Daily Report Thursday, 16 May 2019

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 16 May 2019 and the

information is correct at the time of publication (06:35 P.M., 16 May 2019). 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

Attorney General: Former

Ministers 6

Rape: Disclosure of

Information 6

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 7

Cars: Hire Services 7

Coal Fired Power Stations 7

Energy: Meters 8

Flexible Working 8

Living Wage and Minimum

Wage: Non-payment 9

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme 10

Renewable Energy: Feed-in

Tariffs 10

Solar Power 10

Solar Power: Housing 11

Wind Power 11

CABINET OFFICE 12

Belfast Agreement 12

Cabinet Office: Former

Ministers 12

Cabinet Office: Retirement 12

Chancellor of the Duchy of

Lancaster: Energy 13

Employment 14

Fuels: Tax Evasion 14

Gold and Foreign Exchange

Reserves 14

Government: Loans 15

Unemployment: Epilepsy 15

DEFENCE 15

China: Telecommunications 15

Defence: Contracts 16

NATO: Joint Exercises 16

War Graves: Falkland Islands 16

Yemen: Military Intervention 17

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND

SPORT 17

Broadband: Fees and Charges 17

Disinformation 18

Internet: Safety 18

Internet: Security 18

Service Industries: Flexible

Working 19

Social Media: Freedom of

Expression 19

EDUCATION 19

Bullying 19

Children in Care: Health 20

Educational Exchanges 21

English Baccalaureate 22

Literacy: Essex 22

Morning Lane Associates 23

Pupil Premium: Leeds 24

Pupils: Absenteeism 24

Pupils: Discipline 24

Schools: Racial Discrimination 25

Secondary Education: Free

School Meals 26

STEM Subjects: Higher

Education 26

Universities: Disclosure of

Information 27

Universities: Northern Ireland 28

Vocational Training: North

Cornwall 28

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND

RURAL AFFAIRS 29

Agriculture: Apprentices 29

Agriculture: Subsidies 30

Air Pollution 30

Birds: Pest Control 32

Coal: Heating 33

Fisheries: Quotas 33

Fuel Poverty 33

Furosemide 34

Moorland: Conservation 34

Pesticides 35

Rural Areas 35

Seafood: Northern Ireland 35

Solid Fuels: Heating 36

EXITING THE EUROPEAN

UNION 36

Agriculture: Subsidies 36

Brexit 37

Free Movement of People:

Musicians 37

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 38

China: Taiwan 38

Foreign and Commonwealth

Office: Former Ministers 38

France and New Zealand:

Social Media 38

Hungary: Foreign Relations 39

Iran: Ethnic Groups 39

Israel: Official Visits 39

Italy: Foreign Relations 39

North Korea: Sanctions 40

Pakistan: Minority Groups 40

Palestinians: Foreign

Relations 41

Poland: Foreign Relations 41

Sri Lanka: Nature

Conservation and Terrorism 42

Yemen: Military Intervention 42

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 43

Abortion 43

Brain: Injuries 43

Breast Cancer: Screening 43

Crimes of Violence 44

Dementia 44

Dementia: Diagnosis 44

Department of Health and

Social Care: Retirement 45

Foetuses 45

General Practitioners: Finance 46

Health: Research 46

Healthy Start Scheme 47

HIV Infection: Drugs 47

Homelessness: Death 47

Hospitals: Discharges 48

Insulin 49

Medicine: Research 51

Mental Health Services 51

Primary Health Care 52

Prisoners: Injuries 52

Royal College of Obstetricians

and Gynaecologists 53

Self-harm and Suicide 53

Social Care: Abuse 53

Social Services: Fees and

Charges 54

Vaccination: Children 54

HOME OFFICE 55

Asset Recovery Incentivisation

Scheme 55

Asylum 56

Asylum: Applications 58

Asylum: Employment 59

Asylum: Housing 60

Asylum: Namibia 60

British Nationality:

Assessments 61

Deportation: Homosexuality 61

Deportation: Sri Lanka 61

Drugs: Misuse 62

Early Intervention Youth Fund:

Greater London 62

European Arrest Warrants:

Northern Ireland 63

Home Office: Former Ministers 63

Homicide: Criminal

Investigation 63

Immigrants: Lewisham 64

Immigration: EU Nationals 64

İyad el-Baghdadi 66

Knife Crime Community Fund:

Greater London 66

Knives: Crime 67

Missing Persons 68

Organised Crime: Proceeds of

Crime 68

Police: Pensions 69

Stop and Search: Costs 69

Stop and Search: Lewisham 69

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 70

Flexible Working 70

Non-domestic Rates 70

Sleeping Rough: Veterans 70

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 72

Developing Countries:

Abortion 72

Hebron: Visits Abroad 72

Overseas Aid 73

Sierra Leone: Debts 73

Sierra Leone: Overseas Aid 73

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 74

Overseas Trade 74

JUSTICE 74

Criminal Proceedings: Sexual

Offences 74

Domestic Violence: North

West Durham 75

Family Courts: Lone Parents 76

Prison Sentences: Females 76

Prisons: Contracts 77

Sexual Offences: Legal

Representation 77

Sexual Offences: Victims 78

Social Security Benefits:

Appeals 79

TRANSPORT 80

Airports: National Policy

Statements 80

East Midlands Rail Franchise 80

Ebbsfleet Station 81

Flexible Working 81

Gatwick Airport: Railways 82

Great Western Rail Franchise 82

Great Western Railway Line:

Catering 83

Harrow and Wealdstone

Station 83

Harrow and Wealdstone

Station: Parking 84

High Speed 2 Railway Line 84

Large Goods Vehicles:

Accidents 85

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety 85

Railways: Harrow 86

Railways: Kent 87

Railways: North Cornwall 87

South Eastern Rail Franchise:

Compensation 87

Taxis: Guide Dogs 88

TREASURY 88

Assistance Animals: Food 88

Beer: Excise Duties 88

Doctors: Pensions 89

Musicians: EU Countries 89

Pensioners: Stamp Duty Land

Tax 89

Sanitary Protection: VAT 90

Treasury: Retirement 90

WORK AND PENSIONS 91

Registration of Births, Deaths,

Marriages and Civil

Partnerships 91

Social Security Benefits:

Disqualification 91

Social Security Benefits:

Married People 92

Universal Credit 92

Universal Credit: Domestic

Abuse 92

MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS 94

JUSTICE 94

Members: Correspondence 94

WRITTEN STATEMENTS 95

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 95

ENABLE Guarantee Scheme 95

Industrial Strategy Update 95

CABINET OFFICE 97

The European Union

(Withdrawal) Act and Common

Frameworks 97

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 97

Iraq: Export Licence System 97

NATO Parliamentary

Assembly 98

HOME OFFICE 98

European Union JHA Opt-In

Decisions: Second Additional

Protocol to the Cybercrime

Convention and EU US

negotiations on cross-border

data access 98

TREASURY 99 ECOFIN: 17 May 2019 99

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

Attorney General: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: [253623]

To ask the Attorney General, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under

section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Lucy Frazer:

The Attorney General’s Office has made no payments to Honourable Members under

section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July

2016.

Since 13 July 2016, two Ministers have left office, both were as a result of a

Ministerial reshuffle and as such no severance payments were made.

Reports of any Ministerial severance pay are published in the audited annual report

and accounts for HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor and can be found on

gov.uk.

Rape: Disclosure of Information

Paul Farrelly: [252498]

To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on

victims of rape of CPS rape and sexual offence legal guidance in relation to disclosure of

medical records and counselling notes.

Lucy Frazer:

All complainants are entitled to protection from unnecessary and unjustified invasion

of their private lives. Medical records and counselling notes will routinely engage an

individual’s Article 8 ECHR right to privacy.

CPS guidance is clear that where it is a reasonable line of enquiry in the

investigation, the police should obtain the complainant’s informed consent to gain

access to these records and, in the limited circumstances where it is appropriate, to

enable disclosure of material to the defence. Where records amount to unused

material, prosecutors will robustly apply the relevant statutory provisions when

deciding whether such material should be disclosed to the defence.

The CPS is working with the police and stakeholders to ensure complainants are

aware of why their records are required and how they will be used to allow them to

make an informed decision.

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Cars: Hire Services

Paul Girvan: [252619]

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

an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory membership group for

car hire companies to (a) better protect consumers and (b) ensure adequate standards in

the industry.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Government has not made any assessment of introducing a mandatory

membership group for car hire companies.

There is strong consumer protection legislation in place that protects consumers

when dealing with traders, including car hire companies, namely the Consumer

Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and

the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges)

Regulations 2013. In addition, the Competition and Markets Authority has considered

and carried out enforcement action against certain car hire companies for breaches

of consumer protection legislation and has produced guidance for businesses and

consumers. Further information can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-leads-europe-wide-action-on-car-hire.

For further information on their rights, consumers should contact the Citizens Advice

consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 ( www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ ). The helpline

offers free advice to consumers on their rights and how to take their complaint

forward. The helpline will also refer on complaints to the relevant authority for further

enforcement action where appropriate.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Hugh Gaffney: [252871]

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

assessment he has made of the trends in the level of coal-generating electricity supplied

to the national grid.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The ‘Updated Energy and Emissions Projections 2018[1] includes data on previous

levels and future projections of coal-generated electricity.

There has been a rapid decline in the use of coal in power generation in recent years,

from 40% in 2012 to 7% in 2017. We have seen regular periods of zero coal

generation since summer 2016. Between 1 May and 8 May 2019, Great Britain went

a week without coal-fired electricity generation for the first time since the Industrial

Revolution. The Government has committed to phase out all unabated coal-fired

electricity generation by 2025.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-

projections-2018

Energy: Meters

Patrick Grady: [253634]

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

Government has spent on TV and radio advertising to promote smart meters.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Smart Energy GB is responsible for the national consumer awareness campaign for

smart meters in Great Britain. Smart Energy GB is an independent, not for profit

organisation funded by energy suppliers. Details of Smart Energy GB’s budget can

be found at: https://www.smartenergygb.org/en/about-us/essential-documents.

Patrick Grady: [253635]

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

assessment he has made of the extent to which the Data Communications Company will

install upgraded communication software to SMETS1 smart meters by 2020.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Data Communications Company (DCC) and energy suppliers have obligations to

upgrade their systems and operate SMETS1 smart meters within the DCC’s national

communications network by the end of 2020.

Patrick Grady: [253636]

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

assessment he has made of the potential merits of conducting a new cost-benefit

analysis of the smart meter roll-out over the last five years.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Government is committed to publishing a new Cost Benefit Analysis for the

Smart Meter Implementation Programme this year.

Flexible Working

Sir Vince Cable: [253477]

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

Department is taking to support increased (a) home and flexible working and (b) provision

of co-working spaces.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Government is actively supporting good quality flexible working, of which home

working can be part, and the provision of co-working spaces.

We have set up, with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the

Flexible Working Taskforce to promote wider understanding and implementation of

inclusive flexible work and working practices. In January this year the Taskforce

published a business case, supporting guidance and its members committed to

support and promote the “Happy to Talk Flexible Working” campaign.

We have committed to consult on a new duty on employers to consider when a job

can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising.

We have also committed to review the statutory right to request flexible working in

2020 and have commissioned some of the surveys to gather data for that work.

Through the Local Enterprise Partnership we promote economic growth and jobs in

local areas. In order to deliver this objective, some LEPs have supported the creation

of co-working spaces alongside advice and other support for business start-ups. This

is being done in a number of ways, including through Growth Hubs and innovation

centres.

Sir Vince Cable: [253478]

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

he has made of the contribution to the economy of home and flexible working.

Kelly Tolhurst:

We carried out an impact assessment in 2014 on the extension of the statutory right

to request flexible working, estimating a total benefit (net present value) of £474.9

million. This figure incorporates monetised benefits relating to the extension of the

right to request to all employees with 26 weeks continuous service and therefore

does not take into account the flexible working among parents and carers that was

already taking place prior to the extension.

We are currently reviewing the 2014 extension of the right to request Flexible working

to all eligible employees. The review will test the economic assumptions underpinning

the cost-benefit analysis in the original impact assessment.

Living Wage and Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Stephanie Peacock: [R] [252048]

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

the Answer of 7 May 2019 to Question 248059, when the review of the NMW Naming

Scheme began; and whether it his policy to suspend naming non-compliant employers

until that review has concluded.

Kelly Tolhurst:

[Holding answer 13 May 2019]: As announced in the Government response of

December 2018, the review of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage

(NMW) Naming Scheme commenced in response to recommendations made by the

Director of Labour Market Enforcement in his 2018/2019 Labour Market Enforcement

Strategy. No further naming of employers for NMW breaches will take place until the

review has been completed.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Gloria De Piero: [253540]

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

funding the Government contributed to the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme prior to the

privatisation of the scheme in 1994; when this money was paid in; and for what reason.

Andrew Stephenson:

The Government’s involvement in the Scheme began at privatisation. Until that point,

the scheme was funded by member contributions and British Coal contributions.

British Coal’s share of the surplus immediately prior to privatisation was allocated to

the Scheme as the Investment Reserve, available to make good any deficit which

should arise in the fund.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Clive Lewis: [253667]

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

to the closure of the feed-in tariff scheme to new applicants, what proportion of Levy

Control Framework funding across the lifetime of that scheme will be allocated to (a)

schools, (b) community energy groups, (c) individual households, (d) business

undertaking self-supply and (e) commercial solar developers.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Estimates of funding and spend for the Feed-in Tariffs scheme under the Levy

Control Framework are not available broken down by type of beneficiary.

Solar Power

Drew Hendry: [253649]

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

Department has been monitoring the deployment of new (a) rooftop solar power since 1

April 2019, (b) ground mounted solar power less than or equal to 5MW since 1 April 2016

and (c) ground mounted solar power less than 5MW since 1 April 2015.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Deployment of installations is monitored (a) for rooftop solar since 1 April 2019,

through the MCS installation database (MID), (b) for ground mounted solar power

less than or equal to 5MW since 1 April 2016, through the central FIT register (CFR),

and (c) for ground mounted solar power less than 5MW since 1 April 2015, through

the CFR and a register of installations accredited through the renewables obligation

(RO).

Solar Power: Housing

Mr Jim Cunningham: [253489]

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

he has made of the number of rooftop solar panels deployed on domestic homes since

the closure of the Feed-In Tariff scheme.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The number of domestic solar installations during April 2019 will be published by

BEIS on Thursday 30 May using information from the MCS (Microgeneration

Certification Scheme) installation database. These are provisional numbers which are

subject to revision in future publications.

Solar photovoltaic deployment statistics is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment.

Wind Power

Clive Lewis: [253665]

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

onshore wind turbine applications have been referred to and (b) approved by his

Department in each year since 2015.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Energy Act 2016 transferred responsibility for deciding planning applications for

onshore wind schemes over 50MW to individual local planning authorities. Prior to

that the responsibility had been with the Secretary of State for Energy.

Section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 enables my rt. hon. Friend

the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to call in

certain planning applications for onshore wind farms, for his own consideration.

A breakdown by year of all current and approved applications, including referrals, can

be accessed on the REPD, which can be viewed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-

monthly-extract.

Clive Lewis: [253666]

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

onshore wind turbine applications have been approved in each region since 2015.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Every quarter, BEIS publishes the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD),

which lists applications for renewable energy projects as they through progress

through planning. The latest version was published on 16 April 2019.

A breakdown by year and region can be accessed on the REPD, which can be

viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-

planning-database-monthly-extract.

CABINET OFFICE

Belfast Agreement

Lady Hermon: [197357]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will publish the legal advice on the

effect of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement on the Belfast Good Friday Agreement; and

if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington:

On 5 December, the Government published the Attorney General’s advice to Cabinet

on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, which

can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exiting-the-eu-

publication-of-legal-advice.

Cabinet Office: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: [253622]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has paid to hon.

Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991

since 13 July 2016.

Mr David Lidington:

Any such payments are published in the department’s audited annual accounts, and

these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

Cabinet Office: Retirement

Chris Ruane: [253515]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support his Department provides to staff

in his Department (a) in their transition to retirement and (b) to (i) maintain and (ii)

increase the physical and mental wellbeing staff planning for retirement.

Oliver Dowden:

The Cabinet Office has a retirement policy on how employees should prepare for

retirement. It also provides pensions awareness sessions, supported by a member

help centre which is run by MyCSP, and plans to run financial education sessions in

November 2019

The Cabinet Office wellbeing action plan enables support for all staff, including those

near retirement. A number of key initiatives which support people transitioning to

retirement include: running leadership wellbeing training for all Senior Civil Servants,

updating line manager training to ensure wellbeing is included in all conversations,

embedding wellbeing into the Senior Civil Service leadership objective and including

wellbeing in performance management monthly conversation tools

There are a number of support services available in Cabinet Office that provide

support or advice to all employees, and would be of benefit to those nearing

retirement. These include the Cabinet Office alumni network, the Cabinet Office

listening service and the employee assistance programme

Civil Service Learning also offers learning opportunities for all Civil Servants planning

for retirement, including a day-long workshop on this subject.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Energy

Stuart C. McDonald: [188843]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the quantity was of (a) electricity and (b)

natural gas used by (i) Cabinet Office, (ii) 10 Downing Street, (iii) the Crown Commercial

Service, (iv) Government Property Agency, (v) the Infrastructure and Projects Authority

and (vi) the Privy Council Office in each of the last three years for which figures are

available.

Mr David Lidington:

Cabinet Office electricity and natural gas consumption and costs are detailed below.

10 Downing Street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office, and therefore their

consumption and costs are included in Cabinet Office consumption and costs below.

The Crown Commercial Service, Government Property Agency, the Infrastructure

and Projects Authority and the Privy Council Office are occupiers within other

buildings and would be recharged via their service charges.

USAGE (KWH) COST

Electricity Gas Electricity Gas

2016 3,372,255 317,656 236,058 £12,325

2017 4,656,054 1,476,212 293,939 £44,783

2018 4,649,731 1,513,230 378,811 £42,258

Stuart C. McDonald: [188844]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the cost was of (a) electricity and (b)

natural gas used by (i) Cabinet Office, (ii) 10 Downing Street, (iii) the Crown Commercial

Service, (iv) Government Property Agency, (v) the Infrastructure and Projects Authority

and (vi) the Privy Council Office in each of the last three years for which figures are

available.

Mr David Lidington:

Cabinet Office electricity and natural gas consumption and costs are detailed below.

10 Downing Street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office, and therefore their

consumption and costs are included in Cabinet Office consumption and costs below.

The Crown Commercial Service, Government Property Agency, the Infrastructure

and Projects Authority and the Privy Council Office are occupiers within other

buildings and would be recharged via their service charges.

USAGE (KWH) COST

Electricity Gas Electricity Gas

2016 3,372,255 317,656 236,058 £12,325

2017 4,656,054 1,476,212 293,939 £44,783

2018 4,649,731 1,513,230 378,811 £42,258

Employment

Chi Onwurah: [253569]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent comparative assessment he has

made of the job densities of (a) Newcastle Central, (b) the North East, (c) London and (d)

the UK; and what period that assessment covers.

Kevin Foster:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority.

I have asked the Authority to reply.

Attachments:

1. UKSA Response [PQ253569 Draft.pdf]

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Mr Gregory Campbell: [139991]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to

Question 136367 on Fuels: Tax Evasion, whether any legal action followed those arrests.

Mr David Lidington:

Of the three arrests made between 01 January 2017 and 31 March 2018 for fuel

fraud, two were reported to the Public Prosecution Service in December 2018 while

one remains under investigation pending report.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Jeremy Lefroy: [164422]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the gold reserves of the Bank of England

were on 30 June (a) 1998, (b) 2008 and (c) 2018.

Mr David Lidington:

The Bank of England does not own any gold reserves of its own, except for two bars

held for display at the Bank of England Museum. However, the Bank provides safe

custody for the UK's gold reserves and for other customers. It has only started

recently publishing the weight of all the gold in its custody on its website, which

includes data back to 2011. On 30 June 2018, it held 166,516,000 fine troy ounces of

gold. There is no equivalent data available for 1998 and 2008.

Government: Loans

Frank Field: [206750]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that all loans

under UK law given to governments or with government guarantees are disclosed

publicly at the time they are made and comply with the law of the country concerned.

Mr David Lidington:

Given the complex international nature of sovereign debt, we continue to believe that

internationally-agreed approaches are the most effective way to improve sovereign

debt transparency and sustainability. Sovereign governments are ultimately

responsible for their own borrowing, and the UK supports the IMF and World Bank’s

efforts to improve the capacity and capabilities of sovereign borrowers to fulfil this

responsibility. The UK also recognizes that official and private creditors have an

important role to play in securing debt transparency and sustainability. The G20

agreed Operational Guidelines for Sustainable Financing for official creditors in 2017.

The UK is now working through the G20 to monitor an industry-led initiative by the

Institute of International Finance (IIF) to improve the transparency of lending of

private creditors.

UK-based lenders are also already subject to extensive prudential disclosure

requirements under UK law. The Capital Requirements Regulation requires firms to

disclose the geographic distribution of their credit exposures, including those to

central banks and governments, if the loans are material.

Unemployment: Epilepsy

Hugh Gaffney: [252865]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the

unemployment rate for people with epilepsy.

Kevin Foster:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority.

I have asked the Authority to reply.

Attachments:

1. UKSA Response [PQ252865.pdf]

DEFENCE

China: Telecommunications

Dr Julian Lewis: [253438]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether army personnel have been issued

with (a) mobile handsets and (b) other devices (i) manufactured by Huawei and (ii)

manufactured by Huawei but provided by and badged with the names of other

companies; and what her Department's policy is towards the use of telecommunications

equipment manufactured by Chinese companies.

Stuart Andrew:

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the security of its Information and

Communications Technology (ICT) systems and services very seriously. However,

for security reasons, the MOD does not comment publicly on the specifics of its ICT

systems and services.

Defence: Contracts

Mr Kevan Jones: [253527]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which defence contracts were granted

exemption from the single source regulation regime in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c)

2017-18; and what was the value of each of those contracts.

Stuart Andrew:

All exemptions from the Single Source Contract Regulations have to be personally

authorised by the Secretary of State, who only does so under exceptional

circumstances. Between April 2015 and March 2018, fewer than 10 contracts were

exempted, valued at less than 1% of the 19.4 billion worth of single source defence

contracts brought under the regime during that period. These were exempted from

the regulations on a variety of grounds, including when value for money assurance

could be achieved through, for example, purchasing commercially priced items.

Details of individual contracts and the numbers exempted in each year have not been

provided because disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial

interests of the companies involved or the Ministry of Defence.

NATO: Joint Exercises

Mr Alistair Carmichael: [253528]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister in her Department authorised

UK participation in Exercise Joint Warrior; and what estimate she has made of the cost to

the public purse of participation in that exercise.

Mark Lancaster:

Joint Warrior is a longstanding exercise, directly supporting force capability and

generation, and is a core Defence activity. As such, individual exercises do not

require Ministerial approval and are not separately costed.

War Graves: Falkland Islands

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: [253663]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment her Department has made

of the accuracy of media reports on 7 May 2019 that war graves on the Falkland Island

are being disrespected; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure the protection

of those graves.

Mark Lancaster:

Anti-social behaviour of this nature is clearly reprehensible; action to address it would

be a matter for the Royal Falkland Islands Police.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: [253696]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2019 to

Question 250787, what information his Department holds on whether BAE Systems

supervised the (a) fusing of bombs and (b) final preparations of munitions for operational

sorties in Yemen.

Mark Lancaster:

The Department does not hold the information and I refer the hon. Member to the

answer I gave him on 18 March 2019 to Question 232090.

Attachments:

1. Saudi Arabia: Military Aid [232090 - Saudi Arabia - Military Aid.docx]

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Fees and Charges

Jonathan Edwards: [251942]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans

to enable BT to charge more for Openreach network broadband connections in rural

areas than in urban areas in order to subsidise the cost of high-speed fibre broadband.

Jonathan Edwards: [251943]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans

to enable BT to levy upfront charges on consumers accessing Openreach network

broadband connections in order to subsidise the cost of high-speed fibre broadband.

Jonathan Edwards: [251944]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent

representations he has received from representatives of Ofcom on the funding of high-

speed fibre broadband infrastructure in rural areas.

Margot James:

We have no plans to introduce legislation which would allow BT/Openreach to charge

rural consumers more than urban consumers to subsidise their full fibre broadband

connections.

The Government is already supporting rural broadband connectivity in a number of

ways. Our £1.8 billion superfast broadband programme has achieved its target of

95% superfast coverage across the UK. In our Future Telecoms Infrastructure

Review (FTIR), we set a target to go further and ensure that 15 million premises can

connect to gigabit capable, full fibre broadband by 2025 with nationwide coverage by

2033. We are already investing to make that happen, stimulating the market through

the £278 million Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme and the Gigabit

Broadband Voucher Scheme. The FTIR was clear that the Government would also

support full fibre broadband in less commercial areas of the country, likely to be

around 10% of UK premises, so that no areas are systematically left behind. To start

this, the 2018 Budget announced £200 million for the Rural Gigabit Connectivity

programme.

Ministers meet regularly with Ofcom to discuss a range of issues. Ofcom is currently

consulting on its initial proposals for promoting competition and investment in fibre

networks across the country including in less commercial, rural areas of the UK.

Disinformation

Paul Girvan: [252637]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what definition of fake

news is used by his Department.

Margot James:

Fake news' conflates a variety of types of false information. DCMS instead focuses

on terms such as 'disinformation' and 'misinformation'.

In our work we have defined disinformation as the deliberate creation and sharing of

false and/or manipulated information that is intended to deceive and mislead

audiences, either for the purposes of causing harm, or for political, personal or

financial gain. 'Misinformation' refers to the inadvertent sharing of false information.

Internet: Safety

Tom Watson: [253529]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made

an assessment of the potential effect on online protections for children and young people

of the Internet Engineering Task Force DNS over HTTPS (DOH) protocol; and if he will

make a statement.

Margot James:

Whilst we look to support capabilities that seek to deliver security and privacy to the

UK online, we are concerned about the potential unintended consequences.

DCMS is working closely with industry, stakeholders and regulators to seek solutions

to any potential issues with online protections, as part of our ongoing work to make

the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

Internet: Security

Tom Watson: [253530]

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

browser providers have informed his Department that they will not be adopting the

Internet Engineering Task Force DNS over HTTPS (DOH) protocol.

Margot James:

How DOH will be deployed is still a subject of discussion within the industry, both for

browser providers and the wider internet industry. We are aware of the public

statements made by some browser providers on deployment and we are seeking to

understand definitively their rollout plans. DCMS is in discussions with browser

providers, internet industry and other stakeholders and we are keen to see a

resolution that is acceptable for all parties.

Service Industries: Flexible Working

Sir Vince Cable: [253481]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his

Department has had with the hospitality sector on supporting working spaces within

hotels and cafes.

Michael Ellis:

We work with a wide range of stakeholders across the tourism and hospitality sector

across a range of issues, however this has not been raised with us. The provision of

working spaces, or co-working spaces, is a business decision which is up to

individuals to implement.

Social Media: Freedom of Expression

Andrew Rosindell: [251956]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is

taking to ensure free speech on social media platforms.

Margot James:

The Government is committed to upholding free speech, and legislation is already in

place to protect these fundamental rights. However, this freedom cannot be an

excuse to cause harm or spread hatred.

The Online Harms White Paper sets out the Government's proposals for making the

UK the safest place to be online. The proposed independent regulator will have an

obligation to protect users' rights online, particularly rights to privacy and freedom of

expression. It will ensure that the new regulatory requirements do not lead to a

disproportionately risk averse response from companies that unduly limits freedom of

expression, including by limiting participation in public debate.

EDUCATION

Bullying

Paul Girvan: [252620]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to tackle

abuse directed at teachers from parents (a) online and (b) in person.

Nick Gibb:

The majority of schools and colleges provide safe and secure working environments

for teaching staff.

All staff should be able to work in an environment in which pupils can develop, and

staff can have fulfilling careers free from harassment and bullying. Schools and

colleges have a duty and a responsibility to protect both pupils and staff. Any bullying

of staff, including cyberbullying, is unacceptable and it is important that schools and

colleges take measures to prevent and tackle this.

The Department provides specific guidance for headteachers and staff on how to

protect themselves from cyberbullying and how to tackle it if it happens. The

guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-

and-tackling-bullying.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has recently announced

that this guidance will be reviewed and updated.

The Department’s guidance “keeping children safe in education” also makes it clear

that online safety training for staff should be integral to a school's safeguarding

approach, and that appropriate filters and monitoring systems should be in place to

help to safeguard the whole school community. This guidance is available here:

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

ent_data/file/741314/Keeping_Children_Safe_in_Education__3_September_2018_14

.09.18.pdf.

To prevent abusive behaviour in schools, the Department’s guidance on controlling

access to premises also makes it clear that it is a criminal offence for a person who is

on school premises without lawful authority to cause or permit a nuisance or

disturbance. The guidance makes it clear that a school may consider that aggressive,

abusive or insulting behaviour, or language from a parent presents a risk to staff or

pupils. This guidance can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/controlling-access-to-school-premises.

The Department is currently developing new school and college security guidance

which will be published later this year. This will include references to help deal with

violent crime, and encourage the development of policies and culture to help reduce

and address any violence-related incidents.

Children in Care: Health

Bill Esterson: [253564]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to

monitor the application of the statutory guidance entitled Promoting the health and well-

being of looked-after children - Statutory guidance for local authorities, clinical

commissioning groups and NHS England, with particular reference to foetal alcohol

syndrome.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The statutory guidance sets out local authorities’ duty to make sure each child they

look after has a health assessment of their physical, emotional and mental health

needs. The health and care system is responsible for providing this assessment.

Assessments should take into account the health conditions that may be more

prevalent in looked-after children, including foetal alcohol syndrome.

As part of their inspection of local authority children’s services, Ofsted assesses the

progress and experience of children in care, including whether their physical and

mental health needs are being effectively identified and met.

Educational Exchanges

Chi Onwurah: [253570]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to promote international

programmes of exchange in higher education after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore:

The government has made clear that it values international exchange and

collaboration in education and training as part of our vision for a global Britain. We

are committed to the UK remaining open to the world, and becoming even more

global and internationalist in outlook. That is why the Department for Education

supports a number of outward mobility and exchange programmes which broaden

access to international opportunities, schemes such as Fulbright scholarships and

Generation UK China.

Irrespective of the outcome of Article 50 negotiations, the UK and European countries

should continue to give young people and students the chance to benefit from each

other’s world-leading universities following our exit from the European Union. In

addition, the UK is an Erasmus+ programme country and the Withdrawal Agreement

ensures that UK entities' and students’ rights to participate in the current programme

will remain unaffected for the remainder of the current EU budget cycle. Following

ratification of the Agreement, UK-based organisations and people will be able to bid

for funding, participate in and lead consortia, for the duration of the current

programmes.

In addition to this, the UK is open to exploring participation in the Erasmus+

successor scheme for 2021-27, which is currently being discussed in the EU. We will

continue to participate in discussions on the draft regulation while we remain an EU

Member State and are considering options for future participation in the next

Erasmus+ programme. However, a decision on UK participation in the next

programme is ultimately a matter for wider negotiations about our future relationship

with the EU.

As is the duty of a responsible government, we are also preparing for a range of

potential outcomes and this includes promoting international mobility through a

domestic alternative to Erasmus+.

English Baccalaureate

Andrew Rosindell: [251964]

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

of the effect of the English Baccalaureate on UK performance within international league

tables.

Nick Gibb:

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measures pupils’ performance against a range of

core academic subjects, and keeps young people’s options open for further study and

future careers. The international comparisons studies that the Department

participates in assess pupils’ performance in reading, mathematics and science.

The proportion of pupils in state-funded schools taking the EBacc combination of

subjects has increased from 22% in 2010 to 38% in 2018. In particular, the proportion

of pupils taking history or geography has increased from 48% to 78%.

A Sutton Trust report, available at https://www.suttontrust.com/research-

paper/changing-the-subject/, shows that pupils in 300 schools which had increased

EBacc take up were more likely to achieve good GCSEs in maths and English, and

that pupils eligible for the pupil premium also benefited. A study by the Centre for

Longitudinal Studies, available at https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2017/09/CLS-WP-201711-Incentivising-specific-combinations-of-

subjects-does-it-make-any-difference-to-university-access.pdf, found that studying

the EBacc combination of GCSE subjects increases the likelihood that a pupil will

stay on in full-time education.

The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results for 2015

showed that our 15 year olds continue to perform significantly above the Organisation

for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in science, at the

OECD average for mathematics, and, for the first time, above the OECD average in

reading. Results for PISA 2018 will be available in December 2019.

Literacy: Essex

Priti Patel: [252537]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to raise

levels of literacy in Essex.

Priti Patel: [252538]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils at the end of (a) Key Stage

1, (b) Key Stage 2 and (c) Key Stage 4 did not meet the expected level of literacy in (i)

Witham constituency, (ii) Essex, and (iii) the UK in the last five years for which data is

available.

Nick Gibb:

The Government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards, ensuring all

children can read fluently and with understanding. Building on the success of our

phonics partnerships and phonics roadshows programmes, in 2018 the Department

launched a £26.3 million English Hubs Programme. The Department has appointed

34 primary schools across England as English Hubs. Hub schools are taking a

leading role in improving the teaching of early reading through systematic synthetic

phonics, early language development, and reading for pleasure.

There is a substantial body of evidence that shows that systematic phonics is the

most effective method for teaching early reading. Reflecting this, the Department

introduced the light touch phonics screening check for year 1 pupils in 2012. Phonics

performance is improving: in 2018, there were 163,000 more six-year-olds on track to

become fluent readers compared to 2012. This represented 82% of pupils meeting

the expected standard in the phonics screening check, compared to just 58% when

the check was introduced in 2012.

The Department have appointed Myland Community Primary school as an English

Hub in Colchester, and Elmhurst Primary School in Newham. Both of these hubs will

work with schools in Essex to improve the teaching of early reading.

In 2016, new tests and frameworks for teacher assessment were brought in at Key

Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, following the introduction of a new, more challenging

National Curriculum that set higher expected standards for reading, writing and

mathematics. These changes mean that the expected standard from 2016 is higher

and not comparable with the expected levels used in previous years' statistics. It is

not possible to make direct comparisons between the results before and after the

changes in 2016.

The number and percentage of state-funded pupils, at the end of Key Stage 1, 2 and

4, who did not achieve the expected level of literacy[1] in Witham, Essex and England

are in the attached tables. Figures relate to academic years 2013/14 to 2017/18. The

Department does not produce statistics for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, or

the UK as a whole, and therefore these figures relate to England only.

[1] There is not a definitive definition of ‘expected level of literacy’ for each key stage.

Figures have been provided for achievement in English, or English subjects, in the

headline or additional measures that were used for that key stage, in each academic

year.

Attachments:

1. 252537_252538_Tables [252537_252538_Literacy_Attainment_KS1_KS2_KS4.xls]

Morning Lane Associates

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [253581]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2019 to

Question 250518, what the individual payments were; and what work they were (a) for

and (b) who they were authorised by.

Anne Milton:

A breakdown of payments to Morning Lane Associates (MLA) totalling £1,803,915.14

is attached.

Payments were made to support the roll-out of the Reclaiming Social Work pilot of

the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. All MLA monies were paid through

a section 14 grant which means that the department pays in arrears based on

actuals. Ministers agreed to fund MLA on the advice of the Innovation Programme

Investment Committee.

Attachments:

1. 253581_table [253581_table.xls]

Pupil Premium: Leeds

Alex Sobel: [253712]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils received the pupil premium

in each primary school in Leeds City Council area in 2017-18.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The number of pupils in receipt of pupil premium in schools in Leeds local authority

and all other schools in financial year 2017-2018 can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2017-

to-2018.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Vicky Foxcroft: [252102]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an

estimate of the number of school days missed by pupils due to (a) gang involvement and

(b) incidents of violence in the latest period for which data is available.

Nick Gibb:

The information requested is not held centrally regarding data on the number of

school days missed due to gang involvement or incidents of violence.

A Ministry of Justice study, ‘Examining the Educational Background of Young Knife

Possession Offenders,’ showed that around 80% of young knife possession offenders

had been persistently absent from education at some point over a five year period.

Education is clearly a protective factor for young people, and regular attendance at

school or at other education provision is important in ensuring every pupil can meet

their full potential. The measures set out in the Government’s response to the

Timpson review of school exclusion will play a key role in ensuring that every young

person is safe and free to fulfil their potential away from violent crime.

Pupils: Discipline

Andrew Rosindell: [251965]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to reduce disruptive

behaviour in the classroom.

Nick Gibb:

All schools are required by the law to develop and publish a behaviour policy. The

Department for Education produces guidance for head teachers and school staff on

developing school behaviour policy and explains the powers members of staff have to

maintain discipline in the classroom. The full guidance can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488034

/Behaviour_and_Discipline_in_Schools_-

_A_guide_for_headteachers_and_School_Staff.pdf.

In 2016, the Government commissioned behaviour expert Tom Bennett to conduct an

independent review on behaviour management in schools. His report ‘Creating a

culture’, published in 2017, focused on leadership, culture and systems used to tackle

disruptive pupil behaviour, and provides practical advice for head teachers about

creating a school culture that prevents low level disruption, maintains good discipline

and promotes pupils’ education, focus and wellbeing. The full report can be viewed

at:

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

ent_data/file/602487/Tom_Bennett_Independent_Review_of_Behaviour_in_Schools.

pdf.

Building on this review the Department announced a £10 million investment to

support schools and teachers to share best practice and knowledge on behaviour

management and classroom management. As part of this Tom Bennett, has been

appointed our lead Behaviour Adviser, supporting the Department to set up and run

these new behaviour support networks.

Most recently, as part of our response to the Timpson review of school exclusion,

published on 7 May 2019, the Department committed to revising guidance which

offers clearer, more consistent guidance on managing behaviour, the use of in-school

units and the sorts of circumstances where it may appropriate to use exclusion. A

copy of the review and the Government response can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-exclusions-review-call-for-

evidence.

Schools: Racial Discrimination

David Simpson: [251990]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to tackle

racist behaviour in schools.

Nick Gibb:

Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that outlines measures to

prevent racist and other forms of bullying. The Department produces guidance for

head teachers and school staff on developing school behaviour policy. The full

guidance can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488034

/Behaviour_and_Discipline_in_Schools_-

_A_guide_for_headteachers_and_School_Staff.pdf.

Under the Equalities Act 2010, schools are under a duty take steps to eliminate

harassment, foster good relations, and advance equality of opportunity.

Ofsted considers how a school complies with its statutory duties and promotes

equality of opportunity, and holds schools to account for racism or other behaviour

issues.

Secondary Education: Free School Meals

Gloria De Piero: [253541]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of students

qualify for free school meals in each secondary school in (a) Ashfield constituency; and

what the average number is of students that qualify for free school meals in secondary

schools in England.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The number of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in England is published at

the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-

january-2018.

Data for each school is available in the ‘Schools pupils and their characteristics

2018’, underlying data, contained in file ‘Schools_Pupils_and_their_Characteristics

_2018_Schools_Pupils_UD’.

The figures can be filtered by parliamentary constituency name (column X), school

phase e.g. state-funded secondary schools (column N). Column EF, EG provide the

number and % of pupils known to be eligible for FSM, respectively.

The proportion of pupils eligible for FSM in state-funded secondary schools in

England is provided in Table 3a of the national tables.

STEM Subjects: Higher Education

David Simpson: [251988]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage

students to study STEM subjects at university.

Chris Skidmore:

The department is encouraging more students into Science, Technology, Engineering

and Mathematics (STEM) education and training at all stages from primary school to

higher education. We are improving careers advice in schools so that young people

are aware of the high quality options available for both technical and academic routes

into STEM. They also have access to information about the variety of careers that

STEM pathways have to offer. STEM activities, including employer talks and work

visits, are built into school career programmes and the Careers & Enterprise

Company funds opportunities for young people to meet a wide range of STEM

employers.

As part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, the government has committed substantial

spending on mathematics, digital and technical education to increase the take-up and

better teaching of STEM subjects in schools. For example, the department is funding

an £84 million programme to improve computing teaching and participation, and the

Advanced Maths Premium, which aims to support schools and colleges in tackling

some of the financial barriers to increase participation in post-16 maths. We also fund

the Stimulating Physics Network and Isaac Physics to improve the take up of physics

post-16, especially among girls.

Universities: Disclosure of Information

Ben Bradley: [252598]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with

representatives of universities on the sharing of applicants’ pupil premium status and

ethnicity directly with universities in order to enabling progress on access and

participation.

Ben Bradley: [252599]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Office

for Students on the transmission of data on applicants’ pupil premium status and ethnicity

directly to universities in order to support universities’ work on widening participation and

access.

Chris Skidmore:

Widening access and participation in higher education is a priority for the

government. This means that everyone with the capability to succeed in higher

education should have the opportunity to participate, regardless of their background

or where they grew up.

We have made real progress in ensuring universities are open to all, with record rates

of disadvantaged 18-year-olds in higher education. However, we know there is further

to go to maximise the potential of the talent out there, so it is vital that we build on this

progress.

Higher education providers need to use good quality and meaningful data to identify

disadvantage in order to effectively address disparities in access and participation in

higher education. We encourage institutions to use a range of measures to identify

disadvantage, including individual-level indicators, area data (such as Participation of

Local Areas, Index of Multiple Deprivation or postcode classification from ACORN),

school data, intersectional data such as Universities and Colleges Admissions

Service’s (UCAS) Multiple Equality Measure, and participation in outreach activities.

To this end, we are working with the Office for Students (OfS), UCAS and sector

representatives to further explore how we can support universities to improve and

enhance access to data.

We want institutions to consider a broad range of information in their offers, including

the context in which a student’s results were achieved. We are committed to helping

universities progress in their efforts to improve access and successful participation for

under-represented groups.

Universities: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: [252632]

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

of the potential effect of a reduction in tuition fees for English students on Universities in

Northern Ireland.

Paul Girvan: [252633]

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

of the potential effect of a reduction in tuition fees on the ability of universities in the

constituent parts of the UK to meet the objective of the Industrial Strategy to create

prosperity in those nations.

Chris Skidmore:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 03 April 2019 to Question 237750.

Vocational Training: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: [252027]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to

allocate additional funding to vocational training in order to improve social mobility in

North Cornwall.

Anne Milton:

The further education sector plays a key role in ensuring quality vocational training

opportunities and improving social mobility across England, including in North

Cornwall. We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds until the

end of the current spending review period in 2020. Additional funding is provided

through the 16 to 19 funding formula, including over £500 million across England in

2018-19 to support disadvantaged students and therefore improving social mobility.

Overall, the government plans to invest nearly £7 billion nationally during 2018-19 to

ensure that there is a place in education or training for every 16 to 19 year old.

Through the Adult Education Budget, we are continuing to invest in further education

for adults aged 19 and above, including those who are furthest from the labour

market, to support their progression to further study, employment or an

apprenticeship. We are also supporting adults who have been motivated to move out

of unemployment and are in low-paid or low-skilled jobs to upskill at no charge and to

progress further.

We are creating 3 million high quality apprenticeships that will change the lives of

apprentices and the prospects of businesses. Apprenticeships disproportionately

benefit people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Delivering more and better

quality apprenticeships will ensure that more people from these backgrounds are

enabled to gain the skills and training they need to build successful careers.

The European Social Fund (ESF) has been an important source of skills and

employment funding used to support those furthest from learning and the labour

market. Following Brexit, whilst we will no longer have access to the ESF, the

government has committed to create a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to reduce

inequalities between communities and help deliver sustainable, inclusive growth.

The department works closely with HM Treasury (HMT) in considering further

education funding. We are considering the efficiency and resilience of the sector and

assessing how far current funding and regulatory structures enable high quality

provision, including vocational training. We continue to look carefully at these issues

with HMT in preparation for the Spending Review.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Apprentices

Jim Shannon: [252634]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is

taking to support apprenticeship schemes in the agri-food sector.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

New employer designed apprenticeship standards are at the centre of the

Government’s drive to ensure all apprenticeships are of the highest quality. There are

now 20 new high quality standards available in the agriculture, environmental and

animal care sector, plus a further 15 in development. Available standards include

crop technician and land based service engineer.

A full list of standards is published on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical

Education’s website:

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/ .

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for apprenticeships policy in

England. Defra works closely with DfE on how the apprenticeship system works for

the agri-food sector.

Defra also seeks to act as a bridge between industry and Government to support the

sector in making the most of the Government’s apprenticeships reforms. The key

mechanism for this activity is the Food and Drink Sector Council, which has identified

skills as a key priority. Options to support and improve engagement with agri-food

apprenticeships, as well as wider skills related issues, are being developed as part of

the work of the Workforce and Skills Group of the Council.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Andrew Rosindell: [252581]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how long farmers

will continue to receive subsidy from the public purse in the event that the UK leaves the

EU without a deal.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

We have pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support

until the end of this Parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided

for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current Common Agricultural

Policy. This commitment applies to the whole of the UK, in both a negotiated and a

no-deal scenario.

Our Agriculture Bill includes a seven year transition period from 2021 to 2027, during

which Direct Payments will be phased out gradually. This will give time for farmers to

adapt and prepare for the new environmental land management system, which will

allow farmers to decide how best they can deliver environmental benefits from their

business and their land.

Air Pollution

Gareth Thomas: [251897]

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

air quality takes place in each local authority area in England; and if he will make a

statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to review and assess local ambient

air quality, and are responsible for mitigation of air pollution where people are likely to

be exposed. Defra provides guidance and support to local authorities on monitoring;

positioning of monitors is expected to be in line with national and local priorities.

In addition, Defra’s national network of air quality monitors currently comprises 272

sites across the UK and is managed by the Environment Agency. Sites are organised

into networks that gather information on a wide range of pollutants in towns and cities

as well as in rural areas. Some monitoring sites are focused on measuring specific

sources, e.g. road traffic or industry whilst others are focused on background

concentrations.

Monitoring data is made available on our UK-AIR website. Data from the Automatic

Urban and Rural Network is reported in near-real-time and is updated every hour.

The website is: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/.

Andy Slaughter: [251940]

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

Department takes to protect vulnerable people, including older people, children and

people with health conditions from pollution episodes.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

During episodes of elevated air pollution, Defra works closely with Public Health

England and a network of health charities to ensure that key health messages are

communicated to those who are vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, in addition to

communicating through our normal digital channels.

Defra’s Daily Air Quality Index ( https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/daqi ) assists

in understanding air pollution levels and suggests recommended actions and health

advice. Such advice applies to anyone experiencing symptoms.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: [252076]

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

has made of the number of (a) adults and (b) children who were exposed to high levels of

air pollution between 4 and 26 April 2019.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Between 4 and 26 April 2019, there were two separate pollution episodes, which

were due to a mixture of pollutants (including PM10, PM2.5 and ozone) and therefore it

is not possible to easily estimate the number of adults and children who were

exposed to high levels of air pollution.

Dr Alan Whitehead: [252464]

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

communication his Department uses to alert the general public to a pollution episode.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

During air pollution episodes, Defra works closely with Public Health England and a

network of health charities to ensure that key health messages are communicated to

those who are vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, in addition to communicating

through our normal digital channels.

We recommend people visit http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/ for the latest forecasts and

health advice or check our Twitter feed @DefraUKAir.

Dr David Drew: [252475]

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

he has made of the wind speed required to disperse (a) PM 0.1 and (b) PM 1 particles

from the place where they are emitted.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

In 2018 the Government commissioned the Air Quality Expert Group to write a

detailed report on ultrafine particles, which include PM 0.1 and PM 1.0. This report

describes extensive research assessing the factors that affect the formation and

dispersion of PM0.1 and PM1.0, including wind speed.

This report is available at https://uk-ir.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=968

Ruth Cadbury: [252860]

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

he has made of the effect on air quality of the the number of journeys taken by bicycle.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Defra has not carried out a specific assessment of the effect on air quality of the

number of journeys taken by bicycle. However, the Government is committed to

increasing cycling and walking and making our roads safer for vulnerable users,

including cyclists and pedestrians.

The benefits of cycling and walking are considerable. For people, it means cheaper

travel and better health. For businesses, it means increased productivity and

increased footfall in shops. And for society as a whole it means less congestion,

better air quality, and vibrant, attractive places and communities.

The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in 2017, sets out the

Government’s plans for cycling and walking, with an ambition up to 2040 for “making

cycling and walking the natural choices for short journeys or as part of a longer

journey”. The strategy also identifies £2 billion of financial resources which may be

invested in cycling and walking during the Spending Review 2015 settlement period

2016/17-2020/21.

Birds: Pest Control

Sir Nicholas Soames: [248559]

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

an independent inquiry on the reasons his Department and Natural England decided on

the proposal to revoke General Licences 04/05/06.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

The decision to revoke the licences was made by Natural England (NE) as the

licensing authority, not the government. We have not yet decided on a review of the

recent situation.

Sir Nicholas Soames: [253444]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on which

occasions he requested legal advice on the revocation of General Licences 04/05/06 in

the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

In accordance with the usual convention, legal advice is not disclosed outside of the

Government. This ensures that the Government can obtain full and frank legal advice

in confidence.

Coal: Heating

Frank Field: [252835]

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

staff in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department of

Communications, Climate Action and Environment in the Irish Government on the effect

of that Government's proposal on the burning of house coal in Ireland; and if he will make

a statement

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Defra officials have met with their counterparts in the Department of

Communications, Climate Action and Environment in the Irish Government to discuss

the house coal proposals outlined in the recent domestic burning consultation. Irish

officials have shared data on the approach taken in Ireland as well as the health

benefits achieved from their initial ban on the burning of smoky coal housecoal in Low

Smoke Zones.

Fisheries: Quotas

George Eustice: [252565]

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

reference to article 43(3) of the TFEU and the relative stability keys referred to in Article

130 of the Withdrawal Agreement include the interpretive recitals 36 and 37 concerning

Hague Preference which are contained within EU regulation 1380/2013.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

Article 130 of the Withdrawal Agreement provides for the relative stability keys for the

allocation of fishing opportunities to be maintained during the implementation period.

This provision is intended to ensure that the UK’s share of quota cannot be reduced

and that the UK will continue to be able to invoke Hague Preference during the

implementation period. The recitals to the basic Common Fisheries Policy Regulation

(Regulation 1380/2013) make clear that relative stability should take account of the

Hague Resolution and therefore this would be included in the reference to ‘relative

stability keys’ in Article 130.

Fuel Poverty

Frank Field: [252833]

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

commission an assessment of the effect of proposals in his Department's consultation on

cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood on fuel poverty in England; and if he will

make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

In this consultation, we asked for views on the most effective ways of avoiding any

adverse impact on vulnerable groups or those who are reliant on solid fuel whilst

supporting the Government’s objectives under the Clean Growth Strategy to phase

out high carbon fossil fuel heating during the 2020s.

We are considering views and suggestions as part of our analysis of the consultation

responses and discussions with stakeholders. This analysis will be reflected in the

updated Impact Assessment accompanying our formal response to this consultation.

The Government intends to publish these documents later in the year.

Furosemide

Paul Farrelly: [251224]

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

he has made of the potential merits of banning the medication Furosemide from being

used by trainers in equestrian training sessions.

David Rutley:

Furosemide is an active ingredient authorised for use in veterinary medicines for

dogs, cats and horses. Products containing furosemide are diuretic and are used to

treat a build-up of fluid within the body, for example as a result of congestive heart

failure. Medicines containing furosemide must be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon

before they can be administered to an animal.

The Government does not seek to interfere with the clinical judgement of a veterinary

surgeon in determining the best available treatment to an animal under his or her

care.

There are no regulatory concerns that would necessitate a ban on the use of

furosemide on the grounds of safety, quality or efficacy. Any ban on the use of a

product in an equestrian sporting discipline is the responsibility of the relevant sport’s

governing body.

Moorland: Conservation

Jim Shannon: [252636]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to

the recent wildfires, what discussions he has had with representatives of conservation

groups on the protection and enhancement of moorlands throughout the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Defra’s Wildfire Review will ensure our future land management policies protect our

moorland and minimise the risks from wildfire. The review has encompassed

discussions by Defra officials with stakeholders, both through a workshop held in

February, and through continuing discussions with key stakeholders including the

Moorland Association and the RSPB.

Restoring peatlands so they are wet, and contain less combustible woody vegetation,

is a key component in protecting our moorlands from the risk of wildfire. On 30 April I

addressed a reception on ‘Managing the uplands for public benefit’, hosted by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature. Attendees included representatives

from the RSPB, Moors for the Future, and Ulster and Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts. Defra

will be publishing the England Peatland Strategy which sets out our approach to long

term peatland restoration and protection.

Pesticides

Gillian Keegan: [252647]

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

to review his Department's policy on pesticides.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

The Government intends to commence an in-depth review of pesticides policy later

this year and will work closely with all interested parties as we develop our policy

thinking.

Rural Areas

Dr David Drew: [252508]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil

servants are (a) fully and (b) partially employed in (i) rural policy development and (ii)

checking rural proofing of other departments and public bodies.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

The work of most staff in Defra and its arms’ length bodies touches on rural areas,

whether it is on agriculture, fisheries, natural environment or wildlife.

There are currently 25 posts in Defra’s Rural Policy Team. All are involved in rural

proofing, whether it is developing Defra’s approach, building the evidence base,

engaging with stakeholders to identify concerns or working with other departments on

specific issues.

In addition, there are 29 posts in the team in Defra managing the Rural Development

Programme for England.

Seafood: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: [252635]

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

he has had with the Northern Ireland executive on the potential effect on the Northern

Irish seafood industry of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

Ministers meet monthly with their devolved administration counterparts at the Inter

Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Discussions include

progress in our negotiations with the EU, domestic preparations ahead of our

departure from the EU and how the four administrations can work together

constructively. The most recent meeting was on 29 April in Cardiff. The Permanent

Secretary at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs attended

the meeting in the current absence of a Northern Ireland Executive.

Solid Fuels: Heating

Frank Field: [252836]

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

assessment his Department has made of the (a) level of and (b) type of toxins released

as a result of the domestic burning of (i) coal, (ii) wet wood and (iii) dried wood as part of

his Department's consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood in

England; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

The Government will take into account all factors that need to be considered in

regulating the sale of the most polluting fuels. This includes the types of emissions

from different fuels, the air quality benefits, and the impacts on business and

households of switching to cleaner fuels.

Our assessments of emissions of pollutants from domestic combustion sources use a

range of data but are based on established international reporting. The range of fuels

and appliances used in the UK is large and emissions from each combination vary

greatly depending on how the appliance is operated. Emission factors for wood can

also vary due to the differences in moisture content and fuel density.

In compiling our National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory we use a combination of

guidebook emissions factors for different combinations of fuels and appliances,

alongside UK specific data on regional fuel and appliance usage.

EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION

Agriculture: Subsidies

Giles Watling: [910928]

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

has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on support

for farmers after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker:

The Secretary of State continues to have regular conversations with ministerial

colleagues across Government on all aspects of exiting the EU.

To provide certainty to farmers and landowners, the Government has pledged to

commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this Parliament.

This commitment applies to the whole UK.

The Agriculture Bill will allow us to break from the Common Agricultural Policy and

help our farming sector become more profitable whilst sustaining our precious natural

environment.

Brexit

Tom Brake: [253451]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the UK is able to

leave the EU without a deal before 31 October 2019.

James Cleverly:

The earliest that the UK can leave without a deal is 31 October 2019. Our priority

remains delivering the deal to ensure a smooth and orderly exit before this date.

While we do not want to leave with no deal and Parliament has also voted against

this outcome three times, it remains the legal default at the end of the extension

period in the event a Withdrawal Agreement cannot be agreed. As a responsible

government we’ve been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal

for over two years and will continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios.

Free Movement of People: Musicians

Stephen Morgan: [253709]

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

has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport on the effect of

freedom of movement on the (a) livelihoods of UK musicians and (b) UK (i) creative

sector and (ii) overall economy.

Mr Robin Walker:

The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has regular discussions with

Cabinet colleagues on preparations for the UK’s departure from the European Union.

The Government recognises the importance of mobility for the UK’s creative sector

and wider economy. The creative industries contributed £101.5bn to the UK economy

in 2017. That is why, in our White Paper on the UK’s future relationship with the EU,

we said that whilst free movement of people will end, we want to agree reciprocal

mobility arrangements with the EU that support businesses to provide services and

move their talented people, and discuss how to facilitate the temporary mobility of

self-employed professionals and employees providing services. The Immigration

White Paper sets out the foundation for a single immigration system that will support

the UK’s dynamic economy.

Our proposals for mobility arrangements with the EU are reflected in the Political

Declaration on the future relationship, which contains a specific reference to the

importance of mobility and temporary movement of objects and equipment in

enabling cooperation in the cultural sector. The details will be discussed in the next

phase of negotiations.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

China: Taiwan

Andrew Rosindell: [252583]

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

steps he is taking to improve relations between China and Taiwan.

Mark Field:

We have a constructive and positive dialogue with China on major global issues,

which enables us to have an open and frank discussion on difficult issues. We are

clear in our discussions with China that our longstanding policy on Taiwan has not

changed: we consider the Taiwan issue one that should be settled by the people on

both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. We have made clear

our concern at any activity by China and Taiwan that risks destabilising the status

quo.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: [253621]

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

Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other

Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan:

Any such payments are published in the department's audited annual accounts, and

these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

France and New Zealand: Social Media

Mr Jim Cunningham: [253490]

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

he has had with his (a) French and (b) New Zealand counterpart on reducing the amount

of violent and terrorist content on social media.

Sir Alan Duncan:

As a Government we have regular engagement with both our partners in France and

New Zealand on how we tackle terrorist content online. The Prime Minister attended

the Christchurch Call summit in Paris on online harms on 15 May. She had

discussions with both Prime Minister Ardern and President Macron in the sidelines.

During the summit she showcased the Government's leadership on making a safer

internet for all our citizens. The UK will be the first country to establish a regulatory

framework that tackles a range of online harms. We will lead international efforts by

setting a coherent, proportionate and effective approach that reflects our commitment

to a free, open and secure internet. This is why, together with our partners from

France and New Zealand, we have signed up to a joint pledge, called the

"Christchurch Call To Action", to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content

online. This is the latest example of UK leadership on this issue.

Hungary: Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: [253446]

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

of the Government’s diplomatic and political policy on Hungary are for 2019; and if he will

make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The objectives of the Government's diplomatic and political policy on Hungary for

2019 are to build on our long history of friendship and co-operation. We will deepen

and broaden our bilateral relationship to deliver greater prosperity and security for UK

nationals. The Government will continue to work closely with the Hungarian

Government, businesses, civil society, non-governmental organisations and religious

communities on our shared values and in areas of common interest including:

prosperity; science and innovation; media freedom; defence; security; and foreign

policy.

Iran: Ethnic Groups

Matthew Pennycook: [252872]

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

representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the effect of Iranian water

policies on the Ahwazi Arab population in that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

No representations have been made on the topic of Iranian water policies towards the

Ahwazi Arab population. However, we are concerned by the substantial violations of

the rights of ethnic minorities and their defenders in Iran and therefore, we continue

to support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in

Iran in monitoring and reporting on the rights of ethnic minorities in the country.

Israel: Official Visits

Paula Sherriff: [253629]

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

Government Ministers have made to Hebron since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

[Holding answer 16 May 2019]: According to a review of relevant records, we are

aware of at least seven visits that have been made to Hebron by Government

Ministers in an official capacity since 2010.

Italy: Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: [253448]

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

of the Government’s diplomatic and political policy on Italy are for 2019; and if he will

make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The Government's overarching objective for diplomatic and political policy on Italy for

2019 is to develop still further the already deep and broad bilateral relationship. Our

delivery will focus on key areas of common interest including: trade and investment;

defence, security and foreign policy; cultural engagement, and preparing for the UK-

Italy 2020 Year of Culture; tackling transnational crime and terrorism; science and

innovation; and education. In delivering this we will harness our already extensive

network across the full spectrum of business, governmental and non-governmental

bodies, and continue to foster the already strong people-to-people links between Italy

and the UK.

North Korea: Sanctions

Paul Girvan: [252879]

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

taking with his international counterparts to enforce international sanctions on North

Korea.

Mark Field:

The Government is actively working with international partners to fully implement all

relevant UN Security Council measures in respect of North Korea. The UK has

contributed four Royal Navy vessels in the past year to a US-coordinated maritime

sanctions enforcement operation. We have lobbied widely to encourage all States to

enforce sanctions on North Korea and to stem major sources of illicit revenue for

North Korea, such as overseas labourers and cyber-crime. Until North Korea takes

concrete steps towards its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation

sanctions must remain and all states must continue to enforce them in full.

We also welcome the work of the UN Panel of Experts who report on States’

implementation of UN Security Council measures. The Panel’s latest report details

continued evasion of sanctions by North Korea. The Panel of Experts reports can be

found at https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1718/panel_experts/reports.

Pakistan: Minority Groups

Nigel Dodds: [252500]

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

discussed with his Pakistani counterpart land grabbing from members of religious

minorities in that country.

Mark Field:

The Government strongly condemns discrimination against minorities, including

through seizure of land from minority groups. We are deeply concerned about

persecution of religious minorities and restrictions on the freedom of religion or belief

in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of advancing the rights of minorities

during her telephone call with Imran Khan in August 2018 following his election as

Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN,

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief

and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights

Minister during his visit to Pakistan in February 2019.

At the UN Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan in November 2017, the UK pressed

Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an

independent National Commission for Minorities.

We recognise the drive by Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop land seizures. We

regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities with the

Government of Pakistan at senior levels. We will continue to urge the Government of

Pakistan to guarantee fully the rights of all Pakistani citizens, including religious

minorities, and to honour its international obligations.

Palestinians: Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: [253445]

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

of the Government’s diplomatic and political policy on Palestine are for 2019; and if he

will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

The UK remains committed to the Palestinian people. Our priorities for 2019 include

continuing to support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel

living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders with

agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair,

agreed and realistic settlement for refugees. We want to work with the Palestinians

and the Israelis to address the financial crisis faced by the Palestinian Authority. I

discussed these priorities with the Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr Riyad Al Malki

when he visited London on 16 May.

Poland: Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: [253447]

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

of the Government’s diplomatic and political policy on Poland are for 2019; and if he will

make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The objectives of the Government's diplomatic and political policy on Poland are to

strengthen our close, long-standing and vibrant relationship and take it from 'good' to

'great', as the Prime Minister challenged us to do at the Inter-Governmental

Consultations (IGC) in December 2016. Our two countries enjoy frequent ministerial

contact, a thriving civil society forum and strong people-to-people links thanks, in

part, to the contribution of the Polish diaspora in the UK. All of this supports our

efforts to work even more closely with Poland and to deliver the Government's

objectives on the key issues that connect us: defence and security; foreign policy; the

economy and business; and science and innovation.

Sri Lanka: Nature Conservation and Terrorism

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: [R] [253662]

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

he has had with the Sri Lankan Government on (a) their security concerns in the

aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings in that country and (b) cooperation on

protection of endangered species since the decision to postpone the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's World Wildlife

Conference.

Mark Field:

We are continuing to assess the security situation in Sri Lanka following the Easter

Sunday attacks, and are in regular discussion with the Sri Lankan Government.

Security operations in Sri Lanka are ongoing and we assess that it is very likely that

terrorists will try to mount further terrorist attacks. The Prime Minister offered UK

assistance in a phone call with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister immediately after the

attacks. The Minister of State for Security, Ben Wallace, visited Sri Lanka on 2-3 May

to demonstrate UK solidarity and to take forward discussions on what UK support

would be most helpful. We are continuing to engage with the Sri Lankan authorities

on the security situation, including the outbreak of violence in North Western province

on 13 May, and on UK support.

We respect the decision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat to postpone the forthcoming

COP18 and are grateful for the work undertaken thus far. The UK will continue to

work closely with Sri Lanka and other international partners on the protection of

endangered species and promotion of the conservation of the world's wildlife through

our membership of international agreements such as CITES.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Keith Vaz: [252823]

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

he had on the situation in Yemen in his meeting with his counterpart in the US

Administration on 8 May 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

The UK remains committed to the UN-led political process and will continue to work

with the US and other partners in delivering this. The Foreign Secretary hosted a

meeting of the Yemen Quad on 26 April in London, where Quad members, including

the US, underlined their commitment to a comprehensive political solution for the

conflict in Yemen and their endorsement of the agreements reached in Stockholm by

the Yemeni parties in December 2018. On 8 May, the Foreign Secretary held

discussions with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, about Yemen, where such

commitments were reaffirmed.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Abortion

Sir John Hayes: [251929]

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

abortion providers among those organisations which must provide a disclosure statement

when responding to public consultations.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department is not aware of any plans to put an obligation on abortion providers

to provide a ‘disclosure statement’ when responding to consultations.

Brain: Injuries

Lisa Nandy: [253567]

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

a cross-departmental taskforce to address the issues and recommendations outlined in

the report of the all-party parliamentary group on acquired brain injury entitled Acquired

brain injury and neurorehabilitation - time for change.

Seema Kennedy:

Officials at the Department worked with colleagues across Government to respond to

recommendations of the report by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on

acquired brain injury. This response, which outlined the broad range of activity

underway to address the issues raised by the APPG, was issued on 19 February

2019. A copy of the response is attached.

Attachments:

1. APPG Response [DHSC APPG ABI Response.pdf]

Breast Cancer: Screening

Andrew Griffiths: [253555]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vacancies there are

in (a) mammography and (b) breast radiology in each Clinical Commissioning Group.

Seema Kennedy:

The information is not held in the format requested

Crimes of Violence

Vicky Foxcroft: [252108]

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

made an assessment of the cost of violent crime to the NHS.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department has not made an assessment of the cost of violent crime to the

National Health Service.

Dementia

Paul Farrelly: [252497]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Alzheimer’s

UK May 2019 report entitled Fix Dementia Care and that report’s identification of a

dementia penalty on people with that condition, what plans he has to ensure that costs

associated with dementia are covered by the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper on adult social care at

the earliest opportunity, setting out proposals for reform and will bring forward ideas

for including an element of risk pooling in the system, which will help to protect

people from the highest costs. We are committed to ensuring everyone has access to

the care and support they need, based on a principle of shared responsibility.

The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, commits the National

Health Service to continuing to improve the care provided to people with dementia

and their carers. The National Implementation Framework, to be published

imminently, will provide further information on how the Long Term Plan will be

implemented. Additional details, based on local health system five year plans, will be

brought together in a detailed National Implementation Programme in the autumn.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Paul Farrelly: [253522]

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

taking to ensure that (a) dementia and (b) Alzheimer’s are diagnosed (i) correctly and (ii)

as quickly as possible.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Government’s mandate to NHS England requires NHS England to deliver the

actions set out in the Challenge on Dementia 2020 Implementation Plan. The

Implementation Plan envisages that:

“In every part of the country people with dementia having equal access to diagnosis

as for other conditions, with an expectation that the national average for an initial

assessment should be 6 weeks following a referral from a GP (where clinically

appropriate), and that no one should be waiting several months for an initial

assessment of dementia.”

We have made great strides in delivering the Challenge: this includes being above

NHS England’s target for two thirds of people living with dementia to receive a formal

diagnosis. Our focus now is on reducing the variation of local diagnosis rates and

NHS England have programmes in place to further improve the quality and timeliness

of diagnosis.

Department of Health and Social Care: Retirement

Chris Ruane: [253516]

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

provides to staff in his Department (a) in their transition to retirement and (b) to (i)

maintain and (ii) increase the physical and mental wellbeing staff planning for retirement.

Caroline Dinenage:

Departmental support for staff transitioning into retirement includes a Pre Retirement

learning event, provided via Civil Service Learning, which raises awareness of

available information and resources, supports proactive planning for making the most

of retirement and awareness of how to claim Civil Service and state pensions.

All staff in the Department who are part of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, have

access to MyCSP, the Civil Service pension provider, which provides online

resources and tools, such as the Retirement Modeller and a Pension Portal and also

provides individual pension advice over the phone.

The Department also offers and wherever possible, supports staff requests for partial

retirement to support individual needs and also as a transition to future retirement.

Foetuses

Fiona Bruce: [253557]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 6

February 2019 to Question 214478 on Foetuses: Analgesics and of 26 February 2019 to

Question 223137 on Abortion, whose role it is to oversee clinical practices to ensure (a)

consistency of practice and (b) equality of patient advice and care.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

Individual organisations should have in place their own clinical governance and

ensure their clinical practices are in line with any national guidelines. It is the role of

the Care Quality Commission to monitor, inspect and regulate healthcare services to

make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety.

Healthcare professional regulators, including the General Medical Council and the

Nursing and Midwifery Council, are responsible for assuring the fitness to practise of

healthcare professionals, and can take action against professionals who do not meet

the standards for professional conduct set by the regulators.

General Practitioners: Finance

Anneliese Dodds: [253711]

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

allocate additional funding to GP practices to enable the recruitment and appointment of

Primary Care Network medical directors.

Seema Kennedy:

Each Primary Care Network (PCN) is required to appoint a Clinical Director. Under

the terms of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) contract

specification published by NHS England in March 2019, PCNs can claim funding for

this role. It is a population-based payment calculated using a baseline equivalent of

0.25 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) per 50,000 registered population size, as at 1

January 2019 (one WTE being paid £137,516 in 2019/20). This is a payment of

£0.51430 per registered patient for the period 1 July 2019 to 31 March 2020 (which

equates to £0.057 per patient per month), reflecting the fact that the Network

Contract DES begins in July 2019 - this will be the point at which the Clinical

Directors take up their posts.

Health: Research

Sir John Hayes: [252494]

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

entitled When Ethics and politics collide in donor funded global health research,

published in the Lancet on 22 March 2019, what steps he is taking to ensure that his

Department does not interfere with independent researchers.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Department is allocating £619.5 million of Official Development Assistance

(ODA) research funding under the current Spending Review. The Department’s

global health research programming applies the Haldane Principle to assure

independence of research across four strategic programmes. All research funding is

awarded following open competition and independent expert review, with strategic

input and guidance on research programming provided by relevant independent

scientific advisory groups.

Sir John Hayes: [252495]

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

entitled When Ethics and politics collide in donor funded global health research,

published in the Lancet on 22 March 2019, what research commissioned by his

Department and funded by the public purse has not been published.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Department received Official Development Assistance (ODA) research funding in

2016, and began commissioning global health research projects shortly afterwards. In

line with the Department’s commitment to meet the International Aid Transparency

Initiative (IATI) standards for transparency of ODA spend, details of all research

projects funded through the Department’s ODA allocation are reported to IATI and

published online via d-portal.

Whilst the Department is responsible for allocating ODA research funding, the

responsibility for publishing research outputs lies with the researchers themselves, as

appropriate and relevant to their work. Research projects directly commissioned and

funded through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health

Research programme are contractually obliged to publish their final report, which will

be made publicly available through the NIHR Journals Library, along with any

additional publications throughout the project lifetime. Published research

acknowledges that the views expressed are those of the author(s) and not

necessarily those of Department.

Healthy Start Scheme

Gareth Thomas: [251898]

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

encourage (a) Morrisons, (b) Tesco, (c) Asda, (d) Sainsburys and (d) other supermarket

chains to promote the acceptance of Healthy Start Vouchers to their customers; and if he

will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

Information about the Healthy Start scheme is available to the public and retailers on

the Healthy Start website. Retailers are encouraged to use promotional materials

available on the Healthy Start website to promote their acceptance of the vouchers.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Thangam Debbonaire: [251999]

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

the availability of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in (a) Bristol and (b) England.

Seema Kennedy:

In February 2019, additional HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact trial

allocation places were released to those sexual health clinics in Bristol, the Bristol

Royal Infirmary and the Concord Clinic participating in the PrEP trial.

These additional places in Bristol are part of the overall expansion of 13,000

additional PrEP trial places across England, increasing the total number of places to

26,000 for participating clinics. The trial website can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.prepimpacttrial.org.uk/join-the-trial

Homelessness: Death

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [252631]

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

11 April 2019 to Question 244122 on Homelessness: Death, what definitions of abuse

and neglect are provided to local authorities.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department has published the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which

provides information on what constitutes abuse or neglect. The list is not intended to

be exhaustive, rather it provides guidance on the sort of behaviour which could give

rise to a safeguarding concern. It includes physical, domestic, sexual, psychological,

discriminatory, financial and material abuse. Local authorities should not limit their

view of what constitutes abuse and should consider the circumstances of the

individual’s case.

Hospitals: Discharges

Barbara Keeley: [252527]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of planned

transfers under the Transforming Care programme specify that the person will move into

another in-patient facility.

Barbara Keeley: [252528]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people (a)

discharged and (b) transferred under the Transforming Care programme were moved

directly into another in-patient facility.

Barbara Keeley: [252529]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many discharges under

the Transforming Care programme were delayed as a result of no alternative placement

being available.

Barbara Keeley: [252530]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have a

discharge date planned under the Transforming Care programme.

Caroline Dinenage:

The data is not available in the precise format requested.

Based on the latest Assuring Transformation (AT) data for March 2019, we estimate

that around 30% of planned transfers under the Transforming Care programme would

be to another inpatient facility.

The most recent AT data indicates that in March 2019, 25 people were transferred to

another hospital setting. This was 16% of the total number of people discharged or

transferred within the month.

In March 2019, there were 105 delayed discharges recorded in the AT data. The

reason for the delayed discharge was recorded as follows:

REASON FOR DELAYED DISCHARGE NUMBER OF INPATIENTS

Lack of agreed health care funding 10

Lack of agreed social care funding 15

REASON FOR DELAYED DISCHARGE NUMBER OF INPATIENTS

Awaiting non-acute National Health Service

care

5

Awaiting residential home 30

Awaiting nursing home 0

Awaiting care package in own home 10

Awaiting community equipment 0

Patient or family choice 10

Lack of local health provision 10

Lack of social care support 20

Lack of suitable housing provision 40

Other reason for delay 50

The reasons do not sum to the total number of delays as multiple reasons may be

assigned to an individual patient.

In March 2019, 965 patients have a discharge planned to a community or residential

setting.

Insulin

Christine Jardine: [253706]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether stocks of insulin will

continue to be stockpiled to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond:

The Department fully understands that maintaining access to insulin is vitally

important to many people in this country.

The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. We

have now reached agreement with the EU on an extension to the Article 50 period

until 31 October at the latest, with the option to leave earlier as soon as a Withdrawal

Agreement has been ratified.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, there will be an implementation period

running till the end of 2020, during which there will be no changes to the current

trading arrangements with the EU. Therefore, if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified,

the supply of medicines will continue on the same basis it does now during this

period.

Leaving without a deal remains the legal default at the end of the extension period if

no Withdrawal Agreement is agreed. Therefore, as a responsible Government, we

will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and

medical products in a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.

We are continuing to work with trade bodies and other stakeholders to review the

position carefully before sharing further guidance at the earliest opportunity.

Stockpiled medicines were not procured by the Department as part of our ‘no deal’

plans and remain the property of medicines suppliers. On 26 April we wrote to

pharmaceutical companies, including those who supply insulin, asking in the

meantime, that all ‘no deal’ measures (such as stockpiles, additional buffer stocks

etc) should remain in place but on hold until further guidance is available.

We are confident that if everyone, including suppliers, freight companies, our

European neighbours, and the health and care system, does what they need to do,

the supply of medicines and medical products should be uninterrupted in the event

we leave the EU without a deal.

Christine Jardine: [253707]

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

has made of the amount of insulin procured before 29 March 2019 as part of preparations

for the UK leaving the EU without a deal that has been (a) destroyed, (b) redistributed

and (c) sold back to manufacturers.

Stephen Hammond:

The Department fully understands that maintaining access to insulin is vitally

important to many people in this country.

The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. We

have now reached agreement with the EU on an extension to the Article 50 period

until 31 October at the latest, with the option to leave earlier as soon as a Withdrawal

Agreement has been ratified.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, there will be an implementation period

running till the end of 2020, during which there will be no changes to the current

trading arrangements with the EU. Therefore, if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified,

the supply of medicines will continue on the same basis it does now during this

period.

Leaving without a deal remains the legal default at the end of the extension period if

no Withdrawal Agreement is agreed. Therefore, as a responsible Government, we

will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and

medical products in a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.

We are continuing to work with trade bodies and other stakeholders to review the

position carefully before sharing further guidance at the earliest opportunity.

Stockpiled medicines were not procured by the Department as part of our ‘no deal’

plans and remain the property of medicines suppliers. On 26 April we wrote to

pharmaceutical companies, including those who supply insulin, asking in the

meantime, that all ‘no deal’ measures (such as stockpiles, additional buffer stocks

etc) should remain in place but on hold until further guidance is available.

We are confident that if everyone, including suppliers, freight companies, our

European neighbours, and the health and care system, does what they need to do,

the supply of medicines and medical products should be uninterrupted in the event

we leave the EU without a deal.

Medicine: Research

Paul Farrelly: [253523]

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

of the potential merits of ensuring it is made clear whenever health research is

commercially funded.

Caroline Dinenage:

The merits of clarifying research funding sources are enshrined in Health Research

Authority policy on health and care research which is available at the following link:

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/documents/1068/uk-policy-framework-health-social-care-

research.pdf

Researchers are required to register studies on a public research register before they

begin. All trials of medicines are automatically published by the European Union on

the EU clinical trial register which is available at the following link:

https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/

Mental Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: [252090]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mental health support is

available to the families of (a) victims and (b) perpetrators of violence.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for providing services which are

responsive to any physical or mental health needs of family members of victims or

perpetrators of violence. Talking therapy is available for people affected by

depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder through the Improving Access to

Psychological Therapies programme, delivered by psychological practitioners or

counsellors who provide appropriate treatment to those affected by violence.

The Prime Minister recently hosted a summit to tackle serious youth violence, which

focused on a multi-agency and cross-government response to violent crime. The

Government recognises the importance of using and sharing data effectively to

identify those in need of support, including witnesses and families of those affected.

Independent Domestic Abuse Advisers are also available through local authorities.

Primary Health Care

Anneliese Dodds: [253710]

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

(a) the British Medical Association, (b) the Royal College of General Practitioners and (c)

other representative groups before announcing the timetable for the creation of primary

care networks.

Seema Kennedy:

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has met with both Richard Vautrey and

Helen Stokes-Lampard as representatives of the profession to discuss a range of

issues, including, but not limited to, the creation of Primary Care Networks.

In addition, Departmental officials have been in regular communication with both the

Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British Medical Association

(BMA) throughout the development of the Primary Care Networks policy and will

continue these close working relationships as the networks are implemented.

The Primary Care Network Directed Enhanced Service specification, which sets out

the timetable for networks, was agreed with the General Practitioners Committee and

the BMA as part of negotiations on the contract for 2019/20.

Prisoners: Injuries

Richard Burgon: [252677]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a pilot to trial

screening for traumatic brain injuries on entry into prison.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

NHS England has commissioned liaison and diversion services in custody suites and

courts aimed at identifying those who are vulnerable. It is anticipated that by 2020-21,

that service will cover the whole of England.

All children and young people within the secure estate are screened for brain injury

through the comprehensive health assessment tool.

The NHS England prison health care national standards service specification requires

providers to screen individuals where it is suspected that they may have an acquired

brain injury. If an adult prisoner presents with a significant brain injury, a specialist

neurological referral is made.

There are specific diagnostics for those whose presentations suggest a cause for

concern. Where individuals so assessed are then sentenced to custody, this

information will be passed to the escorts for prison reception.

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Fiona Bruce: [252526]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what structures and procedures

are in place to (a) monitor and (b) assess the effectiveness of the work of the Royal

College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Stephen Hammond:

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional

membership association, independent of government, working to improve health care

for women both in the United Kingdom and worldwide.

The College is governed by a Royal Charter, from which are derived the College

Regulations. These guide the governance, management and business arrangements

of the College.

The RCOG is a registered charity in England and Wales and is subject to charity law.

The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities.

Self-harm and Suicide

Vicky Foxcroft: [252091]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds

on levels of (a) self-harm and (b) suicide among victims of violence.

Vicky Foxcroft: [252092]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds

on levels of (a) self-harm and (b) suicide among family members of victims of violence.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The data requested is not held. Information is not collected centrally on levels of self

harm and suicide among victims of violence or family members of victims of violence.

Social Care: Abuse

Frank Field: [252840]

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

made of the trends in the level of (a) abuse directed towards patients in social care and

(b) the number of convictions as a result of that abuse.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Department does not directly collect data about numbers of people who have

been abused and we do not collect data on convictions as a result of that abuse.

However, we do monitor Section 42 enquiries and the outcome of these enquiries,

which are about local authorities establishing whether an adult in their area:

- has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those

needs);

- is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect; and

- as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse

or neglect or the risk of it.

Section 42 of the Care Act 2014 also requires councils to determine whether any

action needs to be taken as a result of their enquiries.

The total number of Section 42 enquiries that commenced under the Care Act during

2017-18 fell by 1.1% to 131,860 compared to 2016-17.

Social Services: Fees and Charges

Caroline Lucas: [251936]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of

the number of years a person would need to spend in a residential care home before

benefitting from an (a) £72,000 cap and (b) £100,000 cap on the cost of care; if he will

make it his policy to introduce free personal care in England; and if he will make a

statement.

Caroline Dinenage:

The social care Green Paper will bring forward ideas for including an element of risk

pooling in the system, which will help to protect people from the highest costs. To

allow for fuller engagement and development of the approach, with reforms to the

care system and the way it is paid for considered in the round, we will not be taking

forward the previous Government’s plans to implement a cap on care costs in 2020.

Further details on the Government’s plans will be set out after we have consulted on

the different options.

Vaccination: Children

Paul Farrelly: [253521]

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

taking to ensure that parents are given adequate advice and information on vaccination

programmes.

Seema Kennedy:

Public Health England (PHE) ensures health professionals have current, accurate

information on the benefits of immunisation, so they can communicate this

information to parents. PHE provides the Department with expert evidence and

advice (and nationally procures many vaccines). PHE also supports NHS England

with information, expert advice, capacity and support at national and local level.

PHE recommends people visit the National Health Service website as the NHS is a

highly trusted source of information. This is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/

There are also a range of information leaflets, available online and from health

professionals, about the different vaccination programmes at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation#immunisation-leaflets-and-

guidance-for-parents

HOME OFFICE

Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme

David Hanson: [251923]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was allocated to (a)

individual police forces in England and Wales, (b) individual government departments, (c)

individual local authorities and (d) other bodies through the Asset Recovery

Incentivisation Scheme in each year since 2010.

David Hanson: [251924]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money has accrued

to the public purse in confiscation orders; and how much of that money has been

allocated in compensation to victims of crime in each year since 2010.

David Hanson: [251925]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to change

the redistribution mechanism in the Asset Recovery Incentivisation scheme so that (a)

local authorities and (b) police forces receive higher payments for successful

investigations.

Mr Ben Wallace:

Data on asset recovery is published annually, the latest published figures are

available on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/asset-recovery-

statistics.

The Home Office runs the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS). With over

250 agencies participating in the Scheme, it would take disproportionate time and

resource to provide a detailed breakdown of these individual payments.

The amounts recovered in respect of confiscation orders, together with amounts paid

from this amount in compensation is provided in the attached table. This information

was taken from the live database, JARD (Joint Asset Recovery Database) on 9 May

2019.

There are no immediate plans for changing the distribution allocations in the ARIS,

but the Government keeps it under review. The upcoming Asset Recovery Action

Plan will make wider recommendations to improve the use and effectiveness of

powers and practice in this area.

Asylum

Mr Virendra Sharma: [253539]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is

taking to promote Refugee Week 2019; and if he will take steps to ensure his Department

promotes the value of refugees and asylum seekers to the UK.

Caroline Nokes:

The UK government is committed to humanitarian efforts to support refugees at home

and abroad.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it – and this

Government is committed to ensuring refugees can take positive steps towards

integration as they rebuild their lives in the UK.

We recognise Refugee Week as an opportunity to celebrate the valuable

contributions refugees make to UK society.

Judith Cummins: [253591]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is

for a decision on an application for asylum.

Judith Cummins: [253592]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is

for Home Office decisions on applications for asylum in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Judith Cummins: [253595]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce

the time taken for asylum decisions to be made.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office does not publish data on the average time taken to make a decision

on an asylum application. In addition, we cannot provide data on the average time

taken to receive a decision in particular region such as Yorkshire and Humber, such

data can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

However, the Home Office does publish data on the number of pending applications

that have been awaiting an initial decision for more or less than 6 months. This data

can be found at Volume 1, as_01 of the Immigration Statistics December 2018:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-

december-2018/list-of-tables#asylum

In line with our ambition to promote a greater understanding and transparency of the

asylum system and to develop service standards that are meaningful and command

confidence, plans are underway for UKVI to implement new service standards for

asylum case working. This change means UKVI will be moving away from the six-

month service standard for straightforward cases which was introduced in 2014.

It had become clear that the current service standard no longer best served those

that used our services and a number of stakeholders had been concerned that not all

cases were captured by it.

For these reasons, it has been agreed to change how Asylum Operations proritise

their workload. This means, in the short term, Asylum Operations will reprioritise

cases by focusing on claims with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the

greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children

(UASC). Additionally, cases where an individual has already received a decision, but

a reconsideration is required, will also be prioritised. The implications of the change

on applicants have been considered and appropriate mitigations put in place, with the

most vulnerable groups being prioritised as appropriate.

The intention is for this approach to bring balance back to the asylum system while

steps are taken to increase the capacity of the asylum decision making system and

focus on process improvements to deliver better quality decisions more efficiently.

To come to a longer-term arrangement for service standards that meet the needs of

those seeking asylum and the country, UKVI have engaged with key partners in the

Strategic Engagement Group (SEG) and other NGOs to redesign the way in which

claims are prioritised. This engagement started on 4 December 2018 and over 100

organisations were invited to service standards workshops, which included members

of SEG and National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) sub groups. 41

organisations out of the 100 attended workshops nationally.

We aim to ensure that we design our new service standards to deliver a world leading

immigration service for those seeking asylum in the UK.

Judith Cummins: [253593]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of asylum claims

are decided within the Home Office’s service standard that 98 per cent of straightforward

claims will be decided within 6 months.

Caroline Nokes:

In line with our ambition to promote a greater understanding and transparency of the

asylum system and to develop service standards that are meaningful and command

confidence, plans are underway for UKVI to implement new service standards for

asylum case working. This change means UKVI have moved away from the six-

month service standard for straightforward cases which was introduced in 2014.

It had become clear that the service standard no longer best served those that used

our services and a number of stakeholders had been concerned that not all cases

were captured by it.

The intention is for this approach to bring balance back to the asylum system while

steps are taken to increase the capacity of the asylum decision making system and

focus on process improvements to deliver better quality decisions more efficiently.

Data on the proportion of asylum claims that are decided within the Home Office’s

previous service standard, which was to decide 98 per cent of straight-forward claims

within 6 months can be found at Asy_10: Percentage of Asy-lum applications

processed within 6 months, Asylum Transparency data February 2019:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-february-

2019

Asylum: Applications

Catherine West: [252009]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the decision was

made to abandon the six-month target for processing straightforward asylum claims.

Catherine West: [252010]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his

Department has made of the effect on the mental health of asylum seekers of the

decision to abolish the six-month target for processing straightforward asylum claims.

Caroline Nokes:

In line with our ambition to promote a greater understanding and transparency of the

asylum system and to develop service standards that are meaningful and command

confidence, plans are underway for UKVI to implement new service standards for

asylum case working. This change means UKVI will be moving away from the six-

month service standard for straightforward cases which was introduced in 2014.

It had become clear that the current service standard no longer best served those

that used our services and a number of stakeholders had been concerned that not all

cases were captured by it.

For these reasons, it has been agreed to change how Asylum Operations prioritise

their workload. This means, in the short term, Asylum Operations will reprioritise

cases by focusing on claims with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the

greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children

(UASC). Additionally, cases where an individual has already received a decision, but

a reconsideration is required, will also be prioritised. The implications of the change

on applicants have been considered and appropriate mitigations put in place, with the

most vulnerable groups being prioritised as appropriate.

The intention is for this approach to bring balance back to the asylum system while

steps are taken to increase the capacity of the asylum decision making system and

focus on process improvements to deliver better quality decisions more efficiently.

To come to a longer-term arrangement for service standards that meet the needs of

those seeking asylum and the country, UKVI have engaged with key partners in the

Strategic Engagement Group (SEG) and other NGOs to redesign the way in which

claims are prioritised. This engagement started on 4 December 2018 and over 100

organisations were invited to service standards workshops, which included members

of SEG and National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) sub groups. 41

organisations out of the 100 attended workshops nationally.

We aim to ensure that we design our new service standards to deliver a world leading

immigration service for those seeking asylum in the UK.

Jo Stevens: [252607]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of new asylum

applications breached the six month resolution target threshold in 2018.

Jo Stevens: [252608]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new asylum

applications breached the six month resolution target threshold in 2018.

Jo Stevens: [252609]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications

submitted in 2017 breached the six month resolution target threshold during 2018.

Jo Stevens: [252610]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications

have remained open for over a year as at 1 December 2018.

Caroline Nokes:

Information regarding the number of asylum applications that breached the six month

resolution target threshold in 2017/2018 is published as part of the Government’s

Transparency agenda, the latest release of which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-february-

2019

The Home Office does not publish data on the number of asylum applications that

have remained open for over a year as at 1 December 2018.

However as at 31st December 2018, there were 12,213 asylum applications pending

an initial decision for more than 6 months. This can be found at Immigration

Statistics, table as_01.

Asylum: Employment

Judith Cummins: [253594]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to allow

individuals who have not received a decision on their asylum claim after six months the

right to work.

Caroline Nokes:

Asylum seekers can work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months,

through no fault of their own. Those allowed to work are restricted to jobs on the

Shortage Occupation List, which is published by the Home Office and based on

expert advice from the Migration Advisory Committee.

During the Meaningful Vote debate on 5 December, the Home Secretary stated that

although there are no current plans to change the current policy, it is an area he

wished to review, and work on this is ongoing.

In making any policy changes, it is important to distinguish between those who need

protection and economic migrants, who can apply for a work visa under the

Immigration Rules. Our wider policy could be undermined if migrants could bypass

work visa routes by lodging unfounded asylum claims.

Asylum: Housing

Holly Lynch: [252095]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to allocate

additional resources to the Migrant Help phone line to respond to asylum accommodation

calls from September 2019.

Caroline Nokes:

Migrant Help recently won the contract to deliver the Advice, Issue Reporting and

Eligibility (AIRE) contract. AIRE will provide advice and guidance on the asylum

process, their rights and signposting different services. It will also provide asylum

seekers with a single point of contact, independent from the accommodation

providers and the Home Office, to report issues.

The resourcing of the Migrant Help phone lines are included as part of the AIRE

contract and we are working with them to ensure a smooth transition of service.

I have attached the AIRE statement of requirements which provides further

information about the AIRE contract.

Attachments:

1. AIRE Statement of Requirements [AIRE Contract-Schedule 2-SoR - HOC Published

(1).docx]

Asylum: Namibia

Chris Stephens: [253648]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons his Department

is unable to provide an essential interpreter for Namibian nationals undertaking a

substantive asylum interview.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office recognises the ongoing high demand for Namibian interpreters

across the department and has an ongoing recruitment campaign for all high demand

languages, of which Namibian is a priority.

We will continue to explore and act upon potential recruitment avenues both

regionally and nationally. Alongside the ongoing recruitment campaign, we will

continue to work with stakeholders in assessing demand and have in place

contingencies to ensure the available national resource is utilised as effectively as

possible.

British Nationality: Assessments

Alex Sobel: [253714]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to include

adult and child safeguarding in the Life in the UK Test.

Caroline Nokes:

There is currently a “fundamental principles” section in the handbook which covers

domestic violence, female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

However, the Home Secretary has announced a review of the handbook and test,

and we will be revising it and the test to place greater emphasis on British values. In

doing so, it is important that we focus on both the rights and responsibilities of

citizens and on the importance of being active citizens. We are currently considering

how this will be taken forward.

Deportation: Homosexuality

Jo Swinson: [253532]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the 13th edition

of the ILGA State Sponsored Homophobia Report, how many people were deported to

each of the 71 countries where homosexuality is illegal in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c)

2018.

Caroline Nokes:

The number of enforced returns from the UK by year and country of destination is

published in table rt_05 (returns data tables, volume 5) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year

ending December 2018’, available from the GOV.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781118

/returns5-dec-2018-tables.ods

Deportations are a subset of enforced returns. They may occur either following a

criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is

conducive to the public good. Information on those deported is not separately

available. The published statistics refer to enforced returns, which include

deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws,

and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers who have

declined to leave voluntarily. Most illegal immigrants are removed from the UK under

administrative or illegal entry powers and not deported.

Deportation: Sri Lanka

Keith Vaz: [251906]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been

deported to Sri Lanka from the UK in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) to

date in 2019.

Caroline Nokes:

The number of enforced returns from the UK by year and country of nationality is

published in table rt_02 (returns data tables, volume 1) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year

ending December 2018’, available from the GOV.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781113

/returns1-dec-2018-tables.ods

The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns which are

enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s

removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. Information on those deported

is not separately available and therefore the published statistics refer to all enforced

returns.

Information for January to March 2019 will be published on 24th May 2019.

Drugs: Misuse

Mr Jim Cunningham: [253488]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce

demand for class A drugs.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government is taking a range of action to reduce the demand for illegal drugs,

including Class A drugs.

As set out in the 2017 Drug Strategy, our prevention approach combines uni-versal

action for all young people with targeted action for groups at particular risk, including

young people with a range of vulnerabilities, offenders and homeless people.

Our universal approach focuses on supporting evidence-based programmes which

have a positive impact on young people, giving them the confidence and resilience to

resist drug misuse. This includes investing in the Alcohol and Drugs Education and

Prevention Information Service which provides practical advice and tools to schools

and educators, and developing the 'Rise Above' digital hub. The Government is also

introducing compulsory health education in all schools from September 2020, which

will include a focus on the risks associated with drug misuse.

Alongside this, on 8 February the Home Secretary announced the appoint-ment of

Professor Dame Carol Black to lead a major independent review of drugs, which will

look at a wide range of issues including the drivers behind recent trends in Class A

drug misuse.

Early Intervention Youth Fund: Greater London

Sir Edward Davey: [252482]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which projects by London

Borough have received funding for the Early Intervention Youth Fund as set out in in the

Serious Violence Strategy announcement on 9 April 2018.

Victoria Atkins:

We have awarded over £4.1m from the £22m Early Intervention Youth Fund to fund

ten projects in London. Details on the projects are at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-intervention-youth-fund-successful-

bids.

European Arrest Warrants: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: [251930]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many warrants have been

issued under the European Arrest Warrant for prosecution in Northern Ireland by member

state of origin in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office does not hold the information requested.

However, statistics on the European Arrest Warrant are published by the National

Crime Agency each year. These figures include a breakdown of the numbers of

requests made by the UK.

These figures are published at:

http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-

statistics

Home Office: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: [253620]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has

paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries

Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Victoria Atkins:

Any such payments are published in the department’s audited annual accounts, and

these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

Homicide: Criminal Investigation

Vicky Foxcroft: [252083]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the average cost to the police of conducting a homicide investigation.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office has estimated the average cost to the police for dealing with and

investigating a homicide was £11,960 in 2015/16.

Immigrants: Lewisham

Vicky Foxcroft: [252082]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the number of people living in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency and (b)

the London borough of Lewisham who have no recourse to public funds.

Vicky Foxcroft: [252084]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the number of children living in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency and (b)

the London Borough of Lewisham who are looked after by parents with no recourse to

public funds.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office does not hold the data requested and information on the UK’s

resident population is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics. The

no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition is applied to the leave of most migrants

in the UK as a legitimate means of maintaining and protecting our economic

resources.

In those cases where leave has been, or is being, granted for family or private life

reasons the NRPF condition can be lifted on application to the Home Office if that is

necessary to meet the welfare needs of children. In addition, immigration legislation

specifically provides for children to remain eligible for support from a local authority

under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and an assessment of welfare needs will

be part of providing that support.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: [R] [252641]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25

February 2019 to HL13583, how much of the £170 million reserved for the development

and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme was allocated to (a) the digital application

system, (b) the communications campaign to promote awareness of that scheme and (c)

caseworkers to process applications to that scheme in the 2018-19 financial year.

Kate Green: [R] [252643]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25

February 2019 to HL13583, how much of the £170 million reserved for the development

and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme was used on promoting that scheme in foreign

language EU newspapers.

Kate Green: [R] [252644]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25

February 2019 to HL13583, how much of the £170 million reserved for the development

and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme was allocated to promoting and advertising

that scheme (a) on the radio, (b) on television, (c) online and (d) in print.

Kate Green: [R] [252648]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse

for the (a) development and (b) delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme in 2019-20 will be.

Caroline Nokes:

For the 2018/19 financial year, HM Treasury provided EU Exit funding allocation of

£395 million to Home Office. £170 million was been reserved for the development

and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme. Allocation for the requested areas are as

follows (these figures are still being audited and may change by the time that they are

published):

Caseworkers and staff: £59m

Application system: £63m

The EU Settlement Scheme marketing campaign led by the Home Office did not

include advertising in foreign newspapers. However, the Immigration Minister was

interviewed by key diaspora media both in broadcast and print for the highest

populated EU countries in the UK. The Home Office launched a £3.75m UK wide

marketing campaign to encourage EU citizens to apply when the EU Settlement

Scheme went live. The campaign ran on radio, catch up tv, online, print with the cost

breakdown below. Advertising also ran on outdoor billboards.

a. Radio and digital audio: £410,000 b. Catch up tv: £1,000,000 c. Online (digital and

social): £410,000 d. Print: £180,000

Data for 2019/20 financial year expenditure is unavailable as the new financial year

has just begun.

Kate Green: [R] [252645]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to meet

the access needs of disabled people who wish to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure

that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible for all

We are working in partnership with vulnerable group representatives, local authorities

and other experts to understand user needs and issues and to ensure the right

support arrangements are in place for applicants, including those with disabilities.

The Home Office has introduced a range of support including up to £9 million grant

funding for voluntary and community organisations, to ensure those that require the

most support to apply to the scheme can access it

The Home Office has developed a community toolkit which includes com-munications

materials and specific guidance on the EU Settlement Scheme for local authorities to

download to help support individuals.

The Settlement Resolution Centre provides help and information to individuals

completing their EU Settlement Scheme application and can also be contacted via e-

mail. An Assisted Digital service is available for those who do not have the skills,

access or confidence to complete the online form.

Jo Platt: [253725]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what standards his Department

used in the digital verification of people applying to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Caroline Nokes:

EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and society, and we want them

to stay. The EU Settlement Scheme enables them to do so.

The ‘EU Exit: Identity Document Check’ app is an optional aspect of the service

which allows applicants to prove their identity remotely.

The app performs a series of digital security checks on the chip contained within the

applicant’s identity document that meets the international standards set by the

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These checks allow us to establish,

to a high level of trust, the authenticity of the identity document and its contents.

Where an individual cannot validate their identity document using the app to make an

application to the EU Settlement Scheme, they can post their identity documents to

the Home Office to be checked and returned quickly.

The use of the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app is entirely optional, but it offers a

secure and quick way of making an application to the EU Settlement Scheme.

İyad el-Baghdadi

Lyn Brown: [251935]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to cooperate

with the Governments of (a) Norway and (b) five eyes partner countries to offer protection

to Iyad el-Baghdadi from reported threats linked to the Saudi Arabian Government.

Mr Ben Wallace:

It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on the security

arrangements for individuals or certain groups. To do so could compromise the

integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.

Knife Crime Community Fund: Greater London

Sir Edward Davey: [252483]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which projects by London

Borough have received funding from the anti-knife crime Communication Fund as set out

in in the Serious Violence Strategy announcement on 9 April 2018.

Victoria Atkins:

Lists of all London-based projects that have received funding from the anti-knife

crime Community Fund in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 financial years may be found in

the attached tables.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707629

/successful_bids_knife_crime.csv/preview

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734836

/anti_knife_fund.csv/preview

Attachments:

1. Table 1 [Table 1 - CF Year 1 projects 2017-18.docx]

2. Table 2 [Table 2 - Year 2 Community Fund Projects 2018-19.DOC]

Knives: Crime

Chi Onwurah: [253571]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help

ensure that there is no increase in knife crime in Newcastle.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government is determined to do everything it can to tackle knife crime and break

the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of victims, families and

communities. The latest statistics published by the Office for National Statistics on 25

April for the year ending December 2018 show an increase of 6 per cent in police

recorded knife crime across England and Wales, including a 4 per cent increase in

the Northumbria police area.

We are taking action to address these increases on a number of fronts in support of

our Serious Violence Strategy. This includes providing the police with the powers and

resources they need to take effective action in all areas of the country. Through the

Offensive Weapons Act we are tightening the law in relation to knives, including

making it an offence to possess certain offensive weapons in private, and stopping

knives being sent to residential addresses after they are bought online unless the

seller has arrangements with a delivery company to verify age. We are also

introducing new Knife Crime Prevention Orders, requested by the police to help them

to tackle young people who are on the cusp of serious violence, to help them make

more positive lifestyle choices. We also continue to support the police national weeks

of action against knife crime under Operation Sceptre.

The police funding settlement provides the police with the biggest increase in funding

since 2010, and in addition we are providing the additional £100 million to tackle

serious violence announced in the Spring Statement on 13 March, which includes

£80m of new funding from the Treasury. The majority of the investment will go

towards supporting the police forces most affected by the violence we are seeing, but

the funding will also support Violence Reduction Units, bringing together a range of

agencies, including health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-

agency approach to preventing serious violence. £63.4 million of this funding has

already been allocated to 18 police forces most affected by serious violence to pay

for surge operational activity, including increased patrols, and £1.6 million to help

improve the quality of data on serious violence, particularly knife crime, to support

planning and operations. Northumbria has been allocated £2.32m from this fund.

We are also raising awareness among young people of the dangers of carrying a

knife through our national media campaign - #knifefree – and supporting early

intervention through the £22 million Early Intervention Youth Fund, which is already

supporting 29 local projects, including £371,632 allocated to the Police and Crime

Commissioner in Northumbria to target young people on the periphery of involvement

with the criminal justice system, as a result of their escalating offending behaviour.

We have also introduced the £200 million Youth Endowment Fund, which will be

delivered over the next 10 years to support interventions with children and young

people at risk of involvement in crime and violence, focusing on those most at risk.

The charity Impetus, working in partnership with the Early Intervention Foundation

and Social Investment Business, is now operating the Fund

A full list of the forces and the funding they have received from the serious violence

fund is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/police-granted-funding-

boost-for-action-on-serious-violence.

Missing Persons

Louise Haigh: [253651]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Missing Persons

Register will be published.

Victoria Atkins:

We are currently working towards the National Register of Missing Persons (NRMP)

to be in use operationally in 2020/2021.

The NRMP will be delivered through the Home Office National Law Enforcement

Data Programme (NLEDP) and will enable us to have a snapshot of live missing

incidents across police forces in England and Wales. This will assist officers when

they encounter a missing person, particularly if that missing person is located outside

their home force area.

Organised Crime: Proceeds of Crime

Gareth Thomas: [252481]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of

the income that organised crime groups have made from criminal activity by (a) supplying

and/or selling illegal drugs and (b) trafficking people in each of the last five years.

Mr Ben Wallace:

No estimate has been made on this specific issue by the Home Office.

The scale and social & economic costs associated with a number of Serious &

Organised Crimes including Drugs Supply and Human Trafficking are set out in the

Understanding Organised Crime report (published November 2018).

Police: Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: [251954]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been

made of the potential effect of planned increases to the employer contributions of the

police pension scheme on police officer recruitment.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The additional cost to policing in 2019-20 of employer contributions to police

pensions is estimated to be £330 million.

The 2019-20 police funding settlement provides additional funding of over £970

million, including general Government grant funding, pensions grant, council tax

precept and investment in national priorities. This substantial increase in funding will

enable forces to meet their genuine financial pressures as well as to invest in key

capabilities. Police and Crime Commissioners have already set out plans to hire an

additional 2,900 officers and nearly 600 police staff and PCSOs.

Stop and Search: Costs

Vicky Foxcroft: [252081]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the cost of conducting stop and search to (a) the Metropolitan Police Service

and (b) police forces nationally, in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office does not hold this information. The efficiency and cost of stop and

search encounters to individual forces will depend on a number of factors, and the

police have our full support in the fair and intelligence-led use of this important tool to

combat violence.

Stop and Search: Lewisham

Vicky Foxcroft: [252077]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the

Metropolitan Police Service used stop and search in the London borough of Lewisham in

2018.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stop and

searches, conducted by each police force in England and Wales, on an annual basis.

Data are collected at Police Force Area level only and information at borough level is

not held centrally.

Data are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’

statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-

and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2018

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Flexible Working

Sir Vince Cable: [253479]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

steps he is taking to use planning policy to support the provision of co-working spaces

outside London.

Kit Malthouse:

A key economic objective of the planning system is to ensure that sufficient land of

the right types is available in the right places to support growth and innovation. The

revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July last year, makes it

clear that planning policies should allow for new and flexible working practices and be

flexible enough to accommodate needs not anticipated in the plan.

Non-domestic Rates

Bill Esterson: [253565]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how

many local authorities in England awarded a local business rates discount in (a) 2017-18

and (b) 2018-19; which local authorities made those awards; and what the level was of

each discount.

Rishi Sunak:

Data on the number of authorities and which authorities awarded a local business

rates discount under Section 47 of the Local Government Act 1988 are collected from

local authorities as a snapshot each year.

Data as at 31 December 2017 can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/684809

/1819_NNDR1_Supplementary_table_web.xlsx Data as at 31 December 2018 can be

found at the following link:

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

ent_data/file/786864/NNDR1_2019-20_Supplementary_table.xlsx The Department

does not collect data on the level of each discount awarded.

Sleeping Rough: Veterans

Gareth Thomas: [251879]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

plans he has to implement a data collection exercise system of similar quality to the

Greater London Authority’s Combined Homelessness and Information Network

throughout England to allow accurate data capture on the number of rough sleeping

veterans; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler:

Our veterans play a vital role in keeping our country safe and we are committed to

ensuring that they are provided with all the support they need to successfully adjust

back into civilian life.

In March we allocated an additional £1 million of bespoke funding to support ex-

members of the armed forces who are or are at risk of becoming homeless. The

funding has been allocated between the Combined Authorities and the Greater

London Authority, and will be used to develop new services and support them in

engaging with existing service provision.

As recommended by the UKSA, we have included CHAIN (Combined Homelessness

and Information Network) statistics within the Rough Sleeping Statistics release.

Overall, 7 per cent of people seen sleeping rough by outreach workers across

London during 2017/18 had served in the armed forces at some point in their lives. 3

per cent of these were UK nationals - around 135 people. Although CHAIN offers

more information on the flows and characteristics of people rough sleeping, data

quality is influenced by the number of outreach workers active on any one night.

Therefore a local authority which does not have a commissioned outreach team may

appear to have fewer rough sleepers than an adjacent borough which does have an

active outreach service.

MHCLG is actively encouraging local authorities with significant numbers of rough

sleepers to improve their year-round data. We are working collaboratively with local

authorities to develop improved homelessness data and outcomes that can measure

progress in reducing rough sleeping and homelessness.

In April 2018, we introduced a new data capture tool called H-CLIC. H-CLIC captures

information on all those who engage with local authority homelessness services and

will collect information on the support needs of a household, including support need

resulting from being in the armed forces.

We are also establishing local data pilots which will seek to improve the evidence on

rough sleeping in some areas. These data pilots will help to provide a richer picture

on the characteristics of rough sleepers in some areas.

The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one

should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-

government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million

package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures

that will end rough sleeping once and for all.

We have committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over

the spending review period. In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative provided

over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. This year we have expanded the RSI with

investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600

bed spaces and 750 staff.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Abortion

Sir John Hayes: [252496]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of

15 March 2019 to Question 231428, since what year his Department has used that single

source of data on illegal abortions overseas; and what the cost to the public purse has

been of tackling illegal abortions overseas in 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

The UK Government uses a range of data sources and publications to inform our

policy on how to tackle unsafe abortion, as cited in our published position. The UK

Government has used and reported on the Guttmacher Institute estimates in our

Single Departmental Plan Family Planning sector page since July 2018.

DFID’s bilateral and multi-country programmes take an integrated approach in order

to meet a wide range of women’s reproductive health needs. For example, providing

a woman with holistic care for gender-based violence, HIV counselling, safe-abortion

care and information on family planning. Because of the integrated nature of this

work, it is not possible to provide a break-down of funding on safe abortion services

alone. The aim of the UK Government’s work on sexual and reproductive health and

rights overseas is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe

abortions, increase the use of voluntary family planning, and give women control over

their own bodies and lives.

Fiona Bruce: [253558]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) information his

Department holds on and (b) what estimate his Department has made of the number of

abortions in other countries that are funded by development spending in each of the last

five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

DFID has a range of bilateral and multi-country programmes supporting a package of

women’s reproductive and maternal health information and family planning services.

Because of the integrated nature of this work, it is not possible to provide a break-

down of funding on safe abortion services alone. By helping the world’s poorest

women access modern contraception, the UK government will prevent an estimated 6

million unintended pregnancies and 3 million abortions on average each year.

Hebron: Visits Abroad

Paula Sherriff: [253630]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, on how many occasions

Ministers in her Department have visited Hebron since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

According to a review of relevant records in the provided time window, four visits

have been made to Hebron by DFID Ministers since 2010. UK officials continue to

monitor the situation in Hebron, especially following the withdrawal of the Temporary

International Presence in Hebron.

Overseas Aid

Fiona Bruce: [253556]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the aid budget is

used to influence overseas governments to make policy changes.

Harriett Baldwin:

UK aid directly and indirectly informs and supports policy changes in partner

countries in line with their challenges and priorities and consistent with a focus on

eradicating poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This also

serves the UK’s national interest.

Sierra Leone: Debts

Dr David Drew: [253484]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the Government’s

policy is on the cancellation of debts owed by Sierra Leone; and what steps the

Government is taking (a) nationally and (b) internationally to reduce that country’s debt

overhang.

Harriett Baldwin:

The Government of Sierra Leone has not requested debt relief. Sierra Leone is not

currently in debt distress, although it is at high risk. Any country wishing to pursue

debt relief should do so through the existing multilateral fora.

UK bilateral aid to Sierra Leone includes ongoing support to increase revenue

generation and improve public financial management to address their debt position.

In the last 6 months, the UK has supported decisions taken by the IMF and the World

Bank to provide additional financial support packages for Sierra Leone. Through our

contributions to the EU and African Development Bank, we are also providing further

support to the Government of Sierra Leone to finance their development needs.

Sierra Leone: Overseas Aid

Dr David Drew: [253485]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects with a value of

more than £1m his Department has commissioned in Sierra Leone; and (a) what those

projects are and (b) which organisations are carrying out the work on those projects.

Harriett Baldwin:

Information on projects commissioned in Sierra Leone by the Department for

International Development, with a value of more than £1 million, is available on the

Development Tracker website. This is accessible via the following link:

https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

This also includes details of the partner organisations we are working with to deliver

them.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Overseas Trade

Andrew Rosindell: [252579]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking

to increase trade opportunities with Anglosphere countries.

Graham Stuart:

The Department for International Trade is committed to building and enhancing our

relationships across the world as part of our global Britain agenda. We have

consulted on potential FTAs with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and accession to

the CPTPP.

Fulfilling a 2017 manifesto commitment my Department appointed Her Majesty’s

Trade Commissioners (HMTCs) based in 9 overseas regions which between them

cover all anglosphere countries. Each HMTC is responsible for delivering a Regional

Trade Plan which includes specific reference to growing UK exports to those regions

and to opening markets globally.

JUSTICE

Criminal Proceedings: Sexual Offences

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [253583]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, under what circumstances in cases involving

historical sexual abuse are victims entitled to have character references used in their

defence.

Edward Argar:

Tackling historical sexual abuse and bringing perpetrators to justice is a government

priority.

Some victims of historical sexual abuse may be called to give evidence in criminal

trials however a victim is not a party to a criminal case, as the Crown prosecutes.

Victims and witnesses are not required to defend themselves or provide evidence to

support their statements.

Rules of evidence do not permit the Crown to call evidence of the good character of a

prosecution witness in order to bolster their credibility where it is not relevant to an

issue in the case.

If the defendant attacks the character of a witness, evidence of the defendant’s bad

character may be admissible as evidence.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [253585]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance and training barristers receive on

the cross-examination of victims of historical sexual abuse.

Edward Argar:

Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) has developed specialist training for all

advocates who question witnesses in cases of a serious sexual nature involving

vulnerable adults and children. The training programme goes beyond victims of

serious sexual offences. It aims to ensure all advocates understand the key principles

of how to approach and question vulnerable people in the justice system

As set out in the Government’s Victims Strategy, the training programme delivers the

manifesto commitment: “Publicly funded advocates will have specialist training in

handling victims before taking on serious sexual offences” and goes beyond that

commitment. Training is available to all advocates, not just those working on publicly

funded cases.

Domestic Violence: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: [253724]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support (a) under the Litigants in Person

Support Strategy and (b) through the additional grant funding announced in February

2019 will be offered to (i) victims of domestic abuse and (ii) other people from the North

West Durham constituency participating in family court proceedings in (A) Durham and

(B) Darlington.

Paul Maynard:

Since 2014-15, MoJ has invested almost £6.5 million of funding to support litigants in

person in the civil and family courts through the Litigants in Person Support Strategy.

The strategy works with a range of partners across England and Wales in the advice,

voluntary and pro bono sectors to provide practical support for litigants in person.

This includes online and self-help resources, as well as access to free or affordable

legal advice and representation, where possible. For example, the Support Strategy

continues to work with with the North East Law Centre in Newcastle Upon-Tyne to

extend its reach and receive referrals from across the region, including from non-

specialist services such as GP surgeries, and increase awareness of the expert

advice available to litigants in person in the area.

In February 2019, we published the Legal Support Action Plan which included a

commitment to enhancing support for litigants in person. This will be achieved by

increasing the funding provided to the Litigants in Person Support Strategy to £3m a

year, for the next two years. We are particularly interested in focusing this additional

investment on broadening the evidence base on how the services we are delivering

to litigants in person can be made even more effective.

Family Courts: Lone Parents

Grant Shapps: [252555]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that single

mothers receive adequate support and advice in the family courts division.

Paul Maynard:

[Holding answer 14 May 2019]: Access to justice is a fundamental right. We spent

£1.6bn last year on legal aid for the most vulnerable – of which £545m was in family

law.

Legal aid is also part of a bigger picture and so we are now making changes to

enhance the breadth of legal support available for everyone in society.

The Legal Support Action Plan, published on 7 February, announced that we would

be changing the legal aid eligibility criteria to provide non-means tested legal aid for

parents, or those with parental responsibility, who wish to oppose applications for

placement orders or adoption orders in public family law. In addition, we announced

that we will doubling the department’s funding to the Litigants in Person Support

Strategy to £3m for the next two years.

Prison Sentences: Females

Andrew Rosindell: [251958]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women the Metropolitan police force

area received an immediate custodial sentence of (a) less than and (b) more than six

months for each category of offence from the (i) crown courts and (ii) magistrates courts

in 2018-19.

Edward Argar:

The number of female offenders sentenced to custody by court level and police force

area, including the metropolitan police force area, in 2017, can be found in the Court

outcomes by Police Force Area data tool, which can be found at the below link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-

december-2017

Select the drop down boxes referring to custodial sentence length in order to

establish sentence lengths. Select female from the sex drop box and, once having

done this, young adults and adults to establish women. Offence classification can be

found in both the Offence Type and Offence group boxes, depending on which

categorisation is required here.

Court proceedings data for 2018 are planned for publication on 16 May 2019, with

data for 2019 planned for publication in May 2020.

Our vision, as set out in our Female Offender Strategy, is to see fewer women

coming into the criminal justice system and a greater proportion managed

successfully in the community. To achieve this, we have invested £5m to support

community provision for female offenders and women at risk of offending.

There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain

circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing

reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community

orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that

over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been

sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other

similar people given community orders.

Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public

from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’

behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide

reparation for the benefit of the wider community.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: [251418]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 11 of the House

Commons Library Deposited Paper, DEP2019-0490, Prison Operator Competition

Contract Summary, what steps are taken to hold private prison contractors to account.

Robert Buckland:

[Holding answer 13 May 2019]: The private sector has an important role to play, and

currently runs some high-performing prisons, as part of a safe, decent and secure

prison estate.

Privately managed prison performance is closely monitored by robust contract

management processes. Each privately managed prison has an on-site controller,

employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Controllers, together with

regional contract managers review performance against performance indicators set

out in the contract. Any improvement action identified may include a requirement for

urgent improvement and/or financial deductions.

As well as contractual performance indicators, key statistics across public protection;

safety and order; and offender reform are published annually for both the private and

public estate.

Privately-managed prisons are subject to the same external inspection procedures as

those in the public sector. Prisons are inspected at least once every five years by HM

Inspectorate of Prisons, and face regular scrutiny by their local Independent

Monitoring Board. Additionally, HMPPS internal audit and assurance scrutinises

private prisons to ensure they are meeting their responsibilities.

Sexual Offences: Legal Representation

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [253582]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, under what circumstances in cases involving

historical sexual abuse are victims entitled to legal representation.

Edward Argar:

The Government’s first ever cross-government Victims Strategy outlines our

commitments to victims of crime.

The Crown Prosecution Service is responsible for the prosecution of criminal cases.

Victims of crime are not separately represented in criminal trials.

Victims of historic sexual abuse have access to an independent sexual violence

adviser (ISVA). The ISVA’s role is to ensure the victim receives the right support

before, during and after legal proceedings. As part of proceedings, a victim may be

called to give evidence as a witness for the prosecution. ISVAs will work alongside

the Court-Based Witness Service to support the victim to give their best evidence and

participate in the court process.

In April this year, the Ministry of Justice awarded £8m in funding to rape support

centres to provide emotional and practical support to victims of sexual violence and

historic sexual abuse, including the provision of ISVA services. We also provided a

grant of £11.2m to Citizens Advice for the delivery of the Court-Based Witness

Service.

Sexual Offences: Victims

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [253584]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what protections exist for victims of historical

sexual abuse where the perpetrator remains living in the victim's locality.

Edward Argar:

Protection orders are an important tool for keeping victims safe and preventing the

continuation or escalation of violence.

Protections for victims of sexual offences, including historic abuse include:

• Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements, which are in place to ensure the

successful management of violent and sexual offenders in the community.

• Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, which can be used to impose a range of

restrictions on sexual offenders, including travel restrictions.

• Sexual Risk Orders, which can be used to impose restrictions on individuals who

have done an act of a sexual nature and, as a result, pose a risk of harm to the

public in the UK or children or vulnerable adults abroad. For a Sexual Risk Order to

be imposed, the individual does not need to have committed an offence.

• Sex Offender Notification Requirements, which require offenders to provide certain

information to the police, for example notifying them if the offender is living in a

household with a person under the age of 18.

Additionally, the Victim Contact Scheme is available to victims of violent and sexual

offences where the offender receives a sentence of 12 months or more. The scheme

provides victims with information and advice about the criminal justice process –

including being kept informed of key stages of the offender's sentence and to advise

on victim-related conditions that can be attached to the offender's release licence.

Conditions can be around non-contact or excluding the offender from entering

specific locations such as areas where the victim lives or works. The offender risks

being recalled to prison should they breach any licence conditions.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Grahame Morris: [248645]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Social Security and Child Support

Tribunal appeals have taken longer than 52 weeks for a determination, in each of the last

five years.

Paul Maynard:

The information requested is provided in the table below:

SOCIAL SECURITY & CHILD SUPPORT CLEARANCES 1 Period Number of

clearances that exceeded 52 weeks from receipt 1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014

16,161 1 April 2014 - 31 March 2015 12,350 1 April 2015 - 31 March 2016 3,100 1

April 2016 - 31 March 2017 4,084 1 April 2017 - 31 March 2018 7,330 1 April 2018 -

31 December 2018 2 13,162

1. Data include hearings cleared with and without a Tribunal hearing

2. The latest period for which data are available. Provisional data and subject to

further change

Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are

subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are

the best data that are available.

It is important that appeals are heard as quickly as possible. Her Majesty’s Courts

and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) recognises there are delays in the system and it is in

the process of recruiting more judicial office holders in order to increase capacity and

help to reduce waiting times for appellants. This includes 250 judges across the First-

tier Tribunal, 125 disability qualified members and up to 230 medical members.

In addition, we have recently launched a new digital service with a view to enabling

speedier processing of appeals. Information on the new digital service can be found

at: https://www.gov.uk/appeal-benefit-decision/submit-appeal

We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to understand what

could be done to reduce the number of appeals being submitted to the Tribunal,

through their focus on improving decision-making and the mandatory reconsideration

process.

These measures will increase the capacity of the Tribunal. As a result, the number of

appeals outstanding in the Tribunal is starting to fall as the number of cases heard by

the Tribunal outweigh those sent to the Tribunal. If this continues, over time, we

expect the time it takes for the Tribunal to hear, and the age of, appeals to reduce.

The time taken for the Tribunal to hear an appeal is mainly driven by the number of

appeals sent to the Tribunal and the capacity of the Tribunal to deal with them. The

number of appeals sent to the Tribunal is directly affected by changes in welfare

policy.

The time it takes the Tribunal to hear an appeal is calculated from the time it is sent

to the Tribunal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first

hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier

hearing has been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of

reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been

postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An

appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only

for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the

First-tier for its final disposal.

HMCTS is very sensitive to the needs of people who may be affected by waiting

times for Tribunal hearings. Tribunal staff and judicial office-holders, are trained

accordingly, with HMCTS’s reasonable adjustments policy and practice applied

where appropriate. Guidance on the policy is published on GOV.UK. If an expedited

hearing is sought, or where the Tribunal identifies a case which might benefit from an

expedited hearing, a judge or caseworker will make a decision on the issue, taking all

the circumstances of the case into account.

TRANSPORT

Airports: National Policy Statements

Justine Greening: [253535]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) legal

(b) other costs to the public purse of the judicial review of the Airports National Policy

Statement.

Jesse Norman:

The external costs to date to the Department of defending the judicial review claims

are £1,608,642 for legal costs and £95,152 for other costs.

Following the judgments in favour of the Secretary of State, the Department will seek

to recover up to £625,000 in costs from the unsuccessful claimants.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: [252100]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2019 to

Question 247080, for what reason he is unable to state whether or not Arriva submitted a

compliant bid for the East Midlands Trains franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones:

I refer the Honourable member to the answer given on 3 May Arriva’s bid is a matter

for them.

Andy McDonald: [252625]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Abellio bid for the East Midlands

Trains franchise was fully compliant with the terms set out by the Department for the

evaluation of bids.

Andrew Jones:

I refer the Honourable member to the answer given on 8 May [250032] in regards to

East Midlands Trains franchise.

Ebbsfleet Station

Gareth Johnson: [252575]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of

passenger numbers using Ebbsfleet station.

Andrew Jones:

The Office of Rail and Road publishes annual Estimates of Station Usage, which

provides the total number of entries & exits and interchanges for each station on

Great Britain’s national rail network.

The latest publication for 2017-18 shows that there were estimated to be 1,961,528

entries & exits and 57,476 interchanges at Ebbsfleet International. This does not

include passengers using the Eurostar services.

The full publication including more historic data can be found at:

https://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates

Gareth Johnson: [252576]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of future

passenger numbers on Southeastern services to and from Ebbsfleet station.

Andrew Jones:

The Office of Rail and Road provides estimates of current passenger numbers

including Ebbsfleet and these are available from the ORR website. The Department

for Transport publishes guidance on forecasting demand growth in the future for

stations on the network. This guidance is called ‘WebTAG’ and can be found on the

Department’s website.

Flexible Working

Sir Vince Cable: [253480]

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

contribution of home and flexible working to reducing congestion on (a) rail and (b) road

networks.

Andrew Jones:

The Department considers all aspects that may affect the rail and road network when

assessing the changes of demand for the future.

1. The Department updated its rail forecasting guidance in 2016 to take into account

different trip rates for people in different age groups and occupations. This was

based on analysis of the National Travel Survey. The Department continues to

review its forecasts, including analysing the impact of flexible working. The

Departments’ guidance feeds into business cases for rail investments and franchise

analysis. The guidance is called ‘WebTAG’ and is published on the Department’s

website

2. The ‘Latest Evidence on Factors Impacting Road Traffic Growth’ review published

by the Department in May 2018 included reviews of tele-commuting and the impact

of e-commerce and social media on travel. The findings from this research informed

the development of the Draft ‘Road Investment Strategy 2’.

Gatwick Airport: Railways

Gareth Thomas: [251895]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Network

Rail on re-opening the Harrow and Wealdstone to Gatwick service; and if he will make a

statement.

Andrew Jones:

There have been no discussions with Network Rail on this issue. There are frequent

services between Harrow & Wealdstone station and London Gatwick Airport requiring

one or two changes.

Great Western Rail Franchise

Jo Stevens: [253624]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the current contract for the Great

Western franchise includes a requirement for a trolley-only catering service on trains.

Andrew Jones:

The current Great Western franchise agreement is published on the Department’s

website. The franchise agreement requires Great Western Railway to offer a trolley-

based catering service for both standard and first class on some services operated by

Intercity Express Trains, in line with Great Western Railway’s offer to the Department

at the time the franchise agreement was negotiated.

Jo Stevens: [253625]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the current contract for the Great

Western franchise allows for the catering provision to be provided via a buffet café-bar

counter service on trains.

Andrew Jones:

The Great Western franchise agreement does not prevent on-board catering

provision by Great Western Railway including a buffet or café-bar counter service.

Great Western Railway Line: Catering

Jo Stevens: [253626]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department was consulted on

the decision to remove the buffet café-bar service from all Great Western Intercity

Express trains.

Andrew Jones:

The specification of the trains was developed by the Department to deliver the

outcomes it wanted to achieve with the new fleet, including more passenger seats,

more leg room, increased capacity, reduced journey time, increased reliability and

greater passenger comfort. This specification included an extensive, consultation

process including with the train operator that was recognised by the Human Factors

and Ergonomics Society and awarded the User Centred Product Design Award. The

process involved numerous passenger groups representing commuters, cyclists,

wheel chair users and visually impaired travellers.

Jo Stevens: [253627]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the level

of customer demand for a trolley-only catering service on Great Western Intercity Express

trains.

Andrew Jones:

The Department published the response to its consultation on the future of the Great

Western franchise on 28 August 2018:

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

ment_data/file/736146/great-western-rail-franchise-stakeholder-briefing-

document.pdf). This shows ten areas of response from consultees about catering,

including comments about both trolley services and buffet cars.

Harrow and Wealdstone Station

Gareth Thomas: [251883]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with train

operators to increase the number of trains that stop at Harrow and Wealdstone station;

and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones:

From May 19th this year, London Northwestern passengers at Harrow and

Wealdstone will benefit from three additional trains to London, which start at Watford,

in the morning peaks and two additional returning services from London in the

evening peak.

Harrow and Wealdstone Station: Parking

Gareth Thomas: [251881]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Network

Rail on increasing the size of the car park at Harrow and Wealdstone station; and will he

make a statement.

Andrew Jones:

Harrow and Wealdstone station is managed by Transport for London so any

discussions around the size of the car park would be for TfL to consider. Ministers

have not held discussions on this matter.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: [253437]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which ecologists HS2 Ltd has employed to

monitor tree and hedge netting along the route of High Speed Two; on what dates and at

which locations nets were put in place; on what days and during which hours netted sites

have been patrolled and checked by ecologists; and what wildlife has been caught in the

nets and subsequently (a) perished or (b) been released.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

HS2 Ltd has not directly employed ecologists to install, monitor or remove bird

netting; HS2 Ltd contractors, Fusion JV, have employed the services of a sub-

contractor for this work.

There have been deployments of bird netting in two areas on Phase One of HS2. In

both areas no birds or other wildlife were trapped, injured or killed by the use of

netting.

Netting was used by Western Power Distribution (WPD) near Silverstone in relation

to utility works. The netting was installed on 4th and 5th February 2019 and was

removed on 2nd April. WPD employed a suitably experienced ecologist for guidance

to erect the netting and to carry out inspections of the netting. Inspections of the

netted area were carried out on 12th, 14th, 20th, 22nd and 27th Feb and 1st, 5th, 7th,

14th, 15th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 26th and 29th March 2019. The inspections were carried

out at differing times of the day and typically lasted 2 hours.

Secondly, netting was used by Fusion and National Grid near Quainton in relation to

utility works. Hedge netting was installed on 6th March; the worksite was handed over

from Fusion to National Grid on 4th April and National Grid confirmed they removed

the netting on 15th April. Fusion employed a suitably experienced ecologist for

guidance to erect and inspect the netting and National Grid employed a suitably

experienced ecologist for monitoring and removal of the netting. Inspections of the

netting were undertaken on the 7th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, March and the 2nd

and 4th April, and then every couple of days until the netting was removed on 15th

April.

Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents

Ms Angela Eagle: [253509]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of

HGV lorry accidents caused by improperly secured cargo moving within a vehicle.

Jesse Norman:

The Department for Transport holds information on whether an ‘overloaded or poorly

loaded vehicle or trailer’ is recorded as a contributory factor in reported personal

injury road accidents. In 2017, there were 33 HGVs (1%) involved in accidents in

Great Britain with a contributory factor of ‘overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or

trailer’ recorded by the police attending the scene. The Department does not hold

specific data on whether cargo was moving within the vehicle.

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety

Ms Angela Eagle: [253510]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

ensure that health and safety checks are carried out to ensure that all HGV lorries carry

cargo that is properly secured.

Jesse Norman:

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) checks the security of loads on

heavy goods vehicles (HGV) during roadside encounters as part of its enforcement

duties, although the responsibility for making sure the load a HGV is carrying is

secure before driving rests with the driver and operator.

If the DVSA finds a HGV’s load is unsafe during a roadside encounter, the DVSA (or

the police) can take enforcement action. This can result in either penalty points, legal

proceedings being issued or a report being sent to the Traffic Commissioner (TC).

After consideration of a report from the DVSA, the TC may take regulatory action for

failure to comply with the undertaking of an operator’s licence. Disciplinary action can

include suspension, curtailment or revocation of an operator licence.

Drivers must conduct a daily walk round of their vehicle before starting a journey.

They must also check any load is secure. These requirements are covered within the

DVSA’s ‘Guide to maintaining roadworthiness’ which provides useful diagrams to fully

explain drivers’ responsibilities and what should be checked during an effective walk

round check.

Ms Angela Eagle: [253511]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to update

the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's health and safety guidance on load securing

for HGV lorries.

Jesse Norman:

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) keeps its health and safety

guidance on load securing for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) under continuing review.

The DVSA updates its guidance when necessary to reflect changes and

developments within the transport industry, to help ensure HGV drivers are fully

aware of their responsibilities.

Ms Angela Eagle: [253512]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

ensure that cargo transported from abroad adheres to the Driver and Vehicle Standards

Agency's health and safety guidance when it is transported in Britain.

Jesse Norman:

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has facilities to check the security

of loads carried on foreign heavy goods vehicles (HGV) entering this country at all its

ports. The agency also has strategically placed check sites around the country for

checking the safety of vehicles, including the security of their loads, regardless of

whether they are foreign or based in Great Britain. The responsibility for making sure

the load a HGV is carrying is secure before driving rests with the driver and operator.

Ms Angela Eagle: [253513]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

ensure that non-UK based hauliers comply with the Driver and Vehicle Standards

Agency's health and safety guidance on load securing for HGV lorries when transporting

cargo in Britain.

Jesse Norman:

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has facilities to check the security

of loads carried on foreign heavy goods vehicles (HGV) entering this country at all its

ports. The agency also has strategically placed check sites around the country for

checking the safety of vehicles, including the security of their loads, regardless of

whether they are foreign or based in Great Britain. The responsibility for making sure

the load a HGV is carrying is secure before driving rests with the driver and operator.

The DVSA’s ‘Guide to maintaining roadworthiness’ is aimed at all haulage operators

using British roads, not just those based in Britain. It reflects advice contained in the

‘European Best Practice Guidelines on Cargo Securing for Road Transport’. If the

DVSA finds a load on a HGV of a non-UK based haulier to be unsafe, the DVSA (or

the police) can take enforcement action. This could result in the issue of a prohibition

notice to prevent the vehicle from moving until the load is made safe and/or a fixed

penalty fine.

Railways: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: [251882]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requirements he has put on Network

Rail to liaise with Harrow Council to increase access underneath the railway line from the

new housing development at the former Kodak site to the Wealdstone shopping district in

the London Borough of Harrow.

Andrew Jones:

Local authorities and developers are expected to consult relevant stakeholders,

including Network Rail, on development proposals in their area. We would expect

Network Rail to engage constructively with any such discussions.

Railways: Kent

Tom Tugendhat: [252649]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

ensure that a direct train service operates from West Malling and Borough Green to

London Bridge from December 2019.

Andrew Jones:

We are working with the current operator of Thameslink, Govia Thameslink Railway,

and with the industry to realise the full benefits of the Thameslink Programme as part

of the new timetable process. We have been absolutely clear that our main priority is

delivering the reliable services that passengers expect.

Railways: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: [252026]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to reopen

train lines in North Cornwall.

Andrew Jones:

The Department looks to local authorities to identify local transport needs. In

November 2017, the Secretary of State said in A Strategic Vision for Rail that the

challenge to our partners was to work with Government and the industry to develop

compelling proposals for the next generation of rail schemes, identifying the places

where rail is the right answer for local transport needs. All schemes would need to

demonstrate a strong business case where they are seeking any available

Government funding.

South Eastern Rail Franchise: Compensation

Joseph Johnson: [252126]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will immediately implement Delay Repay

15 compensation on the South Eastern franchise.

Andrew Jones:

Delay Repay from 15 minutes (DR15) will be implemented when the new

SouthEastern franchise starts.

Taxis: Guide Dogs

Emma Reynolds: [252628]

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

potential merits of legislating to make it illegal for taxis and private hire vehicles to turn

away guide dogs.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

Sections 168 and 170 of the Equality Act 2010 already require drivers of taxis and

PHVs to accept passengers accompanied by assistance dogs without charging them

extra.

The Government expects drivers to comply with the law and encourages local

licensing authorities to take robust action against those unwilling to do so.

Drivers convicted of a relevant offence face fines of up to £1000.

TREASURY

Assistance Animals: Food

Paul Farrelly: [253520]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons VAT will be charged on food

for assistance and therapy dogs.

Mel Stride:

The sale of food that is formulated and held out for sale exclusively for working dogs,

which includes assistance and therapy dogs, is zero rated. The VAT rules in this area

are long-standing and have not changed.

Beer: Excise Duties

Nigel Dodds: [251907]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on (a)

total revenue and (b) levels of beer consumption of the decision to freeze beer duty last

year.

Robert Jenrick:

HMRC publishes a tax information and impact note (TIIN) on gov.uk explaining the

impact of the policy change, each time alcohol duty rates are amended. The most

recent TIIN published at Autumn Budget 2018 can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/increase-in-alcohol-duty-rates/alcohol-

duty-uprating.

Statistics on alcohol sales and receipts are available from the UKTradeInfo website:

https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

Doctors: Pensions

Frank Field: [253507]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary

of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence on the annual

tapered allowance and its effect on the recruitment and retention of doctors in the NHS

and armed forces.

Elizabeth Truss:

The Government is committed to public service pensions which are fair to workers

and fair to other taxpayers. The tapered annual allowance is focussed on the highest

earning pension savers, to ensure that the benefit they receive is not

disproportionate. The Government is aware of specific concerns raised by some high-

earners impacted by annual allowance tax charges. All public sector pay and

pensions policies are kept under constant review and discussed with relevant

departments.

Musicians: EU Countries

Stephen Morgan: [253708]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure

that musicians can transport instruments and equipment to EU27 countries after the UK

leaves the EU.

Mel Stride:

Delivering a deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government’s top priority.

However, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the same customs rules will broadly

apply to transporting instruments and equipment to the EU as apply to trade between

the UK and non-EU countries. This will include the use of temporary admission and

applications for Returned Goods Relief.

Alternatively, ATA carnets are available for commercial goods, professional

equipment or goods going to trade fair or exhibition in participating countries, which

are moved on a temporary basis to a new customs territory (i.e. they will not be sold

and will return to the country of origin). This includes musical instruments.

In a no deal scenario, the process of using an ATA Carnet (or a temporary admission

declaration) will become an acceptable option for moving goods temporarily between

the UK and EU, as the UK will become a single customs territory. The process for

obtaining and using a Carnet will remain as it is now.

Pensioners: Stamp Duty Land Tax

Stephen McPartland: [252059]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to exempt pensioners

from Stamp Duty when they downsize their homes.

Mel Stride:

Most owners wishing to downsize are likely to have equity in their current property,

and are already exempt from Capital Gains Tax on any gain made on their main

residence. For most of those looking to downsize, the SDLT due on the move-in

property will be small, and in most cases, it will be lower than estate agent’s fees.

The Government therefore has no current plans for a further relief for those looking to

downsize. The Government’s priority is to support first time buyers, which is why the

Autumn Budget 2017 announced the introduction of First-Time Buyers’ Relief. Since

its introduction, 288,300 households have benefitted from First-Time Buyers’ Relief,

saving around £2,360 on average.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Alison Thewliss: [252004]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to the

Romanian Presidency on progressing its negotiations on abolishing VAT on sanitary

products.

Mel Stride:

To date, the Romanian Presidency has held one official level discussion on the

European Commission’s legislative proposal on VAT Rates. As drafted, this proposal

would give the UK the flexibility to apply a zero rate of VAT to women’s sanitary

products.

During this discussion, the UK delegation made clear that the Government strongly

supports the flexibility that the draft legislation would offer. Member States and the

Commission are well aware of the Government’s firm commitment to zero rate

women’s sanitary products as soon as it is legal to do so.

Treasury: Retirement

Chris Ruane: [253517]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department provides to staff in

his Department (a) in their transition to retirement and (b) to (i) maintain and (ii) increase

the physical and mental wellbeing staff planning for retirement.

Robert Jenrick:

In their transition to retirement staff are invited to attend a Civil Service pre-retirement

course focusing on many topics including wellbeing, activities, pension and other

finances. They also have access to an Employee Assistance Programme free of

charge that can provide information and support relating to retirement including

preparation, change, relationships, staying active, benefit entitlement and wills. They

may also be able to take partial retirement in order to reduce their working hours and

ease them into retirement.

HM Treasury encourages staff throughout their careers to maintain good physical and

mental wellbeing and work life balance. Much information, support and activities are

available to them including:

• Mental health awareness training;

• Various Networks including a Mental Wellbeing Network and an Age Network that

champions older workers;

• Occupational Health (providing information on healthy lifestyle and eating);

• On-site gym and activity classes;

• Sports and Social Club offering a wide variety of sport activities that can be

accessed following retirement.

HM Treasury also encourages volunteering that can continue into retirement, which

can give those approaching retirement a sense of purpose going forward.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Rosie Duffield: [252591]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to extend the

Tell Us Once service to the 10 local authorities where it is not currently available.

Alok Sharma:

The Department is working closely with the 10 councils who do not offer the ‘Tell Us

Once’ service to support and encourage its introduction. We continue to promote the

advantages the service offers to people when notifying deaths, eliminating the need

to contact several different government departments at what can be a very

distressing time.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Alison Thewliss: [253631]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written

Statement of 9 May 2019 on Labour Market Policy Update, HCWS1545, whether people

currently serving a sanction for a period of over 26 weeks will have that sanction

rescinded.

Alison Thewliss: [253632]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written

Statement of 9 May 2019 on Labour Market Policy Update, HCWS1545, when the ending

of benefit sanctions of over six months will come into force.

Alison Thewliss: [253633]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written

Statement of 9 May 2019 on Labour Market Policy Update, HCWS1545, whether

claimants previously sanctioned for periods over six months will be entitled to

recompense.

Alok Sharma:

We are planning to reduce the duration of the third escalation of a high-level sanction

(currently three years) to six months. We aim for this change to come into force by

the end of the year. For those who have completed a three-year sanction in the past,

they will not be entitled to recompense because their sanction was made in

accordance with the law that was in place at the time.

Social Security Benefits: Married People

Chi Onwurah: [252106]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure

continuity of receipt of benefits when the claimant gets married or experiences another

change in circumstances.

Alok Sharma:

DWP administer a wide range of benefits, all of which have different processes in

place to deal with the vast range of potential changes to a claimant’s circumstances.

How the change affects a claimant’s payments depends on the type of change, which

benefit they are receiving, the claim’s status before the change occurs and whether

the change was self-reported by the claimant or by a third party.

In all cases the Department works with the claimant to ensure payment continuity

wherever possible. There are processes in place to ensure that when a benefit

recipient reports a change in circumstances, they continue to receive the correct

award of that benefit, or are informed of what appropriate action they should take

where the change effects continued entitlement.

Universal Credit

Stephen Lloyd: [251967]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timeframe is for the

bringing forward the transitional protection payments under schedule 2 of the Universal

Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019.

Alok Sharma:

Following the High Court Judgment on 3 May, in relation to Universal Credit and

these regulations, we are considering our response.

Universal Credit: Domestic Abuse

Danielle Rowley: [253698]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25

January 2019 to Question 212664 on Universal Credit: Domestic Violence, what recent

discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Government on the

implementation of separate universal credit payments by default; and if she will make a

statement.

Will Quince:

When an individual suffering from domestic abuse requests a split payment, we will

make split payments available to them.

Whilst DWP is not intending to introduce split payments by default, as a department

we respond positively to requests for split payments, and can take other actions to

support those experiencing abuse, such as making a managed payment of rent direct

to landlords. We also ensure that claimants who disclose domestic abuse are

signposted to specialist organisations for support. All work coaches undergo

mandatory training regarding how to support vulnerable claimants, including

recognising the signs of domestic abuse.

We will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to establish the

practicalities of delivering split payments in Scotland.

MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS

JUSTICE

Members: Correspondence

Karen Lee: [251385]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Parliamentary Under Secretary for

Courts and Justice plans to respond to the letter of 14 March 2019 from the hon. Member

for Lincoln on economic domestic abuse.

An error has been identified in the written answer given on 15 May 2019. The

correct answer should have been:

Paul Maynard:

I apologise to the honourable Member for Lincoln for the delay in responding to her

letter dated 14 March. I understand that mya response was sent to her office by my

predeccesor, Minister Frazer, on 8 May.

WRITTEN STATEMENTS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

ENABLE Guarantee Scheme

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and

Corporate Responsibility (Kelly Tolhurst): [HCWS1560]

ENABLE Guarantee is a scheme administered by the British Business Bank that

encourages participating banks and other financial institutions to lend more to small and

medium-sized enterprises by either addressing the high capital consumption associated

with such lending for banks or by reducing the cost of funding for other financial

institutions in order to increase the supply and diversity of finance to SMEs.

British Business Bank programmes are supporting more than £5.9bn of finance to over

82,000 smaller businesses (as at September 2018). The Department has approved

guarantee facilities totalling £1 billion within the ENABLE programme.

We are now extending the scheme to other financial institutions (as defined in the

Request for Proposals available on the British Business Bank’s website), in order to

further increase the diversity of supply of funding available to SMEs. This extension will

not create a new contingent liability.

The aggregate amount of the guarantees issued by the Department under the scheme is

expected to be circa £2 billion, with extension beyond this subject to further review.

Within this £2 billion, the aggregate notional amount of the guarantees extended to other

financial institutions is capped at £400 million. This enables the Department to manage its

risk appetite and limit its credit risk exposure.

As a matter of record, I will be laying a Departmental Minute today.

Industrial Strategy Update

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Greg Clark):

[HCWS1559]

Our modern Industrial Strategy is a long-term plan to boost productivity and earning

power for people throughout the country.

Since 2010, local leaders, working in partnership with government, have delivered historic

City Deals with Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire and the

Black Country. Having secured significant Growth Deal funding, the West Midlands then

came together as one to capitalise on these important new powers and establish new

leadership through two successful Devolution Deals.

Building on these strong foundations, we set out in the modern Industrial Strategy to work

in partnership with places to develop Local Industrial Strategies. Local Industrial

Strategies are central to our aim of creating prosperous communities across the country.

They are being developed locally and agreed with government. They are long-term,

based on clear evidence and aligned to the modern Industrial Strategy.

Today we launched the first of these strategies – the West Midlands Local Industrial

Strategy. This has been developed locally by the West Midlands Combined Authority, led

by Mayor Andy Street, supported by the Local Enterprise Partnerships and agreed with

government.

This Strategy sets out how, in partnership with West Midlands local leaders, we will work

to deliver on a range of commitments including:

• delivering on our Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, which aims to be at the

forefront of the development of cleaner, safer, easier and more reliable future

modes of transport, cementing the West Midlands’ position as the UK’s automotive

heartlands;

• playing a leading role in the UK’s trials of connected autonomous vehicles, with the

West Midlands aiming to deploy the first fully operational connected autonomous

vehicles in advance of the 2022 Commonwealth Games;

• driving investment into electric vehicle manufacturing in the region, completing the

UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and maximising the impact of the Faraday

Battery Challenge;

• putting the West Midlands at the heart of transport innovation in the UK by

delivering the UK’s first large-scale 5G testbed; and

• helping meet the Artificial Intelligence and Data Grand Challenge by supporting the

development of a West Midlands Translational Medicine and Med-Tech

commission to accelerate the ‘lab to patient’ ecosystem.

The West Midlands is a global force and a major part of the UK economy, generating

£99bn of GVA — five per cent of UK output. The region is growing fast, with output up 27

per cent over the past five years. A record number of people are in work and the lowest

number are out of work. Productivity is increasing too, at twice the rate of the UK in 2017-

18, while carbon emissions have reduced by 18 per cent over the last five years –

showing that while we grow our economy we can reduce the impact on our planet.

The West Midlands is a region in renaissance. Together, this work sets the long-term

future for how the West Midlands can fully realise its potential.

A copy of the West Midlands Industrial Strategy will be placed in the Libraries of the

House.

CABINET OFFICE

The European Union (Withdrawal) Act and Common Frameworks

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr David

Lidington): [HCWS1565]

I am today laying before Parliament a report, ‘The European Union (Withdrawal) Act and

Common Frameworks - 26 December 2018 to 25 March 2019’ as required by paragraph

4 of Schedule 3 to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

The report is available on Gov.uk and details the progress made in discussions between

the UK Government and devolved administrations regarding common frameworks in the

third reporting period covered under the legislation, and sets out that no ‘freezing’

regulations have been brought forward under section 12 of the European Union

(Withdrawal) Act.

A copy of the “The European Union (Withdrawal) Act and Common Frameworks - 26

December to 25 March 2019” report has been placed in the library of both Houses." The

publication of the report reflects the Government’s continued commitment to

transparency.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Iraq: Export Licence System

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Jeremy Hunt):

[HCWS1561]

This Statement updates and supersedes the Written Ministerial Statement of 11

November 2010 on the ‘Iraq: Export Licence System’ ( Official Report, 11 Nov 2010:

Column 24WS).

UN Security Council Resolution 1546 of 2004 (UNSCR 1546) includes an exemption to

the arms embargo on Iraq for supplies of arms and related materiel required by the

Government of Iraq (GoI) or the multinational force to serve the purposes of the

resolution. The Written Ministerial Statement on 11 November 2010 stated that Her

Majesty’s Government would consider as exempt from the embargo exports to the GoI,

the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, diplomatic missions in Iraq, the US forces

in Iraq, the NATO training mission in Iraq, the UK naval training mission training the Iraqi

Navy and entities contracted or subcontracted to the GoI, US or UK forces or NATO.

In light of the deployment of military forces of non-NATO EU countries in Iraq and in

accordance with the GoI request for international support, the Government wishes to

make clear that it considers as exempt from the embargo exports serving the purposes of

UNSCR 1546 to the forces of EU as well as NATO countries deployed in Iraq at the

request of the GoI. The Government also wishes to make clear that it considers exports

serving the same purposes to United Nations agencies present in Iraq at the request of

the GoI, and their contractors and subcontractors, as exempt from the embargo.

Accordingly, the Government considers as exempt from the embargo exports to the GoI,

the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), UN agencies in Iraq, diplomatic

missions in Iraq, the NATO [training] mission in Iraq, the forces of NATO or EU countries

in Iraq, and entities contracted or subcontracted to the GoI, NATO, the forces of such

NATO or EU countries, UNAMI or such UN agencies. As in the statement of 11

November 2010, export licence applications to these end users will not therefore require

the approval of the GoI prior to approval of the application but may require extra

information to be provided by the entity seeking the export licence. For exports serving

the purposes of UNSCR 1546 to entities other than these, the exporter is required to

provide a supporting document from the GoI to demonstrate that the proposed export is

required and thus exempt from the embargo. All export licence applications for Iraq as

elsewhere will be assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and

National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and the Government will not issue a licence

where to do so would be inconsistent with the criteria.

NATO Parliamentary Assembly

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Jeremy Hunt):

[HCWS1562]

The hon. Member for Slough (Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi) has replaced the hon.

Member for Ilford South (Mike Gapes) as a Member of the United Kingdom delegation to

the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

HOME OFFICE

European Union JHA Opt-In Decisions: Second Additional Protocol to the

Cybercrime Convention and EU US negotiations on cross-border data access

The Minister of State for Security (Mr Ben Wallace): [HCWS1563]

The Government has decided not to opt into (under the UK’s JHA opt-in Protocol) either

the proposed EU Council Decision to participate in the negotiations of the Second

Additional Protocol to the Cybercrime (“Budapest”) Convention or the proposed EU

Council Decision to authorise EU US negotiations on a cross-border data access

agreement.

The first proposed Council Decision enables the EU Commission to participate in

negotiations relating to the Second Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe

Cybercrime (“Budapest”) Convention, on behalf of the European Union.

The second proposed Council Decision authorises the EU Commission to commence

negotiations with the US on an EU US international data access agreement, with the aim

of ensuring compliance by US-established Service Providers to requests from EU

Member States for stored electronic content. The US’s Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of

Data (CLOUD) Act provides that only an international agreement between the US and a

foreign government can allow for such compliance by US-established Service Providers.

I have decided not to opt into the EU Council Decision on participating in the Second

Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Budapest Convention to ensure that the UK

is able to negotiate its own position and interests, without being limited or bound by the

EU negotiation policy. This includes enabling the UK to ensure that a flexible approach is

taken in negotiating the Protocol to accommodate the different systems and processes of

a wide range of participant states (beyond the participating EU Member States).

The UK is already in the process of negotiating its own reciprocal UK-US data access

agreement, a bilateral treaty (as required under the CLOUD Act) that enables US

companies to comply with lawful orders from UK authorities for the production of

electronic communications without any conflict of law. As such my rt hon Friend the

Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service has decided not to opt into the Council

Decision on opening EU US negotiations on cross-border data access. This is in line with

the UK’s decision not to opt into the draft EU e-evidence Regulation, which sets internal

EU rules relating to the production of electronic communications.

Until the UK leaves the EU we remain a full member, and the Government will continue to

consider the application of the UK’s opt-in to EU legislation on a case by case basis, with

a view to maximising our ability to protect the public.

TREASURY

ECOFIN: 17 May 2019

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Philip Hammond): [HCWS1564]

A meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) will be held in

Brussels on 17 May 2019. The UK will be represented by Mark Bowman (Director

General, International Finance, HM Treasury). The Council will discuss the following:

Early Morning Session

The Eurogroup President will brief the Council on the outcomes of the 16 May meeting of

the Eurogroup, and the European Commission will provide an update on the current

economic situation in the EU. Ministers will then discuss the possibility of the European

Investment Bank developing country strategies.

Excise Duties

The Council will be invited to reach a political agreement on the Directive on general

arrangements for excise duty (recast), the Regulation on administrative cooperation of

the content of electronic registers, and the Directive on the structures of excise duty on

alcohol and alcoholic beverages.

Economic and Monetary Union

The Council will hold an exchange of views on the way forward in areas of the Economic

and Monetary Union, specifically in regards to the Reform Support Programme.

Current Financial Services Legislative Proposals

The Romanian Presidency will provide an update on current legislative proposals in the

field of financial services.

International Meetings

The Presidency and Commission will update the Council on the outcomes of the G20,

IMF and World Bank spring meetings that took place in April, and the Council will be

invited to approve the Terms of Reference for the upcoming G20 meeting in June.

The Council will then hold a policy debate on digital taxation in the international context,

and the Finnish delegation will debrief the Council on the first meeting of the Finance

Ministers Coalition for Climate Action.

European Semester

The Council will be invited to adopt conclusions on the outcomes of the 2019 In-Depth

Reviews of macroeconomic imbalances in Member States as part of the Macroeconomic

Imbalances Procedure; and the implementation of 2018 Country-Specific

Recommendations.

Institutional Cycle Priorities

The Presidency will inform the Council on the follow-up discussions in regards to priorities

for the next institutional cycle in the ECOFIN area.

Working Lunch

Following on from the discussions at April informal ECOFIN in Bucharest, EU Finance

Ministers will hold a working lunch to discuss the challenges of labour mobility and their

potential solutions.