Written answers

Thursday, 19 March 2020

  • Department for Transport

    • Bus Services: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure equal access to concessionary bus passes throughout the country.

    • Belfast City Airport: Air Routes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the collapse of Flybe, what steps he is taking to ensure that available slots between London area airports and Belfast are not...

      Lakes Railway Line: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to electrify the Lakes Line between Oxenholme and Windermere.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line: Oxenholme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce a stop for High Speed Two at Oxenholme station.

      Railways: Harassment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect train conductors from abuse and harassment in their work environment.

      Roads: Don Valley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 1.132 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, how much funding will local authorities in Don Valley receive to repair potholes.

      Railway Stations: Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train stations will (a) become step-free and (b) acquire an accessible toilet changing place through Access for All funding.

      Shipping: Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2020 to Question 25091, on Shipping: Apprentices, how many (a) deck, (b) engine and (c) catering rating apprentice...

      Shipping: Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2020 to Question 25091, on Shipping: Apprentices, what the number of maritime apprentice starts was in 2018-19; and...

      Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to electrify the Midland Mainline from London to Leicester.

      Rail Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2020 to Question 19851 on the Rail Review, on what date the Williams Rail Review was delivered to his...

      Bus Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2020 to Question 19852 on bus services, what external persons and bodies he (a) has met with and (b) plans to...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what effect the Court of Appeal judgment of 27 February 2020 on Heathrow expansion and the need to take into account climate change goals has on the...

      A47: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatalities, (b) serious injuries and (c) minor injuries there were as a result of road traffic accidents on (i) dualled and (ii)...

      Ports: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to help reduce disruption to British ports as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

      Dore and Totley Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his department's expected timescale is for work to (a) start and (b) be completed on restoration of the second platform at Dore & Totley...

      Roads: Shrewsbury

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to allocate funding to Shropshire council to begin the planning phase and construction of the north west relief road.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to increase employment in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the...

    • British Petroleum: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of BP's plans to become net zero by 2050; and if he will make it his...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to mitigate the effect of covid-19 on business supply chains.

      Heating: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the progress of each sector of the economy on the...

      Heating: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to publish a cross-departmental strategy on the decarbonisation of heat supply before COP 26.

      Employment: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to hold meetings with (a) employer organisations and (b) trade unions on a strategy to...

      Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many homes the Government plans to upgrade to EPC Band C by 2030; and whether the Government has targets for such...

      Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 1.220 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, how much and what proportion of the funding for science...

      *No heading*

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for renewable sources of energy.

      Small Businesses: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what compensation he plans to make available to small businesses for loss of revenue as a result of covid-19; and if he...

      Insurance Companies: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the insurance sector on extending compensation for individuals affected by...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much has been paid from the public purse to individual sub-postmasters since the group litigation settlement on the...

      Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Question 27583, what his Department's timescale is for launching of the Low...

      Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Question 27583, on Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund: Wales, what...

      Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund: Scottish Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Question 27583 on Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund: Wales, whether his...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the development of a three-year strategy on preventing sexual violence in conflict.

    • Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) monitoring, (b) analysis, (c) storing and (d) sharing of information in relation to...

      Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to publish a report with accompanying evidence on the (a) work and (b) outcomes of the Preventing...

      Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to reschedule the postponed conference on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.

      Religious Freedom: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to enable NGOs to improve the (a) identification, (b) recording and (c) monitoring of hidden incidents...

      Religious Freedom: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support overseas security forces in improving their protection of women from religious minority...

      Religious Freedom: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to (a) strengthen existing and (b) develop new training programmes to help women from religious minority...

      China: Journalism:

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affair, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China 2019 survey findings on...

      Malaysia: Corruption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Malaysian counterpart on the continuation of anti-corruption measures in that country.

      Commonwealth: Foreign Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to develop and strengthen relations between the UK and its Commonwealth allies.

      Commonwealth: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to co-ordinate with Commonwealth Governments a response to the covid-19 outbreak.

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the testimonies of Israeli army snipers reported in the Ha’aretz newspaper on 6 March 2020, what...

      China: Muslims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Amnesty International's report entitled China: Uyghurs living abroad tell of campaign of intimidation,...

      China: Uighurs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the treatment of Uyghur Muslims; and what assessment he...

      Travel Information: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) travel advice and (b) recourse to funds his Department is providing to people who've booked travel and accommodation...

      Taliban: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2020 to Question 25069, what involvement he had in the peace negotiations with the Taliban.

      Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is appropriate transparency, scrutiny and accountability of the...

      El Salvador: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations has he made to the government of El Salvador on the occupation of that country's parliament...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional resources have been allocated to minimising the risk of further infection from covid-19 in (a) Tower Hamlets and (b) the UK.

    • Coronavirus: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will ensure that informative videos on covid-19 are provided with (a) British Sign Language interpretation and (b)...

      Coronavirus: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will ensure that public health information provided by (a) Ministers and (b) the Chief Medical Officer is delivered...

      Flour: Folic Acid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on listed traditional heritage windmills of proposals for the mandatory fortification...

      Coronavirus: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral statement on Coronavirus, 3 March 2020, Official Report, column 771, what steps he is taking to support people...

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that people with symptoms of covid-19 are tested quickly.

      Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that pharmacies have adequate supplies of the PPV23 vaccine.

      5G: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policies of the petition presented to the Prime Minister in January 2020 by the...

      Babies: Carbon Monoxide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) unborn children and (b) infants from carbon monoxide poisoning.

      NHS: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Home Secretary on removing immigration restrictions on non-resident health and care workers to...

      Hospitals: Sutton Coldfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting times for hospital appointments for mental health patients in Sutton...

      Encephalitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of encephalitis there has been in the UK in the last five years.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the statement by the Chief Medical Officer on 9 March 2020 that, The risk is that if we go too early people will...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) the Government’s modelling of the delay to and reduction in the peak of the UK covid-19 outbreak (i) most...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government’s modelling estimates the average likelihood is of a UK resident catching covid-19 in the next seven days; and...

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will introduce covid-19 testing for front line NHS and emergency service workers when they show symptoms for covid-19.

      Coronavirus: Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure (a) people living with cancer and (b) other vulnerable people can continue to receive care and support in...

      Coronavirus: Sickle Cell Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of covid-19 on people with sickle cell trait; and if he will make a statement.

  • Department for International Development

    • Maldives: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to allocate aid to the Maldives to support policy in relation to (a) rising sea levels and (b) human displacement.

    • Overseas Aid: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what processes her Department uses to monitor the content of teacher training programmes funded by Official Development Assistance.

      Developing Countries: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in which month her Department plans to publish its health systems strengthening position paper.

  • Department for Education

    • Food Technology: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the provision of cooking classes in schools to ensure that all pupils are taught cookery until the end of key stage 3.

    • School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to (a) increase the take-up of school meals and (b) improve compliance with school food standards.

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage more young people to take up apprenticeships.

      Children: Exploitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the establishment of a support programme for families with children at risk of...

      Schools: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that vulnerable people, in the event that they are advised to self-isolate are not penalised if they have to remove...

      Sex and Relationship Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to review sex and relationships education in schools and academies to ensure it includes age-appropriate guidance on online pornography.

      Educational Visits: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure (a) schools and (b) families are reimbursed for school trips cancelled as a result of covid-19.

      Foreign Students: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his department is taking to support international students with (a) accommodation, (b) visas, (c) financial hardship and (c) access to...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisons: Pepper Spray

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times has PAVA been deployed in each prison in each of the last 12 months.

    • Prisons: Restraint Techniques

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times have rigid handcuffs been used in each prison in each of the last 12 months.

      Reading Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce the preferred bidder in relation to the sale of Reading Prison.

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which officials of his Department sit on his Department's Complex Cases Review Team.

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money has been disbursed from the public public purse in compensation by his Department's Complex Cases Review Team in the last 12 months.

      Debt Collection: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to introduce a body to oversee the regulation of the bailiff industry.

      Prisons: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to redeploy prison staff to cover front-line prison services during the covid-19 outbreak.

      Courts: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of court closures in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

      Evictions: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support he plans to provide to people who are served with eviction notices to ensure that due process is followed and they have access to justice...

      Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the viability of releasing low-risk prisoners to ease overcrowding during the covid-19 outbreak.

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • High Rise Flats: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of whether the decision in Budget 2020 to increase funding for cladding remediation is...

    • High Rise Flats: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who was the Accounting Officer for his Department when the decision to include an additional £1 billion for...

      Sleeping Rough: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the covid-19 pandemic, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) support and (b) protection for people...

      Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with private landlords on a rent holiday in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

      Temporary Accommodation: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the responsibility to provide temporary accommodation...

      Help to Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what policy decisions were set out in Budget 2020 in relation to Help to Buy.

      Private Rented Housing: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Age UK's publication entitled Home Truths, published January 2020, what plans he has to support...

      Homelessness: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the resources required by local authorities to (a) identify street homeless people at...

      UK Shared Prosperity Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it remains the Government's policy to undertake a public consultation on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

      Local Government: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Local Government Act 1972 to allow...

      Government Assistance: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for funding to be allocated from the Hardship Fund announced in Budget 2020 in response to the...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Reserve Forces and Cadets Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to retain (a) regional committees and (b) a national council of volunteers in overall control of the Reserve Forces' and...

    • Reserve Forces and Cadets Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages his Department has identified in the application of the principle of voluntarism to Reserve Forces' and...

      Reserve Forces and Cadets Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the value of (a) independence from Government and (b) interaction with communities to the operation of Reserve Forces'...

      Reserve Forces and Cadets Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the role of Lord Lieutenants as presidents of regional Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations in raising their (a)...

      VE Day: Anniversaries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department plans to provide for veterans with mobility issues to help them attend VE day celebrations in 2020.

      Nuclear Weapons: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to commemorate the armed services personnel who supported the UK's nuclear weapons testing programme.

      Armed Forces: Driving

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make and estimate of the number of qualified Armed Forces drivers based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas his Department could make available to...

      Military Decorations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will introduce a National Defence Medal.

      Iraq: Military Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason 1st Battalion Irish Guards have a continued presence at Fort Tagi in Iraq.

      Ministry of Defence: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of services provided under contracts outsourced by his Department.

      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 26984, for what reason none of his Department's major projects has been categorised as green by the...

      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 26984, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the status of each major project not categorised as...

      Ministry of Defence: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian posts in his Department have been vacant in each month of each year from January 2018 to December 2019; and if he will make a statement.

      Defence: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements his Department has put in place for auditing the cyber security capability of defence contractors; and if he will make a statement.

      Military Aid: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what circumstances would the armed forces be deployed to assist public services in dealing with the covid-19 outbreak.

      Military Aid: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of deploying the armed forces to assist with the effective running of public services during the...

      Military Aid: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants at the Ministry of Defence on the deployment of armed forces during the covid-19...

      Ministry of Defence: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money from the public purse his Department has spent on contracted companies charging management fees to sub-contracted companies where both...

      Hyde Park Barracks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March to Question 21165, whether his Department has plans to sell land within Hyde Park Barracks in the next five years.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times her Department has used its discretionary waiver in respect of universal credit overpayments as a result of Departmental error...

    • Government Departments: Sign Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of all Government announcements of public importance being accompanied by a...

      Women against State Pension Inequality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will meet with the WASPI campaign group once the Court of Appeal proceedings are over.

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people who claimed support for childcare through universal credit in the last 12 months also applied for (a)...

      Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) advice and (b) guidance her Department is providing to claimants of social security benefits on the administration of those (i)...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Questions 27006, 27012, and 27014, on Department for Work and Pensions: Disability, whether the...

      Private Rented Housing: Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to tackle housing advertisements which specify No DSS tenants.

      Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to mitigate the risk of delays in processing new applications for (a) personal independence payment and (b)...

      Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to monitor the accuracy of desk-based benefit assessments.

      Statutory Sick Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Budget 2020 did not implement the recommendation of the Taylor Review to extend statutory sick pay to include those earning...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what methods his Department will use to contact people receiving legacy benefits as part of the managed migration to universal credit.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the additional staff time required for administering managed migration from legacy benefits to...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that universal credit claims received as part of managed migration are processed within the month-long...

      Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to postpone (a) employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payment assessments during the...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the British Horseracing Authority on that organisation's consultation on the rules...

    • Businesses: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support the Government will provide to businesses that sell wet wood and coal following the announcement of a ban on...

      Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many holdings in 2019 in each county in England were subject to interferon gamma testing for bovine tuberculosis after...

      Agricultural Products: Dumping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential for dumping of agricultural products onto the UK market following the...

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of halting future farm payments to farms which operate caged systems.

      Flood Control: Reading

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for carrying out flood prevention work at the River Thames in Reading.

      Agricultural Products: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) agricultural trades unions and (b) his counterparts in the Welsh Government on...

      Agriculture: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to issue guidance on minimum qualifying annual pay for EU nationals seeking permits to work in the...

      Agriculture: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that an adequate number of work permits is issued to cover the demand for workers in the...

      Flood Control: River Severn

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made with (a) Shropshire council and (b) the River Severn Partnership in discussions on funding...

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on animal sentience.

  • Home Office

    • Seasonal Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the ability of local workers to fill vacancies for seasonal employment in the (a) tourism and...

    • Public Houses and Service Industries: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the ability of (a) pubs and (b) the hospitality industry to recruit adequate numbers of workers...

      Entry Clearances: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with a multiple entry visa are not penalised for overstaying in the UK in the...

      Asylum: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's target is for issuing ASPEN cards; and what recent assessment her Department has made of performance against those targets.

      Migrant Help: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time spent is (a) waiting to get through to and (b) on hold on a telephone call to Migrant Help.

      Domestic Abuse: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that (a) frontline practitioners and (b) public bodies adopting the definition of domestic...

      Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time spent is to process (a) s95, (b) s4 and (c) s96 asylum support applications from application to receipt of support.

      Migrant Help: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is from receipt of correspondence by Migrant Help to replying to the sender since the introduction of the new...

      Migrant Help: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to increase staffing levels for the Migrant Help phone line.

      Asylum: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been wrongly removed to their country of origin after having their asylum claims refused while Appeal Rights Exhausted...

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of removing service standards from asylum claims on the time taken to conclude those claims...

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to continue to allocate funding to organisations that support vulnerable EU nationals to apply to the EU...

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to publish data on numbers of people that convert from pre-settled status to settled status under the EU...

      British Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations into deprivation of citizenship are currently being undertaken by her Department.

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that staff on the MP Enquiry line have access to the EU Settlement Scheme database.

  • Wales Office

    • Local Growth Deals: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on funding for the proposed growth deals for Wales.

  • Scotland Office

    • Sovereignty: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to publish a response to the report entitled, Scotland’s Right to Choose: Putting Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Blood: Contamination

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the payment of compensation to people in Northern Ireland affected by the...

    • Females: Coronavirus

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the effect of covid-19 on women's (a) financial security, (b) ability to work and (c) mental health has been discussed at recent COBRA meetings.

  • Treasury

    • Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to provide financial assistance to people still affected by the 2019 Loan Charge.

    • UK trade with EU: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that a potential EU carbon border tax is taken into account in negotiations on a free trade agreement between the UK and...

      Emergency Services: Vehicles

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of provisions of the Finance Act 2017 due to be implemented in 2020 on potential additional costs for...

      Off-payroll Working

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to IR35 legislation on contractors' ability to secure work.

      Wines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with UK-based winemakers on (a) importing and (b) making wines from non-UK grapes after the transition period.

      Public Expenditure: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.161 on page 50 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, if he will publish details of the derivation of the extra £640 million to...

      Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.240 on page 62 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, what the timescales are for the allocation of funds from the CCS Infrastructure...

      Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference paragraph 1.240 on page 62 of the 2020 Budget Red Book, what criteria will be used to select a carbon capture and storage cluster for...

      Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.240 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, HC 121, for what reason only one carbon capture and storage cluster is planned to be...

      Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.240 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, what the timescale is for determining the revenue stream funding model from consumer subsidies.

      Regional Planning and Development: South West

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he received on providing £2 million of seed funding for the Great South West initiative.

      Mortgages: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure banks offer flexibility in meeting monthly mortgage repayments to households whose finances may be disrupted...

      Prisons: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much additional funding has been allocated to the (a) Welsh Government and (b) other public bodies in Wales in response to the covid-19 outbreak to...

      Small Businesses: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to offer small business a payment holiday or longer term repayment scheme for VAT contributions during the covid-19 outbreak.

      Debts: Dudley

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help people in Dudley with problem debt.

      Public Expenditure: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the £360 million Barnett allocation for Wales arising from Budget 2020 was calculated.

      Public Expenditure: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequential payment will be to Wales arising from the £3,000 grant to be made available to English businesses as part of the...

      Leave: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he plans to make available for employees who are requested or required to take unpaid leave as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

      Third Sector: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he plans to provide to charities and civil society organisations to ensure their (a) effectiveness and (b) solvency during the...

      Employee Ownership

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to protect participants in employee share ownership schemes from losing the tax relief they would otherwise be entitled to where a...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to ensure that insurance companies accept covid-19 as a legitimate claim for businesses when as a result of the recent...

      Alternative Fuels: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there will be a Barnett consequential to the Welsh Government from the Green Gas Levy.

      Climate Change Levy: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his department has made of the potential merits of devolving the Climate Change Levy to the Welsh Government.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Charities: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the financial resilience of service delivery charities in the (a) delay and...

    • National Lottery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding was not allocated (a) to and (b) from the National Lottery distribution funds in each of the last 20 years.

      Internet: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle websites which host images of rape or victims of trafficking.

      BBC: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, whether he plans to provide emergency funding to the BBC to ensure that it can...

      Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Ministerial Responsibility

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish his Department's Ministerial responsibilities.

      Third Sector: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with civil society organisations on the effect of covid-19 on their (a) financial stability and...

  • Leader of the House

    • Divisions: Coronavirus

      To ask the Leader of the House, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using alternative voting methods in the House of Commons during the covid-19 outbreak.

  • Prime Minister

    • Sign Language: Television

      To ask the Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the merits of providing British Sign Language during live televised statements.

  • Department for Transport

    • Motor Vehicles: Sales

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 26 February (HL1555), when they intend to consult on bringing forward the ending of the sale of...

  • Leader of the House of Lords

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Aerospace Industry: Research

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money in total they gave to the aerospace industry for research and development in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, and (4) 2018.

    • Manufacturing Industries: Research

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money in total was proposed for British manufacturing's research and development in 2019; and how much they estimate to provide in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for production of a standardised formula for assessing vehicular carbon footprint in manufacture to produce a reliable...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Spain: Holiday Accommodation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Spain about ensuring that adequate safety standards are maintained in Spanish hotels and similar...

    • Immunity from Prosecution: Heads of State

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the immunities given to heads of states from crimes committed in the UK.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Coronavirus: Mortality Rates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of mortality from COVID-19 amongst smokers.

    • Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the COVID-19 outbreak, what plans they have to relax the rules on the length of time between when a member of NHS staff retires and when they can join a...

      Doctors: Refugees

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doctors who were refugees have been registered with the General Medical Council in each of the last three years.

      NHS: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which NHS organisations are subject to legal directions; and what in each case is the predicted deficit for the current financial year.

      Health Services: Older People

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to use virtual reality therapy to treat older people advised to have limited social interaction due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

      European Reference Networks

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of European Reference Networks in relation to access to medical health expertise, following the United Kingdom’s...

  • Department for International Development

    • Developing Countries: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to protect the safety of (1) UK health workers, and (2) in-country frontline healthworkers in developing countries, following the...

    • Gaza: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on the population of Gaza.

      Palestinians: Textbooks

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of school books published by the Palestinian Authority containing incitement to hatred and violence.

      Females: Discrimination

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Development Programme's Gender Social Norms Index, published on 5 March, in particular of the high percentage of...

  • Department for Education

    • Children: Social Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report commissioned by the Local Government Association Profit making and risk in independent children's social care...

    • Training

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to employers to upskill all workers.

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 6 November 2018 (HL10959), whether they are now in a position to ensure that higher education...

      Further Education: Mergers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate local college mergers which (1) are in the interests of learners, (2) build financial resilience, and (3) ensure...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Homelessness

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of their strategy to address homelessness between January 2019 and January 2020.

    • Buildings: Demolition

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their policy of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, what plans they have to instruct local authorities to refuse planning applications for demolition...

      Sewers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 9 March (HL1921), whether a housing development is allowed to proceed before...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Fisheries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure good terms for UK fishermen at the end of the EU withdrawal transition period.

    • Timber

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the amount of timber imported annually; and what plans they have to enable England to become a net exporter of timber.

  • Home Office

    • Police: Recruitment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of police recruitment during the last 12 months.

    • Antisocial Behaviour

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce new powers for police forces to tackle anti-social behaviour.

      Hate Crime: Gender

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy concerning the recording of incidents involving the protected characteristic of sex under the Equality Act 2010 as hate crimes.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Ombudsman

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the ombudsman system.

    • Priti Patel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a report at the conclusion of their inquiry into allegations of bullying by the Home Secretary.

      UK Trade with EU: Wales

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the current negotiations for a UK/EU trade deal.

  • Treasury

    • Bank Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken by the banking sector to meet the needs of vulnerable customers.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Film

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to promote British films.

    • Television: Licensing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people over 75 years old who will be confined to their homes due to COVID-19; and, in the light of that assessment,...

      Arts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many firms in the creative industry sector formerly based in the UK have relocated to the EU in (1) 2016–18, (2) 2019, and (3) since 31 January 2020.

      4G: Rural Areas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement about the delivery of 4G mobile signal to 95 per cent of the country on 25 October 2019, how many full 'not-spot' communities in...

      Data Processing: Public Sector

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so, when, they will lay before Parliament the Framework for Data Processing by Government document, as provided for in section 191 of the Data...

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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