Written answers

Wednesday, 7 October 2020

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: South East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to bring forward flexible ticketing for rail travel in (a) the South East, (b) Kent and (c) Medway.

    • Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the success of Train Operating Companies' flexible ticketing trials.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average distance is between electric vehicle fast charge points in the UK; and what the average distance is between petrol stations in the UK.

      Electric Vehicles: Romsey and Southampton North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicle fast charge points have been installed in Romsey and Southampton North constituency in the last 12 months.

      Shipping: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of a potential growth in green shipping on the UK's environmental targets ahead of COP26.

      Incontinence: Public Lavatories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who experience bowel or bladder frequency issues are recognised as requiring the ability to park next to...

      Aviation: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to support carbon-free air travel.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has responded to the letter sent to the Prime Minister on 27 August 2020 from the British Educational Travel Association; and what...

      Taxis: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Answer of 1 October 2020 to Question 96010 on Taxis: Protective Clothing, whether it is (a) his Department's or (b) another organisation's...

      Roads: Noise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2020 to Question 63308 on roads: noise, what plans his Department has for the further development and testing of...

      Roads: Noise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2020 to Question 63308 on roads: noise, what assessment his Department has made of the potential deployment of noise...

      Taxis: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish guidance for taxi drivers on how to be covid-secure.

      Large Goods Vehicles: Tachographs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits of continuing to adhere to the EU rules on working time and digital tachographs for UK lorries driving in EU...

      Ryanair: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of Ryanair on (a) continuing to fly to countries where British holidaymakers will not be admitted due...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Coronavirus: Direct Selling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has issued advice to energy companies on doorstep cold-calling during the covid-19 outbreak.

    • Government Internal Audit Agency: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what remedial steps were taken by his Department in response to the Government Internal Audit Agency rating downgrade...

      Carbon Emissions and Hydrogen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to support decarbonisation pathways; what estimate he has made of the potential extent of hydrogen...

      Companies: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of (a) the Government's criteria for COP26 sponsors that companies...

      Energy: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding is available for low-income households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

      Coronavirus: Hospitality Industry and Retail Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to encourage (a) shops and (b) hospitality businesses to measure the temperature of customers...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether a Ministerial Direction was issued by his Department on the spending incurred by Post Office Limited during its...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the (a) financial, (b) reputational and (c) strategic risks posed by the Post Office Limited’s Horizon IT...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the legal costs incurred by his Department as a result of the Post Office Ltd Horizon IT system...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the evidence from Paula Vennells to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee on...

      Marriage: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the need for sector-specific support for the wedding industry as a result of the new...

      Science: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has he made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on science and discovery centres.

      Bounce Back Loan Scheme: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to assess the (a) scale and (b) cost of potential fraud in the Bounce Back Loan scheme.

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in Bolton eligible for the emergency grants scheme for areas with...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which businesses have received loan guarantees under the (a) Bounce Back Loan Scheme, (b) Business Interruption Scheme,...

      Employee Ownership: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reform of Employee Share Ownership schemes.

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether a Ministerial Direction was ever sought by his Department's Accounting Officer on the regularity, propriety,...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether a lawyer representing his Department attended meetings of the POL GLO sub-Committee from the time of its...

      Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres on a resilience fund for...

      Business: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the EU requirement for businesses to be owned by a majority of EU-based shareholders will continue to apply to...

      Coroanvirus: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of employees who have been penalised for self-isolating as a result of concerns...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 21 September 2020 to Questions 90109 and 90110 on Coronavirus: Congleton, when he plans to provide substantive...

    • Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish, by local authority area, the number and proportion of close contacts of those who have been, or are suspected as...

      Hospitals: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many private hospitals the NHS has rented facilities from since April 2020; and what the total cost to the public purse was of those...

      Supply Chain Coordination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) progress has been made on his Department’s review of Supply Chain Coordination Limited, (b) timelines he has applied to...

      Halton Hospital and Warrington Hospital

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on providing support for new capital bids for Warrington and Halton hospital sites.

      Health Services: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to routine healthcare and dental treatment during a second wave of covid-19.

      Coronavirus: Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using the network of Nightingale hospitals as the primary treatment...

      Screening: Havering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to phlebotomy services in the London Borough of Havering.

      Ambulance Services: Emergency Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure ambulance emergency control room computer systems have effective back-ups and safeguards to prevent...

      Out-patients: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS trusts have adequate information on future funding to facilitate planning for rescheduling...

      Intensive Care: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) average stay, (b) maximum recorded stay and (c) average intensive care unit stay is for patients admitted to hospital after...

      Hospitals: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will secure additional facilities to enable Nightingale hospitals to accommodate patients that are not intubated.

      Department of Health and Social Care: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's average reply time has been for ministerial letters in each of the last five months.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 17 June 2020 from the hon. Member for Warley on his constituent Sally Taylor.

      Medical Equipment: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the Spring publication by NHS England of its MedTech Funding Mandate has not yet been published; and what the timescale...

  • Department for Education

    • Outdoor Education: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has to make an assessment of the potential timescale for allowing outdoor education residential centres to open for overnight residential...

    • Pupils: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance he has issued to schools on pupils wearing masks outside of the classroom while they are on school premises.

      Children: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age children who do not have access to appropriate IT equipment...

      Family Hubs: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department spent the funding allocated in the March 2020 Budget for family hubs on.

      Schools: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the educational attainment gap of school closures in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

      Assessments: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that schools have clear guidance on exams in summer 2021 before students have to submit applications to UCAS.

      Children: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2020 to Question 96213 on Children: Coronavirus, what contact the London regional team has had with the London...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston of (a) 9 July and (b) 14 August 2020 on outdoor...

      Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes in the way education is delivered in schools on children's (a) ability to learn, (b) mental...

      Assessments: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the summer 2021 exam series will go ahead; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of teacher...

      Outdoor Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of funding the Nature Premium on (a) levels of health inequality, (b) combating mental health...

      Children: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he taking to help children with (a) anxiety and (b) mental health issues as a result of the lockdown restrictions due to the covid-19 outbreak.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisons: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison staff have (a) been taken to and (b) required ventilation in hospital as a result of covid-19.

    • Community Rehabilitation Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Annual Report and Accounts 2019–20, published on 24 September 2020, what...

      Reoffenders: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Annual Report and Accounts 2019–20, published on 24 September 2020, what...

      Prison Officers: Resignations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Annual Report and Accounts 2019–20, published on 24 September 2020, what...

      Prison Visitors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the uptake of physical visits since those visits were restarted of prison policies on (a) contact...

      Prisons: Video Conferencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons did not have secure video calling technology being used by prisoners as of 28 September 2020.

      Reoffenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the next proven reoffending statistics release is planned to be published; and what time periods that release will cover.

      Offences against Children: Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for special measures for vulnerable witnesses to give evidence in court proceedings on child abuse cases were (a) received, (b)...

      Electronic Tagging: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any recent (a) arrangements have been entered into and (b) contracts signed to provide for electronic tagging.

      Convictions: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of convictions is given to a person aged between 18 and 24.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Trade Agreements: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what safeguards are in place to help ensure consumer confidence in food quality standards as part of future trade agreements.

    • Furs: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if the UK’s future approach to the import of fur and fur products has been discussed during her Department’s negotiations of...

      Trade and Agriculture Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when the Trade and Agriculture Commission plans to publish its preliminary report.

      Trade Agreements: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress she has made in securing a free trade agreement with the US.

      Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2020 to Question 86598, whether the 9 July 2015 air-strike on a school in Tuban was among the 310...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Overseas Aid: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press notice entitled New Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will...

    • Climate Change: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential number of people who will be (a) internally, (b)...

      Sub-Saharan Africa: Famine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of food shortages and famine in Sub-Saharan Africa on women and...

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people were employed by his Department on 1 September 2020.

      Overseas Aid: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what effect the £2.9 billion projected reduction in the Official Development Assistance budget in 2020 has...

      Education: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will set out the critieria his Department uses to define a girls' education programme.

      Overseas Aid: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any girls' education programmes have been (a) paused, (b) undergone budget reductions and (c) ceased as a...

      West Bank: Demolition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle Israel’s demolition of structures in the West Bank and resulting...

      Palestinians: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on those Palestinian children who have been held in...

      Iran: Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to seek an extension of the UN conventional arms embargo on Iran before it expires.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston of 20 August 2020,...

      Lebanon: Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on allegations that Hezbollah is producing and storing...

      Arab States: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the number of Arab League countries that have recently normalised relations with Israel.

      Palestinians: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the reported continued...

      Democratic Republic of Congo: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of reports of sexual abuse by aid workers in the...

      Non-governmental Organisations: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent sexual abuse by people employed by (a) NGOs and (b) the UN who...

      Ethiopia: Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on the recent ethnic-related violence in that country.

      China: Uighurs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recent findings by the Australian...

      China: Religious Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the reported destruction of religious shrines...

      Ethiopia: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Ethiopia.

      Sub-Saharan Africa: Famine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that food shortages and famine in Sub-Saharan Africa does not result in...

      Cameroon: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department and the diplomatic service are taking with (a) the Government of Cameroon and (b)...

      Gender: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Department for International Development's...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Ministry of Defence: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to review the Defence and Security Public Contracts Directive after the end of the Transition Period.

    • Veterans: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans have contracted covid-19 while living in Veteran specific accommodation projects.

      Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish an equalities impact assessment for the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Operations) Bill.

      International Military Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last gave written instructions to the lawyers of International Military Services.

      Iran: International Military Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when International Military Services last held negotiations with its Iranian counterparts to settle its debt to Iran.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers who enlisted in the financial year 2015-16 who were (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 at enlistment dropped out of the army before...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on improving Universal Credit Support Delivered Locally and wider partnership support in support of vulnerable...

    • Universal Credit: Overpayments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit overpayments have been caused by maladministration by her Department between April 2019 and April 2020.

      Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department carrying out face-to-face and virtual assessments during the...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on online security breaches and hacking of universal credit accounts.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to provide additional funding to ensure the adequacy of the Universal Credit Transition Fund.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of security for online universal credit journals.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with (a) the Welsh Government and (b) Welsh local authority leaders on her Department's staff being asked to (i)...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on her staff's wellbeing of being asked to return to the office during the covid-19 outbreak.

      Universal Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 24 September 2020 to Questions 91106 on Universal Credit: Coronavirus, for what reason she initially sought to...

      Foster Care: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing statutory sick pay to foster carers during the covid-19 outbreak.

      Occupational Pensions: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what sanctions are available to the Pensions Regulator in cases where an employer has consistently withheld pension contributions from an...

      Universal Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 33416 on Universal Credit: Coronavirus, what the average processing time was for a...

      Universal Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with children received the £20 per week uplift in universal credit standard allowance payments, announced by the...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether badger culling is (a) permitted to take place and (b) taking place on Forestry Commission land; and if he will make...

    • Food Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the resilience of the supply of food to (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) care homes.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to reply to the joint letter of 29 July 2020 from the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and...

      Fisheries: Quotas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to conclude the review of the licence conditions that require vessels catching quota species in UK waters to...

      Zoo Animals Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether remaining funds in the Zoo Animals Fund can be ringfenced to support zoos and aquariums that have more than 12 weeks...

      Food: Labelling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government next plans to undertake negotiations with the EU on animal health and identification marks.

      Chemicals: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64285 on chemicals: regulation, by when she plans that (a) the Health...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Video Conferencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 September...

      Wildlife: Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech to the UN General Assembly of 26 September 2020, what steps his...

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish detailed information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes proposed to function as a...

      Shipping: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what checks are made by the Marine Management Organisation when applying the economic link condition to ascertain whether 50...

      Fishing Catches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the fishing license condition issued to non-sector under 10 metre vessels affecting Cat A (91/99) and Cat...

      Environmental Land Management Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on developing his policies for the Environmental Land Management scheme.

      Seasonal Workers: Pilot Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the Seasonal Workers Pilot.

  • Home Office

    • Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she consulted public health directors in asylum dispersal areas on her recent decision to resume cessation of asylum support for...

    • Human Trafficking: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government is planning to expand Independent Child Trafficking Guardians to the local authorities that currently have none.

      Immigrants: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional support the Government will provide to people with No Recourse to Public Funds who lose their jobs during the covid-19 outbreak.

      Asylum: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any part of the asylum casework process is outsourced by her Department.

      Immigrants: Hong Kong

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is available for Hong Kong citizens seeking asylum in the UK to apply for (a) the right to remain and (b) the right to work and...

      Immigrants: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve response times to Subject Access Requests from people who have applied to have their No...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to move residents from asylum accommodation hotels into dispersal housing; and what the target timeframe is for...

      Contact Tracing: Passengers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visits to addresses given by people on Passenger Locator Forms, returning from countries that are not included in the Government's...

      UK Border Force: Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of items of post entering the UK from (a) the Netherlands and (b) other EU member states...

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vehicles have been stopped by police for producing a hazardous amount of smoke in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those...

      Seasonal Workers: Pilot Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to make a decision on whether to continue the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme under the new points-based immigration system.

      Vetting: Photographs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether photographic identification is required for a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

      Vetting: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether employers are able to refuse an employee's Disclosure and Barring Service check application if the employee does not provide...

      Vetting: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether employers are legally required to follow Disclosure and Barring Service guidance on identification.

      Computer Misuse Act 1990

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the effectiveness of the provisions of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

      Modern Slavery Act 2015

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the 2019 Independent review of the Modern Slavery Act, what plans she has to introduce penalties for non-compliance with...

      Home Office: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the Department spent on unconscious bias training in each of the last five years.

      Slavery: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure victims of modern slavery with EU or EEA nationality, living in the UK before December 31...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of the 4 September 2020 on the Warrington Peace Foundation's work supporting victims of...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • High Rise Flats: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to publish monthly updates of projected completion dates for all remaining high-rise buildings with...

    • Property Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals in the Government’s consultation on Changes...

      Biodiversity and Green Belt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals in the Government consultation on Changes to the...

      Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the proposals set out in the Planning for the Future white paper are rural...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on local infrastructure of proposals in the Planning for the...

      Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2020 to Question 81500, what equivalent evidence could be used to demonstrate to...

      Affordable Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of Section 106 commitments on the levels of affordable...

      Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2020 to Question 85101, when he plans to hold the next roundtable with mortgage...

      Local Government Finance: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring local authorities can meet the additional...

      Night Shelters: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the availability of winter night shelter provision during the covid-19 restrictions.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Civil Service: Recruitment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many applications have been made to the Civil Service Commission to make appointments in pay band 2 which...

    • Government Departments: Edinburgh

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) cost to the public purse was of refitting and (b) annual facilities budget is for Queen Elizabeth...

      UK Trade with EU

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans for the Smart Freight facility to be (a) trialled and (b) operational.

      Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have registered as users of (a) GOV.UK Verify and (b) Government Gateway identity verification...

      Bank Services: UK Trade with EU

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on negotiating the continuation of EU banking passporting rules to ensure that UK...

      Public Sector: Procurement

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that public sector procurement contracts prioritise British...

      Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on negotiating arrangements to replace the European Health Insurance Card for UK citizens...

      Coronavirus: North of England

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) North East England, (b) County Durham local authority area and (c) North West Durham...

      Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much Government funding has been allocated to covid-19 messaging for non-English speaking BAME groups...

  • Treasury

    • Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter of 3 June 2020 from the hon Member for Hull West and Hessle on the Youth Enterprise Bank and Making Changes for...

    • Job Support Scheme: Parish Councils

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will amend the Government's guidance relating to the Job Support Scheme to confirm whether parish and town councils are eligible to use that scheme...

      Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2020 to Questions 96179 and 96180, what his timescale is for publishing (a) further aggregate statistics on the data...

      Sharing Economy: Employee Ownership and Save As You Earn

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of widening the scope of eligibility for (a) Share Incentive Plans and (b) Save As You Earn schemes to...

      Digital Technology: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Digital Services Tax does not result in cost increases for the customers and selling partners of...

      Working Tax Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families with children received the £20 per week uplift in working tax credit basic element payments, announced on 20 March 2020, in (a)...

      Revenue and Customs: Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HMRC staff were allocated to Loan Charge counter-avoidance activities in (a) July, (b) August and (c) September 2020.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Events Industry: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to issue guidance on the holding of public firework display events in England during the covid-19...

    • Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the powers available to the Information Commissioner's Office to enforce its...

      Football: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling the Sports Ground Safety Authority and respective external...

      Rugby: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department is providing to professional Rugby Union teams who are experiencing financial difficulties as a...

      Cinemas: Culture Recovery Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many independent cinemas have made applications to the Cultural Recovery Fund; and how many and what proportion of those...

      Insurance: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from (a) sporting clubs, (b) theatres, (c) exhibition groups and (d) other event...

      Performing Arts, Events Industry and Sports: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what priority his Department plans to accord to supporting the recovery of (a) theatres, (b) the exhibitions sector, (c) the...

      Events Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of the live events industry to the UK economy.

      Music: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting minority language (a) artists, (b) music labels and (c)...

      Greyhounds: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage members of the betting industry to ensure the welfare of racing greyhounds.

      Performing Arts: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including people working in live music and the performing arts on the...

      Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of commissioning a longitudinal study of gambling-related harm.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to respond to the letter of 13 August 2020 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire, on subtitling on third...

      5G: Huawei

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that Huawei is removed from the UK 5G network.

      Brass Bands: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for safety of the reintroduction of large brass band rehearsals.

      Television Licences: Non-payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee.

      Zhenhua Data: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the collection of data on UK individuals and others by...

  • Prime Minister

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Heathrow Airport

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to develop a process to select a partner for a Southern Railway link to Heathrow Airport following the recommendation in...

    • Railways: Heathrow Airport

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to progress the development of a privately financed Southern Railway link to Heathrow Airport.

      Heathrow Airport

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the investment required to ensure that an increase in the number of air passenger numbers at Heathrow Airport following the...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Low Incomes: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Learning and Working Institute The impact of the coronavirus outbreak on London’s low paid workers,...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Genito-urinary Medicine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what self-care intervention sexual and reproductive health and rights services they support in the UK.

    • Protective Clothing: Retail Trade

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether retail workers have to wear facemasks in the shops in which they are employed; and if not, why not.

      Hygiene: Standards

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to review their guidance on hand sanitisers, and (2) to adopt the British Standards Institution kitemark for hand sanitiser.

      Protective Clothing: Standards

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they check the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that is supplied to local resilience forums for quality prior to dispatch; and what (1) standards,...

      Walking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of campaigns to encourage people to walk more.

      Social Services: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide social care professionals with legal training and information on COVID-19 emergency measures.

      Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of stress-related illness and suicide amongst Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff working for the NHS (1)...

      Care Homes: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the residents and staff of every care home in England to receive regular testing for COVID-19.

      NHS: Recruitment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to fill staff vacancies in the NHS; and from where they expect to recruit such staff (1) now, and (2) in the future.

      Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to cooperate with the European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee from 1 January 2021; whether this cooperation...

      Gynaecology: Medical Treatments

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee's recommendation to revoke the marketing...

      Lithium

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their relationship with the European Medicines Authority on the time taken to find a new manufacturer for the drug...

      Care Homes: Mortality Rates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Care Quality Commission discloses mortality rates for individual care homes.

      Vaccination: Children

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what analysis the Department of Health and Social Care has made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the take-up of routine childhood vaccinations.

      Cancer: Death

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to give the same, or higher priority, to deaths resulting from cancer as those related to COVID-19.

      Vaccination: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the COVID-19 pandemic on existing immunisation targets.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the timely identification of lessons to be learnt from their approach to the COVID-19 pandemic which do not assign blame...

      Cancer: Health Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that cancer survival rates are not adversely impacted by the cancellation or delay in cancer screening, diagnostic testing, and...

      Coronavirus: Legislation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date and at what time the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (North East of England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/1010) (1) were laid before...

      Care Homes: Inspections

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Care Quality Commission staff are required to undertake a COVID-19 test before entering a care home to inspect it.

      Coronavirus: Wales

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times people resident in England have been sent to testing centres in Wales for COVID-19 tests because of inadequate capacity in England.

      Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to formally recognise people experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19, and (2) to expand research into the condition.

      Coronavirus: Travel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of compliance with the quarantine periods for international arrivals.

      Lithium

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that, following its acquisition by a Swiss private equity firm, Essential Pharma has increased the price of one of its...

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to license rapid saliva-based COVID-19 test kits for public...

      World Health Organization

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reassess the UK’s relationship with the World Health Organization after the COVID-19 pandemic.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by  the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 10 September (HC Deb, col 803) stating that people travel an average of 6.4...

      Skin Diseases: Hygiene

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of their guidance on hand sanitiser for people who cannot use alcohol-based hand rubs due (1) to eczema, (2) to...

      Hospitals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of spare capacity between 1 April and 1 September in hospitals operated by the Independent Healthcare Providers Network under their...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Gaza: Water

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 September (HL7733), what assessment they have made of the impact of bombing by the Israel...

    • Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe: Public Appointments

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the vacant leadership positions at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on the...

      Nagorno-karabakh: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that the government of Turkey has sent mercenaries to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, what discussions they have had with that government, either...

      Nagorno-karabakh: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; and what representations they are making, and to whom, in response.

      Nagorno-karabakh: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Azerbaijan about the alleged bombardment of civilian targets in Nagorno-Karabakh;...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Armed Forces personnel are currently isolating due to COVID-19.

    • Armed Forces: Training

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of recruits to the Armed Forces who take sick leave return to complete their training.

      Belarus: Military Exercises

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks associated with any increase in (1) the duration, (2) the proximity, and (3) the intensity, of military exercising...

      Defence: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many advance payments have been made to defence contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic by (1) total value, and (2) number of recipients.

  • Home Office

    • Visas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many visas have been granted in 2020; and of those, how many were visas for (1) work, (2) family, and (3) study.

    • Licensed Premises: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the Licensing Act 2003 to allow local authorities to take action against premises that are not complying with COVID-19...

      British Nationality

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards arranging for the report into citizenship removal resulting in statelessness over the three-year period to 29 July 2018 that...

      European Arrest Warrants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, how many UK citizens have been extradited from the UK under the European Arrest Warrant; how long, on average, those citizens spend in custody...

      Asylum: Employment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Lift the Ban coalition Lift the Ban: Why giving people seeking asylum the right to work is common sense, published on 30 July, what...

      Immigration: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of e-mails received by the Home Office Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre in August were answered within the usual reply period of five working days.

  • Treasury

    • Public Expenditure: Rural Areas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what requirements have been placed on departments by Her Manesty's Treasury to ‘rural proof’ their submissions to the 2020 Comprehensive Spending...

    • H2O Asset Management

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they, or the Financial Conduct Authority, have reviewed (1) the accuracy, and (2) the regulatory completeness, of the statements issued by H2O Asset...

      Hospitality Industry: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to compensate pubs, restaurants and bars for any revenue lost as a result of the introduction of a 10pm closing time.

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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