Written answers

Tuesday, 17 March 2020

  • Department for Transport

    • Airports: National Policy Statements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a review of the Airports National Policy Statement.

    • Airports: National Policy Statements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2020 to Question 20541, for what reasons his Department has not yet published a review of the Airports National...

      Southampton Airport: Air Routes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with airlines on taking on routes previously served by Flybe from Southampton Airport.

      Railways: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to encourage train operating companies to establish a rail to refuge scheme for people experiencing domestic abuse.

      Railways: Uckfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2020 to Question 19978 on Railways: Uckfield, what his Department's timescale is for deciding what will replace...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line: Calvert

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation in the Oakervee Review that passive provision be made for a...

      Air Routes: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of airlines on the potential relaxation of slot allocation rules during the covid-19 pandemic.

      Bus Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding he plans to allocate from the public purse to improving bus services in the financial years (a) 2020-2021, (b) 2021-2022, (c)...

      Bus Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 11 February 2020 of £5 billion to improve bus and cycling services over the next five...

      Bus Services: Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce bus journey times in urban areas in England.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Hygiene and Protective clothing: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to ensure that supplies of (a) hand sanitiser and (b) face masks are not rapidly depleted...

    • Skilled Workers: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of women working in skilled jobs in the energy sector.

      Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to include aviation and shipping emissions in the UK’s Nationally Determined...

      Agriculture: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has made to Cabinet colleagues on the interests of British farming in relation to the...

      Music: Copyright

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the annual cost to the UK music industry of unpaid copyright payments.

      Arts: Copyright

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the gross cost to UK artists of copyright payments avoided in the UK.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2020 to Question 13562 on Politics and Government, whether he has made an assessment of...

    • Gaza: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken in relation to the shooting of civilians across the Gaza border by the Israel Defence Forces; and if he...

      Togo: Election Observers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Togo Government on the benefits of independent domestic election observation.

      Arms Trade: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the export of (a) arms and (b) crowd control devices to overseas governments that his Department has...

      Guyana: Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Guyana on the recent outbreak of violence in that country; and what...

      Owner Occupation: Brexit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to protect the rights of British property owners in the EU after the end of the transition period.

      Diplomatic Service: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen consular support for UK nationals overseas.

      Afghanistan: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the ceasefire between coalition forces and the Taliban in...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Public Appointments

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2020 to Question 25623 on Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Public Appointments, if he will place in the Library a copy of the...

    • Cabinet Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Questions 23469 and 25181 tabled on 4 March 2020 by the hon. Member for Slough.

      Revenue and Customs: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for voluntary exit payments for HMRC staff aged over 60 of the tribunal ruling in Ms J Elliot v...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Nabiximols: Multiple Sclerosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sativex for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

    • Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the pharmacy industry on increasing the use of pharmacists through the minor ailments scheme to...

      Dental Services: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing free training in practice management to encourage newly qualified...

      Cervical Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that women with a family history of cervical cancer are given cervical cancer screening...

      Coronavirus: Supermarkets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to delay the transmission of covid-19 in supermarkets.

      Eating Disorders: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives from the General Medical Council on the implementation of the...

      Eating Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what statutory responsibilities the General Medical Council has to ensure that doctors have sufficient (a) knowledge and (b) clinical...

      Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS report entitled Stepping forward to 2021, the mental health workforce plan for England, published in July 2017,...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the development of a vaccine for covid-19.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice has been issued to health visitors and community nurses visiting (a) elderly patients and (b) people with underlying health...

      Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has put in place to (a) mark and (b) support world autism awareness week between 30 March and 5 April 2020.

      Genito-urinary Medicine: Clinics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase access to sexual health clinics.

      Public Health: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to local authorities for the provision of public health services in each of the last five years.

      Sexually Transmitted Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of cases of (a) gonorrhoea and (b) syphilis.

      Social Services: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that people administering adult social care are able to identify early stage symptoms...

      Cancer: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing free dental care to cancer patients.

      Liver Diseases: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve diagnosis rates for liver disease.

      NHS Walk-in Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS GP walk-in centres there are in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

      Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 3.61 of the NHS Long-Term Plan, what steps he is taking to ensure that the next generation of treatments are...

      NHS: Ict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce NHS staff login times.

      Coronavirus: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that accessible Government advice on covid-19 is provided to people (a) who use British...

      Coronavirus: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS compliance with the Accessible Information Standard in the event that more NHS...

      Coronavirus: Intensive Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS intensive care units have (a) appropriate facilities and (b) adequate resources to help save the lives of patients worst...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what scientific advice he has received on the risk of transmission of covid-19 in public gatherings.

      Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) paramedics, (b) ambulance technicians, (c) A&E medical staff and (d) ICU and ITU medical staff have not yet received...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to protect NHS staff from infection from covid-19.

      Health Services: Cleaning Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has published on cleaning (a) GP surgeries and (b) other medical facilities after exposure to covid-19; and...

      Coronavirus: China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the most recent (a) official and (b) modelled prevalence rate of covid-19 is in (i) Hubei province and (ii) mainland China.

      Coronavirus: Tower Hamlets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of Tower Hamlets on minimising the risk of further infection from covid-19 in that borough...

      Westmorland Hospital: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to allocate funding for the improvement of services at Westmorland General Hospital.

      Hospitals: Childbirth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many births were recorded at (a) Westmorland General Hospital, (b) Lancaster Royal Infirmary and (c) Furness General Hospital in each...

      Westmorland Hospital: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what departments at Westmorland General Hospital have had service improvements in each of the last 10 years; and what those improvements were.

      Care Homes: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of the difference in the cost of care home places between people (a) who are...

      Coronavirus: Intensive Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to construct temporary intensive care facilities prior to the peak of the covid-19 infection to treat...

      NHS: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the current NHS (a) stock and (b) supply chain for medical devices required to...

      Hormone Replacement Therapy: Ellesmere Port and Neston

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that women in Ellesmere Port and Neston have adequate access to Hormone Replacement Therapy.

      Cancer: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2020 to Question 20639 on Cancer: Mental Health Services, which cancer alliances have committed to...

      NHS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the NHS People Plan.

      NHS: Oxygen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the reserves of oxygen used to treat patient’s in respiratory distress at healthcare...

  • Department for International Development

    • Gaza: Non-governmental Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2019 to Question 247112 on Gaza: Non-governmental Organisations, what assessment she has made...

    • Tuberculosis: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance her Department allocated to tackling tuberculosis in 2018-19.

      Refugees: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance her Department has allocated to supporting refugees and displaced persons in each of the last...

      Polio: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance her Department allocated to programmes tackling Polio in 2018-19.

      Humanitarian Aid: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to protect vulnerable girls and boys from (a) violence and (b) child marriage in humanitarian...

      Overseas Aid: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Integrated Review of foreign policy, defence, security and international development, announced by the Prime...

      Developing Countries: Debts Written Off

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the £150 million of Official Development Assistance to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment...

      Egypt: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Egypt Country Programme in achieving its objectives for civil society.

      Egypt: Corruption

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Action Against Corruption Programme in Egypt.

  • Department for Education

    • Human Trafficking: Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support children in care who are victims of trafficking.

    • Academic Year and Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to announce the locations that will receive funding through the Holiday Activities and Food scheme in 2020.

      Primary Education: Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Reception Baseline Assessments.

      Children: Lung Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the situation relating to covid-19, what plans his Department has to arrange for children with chronic lung conditions to be taken...

      Union Learning Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to continue to provide financial support to the Union Learning Fund beyond the end of March 2020.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 March 2020, Official Report columns 603-604, when he plans to respond to the letter he has received from Dr Jo...

      Children: Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities use the National Accreditation and Assessment Programme; and how many social workers within those local authorities have...

      Specialist Maths Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the (a) revenue of and (b) capital expenditure on specialist maths schools in each year since 2010.

      Specialist Maths Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many universities have made a commitment to sponsor a specialist maths school in each region of England.

      Mathematics: Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the grid multiplication method in maths teaching at key stage 2; and whether he...

      Apprentices: Degrees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of degree starts were degree apprenticeships in each of the last three years.

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many level 7 apprenticeship starts there were in England in the last 12 months; and what proportion of all apprenticeship starts were at level 7...

      Education: Music

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to allocate addition and (a) funding and (b) resources to the provision of music teaching in schools in (i) England and (ii) in...

      STEM Subjects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to (a) encourage the study of STEM subjects and (b) promote jobs in the energy sector in schools.

      Apprentices: Engineering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of people undertaking energy engineering apprenticeships were women in the latest period for which figures are available.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the review into support for children with special educational needs will be (a) concluded and (b) published.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 2542, what support is available to parents of children eligible for free school meals who have...

      Music: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 24 January 2020 to 7627, what plans he has to ring-fence funding in the National Plan for Music Education to provide support for...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the provision of flexible childcare services (a) in term time and (b) during school holidays in...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Post Offices: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the Criminal Case Review Commission is adequately resourced to process quickly the cases of former subpostmasters...

    • Crime: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Queen's Speech December 2019 Background Briefing Notes, what his timescale is for (a) publishing and (b) introducing a revised...

      Television: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people aged 75 or over have been prosecuted for failure to hold a TV licence in each year since 2015.

      Prison Officers: Resignations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 10 March 2020 to Question 24398, Prison Officers: Resignations, what the resignation rate for all operational prison...

      Family Conciliation Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2020 to Question 19946, what plans he has to increase legal aid pay rates for family mediation services.

      Judges: Accountability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the accountability of judges.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Department for International Trade: Quintessentially

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to paragraph 9.1 of the Crown Commercial Service's document, Publication of Central Government Tenders and Contracts, for...

    • Israel: Overseas Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps the Government has taken to support bilateral trade with Israel.

      Generalised System of Preferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she plans to maintain UK membership of the EU GSP+ Trade Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

      Import Duties

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend Section 15 of the Taxation (Cross Border Trade) Act 2018.

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman were upheld in 2019.

    • UK Shared Prosperity Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to meet representatives of third sector organisations to discuss the Shared Prosperity Fund.

      Homelessness: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of homeless deaths in (a) Chester, (b) England and (c) the UK in each year...

      Leasehold

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that permission fees and service charges are clearly explained to...

      Building Regulations and Fire Safety Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the May 2019 Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Fire Safety: Final Report, Cm9607,...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities take the necessary steps to prepare for potential covid-19...

      Travellers: Caravan Sites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Friends Families and Travellers...

      Local Government: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether additional expenditure incurred by local authorities in dealing with the covid-19 outbreak is eligible...

      Affordable Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether homes funded under the new affordable homes programme from 2021-22 will be required to include a right to...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities bordering the Solent where housebuilding is constrained by...

      Shorthold Tenancies: Pets

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, if officials from his Department will meet with (a) Cats Protection, (b) the Dogs Trust and (c) other...

      Mayors: West Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers the proposed Mayor of West Yorkshire will have.

      Council Tax: Arrears

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his his Department collects data on local authority compliance with best practice guidelines on collection of...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Centre of Excellence for Human Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the feasibility study of the Centre of Excellence for Human Security.

    • Ministry of Defence: Infrastructure and Projects Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2020 to Question 26982, for what reasons his Department does not hold information on the costs and scope of its major...

      Armed Forces: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is preparing to train service personnel to perform essential (a) public health, (b) nursing and (c) civil protection functions in...

      Committee On Arms Export Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to support the establishment of a Committee on Arms Export Controls as a full non-departmental Select Committee.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what upgrade costs have been for the Jackal light patrol vehicle in the past twelve months; and whether that figure was included in the Defence...

      Armed Forces: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to prevent the spread of covid-19 among the armed forces.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Employment: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking with the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland to ensure that no one who takes necessary public...

    • Statutory Sick Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of (a) universal credit, (b) contributory employment and support allowance and (c)...

      Shared Housing: Local Housing Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.20 on page 71 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, for what reasons the extensions of the shared accommodation rate...

      Care Leavers: Local Housing Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will provide local authorities with updated guidance on awarding discretionary housing payments for care leavers until the shared...

      Universal Credit: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the housing element of universal credit on trends in the levels of (a) homelessness, (b)...

      Jobcentres: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of staff employed in job centres that are in receipt of universal credit.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) universal credit and (b) the roll-out of that benefit.

      Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will bring forward proposals to amend Regulation B13 of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 to create an exemption for people who live...

      Prisons: Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 9 March 2020 to Question 24399, Prisons: Industrial Health and Safety, on how many occasions the Health and...

      Employment and Support Allowance: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions were made against claimants of employment and support allowance in Wales in each of the last 12 months; how many of those...

      Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to her Department is to process (a) paper and (b) oral hearings for mandatory reconsiderations for employment and...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number recipients of universal credit who have (a) taken out loans and (b) fallen into debt or arrears in...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons maternity allowance is treated as unearned income and deducted from an award of universal credit award whereas statutory...

      Maternity Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women are in receipt of maternity allowance; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of those women who are (a) an employee,...

      Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many companies in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have signed up to the voluntary reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing framework.

      Access to Work Programme: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the level of uptake of the Access to Work scheme in (a) Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency and (b) London.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Tree Planting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which body is responsible for monitoring progress against the target to plant 75,000 acres of trees per year; what progress...

    • Peat Bogs: Fires

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2020 to Question 19781 on Peat Bogs: Fires, what his timescale is for assessing the...

      Coronavirus: Waste Management

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency measures he has put in place for potential waste management workforce challenges arising from the spread of...

      Nature Conservation: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has allocated funding to the establishment of nature recovery networks.

      Animal Welfare: Trade Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's plans are on animal welfare standards in future trade deals.

  • Home Office

    • UK Border Force

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to strengthen the UK Border Force.

    • Sponsorship: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what preparations the UKVI has made to process licence applications from businesses that wish to sponsor European nationals; and what...

      Offences against Children: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of self-generated child sexual abuse images.

      Undocumented Migrants: France

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the funding allocated from the Joint Intervention Fund to each (a) programme and (b) activity in relation to the (i) Le...

      Refugees: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that children with disabilities and learning difficulties can apply to the Vulnerable Children’s...

      Counter-terrorism: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increased funding for the counter-terrorism budget.

      Drugs: Organised Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government plans to take to tackle sexual exploitation occurring as a result of county lines activity.

      Prevent Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the Independent Review of Prevent.

      European Arrest Warrants: Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of a framework similar to the European Arrest Warrant for Gibraltar after UK...

      Visas: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether UK Visas and Immigration plans to apply the automatic three month visa extension offered to Chinese nationals will be offered to all...

      British Nationality: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many citizenship applications for children have been processed in the most recent reporting period.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Cultural Heritage: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support and (b) promote the Ulster-Scots cultural heritage in communities throughout Northern Ireland.

  • Treasury

    • Gaming Machines: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much Machine Games Duty was paid by (a) individuals and (b) organisations based in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

    • Gaming Machines: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) individuals and (b) organisations based in Northern Ireland are registered to pay Machine Games Duty.

      Bingo: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much Bingo Duty was paid by (a) individuals and (b) organisations based in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

      Payroll Deduction Scheme

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that payroll loan schemes are not promoted following the recommendations of Sir Amyas Morse's review.

      Foreign Companies: Internet

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to ensure that internet-based businesses pay an adequate level of tax in the UK.

      Imports: Occupied Territories

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of goods imported to the UK from the occupied Palestinian territories was in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, and (c) 2019.

      Imports: Israel

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) proportion of goods imported to the UK from Israel that were produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied...

      Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will include in his review of business rates the criteria of (a) fairness for local businesses, (b) the long-term effect of changes to the system on...

      Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) sole traders and (b) people working in the gig economy are not adversely affected by changes to IR35 legislation.

      Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce uncertainty for (a) contractors and (b) businesses that are affected by the changes to IR35.

      Economic Situation: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK economy is prepared for the potential effect of covid-19.

      Credit: Interest Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what safeguards are in place to protect consumers from payday lenders that have gone into administration.

      Red Diesel: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to line 39, table 2.1 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, HC 121, if he will provide a sectoral breakdown of the estimated revenue increases from...

      Red Diesel

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.247 on page 63 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, what assessment his Department has made of potential effect of the removal of the...

      Pre-school Education: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether nursery schools in England with a rateable value below £51,000 will be eligible for the expanded business rate relief announced in Budget 2020.

      Lone Parents: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he will provide to in-work single parents in the event that schools close due to the covid-19 outbreak.

      Coronavirus: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Welsh Government will receive from the covid-19 response package announced in Budget 2020.

      Public Expenditure: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the Welsh economy of (a) raising and (b) removing the Welsh Government’s annual capital borrowing cap.

      Free Zones

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on proposals for freeports of the UK trading with the EU under WTO rules after the transition period.

      Cemeteries: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cemeteries are exempt from paying business rates in England.

      Revenue and Customs: Redundancy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff have left HMRC as a result of (a) voluntary exits, (b) voluntary redundancies and (c) compulsory redundancies since the start of the...

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Malvern Hills Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 290901, on Malvern Hills Trust, what plans he has to amend the...

    • Voluntary Work: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the (a) National Citizen Service and (b) NCS Trust.

      Chatterley Whitfield Colliery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) Historic England and (b) local authorities to preserve Chatterley Whitfield...

      Sports: Facilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to allocate funding from the public purse to the refurbishment of former sports centres in (a)...

      Internet: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to bring forward the Online Harms Bill.

      Government Departments: Flags

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what checks are made to identify and prevent the incorrect flying of flags on Government buildings.

      Heritage Lottery Fund: British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding access to Heritage Lottery Funding to the Overseas Territories.

      Cultural Heritage: British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department allocates any funding to maintain important sites of British heritage in the Overseas Territories.

      Football: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support for football league teams...

      Arts: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve access for children to music, film, dance and theatre.

      Data Protection: UK Relations With EU

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in his Department are working on securing a data adequacy agreement between the EU and the UK.

      Ofcom: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2020 to Question 1977, how the new statutory functions of Ofcom relating to online harms...

      Google: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many cases concerning Google have been investigated by the Irish Data Protection Commission since 25 May 2018.

      Musicians: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of EU-based musicians that have performed in the UK in each year since 2015.

      Music: Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of music tourists from EU countries that have come to the UK in each year since 2015.

      Newspaper Press: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he will meet with representatives of Hacked Off to discuss legislation changes that will ensure that all newspapers...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Employment: Disability

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make it her policy to (a) publish the names of organisations that lose employment tribunals for disability discrimination and (b)...

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Standards

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the practice of train operating companies terminating trains before they reach their advertised destinations, what steps they are taking to prevent...

    • Airports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 2 March (HL Deb, col 436), whether any future airport expansion will be conditional on all new flight...

      Global High-level Conference on Road Safety

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they were represented at the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held in February; and if so, whether they signed the Stockholm...

      Global High-level Conference on Road Safety

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to adopt the resolutions within the Stockholm Declaration on road safety arising out of the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.

      Rolling Stock: Seating

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comfort and suitability of the passenger seating in any new rolling stock (1) on Great Western intercity services, (2) on...

      London Airports: Air Routes

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the disposal of landing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick, formally owned by Flybe, will not disadvantage access to those airports from...

      Railways: North of England

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they still intend to introduce driver-controlled operation in Northern England rail services; and what will be the future role of guards.

      Roads: Capital Investment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Highways England has been successful in delivering the Road Investment Strategy; and, where such schemes supposed to be...

      Parking: Pedestrian Areas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address pavement parking.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Storms

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the practice of naming Atlantic winter storms.

    • Weather

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for weather conditions other than Atlantic winter storms to be given names.

      Hydrology: International Assistance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the World Meteorological Organization about expanding that organisation's Water Programme to include (1)...

      New Businesses: Females

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following The Alison Rose review of female entrepreneurship, published on 8 March 2019, what progress they have made in increasing the number of female...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Norfolk Island

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 February (HL1480), whether an Act of Parliament established Norfolk Island as a Territory...

  • Attorney General

    • Intestacy

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many estates of people that died (1) without known entitled relatives, and (2) without leaving a will, were referred to the Bona Vacantia Division of the...

    • Intestacy

      To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what proportion of, referrals to the Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department have come from (a) local authorities, (b)...

      National Fund

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 14 March 2019 (HL14162), what was the outcome of the Attorney General’s application to the High Court...

      Female Genital Mutilation: Prosecutions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued for decisions about prosecuting individuals in relation to female genital mutilation offences.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to purchase or manufacture, and (2) to distribute sufficient, (a) clinical respiratory face masks, (b) goggles, and (c)...

    • Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect 20 per cent of those infected with COVID-19 in the UK to require hospital treatment, as was the case in Wuhan.

      Coronavirus: China

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of statements by the World Health Organisation praising China’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

      Walking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote the benefits of walking.

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of referrals of children with mental health issues referred for treatment from (1) GPs, and (2) other health professionals, are treated through...

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 26 February (HL1565), what advice they give to local clinical commissioning groups on the support they should...

      Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are planning to take to ensure that health inequalities due to alcohol-related harm do not widen.

      Female Genital Mutilation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (2) female genital mutilation support, services exist for women with complications resulting from...

      Health Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what policies the NHS has in place for patients who require to be treated and cared for by staff of a particular sex.

      Students: Grants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether part-time students on (1) physiotherapy, and (2) other courses, will be eligible to receive the £5,000 maintenance grant each year whilst studying.

      Ambulance Services: Emergency Calls

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research undertaken by the Health Services Journal, published on 5 March, which showed the number of clinical...

      In Vitro Fertilisation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 24 October 2017 (HL1882) and by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on both 9 January 2020 (HL275) and 11...

      Antimicrobials: Drug Resistance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how the UK compares with the 27 EU Member States in efforts made to address antimicrobial resistance.

  • Department for International Development

    • Migration: Climate Change

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any link between climate change and migration.

    • Hospital Ships: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review will consider the possibility of procuring a hospital ship.

      Hospital Ships: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use the foreign aid budget to procure a hospital ship.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle COVID-19 globally.

      Developing Countries: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries they are prioritising for the distribution of aid to counter the effects of COVID-19.

  • Department for Education

    • Free School Meals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the annual spend on free school meals in each year since 2015.

    • Children: Social Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as part of the review of the children’s care system, they will work jointly with the Local Government Association, councils, and care providers, to...

      Woodworking: Apprentices

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise the woodworking and joinery sector as part of any review of apprenticeship standards.

      Woodworking: Apprentices

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to allocate additional resources for the roll-out of the apprenticeship standards in the woodworking and joinery sector.

      Woodworking: Apprentices

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much in total the woodworking and joinery sector has contributed to the apprenticeship levy fund to date; what proportion of that total has been spent on...

      Woodworking: Further Education

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with further education colleges about the delivery of practical qualifications needed to support the woodworking and joinery sector.

      Schools: Sanitation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy for schools to provide separate (1) changing rooms, and (2) toilets, for boys and girls; whether all or any of such facilities can be...

  • Department for International Trade

    • Quintessentially

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of the foreign investors introduced to the Department of International Trade by Quintessentially; and what venues were used for such introductions.

    • Food: Imports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that any future trade agreements with other countries will require that no imported food or drink may contain any asbestos which...

  • Ministry of Defence

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional cost of withdrawing benefits when claimants increase their revenues from other sources at the Income Tax rate of 20...

    • Social Security: Scotland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.

      Universal Credit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation of section 26 of the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and...

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken (1) to suspend reassessments for sickness and disability benefit, and (2) to ensure that the entitlements to existing awards are...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Air Pollution

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce air pollution.

    • Climate Change

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Gulf Stream is slowing; and whether any such slowing is having an effect on (1) the UK's climate, and (2) any...

      Sheep

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the size of the UK sheepflock.

      Dairy Farming

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the size of the UK dairy herd.

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have paid in total to farmers as direct payments.

  • Treasury

    • Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have for the criteria for allocating Official Development Assistance to be redefined.

    • Banking Competition Remedies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission an independent review into the structure and effectiveness of Banking Competition Remedies Ltd, in particular the (1) role of...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Veganism

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the 3 January ruling by Justice Robin Postle that veganism satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical belief and is therefore protected...

    • Gender Recognition: Equality

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission about amendments to its guidance on the Equality Act 2010 to help providers of...

What is this?

The parliamentary question is a great way for MPs and Peers to discover information which the government may not wish to reveal. Ministers reply via written answers, a list of which gets published daily.

We let you vote on whether or not the answer given is adequate.

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