Written answers

Wednesday, 20 January 2021

  • Department for Transport

    • South Western Railway: Catering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with South Western Railways on the provision of catering services following the operator’s decision to terminate its...

    • Train Operating Companies: Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the (a) payment of a management fee to a train operating company and (b) payment of a permitted dividend by the operator to its parent company...

      Railways: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) environmental and (b) economic benefits to (i) passengers and (ii) taxpayers of taking a whole life asset...

      Driving Tests: Administrative Delays

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce the backlog of driving tests due to covid-19 public health restrictions.

      Bus Services: Staffordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to bus services in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

      Transport: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to decarbonise the transport network.

      Roads: Dudley North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his department is taking to (a) improve road safety for pedestrians and (b) tackle pavement parking in Dudley North constituency.

      Specialised Committee on Road Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Specialised Committee on Road Transport is planned to meet.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Military Aircraft: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has contracted (a) C-17 and (b) other heavy-lift transport aircraft under the NATO Airlift Management Programme in the last 24 months.

    • Mali: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will deploy Royal Air Force assets to provide military air cover for troops taking part in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

      Military Aid: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2021 to Question 134251 on Military Aid: Coronavirus, what tasks members of the armed forces deployed to the NHS...

      Military Aid: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2021 to Question 134251 on Military Aid: Coronavirus, what specific tasks members of the armed forces deployed to...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Iron and Steel: UK Trade with EU

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Northern Ireland protocol, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK steel companies...

    • Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether town and parish councils can apply directly to the On-Street Residential Chargepoint scheme or whether an...

      Additional Restrictions Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to businesses affected by the covid-19...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the number of covid-19 financial support applications made to local...

      Pay: Ethnic Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on ethnicity pay reporting, which closed on 11...

      Public Houses: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of easing regulations to allows pubs to temporarily trade as...

      Construction: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the 2011 amendments to the Housing Grants, Construction...

      Construction: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure prompt and fair payments for small businesses and sub-contractors in the...

      Hospitality Industry and Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps with his Cabinet colleagues to develop a road map to support the trading of the hospitality and...

      Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a Hospitality and Tourism Recovery Fund to help support...

      Green Homes Grant Scheme: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 outbreak and national lockdowns on the length of the Green Homes...

      Events Industry and Hospitality Industry: Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of potential job losses in the events and hospitality industry in 2021.

      Parental Leave: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the fieldwork and other research that will form the basis for the Government’s evaluation of the Shared...

      Mothers and Pregnancy: Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to implement the Government’s July 2019 commitment to establish a taskforce of employer and family...

      Green Homes Grant Scheme: Leicestershire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of take up of the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme in (a) Leicestershire and...

      Retail Trade: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it Government policy to close click and collect services as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

      Construction: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Government's coronavirus taskforce on the (a) potential merits of ceasing all work...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Business: Northern Ireland

      What steps his Department is taking to help Northern Ireland businesses adjust to the new trading arrangements with the EU.

    • Question

      What recent discussions he has had with devolved Administrations on the December 2020 Northern Ireland Protocol agreement with the EU.

      Terrorism: Northern Ireland

      What progress he has made on bringing forward legislative proposals on dealing with legacy issues in Northern Ireland.

      Borders: Northern Ireland

      What recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol on Northern Ireland's economy.

      Question

      What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential opportunities for Northern Ireland at COP26.

      Business: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment his Department has had made of the adequacy of the economic support available for Northern Irish businesses during the...

      Terrorism: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to address the legacy of the Troubles and protect veterans who served in...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will update its guidance on covid-19 vaccine prioritisation to specify when young carers will receive the covid-19 vaccine.

    • Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to prioritise young carers who look after a clinically extremely vulnerable person for the covid-19 vaccine.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all (a) policy information and (b) guidance on covid-19 in accessible formats at the time of implementation.

      Social Services: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people aged over 65 are paying £100,000 and above for someone’s care.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 22 September 2020 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay and follow up...

      Health Services: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to develop the NHS budget in the Northern Powerhouse to (a) increase prosperity, (b) tackle mental health...

      Out of Area Treatment: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who is responsible for the transport home of (a) residents of England treated in hospitals in Scotland and (b) residents of Scotland...

      Coronavirus: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to reopen the Nightingale hospital in Birmingham for patients with covid-19.

      Palliative Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what number and proportion of NHS hospitals provide face-to-face palliative care seven days a week.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to test staff employed at designated covid-19 testing stations to ensure that they are not carrying the virus.

      Coronavirus: Staffordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support Staffordshire County Council to tackle the rapid rise in demand for local testing for covid-19 in...

      Eating Disorders: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take in response to the finding of the Health Survey for England 2019 that 16 per cent of adults aged...

      Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown on the commitments set out in...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a child who is the joint custody of two households can be collected from household one and transported to household two by...

      Contact Tracing: Computer Software

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to extend access to the NHS covid-19 to Apple iPhone and Android phones that do not support iOS 13.5 or Android 6.0...

      Coronavirus: Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he is having with NHS leadership on occupational health support for (a) NHS and (b) outsourced staff working in...

      Lead: Poisoning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include information on (a) lead poisoning and (b) checking houses for lead to expectant mothers in their pregnancy pack.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) public bodies and (b) companies are carrying out covid-19 tests on behalf of the Government; and what the (a) sensitivity, (b)...

      Mental Health Services: Charities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the additional funding allocated to mental health charities in response to the covid-19 outbreak has been used to provide...

      Coronavirus: Outdoor Recreation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting (a) golf clubs, (b) tennis clubs and (c) other outdoor sports...

      Care Homes: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people caught covid-19 in care homes since September 2020; and how many and what proportion of those people died from covid-19...

      Coronavirus: Sutton Coldfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that everyone on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation priority list is able...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, where domiciliary carers sit on the priority list for covid-19 vaccination.

      Coronavirus: Kent

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pharmacies in (a) Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (b) Kent and Medway CCG area have been commissioned to administer...

      Coronavirus: Funerals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received advice from SAGE on an increased risk of covid-19 infection for people working in the funeral sector handling the...

      Care Homes: Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help facilitate visits to care homes during the covid-19 outbreak.

      Palliative Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS clinical commissioning group areas provide (a) admissions seven days a week to specialist palliative care beds and (b)...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has published on shielding for people who are classified as (a) clinically vulnerable and (b) extremely...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the total number of people per 100,000 of the population who have received a covid-19 vaccination, by UK region.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of including unpaid carers for individuals classed as clinically...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support community pharmacies (a) in Brighton and Hove and (b) nationally with the roll-out of covid-19...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the priority given to frontline social workers as part of the covid-19 vaccination programme.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, within what time frame people will receive their second dose of the covid-19 vaccination.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the priority given to frontline charity workers working with (a) people with learning...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department is putting in place to provide covid-19 vaccinations to (a) hospice staff and (b) hospice volunteers.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to GP surgeries on ensuring that housebound (a) elderly and (b) vulnerable people are able to...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the priority given to dentists and clinical support staff, as part of the covid-19...

      Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 103615, tabled on 14 October 2020 by the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon.

      Department of Health And Social Care: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Named Day Question 128093, tabled on 15 December 2020 by the hon Member for East Londonderry.

  • Department for Education

    • Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what checks are in place to ensure that private companies contracted to supply food parcels as part of the free school meals scheme comply with the...

    • Educational Institutions: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Christmas 2020 holidays for students in schools and universities by one week to...

      Free School Meals: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will seek to recoup monies paid to private catering firms for the provision of food parcels to disadvantaged young people in the event that the...

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to monitor Chartwell UK's progress in delivering the free school meals programme.

      Children's Social Care Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the forthcoming review of children’s social care in England.

      Pre-school Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the provision of emergency funding to the early years and nursery sector to cover (a) the...

      Free School Meals: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish details of the tendering process for the provision of food parcels to children eligible for free school meals who are learning at...

      Children's Social Care Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the terms of reference are of the Children’s Social Care Review.

      Children: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that Qualified Teachers of Visual Impairment are not deployed away from their core role of providing specialist...

      Free School Meals: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support provided to pupils entitled to (a) benefits-related free school meals and (b) universal infant...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what Government support is being provided to ensure that children with special educational needs can access (a) specialist playgrounds and (b) play...

      Special Educational Needs: Remote Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that all children with SEND are able to access education remotely which meets their needs.

      Children: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to monitor access to essential assistive technology for children with vision impairments to use when learning remotely.

      Free School Meals: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the standard of food parcels issued to families with children eligible for free school...

      Children: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to increase provision of (a) brailed, (b) large print materials and (c) other essential alternative learning formats for...

      Children: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure Qualified Teachers of Vision Impairment are able to safely provide face-to-face support to children with vision...

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of to what extent the interest payable on student loans is a potential barrier to Muslim students.

      Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications of the findings of Ofsted’s report, COVID-19 series: briefing on early years, November 2020, for...

      Schools: Coronavirus

      What assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 lockdown on (a) the attainment gap and (b) children’s mental health and wellbeing.

      Erasmus+ Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date the Government decided not to pursue membership of the Erasmus Scheme as part of the UK's future relationship with the EU.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Five Wells Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the agreement of the G4S board to a £3.8bn takeover bid from Allied Universal, what assessment he has made of (a) the ability of...

    • Prisoners' Transfers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been transferred (a) between prisons and (b) from prison to court in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

      Prisons: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of covid-19 infection in prisons.

      Driving under Influence: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to increase to life imprisonment the maximum penalty for people who cause death by dangerous driving and death by careless...

      Television Licences: Non-payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average number of people how many people prosecuted for non-payment of the TV licence fee who do not enter a plea.

      Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hearings have taken place (a) physically, and (b) virtually in court in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

  • Treasury

    • Children: Day Care

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what security measures his Department has put in place to secure funds that members of the public have deposited in tax-free childcare accounts.

    • Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been actively pursued for payment of the Loan Charge (a) in each lockdown period and (b) overall since the beginning of the covid-19...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many reports he has received of deposited funds not appearing in tax-free childcare accounts; whether those incidents have been resolved; and what...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the options available to a customer whose funds have gone missing after deposit into their tax-free childcare...

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on the adequacy of the level of Government financial support provided in response to...

      Welsh Government

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government.

      Students: Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on providing a rebate to students renting private rented accommodation but not...

      Students: Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to provide financial assistance to students in private rented accomodation who are unable to pay their rent as a result of the covid-19...

      Bank Services: Internet

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to improve online banking security.

      UK Trade with EU: Non-tariff Barriers

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the economic effect of non-tariff barriers on levels of trade between the UK and the EU.

      Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Mortgages

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of receipt of support from the Self Employment Income Support Scheme on recipients' ability to get a mortgage;...

      Lendy: Insolvency

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on its investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse of firms with...

      Pool Re

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue is received by the Exchequer from underwriting the insurance of Pool Re.

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the fairness of differential settlement terms being offered by HMRC to people affected by the loan charge with (a) open...

      Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Pregnancy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to (a) reports of pregnant women being unlawfully sent home on statutory sick pay or unpaid leave during the covid-19 lockdown announced in...

      Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of jobs supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

      VAT: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions has he had with HMRC on not categorising VAT repayments made by businesses under the VAT deferment scheme as a debt.

      Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect in Dudley North on confidence among high street businesses and shoppers of extending business rates...

      VAT: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to instruct HMRC to cancel VAT repayments owed by businesses under the VAT deferral scheme.

      Stamp Duty Land Tax: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend stamp duty holiday period beyond 31 March 2021 to protect employment in the property industry.

      Self-employed: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support his Department is providing in response to the covid-19 outbreak to self-employed people who do not have a business premises.

      Tax Avoidance: West Midlands

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands are (i) subject to the Loan Charge or (ii) have settled to avoid it.

      NHS: National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to prevent temporary NHS staff being charged employer National Insurance Contributions by umbrella recruitment companies.

      Aerospace Industry and Aviation: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has for sector-specific support for the aviation and aerospace industries to offset the effect on them of national lockdowns and...

      Small Businesses: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support is available to owners of small businesses which are legally permitted to remain open during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown but are closed...

      Child Benefit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of households where total earnings are over £50,000 but where each member of the household earns less than...

      Duty Free Allowances: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September 2020 to Question 906670 on Duty Free Allowances: Northern Ireland, what guidance was issued, on what date that...

      Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to publicly funded workers who are not critical workers but cannot work from home where the worker...

      UK Trade with EU: France

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of current practice by French customs authorities requiring (a) UK Export Declaration...

      Off-payroll Working

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has received any representations on delaying the introduction of IR35 from April 2021.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Business: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress UK embassies and consulates are making in securing international business co-operation on tackling...

    • Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the Human Rights Watch 2020 Annual Report's finding that (a) human...

      Bahrain: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa on 22 October 2020,...

      Zuhair Ashoor

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the status of Sheikh Zuhair Ashoor who has been...

      Hong Kong: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK's reputation (a) for defending democracy and...

      China: Embassies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the planning dispute between Belfast City Council and the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of...

      Iran: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Iran’s recent announcement of the...

      Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department recognises Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe as a hostage of Iran as per the terms of the Taking of...

      Yemen: Food Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the US Government designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group on...

  • Scotland Office

    • Business: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment his Department has had made of the adequacy of the economic support available for Scottish businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

    • Climate Change Convention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the business opportunities for Scotland arising from COP26.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Kickstart Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people have (a) applied for and (b) started a Kickstart scheme placement in (i) Nottingham, (ii) East Midlands and (iii) the UK.

    • Employment Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many youth hubs have been opened to date; and in which (a) regions and (b) nations of the UK those youth hubs are based.

      Universal Credit: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people submitted a Subject Access Request to obtain additional personal information held on universal credit IT systems in January 2020.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants were subject to a deduction; and what the average sum deducted was in (a) South Shields and (b) the UK, in...

      Covid Winter Grant Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme available to local authorities in England has been allocated to (a) people in need...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) not been assessed for Employment and Support Allowance and are close to reaching the 365 day limit, (b) been placed...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to enable claimants who are almost at the 365 day limit for Employment and Support Allowance to continue to receive...

      Kickstart Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason companies have been limited to employ one Kickstart member of staff per three existing employees.

      Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria of the benefit cap grace period.

      Kickstart Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2020 to Question 122760 on the Kickstart scheme, how many organisations in each region have applied to...

      Kickstart Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Kickstart scheme on supported internships.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2020 to Question 96942, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of security...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the disparity in the level of private pension deductions from universal...

      Food Banks: Yorkshire and the Humber

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many food banks there were in Yorkshire and the Humber region in (a) 2010 and (b) 2020.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2020 to Question 116496, on Universal Credit: Coronavirus, what the revised timeframe is for the...

      Cold Weather Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending cold weather payments to cover all UK postcodes.

      Universal Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of suspending in-work conditionality requirements for universal credit recipients as a...

      Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all applicants for personal independence payment, whose assessments are currently telephone-based, are offered the option of recorded...

      Social Security Benefits: Canada

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has responded to the Canadian Government’s request for a reciprocal social security arrangement covering uprating; and if...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Supermarkets: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the covid-19 security practices of supermarkets compared with the first lockdown; and what...

    • Fisheries: Barents Sea and Norway

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure that UK fishing can restart in (a) the Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone and (b)...

      Fruit and Vegetables: Horticulture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what Government (a) grant and (b) loan assistance is available to people wishing to expand capacity of vegetable and fruit...

      Fisheries: Territorial Waters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ban supertrawlers from fishing in UK waters to help protect fish stocks and the marine environment.

      Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect marine conservation areas from illegal fishing by large trawlers.

      Sugar Beet: Neonicotinoids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the process for taking the decision to approve an emergency authorisation of neonicotinoid thiamethoxam for the...

      Dogs: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of dogs entering the UK from Russia.

      Food: Charities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the £16 million announced for food charities on 8 May 2020 has been allocated to frontline food aid...

      Fisheries: Iceland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure that UK fishing can restart in the Icelandic Exclusive Economic Zone; and what the...

      Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban supertrawlers from Marine Protected Areas.

      Pesticides: Reviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to enable the independent review of emergency authorisations of pesticide use following the...

      Fisheries: Norway

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plan does the Government has to ensure that UK fishing can restart in the Svalbard Exclusive Economic Zone; and what...

      Fishing Vessels: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support people to acquire second hand fishing vessels from abroad or new vessels from UK yards to...

      Fisheries: Greenland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure that UK fishing can restart in the Greenland Exclusive Economic Zone; and what the...

  • Home Office

    • Metropolitan Police: Racial Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to investigate allegations of institutional racism in the Metropolitan police.

    • Visas: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what effect the accidental loss of 150,000 arrest records has had on visa processing.

      Schengen Agreement: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to request access to the Schengen Information System SIS II.

      Visas: Performing Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from the music, cultural and performing industries on an EU-wide permit for touring...

      NHS: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the eligibility criteria for Adult Dependent Relative visas on...

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to issue EU nationals living in the UK under the EU settlement scheme with physical proof of their settled status.

      Asylum: Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that asylum seekers at Penally Camp can register and receive primary care and GP services free of charge;...

      Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to speed up the processing of applications for asylum.

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria the Government will use to determine financial support for leaseholders affected by ACM cladding.

    • Shared Ownership: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help people with shared ownership of a property who are unable to dispose of the property...

      Building Safety Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether state aid forms are still required from leaseholders in respect of applications to the Building Safety Fund...

      Evictions: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will amend the The Public Health (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction) (England) Regulations 2021 to restore...

      Housing: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of capacity in the building industry to replace unsafe cladding and...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2021 to Question 133882 on planning permission, which planning applications the...

      Regional Planning and Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the contribution of 5 October 2020 of the Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local...

      Business Premises: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to introduce legislative proposals to further protect commercial tenants unable to trade...

      Local Government: Meetings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councils will continue meeting remotely after May 2021.

      Local Government Finance: Leicestershire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much Rural Services Delivery Grant funding he has allocated to Leicestershire in (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020;...

      Leasehold

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on leasehold reform.

      Homelessness: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2021 to Question 130094, how many and what proportion of the 29,000 people housed...

      Homelessness: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many of the 23,000 people supported into longer-term accommodation through the Everyone In scheme were in each (a)...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Elections: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2021 to Question 134490, for what reasons the answer to the Question did...

    • Local Government: Elections

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to (a) allocate additional funding and (b) take other additional steps to...

      Civil Service: Select Committees

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) policy, (b) administrative and (c) advisory support the civil service provides to select committees.

      Elections: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to introduce fully digital postal vote applications in time for the May 2021 local...

      Blood: Contamination

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2020 to Question 85069, what the timeframe is for establishing a...

      Iron and Steel: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking in response to GB exports of steel to NI being subject to EU safeguards.

      UK-EU Partnership Council

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Trade Partnership Council and Trade Partnership Committee is planned to meet.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Arms Trade: Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK arms sold to Colombia are not being used against the civilian population.

    • Overseas Trade: Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps she has taken to improve trade with African countries.

      Imports: VAT

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with HMRC to simplify the application of VAT charges on imported goods.

      Iron and Steel: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to secure an exemption for UK steel exports from the US 232 tariffs.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will extend the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond 31 March 2021.

    • Travel Agents: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the provision of financial support for online travel...

      Creative Europe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on establishing an alternative to Creative Europe.

      Musicians: Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2021 to Question 135862 on Musicians: Visas, whether the EU offered visa arrangements...

  • Department for Transport

    • Travel: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit travel into the UK to those who have had a negative COVID-19 test.

    • Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of electric charging points for vehicles in England.

      Biofuels

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the availability of biodiesel made from used cooking oil for vehicles in England.

      Tolls: Greater London

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Greater London Authority about the potential impact on business of proposals to extend the congestion charging zone; and...

      Driving Licences: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 13 January (HL11904), what advice they have provided to people whose driving licences expire in...

      Driving Licences: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make driving licence renewal forms available by post to vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Internet

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the website webchat services provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of closing the (1) telephone helpline, and (2) online advisory support service, of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Green Homes Grant Scheme

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) applications have been made to, and (2) vouchers issued under, the Green Homes Grant scheme; what is the total value of any such (a) applications, and...

    • Small Businesses: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer financial assistance to the owners of small businesses that are required to close as a result of restrictions put in place to...

      Consumer Goods: Electrical Safety

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Office of Product Safety and Standards intends to address the sale on online marketplaces of unsafe electrical goods.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Retail Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the impact of reported stock shortages at food and other retail outlets in Northern Ireland, following the...

    • Business: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the operation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and its impact on commercial and retail businesses since 1 January.

      UK Government-Northern Ireland Executive Joint Board

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the United Kingdom Government–Northern Ireland Executive Joint Board last met; and what was discussed.

      Northern Ireland Parliament: Anniversaries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to mark the centenary of the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

      Ports: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial resources are being made available to the Northern Ireland Executive to erect border inspection posts at ports in Northern Ireland.

  • Department for Education

    • Remote Education: WiFi

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children and young people have been provided with free WiFi to enable virtual working from home.

    • Turing Scheme: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether students in Northern Ireland will have access to the Turing scheme.

      Turing Scheme: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of the replacement of the Erasmus+ Scheme with the Turing scheme; and what plans they have...

      Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the evidence on which they based their decision to allow early years settings to remain open while all other education settings have...

      Schools: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) advice, and (2) additional support, (a) special schools, and (b) alternative provision settings, will receive to enable them to stay open safely for those...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Nigeria: Genocide

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Genocide Watch Nigeria is a Killing Field of Defenseless Christians, published on 13 April 2020, which states that...

    • Nigeria: Genocide

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about reported killings of Christians in that country; and when any such representations were...

      Libya: Foreign Relations

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs last met the Ambassador of the State of Libya to the UK; and when the Foreign...

      Iran: USA

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the government of the United States' sanctions against Iran in their discussions about Iran returning to the...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports of the use of (1) force, and (2) firearms, by Israel Defence Force soldiers on...

      Eritrea: Armed Forces

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Eritrean soldiers are stealing religious artefacts from churches in Tigray.

      Developing Countries: Health Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 28 January 2020 (HL435), whether funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights provided...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Lighting: Pollution Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of excess CO2 created as a result of light pollution.

    • Lighting: Pollution Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of light pollution on wildlife and the environment.

      Lighting: Pollution Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what policies exist to encourage local authorities and other public bodies to reduce light pollution levels.

      Lighting: Pollution Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce levels of light pollution; and if so, how they intend to do so.

      Birds: Pest Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to publicise the changed conditions of GL40 licences to kill or take certain wild birds to conserve wild birds and to conserve flora and...

      Water Companies: Standards

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an annual league table to assess the performance of water companies in addressing water leaks and wastage.

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Community Housing Fund

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of potential new build homes that are dependent on the Community Housing Fund.

    • Community Housing Fund

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of the Community Housing Fund.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Dover Port: Government Assistance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 5 January (HL11614), whether they have (1) received any further requests for funding from Port of Dover...

    • Borders: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the arrangements contained in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland constitute a regulatory border in the Irish Sea.

  • Treasury

    • Financial Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to the economy of shadow banking.

    • EU Budget: Contributions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total UK net public sector contribution to the (1) European Economic Community, and (2) EU, budget since the accession of the UK to the European...

      Corporation Tax

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK-registered companies have failed to submit corporation tax returns to HMRC in the last five years.

      Capital Gains Tax: Tax Allowances

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have estimated how much additional tax revenue would be raised by abolishing the Capital Gains tax-free allowance; and if so, how much...

      Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employers have been prosecuted for their failure to comply with regulations relating to the National Minimum Wage in each of the last five years; and what...

      Bank Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that bank customers can check continuous payment authorisations with ease to help prevent (1) fraud, and (2) unwanted payment.

      Money Laundering

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate further resources to monitor incidents of money laundering associated with trade finance involving (1) misleading invoices, (2)...

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Football: Ethnic Groups

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the English Football League about the impact of the ‘Rooney Rule’ on the racial diversity of...

What is this?

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

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

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