in the future.

To help us engage effectively, we have set up sector-specific EU Exit panels. The

first consumer goods panel will be taking place in early November and all consumer

goods activity in the UK, including furniture manufacturing, is represented.

The 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 for business that there will be no disruption to

existing relationships underpinned by international agreements as we move into the

Implementation Period.

Nuclear Power: Employment

Dr David Drew: [181162]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate

he has made of the number of full-time direct jobs in nuclear energy reprocessing and

generation in the UK..

Richard Harrington:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 24th October 2018 to Question

180093.

CABINET OFFICE

Electronic Government

Jo Platt: [182233]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial

Statement of 9 October 2018 on GOV.UK Verify programme, HCWS978, how many




redundancies there will be as a result of his Department' s decision to transfer gov.uk

verify to the private sector.

Oliver Dowden:

There have been no redundancies, nor are there any planned, as a result of the

changes concerning GOV.UK Verify that were recently announced to the House.

The Written Statement outlined that the responsibility for broadening the usage and

application of the digital identity market will transition to the private sector. The

Statement explained that new contracts with private sector identity providers have

been signed to ensure that the Government will continue to have access to the

identity assurance it needs. The Statement reiterated the Government’s support for

GOV.UK Verify and for the creation of a digital identity market.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: [182240]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber specialists there are working

in each Government Department.

Mr David Lidington:

I refer the honourable member to my answer on 23/10/2018 to PQ 181649.

DEFENCE

France: Nuclear Weapons


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money has been spent by the UK

on the joint French-UK Teutates project; whether that money is taken from the Nuclear

Weapons Capability Sustainment Programme budget; and what estimate he has made of

(a) the total cost to the UK of the project and (b) the timescale over which that cost is

expected to be spread.

Stuart Andrew:

In accordance with the TEUTATES Treaty, the building, operating and dismantling

costs will be shared equitably between the UK and France. UK funding forms part of

the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme budget.

The Treaty will remain in force for the lifetime of the facilities. Further details are

being withheld as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations

between the United Kingdom and other States and constitute a breach of confidence.

Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: [182094]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the strength

of Daesh, and if he will make a statement.




Mark Lancaster:

The Government's assessment of Daesh has not changed significantly since my right

hon. Friend the Defence Secretary's statement to the House on 11 July 2018 (Official

Report, column 973). The Coalition continues to target Daesh in the final pocket of

territory they hold in north east Syria, which is approximately 1% of the territory they

once held across both Iraq and Syria. Loss of territory has reduced their access to

resources but Daesh remain a significant threat, including to Iraq from over the

border with Syria. Through Coalition efforts, Daesh has lost thousands of personnel,

but significant numbers of Daesh fighters remain in Syria and Iraq as well as in the

surrounding region.

Daesh's intent remains to strike the West and Western interests. There remains a

significant threat to our interests from Daesh's affiliates. The Government therefore

continues its counter-Daesh efforts. We will continue to keep the House updated on

the progress of the counter-Daesh campaign.

Ministry of Defence: Land

Ben Bradley: [174152]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department and its agencies

have taken to support the National Pollinator Strategy on Ministry of Defence-owned land.

Stuart Andrew:

[Holding answer 15 October 2018]: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its agencies

have promoted and implemented pollinator initiatives across the defence estate to

support the National Pollinator Strategy. Further information, including the

department's collaboration with organisations such as Plantlife, National Parks and

the Wildlife Trusts, can be found in the MOD sustainability magazine publication,

Sanctuary, on the Gov.UK website at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sanctuary

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Catherine West: [174096]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff (a) are employed directly by

(b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Stuart Andrew:

[Holding answer 15 October 2018]: The number of staff employed directly by the

Department as at 1 April 2018 is 56,870. This is published in the Biannual Civilian

Report, the April 2018 version of which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-biannual-civilian-personnel-report-

2018

There are currently 112 individuals in the Department who are seconded from other

organisations.



The number of people who work under contract in the Department is not held in the

format requested.

Nuclear Powered Vessels: Construction


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the re-baselining of the core

production capability project has taken place; what the forecast cost and completion date

of the project is; and what assessment he has made of the best funding approach for that

project.

Stuart Andrew:

The funding approach for the Core Production Capability remains under review.

Patrol Craft: Procurement

Mr Paul Sweeney: [182312]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what competitive tender process was

completed for the construction of the current River-class batch two vessels under

construction on the Clyde for the Royal Navy.

Stuart Andrew:

The contracts for the Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels were awarded non-

competitively to BAE Systems in order to preserve the UK sovereign capability to

design, build and integrate warships and to set the entry conditions for a successful

Type 26 Frigate programme.

Shipbuilding: Warships


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the National Shipbuilding

Strategy restricts the definition of warships to frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers.

Stuart Andrew:

The National Shipbuilding Strategy stated that warships must be built in the UK, and

defined warships as frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers. This policy decision

recognises that preserving the national capability to design, integrate and build

warships is critical to national security. There is no underpinning national security

reason to mandate that other Royal Navy ships are constructed in UK shipyards.

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: [182103]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with

the Creative Industries Council its meeting in future in Northern Ireland to ensure that

creative industries policies are developed in the Province.





Margot James:

The Council welcomes the opportunity to hold meetings across the country. The

policy areas under consideration are largely devolved. However the Council works

closely with the Devolved Administrations where appropriate and officials from the

Devolved Administrations are invited to attend Council meetings. The majority of

Council members also work across the UK.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: [182225]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many successful

applications to cyber skills immediate impact fund there have been; and whether his

Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of that fund.

Margot James:

The Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF) acts as an incentive for a broader

range of industry designed and led activity to deliver an immediate boost to numbers

and diversity in the UK’s cyber security workforce. We identified seven initiatives to

support through the initial, pilot phase of the Fund.

Given the level of market interest, and the quality of bids initially received, we recently

opened a further bidding round. In parallel, we are commissioning an independent

evaluation of the pilot initiatives and the Fund’s overall effectiveness. This will

commence in the new year when the pilot initiatives near conclusion and its results

will be published.

Telecommunications: Rents

Sir Desmond Swayne: [179058]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has

made of the changes in rents payable by communication network providers as a

consequence of recent reforms to the Electronic Communications Code; and if he will

make a statement.

Margot James:

The Electronic Communications Code (ECC) was recently reformed as part of the

Digital Economy Act 2017. These reforms were intended to reduce the cost of

providing communications infrastructure and make it easier for operators to deploy

such infrastructure. The new Code came into force on 28 December 2017.

The Regulatory Impact Assessment published by Government estimated that the

ECC reforms could lead to a reduction in average market rents (as compared to rates

agreed before reforms to the ECC). However, the eventual impact is difficult to

predict during this period of transition in which operators and site providers adapt to

the new legislation.

During this period, where the market is adjusting and settling, good working

relationships between site providers and code operators are critical, and we

encourage all parties to continue their efforts to reach mutually acceptable



agreements. The joint statement released in August is significant, as it reaffirms a

commitment made by DCMS, industry, CLA and RICS to work collaboratively to

implement the ECC.

My Department will continue to work with stakeholders, including representatives

from industry, landowners, representative bodies and Ofcom, to inform the

implementation of the new Code. I will monitor developments carefully and, as

outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, will consider a formal review

of the impact of the ECC reforms.

EDUCATION

Children: Day Care

Ruth George: [182290]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the

potential merits of providing local authorities with a discretionary fund to support families

that have a child eligible for 30 hours of free childcare but mistakenly do not apply for an

eligibility code.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The government is committed to ensuring parents have access to high-quality

affordable childcare. The termly deadline for the 30 hours offer has been made clear

to local authorities, providers and parents, and the department expects parents to

adhere to these deadlines in order to ensure they are able to access a 30 hours place

for their child.

The government has invested in strong and clear communications on the 30 hours

offer, including a cross government website, Childcare Choices, which clearly sets

out how and when a parent can access a place: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. The

department recognises that some applications may be delayed in the Childcare

Service and we have put in place a 14 day discretionary period for those parents who

applied in time but received a code after the deadline, through no fault of their own.

During the first year of delivery, over 379,000 codes were successfully generated by

parents applying through the HM Revenue and Customs Childcare Service, with

around 340,000 places being taken up by working parents across the country, taking

huge pressures off family lives and budgets.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have applied for an

eligibility code for 30 hours of free childcare after the deadline in each of the terms to

date.

Nadhim Zahawi:

During the first year of delivery, over 379,000 eligibility codes were successfully

generated by parents applying through HM Revenue and Customs Childcare Service.


http://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/



This breaks down across each of the terms as follows:

Autumn term 2017 – 224,885 codes

Spring term 2018 – 329,195 codes

Summer term 2018 – 379,662 codes

Autumn term 2018 – 254,136 codes

We publish termly management information releases showing the number of codes

generated each term. The full publication, which shows local authority and regional

level breakdowns, is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-

issued-and-validated.

The government has invested in strong and clear communications on the 30 hours

offer, including a cross government website, Childcare Choices, which clearly sets

out how and when a parent can access a place – www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. The

department recognises that some applications may be delayed in the Childcare

Service, that is why we have put in place a 14 day discretionary period for those

parents who applied in time but received a code after the deadline, through no fault of

their own.

Although the department holds data on the number of eligibility codes and when they

were issued, we are unable to determine in which term a parent intends to take up a

place, as this is dependent on circumstances and choices of the individual parent.

Further Education: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: [182121]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the level of funding was for 16 to 19

education in (a) the North West b) Merseyside and c) Wirral in each of the last eight

years.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will make it his policy to increase

the 16-19 funding by five per cent a year for the next five years.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the

adequacy of 16-19 funding in the North West.

Anne Milton:

16 to 19 funding for all institutions including those in the North West, Merseyside and

the Wirral is shown in the published allocations for each year, and allocations for the

last 6 years from the period 2013 to 2014 onwards is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations#published-

allocations.

Allocations for previous years are also available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated








http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140107132325/https://www.education.go

v.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/funding/fundinga/b00204972/16-19-allocations.

However, they cannot be directly compared on a like for like basis with later years as

the funding system changed in 2013.

We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of

providers until the end of the current spending review period in 2020. As with other

areas of departmental spending, 16 to 19 funding for subsequent years will be agreed

as part of the next Spending Review.

All 16 to 19 providers, including those in the North West, have a vital role to play in

making sure young people have the skills they need. Our commitment to the 16 to 19

sector across England has contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 and

17 year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships.

We are currently considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education

sector and assessing how far existing funding and regulatory structures meet the

costs of delivering quality further education. We will continue to look carefully at

funding for the sector in preparation for the next Spending Review.

Home Education

Gloria De Piero: [182144]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the consultation, Home

Education - Call for Evidence and revised DfE guidance, what plans her Department has

to consult the with home education community in the development of guidelines for home

education.

Anne Milton:

The consultation referred to, which ran from 10 April 2018 to 2 July 2018, included

draft guidance on elective home education which is intended to replace that currently

published by the department. It was open to any member of the public, including

parents educating their children at home, and the responses received are currently

being considered before the new guidance document is published in its final form.

Poverty

Dan Jarvis: [R] [182265]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect

of the changes to the eligibility criteria for free school meals on the number of families

living in poverty.

Nadhim Zahawi:

Our new criteria for free school meals eligibility are forecast to increase the number of

children benefiting from this vital benefit by 2022, compared to under the previous

benefits system. In addition, our transitional protections will mean that all children

currently receiving a free meal will continue to do so.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140107132325/https:/www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/funding/fundinga/b00204972/16-19-allocations





In February, the government published an updated equality analysis on the criteria

following a public consultation. Our overall assessment was that we expect children

with a special educational need or disability, pupils attending schools with no religious

character, and children from certain ethnic groups to benefit more than others from

the estimated increase in the size of the free school meal cohort. These children were

identified as more likely to benefit from the new criteria because they are considered

more likely to come from households with earnings below the new eligibility threshold.

We did not have evidence to suggest there will be any negative impact on children

with other protected characteristics.

Primary Education: Nurseries


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2018

to Question 179290, how many mainstream and special (a) free schools that have

opened since September 2017 (i) have or (ii) have plans for nursery provision and (b)

primary schools that have been approved since that date have plans for nursery

provision.

Nadhim Zahawi:

Of the mainstream and special free schools opened since September 2017, 21 have

nursery provision, and a further nine have plans for nursery provision. These figures

are broken down in the attached table.

Of the 20 primary schools approved by the department during the same period, 13

have plans for nursery provision. This includes 11 (of 18) schools approved following

local authority-run competitions (as required by Section 6A of the Education and

Inspection Act 2006) and 2 (of 2) special primary schools approved through the

department’s special free school application wave. These figures relate to schools

that have exclusively primary-aged pupils.

As local authorities (LA) are responsible for approving LA maintained schools, we do

not hold information on the number of LA maintained schools approved in this period.

Attachments:

1. New_schools_with_nursery_provision_since_2017 [182248_attachment.doc]

Pupil Exclusions


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of

the extent of off-rolling of pupils based on their projected exam results in (a) Coventry

South, (b) Coventry, (c) West Midlands and (d) England; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb:

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. Statutory guidance on exclusions is also

clear that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions are unlawful, regardless of whether they



occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for

short periods of time, must be formally recorded.

The information requested is not held centrally. 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.

In March, the Government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice,

led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review will explore how head teachers use

exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be

excluded from school. It will also consider the differences in exclusion rates across

primary and secondary schools in England.

The review will report at the beginning of next year. The full terms of reference for the

review can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-

exclusions-review-terms-of-reference.

Pupil Premium


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to extend the pupil

premium to cover post-16 students.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The national funding formula for 16 to 19 year olds includes extra funding for

disadvantaged students, provided to institutions specifically for students who live in

the most disadvantaged areas, and those with low prior attainment. In 2017/18, 16 to

19 institutions received around £520 million to provide extra support to disadvantaged

students.

We allocated £130 million for discretionary bursaries to help financially

disadvantaged young people participate in education and training. In addition, young

people in defined vulnerable groups may be eligible for up to £1,200 a year to support

their participation costs.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: [182287]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Figure 3 of the report

entitled, Financial sustainability of schools, published by the National Audit Office in

December 2016, whether his Department has plans to update its estimate of cumulative

cost-pressures on schools.

Nick Gibb:

As set out in the report entitled, Treasury Minutes Progress Report – July 2018, and

in response to recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee and

National Audit Office, the Department published an updated assessment of the cost

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusions-review-terms-of-reference





pressures on schools in February 2018. This is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-costs-technical-note.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Susan Elan Jones: [182191]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the farm

subsidy system he plans to introduce after the UK leaves the EU will award subsidies

based on farm hectares.

George Eustice:

We want to move away from a system that awards subsidies based on the amount of

land held. We will create an ambitious new system based on paying “public money

for public goods”. Public goods will include improving air and water quality, mitigating

climate change and providing habitats for wildlife.

Dairy Farming


To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment

his Department has made of the financial effect of the UK leaving the EU on the dairy

industry.

George Eustice:

The Government aims to secure a deep and comprehensive free trade deal with the

EU that provides for frictionless, tariff-free trade with the EU, supporting the continued

success of our agricultural sectors. Leaving the EU also provides an opportunity for

the UK to have an independent trade policy and a new agriculture policy will enable

the dairy industry and other sectors to improve their productivity and competitiveness

outside of the EU, while also improving our environment.

We are conducting a rigorous analysis of the full range of UK-EU trade scenarios

across UK agriculture sectors. However, we remain confident in the resilience of our

agricultural sectors and their ability to thrive outside of the EU.

Fisheries: South West

Anne Marie Morris: [182215]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an

assessment of the adequacy of spending by the EU fisheries programme in the South

West.

George Eustice:

Demand for European Maritime and Fisheries Funding (EMFF) has been very high in

the South West of England. 663 projects have been approved in the South West, with

committed EMFF support totalling £16.6 million. This is compared to 325 projects for




the rest of England, where the total committed EMFF support stands at £13.9 million.

Therefore 67% of projects are located in the South West - and these receive 54% of

the committed EMFF support for the grant scheme. It is clear that there is high local

demand from industry and that the South West will gain significant benefits from this

funding in terms of ensuring a long-term sustainable future for fisheries.

In the event of no deal being reached, all EMFF projects approved before the closure

date of the current programme (December 2020) will be fully funded under a

Treasury guarantee. This guarantee applies across the UK. We will continue to

support applications for EMFF across the UK, including the South West, until the fund

is fully committed.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) makes public all beneficiaries of the

grant aid from EMFF through the Transparency Initiative. This data can be obtained

from the MMO’s website here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm

ent_data/file/746656/Transparency_Initiative_-_August_2018.xlsx

Grouse Moors

Rachael Maskell: [182251]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will support

an independent inquiry into the sustainability and legality of grouse moor management in

England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

No.

Water: Conservation


To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent

assessment his Department has made of the environmental effect of water-saving

schemes, including Refill.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambitions to improve water efficiency.

Lowering water consumption helps to reduce the total volume of water taken from the

environment, helping to address unsustainable abstraction. The Government is

working with the water industry, Waterwise and other groups to investigate a variety

of tools and techniques to deliver this. I will report to the House later this year on the

steps we are taking to encourage water conservation.

The aim of the water refill scheme is primarily to reduce plastic waste rather than to

save water.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/746656/Transparency_Initiative_-_August_2018.xlsx





EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION

EU Countries

Mike Wood: [907262]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps the Government

has taken to cooperate with other EU states on those countries' preparations for the UK

leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris:

We are committed to negotiating a successful exit. As a responsible Government we

are also preparing for the unlikely scenario in which we leave without a deal. This

includes cooperating with Member States to minimise disruption to citizens and

businesses. We will continue to impress upon Member States our joint responsibility

to work together.

The European Commission have also made clear Member States should take the

steps necessary to prepare for this scenario.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Paul Blomfield: [180176]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 6

September 2018 to Question 171404 on Research: EU Grants and Loans, whether it is

Government policy to include association to the Ninth EU Framework programme in the

framework for the future relationship with the European Union.

Mr Robin Walker:

The Government’s White Paper set out our ambition to agree a far-reaching science

and innovation accord as part of our future relationship with the EU. This includes

exploring association in research and innovation programmes, such as the Ninth EU

Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (known as Horizon Europe).

As talks progress on the future relationship, we continue to work hard and at pace to

deliver the best possible agreement on the Future Framework, which will be to the

mutual benefit of both the UK and the EU.

The UK and the EU have been clear that the Withdrawal Agreement and the Future

Framework form a package, and that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ -

meaning that neither document can be considered final until this is true of both. With

talks ongoing, we remain firmly on track to reach agreement on the Withdrawal

Agreement and the Future Framework in the autumn.

UK Relations with EU: Security

Rehman Chishti: [907275]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he

has had with Cabinet colleagues on co-operation with the EU on security policy after the

UK has left the EU.




Suella Braverman:

We have been clear that we should continue to cooperate with the EU across the

whole range of security areas to tackle common threats and promote our shared

values.

On internal security, the Government proposed a coherent and legally binding

agreement covering the three key areas of cooperation. On external security, we

have outlined an independent UK foreign policy, with the UK and EU cooperating as

close allies, when it is in our mutual interest.

On my recent visits to Bulgaria, Croatia and the Czech Republic, my counterparts

have welcomed these proposals and our very clear unconditional commitment to

European security.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Burma: Freedom of Expression

Helen Goodman: [182111]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment

he has made of the adequacy of media freedom in Burma, and representations he has

made to his counterpart in the Government of Burma on violations of freedom of

expression and press freedom in that country.

Mark Field:

The British Government has been a consistent and vocal advocate of democratic

freedoms in Burma, including freedom of expression. Our Ambassador to Burma met

the Burmese Attorney-General on 9 August and made clear that freedom of the

media was a vital safeguard in a democracy, and that the law should protect

journalists rather than punish them for doing their jobs. The Foreign Secretary called

for the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo during the course of

his visit to the country wher ehe met with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 20

September.

Chad: Libya

Emily Thornberry: [180671]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civilian

casualties there were in the attack by the Chadian army on the town of Kouri Bougoudi in

September 2018; and what representations he has made to his Chadian counterpart on

that attack.

Harriett Baldwin:

We are aware of reports that the Chadian security forces engaged Libyan-based

Chadian rebels occupying parts of Kouri Bougoudi in August and September 2018,

and that during these actions, civilians may have been harmed. In discussions with

the Chadian authorities on their fight against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin



and insurgents elsewhere in the country, Her Majesty's Government has made it

clear that we expect them to abide by the international standards that govern how

any military deals with innocent civilian by-standers. We will continue to monitor the

situation closely.

Development Aid

Chris Law: [181256]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what

representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on maintaining the UK’s

commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on Official Development Assistance (ODA); and

whether the whole ODA budget will be spent by his Department.

Sir Alan Duncan:

Spending 0.7% on ODA is set in law. Most of the ODA budget is spent by DFID.

International Law


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent

discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US administration on the maintenance

of international (a) law and (b) institutions.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The Foreign Secretary speaks regularly to his US counterparts on issues related to

international law and institutions. During his speech in Washington in August the

Foreign Secretary called on all states to work together to uphold the rules-based

international order and restore confidence in international institutions.

Kosovo: Recognition of States

Daniel Kawczynski: [180681]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is

taking to ensure that Kosovo receives universal recognition as a state ten years on from

that country gaining independence.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The UK was one of the first of over 100 countries to recognise Kosovo’s statehood.

We support Kosovo's integration into the international rules-based system through

membership of international organisations, which can help promote stability and

prosperity; for example, we support Kosovo’s current bid to join Interpol.

Kosovo: Serbia


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a land

swap between Serbia and Kosovo will set a precedent for the territories in that region.





Sir Alan Duncan:

Normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo is crucial for the security, stability

and prosperity of both countries and the wider region. The Government believes that

this should be on the basis of the recognition of independent sovereign states within

their current borders. We believe that calls for re-drawing national borders could be

de-stabilising in Kosovo, Serbia and beyond. We continue to support the EU-

facilitated dialogue with a view to establishing a comprehensive and sustainable

solution that benefits both countries.


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a land

swap between Serbia and Kosovo would have the effect of improve relations between

those countries.

Sir Alan Duncan:









To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his

Department’s policy is on potential land swaps between Serbia and Kosovo; and if he will

make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan:








Libya: Armed Forces



assessment he has made of the progress of efforts by the Libyan Government of National

Accord to establish a single, unified command and control structure for militias allied to

that Government.






he has made of the outcomes of recent negotiations between military groups in Libya

which were held in Cairo on the potential creation of a unified national army in Libya.

Alistair Burt:

The UK supports Egyptian-led reconciliation talks on the creation of a unified national

security structure. We are in frequent contact with the Egyptian Government and

Libyan participants about the progress of these talks, although we understand that

they have not yet reached final agreement. In addition to the talks held in Cairo, the

UN is supporting the Government of National Accord to establish more sustainable

security structures in Tripoli and nationwide; it is important that all initiatives on the

security track are coordinated and complementary, and serve to bolster the UN-led

political process. The UK continues to engage with a range of military and security

actors in both East and West Libya in order to support these efforts.

Libya: Elections


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the

Government’s policy is on whether planned parliamentary and presidential elections in

Libya should be held in the absence of a permanent constitution approved by the public

in a national referendum.

Alistair Burt:

The UK has been consistent in its support for the political roadmap set out by the UN

Special Representative to the Secretary General (UNSRSG) Ghassan Salamé.

UNSRSG Salamé has been clear that both elections and approval of a permanent

constitution represent important elements of Libya's political transition, and that

elections must be preceded by the necessary political, technical and security

preparations. The precise sequencing of elections and a referendum on the

constitution is for the Libyans to determine, and the UK will continue to support

UNSRSG Salamé as he seeks to facilitate consensus on the way forward.



he has made of the implications of attacks by armed groups on polling stations during

municipal elections held in Libya in September 2018 on the prospect of secure

parliamentary and presidential elections in that country.

Alistair Burt:

Municipal elections represent an important part of Libya’s political transition. The UK

welcomes the fact that a small number of municipal elections have already taken

place this year, but the attack on the Bani Walid municipal electoral commission

highlights the scale of the challenges ahead, including for future national electoral

events. We have allocated £12 million for Libya this financial year through the

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, including funding for both the national and local




election commissions to help them prepare for future elections. We support UN

Special Representative to the Secretary General Salamé’s view that elections must

be preceded by the necessary political, technical and security preparations.


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the

Government is taking to help ensure the provision of adequate funds to enable the

provision by local and municipal councils in Libya of essential services to their local

communities.


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has

received reports of the alleged replacements elected municipal councils and mayors with

military personnel by the Libyan National Army in areas under its control; and what recent

representations he has made to representatives of (a) the Libyan National Army; (b) the

House of Representatives and (c) the authorities in Bayda on that issue.

Alistair Burt:

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recognises the important role municipal

authorities are playing in providing essential services to Libyan citizens. The UK's

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund is supporting municipal authorities through

contributions to the UN's Stabilisation Facility for Libya, and we have recently

tendered for a partner to implement a new programme working with local authorities

and the Ministry of Local Government to improve local service delivery. We are also

following closely the replacement of elected councils with military governors,

particularly in the East of the country. As part of our engagement with both the House

of Representatives and the Libyan National Army (LNA), we have expressed our

concern about the issue of military governors on several occasions. We do not have

official engagement with the unrecognised parallel government in Bayda. We

understand that some of these military governors have now been replaced with

civilian councils, and that a number of municipalities in LNA-controlled areas are due

to have municipal elections in the near future.

Libya: Violence



assessment he has made of the potential implications of recent violence in Libya for the

work of (a) the National Oil Corporation and (b) the Central Bank of that country.

Alistair Burt:

The British Government remains actively involved in international efforts to stabilise

Libya and condemns any threat or use of military force which could jeopardise the

security of civilians or set back efforts to advance the political process. We strongly

condemn the violence in recent months in both the Oil Crescent and in Tripoli,

including the terrorist attack on the National Oil Corporation. We welcome the UN

brokered ceasefire agreement and the creation of the Libyan Government's Security




Arrangements Committee, which aims to establish more sustainable security

arrangements in the capital. As penholder, we led international action in the UN

Security Council to sanction Ibrahim Jadran, the militia commander responsible for

the attack on the Oil Crescent in June, making clear that any attempt to undermine

Libya's legitimate economic activity is unacceptable. We welcomed the resumption of

operations by Tripoli's National Oil Corporation and the increased oil production this

year; and we continue to work with the Central Bank of Libya to encourage economic

reform and reunification of parallel institutions.

South Africa: British Nationals Abroad

Philip Davies: [181215]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he

has made of the number of UK expatriates living in South Africa that will be affected by

the motion passed in the Parliament of South Africa on 1 March 2018 to confiscate land

without compensation from white farmers.

Harriett Baldwin:

The motion passed by the South African Parliament on 27 February 2018 committed

to ‘make use of all mechanisms at the disposal of the state’ in pursuing a land reform

programme, and tasked a committee with reviewing whether the Constitution needed

to be amended for the State to expropriate land without compensation. It is not

possible to make an assessment of the impact of a future land reform programme

until it has been formulated, however, President Ramaphosa has provided clear

examples of when a policy of expropriation could be used. These include: unused

land, derelict buildings, purely speculative land holdings, or circumstances where

occupiers have strong historical rights and title holders do not occupy or use their

land, such as labour tenancy, informal settlements and abandoned inner-city

buildings.

South East Asia: Foreign Relations



discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations on the UK's relationship with those countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Field:

The UK enjoys close connections with all the ten countries that make up the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Over the past year, I have visited

all ten nations with a a view to strengthen links with this important region of the world

after we exit the EU. The UK seeks a broad, dynamic and modern relationship post-

EU exit which is built upon tangible areas of mutual benefit such as economic

cooperation, trade, defence and security, and education.

Over the summer, I undertook a regional tour of six of the ten ASEAN countries and

have now engaged my counterparts in every ASEAN country. The Foreign Secretary



had the opportunity to speak to several of his ASEAN counterparts about the UK’s

future relationship with the region at the UN General Assembly last month. The Prime

Minister also used her participation in the ASEM Summit in mid-October to set out the

UK’s intention to deepen further our relationship with ASEAN.

UN General Assembly


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish

details of the accommodation used by London-based Ministers and officials of his

Department when visiting the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2018.

Mark Field:

This information is not held centrally and to compile it would incur disproportionate

cost. Ministers and officials stayed overnight in a combination of Government-owned

accommodation and hotels.

USA: Asia



discussions he has had with his (a) Japanese and (b) US counterparts on the Free and

Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Mark Field:

The UK welcomes the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in line with

our commitments to the rules-based international system and the conduct of free and

open international trade. Last month, when the Foreign Secretary visited Tokyo, he

discussed these issues with both and Prime Minister Abe and Foreign Minister Kono.

The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks to Secretary of State Pompeo on this

approach, including on his most recent visit to Washington in August 2018.

USA: INF Treaty



discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on the Intermediate-

Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Sir Alan Duncan:

We have a close dialogue with the US at all levels on foreign and security policy

questions, including the Intermedate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. We share

US concern at certain new Russian missiles. We believe the INF Treaty has played a

valuable role in supporting Euro-Atlantic security and want to see it continue to stand

but that requires all parties to abide by it. While the Treaty remains in force, we will




continue our efforts to bring Russia back into full and verified compliance. We will

work closely with US and other Allies on next steps.

Catherine West: [182294]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions

he has had with his US counterpart on the announcement that the US will be leaving the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan:

We have a close dialogue with the US at all levels on foreign and security policy

questions, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. We share

US concern at certain new Russian missiles. We believe the INF Treaty has played a

valuable role in supporting Euro-Atlantic security and want to see it continue to stand

but that requires all parties to abide by it. While the Treaty remains in force, we will

continue our efforts to bring Russia back into full and verified compliance. We will

work closely with US and other Allies on next steps.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: [181326]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15

October 2018 to Question 174798, how many children and young people have been

admitted to A&E in London in the last 12 months.

Matt Hancock:

The data is not held in the format requested.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: [180670]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department’s

consultation on calorie labelling for food and drink served outside the home includes

alcoholic drinks.

Steve Brine:

The consultation on mandating calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector was

launched as part of a package of measures with the primary aim of reducing

childhood obesity. We welcome and will consider all responses to the consultation,

including whether this policy should be extended to alcoholic drinks. However, our

intention at this stage is focused on food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Dr Dan Poulter: [180694]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medically-staffed

alcohol in-patient detoxification beds there are in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Suffolk.





Steve Brine:

This data is not collected centrally.

Analgesics

Rachael Maskell: [180815]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made

of the merits of restricting the sale of paracetamol and aspirin to behind the counter to

reduce the number of deaths by self-poisoning.

Matt Hancock:

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the body

responsible for regulating all medicines in the United Kingdom on behalf of health

ministers. In 1998, smaller pack sizes were introduced for non-prescription medicines

containing paracetamol or aspirin to manage the risk of misuse and overuse. The

MHRA continues to monitor the safety in use of non-prescription medicines

containing paracetamol and aspirin and will take further action to safeguard public

health if necessary.

The National Institute for Health Research, funded by the Department, commissioned

research published in 2013, which analysed deaths by poisoning by paracetamol

since the restrictions to its sale were introduced in 1998, ‘Long term effect of reduced

pack sizes of paracetamol on poisoning deaths and liver transplant activity in England

and Wales: interrupted time series analyses’. This is available at the following link:

https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f403

Breast Cancer: Nurses

Nic Dakin: [182150]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Long-Term

Plan will include actions to ensure that every secondary breast cancer patient has access

to a dedicated secondary breast cancer clinical nurse specialist.

Steve Brine:

The NHS Long Term Plan provides an excellent opportunity to look at how cancer

and other services can be further improved over the next decade. The plan is

currently in development and will be published later in 2018.

Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan for

England in December 2017. The plan set out how HEE will support the expansion of

cancer clinical nurse specialists (CNS) so that every patient has access to a CNS or

other support worker by 2021 by developing national competencies and a clear route

into training.





Buprenorphine


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had

with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the

financial effect of the increase in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine on the provision of

substance misuse services.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has

allocated additional funding to substance misuse services as a result of the increase in

the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.

Steve Brine:

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly meets with Cabinet

colleagues to discuss a range of topics. The Government has committed £16 billion in

funding to local authorities over the current five-year spending review period to tackle

public health issues, which includes alcohol and drug treatment services, and there

are no plans to increase funding further at this time.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Social Security Benefits

Angela Crawley: [180813]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral

contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of

21 June 2018, Official Report, column 232WH, on ME: Treatment and Research, what

steps his Department has taken to collaborate with the Department for Work and

Pensions on guidance for healthcare professionals for the assessment of people with ME.

Steve Brine:

The Department is not directly responsible for producing training and clinical

guidance for healthcare professionals. Such guidance is a matter for organisations

such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or clinical professional

organisations such as the Royal College of Physicians.

Doctors: Training

Sue Hayman: [182297]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his

Department has made of the potential merits of funding additional domestic medical

student places to meet recent changes in the level of NHS demand.

Stephen Barclay:

The Government has announced a record increase of an additional 1,500 medical

school places for domestic students in England – 630 started this September, with a

further 690 starting in 2019/20 and the final 180 in 2020/21. This expansion will also

deliver five brand new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford,

Lincoln and Canterbury.





On the back of the additional £20 billion additional National Health Service funding,

NHS leaders are currently producing a long-term plan that will include proposals for

the NHS workforce, training and leadership, which the Government will consider and

respond to in due course.

Drugs: Disclosure of Information



October 2018 to Question 176272 on Drugs: Imports, if he will place in the Library a copy

of the non-disclosure agreements his Department has requested pharmaceutical

companies to sign.

Stephen Barclay:

[Holding answer 22 October 2018]: The Department has requested a number of

pharmaceutical industry representative bodies and manufacturers sign non-

disclosure agreements (NDAs). By signing NDAs the Department is able to talk to the

industry in confidence so that we can be clear when we go out to the whole industry

our advice and any requests of them are clear, appropriate and deliverable.

A copy of the draft template for these NDA agreements is attached.

Attachments:

1. PQ180178 attached document [NDA template.docx]

Drugs: Rehabilitation


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of

the funding allocated for substance misuse services in England by (a) local authority and

(b) in total in each year since 2012.



the funding allocated for alcohol treatment services in England by (a) local authority and

(b) in total in each year since 2012.



the funding allocated for drug treatment services in England by (a) local authority and (b)

in total in each year since 2012.

Steve Brine:

Responsibility for substance misuse services was transferred to local government in

2013. Figures for 2017/18 are not yet available and there are no directly comparable

figures for 2012/13.

The following table shows actual total spending on alcohol and drug services for both

adults and children since 2013.





Alcohol and Drug Services (£ million)

FINANCIAL

YEAR

ALCOHOL

TREATMENT

DRUG

TREATMENT

CHILDREN’S

SERVICES —

ALCOHOL/DRUGS

ALCOHOL

PREVENTION

DRUG

PREVENTION

SOCIAL

SUPPORT

TOTAL

SPEND (£

MILLION)

2016/17* 202.8 425.3 49.5 38.1 67.6 41.6 823.9

2015/16 240.0 530.0 49.4 n/a n/a 63.5 882.9

2014/15 209.6 601.8 58.0 n/a n/a 98.0 967.4

2013/14 201.3 596.4 69.2 n/a n/a n/a 866.9

Notes:

*In 2016/17 data, prevention service spending was separated out from treatment

services in reporting for the first time.

Further breakdowns by local authority are available at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-

financing-england-2013-to-2014-individual-local-authority-data-outturn

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-revenue-

expenditure-and-financing-england-2014-to-2015-individual-local-authority-data-

outturn





Electronic Cigarettes

Jonathan Ashworth: [180852]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment

his Department has made of the advice on the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a stop smoking

aid between Public Health England’s document entitled Stop smoking options: guidance

for conversations with patients and NICE’s document entitled Stop smoking interventions

and services guidance.

Steve Brine:

Public Health England (PHE) and the National Institute for Health and Care

Excellence (NICE) agree that, although not risk free, e-cigarettes are substantially

less harmful than smoking. PHE and NICE also agree that e-cigarettes can help

smokers to quit and that it is important for a smoker to quit smoking completely to get

the full benefits to their health.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2013-to-2014-individual-local-authority-data-outturn



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2014-to-2015-individual-local-authority-data-outturn











PHE’s document ‘Stop smoking options: guidance for conversations with patients’

and NICE’s document entitled ‘Stop smoking interventions and services guidance’

are also well aligned with advice from the British Medical Association, the Royal

College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Fire Prevention: Hospitals

Chris Elmore: [180834]


July 2018 to Question 164527 on Buildings: insulation, how many hospitals above 18

metres have rainscreen cladding.



July 2018 to Question 164527, how many non-high-rise hospitals that are below 18

metres have rainscreen cladding.

Stephen Barclay:

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, National Health Service

organisations must, as far as is reasonably practical, ensure that everyone on the

premises are safe in a fire situation. Therefore, they must consider the ban on

combustible cladding as part of the regular fire risk assessments they carry out on

their estate when they have new developments or refurbishment. This will include

whether it applies to all walls irrespective of height.

As part of the NHS response to the Grenfell tragedy a review of cladding used on

NHS properties was undertaken and 10 were identified with buildings that used

Aluminium Composite Material. Mitigation actions were immediately implemented,

with the agreement of the Fire and Rescue Services, with plans being put in place for

its removal and replacement. The Department is funding this work.

Food: Standards


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made

of the effect of leaving the EU on food standards in the UK.

Steve Brine:

The Government, including the Food Standards Agency, is committed to maintaining

the United Kingdom’s high standard of food safety and ensuring we take a risk-

based, proportionate approach that prioritises public health and the interests of

consumers. We are investigating a range of solutions to ensure that from day one,

food is as safe as it is now. Maintaining a robust and effective regulatory regime for

ensuring the safety of food remains a high priority as the UK prepares to leave the

European Union.




Health Services: Hinckley

David Tredinnick: [180640]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will visit Hinckley to

discuss the Hinckley and Bosworth Health and Wellbeing Partnership strategy of

empowering people to manage their own physical and mental needs closer to home.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Government supports the integration of health and care services and recognises

the good work being done by the Hinckley and Bosworth Wellbeing Partnership by

taking a multi-agency approach to increase the wellbeing of people and to support

them to live independently in their own homes for longer. Officials will be in contact

with the Health and Wellbeing Board to understand more about the work being done.

Heart Diseases: Screening


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his

Department has made of the efficacy of Public Health England’s How healthy is your

heart? Test.

Steve Brine:

The Heart Age Test offers advice on lifestyle changes that help reduce people’s risk

of heart attack and stroke and which can improve overall health and wellbeing, and

has strong clinical and academic support.

As of September 2018, the Heart Age Test had been completed over 1.9 million

times. In 2016, a British Medical Journal open paper was published, which analysed

the first 500,000 test completions. The paper noted that estimated heart age was

higher than chronological age for 79% of users, and that demographic and risk factor

profiles resembled the population of England.

Public Health England is currently leading an evaluation of the September 2018 Heart

Age Test campaign. The evaluation will assess reach and recognition of the

campaign as well as extent to which the campaign acted as a prompt to use the

Heart Age Test.

Immigrants: Health Services

Helen Hayes: [182298]


October 2018 to Question 179266 on Health Services: Immigrants, if he will publish the

methodology and background data used to calculate the estimate of £470 per surcharge

payer per annum.

Stephen Barclay:

The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2018 was introduced in

Parliament on Thursday 11 October 2018 alongside a published impact assessment

which is available at the following link:




http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2018/126/pdfs/ukia_20180126_en.pdf

Influenza: Vaccination

Helen Jones: [180647]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to

ensure that people who are entitled to a free flu vaccination are aware that the

vaccination can be obtained from pharmacies as well as from GP surgeries; and if he will

make a statement.

Steve Brine:

The national ‘Help us help you: stay well this winter’ campaign promotes uptake of

the flu vaccination and was launched on 8 October 2018. It will run until 17 December

2018.

Activity includes television, radio, social and digital advertising, supported by search,

partnership activity and public relations.

The first phase highlights the seriousness of flu for at-risk groups and how

vaccination offers the best protection. Public Health England advice is to speak to a

general practitioner (GP), pharmacist or midwife.

This message is replicated across all advertising materials, including those for

partners, with a minor variation in communications concerning flu vaccination for

children. Children aged two and three are vaccinated by GPs and children in

reception to year five are vaccinated at school.

The second phase encourages at-risk groups to get their flu vaccination and visit a

pharmacist at the first sign of a winter illness.

Insulin

Stephanie Peacock: [181348]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is

taking to ensure the maintenance of access to insulin after the the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Barclay:

On 23 August 2018 the Department wrote to a number of pharmaceutical companies

that supply the United Kingdom with medicines from, or via, the European

Union/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six

weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual

operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019.

Since then, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our

aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and able to

cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the

event of a no-deal Brexit.





Lung Diseases: Rehabilitation

Rosie Cooper: [182163]


taking to increase patient access to pulmonary rehabilitation.



taking to ensure that 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 is committed to increasing access to pulmonary rehabilitation and

improving 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.

Julie Elliott: [182283]


of the (a) the effectiveness and (b) value for money of pulmonary rehabilitation as a

treatment for people with (a) chronic breathlessness and (b) chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease.

Steve Brine:

Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments for chronic lung

disease. National programmes such as the Elective Care Programme, NHS

RightCare and Getting it Right First Time are focusing on respiratory disease

management and have outlined the benefits that improvements in this area can bring

to patients.

In particular, the NHS RightCare chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

pathway, which is now being rolled out nationally through clinical commissioning

groups, includes timely access to pulmonary rehabilitation as part of the optimal

treatment pathway.




Ongoing access to pulmonary rehabilitation services is monitored through the

national COPD audit.

Pulmonary rehabilitation reduces morbidity, mortality and hospital attendances in

people with COPD disabled by their disease. Both the National Institute of Health and

Care Excellence (NICE) and the British Thoracic Society advocate referral to

pulmonary rehabilitation programmes for individuals with COPD.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is highly cost-effective. It is substantially below the NICE

threshold for cost-effectiveness, as shown by the National Health Service pulmonary

rehabilitation service specification.

Maternity Services: Closures



of trends in the level of temporary closures of NHS maternity units in the last five years.

Matt Hancock:

Data on the levels of closures are not centrally held.

Medical Records: Databases

Chris Ruane: [182120]


of the (a) cost and capability of the in-house electronic health records system developed

by Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and (b) feasibility of replicating that system throughout

the NHS.

Matt Hancock:

There has not been any formal assessment of the cost and capability of the in-house

electronic health records system in use in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

or the feasibility of replicating such a system across the National Health Service in

England. The availability of electronic health records is a key element of providing

digitally enabled services and we expect all trusts to implement such systems. It is a

local decision on how best to achieve this, taking into account the digital systems

already in place and the capacity and capability available to implement a solution.

Mental Health Services: West Midlands

Emma Reynolds: [182169]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money the NHS has

spent on mental health services in the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Matt Hancock:

The following tables show expenditure on mental health, including learning

disabilities. NHS England does not hold information on mental health spend prior to

2013/14.




West Midlands specialised commissioning hub expenditure on mental health services

(includes learning disabilities)

YEAR 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Expenditure £

million

156.8 162.6 161.4 156.7 155.3

Notes:

1. The specialised commissioning spend is contracted expenditure for the West

Midlands specialised commissioning hub and as such will include expenditure for

some service users who reside outside of the West Midlands. The figures also

include learning disability spend.

1. The figures for West Midlands Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Mental Health

spend will relate to West Midlands residents/patients and include spend on learning

disabilities and dementia.

West Midlands CCG expenditure on mental health services for West Midlands

residents and patients including spend on learning disabilities and dementia

TOTAL MENTAL HEALTH SPEND

Organisation 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

£ million £ million £ million £ million £ million

NHS

Wolverhampton

CCG

35.3 32.9 41.6 46.6 46.5

NHS Dudley

CCG

38.8 48.6 45.9 48.3 50.9

NHS Walsall

CCG

54.5 44.3 64.3 62.1 61.0

NHS Sandwell

and West

Birmingham

CCG

71.7 83.5 95.6 102.6 96.5

NHS Solihull

CCG

28.61 46.0 50.6 43.1 44.0

NHS

Birmingham

and CrossCity

CCG

105.8 124.9 134.8 141.5 149.0

TOTAL MENTAL HEALTH SPEND

NHS

Birmingham

South and

Central CCG

39.7 50.0 64.2 68.0 65.9

NHS

Warwickshire

North CCG

23.5 23.1 34.9 36.4 34.8

NHS Coventry

and Rugby

CCG

83.2 83.0 92.7 99.0 101.3

NHS South

Warwickshire

CCG

35.6 43.6 49.4 51.0 49.9

NHS

Herefordshire

CCG

33.7 36.9 36.8 38.0 39.1

NHS South

Worcestershire

CCG

40.5 41.4 44.0 46.2 39.7

NHS Wyre

Forest CCG

19.5 15.8 18.2 19.3 17.0

NHS Redditch

and

Bromsgrove

CCG

27.0 22.3 25.4 26.7 23.5

Total 637.3 696.2 798.4 828.9 819.1

Note:

Figures for CCG expenditure for 2015/16 and 2016/17 are slightly higher than those

published in the online dashboard as they are outturn expenditure, whereas the

online dashboard excludes non-recurrent spending in order to help make the figures

more comparable over time. The financial values have been consolidated through the

use of National Programme of Care (NPoC) codes and are taken from NHS

England’s annual CCG expenditure exercise. This exercise uses Provider Aggregate

Contract Monitoring (ACM) as the basis for the data; where this data is incomplete

hubs will apportion / estimate any missing values.

Mental Illness: Children and Young People

Bambos Charalambous: [181293]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 56

of the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision green paper,

what progress has been made on updating data relating to the prevalence of mental

health problems among children and young people; and when his Department plans to

publish that data.

Matt Hancock:

To update the data relating to the prevalence of mental health problems in children

and young people, NHS Digital has been conducting a prevalence survey examining

the mental health of children and young people. The survey will be published in due

course.

NHS Property Services: Internet

Justin Madders: [180788]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken

to ensure that transparency data on the NHS Property Services website is kept up to

date.

Stephen Barclay:

NHS Property Services is currently implementing a new corporate website, which will

provide access to commonly requested information by the end of the year. This

includes information about past and present Board directors, articles of association,

annual reports and accounts, modern slavery statement and privacy policy.

In relation to one key element expected from public sector bodies – information on

spending and contracts over certain limits – there was a commitment from NHS

Property Services to having information systems ready for the end of last year to

facilitate this, but the implementation of a more fit-for-purpose procurement platform

and contract database will not be complete until 2019.

NHS Shared Business Services


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to attend

board meetings of the NHS Shared Business Service.

Stephen Barclay:

NHS Shared Business Services Ltd. is jointly owned by Sopra Steria Limited and the

Department.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is represented at Board meetings

by Shareholder Directors appointed by the Department. The Secretary of State

carries out his duties and attends meetings in the way he feels he can best serve the

role.




NHS: ICT


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to develop

new apps for the NHS; what budget has been made available for such development; and

if he will make a statement.

Matt Hancock:

A number of new apps are currently being developed, are being assessed or have

been already approved into the NHS Apps Library to make digital services available

which are appropriate to patients’ needs. As set out in ‘The future of healthcare: our

vision for digital, data and technology in health and care’, we want to create a world-

leading ecosystem for developers to create apps and digital tools that can support

patients and clinicians and to spread them quickly across the system through better

use of standards and frameworks. The document is available at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-healthcare-our-vision-for-digital-

data-and-technology-in-health-and-care

The NHS App is currently in development. This free app is due to launch at the end of

2018, gradually rolling out to patients across theUnited Kingdom from December. The

NHS App will enable people to have easier access to a range of health and care

services as and when they need them.

Funding for these developments is being made available from a number of sources

across the health and care system and by app developers themselves.

Martin Vickers: [181232]


improve signposting to NHS approved apps to (a) support people to manage their own

health and (b) provide evidence-based and validated advice.

Matt Hancock:

The NHS Apps Library, launched in April 2017, helps people to make better choices

about the digital health and care tools they use to support them in managing their

own health and care in a safe and secure way. It now has over 70 apps and tools

uploaded. Each of the apps goes through a rigorous and robust validation process

that ensures that the apps meet the high standard of quality, safety and effectiveness

that people expect from the National Health Service.

The NHS App is currently in development and is due to launch at the end of 2018,

gradually rolling out to patients across the United Kingdom from December. This will

enable people to have easier access to a range of health and care services as and

when they need them. In future iterations of the app, we are looking to promote

additional apps or digital services appropriate to an individual’s need, and which have

been approved by the NHS Apps Library.


http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-healthcare-our-vision-for-digital-data-and-technology-in-health-and-care





To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his October

2018 policy paper, The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in

health and care, what support his Department will provide to health and social care

organisations to enable them to spend money wisely on technology.

Matt Hancock:

We will be working closely with health and care organisations to understand how we

mandate and support implementation of the standards proposed in the vision.

We will ensure that organisations have the guidance to help them make the right

technology decisions.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the October


health and care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of technical

fluency of leaders in the NHS; and what steps he plans to take to recruit leaders with the

technical fluency needed to be a competent customer.

Matt Hancock:

To fulfil our vision, we need the right skills and capability at every level of the National

Health Service, social care and across the system and this needs to be driven by

leaders at every level.

We want all health and care organisations to ensure leaders at board-level

understand how data and technology drives their services and strategies and take

responsibility for the digital maturity of their organisations. We also recognise the

need to develop the new generation of digital leaders who can drive the information

and technology transformation of the NHS.

We will build on Health Education England’s work to develop the capabilities of staff

and leaders in health and care to be digital-ready through initiatives such as the NHS

Digital Academy, which was set up in 2017 to develop strong digital leaders who are

capable of delivering change so that patient care, and the way that organisations

operate, can benefit from the many improvements and innovations that modern

technology has to offer.

Dr Eric Topol is leading a review to assess what training and skills clinical staff will

need to make the best use of artificial intelligence, robotics, genomics and digital

medicine.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the October


health and care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of national IT

programmes; and whether he has concluded that any of those programmes should be

cancelled.




Matt Hancock:

Some national IT will always be required but most will be bought or built locally

according to agreed standards.

NHS: Pensions



October 2018 to Question 179294, whether the additional funding agreed for further costs

arising from actuarial revaluations of the NHS Pension Scheme will be allocated from (a)

the existing five-year settlement or (b) an increase in that settlement.

Stephen Barclay:

In line with the announcement on the long-term funding settlement for the National

Health Service, funding agreed to meet the costs arising from actuarial valuation of

the NHS Pension Scheme is provided in addition to the five-year funding settlement

for the NHS.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance



the cost of maintenance requirements throughout the NHS estate for the next three

years.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken

to resolve the NHS high-risk maintenance backlog.

Stephen Barclay:

The Department collects data on backlog maintenance annually from National Health

Service trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection. The data collected

has not been amended centrally and its accuracy always remains the responsibility of

the contributing NHS organisations. The latest total figure for backlog maintenance,

for 2017-18, is £6.0 billion.

Individual NHS providers are responsible for the safety and quality of their estates.

NHS planning guidance has made clear that providers should actively consider the

requirement for funding critical estate backlog within their capital plan and explain

their strategy for investment in backlog work and risk mitigation. Sustainability and

transformation partnerships (STPs) have also been asked to set out their plans for

tackling backlog maintenance as part of their STP level estates strategies.

The 2017 Autumn Budget announced £3.5 billion of new additional capital investment

in the NHS in England by 2022-23, including £700 million to support turnaround plans

in struggling trusts and tackle critical maintenance issues.

As the NHS develops its long-term plan, the improvement of the quality and safety of

the NHS estate will be a key deliverable. The Government has been clear that one of




the financial tests against which the long-term plan will be assessed is that the NHS

makes better use of capital investment and its existing assets.

Primary Health Care

Martin Vickers: [181233]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department

has made of the potential savings to the public purse of directing people to self care for

self-treatable conditions.

Steve Brine:

No specific assessment has been made. However, there is a growing body of

evidence for the benefits of self-care both in improved patient outcomes and

reductions in demand on the National Health Service. ‘Self-care’ covers a broad

spectrum of interventions and is defined in different ways in different situations.

Primary Health Care: Ethnic Groups

Kate Green: [180186]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS plans to

take to tackle barriers to access to primary care for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller

communities in the long term plan for the NHS.

Steve Brine:

NHS England is working on tools for access to primary care for patients and carers,

which is aimed at the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities as well as other

identified groups. NHS England will be involving members of these communities in

this work to create information that helps patients, carers and front line social care

and voluntary and community sector staff understand access to primary medical

services. Once published, there will be targeted engagement to ensure the Gypsy,

Roma and Traveller communities are aware of the tool, and how to use it.

Smoking


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the smoking quit rate was

in (a) England, (b) each local authority, (c) each parliamentary constituency and (d) each

clinical commissioning group area in England in each financial year since 2010-11.

Steve Brine:

Data on the number of self-reported successful quitters at four weeks per 100,000

smokers aged over 16 in England 2010/11 to 2016/17 are available in the following

table.

Number of successful quitters at four weeks per 100,000 smokers aged 16+ in

England 2010/11 to 2016/17




YEAR

NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL QUITTERS AT FOUR

WEEKS PER 100,000 SMOKERS AGED 16+

2010/11 911

2011/12 944

2012/13 868

2013/14 3,743

2014/15 2,924

2015/16 2,598

2016/17 2,248

Notes:

1. From April 2013, responsibility for commissioning the NHS Stop Smoking Services

moved from primary care trusts (PCTs) to local authorities. Therefore from April

2013 these data are collected and reported at region and local authority level rather

than by strategic health authority and PCT.

2. Due to this change in methodology, data prior to 2013/14 are not comparable to

those after.

Information on successful quitters at local authority level is not held in the format

requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The data are not

broken down by clinical commissioning group or parliamentary constituency and

therefore are not available.

Social Services: Bureaucracy


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment

of the average proportion of the working week that social workers spend completing

paperwork and other follow-up administrative procedures relating to the main part of their

employment.

Caroline Dinenage:

This information is not centrally held.

Surgery: Waiting Lists



ensure that the forthcoming long-term plan for the NHS tackles the backlog of

appointments for elective surgery which occurs after each winter period.



Stephen Barclay:

The National Health Service Long-Term Plan will set out how the NHS will develop

over the coming years. This will be supported by an extra £20.5 billion a year in real

terms by 2023/24. This provides an opportunity to look at how elective surgery and

other services can be further improved over the next decade. The plan is currently in

development and will be published later in the year.

Syringes


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase

the number of (a) needle and syringe programmes for people with addictions and (b)

people whom those programmes cover.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase

the number of take-home naloxone programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine:

Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning drug

prevention, treatment and harm reduction services to meet these needs. This

includes making sure they have sufficient coverage of needle and syringe

programmes, and take-home naloxone to prevent overdose deaths from heroin and

other opioids.

The Government is encouraging and supporting local areas to maintain needle and

syringe programmes, and expand the provision of naloxone with guidance, advice

and tools.

Vaccination



taking to ensure the (a) availability and (b) provision of (i) flu and (ii) pneumonia vaccines

for people eligible for free vaccinations.

Steve Brine:

Public Health England (PHE) provides flu vaccines centrally for the children’s flu

programme. Centrally purchased flu vaccines are carefully monitored by PHE to

ensure there is equitable distribution across England and sufficient in-date vaccine for

patients who present throughout the season.

General practitioners (GPs) and other providers are directly responsible for the flu

vaccine supplies used to deliver the national flu programme to the other eligible

groups. PHE maintains oversight to help facilitate a constant supply of vaccine,

liaising with vaccine manufacturers to ascertain whether there are any manufacturing

problems which could impact the running of the national programme.




Pneumococcal vaccine PPV23 is not centrally procured; the vaccine is purchased by

individual GPs or hospital trusts. The Department monitors the supplies of vaccines

and other pharmaceutical products purchased by the National Health Service. They

supply regular updates to the field and GPs can check the current supply position by

contacting the Department’s Medicine Supply team.

HOME OFFICE

Asylum: Children

Stuart C. McDonald: [182235]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied

asylum-seeking children have arrived to the UK under the Section 67 of the Immigration

Act 2016.

Caroline Nokes:

We remain fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified

number of 480 children under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and are

working very closely with participating States, to deliver the scheme in line with their

national laws.

Over 220 children are already in the UK. We will not provide a running commentary

on numbers and will publish the details once all children are in the UK.

We are working very closely with participating States and partners to deliver the

scheme in line with their national laws. Relocation of children to the UK is also

dependent on the availability of appropriate local authority care placements.

The Sandhurst Treaty, signed between the UK and France in January 2018, includes

a number of measures to strengthen our cooperation on unaccompanied asylum

seeking children. This includes a £3.6m development fund to identify projects to

support transfers of eligible children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016

and the Dublin III Regulation.

Asylum: Housing


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the number of asylum seekers whose housing provision has been

terminated before the asylum application process including appeals has been completed.

Caroline Nokes:

I refer the Hon. Member to the response I gave to UIN 171728 on the 7th September

2018.



Business: Slavery

Dame Louise Ellman: [182125]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to publish the

names of those businesses with a turnover of more than £36 million who do not comply

with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019; and if he will

make a statement.

Victoria Atkins:

The Home Office plans to carry out an audit of organisations’ Modern Slavery

Statements after 31 March 2019 and intends to publish a list of non-compliant

organisations after this date.

Drugs and Slavery

Joan Ryan: [182079]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations he

has received from the (a) Secretaries of State for (i) Business, Energy and Industrial

Strategy, (ii) Health and Social Care, (iii) Housing, Communities and Local Government,

(iv) Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and (v) Justice and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer

on the (A) county lines drug trade and (B) Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins:

The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not received any recent formal

representations from the named departments on either county lines drug trade or the

Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The Home Secretary regularly meets Secretaries of State across Whitehall to ensure

a coordinated response to cross-cutting issues.

Drugs: Crime

Joan Ryan: [182080]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many phone numbers used

for county lines drugs dealing have been closed down after the introduction of Drug

Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Orders in December 2017.

Victoria Atkins:

The use of Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Orders is an operational

matter and the National County Lines Co-Ordination Centre does not routinely

disclose this information.

Joan Ryan: [182081]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made

of trends in the level of the use of encrypted messaging apps by people involved in

county lines drugs dealing.





Joan Ryan: [182082]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent meetings (a) he and

(b) his officials have had with representatives of (i) Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp, (ii)

Kik Messenger, (iii) Snapchat, (iv) Telegram, (v) Viber, (vi) Wickr and (vii) other social

media and messenger sites on the use of their encrypted messaging apps for county

lines drugs dealing.

Victoria Atkins:

The National County Lines Working Group brings together a range of agencies

including law enforcement to assess the trends in county lines and action that should

be taken. This ensures that we are up to date on the latest developments involving

county lines reported by the police and National Crime Agency.

In June this year, the Home Secretary announced funding of £1.38m to support a

new national police capability to tackle gang related activity on social media which will

be operational shortly. Representatives from Google and Facebook also attended a

meeting of the Serious Violence Taskforce chaired by the Home Secretary in June to

present the action they are taking to tackle gang related content online.

Immigrants: EU Nationals


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral

contribution of 21 June 2018 by the Minister for Immigration on the EU Settlement

Scheme, Official Report, column 508, what provisions he plans to put in place for victims

of trafficking and modern slavery to help them prove their residency in order to obtain

Settled Status.



contribution of 21 June 2018 by the Minister for Immigration on the EU Settlement

Scheme, Official Report, column 508, what steps he is taking to ensure that victims of

trafficking and modern slavery can prove their identity in order to obtain Settled Status.



Statement of 21 June 2018 by the Minister for Immigration on the EU Settlement

Scheme, Official Report, column 508, if he will waive the application fee for (a) any victim

and (b) any dependent of trafficking or modern slavery with a positive reasonable

grounds or conclusive grounds decision when applying for settled status.

Caroline Nokes:

As set out in the Statement of Intent published on 21 June 2018, the EU Settlement

Scheme will adopt a flexible approach to evidence of both identity and residence.

The published caseworker guidance includes a broad range of evidence that

caseworkers can accept to establish the applicant’s claimed period of residence in

the UK. This includes confirmation from another Government department or agency,





such as the National Crime Agency which oversees the National Referral Mechanism

for victims of trafficking and modern slavery.

The Home Office will also accept alternative evidence of identity and nationality

where the applicant is unable to obtain or produce the required document due to

circumstances beyond their control or due to compelling practical or compassionate

reasons. This could include where passports or national identity cards have been

confiscated by organised criminal gangs involved in trafficking.

Furthermore, arrangements are being developed for a range of support to be offered

by the Home Office and third parties such as community groups and charities. These

include direct support arrangements to assist vulnerable individuals throughout the

application process, through tailored telephone advice and support, attendance at

one of our assisted digital centres, or where necessary, officials visiting the individual

at home.

With regard to application fees, there are currently no plans to waive fees for victims

of trafficking and modern slavery, unless the victim is a child in local authority care.

The application fee has been set below the cost of a UK passport and applicants

have until 30 June 2021 to make the necessary arrangements to enable them to

apply.

Shops: Crimes against the Person


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assaults against shop

keepers were recorded by her Department in each year since 2010.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion

of robberies of shops recorded by her Department involved the use of a weapon, in each

year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects data on the number of crimes recorded by the police in

England and Wales but it is not possible to separately identify assaults against

shopkeepers or robberies of shops from the data centrally held.

Statistics on all assaults and of robberies of business property are published quarterly

by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures, which contain time

series from April 2002 to June 2018, can be accessed here:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/cri

meinenglandandwalesappendixtables

The Home Office’s Commercial Victimisation Survey provides estimates of the

volume of crime experienced by business premises including in the Wholesale and

Retail sector. The survey is able to estimate the number of assaults and threats and

the number of robberies experienced by businesses in that sector but the sample size

is not large enough to provide separate estimates of the number of assaults against



https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables



shopkeepers or the proportion of robberies in which a weapon has been used. The

latest results from the CVS can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-against-businesses-findings-from-the-

2017-commercial-victimisation-survey

Speed Limits: Cameras


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many operational speed

cameras there were in the West Midlands Police force area in each year since 2010.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue his

Department has collected from speed cameras in the West Midlands Police force area in

each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The information requested is not held centrally. The deployment of speed cameras is

an operational matter for West Midlands Police in conjunction with the local authority.

Data on fines and penalties paid in respect of speeding offences is not broken down

between speed cameras and other forms of enforcement activity.

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buprenorphine


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether

he plans to increase local authority funding for substance misuse services as a result of

changes in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.

Rishi Sunak:

The Department of Health and Social Care has provided £16 billion to local

authorities over five years for public health services, including for alcohol and drug

treatment, and there are currently no plans to increase this funding further.


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the

financial effect on substance misuse services of the changes in the cost of prescribing

buprenorphine.

Rishi Sunak:

The Secretary of State has not met the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

to discuss the prescribing of buprenorphine. Funding to local authorities for public

health is provided by the Department of Health and Social Care.





Care Homes: Insulation


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant

to Written Statement of 9 October 2018 on Building safety update, HCWS976, whether

he plans to extend the ban on combustible materials to all care homes irrespective of

height.

Kit Malthouse:

The Government consulted on applying the ban to residential buildings with a top

storey more than 18 metres above ground level, in line with current Building

Regulation’s guidance. Following analysis of consultation responses we also

included, registered care premises above 18 metres. The majority of respondents to

the consultation showed support for this height threshold and it will be used as the

basis for the ban to be consistent with current guidance. The Government will review

this height threshold as part of the wider technical review of the building regulations

for fire safety set to start in the Autumn.

All registered care homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who

liaise with local fire services as part of their on going monitoring. On inspection, CQC

look at how providers are assessing fire risks to ensure the safety of the resident. The

findings of the CQC assessments must be acted on without delay if improvements

are required.

Controlling Migration Fund: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: [181333]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether

he plans to expand the Controlling Migration Fund in London to support newly recognised

refugees find and sustain suitable accommodation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler:

The deadline for bids from local authorities for a share of the money remaining in the

Controlling Migration Fund was 1 October. Proposals are being considered and

successful projects will be announced in the new year. The Government will be

considering the options for the future of the Fund as part of the Spending Review

process.

Council Tax: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: [182083]


to the Answer of 22 October, Question 180627 on Council Tax: Dorset, if he will publish

his preferred methodology for the calculation of the average amount of council tax across

an area.




Sir Christopher Chope: [182084]


to the Answer of 22 October, Question 180627, whether the calculation of the average

amount of council tax across an area includes (a) parish and (b) town council precepts.

Rishi Sunak:

As I explained on 22 October to Question UIN 180627 in response to my Hon

Friend's earlier question, how any average council tax is to be calculated for the

purposes of any council tax harmonisation will be a matter for the council concerned

acting in accordance with the secondary legislation that provides for that

harmonisation of council tax.

Mobile Homes

Andrew Gwynne: [182182]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the

timeframe is for the conclusion of his Department's research into the effect of a change to

the 10 per cent commission on residents of park homes and site owners on that sector.

James Brokenshire:

The research needed to make an assessment of the impact of a change to the sales

commission rate on park home residents and site owners, will begin in spring 2019.

We will make a further announcement on the timetable in due course.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Female Genital Mutilation


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, What recent discussions she

has had with her counterparts in African Governments on legislation to end Female

Genital Mutilation.

Alistair Burt:

The UK is proud to support the Africa-led movement to end FGM. We are a global

leader on this issue, having made the largest ever donor commitment to ending FGM

and galvanised others to take action of their own through our international Girl

Summit.

The UK regularly discusses ending FGM at a range of fora; most recently via our

Special Envoy for Gender Equality at a high level meeting at the United Nations

General Assembly in September 2018.

Since 2013, DFID-funded programmes have supported The Gambia and Nigeria to

make the practice illegal, and have supported Egypt, Mauritania and Uganda to

strengthen their laws. 24 out of 29 FGM-affected countries now have national or

subnational laws that prohibit FGM.




Developing Countries: Education

Preet Kaur Gill: [182252]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made

of the amount of Official Development Assistance to be allocated by her Department to

the International Financing Facility for Education.

Preet Kaur Gill: [182253]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to announce

the Government's financial commitment to the International Financing Facility for

Education.

Harriett Baldwin:

The UK supports the principle of a new financing mechanism for education led by the

multilateral development banks to target the financing gap in lower middle income

countries. Once the technical design work has been concluded by the Education

Commission and the multilateral development banks I will set out the UK’s final

position.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Defence: Export Credit Guarantees

Christine Jardine: [182216]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the (a) premium income (b)

claims paid and (c) monies at risk of UK Export Finance were relating to the defence

sector for the financial years (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17 and (iii) 2017-18.

Graham Stuart:

UK Export Finance (UKEF) does not publish premium value by sector. Total premium

income can be found in our Annual Report and Accounts.

No claims were paid relating to defence sector contracts during this period.

The monies at risk for defence transactions are presented in the table below.

FY NET AMOUNT AT RISK £M

2015-16 1,219.3

2016-17 2,749.8

2017-18 2,537.6

Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UKEF publishes details of the

companies it has supported on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts

which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website.




https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-annual-reports-and-

accounts

Department for International Trade: Staff

Seema Malhotra: [177736]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what change there has been in

staffing levels in his Department since June 2016.

George Hollingbery:

When the Department for International Trade (DIT) was formed in July 2016, the

number of staff was 2,504. The number of staff working for the Department for

International Trade as at 30 September 2018 is 3,882.

The figures above include all people engaged in DIT and UK Export Finance (UKEF)

business activities. This includes employees, contractors and those on loan from

other government departments or seconded from organisations external to the Civil

Service.

Import Duties

Mr Jonathan Lord: [181234]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timetable is for the

publication of the tariff schedule for the possibility of a no-deal scenario.

George Hollingbery:

In the event of no deal, the Government will determine and publish its UK duty rates

before we leave the EU in accordance with the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act.

For bound rates, we have already lodged our UK only General Agreement on Tariffs

and Trade (GATT) schedule at the WTO and will have also lodged our UK only

General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) schedule.

JUSTICE

Bill of Rights: Northern Ireland


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he plans to have and with

whom in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive on a UK-wide Bill of Rights.

Edward Argar:

We shall give further consideration to our human rights legal framework when the

process of leaving the EU concludes. We will consult fully on proposals in the full

knowledge of the new constitutional landscape.

The Government's absolute priority remains the restoration of devolved government

in Northern Ireland, in part, so that the people of Northern Ireland, and locally elected

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-annual-reports-and-accounts






representatives, can decide what is right for Northern Ireland on sensitive devolved

issues.

Debt Collection: Regulation


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has plans to bring

forward legislative proposals to establish an independent body to provide for the

regulation of enforcement agents.

Lucy Frazer:

The Government will launch a call for evidence shortly to evaluate the enforcement

agent reforms introduced by the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007.

Evidence received from the call for evidence will be used to inform our assessment of

the current regulation of the industry, and options for further reform.

Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company

Luciana Berger: [182160]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the

implications for his policies of the report by HM Inspectorate of Probation into Merseyside

Community Rehabilitation Company that rated that Community Rehabilitation Company

as inadequate.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the September 2018 report by

HM Inspectorate of Probation into Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company, what

assessment his Department has made of the performance of Community Rehabilitation

Companies; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart:

The HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) report into Merseyside Community

Rehabilitation Company, published on 26 September 2018, awarded the service a

rating of ‘requires improvement’. The Ministry of Justice takes seriously the findings

of HMIP in relation to Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and will work

with the provider to ensure that an appropriate plan is in place to address the

identified areas for improvement.

We have been clear that overall CRC performance must improve, and are taking

decisive action to stabilise and improve the delivery of probation services, including

by investing £22m per year to enhance ‘Through The Gate’ services and introducing

minimum standards so that all providers offer monthly face-to-face meetings with

offenders during the first 12 months of supervision.

In September we concluded a public consultation on proposals to end current CRC

contracts early and introduce new arrangements for delivering probation services that

will better integrate public, private and third sector probation providers, and better




support probation staff who have a key role to play in reducing re-offending and

protecting the public. We will bring forward more detailed plans early next year.

Offenders: Females


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timescale is for implementation of the

Female Offender Strategy which was published in June 2018; and how the success of

that strategy is planned to be measured.

Edward Argar:

The Female Offender Strategy launched a programme of work that will take some

years to deliver. It included some early key deliverables, such as the £3.5m

Community Investment Fund competition which is part of our wider £5m investment

in community provision between 2018-2020. We expect to announce successful grant

bids in November. Lord Farmer’s Review of family ties for female offenders in

custody and the community is due to report by the end of the year.

We are currently engaging with stakeholders on our plans for Residential Women’s

Centre pilots to refine our thinking around the potential design and delivery of the

pilots. After this period of market engagement, we will look to open a procurement

process. Our timeline is subject to the findings of our engagement process.

We are putting robust governance in place, to ensure delivery of the strategy’s aims.

This includes a strengthened minister-led Advisory Board, with new stakeholder

members to ensure that we have the right expertise to provide advice and challenge

to Government. Plans for monitoring and evaluating the progress of the strategy are

currently in development.

Prisoners: Self-harm


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the document entitled Self-

harm by adult men in prison: A rapid evidence assessment, published by HM Prison and

Probation Service in September 2018, whether he plans to provide training on self-harm

in male prisoners for staff working in prisons as a result of the statement in that document

that poor staff knowledge and attitudes play a role in influencing self-harm.

Rory Stewart:

This report helpfully draws together the findings of the key research on self-harm in

prisons in the UK and beyond, and its conclusions have informed the development of

our prison safety programme, including the training that we provide for staff.

In 2017 we introduced an improved course known as Introduction to Suicide and Self-

Harm prevention, which is being delivered to all new prison officers, and as refresher

training to existing staff with prisoner contact. So far it has reached over 17,000 staff,

and over 8,000 have been trained in all six modules. We have also worked with the

Samaritans to develop a suicide prevention learning tool, which uses a series of short



films to build staff understanding of self-harm and suicide and give them greater

confidence to engage with prisoners who may be at risk.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of

the effect of reductions in the number of (a) prison officers and (b) experienced prison

officers on the level of violence in prisons.

Rory Stewart:

The causes of violence in prison are complex, but we know that the skills and

availability of staff play a critical role in maintaining order. We have invested in over

3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes, and providing

training to both new and existing staff to equip them to take on the new key worker

role, in which they will provide more effective challenge and support to prisoners.

Our prison staff work incredibly hard and we are under no illusions about the

challenges they face. We are taking urgent action to make prisons safer, and

assaults on our staff will never be tolerated. That is why we are working with the

Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure successful prosecutions of those

who assault them. It is also why the Government supported the recently passed

Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, which increases sentences for those

who attack emergency workers, including prison officers.

We are taking further measures to protect our staff, including investing in 5,600 body-

worn cameras and in rigid-bar handcuffs. Early next year we will begin to equip every

prison officer in the adult male prison estate with PAVA incapacitant spray. PAVA can

help to prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners alike, as well as being a tool to

persuade prisoners in the act of violence to stop. It will be deployed only in prisons

that have rolled out key workers, and in which staff have been properly trained.

Prisons: Sexual Offences


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the

implications for his policies to tackle sexual assaults in prisons of the report by his

Department entitled, Sexual Assaults Reported in Prisons: Exploratory Findings from

Analysis of Incident Descriptions, published in September 2018.

Rory Stewart:

The report includes the exploratory findings of a study based on staff descriptions of

reported sexual assaults as part of the incident reporting process. It provides

important contextual information - for instance, that a proportion of incidents reported

as sexual assault involved multiple assailants attempting to retrieve contraband.

We take all assaults in custody extremely seriously, including sexual assaults. All

incidents that are reported as sexual assault are referred to the police for



investigation. We provide a range of support to those who report them and we take

appropriate action to prevent repeat victimisation.

Probation: Greater London


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has of the (a)

level of outstanding adult offender caseload and (b) utilisation rate at (i) Camberwell

Green Magistrates Court and (ii) Croydon Magistrates Court.

Lucy Frazer:

(a) The number of outstanding adult offender cases as at 30 June 2018 at

Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court is 1,995 and 1,186 cases at Croydon

Magistrates’ Court.

(b) The utilisation rate for the period July 2017 to June 2018 at Camberwell Green

Magistrates’ and Youth Court is 77.3% and at Croydon Magistrates’ Court is 68.4%.

A review of individual court room usage, supported by building improvement works, is

enabling Croydon Magistrates’ Court to accommodate transferred work from

Camberwell.

Road Traffic Offences


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers that have been subject to a

driving ban commit further driving offences after the expiry of their driving ban.

Rory Stewart:

The Ministry of Justice do not hold data on drivers committing further driving offences

after the expiry of their driving ban.

The Department for Transport record data on disqualified drivers and hold the policy

on driving disqualifications.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Voyeurism


To ask the Leader of the House, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues

on the allocation of time in the House to debate the (a) issue of (b) legislative proposals

on upskirting.

Andrea Leadsom:

I am pleased the Government has introduced the Voyeurism Bill and it continues to

make good progress through Parliament. I continue to have regular discussions with

Cabinet colleagues on the allocation of time for business and announce the

upcoming business at the weekly Business Questions on a Thursday morning.




SCOTLAND

Domestic Visits: Glasgow North East


To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish the Ministerial visits

undertaken to Glasgow North East constituency since 2005.

David Mundell:

The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at


Museums and Galleries: Glasgow


To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make an assessment of the potential

merits of allocating additional Government funding to the Scottish Government to ensure

that Glasgow’s museums and art galleries remain free to visit.

David Mundell:

The UK Government fully support free access by the public to museums and art

galleries. The UK Government provides funds for the Scottish Government through

the Block Grant. It is a matter for the Scottish Government to allocate funding for

museums in Scotland from within their budget. The hon Gentleman may therefore

wish to progress the matter of additional funding for this area with them.

Scotland Office: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: [R] [181600]

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the (a) number

and (b) proportion of staff in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell:

The Office of the Secretary of Scotland does not hold information on the number or

proportion of staff in receipt of universal credit. All staff that join do so on an

assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the

Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers.

TRANSPORT

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: [182152]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the report into High

Speed Two by PwC.





Ms Nusrat Ghani:

I can confirm that the report by PwC into the comparative costs of developing and

constructing High Speed Rail on the Continent and elsewhere will be published

shortly.

Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents

Clive Efford: [182076]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of traffic

accidents involving cyclists were with heavy goods vehicles in each of the last ten years;

and if he will make a statement.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents with cyclists there

were in each of the last ten years; how many of those accidents were fatal; how many

and what proportion of those fatal accidents involved (a) heavy goods vehicles, (b) cars,

(c) other cyclists and (d) pedestrians; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman:

The table below shows the number of reported road accidents involving pedal

cyclists, of which involved HGVs, in Great Britain: 2007 to 2017.

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDAL CYCLISTS

Number of accidents involving at

least one pedal cyclist

Of which involved HGV(s)

Year Number Proportion

2007 16,460 361 2%

2008 16,585 369 2%

2009 17,369 300 2%

2010 17,604 362 2%

2011 19,645 385 2%

2012 19,489 388 2%

2013 19,752 337 2%

2014 21,624 397 2%

2015 19,172 378 2%

2016 18,743 300 2%



ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDAL CYCLISTS

2017 18,651 251 1%

Source: DfT STATS19

The table below shows the number of reported road fatal accidents involving pedal

cyclists, of which involved HGVs, cars, more than one pedal cyclist and pedestrians,

in Great Britain: 2007 to 2017 1

FATAL ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDAL CYCLISTS

Number

of fatal

accidents

involving

at least

one pedal

cyclist

Of which involved

HGV(s)

Of which involved

car(s)

Of which involved

more than one

pedal cyclist(s)

Of which

involved

pedestrian(s

)

Year Numbe

r

Proportio

n

Numbe

r

Proportio

n

Numbe

r

Proportio

n

Numbe

r

Proportio

n

200

7

142 33 23% 68 48% 4 3% 5 4%

200

8

119 27 23% 70 59% 8 7% 3 3%

200

9

108 20 19% 62 57% 3 3% 3 3%

201

0

117 21 18% 61 52% 2 2% 4 3%

201

1

112 19 17% 63 56% 7 6% 2 2%

201

2

122 24 20% 67 55% 3 2% 3 2%

201

3

118 19 16% 61 52% 3 3% 6 5%

201

4

117 20 17% 58 50% 4 3% 6 5%

201

5

106 21 20% 52 49% 5 5% 3 3%

FATAL ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDAL CYCLISTS

201

6

108 16 15% 59 55% 1 1% 4 4%

201

7

112 15 13% 58 52% 4 4% 4 4%

Source: DfT

STATS19

Proportions would not add up to 100% in a year as a fatal road accident involving a

pedal cyclist can also involve none other, one other or multiple vehicles in the road

accident.

On 18 October the Department published a summary of the 14,000 responses

received to its Call for Evidence on cycling and walking safety, including issues

relating to large vehicles. We have recently announced a number of activities to

improve the safety, and perception of safety, of cycling and walking: tailored cycle

training for driving instructors, support for police in tackling unsafe “close passing”, an

update to the National Standard for Cycle Training and, most recently, a review of the

Highway Code to include overtaking and opening vehicle doors.

The Department will publish its full response to the Call for Evidence in due course.

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with heavy

goods vehicle manufacturers on altering the designs of vehicles to improve safety on

roads for pedestrians and cyclists; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman:

Officials are in continuous discussion with HGV manufacturers and relevant trade

associations about how different vehicle designs could improve safety for pedestrians

and cyclists. These cover a range of options, including safer vehicle fronts, mirrors,

better direct vision, camera monitoring systems, other detection or warning devices,

side under-run guards and electronic safety aids such as advanced emergency

braking systems.

Northern

Andy McDonald: [181281]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect the

operator against falling passenger numbers on Northern Rail.



Joseph Johnson:

The Department is not taking any steps to protect the operator against falling

passenger numbers, however the Rail North Partnership is working with the operator

on what initiatives could be introduced to improve passenger numbers.

Northern: Industrial Disputes

Andy McDonald: [181275]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of

strike action on Arriva Rail North; and what financial assessment he has made of the

effect of that strike action on the franchise.

Joseph Johnson:

The finances of Arriva Rail North are commercially sensitive and therefore are unable

to be publicly shared.

Public Transport: Deeside Industrial Park

Frank Field: [182105]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

improve public transport links between Birkenhead and the Deeside Industrial Park.

Jesse Norman:

Public transport links will be improved by the commitment in the new Wales and

Borders franchise let by the Welsh Government to improve service frequency on this

line, with refurbished trains, from 2021. In addition, the Department for Transport is

providing the necessary funding to develop a strategic outline business case for

improvements to rail journey times between Wrexham and Bidston.

Railways: Concessions


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the 2017 Budget, when the

Government plans to commence the roll-out of the 26 to 30 railcard.

Joseph Johnson:

The Department has been working closely with the rail industry as it runs its trial of

the railcard to understand the potential commercial impacts. This is a good example

of the public and private sectors working together to bring about an initiative that both

benefits passengers and brings about growth in rail travel. We expect the industry to

confirm arrangements for a full roll out.




TREASURY

Banks: Fraud


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to address

banking fraud; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of

those steps.

John Glen:

The Government takes fraud very seriously and is determined to make it more

difficult for fraudsters to operate.

The independent financial services regulator – the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

– requires banks to maintain effective systems and controls to prevent the risk that

they might be used to further financial crime. This includes controls to prevent fraud.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations firms must carry out customer due

diligence measures to identify customers and check that they are who they say they

are. If the FCA found evidence that a regulated firm did not undertake appropriate

due diligence checks, that firm would be in breach of the Money Laundering

Regulations and the FCA could consider what regulatory tools might be appropriate

under such circumstances.

The Government also supports the work that the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR)

is driving forward, in conjunction with industry, consumer groups and other regulatory

and Government bodies, to tackle Authorised Push Payment scams, in which

individuals are tricked into sending money online. In April this year, the PSR

established a Steering Group of financial institutions and consumer representatives to

develop an industry code to help prevent these kinds of scams. In September, the

Steering Group published the draft code for consultation and intends to finalise the

code in early 2019.

It is also important that victims of fraud are provided with adequate support, and that

the public is equipped with the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to

fraudsters. That’s why the Government has invested in a new IT system for Action

Fraud, which is the UK’s national reporting point for fraud and cybercrime. This new

system will deliver significant improvements, both for victims reporting fraud and

cybercrimes, and for law enforcement in investigating these crimes.

The banking industry has also taken important steps to prevent fraud, including

through the Banking Protocol - a rapid response scheme through which branch staff

can alert police and Trading Standards to suspected frauds taking place. The system

is now operational in every police force area and in the first six months of this year

prevented £14.6 million in fraud and led to 100 arrests.


Employment: Taxation

Grahame Morris: [182128]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC have (a) paid out to

individuals overtaxed and (b) written off due to the Check employment status for tax

service making incorrect employment status determinations.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce to HMRC an internal appeals

process to allow workers to challenge an employment status determination.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to

Question 178495 on Tax Avoidance, how many IR35 tribunal cases were unsuccessful in

each of the last ten years.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been on

IR35 court cases in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride:

The Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) digital service is a part of a package

of guidance and support that helps customers to determine employment status. Its

use is not mandatory, however, if it is completed correctly and in accordance with our

guidance and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will stand by the result. HMRC has

not paid out or written off any tax due to determinations made by CEST.

There are existing processes for workers to review employment status decisions. Off-

payroll workers in the public sector, found to be within the off-payroll working rules

(IR35), who believe they have been wrongly classified should first take this up with

their engager whose responsibility it is to make the determination. The existing

process can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ir35-find-out-if-it-

applies#further-help-with-the-off-payroll-working-rules

In the last ten years HMRC has taken twelve IR35 cases to tribunal. They have lost in

nine of the cases. The vast majority of the decisions on status are straightforward and

do not involve litigation. It is right that HMRC litigates more finely balanced cases,

particularly where they are complex or unusual.

Off-payroll working litigation is carried out by a number of HMRC teams. These teams

are also involved in other tax litigation and as a result, we do not hold specific

information relating to the cost of off-payroll working court cases in the last five years.

European Investment Bank

Chi Onwurah: [182194]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 July 2018 to

question 165011 on European Investment Bank, what assessment he has made in terms





https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ir35-find-out-if-it-applies#further-help-with-the-off-payroll-working-rules




of value of bonds and loans issued or supported, of the expansion of the UK Guarantees

Scheme to provide construction guarantees since June 2017.

Robert Jenrick:

Changes to the value of bonds and loans covered by the UK Guarantees Scheme are

announced via Written Ministerial Statement and published on GOV.UK, at the time

when new guarantees are issued.

The Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012 provides an annual report to

Parliament which includes the amounts covered by any guarantees. The last update,

for year ending 31 March 2018, was published on 19 July 2018.

National Insurance Contributions: Older Workers

Ian Murray: [182177]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue to be

accrued to the public purse of people of official retirement age paying National Insurance

when in work at (a) the standard and (b) a reduced rate.

Mel Stride:

The “Estimated costs of principal tax reliefs” publication, sets out an estimate of the

cost of the exemption of those over State pension age from paying National

Insurance. It is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs

According to this publication it is estimated that the cost of this exemption is around

£1.1bn in 2017-18. The estimates do not allow for any behavioural changes as a

result of the reliefs. In practice if a relief was withdrawn, taxpayers’ behaviour would

often alter so that the actual yield would be very different from, and often smaller

than, that shown in the tables.

Peugeot: Coventry


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make assessment he has made of the

effect on the economy in Coventry as a result of the relocation of the Peugeot warehouse

in Coventry to Luton; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss:

The relocation of the Peugeot warehouse from Coventry to Luton is a commercial

decision for the company. Ministers and officials meet representatives of automotive

sector companies regularly, including PSA (owner of Peugeot and Vauxhall) on a

range of issues.





Ports: Infrastructure

Martyn Day: [182304]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial and (b) technical support the

Government has made available for port operators to put in place the required

infrastructure for when the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride:

The Government remains confident we will agree a mutually advantageous deal with

the EU, and is committed to ensuring that trade is as frictionless as possible through

UK ports.

HMG is working together with key industry partners, and, in particular the ports, to

plan for all possible scenarios and take account of industry views on what is

deliverable and practicable, including with respect to infrastructure and IT.

Poverty


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has

made on the effect of the level of poverty on (a) the cost of public services, and b)

revenue accrued to the public purse.

Elizabeth Truss:

The government is focused on tackling the root causes of poverty, such as education

and worklessness, to improve the lives of people in our country.

Since 2010 the number of people in poverty has fallen – there are 1,000,000 fewer

people, including 300,000 fewer children, in absolute poverty (before housing costs),

both record lows. Helping people off welfare and into work, helps the economy grow,

means we can spend more on other priorities like the NHS and infrastructure and

gives more people the opportunity to get on in life. Since 2010 there are 3.3m more

people in work and the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1975.

HM Treasury does not analyse the aggregate impact of the level of poverty on public

services and government revenue.

Prudential Regulation Authority

Jonathan Reynolds: [181284]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason access to the alternative

remedies package has been limited only to applicants authorised by the Prudential

Regulatory Authority to take deposits.

Jonathan Reynolds: [181286]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on

access to alternative remedies package funds the employment of senior people

historically connected to RBS GRG unit will have.





John Glen:

The Alternative Remedies Package (ARP) is the package of Royal Bank of Scotland

(RBS)-funded measures agreed in September 2017 between HM Government and

the European Commission (EC) as a resolution to RBS’ final State aid commitment to

divest the business formerly known as Williams & Glyn.

The ARP design and eligibility criteria were agreed with the EC following a period of

extensive consultation with financial service providers and UK regulators. Banking

Competition Remedies Ltd (BCR) is the independent body established to implement

the ARP. Final decisions on award allocation will be made by BCR. The eligibility

criteria can be found on BCR’s website ( https://bcr-ltd.com/ ).

Non PRA-regulated firms may apply for Pool D of the Capability and Innovation Fund,

which makes available £25 million of funding to facilitate the commercialisation of

financial technology that is relevant to SMEs.

Research and Development Expenditure Credit


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been claimed under the

Research and Development Allowance in each of the last five years.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of claims under the Research

and development Allowance related to expenditure incurred for providing facilities for

carrying our research and development in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride:

The government is unable to produce an estimate for the amount of relief claimed

under Research and Development Allowances (RDAs) in the last five years, as data

cannot be separately identified.

HMRC verifies that capital expenditure on which RDAs are claimed relates to

research and development, but it does not collect data on the particular uses of

qualifying expenditure (such as whether this is spend on buildings and facilities, or

other types of equipment).

Revenue and Customs: Cumbernauld


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the lease is due to end on the HMRC

office in Cumbernauld.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the lease on the HMRC office in

Cumbernauld includes an option to extend its duration.

https://bcr-ltd.com/

https://bcr-ltd.com/





Mel Stride:

The lease for the HMRC office in Cumbernauld, Accounts Office, ends in April 2021.

HMRC has the option to extend the lease to allow it to remain in the property until the

Glasgow Regional Centre opens.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Minister for Women and Equalities: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: [R] [181612]

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate he has made of the (a)

number and (b) proportion of staff employed by his Department in receipt of universal

credit; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) do not hold the relevant information to be

able to estimate the number and proportion of its staff in receipt of universal credit.

Universal credit is dependent on an individual’s circumstances, including their

housing arrangement, caring responsibilities and dependent children. This

information is not held by GEO.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer's Allowance: Prosecutions


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many prosecutions for fraud of

Carers Allowance there has been as a result of earnings exceeding the threshold by (a)

less than 10 per cent, (b) less than 20 percent, (c) less than 10 per cent after deductions

and (d) less than 20 per cent after deductions in each of the last ten years.

Justin Tomlinson:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a duty to protect public funds and

an obligation to ensure that, overpaid benefit payments are recovered in accordance

with the appropriate social security legislation.

DWP does not routinely publish prosecution statistics and the specific information

requested is not available at a granular level. This could only be obtained at


Carers Allowance claimants would only be deemed to have been overpaid if their

earnings exceeded the earnings threshold after allowable deductions have been

taken into account.



Children: Maintenance


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents at

the time of their annual review had their child maintenance calculated from income that

was earned more than two years from the date of that assessment.

Justin Tomlinson:

We do not currently report on the tax years used in the calculation of Annual

Reviews. In the spirit of answering the question asked, at the Initial Calculation stage

we use income from the following: 82% from HMRC, 9% from Benefit systems and

the remaining 9% from Paying Parents or Employers. Recent sampling of the HMRC

supplied information shows 82% of Initial assessments use income data from the last

two tax years (2017/18 & 2016/17), 10% from previous years and 8% have no tax

year provided and will not be used to calculate the assessment.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps HMRC is taking to

ensure that records on the income of Child Maintenance Service non-resident parents are

kept up to date.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of

the potential merits of only using the most recent income data in order to calculate child

maintenance payments for a non-resident parent.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how HMRC determines which full

year income records are classed as complete for a taxpayer in order to calculate child

maintenance payments.

Justin Tomlinson:

Basing the assessment on HMRC data has enabled the Child Maintenance Service

to significantly speed up the set-up of new cases which can be key to securing

regular payments. The previous approach of obtaining the information from parents

often led to considerable delays and significant arrears building up on cases right

from the start.

Child maintenance is reviewed annually using HMRC data to make sure it is in line

with a parent’s circumstances. Between those reviews, parents are required to report

any changes in their income that are greater than 25 percent – such changes will

trigger a reassessment of the maintenance due.

Income information is provided by HMRC under a data sharing agreement for the

most recent complete tax year they hold within the last six years. HMRC determines

a tax year as complete when they have accounted for all Pay As You Earn (PAYE)

and Self Assessment records.





Each year HMRC receive and process income figures from 33 million Pay As You

Earn (PAYE) and 3.3 million Self-Assessment customers. HMRC undertakes

compliance activity to ensure that the data reported to them is accurate.

My Department has recently laid regulations which would allow a notional income to

be assessed from certain assets. This will ensure that parents who are able to

organise their financial affairs to minimise their taxable income, still have an

obligation to pay maintenance for their children at a level which reflects their financial

circumstances.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance debt

was collected in each of the last three years (a) as a total amount in pounds and (b) as a

proportion of the total amount owed.

Justin Tomlinson:

Information relating to your request can be derived from Table 9 in the Child

Maintenance Service Statistics which is available at:


ent_data/file/742803/tables-child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-june-2018.ods

It should be noted that the data does not distinguish between payments made in

relation to accrued debt and those made in relation to ongoing maintenance. Further

guidance for users of the Child Maintenance Service Statistics is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-maintenance-service-2012-

scheme-experimental-statistics-background-information-and-methodology

Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on

the use of gagging clauses in contracts with third parties issued by her Department.

Justin Tomlinson:

These clauses do not prevent the contracting bodies from making statements critical

of government policy or politicians, and certainly do not prevent whistle-blowing (as

this would be unlawful). They are designed to protect government, to ensure that

contractors adhere to good working practices and do not engage in activities that will

bring the Authority into disrepute or otherwise harm the confidence of the public in

Government.

Bridget Phillipson: [182145]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of

contracts between her Department and charities include a gagging clause; and if she will

make a statement.


https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/742803/tables-child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-june-2018.ods



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-maintenance-service-2012-scheme-experimental-statistics-background-information-and-methodology





Justin Tomlinson:

These clauses do not prevent the contracting bodies from making statements critical

of government policy or politicians, and certainly do not prevent whistle-blowing (as

this would be unlawful). They are designed to protect government, to ensure that

contractors adhere to good working practices and do not engage in activities that will

bring the Authority into disrepute or otherwise harm the confidence of the public in

Government.

Employment and Support Allowance

Ian Blackford: [182232]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of

the lessons learned from the errors in the calculation of payments of employment and

support allowance.

Sarah Newton:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the urgent question on 18 October

2018: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-10-18/debates/3FBBBA7F-57A4-

460C-AE64-C58BA2A44F1E/EmploymentAndSupportAllowanceUnderpayments

We have learned a great deal from this exercise. As we have regularly told the House

and Select Committees, the culture and mechanisms in the Department for spotting

errors have been fundamentally reviewed. As we have discussed at length—this is a

matter of public record—people in the Department and stakeholders came forward

and pointed out some of the problems with the migration, but the Department

responded in the belief that they were a series of one-off errors.

Employment and Support Allowance: Ross, Skye and Lochaber

Ian Blackford: [182231]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Ross, Skye

and Lochaber constituency in receipt of employment and support allowance have been

affected by her Department's errors in the calculations of benefits.

Sarah Newton:

We are not able to make robust estimates of the numbers of cases likely to be due

arrears as part of the exercise to correct underpayments of Employment and Support

Allowance, at regional or parliamentary constituency level. All estimated numbers and

amounts are available at national level only.

We are focusing our efforts on contacting all potentially affected individuals to ensure

they are paid as quickly as possible.

A Written Statement and Frequently Asked Question document was deposited in the

House of Commons Library on Wednesday 17 th October which can be found at

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-

papers/commons/deposited-papers/. Ad hoc statistics can also be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-

affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking.



https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking



Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Selous: [180660]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which local authority areas the

£39 million is being spent in reducing parental conflict through evidence-based

interventions; over what time periods that money is being spent; whether there are plans

to make service universal; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson:

There are 31 local authorities (listed below) who will be testing DWP-funded face-to-

face interventions to reduce parental conflict. We are spending approximately £12m

on these face-to-face interventions, which will be targeted at disadvantaged families –

especially workless families, who face triple the risk of experiencing damaging

parental conflict. The first referrals will be in April 2019 and interventions will take

place for two years.

By 31 March 2019, we will also have made available approximately £9m to build local

capability in reducing parental conflict. We are providing all local authorities in

England with funding to work with their local partners to increase their strategic

capability in embedding proven parental conflict support, and we will also be funding

training for frontline practitioners, to help them to identify relationship distress; provide

initial support; and to refer appropriately.

On 23 April 2018 the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of

Work and Pensions announced £6m for a jointly funded package of measures to

support children of alcohol dependent parents. This package will run for three years

and includes:

£4.5 million Innovation Fund for local authorities to develop plans that improve

outcomes for children whose parents are dependent on alcohol and experiencing

conflict

£1 million to fund national capacity building by non-governmental organisations

£500,000 to expand national helplines for children with alcohol dependent parents

The areas which have been successful in their Innovation Fund bids are due to be

announced shortly.

We will also be working closely with all local authorities in England, including

providing expert advice and support through a team of Regional Integration Leads to

help local areas to integrate support to reduce parental conflict into mainstream

provision for children and families. This will help to ensure that more mothers and

fathers can access support to reduce parental conflict.

Further announcements will be made on other aspects of the programme in due

course.

Local Authorities where Face to Face Interventions will be delivered:

Westminster, Brent, Croydon, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden,

Hammersmith & Fulham, Gateshead, Stockton, Sunderland, South Tyneside,


Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Newcastle, Northumberland, Hartlepool,

Durham, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Southend, Essex, Buckinghamshire,

Peterborough, Dorset, Somerset, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Devon, Wiltshire, Poole,

Torbay.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Catherine McKinnell: [182286]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the

effect of the 20 metre rule in personal independence payment criteria on the (a) level of

support received by people living with multiple sclerosis and (b) costs to other

Departments of providing related services.

Sarah Newton:

The information requested to estimate the effect of the 20 metre rule in Personal

Independence Payment (PIP) on the level of support received by people with multiple

sclerosis is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

52 per cent of claimants whose main disabling condition is recorded as being multiple

sclerosis receive the highest level of support under PIP, compared to just 39 per cent

Disability Living Allowance.

The Department does not hold the data requested on the costs to other Departments

of providing related services.

The 20 metre distance was introduced in PIP to distinguish those whose mobility is

significantly more limited than others and who face even greater barriers on a day to

day basis – those who have the highest need.

Individuals who can walk more than 20 metres can still receive the enhanced rate of

the PIP mobility component, if they cannot do so safely, to an acceptable standard,

repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.

Poverty: Lone Parents


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the

Social Metrics Commission, A new measure of poverty in the UK, published in September

2018, what steps her Department is taking to support single parent families that live in

poverty.

Justin Tomlinson:

Work offers people the best opportunity to get out of poverty. Children of lone parent

workless families are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those where

their parent works full time. We are helping lone parents with the biggest challenges

they face. Universal Credit is a modern welfare system where work always pays.

Since April 2016, the Universal Credit childcare element covers up to 85% of eligible

costs, compared with 70% in the legacy tax credits system. Lone parents are also no

longer incentivised to work just 16 hours, unlike the legacy system. National Statistics

show there are 100k fewer children of lone parents in absolute poverty than 2010.



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.

Severe Disability Premium


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will permanently increase

transitional payments for the severe disability premium to £183 per month and provide

similar protections to disabled children, disabled adults under 25 and parents under 25.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Written Statement of 7

June 2018 on Universal Credit, HCWS745, if she will ensure that transitional protection

for people entitled to Severe Disability Premium will not fall below £183 per month; if she

will make this a permanent top-up to universal credit; and if she will extend these

arrangements to (a) disabled children, (b) disabled adults (c) under 25s and (d) parents

under 25.

Sarah Newton:

Our draft regulations setting out our proposals for managed migration and the

consideration of Transitional Protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory

Committee in June 2018. These include provisions to help provide financial support

for existing and former Severe Disability Premium recipients.

The details set out in the UC draft managed migration regulations confirm that we are

spending £3.1 billion on Transitional Protections for 1.3 million claimants, to ensure

that no one loses out at the point of transition.

We are also spending an additional £1.4 billion on protection for 500,000 claimants

receiving Severe Disability Premium; these regulations will prevent these claimants

from moving over before the managed migration process, and provide financial

protection for those who have already moved over.

The Committee referred these for a formal public consultation. We are currently

considering the Committee’s report on the result of this consultation together with

their recommendations with regard to our proposals. We will be issuing that report

and our response to it when we bring the draft regulations before Parliament in the

autumn.



Social Security Benefits: Children

Danielle Rowley: [182222]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the evidential base is for the

claim that the two-child limit policy will encourage families to reflect carefully on their

readiness to support an additional child; and how that claim relates to families who

already have two or more children.

Alok Sharma:

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to Question 181634 on 24 October 2018.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Mr Roger Godsiff: [182086]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times her Department

has contacted the doctor or healthcare worker of a benefits claimant to request medical

evidence for their claim in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah Newton:

Where further medical evidence is required, it will be requested directly from a Doctor

or Healthcare worker. In the majority of cases, further medical evidence will be

requested by a Health Professional who is directly involved with the case. DWP do

not hold this level of Management Information across all benefits.

Marion Fellows: [182246]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal audits of

claimant health assessments were carried out by the organisations responsible for (a)

work capability and (b) personal independence payment assessments in each year for

which information is available.

Sarah Newton:

Internal audit, as carried out by the suppliers, is one element of the supplier quality

management regime, which is subject to ongoing review. Information on the internal

audit of our Assessment Providers is not a contractual MI requirement and the

collective information you have requested is not available.

Marion Fellows: [182305]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18

October 2018 to Question 178516 on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if

her Department will (a) review its policy to send only the latest copy of a person's

assessment report and (b) provide (i) all copies of those reports and (ii) explanations of

any amendments to ensure that the process is transparent.

Sarah Newton:

It is Department for Work and Pensions policy to provide only the latest copy of the

assessment report to claimants upon request, as this supersedes any previous report

and is the report used by the Case Manager to make the decision.





Unemployed People: Basic Skills

Chris Evans: [179203]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is

taking to support unemployed adults without basic literacy skills.

Alok Sharma:

Jobcentre Plus works in partnership with local training providers to deliver essential

communication skills, numeracy skills, digital literacy skills and English for Speakers

of Other Languages (ESOL) training to unemployed benefit claimants in England,

Scotland and Wales.

Wider adult education and skills policy is the responsibility of the Department for

Education in England and devolved to the Scottish and Welsh Governments in

Scotland and Wales.

Universal Credit

Sir Mark Hendrick: [175951]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18

September 2018 to Question HL9912 on universal credit, if she will make an assessment

of the adequacy of the steps that the Government is taking to ensure the accuracy of the

electronic verification of universal credit claimants who meet the eligibility criteria for free

school meals.

Alok Sharma:

The Department works closely with the Department for Education (DfE) to assist it

deliver its Free School Meals policy.

DWP has a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with DfE over the transfer of data from

the Universal Credit system to the Passported Benefits Eligibility checking system.

Data is received from the Universal Credit system, on a daily basis. This means that

the data is at most 23 hours and 59 minutes old, depending on when the claimant /

agent last updated the record.

If a claimant has an open Universal Credit full service claim their take home pay is

compared against the earning threshold. As a safeguard for claimants who have

fluctuating earnings, the take-home pay is checked going back up to 3 months. In

these cases, the take-home pay is aggregated to give an amount for use in the

eligibility calculation.

DfE have processes in place to inform and deal with delays to ensure no claimants

lose out as a result of this.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure

that under managed migration welfare claimants do not miss the application deadline for

their new benefit before losing their legacy benefits; and what (a) protections and (b)

support she plans to put in place for those who do miss that deadline.




Alok Sharma:

The regulation to enact managed migration will come before Parliament this autumn

and are subject to parliamentary approval. We will only begin migrating people onto

Universal Credit at volume after a careful and robust period of testing, with up to

10,000 being migrated in the test phase. We take seriously the need to support

vulnerable claimants moving to Universal Credit; we will work with stakeholders and

organisations to understand the best way to support all of our customers to move to

Universal Credit. Through a safe and gradual start for Managed Migration, we will be

able to determine the best way to support everyone to successfully move to Universal

Credit.

In our high-level design for managed migration, there is a comprehensive preparation

period for claimants, which will last between four to six months. During this time,

claimants will receive initial communications to alert them to the fact their legacy

benefits will be ending and that they need to make a claim for Universal Credit. These

communications will also outline the additional support available to help them to

make their claim.

After this period, claimants will receive a migration notification which sets out the

timescale for them to make their Universal Credit claim. The regulations set out a

minimum of one month but there is flexibility to extend this period if it is identified that

certain claimants, such as those who are vulnerable or have complex needs, require

longer timescales to make their Universal Credit claim. There is no limit on the

number of times that a claimant may ask to extend their deadline, providing that they

have a good reason for doing so. Each request for an extension will be considered on

its own merits

During the notification period, claimants who have not already made a Universal

Credit claim by a certain point will also be reminded that they will have to make a

Universal Credit claim by their deadline. This contact also makes it possible for

agents to gauge whether a claimant is having difficulty in making a Universal Credit

claim and take action if needed by extending the deadline for the Universal Credit

claim to be made or arranging appropriate support to help the claimant complete the

migration process.

In the event that a claimant fails to make a Universal Credit claim before their

deadline, an agent will check for evidence of complex needs or vulnerability before

the existing benefits are stopped, to ensure that these claimants are safeguarded.

Anyone who fails to claim by their given deadline, but does so within a month after

that deadline, will have their claim backdated and be considered for Transitional

Protection if they meet the prescribed criteria.

Mr Roger Godsiff: [182088]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the potential merits of allocating funding to enable the work allowance threshold for

universal credit to be set at its pre-2015 level.


Alok Sharma:

The 2015 Summer Budget announced a measure to reduce and simplify work

allowances, supporting the Government’s intention to move from a low wage, high tax

society to a high wage, low tax society. This measure protects those on the very

lowest income, while ensuring that incentives to progress in work remain and are

improved for those taken off the benefits system altogether.

Work allowances for 2018-19 rose in line with the Consumer Price Index (3%).

Jessica Morden: [182137]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department's

classifies a student loan as income in the calculation of universal credit payments.

Alok Sharma:

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 179316 on 18 October 2018.

Jessica Morden: [182138]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons are for the

different rates for the standard allowance of universal credit for claimants aged (a) under

25, and (b) 25 and over; and what comparative assessment her Department has made of

the difference in the cost of living for those two groups of people.

Alok Sharma:

The lower rates for younger claimants who are under the age of 25 years reflects the

fact that they are more likely to live in someone else's household and have lower

living costs and lower earnings expectations. This also reinforces the stronger work

incentives that Universal Credit creates for this age group.

Universal Credit also includes support for housing costs, children and childcare costs

and support for disabled people and carers.

As the differing rates broadly reflect those in the currently legacy benefits system, no

comparative assessment has been made.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ensure that those whose

earnings temporarily increase above the threshold for receipt of universal credit will

continue to qualify for transitional protection if they become eligible for universal credit

again within nine months.

Alok Sharma:


consideration of transitional protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory

Committee in June 2018 and the Committee referred these for a formal public

consultation. We are currently considering the Committee’s report on the result of this

consultation together with their recommendations with regard to our proposals. We

will be issuing that report and our response to it when we bring the draft regulations

before Parliament in the autumn.





To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is

taking to (a) promote the option of universal credit split payments and (b) reduce the risks

from selecting that option.

Alok Sharma:

Split payments are available to claimants to prevent hardship and are considered in

certain circumstances, such as in cases of domestic violence, financial abuse or

where one partner has mismanaged the household finances. Our staff work closely

with claimants, ensuring that any vulnerability is identified at an early stage; and tailor

the support they provide to the claimant’s needs. No information relating to the split

payment, including why a split payment has been granted, is recorded on the

claimant’s individual online journal or shared with the other member of the couple.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to carry out a

new equality impact assessment of universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma:

In line with Ministers’ legal duties equality impacts have been considered on all major

changes to Universal Credit.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the effect on the finances of claimants of excluding claimants that previously made a

defective claim for universal credit from eligibility for transitional protection as part of the

process of managed migration.

Alok Sharma:


consideration of transitional protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory

Committee in June 2018. The Committee referred these for a formal public

consultation and we are currently considering the Committee’s report on the result of

this consultation together with their recommendations with regard to our proposals.

We will be issuing that report and our response to it when we bring the draft

regulations before Parliament.

Universal Credit: Depressive Illnesses


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claimants of

universal credit with a diagnosis of depression (a) not receive an award after their initial

assessment and (b) received an award after tribunal.

Sarah Newton:

This information is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate

cost.





Universal Credit: Glasgow North East


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many constituents in Glasgow

North East constituency in receipt of legacy benefits will be financially worse off as a

result of the universal credit full service migration at Springburn Job Centre from 31

October 2018.

Alok Sharma:

[Holding answer 23 October 2018]: The Department does not hold data at

constituency level on the number of claimants who will naturally migrate to Universal

Credit.

Universal Credit Full Service will be rolled out at Springburn Jobcentre on 31 October

2018. This will not affect existing benefit entitlements for claimants whose

circumstances remain the same.

Claimants will move from existing benefits to Universal Credit through natural

migration or managed migration. Natural migration occurs when they experience a

change in their circumstances that would trigger the need for a new claim to benefit.

Rather than continuing to claim a legacy benefit, the claimant will claim Universal

Credit and their Universal Credit award will be based on their new circumstances. No

one will have a reduced benefit entitlement at the point that they move over to

Universal Credit as a result of managed migration, and one million more disabled

people will get, on average, £110 more a week through Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Mental Illness


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department

made during the development process of the universal credit managed migration process

of the effect of the migration notice process on people with mental health problems.

Sarah Newton:

We take seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants moving to Universal

Credit, including those with mental health problems. We will work with stakeholders

and organisations to understand the best way to support all of our customers through

managed migration. For example, we intend to ensure that agents check for evidence

of complex needs or vulnerability, to ensure that those claimants who need additional

help with migration are offered the appropriate support. Working with stakeholders,

there will be a lengthy period of small-scale, careful and robust testing, including how

we best notify and engage with claimants – particularly the most vulnerable – before

we increase volumes.

DWP published an equality impact assessment for Universal Credit in 2011 which

introduced UC and provided for managed migration and Transitional Protection. In

line with Ministers’ legal duties equality impacts have been considered on all major

changes to Universal Credit



Universal Credit: Scotland


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department’s timetable is

for providing automatic split payments of universal credit in Scotland.

Alok Sharma:

Universal Credit Scottish Choices (Flexibilities), including split payments, are a matter

for the Scottish Government as part of the Scotland Act 2016. We continue to work

closely with the Scottish Government to support the development and implementation

of this policy.

Universal Credit: Single Parents

Stephen Lloyd: [172584]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unemployed single

parent households are in receipt of universal credit.

Alok Sharma:

[Holding answer 13 September 2018]: The table below provides the estimated

number of households on Universal Credit occupied by single parents in June 2018

by employment status. The accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with

the figures provided.

Estimated number of households on Universal Credit occupied by single parents, by

employment status, Great Britain, June 2018

EMPLOYMENT STATUS NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS

Employed 91,000

Unemployed 107,000

Source: Household and people on Universal Credit datasets

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Individual figures may not add

up to the total due to rounding.

1. These figures have been calculated by matching the Universal Credit household

dataset, which contains information about family type, with the people on Universal

Credit dataset, which contains information about employment. The figure for

households occupied by single parents has been deduced where the household

has a family type of ‘single with child dependant(s)’. It has not been possible to

determine the employment status of approximately 8,000 single parent households.

1. A count date of the second Thursday of the month is used when calculating the

statistics for the people and households on Universal Credit. An individual on

Universal Credit at the count date will be recorded as in employment if they have



employment earnings recorded within their completed Universal Credit assessment

period closest to the count date. They may not be in employment on the count date.

1. Further information on the background and methodology can be accessed here:


ent_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf

WRITTEN STATEMENTS

ATTORNEY GENERAL

HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (Reappointment of Chief Inspector)

Attorney General (Mr Geoffrey Cox): [HCWS1032]

I am today announcing the reappointment of Kevin McGinty CBE as the Chief Inspector

of HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate for a further two years. Mr McGinty was

appointed in April 2015 for four years and his contract was due to finish on 31 March

2019.

The Prime Minister has been notified of this reappointment. Also, this role is subject to

scrutiny by the Justice Select Committee. The Committee, to whom I’m most grateful

have been consulted and fully support the reappointment.

CABINET OFFICE

Cabinet Committees and Implementation Task Forces

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr

David Lidington): [HCWS1035]

Today I am publishing the updated list of Cabinet Committees and Implementation Task

Forces (ITFs).

The updated list includes a new National Security Council (Cross-Government Funds)

sub-Committee, which will provide strategic direction to the Conflict, Stability and Security

Fund and the Prosperity Fund.

Copies of the associated documents will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and

published on gov.uk.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-

cabinet-committees

EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION

EU Exit

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Dominic Raab):

[HCWS1031]

Section 18 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act conferred a legal obligation for a Minister of the

Crown to lay before both Houses of Parliament a statement in writing outlining the steps

taken by Her Majesty’s Government to seek to negotiate an agreement, as part of the

framework for the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the EU, for the United

Kingdom to participate in a customs arrangement with the EU, before 31st October 2018.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-10-25/HCWS1032/


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees





The Government published a White Paper earlier this year setting out its proposal for the

UK’s future relationship with the EU, including a new customs arrangement. The UK

proposed the establishment of a free trade area for goods that would avoid friction at the

border, protect jobs and livelihoods, and ensure that the UK and the EU could meet their

commitments to Northern Ireland and Ireland through the overall future relationship. The

new customs arrangement would support this by removing the need for customs checks

and controls at the border between the UK and the EU, while allowing the UK to forge

new trading relationships with partners around the world.

The UK would apply the EU’s tariffs and trade policy for goods intended for the EU, and

the UK’s tariffs and trade policy for goods intended for the UK. Mirroring the EU’s

customs approach at its external border would ensure that goods entering the EU via the

UK have complied with EU customs processes and the correct EU duties have been paid.

This would include the UK maintaining a common customs rulebook with the EU. It would

remove the need for customs declarations, routine requirements for rules of origin, and

entry and exit summary declarations. Together with the wider free trade area, the new

customs arrangement would preserve frictionless trade for the majority of UK goods

trade, and reduce frictions for UK trade with the rest of the world through a range of

unilateral and bilateral facilitations. The UK’s goal is to facilitate the greatest possible

trade, whether with the EU or the rest of the world. There would need to be a phased

approach to implementation of the model.

The UK recognises that this approach would need to be consistent with the integrity of

the EU’s Customs Union and that the EU would need to be confident that goods cannot

enter its customs territory without the correct tariff and trade policy being applied. To that

end, the UK proposed that where a good reached the UK border and the destination

could not be robustly demonstrated at the point of import, it would pay the higher of the

UK or EU tariff. Where the good’s destination was later identified to be in the lower tariff

jurisdiction, it would be eligible for a repayment from the UK Government equal to the

difference between the two tariffs. The UK proposed agreeing with the EU a new trusted

trader scheme to allow firms to pay the correct tariff at the UK border without needing to

engage with the repayment mechanism. Both sides would need to agree the

circumstances in which repayments could be granted, which is most likely to be relevant

to intermediate goods. The UK also proposed agreeing a mechanism with the EU for the

remittance of relevant tariff revenue, such as a tariff revenue formula, taking account of

goods destined for the UK entering via the EU and goods destined for the EU entering via

the UK.

To ensure that new declarations and border checks between the UK and the EU do not

need to be introduced for VAT and Excise purposes, the UK also proposed the

application of common cross-border processes and procedures for VAT and Excise, as

well as some administrative cooperation and information exchange to underpin risk-

based enforcement. These common processes and procedures would apply to the trade

in goods, small parcels and to individuals travelling with goods (including alcohol and

tobacco) for personal use.

The UK’s proposal is designed to make the arrangements as simple as possible for those

who need to use them, and the UK would continue to explore options to use future

advancements in technology to streamline the process.

As the Prime Minister set out in her update to the House of Commons on 22 October

2018, we have made good progress in negotiations with the EU on both the Withdrawal

Agreement and the political declaration on our future relationship. On the political

declaration on our future relationship, the UK and the EU have discussed each element

of the UK’s proposals, including the future customs arrangement. The UK will continue to

work with the European Union on finalising the Withdrawal Agreement and the political

declaration on our future relationship and, as set out in the European Union (Withdrawal)

Act 2018, the House of Commons must vote to approve that deal before the Withdrawal

Agreement can be ratified.

General Affairs Council, October 2018

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European

Union (Mr Robin Walker): [HCWS1036]

Lord Callanan, Minister of State for Exiting the European Union, has made the following

statement:

I represented the UK at the General Affairs Council (GAC) meeting on 16 October in

Luxembourg. A provisional report of the meeting and the conclusions adopted can be

found on the Council of the European Union’s website at:

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/gac/2018/10/16/

Preparation of October European Council

The Council discussed the draft conclusions for the European Council meeting on 18

October at which leaders from the 28 EU states discussed Migration, Internal Security

and External Relations.

Ministers were content with the conclusions text on Migration. I stated that the UK viewed

the text as being balanced and welcomed the focus on developing operational outcomes.

I also welcomed the intention to tackle people-smuggling networks and monitor and

disrupt their online communications.

On Internal Security, I welcomed the references to the attack in Salisbury in March and

the attempted cyber-attack carried out against the Organisation for the Prohibition of

Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in April. I called for the acceleration of work to establish a

cyber toolkit capable of responding to malicious cyber-attacks through restrictive

measures.

Following Ministers’ discussions, the European Council discussed External Relations,

including the EU-Africa partnership and the upcoming summit between the 28 EU

Member States with the League of Arab States on 24 to 25 February 2019.

Rule of Law in Poland




The Commission updated the Council on the most recent developments regarding the

Rule of Law in Poland. The Commission called for a further hearing at a future meeting of

the Council. In previous discussions on this matter, the UK has intervened to highlight the

importance of the Rule of Law. Consequently, I did not intervene on this occasion.

Respect for EU values in Hungary

The Presidency provided the Council with an update on the next procedural steps

following the European Parliament’s triggering of the Article 7(1) Treaty on European

Union (TEU) procedure for Hungary. This was the first GAC at which Ministers had

considered the Article 7(1) TEU process against Hungary and I intervened to reaffirm the

value that the UK places on the importance of the Rule of Law.

Multiannual financial framework

The Presidency provided the Council with an assessment of the latest position in the

ongoing Multiannual Financial Framework discussions.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

DFID’s work to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and

sexual harassment in the aid sector

Secretary of State for International Development (Penny Mordaunt):

[HCWS1033]

Following my Oral Statement of 20 February and my Written Ministerial Statements of 20

March and 17 May, I am updating the House on the outcomes of the international summit

that I hosted in London on 18 October, Putting People First: Tackling Sexual Exploitation

and Abuse and Sexual Harassment in the Aid Sector.

1. The aims of the summit

Last week’s summit followed the event on 5 March which I co-hosted with the Charity

Commission and where I announced new, enhanced safeguarding standards for the

organisations DFID works with. The 18 October summit was attended by over 500

participants and focused on driving up the safeguarding standards of organisations

worldwide who work in the international aid sector.

Aid must be delivered in a way which does no harm. If not, we will have failed in our duty

to protect the most vulnerable. We must deter wrongdoing and hold perpetrators to

account. This includes enabling prosecutions by law enforcement agencies if justified.

This work is driven by four things: our determination to prevent incidents of sexual

exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment from happening in the aid sector in the

first place; to listen to those who are affected when it does occur; to respond robustly but

sensitively; and to learn from every case.

The summit helped provide a focus for the work driven by the UK since February. Our

major partners were asked to attend the summit with concrete practical actions which will

bring about significant changes. I am pleased that many of them rose to the challenge.



Donors (representing over 90% of global Official Development Assistance in 2017), the

United Nations, International Financial Institutions, CDC (the UK’s Development Finance

Institution) and representatives of around five hundred major British NGOs, contractors

and research organisations each presented commitments. In total, there were eight

separate sets of collective commitments.

Each document stated what that group of organisations will do to achieve four long term

fundamental changes -or strategic shifts- to fundamentally rewrite the way the aid sector

operates, from root to branch:

Ensure support for survivors, victims and whistle-blowers; enhance accountability

and transparency; strengthen reporting; and tackle impunity;

Incentivise cultural change through strong leadership, organisational accountability

and better human resource processes;

Adopt global standards and ensure they are met or exceeded; and

Strengthen organisational capacity and capability across the international aid

sector to meet these standards.

2. Specific initiatives unveiled at the summit

Measures announced to help deliver the four shifts included:

a new international vetting scheme for aid workers led by Interpol, to be piloted

over five years with DFID funding, to deter abusers from entering the sector and to

identify and arrest them quickly if they do;

UK NGOs with support from DFID will test a “passport” for aid workers to prove an

individual’s identity, provide background information on their previous employment

and vetting status;

a new Disclosure of Misconduct Scheme across the NGO sector to prevent known

perpetrators moving around undetected – organisations with over 50,000 staff have

already signed up, and I expect the coverage to increase significantly in the months

ahead;

agreement among 22 major donors on common global safeguarding standards

which organisations must meet if they want to receive funding from those donors;

a resource and support hub funded by DFID to help smaller organisations

understand and meet those standards, including access to specialist investigators;

all donors and other participants committed to have at least one named senior level

champion accountable for work on safeguarding issues and to encourage annual

discussions of safeguarding at board level as well as the recruitment and career

development of women throughout organisations;

DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will support the development of a

United Nations statement of victims’ rights to allow people to understand their

rights, and to have confidence that they can find help if those rights are threatened

or violated; and

the Disasters Emergency Committee to test shared reporting hotlines for raising

concerns in future emergencies, along with a review of how they respond to

community feedback.

3. Next steps to ensure delivery

The measures agreed will help to deliver root and branch change in the way the aid

sector approaches safeguarding issues. They send a powerful message to any

individuals who might look to exploit power imbalances and the vulnerability of those who

the aid sector is there to help. They also send a powerful message that survivors and

victims’ voices must be heard.

In the interests of transparency and accountability the sets of commitments made by the

UK with 21 other donors, and those made by our major domestic and international

partners can be found here. A fuller outcome summary is available online along with

other key documents from the day. My Department will continue to report on progress via

its annual report to Parliament.

This remains a long-term agenda requiring leadership and culture change. That is why

donors agreed to meet no later than October 2019 to assess progress on their

commitments, while continuing to liaise regularly to keep up the pace of progress and

share lessons. Donors also agreed to support the OECD Development Assistance

Committee (DAC) to formulate a new DAC instrument that in 2019 will set standards on

preventing and managing the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse in development

cooperation, and drive donor accountability in meeting them. The 12 commitments to

change in the UK NGO document presented to the summit will become part of the Bond

Charter, which forms the common vision, purpose, values and principles of the Bond

network covering more than 420 international development and humanitarian

organisations. Other commitment documents include similar tools for tracking progress.

The summit galvanised the whole sector and provided a framework which was previously

lacking to drive further progress. I will continue to ensure this issue remains a focus

across the international system as there is still much work to do. But the summit was a

key moment to say ‘No more’ and to deliver some of the practical tools to give the people

that the aid sector is here to help the protection that they need.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Appointment of new Prime Minister's Trade Envoys to Tanzania and Kenya

Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (Dr

Liam Fox): [HCWS1030]

The Prime Minister has approved two new appointments to the Trade Envoy programme.

Pauline Latham MP has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Kenya

and Andrew Rosindell MP as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Tanzania. These new

appointments take the total number to 33 parliamentarians covering 63 markets. The

Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy programme is an unpaid and voluntary cross-party

network, who support the UK’s ambitious trade and investment agenda in global markets.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?publication_filter_option=all&topics%5B%5D=safeguarding-summit-2018

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?publication_filter_option=all&topics%5B%5D=safeguarding-summit-2018

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-summit-2018-hosts-outcome-summary

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-summit-2018-hosts-outcome-summary


World Trade Organisation Update

Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (Dr

Liam Fox): [HCWS1034]

I am pleased to announce to the House that following the circulation of our Goods

Schedule at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, the period for certification has

ended. As expected, some trading partners have expressed reservations about our

proposed treatment of Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs). I am therefore announcing today that

the UK intends to enter negotiations with relevant partners under Article XXVIII of the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The notification to formally invite claims in that

process is now being prepared. Through the Article XXVIII process the aim is to reach a

mutually satisfactory conclusion that maintains the balance of rights and obligations for

the UK and our trading partners

JUSTICE

Opt-in decision on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of

the Council establishing the Justice programme

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr David Gauke):

[HCWS1037]

The Government has decided not to opt in to a proposal for a Regulation of the European

Parliament and the Council establishing a Justice Programme.

The Justice Programme aims to support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters,

promote judicial training and facilitate access to justice. It forms part of the Justice, Rights

and Values Fund within the proposals for the EU’s new Multiannual Financial Framework,

the EU’s budget for the period 2021-2027. The proposal has a Justice and Home Affairs

legal base, and so the UK must take an opt-in decision under Title V of the Treaty on the

Functioning of the European Union.

Given that the Justice Programme will run from January 2021 to December 2027, the UK

will have left the EU and come to the end of any anticipated Implementation Period

(which would conclude in December 2020) before the Programme comes into effect. The

European Commission has therefore drafted the Regulation establishing the Programme

on the basis that the UK will not be able to participate as an EU Member State, as it will

no longer be part of the European Union. Opting in to the proposal would not

automatically allow us to participate in the Justice Programme when it comes into effect,

but it would allow the UK to have a vote on the proposals until March 2019 and potentially

influence its development. If we wanted to join the Programme after leaving the EU, we

would need to negotiate with the European Commission to do so as a Third Country.

The UK did not opt in to the existing Justice Programme running from 2014-2020. It was

considered that the benefits to the UK from the Programme (in terms of receiving funding




for UK organisations to carry out activities under the Programme) did not outweigh its

costs to the Government.

Given these reasons, the government has concluded that it is not in the national interest

to opt in to the Justice Programme.

daily report thursday, 25 october 2018 contents€¦ · kosovo: serbia 25 libya: armed forces 26...

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