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Daily Report Tuesday, 2 July 2019

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 2 July 2019 and the

information is correct at the time of publication (06:39 P.M., 02 July 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

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 6

Bereavement Leave: Parents 6

Business: Billing 6

Construction: Musculoskeletal

Disorders 9

Domestic Appliances:

Electrical Safety 9

Employment Agencies: Vetting 9

Employment: Pregnancy 10

Energy 10

Energy: Debts 11

Flexible Working: Carers and

Mothers 11

Intellectual Property: Music 11

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust

Emissions 12

Post Offices: Bank Services 13

Renewable Energy 13

Small Businesses: Billing 14

Trade Marks: Fraud 14

CABINET OFFICE 15

Cabinet Office: Amazon 15

Cabinet Office: Ministers 15

Cabinet Office: Public

Appointments 18

Employment: Mental Illness 18

European Parliament:

Elections 18

Huawei: 5G 19

Unemployment 19

DEFENCE 19

Defence: Modernisation 19

Defence: Staff 19

Maritime Patrol Aircraft 20

Ministry of Defence: Iron and

Steel 20

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND

SPORT 21

Loneliness: Older People 21

Social Media: Hate Crime 21

Television: Licensing 22

EDUCATION 24

Department for Education:

Public Expenditure 24

English Language: Education 25

Mental Health Services: Young

People 26

Performing Arts: Education 27

Pupils: Poverty 27

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Schools: Discipline 28

Schools: Insulation 28

Schools: Mental Health

Services 29

Speech and Language

Therapy: Children 30

Swift Academy 30

Teachers: Pay 31

T-levels 32

Vocational Education: East

Midlands 32

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND

RURAL AFFAIRS 33

Cats: Animal Housing 33

Climate Change 33

Forests 35

Forests: Fires 35

Forests: North of England 35

Horse Racing 36

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare 37

Livestock: Exports 38

Retraining of Racehorses 38

Tree Planting 39

EXITING THE EUROPEAN

UNION 39

Brexit 39

Customs 40

Department for Exiting the

European Union: Brexit 41

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 42

Canada: Religious Freedom 42

Cyprus: Peace Negotiations 42

GCHQ: Staff 43

Intelligence Services 44

Northern Cyprus: Missing

Persons 44

Pakistan: Religious Freedom 44

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade 46

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 46

Accelerated Access

Collaborative 46

Arthritis 48

Arthritis: Medical Treatments 49

Arthritis: Research 49

Aston Hall Hospital: Abuse 50

Body Modification: Regulation 50

Cannabis: Medical Treatments 51

Cardiovascular System:

Screening 53

Care Homes: Closures 53

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 54

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

Exercise 54

Contraceptives 55

Dental Services and Plastic

Surgery: Medical Treatments

Abroad 55

Diabetes: Medical Equipment 55

General Practitioners 56

Gum Diseases 57

Health Services: Armed

Forces 57

Healthy Start Scheme 58

Heart Diseases: Health

Services 58

Heart Diseases: Young People 58

Hospitals: Consultants 59

Hospitals: Listeria

Monocytogenes 60

Incinerators: Health Hazards 60

Infant Foods: Sugar 61

Medicine: Education 62

Mental Health Services:

Mothers 62

NHS: Drugs 63

NHS: Legal Costs 64

NHS: Procurement 64

Pharmacy 65

Soft Drinks: Taxation 66

Strokes: Surgery 67

HOME OFFICE 68

Airguns: Reviews 68

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse 69

Asylum 69

Asylum: Yazidis 69

Emergency Services Network:

Scotland 70

Female Genital Mutilation 71

Fire and Rescue Services:

Finance 71

Hate Crime 72

Hate Crime: Learning

Disability 72

Immigrants: Detainees 73

Immigration: EU Nationals 74

Intelligence Services 76

Knives: North West 76

Migrant Workers:

Physiotherapy 77

Organised Crime 78

Overseas Students: English

Language 78

Police: Musculoskeletal

Disorders 79

Police: Stress 79

Refugees 80

Refugees: France 81

Slavery 81

VFS Global 82

Visas: Fees and Charges 83

HOUSE OF COMMONS

COMMISSION 84

House of Commons: Security 84

Members' Staff: General

Practitioners 84

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 85

Buildings: Carbon Emissions 85

Domestic Abuse:

Homelessness 85

Garden Communities 86

High Rise Flats: Fire

Extinguishers 86

High Rise Flats: Insulation 87

Homelessness 87

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 88

Horn of Africa: Food 88

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 88

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia 88

Trade Agreements: Georgia 89

Trade Agreements: Grenada 89

JUSTICE 90

Debt Collection 90

Divorce 91

European Arrest Warrants:

Procurement 91

Hate Crime: Disability 91

HM Courts and Tribunals

Service: Enforcement 92

Working Links: Wales 92

NORTHERN IRELAND 92

Historical Institutional Abuse

Inquiry 92

Human Trafficking: Children 93

Lough Foyle 93

TRANSPORT 94

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions 94

Eurotunnel 94

High Speed 2 Railway Line:

Broxtowe 94

High Speed 2 Railway Line:

Toton 95

Network Rail: Finance 96

Network Rail: Property 96

Public Transport 96

Railways: Repairs and

Maintenance 97

Road Traffic Offences: British

Nationals Abroad 97

Roads: Construction 98

TREASURY 99

Cash Dispensing 99

Digital Technology 99

Double Taxation Relief and

International Tax Enforcement

(Israel) Order 2019 100

Economic Crime Strategic

Board 100

Economic Growth and

Employment 100

Economic Situation 101

Infrastructure 101

Insurance Premium Tax 101

Local Government Finance 102

London Capital and Finance 102

Multinational Companies:

Taxation 102

Pensions 103

Personal Savings 103

Public Expenditure 104

Redundancy Pay: Tax

Allowances 104

Soft Drinks: Taxation 105

Tax Avoidance 105

Taxation: Treaties 105

VAT: Fraud 106

WORK AND PENSIONS 107

Assistance Animals 107

Child Benefit 108

Disability 109

Disability Living Allowance:

Children 109

Employment and Support

Allowance 110

Employment: Autism 110

Employment: Disability and

Health 111

Housing Benefit: Social

Rented Housing 112

Local Housing Allowance 112

Migrant Workers:

Qualifications 112

Pension Credit 113

Pension Credit: Easington 114

Personal Independence

Payment 115

Personal Independence

Payment: County Durham 115

Refugees: Universal Credit 116

Royal Mail: Pensions 116

Social Fund 117

Social Security Benefits:

Autism 117

Television: Licensing 118

Unemployment: Mental Illness 118

Universal Credit:

Overpayments 119

Welfare Tax Credits 120

WRITTEN STATEMENTS 121

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 121

Green Finance Strategy 121

EDUCATION 121

Early Years Education Update 121

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 122

Indemnity for the inquiry into

the issues raised by the

Paterson case 122

TREASURY 123

Contingencies Fund Advance 123

Notes:

Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared.

Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an

oral question and has since been unstarred.

ANSWERS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Bereavement Leave: Parents

Sir Mark Hendrick: [270284]

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

has to introduce a statutory right to paid leave for bereaved parents who experience

ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The loss of a child, including the loss of a pregnancy, is devastating for parents.

The Department is currently working to implement a new statutory right to Parental

Bereavement Leave and Pay for eligible parents who lose a child under the age of

18, or suffer a still-birth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. We expect the new right will

apply from April 2020.

The policy provides a statutory minimum and we encourage employers to go beyond

this where possible. Many employers will have an existing compassionate leave

policy or will operate one on a discretionary basis following such losses during

pregnancy. We strongly encourage employers to be sensitive and considerate at

such a time.

Business: Billing

Kirsty Blackman: [268619]

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

assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the Prompt Payment Code

compulsory for large businesses.

Kelly Tolhurst:

In the recent Government Response to the Creating a Responsible Payment Culture

Call for Evidence we announced that responsibility for the voluntary Prompt Payment

Code (the ‘Code’) is to move to the Small Business Commissioner and that the Code

will be reformed, following engagement with existing Code signatories.

Turning a voluntary code into a compulsory code would be further legislation respect

of payment terms. UK legislation already establishes maximum 30-day payment

terms for transactions with public authorities and 60-day payment terms between

businesses, unless they agree longer terms and those terms are not grossly unfair to

the supplier.

Government has worked closely with trade bodies and businesses to develop this.

Mike Cherry, FSB National Chairman, said of the recent announcement: “Small

businesses will be delighted with today’s announcement” and “the measures today

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-27/270284


could finally see an end to poor payment practice. Changing our business culture will

boost the small business community, productivity and growth.”



assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the maximum payment terms

of the Prompt Payment Code from 60 days to 30 days.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Prompt Payment Code (‘the Code’) encourages businesses to aim for 30-day

payment terms as the norm, with 60 days as the maximum. Signatories commit to

paying 95% of invoices within 60 days, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

In the recent Government Response to the Creating a Responsible Payment Culture

Call for Evidence we announced that responsibility for the Code is to move to the

Small Business Commissioner and that the Code will be reformed, following

engagement with existing Code signatories. We are also keen to increase the

number of businesses signed up to the Code.

UK legislation already establishes maximum 30-day payment terms for transactions

with public authorities and 60-day payment terms between businesses, unless they

agree longer terms and those terms are not grossly unfair to the supplier.








evidence base the Government used in reaching the decision to provide a £1 million

business fund for the use of technology to help reduce late payments.

Kelly Tolhurst:

A £9 million Business Basics Programme was announced in the Industrial Strategy,

to test innovative ways of encouraging SMEs to take up the proven technology and

business practices that can boost productivity. I announced in the recent Government

Response to the Call for Evidence on Creating a Responsible Payment Culture that,

as part of that Programme, we will launch a Business Basics fund competition up to

£1 million. This will provide funding to trial how to get businesses to take up proven

technology and business practices, including a focus on payment technology.










assessment he has made of the potential effect of the £1 million technology fund for

businesses on the issue of late payments.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Technology adoption can boost productivity in the UK. The £9 million Business

Basics Programme was announced in the Industrial Strategy, to test innovative ways

of encouraging SMEs to take up the proven technology and business practices that

can boost productivity.

Government believes there is also a role for the Commissioner to run a campaign to

promote technological solutions to SMEs to reduce late payment, improve cash flow

and encourage better credit management. This fits with the Commissioner’s role in

offering advice and guidance on payment matters to SMEs.

It is envisaged that this combined approach will improve awareness of the use of

technology and begin to make inroads to improve administrative processes that

underpin business operations such as streamlining invoicing, payment and credit

management, ultimately making payment practices more efficient and businesses

more productive.







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

to page seven of the Government's response to the paper entitled, Creating a responsible

payment culture: a call for evidence on tackling late payment, what the evidential basis is

for the statement there was no real consensus, either with regard to the extent of the

issue itself or what the best solution to the problem is.

Kelly Tolhurst:

We received 283 responses and respondents expressed a wide range of views in

relation to payment practices and experiences. From the wide-ranging evidence

provided it is clear there is no ‘magic bullet’ solution. That is why are taking action

with a broad package of policy measures to tackle late payments and continue to

change culture.








Construction: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Ruth Jones: [269753]


assessment his Department has made of the effect of joint and muscle ill health on the

construction industry.

Andrew Stephenson:

The Government has not conducted an assessment on the effect of joint and muscle

ill health in the construction industry. The firms within the construction sector are best

placed to conduct their own assessments to develop a better occupational health

model for the industry.

Domestic Appliances: Electrical Safety

Dr Lisa Cameron: [269803]

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

Department is taking to ensure that second-hand electrical products sold online meet the

relevant safety standards.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 any distributor, including

those selling second-hand goods online, must act with due care to ensure that

electrical products are safe.

The Government recognises the challenge in applying and enforcing legislation to

online sales, where consumers can import goods directly from outside the UK. The

Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was set up, in part, to meet the

evolving challenges of product safety by responding to the increasing rate of product

innovation, the growth in online shopping and expanding international trade.

OPSS is gathering evidence on the online sales of second-hand electrical goods and

the prevalence of these sales. It will use this information to provide advice to

consumers and to sellers of goods about their responsibilities when selling or buying

second-hand electrical goods online.

Employment Agencies: Vetting

Peter Kyle: [270409]

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

discussions he has had with employment agencies on the practice of blacklisting.

Peter Kyle: [270410]


assessment he has made of the prevalence of blacklisting by employment agencies.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Government takes blacklisting extremely seriously. Blacklisting is completely

unacceptable and has no place in modern employment relations. The Employment





Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 make it unlawful for an individual or

organisation to compile, sell or make use of a blacklist of trade union members or

those who have taken part in trade union activities.

The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with employment

agencies on this matter and no assessment has been made of the prevalence of

blacklisting by employment agencies. However, since the introduction of the 2010

regulations, no evidence has been presented to the Government or the Information

Commissioner that these practices are recurring, whether this be in employment

agencies or elsewhere.

Employment: Pregnancy

Dan Jarvis: [269738]

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

the Government is taking to ensure that employers meet their legal obligations to

pregnant employees.

Dan Jarvis: [269739]

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

will be taken against employers who do not meet their legal obligations to pregnant

employees.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Government has taken a number of steps to increase employers’ awareness of

their legal obligations to pregnant employees. This has included working with ACAS

to develop comprehensive advice and guidance and updating the content on the

GOV.UK website. The Government’s recent consultation on pregnancy and maternity

discrimination also asked how effective the current approach is in helping employees

and employers to understand their rights and obligations. We will be publishing the

Government response in due course.

The Equality Advisory and Support Service advises and assists individuals on issues

relating to equality and human rights, across England, Scotland and Wales. Where

an employer fails to meet its obligations, a pregnant employee can seek redress

through an employment tribunal.

Energy

Rachel Reeves: [270354]


Department is taking to minimise the cost to consumers affected by energy suppliers that

cease trading.

Chris Skidmore:

Ofgem, through the the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process, works to minimise

the financial impact when customers are moved away from a failed supplier. It is for

Ofgem, as expert regulator, to scrutinise the costs and consider any claim on the




industry levy. In some instances the new supplier has absorbed all the costs of taking

on customers.

In order to ensure consumers are protected in an evolving market, Ofgem is

reviewing their approach to licensing, and considering options to improve the

efficiency and competitiveness of the SoLR process.

Energy: Debts

Rachel Reeves: [270353]

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

has to include increased protections for indebted customers of failed energy suppliers in

the forthcoming Energy White Paper.

Chris Skidmore:

Ofgem, in its supplier licensing review, is considering options to improve the Supplier

of Last Resort (SoLR) experience for consumers, including protections for those in

debt with the failed supplier.

As part of the Future Energy Retail Market Review, a joint review with Ofgem, we are

considering how to ensure consumers are appropriately protected in the future.

Flexible Working: Carers and Mothers

Stephen McPartland: [269051]


steps the Government has taken to ensure that (a) mothers and (b) people with primary

care responsibilities have access to flexible working.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The 2014 revision to the Right to Request Flexible Working provided all employees

with the same access to flexible working, seeking to eliminate the view that flexible

working is only for parents/carers.

The Government is keen to ensure that the existing “right to request” legislation

continues to have the desired effect and has committed to review its impact in 2020.

Government has also announced that it will consult on asking employers to consider

whether a job can be done flexibly, and to make that clear when advertising.

In parallel, the Government is looking to work with employers on a voluntary basis.

We have established a Flexible Working Taskforce with representatives from across

Whitehall, from key organisations like Carers UK and Working Families, the TUC and

key business groups to promote wider understanding and implementation of flexible

working practices.

Intellectual Property: Music

Kerry McCarthy: [269691]

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

plans to reform the process of registering an artist or band’s name with the Intellectual




Property Office so that evidence is required before an artist or band name can be formally

registered.

Chris Skidmore:

The UK’s intellectual property framework is under constant review to ensure it works

for both right holders and users and continues to be a stimulus for innovation and

growth.

Where an application is made to register an artist or band’s name as a trade mark,

the application is examined by the Intellectual Property Office in accordance with the

Trade Mark Act 1994 and Rules 2008. Some requirements are essential in order to

obtain a filing date. This includes the full name and address of the applicant (who

becomes the ‘proprietor’ once the mark is registered) as it is an essential requirement

for filing an application. The name of the applicant must be a correct legal name

(particularly in the case of companies) and not a trading name or style. For trade

mark applications which include the name of a famous individual or group, Section

3(6) of the Trade Marks Act 1994 will be considered. Section 3(6) of the Act states

that a trade mark shall not be registered if or to the extent that the application is made

in bad faith.

Anyone can oppose the registration of a trade mark during the application process,

once it has been published following examination. If a third party believes that an

application has been filed in bad faith - where, for example, facts not visible or

apparent to the examiner are known by that third party - then an opposition can be

filed on that basis, prior to the mark being registered. The requirement for evidence

exists at this stage. This opposition procedure provides a robust mechanism for all

parties to submit detailed submissions and evidence.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Grahame Morris: [269032]


discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting the UK car industry

through the Government's transition to zero emissions policy.

Andrew Stephenson:

BEIS Ministers regularly engage with their counterparts in other departments on

clean growth matters including ultra low and zero emission vehicle policy. We set out

in our Road to Zero strategy published last year our mission to put the UK at the

forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles and for all new

cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.

The Government’s has also committed £1 billion with industry to 2023 through the

Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), to research, develop and commercialise the next

generation of low carbon technologies and £274 million committed by Government to

the Faraday Battery Challenge to support the design, development and manufacture

of electric batteries.


Our Future of Mobility 2040 mission is ambitious but achievable and we believe it is a

key part of the answer to our long term transport air quality and greenhouse gas

issues. It puts us at the forefront of the global transition to zero emission vehicles. We

have consulted extensively with stakeholders across numerous sectors including

environmental groups, the automotive industry and other experts, and believe we

have identified the right balance between our environmental ambitions and

deliverability, giving consumers and industry time to transition.

The Government is committed to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles,

which can cut carbon, reduce air pollution and help us grow the economy as part of

our Industrial Strategy.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Marion Fellows: [269081]

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

and what proportion of fees paid by banks to the Post Office Limited have been paid to

sub-postmasters in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Kelly Tolhurst:

The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and

for small businesses across the UK; this is why the Government committed to

safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall

number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over

11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since

2010.

The Government welcomes the development of banking services at post offices and

the recently announced increased fees for postmasters. Payments to the Post Office

and to postmasters under the Banking Framework agreement are commercially

confidential and cannot be publicly disclosed.

Renewable Energy

Antoinette Sandbach: [268604]

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

will take to ensure that the decarbonisation of the power sector continues in line with the

UK’s long term climate change targets.

Chris Skidmore:

This Government has been successful in decarbonising the power sector, as

demonstrated by the fact that low-carbon technologies now provide over 50% of our

power. As a result, the carbon intensity of the power sector has nearly halved over

recent years, from 450g CO2/kWh in 2010 to 230g CO2/kWh in 2017.

The Clean Growth Strategy set out our plans to build on our progress in

decarbonising the power sector, while looking further across the whole of the

economy and the country. It includes ambitious proposals on housing, business,

transport, the natural environment and green finance, with actions for departments



across Whitehall. We have also we placed Clean Growth at the heart of our Industrial

Strategy and made it one of four Grand Challenges to show our commitment to

reduce our emissions whilst driving cleaner economic growth.

Small Businesses: Billing


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

to define late payments that the Small Business Commissioner will enforce.

Kelly Tolhurst:

Within the Small Business Commissioner’s (the Commissioner) remit to tackle late

payment and help drive culture change in private sector payment practices, the

Commissioner addresses small business complaints about their larger customers.

The Commissioner will make non-binding recommendations as to how the issues

could be resolved, remedied and mitigated.

Further detail of the Commissioner’s complaints handling scheme is set out in the

Small Business Commissioner (Scope & Scheme) Regulations 2017.

I announced in the recent Government Response to the Call for Evidence on

Creating a Responsible Payment Culture that we will consult on strengthening the

Commissioner’s ability to assist and advocate for small businesses in the area of late

payments.






Trade Marks: Fraud



Department is taking to prevent individuals and companies from fraudulently registering

trademarks with the Intellectual Property Office.

Chris Skidmore:

The Intellectual Property Office has a comprehensive procedure in place with regards

to the registration of trade marks and examines every application in accordance with

the Trade Mark Act 1994 and Rules 2008 to make sure that it meets the requirements

for filing. Section 3(6) of the Act states that a trade mark shall not be registered if or

to the extent that the application is made in bad faith.

Anyone can oppose the registration of a trade mark during the application process,

once it has been published. Therefore, if a third party believes that an application has

been filed in bad faith then an opposition can be filed on that basis, prior to the mark

being registered. Opposition can be made through the Intellectual Property Office’s



low-cost tribunal service. This provides a robust mechanism for all parties to submit

detailed submissions and evidence in order to resolve any dispute that has arisen

regarding ownership of a particular name. A similar mechanism is in place following

the registration of a mark, via the ability for third parties to apply for the invalidation of

a trade mark.

CABINET OFFICE

Cabinet Office: Amazon

Jo Platt: [270444]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2019 to

Question 267786 on Cabinet Office: Amazon, how many SMEs were present at the

roundtable discussion.

Oliver Dowden:

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 268379 on 2 July 2019. A

number of the industry bodies in attendance represent SMEs.

Cabinet Office: Ministers

Jon Trickett: [268379]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data entitled

Cabinet Office ministerial meetings January to March 2019, published on 21 June 2019, if

he will publish the (a) organisations and (b) individuals that attended (i) Roundtable

discussion on Digital Transformation in Government on 12 February 2019; (ii) Roundtable

on digital innovation in government on 17 January 2019; (iii) Discussion on Strategic

Approach to Public Appointments on 21 January 2019; (iv) Roundtable on digital

innovation in government, 24 January 2019; (v) Discussion of ongoing Civil Service

Compensation scheme negotiations on 28 January 2019; (vi) Discussion on Strategic

Approach to Public Appointments on 28 January 2019; (vii) Discussion of ongoing Civil

Service Compensation scheme negotiations on 6 February 2019; (viii) Discussion on

Public Appointments Events on 6 February 2019; (ix) Roundtable discussion on

Workforce issues across the Public Sector on 12 February 2019; (x) Discussion on

government outsourcing and innovation on 12 February 2019; (xi) Discussion on the work

of the Government Digital Service on 19 February 2019; (xii) Discussion on Digital

Accessibility on 19 February 2019; and (xiii) Discussion on Govtech and digital innovation

in government on 26 February 2019.

Oliver Dowden:

Ministers regularly meet with a large number of external stakeholders as part of their

normal duties.

The information on attendees at meetings as set out in the transparency data

publication of 21 June 2019 is proportionate to the nature and depth of the

engagement. In line with this approach we do not always publish lists of every



attendee at larger roundtables and instead provide a general description of who was

present and the names of the host organisation(s) where applicable.

Meetings (i), (ii), (iv) and (xiii) fall into this category. Meetings (i) and (xiii) were

roundtables organised and hosted by third party organisations to which I was invited

and actively contributed as a guest. Meetings (ii) and (iv) were roundtables organised

by the Government Digital Service with the support of host organisations. A more

detailed overview of the attendees at these roundtables is now set out below based

upon records of who was invited; this may differ slightly from who attended on the

day.

For meetings (iii), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x), (xi) and (xii), the published data already

provides the name of every organisation(s) or individual(s) who attended the

meetings.

Meeting (i) - Roundtable discussion on Digital Transformation in Government

on 12 February 2019

• The Spectator

• TechUK

• Global Sourcing Association UK

• Amazon Web Services

• PUBLIC

• Transport for London

• Bob Blackman MP

• Alan Mak MP

• Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG

• Lord O'Shaughnessy

• Matt Warman MP

Meeting (ii) - Roundtable on digital innovation in government on 17 January

2019

• Cisco

• CBI

• Capita plc

• Dentons

• Oracle

• HP

• Atos

• Capgemini

• Atkins Global

• BT

• Upside Projects

• CGI

• Mastercard

• Fluxx

• Costain

• Amey

• Eaton

• Blue Prism

• IBM

• Sodexo

• Redbull

• Accenture

Meeting (iv) - Roundtable on digital innovation in government, 24 January 2019

• University of Edinburgh

• City of Edinburgh Council

• Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

• East Lothian Council

• West Lothian Council

• Codebase

• Young Scot

• The Data Lab

• Scotland IS

Meeting (xiii) - Discussion on Govtech and digital innovation in government on

26 February 2019

• Microsoft

• Sensyne Health

• Adzuna

• Onward

• Salesforce

• Epsilon Partners

• Mustard Seed

• M&G Prudential

• TechUK

• Balderton Capital

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jo Platt: [270443]


Question 268615, for what reason that Answer does not state whether it is still the

Government's ambition to appoint a Chief Data Officer.

Oliver Dowden:

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given to Question 255390 on 21 May

2019.

Employment: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: [268986]

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

public sector workers that have reported mental ill health in each of the last three years.

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 [PQ268986 (1) (1).pdf]

European Parliament: Elections

Mohammad Yasin: [270809]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Electoral

Commission on the potential disenfranchisement of EU citizens resident in the UK in the

European Parliament elections.


To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the

European Commission about the potential disenfranchisement of EU citizens resident in

the UK in the European Parliament elections.

Kevin Foster:

Ministers and officials meet frequently with external officials to discuss a wide range

of electoral issues.

Details of external meetings by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are published

quarterly and are available on gov.uk.





Huawei: 5G

Jo Platt: [270401]


Question 260726 on Huawei: 5G, if he will publish the number of operators on the

National Cyber Security Centre list that (a) do and (b) do not utilise Huawei Cyber

Security Evaluation Centre advice and guidance.

Mr David Lidington:

Owing to commercial sensitivities the names and number of operators who use

HCSEC advice cannot be published. All of the significant commercial networks in the

UK who use Huawei have access to and work with the HCSEC.

Unemployment

Frank Field: [270287]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to

publish tabular information on the number of people that have been unemployed (a) for

up to 6 months, (b) between 6 and 12 months, and (c) longer than 12 months in each

parliamentary constituency.

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 [PQ270287 (1).pdf]

DEFENCE

Defence: Modernisation

Mr Kevan Jones: [269007]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for the publication of the

Defence Technology Framework.

Stuart Andrew:

The Ministry of Defence is planning to publish the Defence Technology Framework in

2019.

Defence: Staff

Jonathan Edwards: [269025]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people work in the defence sector

by constituency.






To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a breakdown of the workforce

employed by the defence sector by (a) profession and (b) qualifications.


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

contribution of the defence sector to the (a) Welsh and (b) UK economy.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a breakdown of defence

spending by constituency.

Stuart Andrew:

Statistics on Ministry of Defence regional expenditure with UK industry and supported

employment in 2017-18 can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-

and-supported-employment-201718

Data for 2018-19 will be published in January 2020.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: [269669]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) will be

operational.

Stuart Andrew:

The first UK Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) is scheduled to arrive in the UK in early 2020

and we expect to have reached initial operating capability during 2020.

Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: [269724]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether her Department has had discussions

with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK Steel

charter.

Stuart Andrew:

Officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Business, Energy and

Industrial Strategy have been involved in discussions at desk level regarding our

approach to the UK Steel charter.






Nic Dakin: [269725]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will sign her Department up to the UK

Steel charter.

Stuart Andrew:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 June 2019, to Question 266721 to

the hon. Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden).

Attachments:

1. Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel [Hansard Extract 19 June 2019, UIN 266721.docx]

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Loneliness: Older People


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

Department is taking to help tackle social isolation in older people through the digital

sector.

Mims Davies:

Government is committed to helping older people acquire basic digital skills as part of

its broader strategy to reduce digital exclusion, as outlined in the Digital Strategy.

Through its £400,000 Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, the Government is supporting

three pilot projects aimed at addressing the digital exclusion of older and disabled

people. There is evidence that tackling digital exclusion helps mitigate social

isolation; The Future Digital Inclusion Programme, funded by DfE and run by Good

Things Foundation, shows that 61% are less lonely and 76% feel more connected

following involvement in the programme.

Government’s £1million Tech to Connect challenge prize, delivered by Nesta, will

fund organisations to tackle social isolation using tech innovation. This will benefit a

broad range of groups including older people.

Social Media: Hate Crime


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

Department has taken to tackle the spread of disinformation and fake news online.

Margot James:

Disinformation is one of the harms in scope of the new regulatory framework for

online safety, announced in the Online Harms White Paper. Under this framework,

companies will be expected to take proactive but proportionate measures to limit the

spread of disinformation on their platforms and help their users understand the

information they are receiving.




The White Paper also sets out our plans to develop an Online Media Literacy

Strategy to empower users to manage their online safety and make informed choices

about online content. We are currently consulting on the measures proposed in the

White Paper, and will provide more detail on our approach to tackling disinformation

in the Government response to that consultation, which we intend to publish by the

end of the year.

We are also considering a wide range of other initiatives to tackle the spread of

disinformation and build our population’s resilience. This includes further research to

understand the scale, scope and impact of disinformation, as well as continuing work

with the tech sector to develop technological responses and strengthen the online

environment.

Television: Licensing

Mr David Davis: [268373]

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

discussions he has had with the BBC on the proposed removal of free television licences

for people aged over 75.

Jeremy Wright:

Since the BBC took its decision, I have met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and

the Director-General of the BBC and I have asked them to do more to help the most

vulnerable groups affected by the decision.

Mr Paul Sweeney: [269764]

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

taking to ensure that people over 75 who cannot afford to pay for a TV licence will be able

to access democracy and keep informed of current affairs from June 2020.


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

taking to ensure that people over 75 who do not use the internet are not digitally excluded

and will receive the necessary support to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.


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

take to ensure that people over 75 whose level of income is above the threshold of

eligibility for pension credit are able to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.

Jeremy Wright:

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. In

the 2015 funding settlement, the Government and the BBC agreed that responsibility

for the concession would transfer to the BBC in June 2020.

However, the Government is disappointed with the BBC’s decision as it has been

clear that it wants and expects the BBC to continue this concession. Since the BBC

took its decision, I have met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-





General of the BBC and I have asked them to do more to help the most vulnerable

groups affected by the decision.

Stephen Morgan: [270396]

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

assist people over 75 years old with long-term complex illnesses such as dementia pay

for a TV licence from June 2020.


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

Government plans to issue to carers that work with over 75 year old people on the

requirement to pay for a TV licence from June 2020.

Margot James:

The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee

concession from June 2020.

The BBC says that it will work with older peoples groups, charities and voluntary

organisations to design a bespoke system to support all those over 75 affected by its

decision. As part of this system, the BBC says that its licensing arm, TV Licensing,

will make it as easy as possible for carers and family members to act as

representatives for pensioners seeking to claim a free TV licence, including those

caring for elderly people with complex illnesses like dementia.


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

assessment of the effect of the removal of the TV licence concession for the over 75s

from June 2020 on the Accommodation for Residential Care licence.

Margot James:

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC.

However, the Government has no intention to change the accommodation for

residential care licence fee concession.

Guidance on the accommodation for residential care licence fee concession can be

found on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ78


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

has made of the effect of the removal of the TV licence concession for the over 75s from

June 2020 on people with sight impairments.

Margot James:

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC.

However, the Government has no intention to change the blind (severely sight

impaired) licence fee concession, regardless of the age of the recipient.





Guidance on the blind (severely sight impaired) licence fee concession can be found

on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-

your-home/blindseverely-sight-impaired-aud5

EDUCATION

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Angela Rayner: [269834]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2019 to

Question 267289, which programmes have been funded within the budget lines provided

in that Answer; and how much funding has been (a) allocated to and (b) spent by each

programme.

Anne Milton:

[Holding answer 1 July 2019]: The Resource DEL total expenditure disclosed as

‘Other Resource’ in the department’s annual report and accounts 2017-18 is £18,897

million. This expenditure applies to the department’s estimate lines as set out in the

table below:

ESTIMATE ROW 2017-18 AMOUNT (IN MILLIONS OF POUNDS)

Activities to Support all Functions -23*

School Infrastructure and Funding of

Education (Department)

81

School Infrastructure and Funding of

Education (ALB) (Net)

2

Education Standards, Curriculum and

Qualifications (Department)

69

Social Care, Mobility and Equalities

(Department)

6

Social Care, Mobility and Equalities (ALB)

(Net)

3

Standards and Testing Agency 4

National College for Teaching and Leadership 40

Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) 2

Grants to LA Schools via ESFA 3

Grants to Academies via ESFA 18,617

Higher Education 20


ESTIMATE ROW 2017-18 AMOUNT (IN MILLIONS OF POUNDS)

Further Education 9

Higher Education (ALB) (net) 57

Further Education (ALB) (net) 3

Total Resource DEL defined as "Other

Resource" in 2017-18 Data Tables

18,894**

*The amount in ‘Activities to Support All Functions’ is shown as a negative figure, as

it represents net income (ie income is greater than expenditure for ‘Other Resource’

on this row in the table above).

**The table total differs from the published ‘Other Resource’ figure by approximately

£3 million due to audit adjustments which have not been allocated to any one

estimate line.

English Language: Education

Nic Dakin: [268466]

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

English for Speakers of Other Languages for refugees.

Nic Dakin: [269044]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to invest in ESOL

provision for (a) refugees and (b) migrants.

Anne Milton:

The government recognises that learning English is essential to enabling refugees to

rebuild their lives. The government has committed to developing a new strategy for

English for speakers of other languages in 2019. The strategy will provide a shared

vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the

needs of refugees and migrants. Funding for all programmes beyond 2019/20,

including any potential funding for this strategy, will be set during the upcoming

Spending Review.

Eleanor Smith: [268588]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will allocate additional funding for ESOL

to ensure that refugees have access to a minimum of eight hours a week of formal,

accredited English language teaching in their first two years in the UK.

Anne Milton:


rebuild their lives. The Department for Education supports adults in England through

the Adult Education Budget (AEB) to secure the English language skills they need.




The Home Office and the department have also provided £10 million to enable

refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access

additional classes.

The government will publish a new strategy for English for speakers of other

languages in 2019. Funding for all programmes beyond 2019-20, including any

potential funding for this strategy, will be set during the upcoming Spending Review.

Alex Sobel: [270447]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Department plans to increase

funding for ESOL to ensure that all refugees can access a minimum of eight hours a

week of formal accredited English language teaching for their first two years in the UK.

Anne Milton:


rebuild their lives. The department supports adults in England through the Adult

Education Budget (AEB) to secure the English language skills that they need. The

Home Office and the Department for Education have also provided £10 million to

enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to

access additional classes. The government has committed to developing a new

strategy for English for speakers of other languages in 2019. Funding for all

programmes beyond 2019/20, including any potential funding for this strategy, will be

set during the upcoming Spending Review.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Heidi Allen: [268557]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support (a)

schools and (b) local authorities in providing additional services to help young people with

early signs of mental ill health.

Nick Gibb:

The Department is working with NHS England and Department of Health and Social

Care to help schools and colleges provide support for children and young people with

emerging mental health issues and secure specialist treatment where it is needed.

The NHS Long Term Plan set out that by 2023/24 an extra 345,000 children and

young people in England aged up to 25 will receive mental health support via NHS-

funded mental health services including new Mental Health Support Teams linked to

groups of schools and colleges. The teams will work with groups of schools and

colleges to provide swift access to support for children and young people, especially

those with emerging, mild and moderate needs. Teams will also support referrals to

more specialist treatment. Roll-out is starting with a trailblazer programme to test how

teams can be effectively delivered, including how they can work effectively with local

authority services to provide coordinated support for children and young people. Staff

for the new teams are currently be being trained and the first 59 teams will be fully

operational in 25 areas of the country by the end of the year.



Directors of Children’s Services and Directors of Public Health in Local Authorities will

play an important role in supporting local implementation of the new teams. The

Department for Education is working with Public Health England to ensure that local

authorities are kept informed and are invited to contribute to local plans for

implementation.

Performing Arts: Education


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

performing arts education for young people under 18 years-old.

Nick Gibb:

Performing arts education is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum

and should not be the preserve of the elite, but the entitlement of every child.

Between 2016-20, the Government is providing almost £500 million funding for a

range of creative and performance arts education programmes including the Music

and Dance Scheme, and the Dance and Drama Awards.

The Government is also funding performing arts education through their Youth

Performance Partnerships scheme which brings arts organisations and schools

together to teach practical performance skills both on and off stage. The scheme is

providing £5 million in funding between 2018-21 and aims to provide new

opportunities for children and young people (aged 8-18) from areas of low cultural

engagement and high levels of deprivation to take part in putting on productions, as

well as developing backstage and technical skills including dance, art, creative

writing, lighting, sound and set design. The Youth Performance Partnerships will be

delivered by Arts Council England and will reach 10,000 young people.

Pupils: Poverty

Ian Lavery: [269736]

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

of the effect of living in poverty on the school attendance record of students.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The information requested is not held centrally. The department has not made an

assessment of the effect of living in poverty on the school attendance record of

students.

Absence data by income deprivation affecting children index and free school meal

eligibility is available in the National Statistics release “Pupil absence in schools in

England 2017 to 2018”: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pupil-absence-in-

schools-in-england-2017-to-2018.

All children of compulsory school age, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled

to a full-time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special

educational needs they may have.



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-2017-to-2018



Schools should continually monitor pupils’ absence. If a child’s absence reaches a

level of concern, the school will wish to raise this with the parents and the local

authority in the best interest of the child’s education. Schools have a duty to inform

the local authority of any child who fails to attend school regularly. School and local

authorities should consider the individual circumstances of each case and take the

appropriate course of action to ensure the child receives consistent education.

Schools: Discipline

Alex Sobel: [269136]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Government’s policy is on the use

of isolation booths for discipline in schools; and what assessment he has made of the

effectiveness of the use of isolation booths.

Nick Gibb:

Schools develop their own behaviour policies and strategies for managing behaviour.

To help schools develop effective strategies, the Department has produced advice for

schools which covers what should be included in the behaviour policy. This advice

can be viewed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools.

Schools can adopt a policy which allows disruptive pupils to be placed in isolation

away from other pupils for a limited period. If a school uses isolation rooms as a

disciplinary penalty, this should be made clear in their behaviour policy. As with other

disciplinary penalties, schools must act lawfully, reasonably and proportionately in all

cases. The school must also ensure the health and safety of pupils.

As part of Ofsted inspections, schools will be asked to provide records and analysis

of any use of internal insolation. Ofsted inspectors will expect schools to have clear

and effective behaviour policies that promote high standards of behaviour that are

applied consistently and fairly. In reaching a judgement on pupils’ personal

development, behaviour and welfare, inspectors will take account of a range of

information, including schools’ use of internal isolation.

As part of the Government’s response to the Timpson Review of School Exclusion,

we committed to publishing clearer, more consistent guidance by summer 2020. This

includes guidance on managing behaviour, on the use of in-school units and the sorts

of circumstances where it may be appropriate to use exclusion.

Schools: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: [270425]

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

provided to schools with timber cladding on the fire risks of that cladding.


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

of the fire safety risk posed by timber cladding on school buildings.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools




To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what figures his Department holds on the

number of schools in England that have combustible timber cladding.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the use of combustible timber

cladding on schools below 18 metres in height meets fire safety regulations.

Nick Gibb:

The Government attaches the highest priority to the safety of pupils and staff in

schools. All schools must comply with building regulations and must also comply with

the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including having an up-to-date fire

risk assessment and conducting regular fire drills. Schools are generally very safe

environments in this regard as they are typically occupied during the daytime and

have multiple exit routes. The Department continues to share relevant Ministry of

Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) advice with those

responsible for fire safety in schools.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the fire safety risk posed by

timber cladding on school buildings and does not hold figures on the number of

schools in England that have timber cladding.

The Department will continue to take appropriate action in light of any further relevant

advice from MHCLG.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Julie Cooper: [268626]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Transforming Children

Green Paper, what his strategy is for ensuring a joined-up approach between school

mental health leads and other appropriate agencies to improve the mental health of

young people.

Nick Gibb:

[Holding answer 27 June 2019]: The Department has a joint programme of work with

the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Health Education

England to deliver the proposals set out in the green paper ‘Transforming Children

and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’.

New Mental Health Support Teams are being introduced jointly by the Department

and NHS England and will be available to 20-25% of England by 2023. These teams

will work with schools and colleges and other professionals such as educational

psychologists, school nurses, counsellors and social workers to supplement existing

support.

The Department is also incentivising schools and colleges to identify and train a

senior mental health lead, who will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of a

whole school or college approach to promoting better mental health and wellbeing.




In addition, the Department is providing training through the Link programme to

schools and colleges in England over four years from autumn 2019. The Link

programme is designed to develop effective partnership working between schools

and colleges and NHS specialist mental health services for children and young

people.

Speech and Language Therapy: Children

Geraint Davies: [269600]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the June 2019 report of the

Children’s Commissioner, we need to talk: access to speech and language therapy, if he

will meet with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to discuss the

implications for his Department's policies of the findings of that report.

Nadhim Zahawi:

We are committed to ensuring more effective support for children and young people

with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Ministers from the

Department for Education (DfE) regularly discuss issues relating to special

educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including SLCN, with ministers from the

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other government departments.

On 20 May 2019, we held the first SEND ministerial roundtable meeting between

ministers from the DfE, DHSC and key SEND stakeholders to help inform future

SEND policy. We will also be using these meetings to help inform the SEND system

leadership board which aims to improve joint working and strategic commissioning for

all children and young people with SEND, including those with SLCN.

On 20 June 2019, the government issued a letter responding to the ‘Bercow: Ten

Years On’ first anniversary update report, which was co-signed by ministers from the

DfE, DHSC and the Ministry of Justice. The letter reaffirmed our commitment to

supporting children and young people with SLCN.

Swift Academy

Eddie Hughes: [268519]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information he holds on the progress

that LocatED has made on finding and purchasing a site for the Swift Secondary

Academy in Walsall North in partnership with Windsor Academy Trust.


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the funding allocated to build the

Swift Secondary Academy in Blakenall ward in partnership with Windsor Academy Trust

remains in place.

Nadhim Zahawi:

Despite extensive site searches, the department has so far been unable to secure a

viable site for Swift Secondary Academy in its proposed location of Blakenall in

Walsall.




The Walsall Local Plan does not allocate land for educational use and the council has

previously indicated that it would not support the delivery of the school.

The funding for the school remains available, but given the lack of available sites and

uncertainty over the future demographic need for additional school places in the area,

we are currently reviewing the project's future.

Teachers: Pay

Laura Smith: [268486]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the

potential merits of a salary sacrifice car scheme for teachers in state schools.

Nick Gibb:

There is a statutory process for revising the pay and conditions of teachers and any

change must first be referred by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, to the

independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). The demands on the STRB’s

time and resources mean that the Government has to make hard decisions on

prioritising the issues it refers. The Government is committed to making the teaching

profession an attractive and competitive career but is not currently considering

proposing an extension to the current salary sacrifice schemes for teachers to cover

cars.

Paul Farrelly: [270312]

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

potential merits of increasing starting salaries for teachers to make the profession more

competitive.

Nick Gibb:

In January 2019, the Government published evidence to support the independent

School Teacher’s Review Body’s (STRB) considerations for the 2019 pay award. It

includes evidence on the teacher labour market, based on the latest recruitment and

retention data, and on affordability based on the information provided in the schools’

costs document. On affordability, the evidence sets out the importance of ensuring

that the pay award does not place undue pressure on school budgets, with a 2%

increase in per teacher pay being affordable nationally, in the context of the cost

pressures faced by schools and headroom available for increases in teachers’ pay.

The STRB has submitted their 29th report to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of

State, in respect of the 2019 pay award. The Government will now carefully consider

the report and the STRB’s recommendations and publish a response as soon as

possible.

The evidence to the STRB: 2019 pay award for school staff is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-to-the-strb-2019-pay-award-

for-school-staff.



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-to-the-strb-2019-pay-award-for-school-staff



T-levels

Ben Bradley: [268544]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that

businesses understand the value of the new T Level qualifications before their

implementation in 2020.

Anne Milton:

With longer hours and meaningful industry placements, T levels will provide

employers with the future skilled workforce they need to thrive. We have placed

employers at the heart of T level development and implementation. We have

extended the remit of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to promote

awareness of T levels and industry placements with a wide range of employers – the

NAS has worked with and gained the interest of nearly 10,000 employers in 2018/19.

The NAS also work with business representative networks and recently held a T

levels Twitter panel with myself and the Federation of Small Businesses.

In addition, T level panel members, responsible for developing T level content, have

become strong advocates for T levels. Many of these members are now part of the T

level Ambassadors Network - a network of business advocates endorsing T levels on

a regional and national basis.

Vocational Education: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: [268545]

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

promote technical and vocational education and training in the East Midlands.

Anne Milton:

Since the publication of the Wolf Review in 2011, the department has implemented

an extensive programme of reforms to strengthen technical and applied

qualifications. This includes taking forward the recommendations from Lord

Sainsbury’s panel on technical education (TE), which will create a world-class

technical and vocational education system, offering a real choice of high-quality

training.

Our apprenticeships marketing campaign, Fire It Up, aims to change the way people

think about apprenticeships, by showing them as an aspirational choice for those with

energy and passion and encouraging everyone to consider them. In addition, the

Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge project is a free service provided through the

Department for Education, and works with schools to ensure that teachers have the

knowledge, support and resources to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their

students.

Alongside apprenticeships, new T levels will raise the prestige of TE and provide

students with a high-quality, technical alternative to A levels. We are working closely

with the providers selected to deliver T levels in 2020 (including Derby College) to

ensure they are ready for first teaching, and have provided them with marketing



materials which can be adapted for local use. A communications campaign will

launch later this year to raise awareness of T levels, where they can lead and how

they fit in with other post-16 choices.

We have announced the first 12 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) that will be set up

across the country to deliver higher TE and training with a particular focus on

science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. Backed by £170 million

of government funding for investing in state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, one of

the new IoTs is led by the University of Lincoln in partnership with local further

education colleges and employers.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cats: Animal Housing

Mr Laurence Robertson: [270253]

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

has made of the number of catteries which have closed in the last 12 months for which

figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley:

Anyone in the business of boarding other peoples’ cats needs a valid licence under

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations

2018 which introduced strict statutory minimum welfare standards. Local authorities

are responsible for enforcing the 2018 Regulations and have powers to issue or

revoke licences, and powers of entry and inspection. Although the 2018 Regulations

require local authorities to submit details of the numbers of licences issued for their

area we would not know how this compared to the previous twelve months (before

the 2018 Regulations were in force). Each local authority would hold details of the

number of licences issued to catteries under the 2018 Regulations and how that

number differed from the number of licences issued in the previous twelve months.

Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: [268450]

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

to pursue and implement nature-based solutions domestically to (a) mitigate and (b)

adapt to climate change and (c) protect and restore nature; and if he will make a

statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Nature-based solutions are key to tackling and strengthening resilience to climate

change impacts. Our wetlands, forests and grasslands capture carbon – and provide

other environmental benefits, such as flood management, pollination, and

biodiversity. The Government is deploying such solutions to improve our natural

environment and our Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out key policies

on how improving nature can help tackle climate change.



Tree planting is one of the main contributors to nature-based carbon sequestration.

Our manifesto committed to planting 11 million trees by 2022, and a further 1 million

trees in our towns and cities. We also have a long term aspiration to increase

woodland cover in England from 10% to 12% by 2060. To achieve these goals, in the

Autumn Budget the Chancellor announced £10m for an Urban Trees Challenge Fund

– which is now open for applications - and £50m to help plant new woodlands

through the Woodland Carbon Guarantee.

Peatlands are our largest terrestrial carbon store. Organic or peat soils make up 11%

of England’s total land area, over 70% of which are drained or in poor condition. We

have committed to publishing an England Peatland Strategy. The strategy sets out

our vision to reverse decline in peatlands and restore them. Work is underway on four

large-scale peatland restoration projects across England, to which we have allocated

£10m, and will restore 5,851 ha of degraded peatlands. We are also improving

saltmarshes.

Natural England has an ongoing uplands programme with landowners and we will

also be setting up a Lowland Agricultural Peatland Taskforce to help sustainably

manage and restore peatland habitats. Once restored, our healthy functioning

peatlands will provide a range of public benefits in addition to carbon storage,

including flood mitigation and biodiversity rich habitats.

Under the new Environmental Land Management Scheme we will pay public money

for the provision of environmental public goods. These public goods will include the

mitigation of and adaption to climate change.

We also support nature-based solutions through our international aid programmes on

forestry and mangroves/blue forests.

Jo Stevens: [270427]

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

assessment of the effect of a four degree rise in global temperatures on (a) the UK's

security, (b) the UK's economy, (c) global security and (d) the global economy.


The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report states

with high confidence that a four degree rise in global temperatures would have

severe and widespread impacts on unique and threatened systems, cause

substantial species extinction, pose large risks to global and regional food security,

and the combination of high temperature and humidity would compromise normal

human activities.

The Government prepares a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every

five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme, which sets out actions to

address the risks identified in the CCRA.

The second CCRA was published in 2017.


Forests


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

assessment he has made of the progress made in England, Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland on meeting the 2011 Bonn Challenge; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley:

Forestry is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to

England only.

Although not formally signed up to the Bonn challenge, we share its aims and are

fully committed to woodland creation and restoration. Our 25 Year environment Plan

has a goal of increasing tree cover in England from 10% to 12% by 2060. Recently

we have funded £5.7 million to kick start the Northern Forest, announced a £10

million Woodland Carbon Guarantee fund, and launched a £10m fund for new trees

in our towns and cities through the urban trees challenge fund. Since 1995 we have

supported the National Forest Company in establishing woodlands to restore large

areas of industrially impacted land in central England.

Forests: Fires

Mr Barry Sheerman: [268390]

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

Department takes to (a) prevent, (b) tackle and (c) deal with the aftermath of forest fires.


The Home Office has overall responsibility for wildfires and publishes data which

shows most fires in grassland, woodland and crops are set deliberately.

Data provided by the Home Office is analysed and published by the Forestry

Commission in addition to guidance that explains how owners can 1) reduce the risk

of wildfire damaging their woodlands and 2) help woodlands recover from forest fires.

The Forestry Commission holds workshops on Wildfire Prevention; over 150 land

managers from the private and public sector have attended these. The Forestry

Commission has an incident specific contingency plan for dealing with severe wildfire.

In January 2019 this plan was tested in a major exercise which included staff from

Defra, the Environment Agency, Public Health England, Natural England, Avon and

Somerset Police, Forestry England and Forest Research.

Defra are currently undertaking a review of wildfire in relation to moorland and

peatland management recognising that woodland habitats are a factor in such

wildfires.

Forests: North of England


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

taking to ensure the preservation of the Northern Forest.






Department is taking to preserve forests throughout the UK.

David Rutley:

Trees are vital environmental, social and economic assets. We need to take action to

protect all trees from pests and diseases to preserve the benefits trees provide,

include those trees that are planted within the Northern Forest.

Our woodlands and forests are protected by the Forestry Act and Felling Licence

regulations. In most cases a licence is required from the Forestry Commission before

a landowner can undertake tree felling, with the Forestry Commission taking into

account the UK Forestry Standard when considering felling applications. Where clear

felling takes place there is, in most cases, a requirement to restock the woodland to

maintain our woodland resource.

Protecting trees from pests and diseases is essential in realising our ambition to

leave the environment in a better state for the next generation. The Tree Health

Resilience strategy, published in May 2018, sets out how Government will work with

others to reduce the risk of pest and disease threats, and how we will strengthen the

resilience of our trees to withstand these threats. The strategy includes a National

Action Plan that sets out what we are already doing and what we and others will need

to do to protect our trees.

The Government has invested £5.7m to kick-start the development of the Northern

Forest, which will have planted 1.8 million trees by the end of the Parliament to offer

a firm foundation to continue to deliver against its longer term vision.

The Government has a manifesto commitment to ensure stronger protection for our

ancient woodlands and the irreplaceable nature of ancient woodlands is recognised

in our 25 Year Environment Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Planning authorities are required to consult the Natural England and Forestry

Commission ‘standing advice’ on ancient woodland and veteran trees when

determining planning applications that may affect such habitats.

The Government is also providing funding of £5m for the HS2 Woodland Fund. This

supports the restoration of existing plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) as

well as the creation of new native woodland.

Horse Racing

Mr Laurence Robertson: [R] [270252]

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

his Department has made of the importance of the British thoroughbred racing industry to

the UK rural economy.


The Government is committed to driving sustainable growth in the rural economy.

Our world leading horseracing industry employs over 17,000 people nationally and



contributes around £3.5 billion to the national economy each year, and plays a

significant role in rural areas.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Sir Nicholas Soames: [268340]


his Department has made of the potential effect of the establishment of the new Horse

Welfare Board on further improving the high standards of welfare in British racing.



his Department has made of the adequacy of the standards of regulation, veterinary

provision and facilities at fixtures at British racecourses regulated by the British

Horseracing Authority to uphold horse welfare.



his Department has made of the adequacy of the British Horseracing Authority's

standards of regulation on horse welfare in British racing compared to other international

racing jurisdictions.

David Rutley:

The Government is keen that the welfare needs of racehorses are well met, both

during their racing lives and afterwards. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is

responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses and the BHA works

alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as

possible.

The BHA has strong links to the international racing industry and was involved in

establishing the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Horse

Welfare Committee.

The Government considers that the standards of regulation, veterinary provision and

facilities and fixtures at British racecourses is good. However, both I and the BHA

consider that more can be done to make horseracing safer which is why I have been

holding regular discussions with the BHA about this. Most recently on the 14 May, I

met the BHA as well as the new independent Chair of the BHA’s newly appointed

Horse Welfare Board. This Board was formed in March 2019 and includes members

from across the racing industry, veterinarians and animal health and welfare

specialists. This was a constructive meeting where the number of fatalities of

racehorses was acknowledged and both sides agreed that further action is required

to tackle avoidable harm and make the sport safer.

The Board committed to doing all it can to improve welfare outcomes. I stressed the

need for the BHA to develop a robust action plan that will deliver tangible results and

intend to stay in regular contact with both the BHA and newly appointed Horse

Welfare Board to continue to press for improvements in racehorse welfare.




Livestock: Exports


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

Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the export of live animals

from the UK for fattening and slaughter.

David Rutley:

The Government’s manifesto made it clear that we would take early steps to control

the export of live farm animals for slaughter once we leave the European Union.

Last year we launched a Call for Evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter

and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We passed this evidence to

the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), who recently submitted their advice to

Defra and the Devolved Administrations including in relation to live exports. We are

considering FAWC’s report and aim to publish it, along with a Government response,

this summer. We expect to come forward with proposals for public consultation to

improve animal welfare in transport in due course.

As we move towards a new relationship with the EU and the rest of the world, we

have a unique opportunity to shape future animal welfare policy in the UK to ensure

the highest standards in every area.

Retraining of Racehorses

Mr Laurence Robertson: [R] [270251]


his Department has made of the effectiveness of the work of Retraining of Racehorses in

(a) retraining retired racehorses for second careers in other equine disciplines and (b)

rehoming retired racehorses.

David Rutley:

Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is British Horseracing’s official charity established in

2000 for the welfare of horses that have retired from racing. The charity promotes the

versatility and adaptability of racehorses for other equine activities. We understand

that over 6,500 retired racehorses are registered with RoR as active in a second

career. In 2018, RoR’s education programme, open to all registered horses,

organised or oversaw the staging of 301 events, with 1,681 horses attending. As a

result, RoR plays a leading role on the international scene providing advice to other

jurisdictions seeking guidance on setting up their own aftercare programmes. In

addition, RoR works closely with welfare organisations such as the RSPCA and

World Horse Welfare.



Tree Planting


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

are being planted annually in the UK; and whether the Government is meeting its target

on tree planting.

David Rutley:

Trees, woods and forests are a devolved matter and the information provided relates

to England only. Neither Defra nor the Forestry Commission records tree planting

data except for trees planted in England with central Government support.

The latest figures from the Forestry Commission’s report on Government supported

new planting of trees in England, published on 13 June, show that from April 2018 to

March 2019 at least 2.06 million trees have been planted with central Government

support, equivalent to approximately 1,273 hectares of woodland creation. Between

April 2017 and March 2018, 1.6 million trees were planted with central Government

support, equivalent to approximately 1,045 hectares of woodland creation.

The Government has planted 16.1 million trees since 2010, and remains on course to

plant 11 million trees in this Parliament, 2017-22. Woodland creation is a key activity

of our 25 Year Environment Plan.


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

Government is taking to increase the planting of trees.



Department is taking to encourage landowners to plant trees.

David Rutley:

I refer the Hon. Member to the reply previously given to the Hon. Member for

Newcastle-under-Lyme, Paul Farrelly, on 20 June 2019 to PQ 265458.

EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brexit

Andrea Leadsom: [270383]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, in the event that the UK

leaves the EU without a deal, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that

measures that have been bilaterally negotiated and agreed on sovereign bases,

Gibraltar, security measures, air transport, and medicines are maintained; and whether

he intends to introduce primary legislation before the summer recess for that purpose.





Mr Robin Walker:

This government has been clear that we do not want a ‘no deal’ scenario. However, it

is the responsible thing to prepare for all eventualities. We have therefore ensured we

are ready to cooperate with European partners in areas such as security, air transport

and medicines, and that the whole UK family, including Gibraltar and the Sovereign

Base Areas, will be prepared in the event of a 'no deal'. All the primary legislation

necessary for no deal is in place, and work continues to ensure that we are ready for

that scenario, while remaining focused on our priority, which is to leave with a deal.


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

is taking to support the (a) automotive, aerospace, medicines and agri-foods sectors and

(b) all businesses to plan and prepare in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a

deal.

James Cleverly:

Supporting the long-term competitiveness of UK industry and business is a priority for

ministers across Government. Through the Automotive Sector Deal, the Faraday

Battery Challenge and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles for

example, we are ensuring the UK remains internationally competitive post Exit, and

continues to be a world leader in the development of emerging automotive

technologies.

We remain focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with

a deal. However, as a responsible Government we are engaging extensively with all

sectors of the economy to understand their needs and help mitigate the impacts of a

no deal exit. In the last year, DExEU ministers attended approximately 200

engagements with business and civil society stakeholders. We have published

approximately 750 pieces of no deal communications since August 2018, including

106 technical notices. When necessary we will continue to update our advice on how

people should prepare.

Customs

David Simpson: [269019]

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

had with the Home Secretary on using Border Force technology to solve the customs

issues when the UK leaves the EU.

James Cleverly:

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union regularly

meets with Cabinet colleagues to discuss preparations for leaving the EU. Similarly,

ministers and officials from the department meet regularly with other government

departments to discuss a variety of issues.




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

is taking to ensure appropriate sanitary and phytosanitary checks are in place to avoid

customs delays to onshoring perishable foodstuffs and medicines in the event that the UK

leaves the EU without a deal.

James Cleverly:

The UK currently ensures appropriate sanitary and phytosanitary checks are in place

at the border through the use of the EU’s TRACES import notification system. In the

event of a no deal, the UK will lose access to this system. To prepare for this

scenario, the Government has developed the UK’s own import notification capability.

This capability was in place for exit on 12 April and will be in place for exit on 31

October. This will ensure resources are targeted appropriately, so that sanitary and

phytosanitary checks can continue to protect the UK from risks to public health while

delays at the border are minimised.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit


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

has made of the adequacy of his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU on

31 October 2019 without a deal.

James Cleverly:

As a responsible government we have been preparing for the UK’s exit from the EU

in all scenarios for nearly three years. A no deal exit remains the legal default at the

end of the extension period on 31 October unless a deal is agreed.

DExEU has a vital coordination role to play in these preparations. We maintain a

single picture of workstreams, policy proposals and delivery implications across

government to inform policy development. This allows us to scrutinise domestic policy

solutions and delivery plans that departments develop - ensuring coherence and

recommending cross-cutting solutions to drive delivery forward.

Over 300 work-streams to prepare for ‘no deal’ continue to be advanced across

Government, to minimise disruption to industry, to our vital services, and to the daily

lives of the people of the United Kingdom. In light of the extension, departments are

making sensible decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is

progressing and what further action can be taken, but we will continue to prepare for

all EU Exit scenarios.

We continue to make good progress - for example:

• Since December 2018, HMRC has issued 74,000 new EORI numbers to traders

(as of 23 June).

• We have published approximately 750 pieces of communications on no deal since

August 2018, including 106 technical notices explaining to businesses and citizens

what they need to do to prepare.



• The EU Settlement Scheme is now fully opened with over 800,000 applications so

far.


To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will publish his

Department's no deal preparation documents.

James Cleverly:

The Government has published a number of documents to support public and

parliamentary scrutiny of our preparations for leaving the EU.

The Government continues to report regularly to the House and its Select

Committees in person and by responding fully to inquiries and reports. In addition to

regular statements by the Prime Minister, DExEU Ministers have given evidence to a

broad range of committees on 49 occasions and have made 187 written statements

to both Houses.

In addition, the Government published a robust, objective assessment of how exiting

the EU could affect the economy of the UK in November 2018, as part of its

commitment to providing Parliament with appropriate analysis. In addition, all

legislation is accompanied by explanatory documents. This information is available

online.

We have also taken extensive steps to provide businesses and citizens with advice

on helping them mitigate the potential impacts of a no deal exit, publishing

approximately 750 pieces of communications on no deal since August 2018,

including 106 technical notices explaining to businesses and citizens what they need

to do to prepare.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Canada: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: [269734]

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

discussions with the Quebec Government on Bill 21 on the wearing of religious symbols

by public officials at work.

Sir Alan Duncan:

Quebec has a democratically elected government that makes its own decisions on

such matters. It would be inappropriate for the British Government to seek to

influence Quebec's internal affairs.

Cyprus: Peace Negotiations

Theresa Villiers: [R] [270320]

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

representations to his Turkish counterpart to support the inclusion of the town of Morphou




in the territory forming the Greek Cypriot side of any bizonal arrangement in Cyprus in an

agreed negotiated settlement for the island.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The UK is a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the

Cyprus issue, based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-

communal federation. We therefore support consultations on settlement under the

Secretary General's auspices through dialogue with the UN and regular engagement

with leaders from all parties. We encourage all sides to engage constructively and

demonstrate genuine commitment to making progress. Ultimately, the question of

Morphou is a matter for the two Leaders and the communities they represent to

address as part of a comprehensive settlement. It is not for the UK to seek to become

a party to the discussions beyond our obligations as a guarantor power, however we

continue to support the two Leaders' attempts to achieve progress.



representations to his Turkish counterpart in pursuance of a negotiated settlement in

Cyprus to stop the extensive building in the town of Morphou.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The UK is a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the

Cyprus issue, based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-

communal federation. We therefore support consultations on settlement under the

Secretary General's auspices through dialogue with the UN and regular engagement

with leaders from all parties. We encourage all sides to engage constructively and

demonstrate genuine commitment to making progress. Ultimately, the question of

Morphou is a matter for the two Leaders and the communities they represent to

address as part of a comprehensive settlement. It is not for the UK to seek to become

a party to the discussions beyond our obligations as a guarantor power, however we

continue to support the two Leaders' attempts to achieve progress.

GCHQ: Staff

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: [269127]

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

are for exclusion on medical grounds for recruits to GCHQ.

Sir Alan Duncan:

No applicant who passed the selection tests to work at GCHQ would be barred from

entry on the basis of health grounds, mental or physical, unless their condition made

it impossible for the member of staff to work safely and securely even after

reasonable adjustments.



Intelligence Services


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

he has made of the potential effect on intelligence sharing between the UK and EU of the

UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Sir Alan Duncan:

Intelligence sharing between the British Government and overseas partners is

important to the security of our country. The Government's vision for a security

partnership with the European Union is set out in the White Paper: "The future

relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union" (July 2018). This

includes a proposal for continued information and intelligence sharing, for example

through the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre, European Union Satellite Centre

and EU Military Staff. It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments

not to comment in detail on intelligence matters.

Northern Cyprus: Missing Persons



representations to his Turkish counterpart to ask for the Cyprus Committee on Missing

Persons to have access to all military areas in Turkish-controlled Cyprus, in order to carry

out their work.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The UK fully supports calls by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers for

Turkey to provide the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) with

unhindered access to all possible burial sites. We encourage all relevant parties to

share geographical information of where incidents may have happened to enable the

CMP to identify potential burial sites.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

David Linden: [268579]

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

taken to ensure the implementation of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Judgement of 19

June 2014 to protect the rights of religious minorities in the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

At the UN Periodic Review of Pakistan's human rights record in November 2017, the

UK called on Pakistan to strengthen protection of minorities and establish an

independent National Commission for Minorities. We regularly raise our concerns

about discrimination against minority communities with the Pakistan Government at a

senior level. Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about protection of minority religious

communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, during his

visit to Islamabad in February 2019. The British Government strongly condemns the

persecution of minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their




beliefs. We will continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights

obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of

law.

Through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has

supported projects in Pakistan to combat intolerance and encourage respect amongst

individuals of different faiths and beliefs through education. The British Government

strongly condemns the persecution of minorities, including the targeting of innocent

people based on their beliefs.


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

support his Department has provided to the Federal Government of Pakistan to (a)

establish a taskforce to develop a strategy to promote religious tolerance and (b) develop

a curricula at schools and colleges that promotes a culture of religious and social

tolerance.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

The Department for International Development (DFID)'s AAWAZ II Accountability,

Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery Programme works with communities in

Pakistan to promote rights of children, women, youth and religious minorities, protect

them from exploitation, prevent discrimination and intolerance. This £39.5m

programme, due to run from 2018 to 2024, will build on AAWAZ I. It will also build

capacity of targeted government institutions.

Since 2008, responsibility to develop curriculum and textbooks has been devolved to

provinces in Pakistan (with the Federal Government having some oversight but very

little role in implementation). DFID has assisted the provincial governments in Punjab

and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to revise specific textbooks to align them with the 2006

national curriculum, which is a substantial improvement in terms of inclusion and

tolerance from the previous curriculum. DFID technical assistance provided to both

provincial governments is increasing the capability and capacity of the Curriculum

and Textbook Boards to review textbooks, including on the systems and standards

necessary to identify and remove discriminatory content. We are also supporting

education for children from minority communities and funding training for 100,000

teachers on inclusion.


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

Department provides to the Government of Pakistan in response to Pakistan’s Supreme

Court Judgment of 2014 to establish a National Council on the safeguarding and

protection of the rights of religious minorities.

Dr Andrew Murrison:

At the UN Periodic Review of Pakistan's human rights record in November 2017, the

UK called on Pakistan to strengthen protection of minorities and establish an

independent National Commission for Minorities. We regularly raise our concerns



about discrimination against minority communities with the Pakistan Government at a

senior level. Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about protection of minority religious

communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, during his

visit to Islamabad in February 2019. The British Government strongly condemns the

persecution of minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their

beliefs. We will continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights

obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of

law.

Through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has

supported projects in Pakistan to combat intolerance and encourage respect amongst

individuals of different faiths and beliefs through education. The British Government

strongly condemns the persecution of minorities, including the targeting of innocent

people based on their beliefs.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade


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

Government is taking in response to the Court of Appeal's ruling on the legality of British

sales of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Sir Alan Duncan:

The decision did not state that arms sale were illegal. It stated that one aspect of the

decision-making process was inadequate. The Government disagrees with the

judgment and has sought permission to appeal. In the meantime, we are carefully

considering the implications of the judgment for decision-making. Whilst we do this

we will not grant any new licences to Saudi Arabia or other coalition partners for

exports of items that might be used in the conflict in Yemen.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Accelerated Access Collaborative


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the (a) criteria and

(b) timelines for products to be considered in (i) the current round and (ii) future review

rounds of the Accelerated Access Collaborative route.

Caroline Dinenage:

In October 2018, the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) announced it was

supporting the uptake of 12 high performing products, with the potential to improve

the lives of up to 500,000 patients per year and save the National Health Service £30

million per year in England. All the products currently being supported by the AAC

have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,

and therefore evidence on clinical benefits and cost savings were considered as part

of the process.



The AAC board met on 26 June and had a positive discussion about future products

and expects to announce further products later this year.

The AAC will consider the following areas of interest when determining which

products to support:

- evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness;

- addressing significant unmet need;

- application to large populations or high budget impact; and

- enabling a novel mode of action or enabling significant changes to the care

pathway.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how products selected by the

Accelerated Access Collaborative will be funded.

Caroline Dinenage:

As announced in the Life Sciences Sector Deal 2, up to £2 million of Pathway

Transformation Funding has been made available to support the use and integration

of product selected by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) into every day

practice within the National Health Service. In addition, four of the seven technology

areas currently receiving AAC support have been selected to be funded by NHS

England through the Innovation and Technology Payment programme (ITP). The ITP

aims to remove financial and procurement barriers to support the NHS to adopt

innovative medical devices, diagnostics, and digital products.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all products considered

by the Accelerated Access Collaborative will have to be cost-neutral to the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage:

As it continues to drive forward the assessment and uptake of the best products for

support, the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) has been empowered to be

flexible and pragmatic enough to identify truly game-changing innovations, that may

not be cost-neutral in year, but are assessed by the National Institute for Health and

Care Excellence to be both clinically and cost-effective. This will allow the AAC to

identify products, or classes of products, that are most likely to significantly transform

care in the National Health Service.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Accelerated

Access Collaborative has to prioritise products which help control hospital-acquired

infections.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) is interested in identifying and

supporting strategically important products that will have the biggest impact on




patient health outcomes and/or the delivery of NHS services. This may include those

which help control hospital-acquired infections.

The AAC has already had made significant progress towards getting the best

innovations to patients quicker and at a better cost for the National Health Service.

Since 2018, NHS England has been supporting SecurAcath and Plus Sutures,

products designed to reduce infection rates, on the Innovation and Technology

Payment programme. SecurAcath is a device to secure catheters that reduces the

infection risk for patients with a peripherally inserted central catheter and has

benefited over 80,000 patients. Seven trusts with higher than 4% surgical site

infection rates have adopted Plus Sutures, a triclosan coated suture, with more trusts

to be supported this year.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Accelerated Access

Collaborative plans to balance its focus on (a) medicines, (b) diagnostic tools and (c)

digital services.

Caroline Dinenage:

There are no restrictions on the type of innovation that can be supported by the

Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC). Medicinal products, therapeutic

technologies, devices, diagnostics, and digital technologies are eligible to receive

support.

In October 2018, the AAC announced it was supporting to increased uptake and use

of 12 high performing products, which span seven technology areas, in the National

Health Service. Of the seven categories selected for support, two are medicines, four

are diagnostic tests, and one is a device.

Further information about the products the AAC are supporting can be found at the

following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/aac

Arthritis

Sir John Hayes: [268363]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the UK

population suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.


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

taking to ensure that people, particularly those within the highest risk groups, are aware

of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Seema Kennedy:

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that there as

many as 422,000 people affected in the whole of the United Kingdom.






Whilst the exact cause of the condition is not known, the following risk factors can

play a role in the development of the disease:

- age, as the condition is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60;

- sex, as the overall occurrence of condition is two to four times greater in women

than men;

- smoking;

- obesity; and

- there is also some evidence to suggest genes are a factor.

Information on the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, risk factors and the treatment of

the condition can be found on the National Health Service website at the following

link:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/causes/

The NICE guideline also provides information for clinicians on the diagnosis,

treatment, care and support of patients with the condition. The guideline can be found

at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100

Arthritis: Medical Treatments


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when electrical stimulation for

arthritis pain will be available on the NHS.

Seema Kennedy:

We are aware of recent research looking at electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve

to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This was a small pilot study of 14 people,

and therefore research remains at an early stage. In order to be suitable for routine

National Health Service use, larger scale clinical trials demonstrating the safety and

efficacy of this treatment approach would need to be undertaken, and assessments

of its cost effectiveness would also need to be considered.

Arthritis: Research


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the NHS has

made on research into the (a) causes and (b) potential cures for people with rheumatoid

arthritis.

Caroline Dinenage:

Research on health and social care continues to be funded by the Government

through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The NIHR supports health research into rheumatoid arthritis which benefits National

Health Service patients. From 2014/15 to 2018/19, the NIHR funded 42 research

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/causes/

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/causes/

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100




programmes and individual awards, including doctoral research fellowships and

clinical lectureships, on rheumatoid arthritis, with a total value of £18,558,918.

The NIHR is funding early translational (experimental medicine) research into new

treatments and diagnostics for rheumatoid arthritis through its Biomedical Research

Centres (BRCs). This includes significant themes focusing on relevant research at a

range of BRCs, such as the inflammatory arthritis theme at the NIHR Birmingham

BRC, the immunity, infection and inflammation theme at the NIHR Cambridge BRC,

and the musculoskeletal disease theme at the NIHR Newcastle BRC. The NIHR also

funds Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs), and in 2017/18 there were dedicated

studies into rheumatoid arthritis underway at the NIHR Guy’s and St Thomas’ CRF,

the NIHR Nottingham CRF and the NIHR Sheffield CRF, among others.

Further, the NIHR Joint Translational Research Collaboration (JTRC), established in

2011, relaunched in March 2019 as the UK Musculoskeletal Translational Research

Collaboration (UK MSK TRC), a strategic partnership between the NIHR and Versus

Arthritis. This brings together Versus Arthritis investment in Experimental

Arthritis/Osteoarthritis Treatment Centres, the NIHR JTRC, and all NIHR Biomedical

Research Centres and Clinical Research Facilities with expertise in MSK, with the

aim of driving cutting edge translational research to improve outcomes for patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis is at the forefront of this work.

Aston Hall Hospital: Abuse


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made

in compensating victims of historical abuse at Aston Hall, Derbyshire.

Seema Kennedy:

NHS Resolution is managing compensation claims related to Aston Hall on behalf of

the Secretary of State. As the management of these claims is ongoing, it would not

be appropriate to comment further at this stage.

Body Modification: Regulation


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

of the adequacy of legislation regulating body modification following the prosecution of

Brendan McCarthy.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Government is committed to supporting people to make informed and safe

choices about any body modification procedure they are considering and to make

sure that the person they choose is appropriately qualified, registered and insured.

The Government is currently exploring options to further support this commitment.



Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Andrew Griffiths: [270334]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27

June 2019 to Question 266815 on Cannabis: Medical Treatments, how many

prescriptions for the use of medicinal cannabis were issued in each of the last 12 months

for which data is available.

Seema Kennedy:

NHS England and NHS Improvement are using extant systems to monitor use of the

newly rescheduled unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in

England. In England, these systems monitor the number of items dispensed and

associated costs in primary care and the volume of products used and associated

cost in secondary care. NHS England and NHS Improvement Controlled Drug

Accountable Officers are also collecting local intelligence in both the National Health

Service and independent sector.

The NHS Business Services Authority is only able to provide information on

prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines that have been dispensed and submitted

to the NHS Business Services Authority. The NHS Business Services Authority does

not hold information on prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines which have been

issued but not fulfilled.

The following table shows the number of items for Nabilone and Sativex (licensed

cannabis-based medicines) and unlicensed cannabis-based medicines that were

prescribed on an NHS prescription, dispensed in the community and submitted to the

NHS Business Services Authority for reimbursement since May 2018.

MONTH NABILONE SATIVEX

UNLICENSED CANNABIS-

BASED MEDICINES

May 2018 45 183

June 2018 42 157

July 2018 48 170 2*

August 2018 54 161

September 2018 45 172 1*

October 2018 50 164

November 2018 46 175 2

December 2018 49 181 1

January 2019 44 167 2

February 2019 36 159 1


MONTH NABILONE SATIVEX

UNLICENSED CANNABIS-

BASED MEDICINES

March 2019 51 171 2

April 2019 49 156 0

May 2019 Data not yet available Data not yet available 2

Note: * These figures represent prescribing of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines

imported on a Home Office licence.

The following table shows the same products listed above covering the same time

period but this data relates to private prescribing on an FP10PCD where the forms

have been submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority for reporting and

monitoring purposes only.

MONTH NABILONE SATIVEX EPIDIOLEX

UNLICENSED

CANNABIS-BASED

MEDICINES

May 2018 0 1 0

Jun 2018 0 3 0

July 2018 0 2 0

August 2018 0 1 0

September 2018 0 3 0

October 2018 0 3 0

November 2018 0 1 0 0

December 2018 0 6 0 0

January 2019 0 5 0 4

February 2019 0 3 1 2

March 2019 0 3 0 3

April 2019 1 2 0 0

May 2019 Data not yet

available

Data not yet

available

Data not yet

available

1

Unlike NHS primary care where all dispensed prescriptions are processed centrally,

this is not the case for secondary care. This information is collected by a third party

and not routinely published.

Intelligence from NHS England and NHS Improvement Controlled Drugs Accountable

Officers is that, up until the end of March 2019, five patients have had private

prescriptions issued for a cannabis-based product for medicinal use in independent

secondary/tertiary care in England.

145 patients have accessed Epidiolex though GW Pharma’s early access

programmes ahead of a licensing decision by the European Medicines Agency.

Cardiovascular System: Screening



of the potential merits of introducing mandatory cardiovascular screening for anyone

participating in organised sport.

Seema Kennedy:

The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has opened its three

month public consultation on screening to prevent Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in

young people, ages 12-39. The consultation will close on 7 September and welcomes

input from individuals and organisations. Further information about the consultation

and how to participate can be found at the following link:

https://legacyscreening.phe.org.uk/suddencardiacdeath

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for SCD in young people, ages 12-39, in 2015

and it was recommended that screening should not be offered.

The UK NSC is an independent committee that advises Ministers and the National

Health Service in all four UK countries on all aspects of screening. Using research

evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, the Committee assesses the

evidence for national screening programmes against a set of internationally

recognised criteria covering: the condition; the test; the treatment options; and the

effectiveness and acceptability of the screening programme.

Care Homes: Closures

Mr Jim Cunningham: [270257]

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

has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in each year since

2010.



has made of the number of home care providers that have closed since 2010.




Caroline Dinenage:

The Department does not hold data on the number of care home and home care

provider closures since 2010.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Hywel Williams: [270308]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution

on 21 June 2018 Vol 643 c229WH, what steps his Department has taken to improve GP

awareness of ME.

Seema Kennedy:

General practice is where most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic

encephalomyelitis are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key

area of clinical knowledge in the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs)

Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment

of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom within

the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of GPs’ qualifying exams.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Exercise



taking to ensure ME clinics and treatment centres are aware of the risks of graded

exercises to sufferers of ME.

Seema Kennedy:

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for ‘Chronic

fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) (or encephalopathy):

Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children’, was published in

2007 to support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with

ME. This sets outs evidence-based best practice for the management of people with

the condition and assists commissioners in planning services for local populations.

The guideline recommended graded exercise therapy as a safe and appropriate

treatment for mild to moderate CFS/ME, in line with the best available evidence.

The NICE guideline acknowledges that there is no one form of treatment to suit every

patient and that treatment and care should take into account the personal needs and

preferences of the patient. Decisions concerning the appropriateness of treatments

should be made by on a case by case basis, and in discussion with patients, and

their families or carer, if appropriate.

On 20 September 2017, NICE announced its decision to undertake a full update of

the guideline following a review of the latest available evidence on the diagnosis and

management of CFS/ME and a public consultation. New guidance is expected in

October 2020. More information on this update can be found at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10091



http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10091

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10091

Contraceptives


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

deregulate the sale of the over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills for women.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Government has no specific plans to deregulate the sale of over-the-counter

emergency contraceptive pills for women.

Emergency contraceptive pills are currently available without prescription from

pharmacies. Any applications to make them available on general sale from other

retail outlets would be considered in accordance with the Government’s usual

procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Dental Services and Plastic Surgery: Medical Treatments Abroad


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice is available to

people travelling overseas for dental or cosmetic surgery.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

All cosmetic procedures have risks and can impact upon physical and emotional

health. Holiday packages that include cosmetic procedures can trivialise what should

be a major decision.

The Government urges anyone considering a cosmetic or dental procedure abroad to

do their research into the standards and qualifications that apply in the country they

are travelling to. They should ensure that adequate insurance arrangements are in

place and that they have access to appropriate aftercare back in the United Kingdom

in the event of any complications.

NHS.UK publishes guidance for people thinking about travelling abroad for cosmetic

surgery, as well as general safety advice and information about individual

procedures. The Royal College of Surgeons and the British Association of Plastic and

Reconstructive Surgeons also provide information online and the General Dental

Council has published a guide for patients considering travelling abroad for dental

treatment.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment


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

reintroduce blood glucose test strips on prescription for Type 2 diabetics.

Seema Kennedy:

Blood glucose test strips are available on prescription for people with type 2 diabetes.

However, it is for clinical commissioning groups to make decisions on the




commissioning of health services that best meet the needs of their local population,

taking into account local priorities and needs.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on the

management of type 2 Diabetes in adults. This guideline states:

“1.6.13 Do not routinely offer self-monitoring of blood glucose levels for adults with

type 2 diabetes unless:

• the person is on insulin or

• there is evidence of hypoglycaemic episodes or

• the person is on oral medication that may increase their risk of hypoglycaemia

while driving or operating machinery or

• the person is pregnant, or is planning to become pregnant. For more information,

see the NICE guideline on diabetes in pregnancy (

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng3 ). There have been no recent changes to

prescribing recommendations, although NHS England have recently consulted on

proposals to prescribe test strips only that fall below a certain cost threshold.”

More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28/chapter/1-Recommendations#blood-glucose-

management-2


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

ensure all Type 2 diabetics have access to a glucose monitoring blood test every three

months as standard.

Seema Kennedy:

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning diabetes services

for their local populations. They are also expected to take National Institute for Health

and Care Excellence guidelines into consideration when making their decisions.

General Practitioners


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

to increase the rate of retention of GPs.

Seema Kennedy:

In January 2019 we announced in the NHS Long Term Plan that we are investing an

extra £4.5 billion in primary and community care by 2024. This was followed by the

five-year general practitioner (GP) contract, which will provide greater financial

security and certainty for practices to plan ahead and will see billions of extra

investment for improved access, expanded services at local practices, the

development of primary care networks and longer appointments for patients who

need them.



https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28/chapter/1-Recommendations#blood-glucose-management-2





To address workload pressures and building on the success in expanding the wider

workforce, the new five-year contract for general practice will see funding towards up

to 20,000 extra staff working in GP practices, such as physiotherapists and

pharmacists. This will help free up doctors to spend more time with the patients who

need them.

The interim People Plan published in June 2019 set out the actions the National

Health Service will take now to secure the right staff, leadership and culture it needs

to deliver the Long Term Plan and high quality, safe care. A final People Plan will be

published shortly after the conclusion of the Spending Review, once there is further

clarity on education and training budgets. The final People Plan will set out a broader

strategy for a sustainable general practice workforce, through both recruitment and

retention programmes.

Gum Diseases

Priti Patel: [268467]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were

treated for periodontal disease on the NHS in each Care Commissioning Group area in

the last 12 months for which data is available.

Priti Patel: [268468]


has made of the number of NHS dental periodontal disease specialists in each Care

Commissioning Group area.

Seema Kennedy:

Data is not held centrally on the number of patients treated for periodontal disease

and the number of National Health Service dental periodontal disease specialists in

the format requested.

Health Services: Armed Forces



ensure that wounded soldier health and rehabilitation bills are paid for by the NHS.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

Veterans are able to receive care through all NHS services and are also able to

receive priority treatment for conditions relating to their service. In addition to

mainstream services, Veterans can also access specific services such as the

Veterans Trauma Network. Veterans are able to access high quality clinically

appropriate prosthetic limbs from the National Health Service. Nine NHS prosthetic

centres are in place to provide enhanced services for veterans.

In addition to these services, a new package of support for seriously wounded armed

forces personnel was launched on 29 March 2019, the Integrated Personal

Commissioning for Veterans Framework (IPC4V). This new pathway will ensure that




individuals with very complex and enduring healthcare requirements transitioning out

of the military into civilian life will continue to receive comprehensive support.

The above services (as well as some for mental health needs) are commissioned and

paid for by NHS England, whereas the devolved administrations have their own

arrangements for providing care to veterans.

The health needs of serving personnel are dealt with by the Defence Medical

Services.

Healthy Start Scheme

Toby Perkins: [268453]

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

increase the number of families using healthy start vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Government is working to ensure that eligible families are aware of the Healthy

Start scheme and how this will benefit them. The scheme is promoted through the

Healthy Start and Start4Life websites, reminding families to take up the vouchers. In

addition, the Healthy Start Issuing Unit is proactive in identifying and making contact

with families who may be eligible for Healthy Start.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Steve McCabe: [270254]

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

made an assessment of the costs of untreated patients diagnosed with structural heart

disease on the health and social care system; and how many of those patients have died

while waiting for treatment in each year since 2010.

Seema Kennedy:

The requested information is not centrally held by the Department.

Heart Diseases: Young People



prevent heart disease in young people aged 17-30.

Seema Kennedy:

The NHS Long Term Plan advises that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely

preventable, through lifestyle changes and a combination of public health and

National Health Service action on smoking and tobacco addiction, obesity, tackling

alcohol misuse and food reformulation.

A key milestone in the CVD section of the NHS Long Term Plan is for the National

Health Service to help prevent up to 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia

cases over the next 10 years. The NHS Long Term Plan sets out that where

individuals are identified with high risk conditions, appropriate preventative treatments




will be offered in a timely way, and the creation of a national CVD prevention audit for

primary care will also support continuous clinical improvement. NHS England and

NHS Improvement will continue to work closely with key partners and stakeholders,

such as the British Heart Foundation, as it supports the NHS to deliver the

commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Hospitals: Consultants

Dr Rupa Huq: [268625]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medical consultants

were employed by the NHS in each financial year since 2015; and what the ratio was of

people becoming consultants compared to the number vacating that position in each of

those financial years.

Stephen Hammond:

NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics.

These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups

(CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local

authorities or other providers.

The following table shows the number of medical consultants who work in National

Health Service trusts and CCGs in England as at March each year, full time

equivalent.

NUMBER OF MEDICAL CONSULTANTS

March 2015 42,100

March 2016 43,600

March 2017 45,100

March 2018 46,600

March 2019 48,000

Source: NHS Digital workforce statistics

The following table shows the number of joiners to and leavers from the consultant

staff group and the ratio of joiners to leavers, in NHS trusts and CCGs in England,

between 31 March 2015 to 31 March 2019, headcount.

JOINERS LEAVERS

RATIO OF JOINERS TO

LEAVERS

March 2015 - March

2016

4,360 2,734 1.59

March 2016 - March 4,469 2,822 1.58


JOINERS LEAVERS

RATIO OF JOINERS TO

LEAVERS

2017

March 2017 - March

2018

4,678 3,014 1.55

March 2018 - March

2019

4,537 2,990 1.52

Source: NHS Digital workforce statistics

Hospitals: Listeria Monocytogenes



prevent listeria in food in hospitals.

Seema Kennedy:

On 17 June 2019, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social

Care announced a root-and-branch review of all the food in hospitals, both food

served, and food sold. This will look at the safety of food available to patients, visitors

and staff, and provide healthier choices and improved nutrition.

National Health Service organisations have systems of due diligence in place to

ensure that all their suppliers have appropriate registrations. The kitchens and other

areas in the NHS used to store and process food are required to be registered and

rated by the local authority and all staff involved in the preparation and handling of

food are required to hold a level two food hygiene certificate. In addition to this, a

food safety management system must be in place that outlines controls and

processes for the safe delivery, handling and preparing of foods.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) published comprehensive guidance for

healthcare and social care organisations on managing listeria risk in vulnerable

people in 2016. The FSA commissioned delivery of training to 557 key staff

responsible for food safety in hospitals and 288 local authority Environmental Health

Officers in a series of workshops and webinars in 2015.

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: [268356]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent research on the

effects on levels of public health of emissions of (a) PM2.5, (b) PM1 and (c) PM0.1 from

waste incinerators (i) he has undertaken and (ii) has formed the basis of an assessment

of the implications for his policies.



Seema Kennedy:

Public Health England (PHE) has funded a study to further extend the evidence base

on municipal waste incinerators (MWIs). The study found that emissions of particulate

matter (PM10) from MWIs are low and make only a small contribution to ambient

background levels. The report is available at the following link:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b06478

No evidence was found of a link between exposure to PM 10 , which includes PM 2.5 ,

PM 1 and PM 0.1 emitted from MWIs and infant mortality, or the other birth outcomes

investigated. Further information is available at the following link:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.10.060

The latest paper found no increased risk of congenital anomalies from exposure to

PM 10 emissions, however living closer to the incinerators was associated with a very

small increase in risk of some birth defects. As acknowledged by the authors, this

finding may be because the study could not fully adjust for factors such as other

sources of pollution around MWIs or deprivation. The report is available at the

following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019308104

PHE’s position remains that well run and regulated modern MWIs are not a significant

risk to public health. PHE will review its advice in light of new substantial research on

the health effects of incinerators published in peer reviewed journals. To date, PHE is

not aware of any evidence that requires a change in their position statement. This

statement can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerator-emissions-

to-air-impact-on-health

Infant Foods: Sugar


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

taking to ensure that producers of baby food do not routinely breach official guidelines on

sugar levels.

Seema Kennedy:

European Commission Directive 2006/125/EC on processed cereal-based foods and

baby foods sets maximum limits on the sugar content of processed cereal-based

foods for infants and young children.

It is the responsibility of food businesses to ensure they comply with the relevant

legislation. Enforcement of food law is the responsibility of local authorities.

Public Health England’s (PHE) review ‘Foods and drinks aimed at infants and young

children: evidence and opportunities for action’ was published in June 2019. The

Department is considering PHE’s advice and the opportunities for action to improve

the nutritional quality of foods aimed at infants and young children.







https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerator-emissions-to-air-impact-on-health




PHE’s review is available at the following link:

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

ent_data/file/812204/Foods_and_drinks_aimed_at_infants_and_young_children_Jun

e_2019.pdf

Medicine: Education

Sue Hayman: [270407]


of the potential merits of allocating additional funding to increase the number of domestic

medical student places to ensure that the NHS has adequate staff to meet demand.

Stephen Hammond:

The Government has already committed to funding for universities to offer an extra

1,500 undergraduate medical school places for domestic students. The first 630

places were taken up in September 2018 and the remaining additional places will

have been made available by universities by 2020/21. By 2020, five new medical

schools will have opened in England to help deliver the expansion.

The interim NHS People Plan recognises that we will need more people working in

the National Health Service over the next 10 years. We will review what further

expansion in undergraduate medical places will be needed, in light of future plans

made locally by sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care

systems.

Mental Health Services: Mothers



taking to improve outcomes for children by identifying and supporting new mothers with

mental health problems.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

This Government is committed to preventing mental illness and improving health

outcomes for new parents and their children. The NHS Long Term Plan includes a

commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal

mental health care by 2023/24, building on the additional 30,000 women who will

access these services each year by 2020/21 under pre-existing plans.

From April 2019, new and expectant parents are able to access specialist perinatal

mental health community services across England. Specialist care will also be

available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year

of support (care is currently provided from preconception to 12 months after birth).



of the role of GPs in identifying and treating perinatal mental health problems in mothers.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812204/Foods_and_drinks_aimed_at_infants_and_young_children_June_2019.pdf







Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department has not made any such assessment.


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

Department has made of the adequacy of the identification of maternal mental health

problems during maternal postnatal checks.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department has not made any such assessment.

NHS England is commissioning further work to establish a clearer picture of current

practice.

NHS: Drugs

Hugh Gaffney: [268516]

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

made of the availablity of (a) critical and (b) short shelf-life medicines in the event of the

UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond:

The Government fully understands that maintaining access to all medicines and

medical products, including critical medicines and short shelf-life products, is vitally

important to millions of people in this country. Ensuring unhindered supply of these

products remains the Government’s top priority.

As in preparation for 29 March and 12 April, our ‘no deal’ EU Exit contingency plans

for 31 October will cover the NHS, social care and the independent sector and covers

all medicines, medical devices and clinical consumables, supplies for clinical trials,

vaccines and countermeasures, and organs and tissues for transplants.

The Department has continued to work closely with the Devolved Administrations,

industry trade bodies and suppliers, the NHS and other key stakeholders. Prior to 29

March, the Department analysed the supply chains of 12,300 medicines, close to half

a million product lines of medical devices and clinical consumables, vaccines used in

national and local programmes, and essential non-clinical goods on which the health

and care system relies. These analyses and assessments have been updated where

necessary and will continue to be refined while a ‘no deal’ EU Exit remains a

possibility. This work has informed our plans.

We are asking suppliers to analyse their supply chains and to make alternative plans

if they anticipate disruption, including rerouting to alternative ports or using airfreight

where necessary. Our contingency measures aim to support industry-led measures

and, where required, act as a ‘last resort’ to be used only when a supplier’s

alternative arrangements encounter difficulties, to ensure uninterrupted supply.

In the case of medicines that cannot be stockpiled because, for example, they have

short shelf-lives, such as medical radioisotopes, we are working closely with suppliers

to make alternative arrangements using airfreight.



Further details can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-

government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans

While we never give guarantees, we are confident that, if everyone – including

suppliers, freight companies, international partners 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 of a no-deal EU Exit.

NHS: Legal Costs

Norman Lamb: [270315]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24

June 2019 to Question 266123 on NHS: Legal Costs, how his Department differentiates

between individual projects or cases; and what steps his Department takes to (a) ensure

that public funds paid to those legal services providers is in respect of work actually done

or carried out by those providers and (b) record the areas of law and jurisdictions of

courts and tribunals in which the work is done.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Department uses two main routes to engaging legal support.

- The Department’s Anti-Fraud Unit (AFU) engages external law firms through the

Civil Litigation and Arbitration in Medicines and Pharmaceuticals Framework, as well

as the Government Legal Department (GLD). The AFU utilises a case management

system in order to differentiate between individual cases and checks are conducted

against invoices and supporting documents submitted by each law firm, including

GLD, to ensure these are reflective of their instructions.

- Other business areas within the Department consult with the GLD on the resources

available and should they not have the capacity then they will a conduct a

competition for other Legal service providers using the Crown Commercial Services

framework contract. GLD will ensure that deliverables are agreed and undertaken to

the agreed quality before payments are made.

NHS: Procurement

Rosie Cooper: [268444]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role has recently been

played by Deloitte, and at what cost, in the development by NHS Improvement of

proposals to introduce a centralised NHS procurement system for products and services;

and what steps are being taken to ensure that the introduction of such a system does not

lead to a restriction on the freedom of medical practitioners to prescribe any continence

product on the Medicines Tariff that they consider to be the most appropriate product for

the individual patient.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans





Rosie Cooper: [268445]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the (a) Health Care

Supply Association, (b) main trade associations for suppliers of continence products and

(c) organisations representing patients who use continence products have been

consulted on the development by NHS Improvement of proposals to introduce a

centralised NHS procurement system for products and services.

Stephen Hammond:

NHS Improvement, through an open and competitive procurement process, awarded

Deloitte a contract to support NHS Improvement to develop a new NHS Procurement

Target Operating Model. The contract for phase 1 of this work, which ended on 31

May 2019, cost £400,000.

The new Procurement Target Operating Model will consider the processes, data, and

skills and capabilities to deliver a more efficient procurement service. The remit of the

Procurement Target Operating Model programme does not cover clinical products

and therefore were not considered as part of this review. NHS Improvement has

collaborated with National Health Service providers’ chief executives, finance and

procurement leads to develop the NHS’s procurement target operating model.

Members of the Healthcare Supply Association have also been engaged with as part

of the target operating model’s development.

Clinical products, including continence products, which are procured by the NHS are

the remit of Supply Chain Coordination Limited who work with NHS providers’

procurement teams across England. Clinical product suppliers have not been

engaged with on the new procurement target operating model as they are outside the

its remit.

Pharmacy

Chris Evans: [268459]

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

plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the pharmacy sector to support the

delivery of the NHS Long-Term Plan.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans

to introduce a long-term Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework that operates

beyond 2019-2020.



of the value for money of public funding for the pharmacy sector.

Seema Kennedy:

The Department, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is currently working with

the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) to determine the

Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework settlement for 2019/20 and beyond.





These are confidential negotiations and as such we are unable to provide any detail

on these discussions at this time. The Government is, however, committed to working

with the PSNC to deliver a fair settlement for the NHS services community

pharmacies provide, and one which will enable us to deliver the NHS Long Term

Plan.


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

taking to encourage the use of technology in the pharmacy sector.

Seema Kennedy:

In ‘The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and

care’, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care outlined

his ambition that the best technology available is used across the National Health

Service, including in community pharmacy. The use of technology can improve the

safety and efficiency of our services, and patients experience of them. Therefore,

among other things, the NHS is working with the pharmacy community to encourage

the use of technology by:

- Providing the Summary Care Record, which over 95% of community pharmacies

are using, supporting the clinical care they provide. NHS Digital is now integrating the

Summary Care Record into clinical pharmacy systems to make it quicker and easier

for pharmacy teams to access;

- Optimising the Electronic Prescription Service, which is now used in more than 92%

of general practitioner (GP) practices and all community pharmacies. This means

electronic prescriptions can be sent safely and securely to pharmacies directly from

GP surgeries. We are currently rolling out electronic prescriptions for patients who

have not nominated a regular pharmacy, which will be available in all community

pharmacies;

- Piloting a digital system in several community pharmacies which automatically

checks whether patients are eligible for free prescriptions, simplifying the process for

patients and ensuring that people who are exempt from NHS prescription charges are

not charged. Following a positive evaluation, we are now planning national roll out;

and

- Working with the Professional Records Standards Body to publish new standards

for data transfer between pharmacy systems and the GP patient record and will

underpin the growing connectivity of community pharmacy service delivery with the

rest of the NHS, for example allowing calls to NHS 111 to be redirected to a

community pharmacy wherever appropriate.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Clive Lewis: [268568]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what effect the Soft Drinks

Industry Levy has had on consumption rates for people on low incomes.



Seema Kennedy:

An assessment of changes in sugar levels in drinks covered by the SDIL was

included in PHE’s first report on progress for the Sugar Reduction Programme,

published in May 2018. The report is available to view at the following link:


ent_data/file/709008/Sugar_reduction_progress_report.pdf

This early assessment showed that sugar had been reduced by 11% per 100ml, and

average calories for drinks likely to be consumed on a single occasion reduced by

6% by retailers and manufacturers. Data also showed that consumers are buying

more drinks that have sugar levels below the SDIL cut off of 5g per 100ml.

Strokes: Surgery

Ann Clwyd: [268413]

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

response times to recommendations for endovascular thrombectomy treatment for severe

strokes which can be administered only within 24 hours.

Seema Kennedy:

In March 2018, NHS England published their policy document ‘Clinical

Commissioning Policy Proposition: Mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischaemic

stroke’ which outlines key recommendations for diagnosis, referral, and patient

pathways for intervention, and treatment.

The document can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/clinical-commissioning-consultation-

may-2017/user_uploads/mechanical-thrombectomy-policy-proposition.pdf

Stroke treatment outcomes are monitored by the Sentinel Stroke National Audit

Programme against outcome measures for services which include:

- Time from onset to thrombectomy;

- Time from onset to arrival at thrombectomy centre;

- Time from arrival to arterial puncture; and

- Time from arterial puncture to thrombectomy.

Ann Clwyd: [268414]

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

increase the number of specialists trained in endovascular thrombectomy treatment.

Seema Kennedy:

In England, Health Education England (HEE) is supporting NHS England’s National

Stroke Programme to support the education and training of the healthcare workforce

in England to deliver stroke care, and this includes increasing the number of medical

professionals able to carry out mechanical thrombectomy procedures. The interim

NHS People Plan committed to the development of a credential for mechanical

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709008/Sugar_reduction_progress_report.pdf




https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/clinical-commissioning-consultation-may-2017/user_uploads/mechanical-thrombectomy-policy-proposition.pdf




thrombectomy, to support the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. HEE will work

with the Royal College of Radiologists who are developing a medical credential, and

work is expected to be completed later in 2019. The Royal College of Radiologists’

remit is throughout the United Kingdom.

Staff numbers, education and training in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland is a

matter for each of the devolved administrations in that country.

Ann Clwyd: [268415]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason endovascular

thrombectomy treatment is provided 24/7 only at Stoke-on-Trent hospital and St George's

hospital in London; and what steps he plans to take to widen the provision of that service.

Ann Clwyd: [268416]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason not all health

trusts provide endovascular thrombectomy treatment.

Seema Kennedy:

NHS England is responsible for commissioning endovascular thrombectomy

treatment in designated specialised neuroscience centres.

Endovascular thrombectomy treatment requires specialist skills to maintain standards

of safety and effectiveness. As the number of trained specialist doctors and staff who

deliver the service is very small, not all health trusts provide these services.

Services are being developed nationally in 24 neuroscience centres, with 22 centres

currently providing a thrombectomy service. These centres are extending their

service hours in a phased and safe way while they recruit and train the required

specialists.

Currently there are two centres providing a full 24/7 service, a further six centres will

provide 24/7 services by the end of 2019/20. Other centres are developing their

services and teams to extend their services over the coming years.

HOME OFFICE

Airguns: Reviews

David Hanson: [269650]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19

March 2019 to Written Question 230648, Airguns: Reviews, when his Department plans

to publish its response to the review on the regulation of air weapons which was launched

on 10 October 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd:

We intend to publish our conclusions to the review of air weapons regulation as soon

as possible, alongside a consultation on firearms safety issues to which the

Government committed during the passage of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.




Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the forthcoming national

alcohol strategy will be published.

Victoria Atkins:

We are considering the precise timing of next steps across Government

Asylum

Sir Edward Davey: [268352]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reporting locations

there are for asylum seekers in each local authority area.

Caroline Nokes:

Asylum seekers are not required to report to the Secretary of State unless they have

had a negative decision or if they have previously been encountered in breach of the

Immigration rules

The majority of individuals on reporting conditions are required to report to one of the

14 reporting centres in a Home Office location. Additional reporting currently takes

place in police stations in some of the areas not close to a reporting centre.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on increasing

the number of reporting locations for asylum seekers.

Caroline Nokes:

There are currently no plans to increase the number of reporting locations. In some

areas of the UK where there are no Reporting Centres, the Home Office require

indivduals on reporting conditions to to report to Non-Home Office locations (Police

Stations).

Asylum: Yazidis

Dr Matthew Offord: [269712]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who identify at

Yezidi have been granted asylum under the Syrian Refugee Programme.

Caroline Nokes:

The UK’s resettlement programmes follow the humanitarian principles of impartiality

and neutrality, which means that we resettle on the basis of needs identified by

UNHCR through their established processes, rather than on the basis of ethno-

religious origin

In order to protect the privacy of those being resettled we limit the amount of

information about them that we make publicly available. We therefore do not routinely

publish a religious and ethnic breakdown of those who have been resettled.





Emergency Services Network: Scotland

Kirstene Hair: [270433]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Emergency Service

Network sites are planned to be deployed in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mobile providers have

access to the Emergency Service Network critical communications system in (a) Angus,

(b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion

of Emergency Service Network critical communications system sites are active in (a)

Angus and (b) Scotland.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Emergency Services Network is being provided primarily to deliver world class

critical voice and data to the emergency services to replace the aging and expensive

Airwave network.

To provide the necessary coverage for ESN, mobile network operator EE is building

over 400 new sites across the UK and upgrading its entire existing network to 4G.

Across the whole of Scotland, EE is initially deploying 355 sites with additional sites

to follow, although some locations have still to be confirmed. Of these, 284 having

been activated to date. The new 4G coverage these sites deliver, in addition to the

upgrading of existing masts, will be available to EE’s commercial customers in

addition to the emergency services wherever possible. In Angus, EE has deployed

and activated one new site.

In addition to the new sites being provided by EE, the ESN programme is responsible

for providing approximately 300 sites in the most remote and rural areas of Great

Britain as part of the Extended Area Service (EAS) project

Other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can share all new sites being built by EE

through a clear and well-understood industry process, in line with our State Aid

requirements. It is a matter for those mobile network operators if they wish to share

this infrastructure.

For the EAS sites all MNOs can apply to site share if the necessary planning

permissions regarding a mast capable of hosting multiple operators are granted by

the local planning authority. 98% of structures planned are designed to accommodate

additional MNOs.

Twelve of these EAS sites are planned in Angus and these are composed of nine

greenfield sites and three sites shared with the existing Airwave service. Construction

has completed on one site.




Across the whole of Scotland 123 EAS sites are planned, including 76 greenfield

sites, 30 sites shared with the existing Airwave service, and 17 sites shared with

other mobile network operators. Of these 18 shared sites, 11 are proposed as shared

sites with the Scottish Government 4G infill programme.

Of the 76 greenfield sites across Scotland, 10 have now completed construction, and

construction is underway on a further 14 sites. The remainder are at various different

stages of the necessary planning and legal processes before construction can begin

Currently there is one EAS site active in Scotland which is located in Lockerbie.

Female Genital Mutilation

Ross Thomson: [267358]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is

taking to increase education and awareness of female genital mutilation in the UK.

Victoria Atkins:

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is

clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering

to women and girls.

The Home Office’s FGM unit delivers nationwide outreach on FGM. The Unit is

providing outreach support to local areas and working to raise awareness of

resources available to professionals, including training, best practice examples and

information on legislation and policy. Resources include an e-learning package,

various communication materials such as leaflets and posters highlighting the

legislation and health impacts of FGM, and an online resource pack for local areas.

We ran a communications campaign between October 2018 and February 2019 to

tackle FGM. The campaign sought to prevent FGM by changing attitudes among

affected communities through raising awareness of the negative long-term health

consequences of FGM. The campaign also raised awareness that FGM is a crime

and encouraged communities to report via the NSPCC’s FGM helpline. The

campaign supported the objectives of the cross-government Violence Against

Women and Girls strategy.

Earlier this year, the Home Office trained around 1,300 professionals across the

country on FGM and forced marriage protection orders. The events raised awareness

of the scope and effectiveness of the orders, along with a practical guide to applying,

with the aim of encouraging professionals to always consider them in any

safeguarding plans.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance



June 2019 to Question 265493 on Fire and Rescue Services, what criteria his



Department used to determine that £2.3 billion would adequately resource the Fire and

Rescue Services.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The £2.3billion comprises around £1.4billion in locally raised council tax receipts and

around £850million from the Local Government Finance Settlement, which is

comprised of locally retained business rates and revenue support grant. The fire

share of the Local Government Settlement was determined at the point of the

previous Spending Review, based on analysis of the needs assessment and previous

spend.

Single purpose fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending

power of 2.3 percent in cash terms in 2019/20 and as of March 2018, these

authorities held £545m in reserves, an increase of 80 percent since March 2011 and

equivalent to 42 percent of their core spending power.

Hate Crime


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which 30 local authorities have

recorded the highest incidence of hate crime in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of hate crimes

recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level only.

Data for Police Force Areas can be found in the Home Office Open Data tables for

hate crime, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-

crime-open-data-tables

Hate Crime: Learning Disability

Mr Chris Leslie: [269642]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests were made for

hate crimes against people with learning disabilities in (a) 2018 and (b) 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of arrests,

conducted by each police force in England and Wales, on an annual basis.

Data are held at the offence group level only (for example ‘Violence against the

person’ and ‘Public order’ offences). Information on the number of arrests for hate

crimes against people with learning disabilities are 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



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2018



Immigrants: Detainees


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were detained

(a) in total and (b) for more than 24 hours in short-term holding facilities at (i) Heathrow

and (ii) Gatwick airport in the last 12 months for which figures are available.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made

implementing the recommendations of the Independent Monitoring Boards to improve

conditions in short-term holding facilities.

Caroline Nokes:

Home Office management information indicates there were 19,434 detentions at the

short-term holding facilities at Heathrow airport between June 2018 and May 2019.

Of this number, 136 people were detained for more than 24 hours. For the same

period 8,386 detentions were recorded in the short-term holding facilities at Gatwick

airport, and of these 74 people were detained for more than 24 hours. This is

provisional management information that has not been assured to the standard of

official statistics.

Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) provide vital scrutiny of short-term holding

facilities and help ensure that they provide a secure and humane detention

environment. IMBs publish annual reports and the Government responds with a

published action plan. The Government has responded to the 2018 annual report for

the North and Midlands Independent Monitoring Board for short-term holding facilities

and will be responding to the 2018 annual reports for Heathrow Airport, Glasgow,

Edinburgh and Larne, and Port of Dover short-term holding facility Independent

Monitoring Boards in due course.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people currently in

Immigration Removal Centres claim to be under 18 years old.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on detaining in

Immigration Removal Centres people who claim to be under 18 years old but whose age

is disputed by his Department.

Caroline Nokes:

The Government ended the routine detention of children in immigration re-moval

centres in 2010. Current Home Office policy maintains this position. However,

although many asylum seekers who claim to be children do not have any definitive

documentary evidence to support their claimed age, the Home Office does not treat

an individual as an adult when there is doubt about whether they are an adult or a

child. In cases where new information comes to light or concerns are raised, which

indicate that a person who has been detained as an adult may be a child, we would





seek to release them in to the care of local authority children’s services at the earliest

safe opportunity for an age assessment and they will be treated as a child whilst the

outcome is awaited.

The Home Office publishes information on the number of children in detention on the

last day of each quarter. The data is available in the detention tables (dt_13_q) in the

latest release of ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2019’, available from the

Home Office website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803188

/detention-mar-2019-tables.ods.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: [270376]


June 2019 to Question 267306, if he will place in the House of Commons Library a copy

of any (a) minutes of meetings where the decision to exclude tax credit records was

discussed or made and (b) equality impact assessment conducted to inform that decision.

Caroline Nokes:

The purpose of the automated checks is to help the applicant establish their

continuous residence in the UK. Eligibility to receive benefits is not dependent upon

being continuously resident in the UK. Benefits except Job Seekers Allowance and

Maternity Allowance on their own are not strong indicators of continuous residence

unless receipt of them persists over a period of 12 months. There are also overlaps

with other data that is available from the checks. For instance, PAYE data covers

most applicants who claim working tax credits and receipt of other benefits included

in the checks will overlap with receipt of child tax credits. Child Benefit is not included

in the automated checks because it is not a sufficient indicator of continuous UK

residence. A full explanation of how the automated checks work has been published

at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-settlement-scheme-uk-tax-and-benefits-records-

automated-check.

Following analysis conducted on an anonymised sample of 10,000 applications

submitted under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, the

Home Office estimated that the potential pool of resident EEA citizens who might

benefit from tax credits data being included in the automated checks was around two

per cent and this was before any consideration of the applicability of that data to

proving continuous residence. Individuals who need to rely on tax credits to

demonstrate their continuous residence are still able to provide documentary

evidence of this as part of their application.

In accordance with section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, we have had due regard to

the Public Sector Equality Duty.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803188/detention-mar-2019-tables.ods.





To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants to the EU

Settlement scheme are recorded as being (a) male and (b) female in relation to the

outcome of their applications.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data fields are processed

by the EU Settlement scheme that are protected characteristics under the Equality Act

2010.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons data

disaggregated by protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 is not included in

his Department's monthly official statistics on the operation of the EU Settlement

Scheme.



May 2019 to Question 252534, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the

compliance of the operation of the EU Settlement Scheme with the public sector equality

duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.

Caroline Nokes:

The second official statistics – ‘EU Settlement Scheme Statistics, May 2019’ – on the

operation of the scheme were published on 20 June 2019, including applications

received by nationality and constituent parts of the UK. These can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-may-2019

The Home Office is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the

EU Settlement Scheme, alongside our Immigration Statistics, from August 2019.

Home Office statisticians and officials are currently considering the content and will

take into account the views of statistics users.

The application process for the EU Settlement Scheme collects data on the

applicant’s date of birth, nationality and, where appropriate, marital or civil partnership

status. Other data on protected characteristics may be processed as part of the

application.

In accordance with the public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality

Act 2010, the Government continues to have due regard to the impacts of the EU

Settlement Scheme on those who share a protected characteristic. A Policy Equality

Statement, which sets out the Government’s consideration of the impacts of the

scheme on those who share such a characteristic, will be published shortly.

Andrea Jenkyns: [270461]

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

of the adequacy of application rates in the EU Settlement scheme.






Caroline Nokes:

On 10 June 2019, the Home Secretary confirmed that more than 800,000

applications had been received under the EU Settlement Scheme and that almost

700,000 of these had been granted status.

The second official statistics – ‘EU Settlement Scheme Statistics, May 2019’ – on the

operation of the scheme were published on 20 June 2019, including applications

received by nationality and constituent parts of the UK. These can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-may-2019.

Intelligence Services


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure

that the security services are compliant with the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 and

related Codes of Practice.

Mr Ben Wallace:

The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 provides extensive and world-leading privacy

safeguards. This sits alongside a robust oversight regime with independent

mechanisms for redress.

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner, the Rt hon Lord Justice Fulford, is

responsible for overseeing the use of investigatory powers by the intelligence

agencies. The safeguards and oversight regime provided for in the Act are designed

to ensure that all relevant bodies are in full compliance with its requirements. In

addition, the related Codes of Practice provide information on the processes

associated with applying to use each of the powers, as well as the safeguards and

oversight arrangements that will ensure the powers are used in the intended manner.

On 9 May the Home Secretary announced, through a written ministerial statement to

Parliament, that a report of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner found that MI5

may not have had sufficient assurance of compliance with particular safeguards in

the Investigatory Powers Act which relate to processing information obtained under a

warrant.

In response to the Commissioner’s report, MI5 have taken immediate and substantial

mitigating actions to address the concerns raised. Work to implement those

mitigations is ongoing and is being treated as a matter of the highest priority, both by

MI5 and the Home Office. The Home Secretary has also established an independent

review to consider and report back on what lessons can be learned for the future.

Knives: North West


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce

the number of underage people in the North West of England purchasing knifes from (a)

supermarkets, (b) home stores and (c) online.





Victoria Atkins:

It is illegal to sell a knife to anyone under 18 in England and Wales and the

Government is tackling the illegal sale to under-18s on a number of fronts. Firstly, as

part of the Serious Violence Strategy, we are enabling Trading Standards to take

forward prosecutions where retailers fail test purchase operations involving sales to

under-18s through a specific prosecution fund. In the North West of England,

Liverpool and Preston are two local authorities receiving this funding. In 2018/19,

1019 face to face test purchases had been attempted by the local authorities funded

across England and Wales, with 121 sellers (around 13 per cent) failing the test and

selling to a person under 18. In the same period, 128 online test purchases had been

attempted, with 32% (41) failing and selling to a person under 18.

The Government also continues to encourage police forces to undertake a series of

co-ordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre.

The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps of hotspot

areas, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest

phase of the operation took place from 11-18 March, and overall 689 test purchase

operations were carried out in retail premises. Of these, there were 559 passes. 130

(around 19%) resulted in the retail outlet failing the test purchase.

To go further in preventing the sale of knives to under-18s, the Offensive Weapons

Act 2019 includes a provision that will stop knives from being sent to residential

addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place

with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the

hands of a person under 18.

The Government has also agreed a set of commitments with major retailers to

prevent the underage sales of knives more generally in their stores and online. The

agreement also covers staff training and displays and packaging. Tesco, eBay UK,

Lidl UK, Amazon UK, Wilko, Argos, Asda, Poundland, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, John

Lewis and Waitrose have all signed up to the principles. They have since been joined

by Boots, the Co-op, B&Q, Aldi, TKMaxx and Debenhams. We are working with

retailers to strengthen the agreement in relation to displays and that work is

continuing. Following on from this, Asda has stopped selling single knives in its stores

from the end of April, a move supported by the Government.

Migrant Workers: Physiotherapy


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to change the

minimum earnings limit for physiotherapists renewing a work visa to increase the number

of physiotherapists working in the NHS.

Caroline Nokes:

The Government values the important work that physiotherapists do for the NHS. The

current Tier 2 system, through which physiotherapists can be recruited, ensures that

experienced workers are paid the higher of either a minimum of £30,000 or the ‘going


rate’ for this occupation, the latter of which is based on data provided by the Office for

National Statistics. This system is designed to ensure that migrants are paid a fair

wage and that the resident workforce is not undercut.

However, we have been clear that decisions on the future immigration system should

be based on clear evidence. That is why, on 24 June 2019, the Government asked

the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to consider the issue of minimum salary

thresholds in more detail. As part of this new commission, we have asked the MAC to

look at a number of issues including the approach to calculating salary thresholds,

the levels at which they should be set, the case for greater regional variation and the

impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. This report is due by January

2020.

Organised Crime


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is

taking to tackle gangs involved in organised immigration crime.

Caroline Nokes:

The UK is playing a leading role in tackling organised immigration crime. The

Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce, which the Government set up in 2015,

brings together officers from the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Immigration

Enforcement International and the Crown Prosecution Service to exploit every

opportunity at source, in transit countries and in Europe to identify and disrupt

organised crime groups involved in immigration crime.

Overseas Students: English Language


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news

article, Foreign students demand home secretary put things right after thousands

targeted in cheating scandal, published by the Independent on 27 June, if he will make it

his policy to undertake a review of his Department's decision not to allow a right of appeal

for students accused of cheating in English language tests; and if he will make a

statement.

Caroline Nokes:

Parliament legislated to amend the appeals system in the Immigration Act 2014 so

that an appeal only arises where a claim raising asylum, humanitarian protection or

human rights is refused, where protection status is revoked and for deprivation of

citizenship. Similar provisions are set out in the Immigration (European Economic

Area) Regulations 2016. Given the passage of time, many of those refused on the

basis of alleged cheating in English language tests will now have arguable human

rights claims. Even if refused, these will normally generate an in-country right of

appeal.



The Home Secretary is considering the findings of the National Audit Office report in

response to cheating in English language tests. He will then make a statement to

Parliament.

Police: Musculoskeletal Disorders


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the number of working days lost in police forces in England and Wales as a

result of musculoskeletal conditions.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The number of working days lost in police forces in England and Wales specifically as

a result of musculoskeletal conditions is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of police officers

on long-term absence as at 31st March each year, including long-term absence for

sickness. Long-term absence includes officers on leave for 28 days or more.

These data are available in the Absence Open Data tables published alongside the

annual ‘Police workforce’ statistical bulletin, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tables

The Home Office also collects information on the number of police officers on

short/medium term sick absence as at 31st March each year. Short/medium term

absence due to sickness includes officers on leave for 28 days or less.

This information is published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire

and Rescue Services in their Value for Money profiles, available here:

https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/our-work/value-for-money-

inspections/value-for-money-profiles.

Police: Stress


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of

the number of police officers taking time off work for stress-related reasons in each of the

last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The number of police officers taking time off work for stress-related reasons is not

collected centrally by the Home Office.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of police officers

on long-term absence as at 31st March each year, including long-term absence for

sickness. Long-term absence includes officers on leave for 28 days or more.

These data are available in the Absence Open Data tables published alongside the

annual ‘Police workforce’ statistical bulletin, available here:





https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/our-work/value-for-money-inspections/value-for-money-profiles






The Home Office also collects information on the number of police officers on

short/medium term sick absence as at 31st March each year. Short/medium term

absence due to sickness includes officers on leave for 28 days or less.

This information is published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire

and Rescue Services in their Value for Money profiles, available here:

https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/our-work/value-for-money-

inspections/value-for-money-profiles.

Refugees

Dr Rupa Huq: [268562]

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

of the potential merits of (a) allowing child refugees to sponsor their close family and (b)

changing the definition of family to include young people over the age of 18 and elderly

people over the age of 65 so that families can be reunited in the UK.

Caroline Nokes:

The Government provides safe and legal routes to bring families together through its

family reunion policy. This allows a partner and children under 18 of those granted

protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the

sponsor fled their country.

There is currently no provision in the Immigration Rules for children with refugee

status in the UK to sponsor family members to join them. Allowing children to sponsor

parents would create further incentives for more children to be encouraged, or even

forced, to leave their family and risk hazardous journeys to the UK to sponsor

relatives. This plays into the hands of criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people

and goes against our safeguarding responsibilities.

Our policy makes clear that there is discretion to grant visas outside the Immigration

Rules, which caters for extended family members in exceptional circumstances –

including young adult sons or daughters who are dependent on family here and living

in dangerous situations.

Refugees can also sponsor adult dependent relatives living overseas to join them

where, due to age, illness or disability, that person requires long-term personal care

that can only be provided by relatives in the UK.

The Government is listening carefully to calls extend refugee family reunion policy

and we will continue our productive discussions with stakeholders on this complex

and sensitive issue. However, any changes must support the principle that those who

need protection claim in the first safe country they reach – and use safe and legal

routes to come here.





Refugees: France



June 2019 to Question 266773 on France: Refugees, whether his Department has made

representations to the French Government on protecting the human rights of refugees

based in (a) Calais and (b) Dunkirk.

Caroline Nokes:

The UK and France continue to maintain a strong bilateral cooperation on illegal

migration. Central to this relationship is the Sandhurst Treaty, signed in January

2018. Articles 2-4 of the Treaty outline our commitment to (i) continued

implementation of the Dublin process (ii) facilitating the transfer of unaccompanied

minors under national relocation schemes, and (iii) improving access to French

domestic asylum procedures.

A portion of the Sandhurst funding package has been used to implement these

Treaty obligations. £3.6 million was specifically allocated to funding the development

of the Dublin and Dubs process to support transfers of eligible children to the UK,

including training for those working with unaccompanied children, family tracing and

targeted information campaigns. We continue to work with France to transfer eligible

children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the Dublin regulation and

transfers are ongoing. These projects are overseen by the UK-France Migration

Committee, which is comprised of policy experts and senior officials from the UK and

France.

Slavery


To the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral

contribution of the Parliamentary-Under-Secretary of State for Health of 19 June 2019,

Official Report, column 145WH, what steps his Department has taken since it sent a letter

to the CEOs of 17,000 businesses regarding the audit of compliance with the requirement

to produce modern slavery supply chain statements.

Victoria Atkins:

The Home Office has written twice to approximately 17,000 organisations identified

as being required to prepare a Modern Slavery Statement under Section 54 of the

Modern Slavery Act 2015. As a result almost 4,000 organisations have registered to

receive tools and guidance from the Home Office to support effective reporting under

the Act.

The Home Office is commencing an audit of compliance and organisations which

persist in flouting their obligations risk being publicly named. The Home Office is also

developing a central registry for modern slavery statements published under the Act

to enable the Government to continually monitor compliance.



VFS Global


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the criteria his

Department use to assess the performance of VFS Global in handling visa and

settlement applications.

Caroline Nokes:

In line with the Government’s commitment to transparency, it is the Home Office’s

intention to publish details of the Service Levels (Schedule 7 of the contract) relating

to the Next Generation Visa (NGOV) Services contract delivered by VFS Global using

Contracts Finder (part of gov.uk). These Service Levels set out the criteria Home

Office uses to assess the performance of VFS Global in handling visa and settlement

applications. Regrettably, the Home Office is currently experiencing technical issues

and is not able to publish contract information using Contracts Finder.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish his

Department’s most recent assessment of VFS Global’s performance in meeting targets in

relation to their handling of visa and settlement applications.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office do not publish VFS’s global performance in meeting targets in

relation to their handling of visa and settlement applications.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the contract

held between his Department and VFS Global on handling visa and settlement

applications.

Caroline Nokes:

In line with the Government’s commitment to transparency, it is the Home Office’s

intention to publish a redacted version of the Next Generation Visa (NGOV) Services

contract delivered by VFS Global using Contracts Finder (part of gov.uk).

Regrettably, the Home Office is currently experiencing technical issues and is not

able to publish contract information using Contracts Finder.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to

renew the contract held between his Department and VFS Global in relation to handling

visa and settlement.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office contract for Next Generation Visa (NGOV) Services delivered by

VFS Global is currently due to expire on 31st March 2021. The Home Office has an

option to extend the contract for a further 2 years (until 2023). No decision has yet

been taken on how these services will be delivered post 2021.





Visas: Fees and Charges


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason his Department

decided to charge visa applicants £5.48 for email inquiries.

Caroline Nokes:

The £5.48 email charge is levied to fund the UKVI contact centre commercial contract

as the UK government believes it is right that those who use and benefit directly from

the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution towards meeting the

costs of it. This email charge includes the initial e-mail enquiry plus any follow-up e-

mails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry.

The international charge (£5.48 per email enquiry) was introduced on 1st June 2017

as part of the UKVI Contact Centre operations contract awarded to SITEL UK Ltd

Those who use the services are predominantly from outside the UK. Our web site

www.gov.uk is the main source of information and advice and is free of charge.

Further details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and

SITEL UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is

not available due to it being commercially sensitive.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money in cash terms

his Department raised from levying a £5.48 charge on email visa enquiries in 2018.

Caroline Nokes:

Details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK

Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is not

available due to it being commercially sensitive.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money in cash terms

his Department raised from levying an additional £1.37 per minute on top of the standard

network charge on telephone visa enquiries in 2018.

Caroline Nokes:

Details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK

Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and Interna-tional) is not

available due to it being commercially sensitive.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa or settlement

applicants paid for the priority service in 2018; and how many of those applicants

received a response within one working day.


http://www.gov.uk/

http://www.gov.uk/




Caroline Nokes:

Home Office published information on in-country applications performance is

available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-

may-2019

The Home Office does not publish information on the out of country Priority and

Super Priority visa service. Published information on the international visa operation

is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-

transparency-data-may-2019

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House of Commons: Security

Daniel Kawczynski: [267363]

To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of

Commons Commission, for what reasons security officers in the House of Commons are

entitled to a break of two hours and 15 minutes in each eight hour shift; and what

assessment the Commission has made of the comparative value for money of such

contracts.

Tom Brake:

[Holding answer 25 June 2019]: House Staff are paid for working hours only, i.e. 36

hours net per week for full time staff. In accordance to their contracts, full-time staff

have a one hour unpaid break each day / shift. The rest of the breaks received by the

Security staff, which are over and above their contractual arrangements, are a legacy

carried over from the Metropolitan Police working practices since 2016. The House is

currently in discussion with the union about the introduction of a new roster and rest

breaks.

Members' Staff: General Practitioners


To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of

Commons Commission, whether Members' staff can (a) register with and (b) access an

on-site medical doctor.

Tom Brake:

[Holding answer 25 June 2019]: Members’ staff cannot register with nor access an

on-site medical doctor as there are none on-site. There are occupational health

physicians who work within the Parliamentary Health and Wellbeing Service (PHWS)

via a contract with Guys and St Thomas’ hospital. Managers can refer their staff to

PHWS for advice and support if they feel that their health is being affected by their

work. Members of Parliament can seek occupational health advice for their staff via

the Members HR advisory service.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019





HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings: Carbon Emissions


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

assessment he has made of the potential merits of only granting planning permission for

carbon neutral residential and commercial buildings.

Kit Malthouse:

The energy performance of buildings is regulated mainly through Building

Regulations rather than the planning system. The Building Regulations set minimum

requirements for the energy efficiency of new buildings and for work on existing

buildings.

Standards set for energy efficiency need to allow for a broad range of construction

types, building orientations, site restrictions and other factors, therefore setting a

Building Regulations minimum standard requiring carbon neutral buildings may not

be feasible. We are, however, planning to consult later this year on an uplift to the

Building Regulations energy efficiency standards where there are safe, practical,

cost-effective, and affordable opportunities to do so. In addition, the Government has

committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025 for new build homes to be

future-proofed with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency.

Domestic Abuse: Homelessness

Tom Brake: [270235]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will

ensure that survivors of domestic abuse who become homeless as a result of that abuse

are given priority for settled accommodation and are not subject to the vulnerability test.

Mrs Heather Wheeler:

The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping and

has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over

the spending review period.

The Homelessness Reduction Act, is the most ambitious reform to homelessness

legislation in decades. It came into force in April 2018 and transforms the culture of

homelessness service delivery. For the first time, local authorities, public services,

and the third sector will work together to actively prevent homelessness for people at

risk, irrespective of whether they are a family or single person, what has put them at

risk, or if they have a local connection to the area.

Although our data is still experimental the indications are that people who do not have

priority need are being assisted by local authorities to prevent or relieve their

homelessness. During the first 3 quarters for which we have published data 189,760

households have had a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness accepted, and only

6,020 households have been issued with a 'non priority homeless' decision. Our data

indicates that less than 10 per cent of all applicants are homeless due to Domestic



Abuse, and local authorities will be more inclined to provide accommodation to

victims of abuse than others where there are competing demands for accommodation

that is available to single people. People who are found to have no priority need are

still entitled to assistance to relieve their homelessness.

The Homelessness Reduction Act is still very new and we expect outcomes to

improve as the new duties are better understood. It is also important to understand

that local authorities are adjusting to new reporting requirements that affect data

quality, which is why MHCLG published data is experimental.

Garden Communities

Luciana Berger: [270355]

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

reference to the Loneliness Strategy, what steps he is taking to work with Homes

England to incorporate community cohesion as part of the support offered to existing and

future garden communities.

Kit Malthouse:

Across England, we are currently supporting 48 locally-led garden communities, to be

exemplars of high quality, good design and best practice.

These places will encourage strong social connections through vibrant spaces with

mixed community use and healthy places that take a holistic approach to tackling

wellbeing priorities. To date we have provided £38 million in capacity funding which

includes early support to fund dedicated staff teams, key studies and assessments to

underpin delivery of our garden towns and villages.

My Department and Homes England are exploring an effective means of sharing

learning and good practice on tackling loneliness and social isolation through design

and planning approaches with professional and accredited bodies.

High Rise Flats: Fire Extinguishers


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant

to the Answer of 25 June 2019 to Question 265494 on fire extinguishers, if he will publish

any assessment carried out by his Department into the cost of retrofitting sprinklers for (a)

public buildings and (b) all high-rise buildings.

Kit Malthouse:

As part of our work on fire safety, we have investigated the costs of a wide range of

fire protection measures. The costs of retrofitting sprinklers varies widely depending

on the nature and construction of the building in question. Building owners should

assess the risks based on the building design and take action, in consultation with

residents, if necessary.

The cost of installing sprinkler systems in new buildings is covered in a report

commissioned my Department and published on 1 February this year which is



available on line at;


ent_data/file/783478/WS_5_DCLG_BD_2887__D27V1__286859_Final_Work_Strea

m_5_Report.pdf

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Sarah Jones: [261286]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant

to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to Question 259402 on high rise flats: insulation, what

estimate he made of the number of blocks that would potentially draw on the fund when

calculating the £200 million private sector cladding remediation fund.

Kit Malthouse:

[Holding answer 11 June 2019]: The Government announced its commitment to fully

fund the remediation of private sector high-rise residential blocks with unsafe

Aluminium Composite Material cladding, except where a warranty claim has been

accepted. The number of buildings which will receive funding will depend on the

applications received. We estimate up to 153 may be available. This number will

reduce depending on the number of developers who agree not to draw down the fund

I am pleased to report that many owners and developers including Taylor Wimpey,

Legal & General, Mace Group, Lendlease, Barratt Developments and Aberdeen

Standard Investments, have agreed to maintain their commitments to meet the cost

of remediation without the recourse to the fund.

Homelessness

Dan Jarvis: [R] [268599]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which

local authorities charge homeless people for the return of confiscated items.

Mrs Heather Wheeler:

MHCLG does not collect any statistics about which local authorities charge homeless

people for the return of confiscated items. This is for local authorities to determine,

subject to section 211 of the Housing Act 1996.

However, the Government is working to support better practise through the

implementation of the Rough Sleeping Initiative. This year, Rough Sleeping Initiative

investment totals £46 million and has been allocated to 246 areas – providing funding

for an estimated 750 additional staff and over 2,600 bed spaces. MHCLG are working

closely with local authorities through the Rough Sleeping Initiative to support people

off the street.

This 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 which 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. The Government has now committed

https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F783478%2FWS_5_DCLG_BD_2887__D27V1__286859_Final_Work_Stream_5_Report.pdf&data=02%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7Cb9d6007d83f74f2107bb08d6fef295f4%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C636976715184432915&sdata=prfdgQ%2BTh%2BIxXhHldQTyVbC7pIR2z354fTQ02C4rTLc%3D&reserved=0






over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review

period.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Horn of Africa: Food

Preet Kaur Gill: [270429]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has

made of the level of food security throughout the greater Horn of Africa in September

2019; and what steps his Department is taking to prepare for potential emergency

assistance in that region during that month.

Harriett Baldwin:

DFID is concerned by deteriorating levels of food security in the Horn of Africa. This

is largely a result of poor rainfall across much of the region and political instability and

insecurity, including in Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The UK is a world leader in supporting those at risk of food insecurity, and has taken

early action across the region to save lives. This includes £8 million of additional

support in Somalia to support emergency interventions and resilience, and £12

million in Ethiopia to support cash transfers to meet emergency food needs. In

Sudan, DFID has contributed £30 million this fiscal year to humanitarian

interventions. DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely and press the

international community to commit further support where it is needed.

DFID will also continue to support communities and states in the Horn to build

resilience to crises and shocks. Our work on humanitarian early warning systems

raises awareness of crises where food security is deteriorating, and we prioritise

longer-term responses to support food security, including through agricultural

programmes.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Kevin Brennan: [269653]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the implications for his

Department's policy on the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia are of the Court of Appeal ruling

on 20 June 2019 in R (on the application of Campaign Against Arms Trade) v. The

Secretary of State for International Trade.

Kevin Brennan: [269654]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the implications of the Court of

Appeal ruling on 20 June 2019 in R (on the application of Campaign Against Arms Trade)

v. The Secretary of State for International Trade are for his Department's policy on

existing licences to export arms to Saudi Arabia.




Graham Stuart:

[Holding answer 1 July 2019]: The Government is carefully considering the

implications of the Court of Appeal judgment of 20 June for decision making. While

we do this, we will not grant any new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia and its

coalition partners (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Egypt) for possible use in the conflict in

Yemen. We disagree with the judgment and are seeking permission to appeal.

Extant licences are not immediately affected by this judgment but decisions about

these licences are remitted to the Government to reconsider in the light of the

judgment. The Campaign Against Arms Trade did not seek an Order to suspend

licences and the Court has not ordered their suspension. The Court expressly

clarified that the outcome of the reconsideration was not a foregone conclusion.

Trade Agreements: Georgia


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made on

ensuring transitional arrangements for the UK to replace the EU's trade agreement with

Georgia; and whether he has plans to enhance that agreement after the UK leaves the

EU.

George Hollingbery:

We continue to engage with Georgia on replicating the effects of the existing EU

trade agreement. Both the UK and Georgia remain committed to concluding a new

partnership, trade & cooperation agreement as soon as possible. We are working

together to ensure we are prepared for all possible scenarios. The Government will

inform Parliament as soon as our discussions have concluded.

Continuity is our primary objective and securing this will be a strong foundation to

build on for our trading relationship.

Trade Agreements: Grenada


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he has taken to

negotiate a free trade deal with Grenada after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery:

The UK signed the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with

Grenada on 22 March 2019. This will provide continuity for businesses, exporters and

consumers as the UK prepares to leave the EU.



JUSTICE

Debt Collection

Liz Saville Roberts: [269144]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full time equivalent Civilian

Enforcement Officers are in post.

Paul Maynard:

The number of Civilian Enforcement Officers that were employed by HM Courts and

Tribunals Service at the end of quarter 4 2018/19.

FULL TIME EQUIVALENT HEADCOUNT

2018-19 Q4 end 96.53 105


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full time equivalent vacancies for

Civilian Enforcement Officers there are.

Paul Maynard:

There are currently no full time equivalent vacancies for Civilian Enforcement Officers

(CEOs) within Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS). CEOs primarily

execute financial penalty arrest warrants and community penalty breach warrants and

existing contracts with Approved Enforcement Agencies also provide for the

execution of these warrants. This dual approach means there is no requirement for a

fixed number of CEOs to ensure this work is undertaken. The number of Civilian

Enforcement Officers has reduced over recent years, which reflects a reduction in the

number of warrants issued.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the most recently appointed

Civilian Enforcement Officer commenced employment.

Paul Maynard:

The most recent Civilian Enforcement Officer to be appointed to Her Majesty’s Courts

and Tribunal Service commenced employment on the 30th June 2008.

HMCTS will soon commence the process of re-procuring existing Approved

Enforcement Agency contracts to secure continuity of approved enforcement services

to assist with the collection of financial impositions. As part of the re-tendering

process a decision was made to explore the possibility of extending the existing

provision and implementing contracts to cover all Civilian Enforcement Officer

functions.




Divorce


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for decrees nisi there

were in 2018 in which the grounds for divorce was two years separation.

Paul Maynard:

A decree nisi is the provisional decree of divorce pronounced when the court is

satisfied that a person has met the legal and procedural requirements to obtain a

divorce. The sole ground for divorce is that the marriage has broken down

irretrievably. Currently, the law requires a person seeking a divorce to satisfy the

court of one of five ‘facts’. One fact requires that the parties of the marriage have

lived apart for a continuous period of at least two years immediately preceding the

presentation of the petition for divorce, and that the respondent consents to a decree

being granted.

In 2018 there were 118,355 divorce petitions, of which 32,297 (27%) cited the two-

year separation fact. Following a divorce petition, further applications are required for

the decree nisi to be granted and then for it to be made absolute, bringing a legal end

to the marriage.

European Arrest Warrants: Procurement


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

expected savings to the public purse of outsourcing warrants of arrest work to Approved

Enforcement Agencies.

Paul Maynard:

It is estimated that the contracting out of all Warrant of Arrest work to Approved

Enforcement Agencies (AEAs) has the potential to deliver savings in resource of over

£25m over the initial term of the contract (5 years). This includes Warrants of Arrest

currently undertaken by Civilian Enforcement Officers as well as Warrants of Arrest

already undertaken by AEAs.

Hate Crime: Disability

Mr Chris Leslie: [269643]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions

there were for hate crimes against people with learning disabilities in (i) 2018 and (ii)

2017.

Paul Maynard:

The Ministry of Justice has published information regarding prosecutions and

convictions but the only hate crime offences specifically defined in legislation are

‘racially or religiously aggravated’ offences. The court outcomes for these offences

can be found here:





ent_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx

Filter by ‘Offence’ for offences starting with ‘racially or religiously aggravated…’ and

select all that appear.

As hate crime against individuals with learning disabilities is not specifically defined in

legislation, we would not be able to distinguish whether or not a particular offence

was related to a learning disability. For example, a relevant case could have the

offence recorded simply as ‘common assault’. The level of detail required to answer

this question may be held in court records, but to be able to identify these cases we

would have to access and analyse individual court records which would be of

disproportionate cost.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Enforcement


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

expected savings to the public purse through service contracts with Approved

Enforcement Agencies.

Paul Maynard:

It is estimated that re-procurement of service contracts with Approved Enforcement

Agencies (AEAs) has the potential to deliver resource savings of £25m over the initial

term of the contract (5 years), every penny of which will be reinvested into the justice

system. Current AEAs contracts include provision for the enforcement of Warrants of

Control and Warrants of Arrest; the new service contracts will also include provision

for Warrants of Arrest currently undertaken by civilian enforcement officers.

Working Links: Wales

Ian C. Lucas: [270316]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copy of the

contract for the Transforming Rehabilitation scheme agreed with Working Links in Wales.

Robert Buckland:

Details for the contract Transforming Rehabilitation contracts with Working Links in

Wales are published on Contracts Finder;

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/933013f7-cfc2-4880-8e84-

0bdb84d7e94f?p=@FQxUlRRPT0=NjJNT08=U

NORTHERN IRELAND

Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry

Lady Hermon: [269003]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress she has made on

bringing forward legislative proposals to implement the recommendations of the Hart

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx





https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/933013f7-cfc2-4880-8e84-0bdb84d7e94f?p=@FQxUlRRPT0=NjJNT08=U




report into historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a

statement.

John Penrose:

As I recently wrote to the honourable Member, the Secretary of State for Northern

Ireland is determined to do everything in her power to ensure that the victims and

survivors of historical institutional abuse get the redress they deserve as quickly as

possible. That is why she asked the Northern Ireland political parties to consider the

outstanding key issues identified by David Sterling, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil

Service, and is pleased the parties have reached a consensus on these.

The Executive Office is now working with the Office of Legislative Council to redraft

the legislation in light of the parties’ recommendations, which deviate significantly

from Sir Anthony Hart's recommendations. The Secretary of State continues to

engage with David Sterling and colleagues in Westminster on this vital issue.

Human Trafficking: Children


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

merits of the Northern Irish Government’s model of providing independent guardians to all

separated and trafficked children.

John Penrose:

This issue is wholly devolved in Northern Ireland, so it would not be for the Secretary

of State for Northern Ireland to carry out an assessment of the merits of the system.

Lough Foyle

Mr Gregory Campbell: [270310]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many occasions since February

2017 have meetings been held between officials in Northern Ireland and the Irish

Republic to conclude a management agreement which would clarify criminal and

regulatory jurisdiction on Lough Foyle.

John Penrose:

The Government recognises the need to take action to address illegal activity on

Lough Foyle and our position on Lough Foyle has not changed. The regulation of

activities in Lough Foyle is the responsibility of the Loughs Agency, a cross-border

body established under the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

We remain fully committed to these arrangements and continue to work closely with

the Irish Government over improvements to the management of the Loughs. British

and Irish officials last met in October 2017 when a number of issues were discussed

including the Loughs, and the management of aquaculture in them, and they have

been in regular contact since.



TRANSPORT

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to

tackle emissions from aviation.

Michael Ellis:

The Government recognises that climate change is one of the most urgent and

pressing challenges we face and we are working to ensure the UK takes a leading

role in tackling it.

On 12 June 2019, the Government announced a 2050 net zero greenhouse gas

emissions target for the UK. This announcement shows the UK’s steadfast

commitment to tackling climate change and we recognise that aviation has a crucial

part to play.

The UK will continue to lead the way to secure a solution which reflects the truly

international nature of these sectors. It is vital that we find an answer that does not

simply displace emissions elsewhere across the world. We will continue to provide for

international aviation and shipping emissions as we do now via headroom within our

existing carbon budgets. We are minded to include these targets in legislation subject

to future discussions in the International Maritime Organization and International Civil

Aviation Organization.

The Government will propose a long-term vision for UK aviation carbon emissions

reduction and a pathway to achieve this by 2050 in its Aviation 2050 white paper due

to be published later this year.

Eurotunnel

Andy McDonald: [269067]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his legal settlement with

Eurotunnel cost in (a) VAT and (b) departmental officials' time.

Chris Grayling:

The VAT paid on the legal fees for the litigation associated with the Eurotunnel

settlement was around £200,000, subject to final checks being made on legal costs

incurred. Given the interrelated nature of the litigation and the settlement, a discrete

figure for the settlement only aspects is not available.

The Department did incur costs associated with officials’ time, but these are not

accounted for separately, so the Department does not hold that information.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Broxtowe

Anna Soubry: [270335]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the

effect on the economy in Broxtowe of the proposed route for HS2.




Ms Nusrat Ghani:

Whilst no specific assessment of the effect of HS2 on the economy of Broxtowe has

taken place, I am aware that the East Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy, published by

East Midlands Councils, reports that HS2 has the potential to deliver an additional

74,000 jobs and £4bn of Gross Value Added to East Midlands region by 2043.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the cost

of constructing a bored tunnel beneath Broxtowe for High Speed Two.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

HS2 Ltd has considered a number of tunnel options in the East Midlands Hub area

including those set out in the Working Draft Environmental Statement Alternatives

Report. However, tunnel options in this area have not been progressed due to the

significant length of the tunnel, significant cost impacts and flood risk. HS2 Ltd will

continue to work with the local community to minimise the impact of HS2, including

appropriate mitigation where necessary.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Toton


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the

costs of constructing an underground High Speed Two East Midlands hub station at

Toton Sidings.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

Some of the tunnel options that have been looked at in the East Midlands Hub area

included variants of a station, both at grade and below ground. Tunnel options in this

area have not been progressed due to the significant length of the tunnel, significant

cost impacts and flood risk. HS2 Ltd continues to refine the station design, taking into

consideration the environment, cost and views of local stakeholders. The current

station proposal has been well received by local leaders across the region.



Network Rail: Finance


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding the Government has

allocated to Network Rail in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c)

Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Andrew Jones:

Funding for the railway in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government, who have

responsibility for setting funding and outputs.

The Office of Rail and Road’s final determination includes Network Rail’s outputs and

funding for 2014-2019 (CP5) for both England and Wales and Scotland.

https://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/452/pr13-final-determination.pdf

Network Rail does not operate in Northern Ireland.

Network Rail: Property

Helen Hayes: [270382]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether section 14 of the Railway Regulation

Act 1842 is used by Network Rail to gain access to tenanted railway arch premises.

Andrew Jones:

It is not standard practice for Network Rail to use section 14 to obtain access to

tenanted railway arches. Network Rail has obtained access to a tenanted archway

once in the last five years in order to maintain the integrity and safety of the railway.

Public Transport


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to improve public

transport to provide an incentive to stop driving and lower emissions.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools that local authorities need to improve

local bus services. It allows Mayoral Combined Authorities to franchise bus services

and local authorities to develop partnerships with bus operators to take the actions

which they’ve identified locally to incentivise uptake of public transport. Bus Open

Data powers in the Act will require bus operators in England to open up information

about routes, timetables, fares and tickets in real time for passengers by 2020. These

improvements aim to improve journey planning and help passengers secure best

value tickets. The Government is also investing record levels in the U.K. rail network,

as part of the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century






Railways: Repairs and Maintenance


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

effectiveness of Network Rail's planned maintenance on the rail network in each of the

last five years.

Andrew Jones:

It is a matter for the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), to

assess the effectiveness of NR’s maintenance activity and its impact on the

performance of the rail network. ORR reports every six months on its assessment of

how Network Rail is performing in the “Network Rail Monitor”, which is available on

the ORR’s website at ORR.gov.uk.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of each type of repair to Network

Rail railway lines have been carried out in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland, (b)

England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Andrew Jones:

The tables attached sets out track renewals on the network by type over the past five

years for England & Wales and Scotland. Network Rail does not operate in Northern

Ireland.

Attachments:

1. Tables regarding track renewals [270417 - Tables, track type.docx]

Road Traffic Offences: British Nationals Abroad

Royston Smith: [268632]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is available to UK nationals

accused of (a) driving offences and (b) exceeding the speed limits when driving their UK-

registered vehicles in (i) France, (ii) the European Union and (iii) the rest of the world.

Michael Ellis:

All drivers should adhere to the local traffic laws, wherever they drive. EU countries

are able to request vehicle keeper data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

(DVLA) to prosecute British citizens for certain traffic offences under the Cross

Border Enforcement Directive.

There is information available to drivers about driving abroad on www.gov.uk.

Organisations such as RAC and AA also provide information on their websites.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British citizens have been

accused of (a) driving offences and (b) exceeding the speed limit when driving their UK-

registered vehicle in (i) France, (ii) the European Union and (iii) the rest of the world in

each of the last three years.






To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British names and addresses

were handed over to the French authorities by the DVLA in 2018 in response to

accusations of driving offences in France.

Michael Ellis:

The number of sets of vehicle keeper data released by the DVLA following alleged

motoring offences can be found in the table below. The DVLA first started receiving

live requests for vehicle data from France in January 2019.

FRANCE

EU

(INCLUDING

FRANCE)

Speeding Offences Other Driving

Offences

Speeding Offences Other Driving

Offences

2017 - - 80,595 2,558

2018 - - 237,172 22,90

6

2019 239,746 1,721 362,097 8,435

Between 2015 and 2017, 466 requests for information were received from outside of

the EU for road traffic offences. Figures are not yet available for 2018.


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

ensure that UK nationals driving their UK-registered vehicles abroad are provided with

necessary legal resources to challenge driving offence charges issued against them.

Michael Ellis:

The information requested is not held.

All drivers should adhere to the local traffic laws, wherever they drive. There is

information available to drivers about driving abroad on www.gov.uk.

Roads: Construction

Layla Moran: [270389]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and which local authorities were

asked to sign non-disclosure agreements by (a) his Department and (b) Highways

England as part of the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway project.

Michael Ellis:

Confidentiality Agreements are used to protect both Highways England’s information

and the information of the other signatory party and are in accordance with typical

business practice. Confidentiality Agreements help to avoid placing homes and



http://www.gov.uk/

http://www.gov.uk/


businesses in unnecessary blight and protect commercially sensitive information and

the personal information of those potentially affected by any proposed changes.

Highways England does not discuss the existence or otherwise of specific

arrangements.

The Department for Transport has not asked any local authorities to sign a

Confidentiality Agreement in relation to this project. Both the Department and

Highways England will continue to work closely with all local authorities and other

stakeholders in the development of the expressway and a full public consultation is

planned for later this year.

TREASURY

Cash Dispensing

Stephen Kerr: [268598]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with UK banks on

the costs of running ATMs at their branches.

John Glen:

The UK has over 60,000 ATMs, almost all connected to the LINK network. These

ATMs are owned and operated by banks and building societies (40%), in addition to

independent ATM operators (60%). According to the Access to Cash Review, of the

estimated £5bn annual cost of the UK’s cash infrastructure, £1bn of this relates to the

running and maintenance of ATMs.

Regarding specific discussions, Treasury Ministers and Officials have meetings with

a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process

of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary

meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a

quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-

ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel.

Digital Technology


What fiscal steps he is taking to grow the digital economy.

Robert Jenrick:

The UK's digital economy is thriving - growing ten times as fast as the wider economy

- and we are pursuing a range of measures to reinforce its world-leading position.

These include:

• Implementing a 10-year action plan to unlock over £20 billion to finance growth in

innovative firms;

• Committing a further £7 billion for research and development since 2016, with

major investments in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies; and


https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel




• Providing internationally competitive research and development tax reliefs to

support investment.

We are also embracing the opportunities presented by Distributed Ledger

Technologies, including by:

• Investing over £10 million through Innovate UK and the research councils; and

• Creating the £20 million GovTech Catalyst Fund, to explore technology-based

solutions for public sector challenges.

Double Taxation Relief and International Tax Enforcement (Israel) Order 2019

Anneliese Dodds: [270418]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when negotiations on the Double Taxation Relief

and International Tax Enforcement (Israel) Order 2019 began.

Jesse Norman:

The Government originally began negotiating the updated treaty in July 2008, with a

second round of talks in March 2009. However, those negotiations stalled for a

variety of reasons. Discussions about the updated treaty restarted in late 2015, and

the Government recommenced formal negotiations in January 2017.

Economic Crime Strategic Board


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 27 June 2019 to Question

268541 on Economic Crime Strategic Board, whether the Economic Crime Plan will be

published before the House rises on 25 July 2019.

John Glen:

The Economic Crime Strategic Board will meet on 10 July 2019 at which it will

discuss the draft Economic Crime Plan and a public-private economic crime threat

update. The Economic Crime Plan will be published after it has been approved by the

Board.

Economic Growth and Employment


What fiscal steps he is taking to increase (a) jobs and (b) economic growth.

Robert Jenrick:

We have worked hard to build a stronger, fairer economy – dealing with the deficit,

helping people into work, and cutting taxes for people, families, and businesses.

The economy has grown continuously for the past nine years, employment is

currently at a record high, unemployment is currently at the joint lowest rate since

1975, and real wages are rising.




Economic Situation

Rushanara Ali: [911690]

What recent assessment his Department has made of the short-term economic effect of

the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

John Glen:

The Government has prepared extensively for a range of Brexit scenarios.

But even with these preparations, leaving with “No Deal” would entail significant

disruption in the short term. And in the long-term, the government’s analysis shows

clearly that regions, nations and sectors of the UK would have lower economic output

compared to today’s arrangements.

Infrastructure

Catherine West: [268586]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to publish its

Infrastructure Strategy alongside the Spending Review.

Robert Jenrick:

The government welcomed the publication of the National Infrastructure

Commission’s National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) last year.

As announced at Budget 2018 the Government will respond in full to the NIA through

a National Infrastructure Strategy. At Spring Statement, the Chancellor confirmed his

intention to publish the Strategy later this year, alongside the Spending Review.

Insurance Premium Tax

Steve Double: [268630]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential

effect of exempting telematics from insurance premium tax on (a) reducing the tax burden

on motorists, (b) improving road safety and (c) protecting the environment.

John Glen:

The government keeps all taxes under review, especially in the context of new

technology. There is not clear evidence that an Insurance Premium Tax exemption

for telematics-based insurance is the best way to achieve the outcomes mentioned in

the question.

The government is committed to: reducing the costs on motorists, such as freezing

fuel duty for the ninth year in a row; improving road safety, such as making £100

million available from the Safer Roads Fund; and delivering on our ambitious 25 Year

Environment Plan.




Local Government Finance


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the

implications for financial planning by local authorities of the uncertainty of the timing of

the next spending review.

Elizabeth Truss:

HM Treasury is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local

Government to support the financial sustainability of local councils, so they can

continue to offer a range of vital services to their local authorities.

Departments have been commissioned to carry out the work necessary for a 3-year

Spending Review concluding this Autumn.

However, it will be for the new Government to decide whether the circumstances

make it appropriate to conduct a full 3-year Spending Review, or a single year

exercise.

London Capital and Finance


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department taking following the

collapse of London Capital & Finance to ensure that mini-bond holders in Crewe and

Nantwich will be properly compensated.

John Glen:

The administrators for London Capital & Finance (LCF) are currently estimating

recoveries for investors affected by LCF’s failure.

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), as the compensation

scheme of last resort, can only provide compensation for claims connected with

certain types of regulated activities. They are working closely with LCF’s

administrators and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to understand more about

LCF’s activities and whether there are grounds for compensation.

The FSCS is an independent non-governmental body. The FSCS carries out its

compensation function within rules set by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)

and the FCA, who are also independent of Government.

If there are circumstances that give rise to potentially valid claims, the FSCS will

communicate this on their website. They have invited LCF investors to register for

updates on their website. More information on this can be found at

https://www.fscs.org.uk/failed-firms/lcf/.

Multinational Companies: Taxation


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2019 to

Question 247155 and with reference to the UK's tax treaties with Uruguay, Sweden and




Slovenia containing non-discrimination clauses, why those countries are not included in

the Government's list of jurisdictions with which the UK has a full tax treaty.

Jesse Norman:

Following a recent update to HMRC’s International Manual, which lists the countries

with which the UK has a non-discrimination article, these three countries were

inadvertently omitted. This was an oversight which has now been corrected.

However, the treaties with Uruguay, Sweden and Slovenia have always been

available on the gov.uk page that provides the full text of all of the UK’s treaties.

Pensions

Nick Smith: [268448]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Financial Conduct

Authority survey of defined benefit pension advice published on 19 June 2019, what

assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of advice provided by the

financial services industry on the potential merits of transferring out of defined benefit

pension schemes.

John Glen:

The Government is committed to working with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA),

the independent financial services regulator, who are responsible for ensuring that

the financial advice market works well, competitively and fairly. The Government has

established a strong regulatory framework to enable the FCA’s work.

In November 2018, the FCA requested data from every firm with permission to advise

on defined benefit pension transfers, which provided them with a full picture of the

market from 2015. In publishing the data in June 2019, the FCA raised concerns that

firms are recommending that large numbers of consumers transfer out of their

defined benefit (DB) pension schemes despite the FCA’s stance that transfers are

likely to be unsuitable for most clients.

Although the data are not an assessment of the suitability of advice, they give the

FCA the information they need to focus their supervision work. The FCA will be

writing to all firms and started visits to the most active firms in the market, with a view

to complete a full assessment of the firms’ approach to DB advice, focusing on key

aspects of firms’ business models and processes which could give rise to harm. The

FCA will not hesitate to use their investigatory powers where they identify evidence of

misconduct which could have caused harm to consumers.

Personal Savings

Sir Desmond Swayne: [911692]

What steps he is taking to increase incentives for people to save.

John Glen:

The Government has introduced a range of measures to support savers.



We have increased the amount of money that people can save into their ISAs each

year to a record £20,000 and introduced a Personal Savings Allowance of up to

£1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and up to £500 for higher rate taxpayers.

Thanks to these measures, over 95% of people with savings income pay no tax on

that income.

The new Help to Save scheme is supporting working families on low incomes to build

up a rainy-day fund by offering a 50% bonus on up to £50 of monthly saving.

Public Expenditure


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to launch a three-year

spending review before the summer recess; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss:

Departments have been commissioned to carry out the work necessary for a 3-year

Spending Review concluding this Autumn.

However, it will be for the new Government to decide whether the circumstances

make it appropriate to conduct a full 3-year Spending Review, or a single year

exercise.

Diana Johnson: [911689]

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the proposals announced

by the Prime Minister since 23 May 2019.

Elizabeth Truss:

The Prime Minister has made a number of announcements since 23 May, including

on modern slavery and mental health. Where announcements have additional costs

in 2019/20, they will be funded from existing departmental budgets.

Redundancy Pay: Tax Allowances

Mrs Madeleine Moon: [270318]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake a review of the tax

exemption limit for cash redundancy payments; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman:

The Government confirmed in Finance (No. 2) Act 2017 that the first £30,000 of all

termination payments remain exempt from income tax.

The UK has one of the most generous tax exemptions for termination payments in

the OECD, and around 80% of the termination awards made each year will remain

completely free from income tax. The £30,000 threshold also exceeds the maximum

statutory redundancy payment of £15,750.

The Government has no plans to change the termination payments tax exempt

threshold.




Soft Drinks: Taxation

Clive Lewis: [268572]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the projected revenue from the Soft Drinks

Industry levy is for financial year 2019-20.

Robert Jenrick:

The current forecast for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy is published in the Office for

Budget Responsibility’s March 2019 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The 2019-20

figure is currently estimated at £344m. The publication tables can be found on the

OBR’s website: https://cdn.obr.uk/Fiscal_charts_and_tables_March_2019.xlsx

Tax Avoidance

Dr Julian Lewis: [268337]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has

made of the risk of suicide among people subject to the 2019 Loan Charge.

Jesse Norman:

The Government published a report on the loan charge in March 2019. The report

was required by section 95 of Finance Act 2019, but goes wider than the review set

out in legislation, explaining the rationale for the charge and considering its impacts.

The report also provides information on how HM Revenue and Customs support

those affected by the loan charge, including the introduction of a dedicated helpline.

The report is available online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-time-limits-and-the-disguised-

remuneration-loan-charge

Taxation: Treaties


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax treaties are currently being

negotiated.

Jesse Norman:

The UK is currently actively negotiating, or will begin the first round of negotiations

this year, with 11 jurisdictions. There are a further 13 jurisdictions with which we have

begun negotiations but where progress has stalled for a variety of reasons, for

example changes of government in the other country. We also continue our work to

update the UK’s treaty network to reflect the minimum standards from the Base

Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative, which includes working with our treaty

partners to introduce the Multilateral Instrument (MLI) to implement tax treaty related

measures to prevent BEPS.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department are working

on tax treaties.



http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-time-limits-and-the-disguised-remuneration-loan-charge





Jesse Norman:

The HMRC Tax Treaty Team is responsible for negotiating treaties, as well as

providing technical and procedural advice on their implementation. The team is led by

an SCS and has one manager, five technical/policy leads responsible for negotiating

treaties and providing advice, and 5 support staff. Other officials are also involved in

specific issues related to treaties across HMRC, as well as in HM Treasury, the FCO

and other government departments.

VAT: Fraud

Faisal Rashid: [268530]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what safeguards his Department has put in

place to prevent online VAT fraud.

Jesse Norman:

The Government has led the way in tackling this complex and international problem.

A package of measures was announced at Budget 2016 to tackle abuse by overseas

businesses selling goods to UK customers through online marketplaces. This

included holding online marketplaces jointly liable for the future unpaid VAT of non-

compliant overseas businesses and the introduction of the Fulfilment House Due

Diligence Scheme which went live in April 2019. At Budget 2017 the Government

strengthened the joint and several liability rules for online marketplaces to include UK

businesses, where they either knew or should have known that an overseas business

should have been registered for VAT and required them to display a valid VAT

number where provided with one. Taken together, these measures are expected to

deliver just under £1bn by 2023.

Faisal Rashid: [268531]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC takes in responding to

complaints on online VAT fraud; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness

of HMRC's response to such complaints.

Jesse Norman:

HMRC take all complaints seriously. When complaints are received, HMRC aim to

deal with them effectively and learn from them to improve services and operations for

the benefit of all customers. HMRC have complete operational independence from

Treasury Ministers, and therefore the Chancellor of the Exchequer will not be privy to

the results of how HMRC has responded to specific complaints.



WORK AND PENSIONS

Assistance Animals


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is

taking to ensure that all those whose lives could be improved by an assistance dog have

access to one.



taking to increase the number of assistance dogs.



taking to provide financial support to voluntary organisations that find, home and train

assistance dogs.



taking to raise awareness of the work of assistance dogs.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of individuals who

have requested the help of an assistance dog have access to one.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure

that businesses and public services provide safe access for assistance dogs and their

owners.

Justin Tomlinson:

The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and

private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited

by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer

financial support or raise awareness for this sector.

As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally

collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the

numbers who have access to one.

The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically

maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific

legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.

Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable

adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service

providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for







service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available

from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-

guide-all-businesses

The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to

provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.

Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and

helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access,

quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard.

This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are

responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.

Child Benefit


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the effect of the two-child benefit limit on levels of domestic violence; and if she will make

a statement.

Will Quince:

Domestic abuse is a huge problem in our society, with a number of contributing

factors, as well as far-reaching and devastating impacts. It is an extremely complex

crime which can affect anyone and this Government takes the issue very seriously.

DWP is committed to doing all we can to support victims of domestic and economic

abuse. All work coaches undergo mandatory training in how to support vulnerable

claimants including recognising the signs of domestic abuse. By summer 2019, we

will have domestic abuse specialists in every Jobcentre.

We have also been closely engaging with key domestic abuse stakeholders on a

range of topics and we will continue to work closely with them on improving our

services, policies and support for victims of abuse.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of individuals

affected by the two-child benefit limit are in working households in (a) Wales and (b) the

UK.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children have been

affected by the two-child benefit limit in each year for which data is available.

Alok Sharma:

The Department will shortly be providing updated figures to those we published in

June 2018. This will show the number of claimants affected by the policy to provide

support for a maximum of two children as at April 2019.

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses






The full breakdown of the current statistics can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-

claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-

children-april-2018

Disability


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment her

Department has conducted on the effect of leaving the EU without a deal on people with

disabilities.

Justin Tomlinson:

No formal impact assessment has been conducted by the Department of the effect on

people with disabilities of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a

deal.

The UK has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities, and the primary legislation in the UK protecting the rights of disabled

people is the Equality Act 2010, which is domestic legislation. Neither our ratification

of the UN Convention or the Equality Act 2010 would change as a result of the UK

leaving the European Union without a deal. Furthermore, there will be no changes in

entitlement for UK nationals to disability and carers’ benefits in the UK as a result of

our exit from the EU.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Emma Hardy: [268513]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children in receipt of

disability living allowance in the Yorkshire and Humber region were required to transition

to personal independence payment upon turning 16 years of age, whilst still in full-time

education.

Justin Tomlinson:

Whilst designing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence

Payment (PIP), the Department considered the relevance of what data should be

collected and recorded to support the good management of a DLA or PIP claim. The

education status of a claimant is not relevant to a DLA or PIP claim and thus it is not

collected for the administration of either a PIP or a DLA claim.

You may be interested to know that there are published statistics available on Stat-

Xplore on the number of DLA claims in payment which can be split by region and by

age. Filtering on claimants who are aged 15 and 16 will show the number of DLA

claimants in payment who are due to be transferred to PIP. Stat-Xplore can be found

at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ :

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-

xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018






https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/


https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html



Emma Hardy: [268515]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what analysis her Department has

conducted on the psychological effect on children of transitioning at 16 years of age from

disability living allowance to personal independent payment while in full-time education.

Justin Tomlinson:

We are absolutely committed to improving the overall Personal Independence

Payment (PIP) claimant experience as this is what claimants rightly expect and

deserve. We will continue to engage with stakeholders and disabled people to deliver

further improvements where needed and are committed to ensuring that everyone

has the same opportunity to lead a full, active and independent life.

The design of PIP has always been on the basis of 16 being the appropriate lower

age-limit for claims. That has been the case since the first consultation on replacing

Disability Living Allowance with PIP took place in 2010 and through subsequent

consultations on the design of the assessment criteria and the other detailed

processes to support claims, including the needs and requirements of young people

reaching age 16 and younger adults more widely.

Employment and Support Allowance


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has

made of the proportion of claimants of employment support allowance that have a mental

illness as their primary impairment.

Justin Tomlinson:

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur


However, information on the number of Employment and Support Allowance

claimants by high level medical conditions, including Mental and Behavioural

disorders, is published here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Employment: Autism


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support

adults with Autism gain employment.

Justin Tomlinson:

The Government is committed to improving employment outcomes for people with

autism. Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability is our strategy for








helping people with disabilities or health conditions enter and remain in employment.

It includes details of several initiatives that will help support disabled people, including

people with autism, in making a successful transition to employment. For example:

• The Work and Health Programme will provide innovative support for around

275,000 people over five years. The majority of people of starting on the

programme (around 220,000) will be disabled people, including people with autism,

who can volunteer for the programme at any time.

• The Personal Support Package for people with health conditions and disabilities,

with a range of new interventions and initiatives designed to provide support that is

tailored to the individual needs of claimants, including people with autism

• Access to Work is a demand-led, discretionary grant scheme which offers advice

and in-work support to disabled people, including those with autism, above the

level of statutory reasonable adjustments. An Access to Work customer may

receive an award of up to £59,200 p.a. to pay for support to help them to enter or

retain employment. This can include help with getting to work.

• Through the Disability Confident scheme, DWP is engaging with employers,

offering online guidance and helping to promote the skills, talents and abilities of

disabled people, including people with autism and associated hidden impairments

• We are also continuing to build on local initiatives in jobcentres, to ensure that we

deliver a consistently supportive service across Jobcentre Plus. For example, as

part of Autism Awareness Week in April 2019, we introduced short “Bitesize”

Autism Awareness Learning for work coaches and promoted Calm and Quiet

Sessions in jobcentres.

Looking forward, the new Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme,

which will roll out by the end of 2019, will provide highly personalised packages of

employment support for disabled people, including those with autism, who are at

least a year away from moving into work.

Employment: Disability and Health


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers have signed

up to the Government’s voluntary reporting framework on disability, mental health and

wellbeing since it was launched in November 2018.

Justin Tomlinson:

The voluntary reporting framework was developed by the Government in partnership

with employers and expert partners to support organisations to record and voluntarily

report information on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. This

approach recognises the potential power of transparency, both for employees within

organisations and for external audiences. The Government continues to work with

employers (including the Civil Service and the NHS) and expert partners to


encourage sign up, but there is no requirement for them to notify the Government of

how they are using it.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she will make an

assessment of the potential merits of exempting care leavers under the age of 25 from

the under-occupancy penalty in the social rented sector.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of

the potential merits of extending the local housing allowance exemption for care leavers

up to the age of 25.

Will Quince:

Care leavers up to the age of 22 are exempt from the Local Housing Allowance

shared accommodation rate in the Private Rented Sector. There are no plans to

extend this exemption or to introduce an exemption for care leavers to the removal of

the spare room subsidy policy in the Social Rented Sector.

For those individuals who may require more support and whose circumstances may

make it difficult for them to share accommodation, Discretionary Housing Payments

are available.

Local Housing Allowance

Tom Brake: [270236]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to

restore local housing allowance rates to cover the cheapest third of local rents to improve

affordability for residents in receipt of that allowance who seek to live in private

accommodation.

Will Quince:

There are no plans to extend or maintain the Benefit Freeze after March 2020.

Specific decisions on how to uprate the Local Housing Allowance from April 2020 will

form part of the discussions in support of fiscal events later this year.

Migrant Workers: Qualifications


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the IPPR report

Measuring the benefits of integration: The value of tackling skills underutilisation

published 18 June 2019, what assessment her Department has made of the number of

migrants in the UK employed in positions for which they are overqualified.





Alok Sharma:

[Holding answer 24 June 2019]: The department has made no assessment of the

number of migrants in the UK employed in positions for which they are overqualified.

We are working closely with the Department for Education, Mayoral Combined

Authorities/Local Enterprise Partnerships, learning providers and employers to

develop Local Industrial Strategies and implement Skills Advisory Panels within local

areas which will help achieve a better balance between skills supply and labour

market demand in local areas.

We are building evidence to develop an understanding of what works to support

people on Universal Credit, who are working, to progress. One of the ways in which

people can progress is to consider their skills and abilities. We wish to ensure that

claimants make good decisions that are right for them, as well as understanding their

barriers and support needs. Our programme of research and testing seeks to deliver

this evidence to help us support people to reach their potential.

Pension Credit


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of

pension credits in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) Haltemprice and

Howden constituency.

Guy Opperman:

In November 2018, the number of people in receipt of Pension Credit in Great Britain,

Yorkshire and the Humber, and Haltemprice and Howden constituency, can be found

in the table below:

NUMBER OF PENSION CREDIT RECIPIENTS

Great Britain 1,642,874

Yorkshire and the Humber 148,940

Haltemprice and Howden constituency 1,788

The information is published and available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance for users is available at:







Pension Credit: Easington


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to

increase the uptake of pension credit in Easington constituency.

Guy Opperman:

The Government wants to ensure that all pensioners eligible can claim the Pension

Credit to which they are rightly entitled. We welcome and encourage initiatives to

promote take up of Pension Credit by local organisations who may often be best

placed to understand the local circumstances and needs in the community.

On a national basis, the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be

eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report

a change in their circumstances. The DWP uses a wide range of channels to

communicate information about benefits to potential customers; including information

on https://gov.uk/, in leaflets and by telephone. DWP staff in Pension Centres and

Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about

entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing

Benefit.

Potential customers can use the Pension Credit https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-

calculator to check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they

may receive. People wishing to claim Pension Credit can do so by calling 0800 99

1234.

One of the best ways to reach eligible customers is through trusted stakeholder

working in the community and we have developed the Pension Credit toolkit, as an

on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage

Pension Credit take-up. It can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit

The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes

guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to

help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help

organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for

encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability

and carers benefits.

Most recently we have provided to relevant stakeholders a fact sheet about Pension

Credit and the changes introduced on 15 May for mixed age couples to ensure that

accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek

information. In Easington there are just over 3000 pensioners already claiming

Pension Credit.


https://gov.uk/

https://gov.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator





Personal Independence Payment


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to change the

qualifying criteria for the enhanced mobility component of personal independence

payment to allow claimants with dwarfism to access specially adapted mobility vehicles.

Justin Tomlinson:

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to act as a contribution towards

the extra costs that arise as a result of a long-term health condition or disability.

Entitlement to PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health

condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself.

We consulted extensively while developing the mobility component of the

assessment, notably undertaking a second consultation exercise following feedback

that the moving around activity was difficult to understand.

We carefully considered all the responses, including the suggestions for alternative

approaches and the final consultation response was published on 21 October 2013.

The enhanced rate of the PIP Mobility component was always intended to be for

those "unable" or "virtually unable" to walk and we believe the current assessment

criteria are the best way of identifying those whose physical mobility is most limited.

Marsha De Cordova: [268616]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the

number of people that are eligible for the higher rate of personal independence payment

as a result of the changes to the personal independence payment assessment guide

issued on 17 June 2019.

Justin Tomlinson:

On 17 June 2019 the Department published an updated Personal Independence

Payment (PIP) Assessment Guide. The updates included changes to the guidance on

PIP activity 3 to reflect that help required for a special diet can constitute therapy in

certain circumstances. This is in line with the LB Upper Tribunal decision, handed

down in November 2016. The Department expects only a small number of claimants

to benefit from these changes.

The updates also included changes to give greater clarity on the duration of awards

to ensure claimants are given the right award length, and on the number of

companions at PIP assessments, as well as other minor updates.

Personal Independence Payment: County Durham


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June

2019 to Question 267733 on Personal Independence Payment: County Durham, what

key performance indicators his Department uses to monitor the processing of personal

independence payments mandatory reconsiderations.






2019 to Question 267733 on Personal Independence Payment: County Durham, if she

will make it her policy to (a) establish and (b) publish a waiting time target for processing

personal Independence payment mandatory reconsiderations.

Justin Tomlinson:

There is no target in law for processing mandatory reconsideration (MR) applications.

Decisions are made without delay, but the focus is on making sure that the decision

under dispute is thoroughly reviewed.

We are engaging with stakeholders to explore how we can improve the MR process.

We have also recently implemented a new approach in PIP which includes contacting

claimants, where appropriate, to see if there is information that would enable us to

change the decision ourselves at an earlier stage. To support this, we are investing

additional time and resource for communication, evidence gather and review, which

means that some cases can take longer. However, this approach supports our aim; to

make the right decision as early as possible so that claimants don’t need to progress

to the Appeal stage.

Introducing performance indicators - be they in relation to outcomes or the speed of

clearance - would compromise the Department’s quality-driven approach. But as

explained in my previous reply, from late May 2019 claimants have been advised that

as a guide, and to manage their expectations, that they should hear from the

Department within 10 weeks.

Refugees: Universal Credit

Afzal Khan: [270446]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether refugees resettled under

the resettlement scheme will be subject to the two-child limit for universal credit.

Alok Sharma:

Refugees resettled under resettlement schemes are able to work and have access to

some DWP benefits upon arrival.

In the same way as other claimants, they are included in the policy not to provide

extra benefit entitlements for more than two children unless those children were born

before 6 April 2017 or an exception applies.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Mr Adrian Bailey: [270259]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the recent

agreement between Royal Mail Group and the Communication Workers Union on

pension schemes, whether legislation to permit the use of Collective Defined Contribution

(CDC) pensions schemes will be introduced before the end of the current parliamentary

session.




Guy Opperman:

This Government is committed to legislating to facilitate the delivery of collective

defined contribution schemes when parliamentary time allows.

Social Fund



2019 to Question 264329 on Universal Credit, what proportion of the 0.239 million of

social fund over-payments recovered from claimants was (a) from a grant and (b) arose

before 1 April 2010.

Alok Sharma:

I can confirm that 0.38% of the £0.239m recoveries from UC were for SF Community

Care Grant and SF Maternity Grants and that 1.77% of the £0.239m recoveries from

UC were for Social Fund where the Registration Date was prior to 1 April 2010*.

Where benefit overpayments occur, the Department ensures that appropriate

safeguards are in place to protect claimants who are subject to deductions to repay

these overpayments.

*The data provided in this response has been sourced from internal management

information and was not intended for public release. It should therefore not be

compared to any other, similar data subsequently released by the Department.

Social Security Benefits: Autism


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of (a)

employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payments are (i) autistic

and (ii) have autistic spectrum disorders.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of (a)

employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payments have (a)

Autism and (b) autistic spectrum disorders in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson:

The information requested for Employment and Support Allowance is not readily

available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The latest available data on the number of Personal Independent Payment (PIP)

claims in payment split by disability for both new claims and Disability Living

Allowance reassessed claims, each month from the start of PIP in April 2013 – April

2019 can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-

xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/User-Guide.html






https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/User-Guide.html



Television: Licensing


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department plans to (a)

work and (b) share data with the BBC to determine who will qualify for free TV licences.

Guy Opperman:

DCMS and DWP officials are in regular contact regarding the BBC’s decision on the

future of the over 75’s licence fee concession. My officials have also had several

meetings with the BBC to discuss their decision and further meetings are planned.

Unemployment: Mental Illness


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the

number of people with long-term mental health conditions that have become unemployed

in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson:

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur


An estimate of the number of people with a long-term mental health condition who

leave employment each year, regardless of whether they became unemployed, is

available from the 2017 report Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and

employers, an independent review of mental health and employers by Lord Dennis

Stevenson and Paul Farmer. This report estimated that there were around 300,000

such moves in the year 2016-17 in the UK

Notes:

1. This estimate was based on quarterly estimates from the two-wave longitudinal

Labour Force Survey (LFS) between Q2 2016 and Q2 2017.

2. Each individual in the data is measured at two snapshot interviews, one quarter

apart. The estimate identifies people who were in employment in the first interview,

but not in employment in the second interview. The data does not capture any

movements before or after this quarterly period, or any short-term moves that may

have been reversed between the two snapshot interviews. It should however give a

broad measure of the degree of ‘churn’.

3. The estimate does not capture the reason each individual left employment, which

may or may not have been related to their health condition.

4. The annual estimate may double-count an individual if they have left employment

twice in the same year.

5. As this analysis is based on longitudinal survey data, the precision and accuracy of

the estimate can be affected by response errors, sampling errors and attrition bias.



6. The estimate covers people who reported the same health condition in both

quarters, and remained in the 16-64 age group.

7. Employment is defined according to National Statistics definitions, as used in the

ONS’s monthly Labour Market Overview release, in line with internationally-

agreed (ILO) guidelines.

8. A long-term health condition is defined as a physical or mental health condition or

illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more, in line with Government

Statistical Service (GSS) Harmonised Principles. This includes those who are

disabled (who report that their condition or illness reduces their ability to carry out

day-to-day activities) and those who are not disabled.

9. Mental health conditions are defined as any condition reported by survey

respondents under the categories “depression, bad nerves or anxiety” or “mental

illness, phobias, panics or other nervous disorders”. People who report a long-term

health condition but do not specify the type are excluded from this analysis.

Further details are available from the report at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving-at-work-a-review-of-mental-

health-and-employers

Universal Credit: Overpayments



2019 to Question 257458 on Universal Credit: Overpayments, how many successful

applications there were for a reduction in an overpayment repayment rate in each year

from 2013 to 2018.

Alok Sharma:

The information requested is not available.

Our systems do not hold data on the recovery rates that were applied to debts that

have either been fully repaid, or have been written off. It is therefore not possible to

give a complete figure for the total number of successful, or unsuccessful applications

for a reduction in an overpayment recovery rate.

The Department ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect

claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. If a

claimant is struggling they can contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to

discuss lowering their repayment rate. Any adjustment to the rate of repayment will

be based on the individual circumstances of the claimant.



2019 to Question 257458 on Universal Credit: Overpayments, how many overpayments

were waived in (a) full and (b) part as a result of applications made by (i) claimants and

(ii) their representatives in 2015-16.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving-at-work-a-review-of-mental-health-and-employers





Alok Sharma:

In 2015/16 there were less than 5 applications for the full waiving of a Universal

Credit overpayment and less than 5 partial waiver applications for UC overpayments.

The Department has an obligation to ensure that public funds are administered

responsibly and to abide by the principles set out in Her Majesty’s Treasury’s

guidance on Managing Public Money (which can be found on gov.uk). Waivers are

only granted in limited circumstances including where the recovery of an

overpayment is causing substantial financial and/or medical hardship and clear

supporting evidence of this is provided.

We are unable to provide a breakdown of how many applications were made by

claimants or their representatives as this information is not stored.

*The figures provided in this response have been sourced from internal management

information and were not intended for public release. They should therefore not be

compared to any other figures subsequently released by the Department. We are not

able to report exact figures that are lower than 5, therefore this has been listed as

“less than 5”.

Welfare Tax Credits



2019 to Question 264329, of the 749,000 claimants with deductions from universal credit

for non-universal credit debts, if she will provide a breakdown of the tax credit

overpayments being repaid by the year in which those overpayments first originated.

Alok Sharma:

The table below shows the amount of Tax Credit debt broken down by year. *

REG. FINANCIAL YEAR PROPORTION

2016-17 13.55%

2017-18 27.67%

2018-19 58.78%

Universal Credit is expected to lead to savings across welfare as we are able to

adjust benefit entitlement in line with changing circumstances in real time. Internal

and external data matches are increasingly helping inform benefit payments and

alerting staff to check for any undeclared changes in people’s circumstances.

When recovering benefit overpayments, the Department ensures that appropriate

safeguards are in place to protect claimants from any undue financial hardship.

*The data provided in this response has been sourced from internal management

information and was not intended for public release. It should therefore not be

compared to any other, similar data subsequently released by the Department.


WRITTEN STATEMENTS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Green Finance Strategy

Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation (Chris

Skidmore): [HCWS1682]

Today my honourable friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I are publishing

the UK Government’s first Green Finance Strategy. The UK has a proud record in

tackling climate change and protecting the environment. We were the first country in the

world to set long-term, legally binding emissions reduction targets, through the Climate

Change Act 2008. We have led the G20 in decarbonising our economy. Through our 25

Year Environment Plan, we are delivering our commitment to leave the environment in

better condition than we found it. And only last week we became the first major economy

in the world to legislate for a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2050.

Transforming our financial system for a greener future is an important part in helping us

to continue to lead the way. The financial sector has a central role to play in delivering the

investment we need to meet our environmental objectives – and the strength of that

sector means the UK is well placed to grasp the opportunities from leading in green

finance, as part of our Industrial Strategy.

The Strategy has the twin objectives of aligning private sector financial flows with clean,

environmentally sustainable and resilient growth, supported by Government action; and

strengthening the competitiveness of the UK financial sector. It is in part a response to

the independent Green Finance Taskforce that reported in 2018.

The Strategy outlines measures to: green the financial system by ensuring current and

future financial risks and opportunities from climate and environmental factors are

integrated into mainstream financial decision making, and that markets for green financial

products are robust in nature; accelerate finance to support the delivery of the UK’s

carbon targets and clean growth, resilience and environmental ambitions, through a

package of measures on energy efficiency in buildings, and through the launch of the

Green Finance Institute; and ensure that UK financial services capture the domestic and

international commercial opportunities arising from green finance.

I will place a copy of the Green Finance Strategy in the Libraries of the House

EDUCATION

Early Years Education Update

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families (Nadhim

Zahawi): [HCWS1684]

Today, I am announcing the allocation of just over £22 million for 6 6 School Nurseries

Capital Fund (SNCF) projects across the country. This investment is part of our

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-07-02/HCWS1682/


commitment to create more high quality school-based nursery provision for

disadvantaged children. These innovative projects are intended to test and evaluate

approaches aimed at closing the disadvantage gap, deepen our understanding of “what

works” and spread best practice throughout the sector.

I am also announcing the launch of a new campaign called Hungry Little Minds to

encourage parents to provide a language-rich home learning environment, which,

evidence shows, is crucial for improving early outcomes. The campaign is underpinned

by a behaviour change model published by the Government in November and follows the

ambition set last July by the Secretary of State for Education to halve in ten years the

proportion of children who finish reception year without the expected level of development

in communication, language and literacy.

These initiatives are part of our work to provide equality of opportunity for every child,

regardless of background or where they live, because we know that improving support in

the early years is the cornerstone of social mobility.

Details of today’s announcement are being sent to all SNCF applicants and a list of

successful projects will be published on GOV.UK. Copies will be placed in the House

Library. This statement has also been made in the House of Lords.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Indemnity for the inquiry into the issues raised by the Paterson case

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health, Inequalities and Suicide

Prevention (Jackie Doyle-Price): [HCWS1683]

It is normal practice, when a government department proposes to undertake a contingent

liability in excess of £300,000 for which there is not statutory authority, for the Minister

concerned to present a departmental Minute to Parliament giving particulars of the liability

created and explaining the circumstances; and to refrain from incurring the liability until

fourteen parliamentary sitting days after the issue of the statement, except in cases of

special urgency.

I have today laid a departmental Minute proposing to provide an indemnity that is

necessary in respect of a Department of Health and Social Care established non-

statutory, independent inquiry into the issues raised by the malpractice of the former

breast surgeon, Ian Paterson, in the independent sector and the NHS. The actions of Ian

Paterson have affected a significant number of patients. The disclosures about the

seriousness and extent of his malpractice are deeply and profoundly shocking. The

Inquiry reflects the Government’s commitments to ensuring lessons are learnt in the

interest of patient protection and safety, both in the independent sector and the NHS.

In 2017, the Minister of State for Health announced the establishment of the Inquiry

(HCWS323, on 7 December 2017) to be chaired by The Right Reverend Graham James,

Bishop of Norwich. This indemnity will cover the entire duration of the Inquiry’s work, from

December 2017 until when the Inquiry submits its report, now expected at the end of

2019. The indemnity will cover the Chair and all independent advisers appointed to the


Inquiry against any liability for any act done or omission made honestly and in good faith

in the execution of his or her duty as such, or in the purported execution of his or her duty

as such. The indemnity only applies to acts done or omissions made during the course of

the Inquiry. If the liability is called, provision for any payment will be sought through the

normal Supply procedure.

The Treasury has approved the proposal in principle. If, during the period of fourteen

parliamentary sitting days beginning on the date on which this Minute was laid before

Parliament, a member signifies an objection by giving notice of a Parliamentary Question

or by otherwise raising the matter in Parliament, final approval to proceed with incurring

the liability will be withheld pending an examination of the objection.

I attach a copy of the departmental Minute.

Attachments:

1. Departmental Minute [Departmental Minute - INDEMNITY FOR THE INQUIRY INTO

THE ISSUES RAISED BY THE PATERSON CASE.docx]

TREASURY

Contingencies Fund Advance

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Robert Jenrick): [HCWS1685]

HM Treasury will incur new expenditure in connection with a legal settlement in 2019-20.

Parliamentary approval for additional resources of £84,200,000 for this new expenditure

will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate for HM Treasury. Pending that approval,

urgent expenditure estimated at £84,200,000 will be met by repayable cash advances

from the Contingencies Fund.


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