Daily Report Monday, 18 March 2019 CONTENTS · 3/18/2019 · Daily Report Monday, 18 March 2019 This report shows written answers and statements provided on 18 March 2019 and the

Daily Report Monday, 18 March 2019

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 18 March 2019 and the

information is correct at the time of publication (06:35 P.M., 18 March 2019). For the latest

information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements,

please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/

CONTENTS

ANSWERS 5

ATTORNEY GENERAL 5

Crown Prosecution Service:

Expenditure 5

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 5

Agency Workers: EU Law 5

Competition and Markets

Authority 6

Construction: Finance 6

Electricity Interconnectors:

Planning Permission 6

Energy: EU Law 8

Offshore Industry and

Shipping: Minimum Wage 8

Wind Power: North Sea 8

CABINET OFFICE 9

Brexit 9

Civil Service: Redundancy Pay 9

Civil Service: Stress 10

Crime 11

Government Digital Service:

Disability 11

Government Digital Service:

Training 12

Influenza: Death 12

Knives: Crime 12

DEFENCE 12

Armed Forces: Housing 12

Armed Forces: Weather 13

NATO 13

RAF Menwith Hill 14

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid 14

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND

SPORT 15

Broadband: Rural Areas 15

Charities: Finance 16

Department for Digital,

Culture, Media and Sport:

Chief Scientific Advisers 16

Department for Digital,

Culture, Media and Sport:

Public Consultation 17

Electronic Commerce: EU Law 17

Garden Bridge Trust 17

Radicalism 18

Telecoms Supply Chain

Review 18

Tourism 18

EDUCATION 19

Arts: Teachers 19

Children in Care: Missing

People 20

Children: Social Services 21

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

Department for Education:


Education and Skills Funding

Agency: Applications 22

Education: Standards 22

English Language:

Immigration 23

Pre-school Education:

Children in Care 23

Pupils: Sanitary Protection 23

Schools: Finance 24

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND

RURAL AFFAIRS 24

Animal Welfare Act 2006 24

Coastal Areas: Sea Level 25

Litter: Fines 25

Livestock: Exports 26

Livestock: Transport 26

National Parks Authorities:

Finance 26

Organic Farming 27

Pet Travel Scheme 28

Solid Fuels: Heating 28

Wood-burning Stoves 29

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 29

Commonwealth: LGBT People 29

Confucius Institutes 29

Educational Institutions 30

Farouk Hamadalla 31

Foreign and Commonwealth

Office: Buildings 31

Journalism: Safety 32

Saudi Arabia: Prisons 32

South Sudan: Sexual Offences 33

Turkey: Elections 33

Turkey: Politics and

Government 33

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 34

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance 34

Barbeques: Health Hazards 34

Cancer: Health Services 35

Diabetes: Pregnancy 35

Eating Disorders 35

Health Services: Reciprocal

Arrangements 36

Health: Students 36

Immigrants: Detainees 37

Mental Health Services:

Veterans 38

Mental Illness: Gambling 38

NHS: Redundancy Pay 38

Tomography: Procurement 38

HOME OFFICE 40

Construction: Undocumented

Workers 40

Council of Europe Convention

on Preventing and Combating

Violence against Women and

Domestic Violence 40

Deportation: Zimbabwe 41

Detention Centres 42

Detention Centres: Training 42

Firearms and Knives: Crime 43

Forced Labour: Construction 43

Home Office: Public

Consultation 44

Immigration: Construction 44

Immigration: EU Nationals 45

Knives: Crime 45

Metropolitan Police: Finance 46

Migrant Workers: Self-

employed 47

Police 47

Police: Finance 47

Radicalism: Young People 48

Refugees: Housing 49

Road Traffic Offences:

Prosecutions 49

UK Visas and Immigration:

Training 50

Visas: Pakistan 50

Young Offenders 50

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 51

Birds: Conservation 51

Buildings: Insulation 51

Empty Property 52

First Time Buyers 53

Funerals 53

Housing Revenue Accounts 53

Housing: Standards 54

Local Government:

Redundancy Pay 54

Planning Permission: Urban

Areas 54

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 55

Department for International

Development: Brexit 55

Developing Countries:

Education 57

Land Mines: Bomb Disposal 57

Tanzania: Refugees 58

Yemen: Migration 58

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 59

Arms Trade: Exports 59

Department for International

Trade: Chief Scientific

Advisers 59

Motor Vehicles: Import Duties 59

Trade Agreements 60

Trade Agreements: Israel 60

Trade Agreements: NHS 62

Trade Agreements: Public

Sector 62

UK Trade in Numbers 62

JUSTICE 63

Courts: Closures 63

Crown Courts: ICT 63

Legal Aid Scheme 63

Ministry of Justice: Chief

Scientific Advisers 66

Probation: Private Sector 66

Women's Centres: Greater

London 66

TRANSPORT 67

Airports: Scotland 67

Department for Transport:

Carbon Budgets 68

Department for Transport:


Driving: Diabetes 68

Motorways 69

Road Traffic Offences:

Motorways 69

Roads: Accidents 70

Rolling Stock: Procurement 70

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions 71

Train Operating Companies:

Standards 72

Transport 72

TREASURY 73

British Business Bank 73

Business: West Midlands 74

European Bioinformatics

Institute: Finance 74

Joint European Torus: Finance 75

Local Growth Deals:

Borderlands 75

Marine Protected Areas:

Ascension Island 75

Optical Fibres: Non-domestic

Rates 76

PAYE 76

Pupils: Sanitary Protection 76

Research: Finance 76

Social Services: Children 77

Treasury: Chief Scientific

Advisers 77

WALES 78

Trade Unions: Wales 78

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES 78

Down's Syndrome 78

Government Equalities Office:

Procurement 78

Sexual Harassment 78

WORK AND PENSIONS 79

Department for Work and

Pensions: Chief Scientific

Advisers 79

Jobseeker's Allowance:

Bradford East 79

Personal Independence

Payment 79

Social Security Benefits:

Appeals 89


Bradford East 90


Medical Examinations 94

Social Security Benefits: West

Yorkshire 95

State Retirement Pensions 96

Universal Credit 97

Universal Credit: Disability 98

Universal Credit: Refugees 99

MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS 100

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 100

European Research Council:

British Nationals Abroad 100

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 100

Foreign and Commonwealth

Office: Private Education 100

WRITTEN STATEMENTS 101

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 101

High Streets update 101

WORK AND PENSIONS 101

Collective Defined Contribution

Pension Schemes 101

Notes:

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

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

oral question and has since been unstarred.

ANSWERS

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: Expenditure

Steve McCabe: [231891]

To ask the Attorney General, what the change has been in the level of funding allocated

to the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 2009.

Robert Buckland:

The change in the level of funding allocated to the Crown Prosecution Service in

each year since 2009 has been as follows:

CPS FUNDING

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018*

£m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m £m

Total

CPS

funding

648 689.2 642.9 591.15 562.6 551.6 508.55 488.19 498.6 528

Change

in

funding

-0.4 41.2 -46.3 -51.75 -28.55 -11 -43.05 -20.36 10.41 29.4

%

change

0% 6% -7% -8% -5% -2% -8% -4% 2% 6%

* Accounts not yet subject to audit

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Agency Workers: EU Law

Stephanie Peacock: [231538]

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

his oral contribution of 6 March 2019, Official Report, column 994, on the Swedish

derogation, what representations he has received on the timing of the abolition of the

Swedish derogation; and when he plans to respond to those representations.

Kelly Tolhurst:

[Holding answer 15 March 2019]: The Government is committed to upgrading

workers’ rights as we leave the EU, not reduce them. The Good Work Plan

represents a large part of this commitment and is the biggest upgrade in a

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-03-13/231891


generation. The Department regularly engages with stakeholders on the reforms

announced in the Good Work Plan. Secondary legislation repealing the Swedish

Derogation was laid on 17 December 2018 and approved by the House of Commons’

Seventh Delegated Legislation Committee on 6 March 2019. Subject to approval from

the House of Lords, all agency workers will be entitled to the same pay as permanent

staff after 12 weeks in an assignment from 6 April 2020. This will allow time for

businesses to realign their contractual arrangements, both with their workers and the

end hirers.

Competition and Markets Authority

Gill Furniss: [231536]

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

Department plans to take to respond to Lord Tyrie's recommendations on the future role

of the Competition and Markets Authority; and what the timetable is for the

implementation of that response.

Kelly Tolhurst:

[Holding answer 15 March 2019]: The Government will consult on these proposals in

due course.

Construction: Finance

Chi Onwurah: [232010]

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

Construction Sector Deal funding will be disbursed; and how he plans to assess the effect

of that funding on that sector.

Richard Harrington:

As part of the Construction Sector Deal, £170m has been allocated through the

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, to support three sets of activity, Firstly, £72m for

a Construction Innovation Hub, which will develop and commercialise digital and

offsite manufacturing technologies. Secondly, £36m for an Active Building Centre

which seeks to integrate innovative energy generation and storage technologies into

buildings. Finally, £59m will be disbursed to a number of university led research and

industry led R&D projects, through a series of competitions. The approach to

evaluating the Programme funding is being developed. However, we will be

publishing an update on the implementation of the Construction Sector Deal later this

year.

Electricity Interconnectors: Planning Permission

Stephen Morgan: [230919]

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

assessment he has made of the effect of the decision-making authority of Planning

Inspectorate for the development of the AQUIND interconnector on the effectiveness of

local democracy.




Claire Perry:

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State, rather than The Planning Inspectorate, is

the decision-maker for applications for consent for nationally significant infrastructure

projects under the Planning Act 2008.

On 30 July 2018, he directed that the AQUIND interconnector should be treated as a

nationally significant infrastructure project.

The processes for assessing such projects under the Planning Act are designed to

allow the full participation of both local communities and relevant local authorities.

Local authorities have a very important role in the process. They are encouraged to

discuss and work through the issues raised by proposals with prospective applicants

well before the application is submitted, and to engage with applicants in the

preparation of statements of common ground.

Local authorities will also be asked to consider the prospective applicant’s proposals

for consultation with the local community and then comment upon the quality of that

consultation.

During the examination of the application, there will be further opportunities for local

authorities, local people and any other parties with an interest in the project to make

representations.

Relevant local authorities will also be invited to submit a local impact report giving

details of the likely impact of the proposed development on the authority’s area.

In coming to a decision, the Secretary of State must have regard to any local impact

reports that are submitted.

Stephen Morgan: [230920]

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

evidential basis was for the decision to provide the Planning Inspectorate with decision-

making powers for the development of the AQUIND interconnector.

Claire Perry:

The reasons why my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State issued a direction under

S35 of the Planning Act 2008 in respect of the AQUIND interconnector are set out in

the notice of that direction dated 30 July 2018 which is published on The Planning

Inspectorate’s website - https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-

content/ipc/uploads/projects/EN020022/EN020022-000013-

Section%2035%20Direction%20notice%20AQUIND%20Interconnector_30July2018.p

df

The Secretary of State would be the decision-maker on any application for consent

for the AQUIND interconnector made in accordance with that direction, following the

examination of the application by The Planning Inspectorate.


Energy: EU Law

Alan Brown: [231524]

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

the Answers of 12 March 2019 to Question 229808 and Question 229809 on Energy: EU

Law, whether Ofgem's licensing mechanisms to recover costs for a new REMIT system

require energy suppliers to pay increased fees to Ofgem.

Claire Perry:

In the event that domestic REMIT reporting systems are required, Ofgem will

consider the costs relative to the operational benefit, to ensure that the systems

represent value for money. Where costs are incurred it is correct that this may lead to

an increase in licencing fees. Costs will be shared by all licenced entities, not just

suppliers.

Offshore Industry and Shipping: Minimum Wage

Rebecca Long Bailey: [231505]

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

discussed national minimum wage compliance and enforcement in the (a) shipping

industry and (b) offshore energy sector with officials of the HMRC National Minimum

Wage Enforcement Team.

Kelly Tolhurst:

[Holding answer 15 March 2019]: This Government is committed to cracking down

on employers who fail to pay the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW). In the

last 3 years we have almost doubled HMRC’s budget to enforce the NMW from £13.2

million to a record £26.3 million.

Workers who ordinarily work in the UK are entitled to minimum wage for all of their

work, including, for example, for work on ships located outside the UK servicing

offshore installations. Furthermore, workers on UK registered ships are entitled to

minimum wage for all their work on the ship wherever it is located, unless they work

entirely outside the UK or are not ordinarily resident in the UK.

NMW issues fall within the portfolio of Minister for Small Business, Consumers and

Corporate Responsibility, Kelly Tolhurst, who most recently met directly with HMRC

officials on Monday 14 th January.

BEIS officials meet regularly with their HMRC colleagues through an established

governance structure, to monitor progress and discuss current and emerging risks of

non-compliance with the NMW.

Wind Power: North Sea

Ian Mearns: [R] [231985]

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

estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created for UK-resident (a)

seafarers and (b) divers at the (i) transportation, (ii) installation, (iii) construction and (iv)




maintenance phases of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm; and what recent assurances

he has sought from Red Rock Power regarding the contractors engaged to carry out each

phase of work.

Claire Perry:

No estimates have been made by the Government on the number of jobs that will be

created by the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.

Red Rock has publicly stated the Inch Cape project could create up to 1,900 jobs in

the UK during construction.

http://www.inchcapewind.com/news/Inch_Cape_Offshore_Wind_Development_anno

unces_supply_chain_commitments

The project will also create long-term local jobs during the operations and

maintenance of the windfarm.

The Department meets regularly with all offshore wind developers to understand their

plans for delivering projects in the UK.

CABINET OFFICE

Brexit

Deidre Brock: [230804]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on social

media advertising related to the UK leaving the EU in each of the last 24 months.

Chloe Smith:

Cabinet Office spending on social media advertising related to the UK leaving the EU

is available to November 2018. Spend for November 2018 onwards will be published

in due course in line with normal data releases. Spend to November 2018 has been

made public in previous data releases. This can be accessed at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.

Civil Service: Redundancy Pay

Sir Christopher Chope: [231883]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants received exit

payments in excess of £95,000 in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Oliver Dowden:

Details of high-value exit payments in the Civil Service, including number, type,

compensation levels, and cost of exits, are published each year in Departmental

Annual Reports and Accounts.


To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants received exit

payments in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018; and what the (i) average and (ii) highest payment

was in each of those years.

http://www.inchcapewind.com/news/Inch_Cape_Offshore_Wind_Development_announces_supply_chain_commitments






Oliver Dowden:





To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was of

exit payments paid to civil servants in excess of £95,000 in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Oliver Dowden:




Civil Service: Stress

Mr Jim Cunningham: [231901]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to reduce

levels of stress in the civil service.

Oliver Dowden:

We are committed to the health and wellbeing of all our staff, including helping them

to manage stress in the workplace.

We have committed to delivering the Thriving at Work standards to refine our

approach to mental health support in the workplace. The Civil Service health and

wellbeing strategy features specific actions including:

• A Health and Wellbeing Dashboard which tracks progress against six health and

wellbeing indicators.

• Wellbeing Confident Leaders interventions to equip all Senior Civil Servants with

the knowledge and tools to understand their impact on staff stress and embed

wellbeing into planning, decision-making, communications and change

management.

• A Resilience and Wellbeing toolkit that includes learning, resources, frequently

asked questions (FAQs) and practical tips to manage resilience and wellbeing

individually or in team supplemented by departmental resources.

• Promoting softer adjustments for mental ill health such as adjustable start and

finish times and working from home

Building a network of an estimated 4000 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA’s) or

equivalent who are equipped with the knowledge to recognise early symptoms and

provide initial help to colleagues experiencing mental health concerns.



Crime


To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer 18 February 2019 to

Question 220061, if he will publish the figures based on the Crime Survey for England

and Wales for the number of reported offences for each crime type in each year since

2009.

Chloe Smith:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority.

I have asked the Authority to reply and a table has been placed in the Library.

Attachments:

1. UKSA Response [PQ231893 response (1).pdf]

Government Digital Service: Disability

Jo Platt: [230897]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to

increase neurodiversity within the Government Digital Service.

Oliver Dowden:

The Government Digital Service (GDS) Disability Forum is used to represent the

voice of neurodiverse staff within GDS. The GDS Disability Champion is a member of

the Senior Leadership Team.

GDS staff can also access the Disability Confident tools and guidance:

• Becoming disability confident online training.

• Philip Rutnam’s regular blogs, as part of his role as Civil Service Disability

Champion.

• General Disability Confident guidance on how to attract, recruit and retain disabled

employees.

• The autism and neurodiversity toolkit for managers provides practical guidance on

supporting people who have neurodiverse conditions into employment.

ABLE, the Cabinet Office Disability Network, works to remove barriers so that staff

with disabilities, including those on the neurodivergent spectrum, have equal

opportunities and are empowered to achieve.

Across government, the Civil Service Disability Network represents the voice of all

disabled staff across government, supplemented by condition-specific sub-networks

such as the Civil Service Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Network. The civil service networks

contribute to cross-civil service diversity and inclusion activity through the Employee

Voice Group (EVG). EVG is attended by Chairs of the cross-government diversity

staff networks.



Government Digital Service: Training

Jo Platt: [230898]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mandatory cybersecurity courses are

offered by the GDS Academy.

Oliver Dowden:

As the functional lead for Digital, Data and Technology, GDS has responsibility for

digital skills across government. At present, no mandatory cybersecurity courses are

offered by the GDS Academy. The Government Digital Service (GDS) works closely

with colleagues at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Government

Security Group (GSG) who provide training on cyber security across government.

GSG also leads the Government Security Profession, which includes cyber security

professionals across government.

Influenza: Death

Jim Shannon: [230734]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died as a result of a

flu-related illness in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith:


I have asked the Authority to reply.

Attachments:

1. UKSA Response [PQ 230734 (1) (2).pdf]

Knives: Crime

Chris Ruane: [231918]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many incidents of knife crime there were

in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last nine

years.

Chloe Smith:


I have asked the Authority to reply.

Attachments:

1. UKSA Response [PQ231918.pdf]

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Housing


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of his

Department's Void Reduction Plan; and if he will make a statement.





Mr Tobias Ellwood:

A copy of the Department's Service Family Accommodation Void Reduction Plan has

been placed in the Library of the House.

The Department is delivering a Void Reduction Plan to reduce the number of vacant

Service Family Accommodation properties from around 11,000 to the optimal 10%

management margin of around 5,000 by 2022.

This will be achieved through a combination of anticipated increase in occupation by

Service personnel and families, disposal, demolition of derelict properties, sub-letting

to civilian tenants, and wider estate optimisation.

The announcement in this House on 28 February concerning the Department's

revised plans for the future laydown of the Estate under the Defence Estate

Optimisation Programme are currently being incorporated into the Void Reduction

Plan.

Attachments:

1. UK SFA [20190314-SFA Void Forecast.pdf]

Armed Forces: Weather


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what cold weather equipment his Department

provides to soldiers.

Stuart Andrew:

Whether on deployment or exercise, soldiers are supplied with the right equipment for

the operational climate. On joining the Army, all soldiers are provided with clothing

designed to protect them from all climate conditions experienced in the UK and

Western Europe. Soldiers who subsequently deploy to colder climates, such as

Estonia, are provided with additional items such as face masks, hats, gloves, cold

weather boots, undershirts, thermal jackets and trousers and socks all specifically

designed to protect them from the effects of temperatures they will experience.

NATO

Sir Nicholas Soames: [231877]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government's objectives are in

participating in the NATO Allied Command Transformation programme.

Mark Lancaster:

Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is one of NATO's two Strategic Commands

and prepares the Alliance for new security challenges.

The UK objective for supporting ACT and its programmes is part of our overall

commitment to NATO as the Alliances leading European ally. ACT has an important

role in modernising the Alliance to meet current and future defence and security

threats. The UK fully supports these modernisation initiatives.



Sir Nicholas Soames: [231878]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British Army officers at the rank of

colonel and above are currently attached to NATO Transformation Command; what ranks

they are; and what roles they are performing at NATO Transformation Command.

Mark Lancaster:

The number of British Army officers at the rank of Colonel (NATO Rank OF-5) and

above, currently in posts in NATO’s Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is four.

The location and posts occupied are:

LOCATION POST RANK

ACT-HQ SACT - Virginia Branch Head (Medical) Colonel (OF-5)

ACT-HQ SACT - Virginia Section Head (Intel and

Environmental Disciplines)

Colonel (OF-5)

ACT-HQ SACT-Staff Element

Europe - Mons

Branch Head (Capability

Targets & Review)

Colonel (OF-5)

ACT-Joint Warfare Centre -

Stavanger

Division Head (Joint Training) Colonel (OF-5)

RAF Menwith Hill

Alex Sobel: [230899]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the two space-based infra-red system

radomes at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill are a fully operational part of the US missile defence

system.

Mark Lancaster:

There are three radomes at RAF Menwith Hill that form part of the US Space Based

Infra-Red System, and these radomes are a fully operational part of the US Defence

Support Programme Missile Warning facilities.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: [232088]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2019 to

Question 228159 on Saudi Arabia: Military Aid, whether UK military personnel alerted the

chain of command of any suspected violations of international humanitarian law by the

Royal Saudi Airforce since the March 2015 intervention in the civil war in Yemen.

Mark Lancaster:

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) monitors incidents of alleged international

humanitarian law (IHL) violations arising from airstrikes reportedly conducted by the

Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen using all available information, including from




government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-

governmental organisations.

In cases where UK military personnel receive information that riases concerns in

relation to suspected violations of IHL by the Royal Saudi Airforce, this is considered

as part of the MOD monitoring process. Since March 2015, no UK military personnel

in Saudi Arabia have reported witnessing suspected violations of international

humanitarian law.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: [232090]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) RAF personnel and (b) BAE

Systems personnel seconded under Government-to-Government agreements work in

direct support of Royal Saudi Air Force operational squadrons engaged in the war in

Yemen; what the functions are of those personnel; and what restrictions are placed on

their support for active operations.

Mark Lancaster:

UK personnel provide routine engineering and generic training support for UK-

supplied aircraft and aircrews assigned to operational squadrons under long-standing

Government-to-Government arrangements.

These personnel do not provide direct support for Royal Saudi Air Force operational

squadrons when engaged in the war in Yemen. They do not prepare aircraft for

operations, this includes a prohibition on the loading of weapons, and they are not

involved in the planning of operational sorties.

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Rural Areas


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

taking to improve access to high speed broadband for small rural businesses.

Margot James:

We are working closely with the Department for Economy team in Northern Ireland on

the £165m Project Stratum who are finalising Invitation to Tender documents in

relation to issuing the OJEU Procurement by the end of April. This will extend

Superfast coverage in Northern Ireland to approximately 98% of premises and

include many small rural businesses.

Recently, the Full-Fibre Northern Ireland Consortium of 10 local councils were

successful in the award of £15m under the DCMS Wave 3 of the Local Full Fibre

Networks (LFFN) programme. This is in addition to the DCMS LFFN Wave 2 Belfast

City Council £11.5m and the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon £2.4m projects.

These projects will all help to provide more full-fibre to public buildings in urban and

rural areas and this should encourage commercial suppliers more cost-effectively to

reach more premises. These projects form part of the investment of almost £300m, to



stimulate commercial full fibre investment in both urban and rural areas across the

UK, by 2021. This includes the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which can be

used by small businesses to contribute to the installation cost of faster connections

over gigabit-capable infrastructure.

The £200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme, due to launch in Spring, will also

benefit rural businesses. The programme will trial a model for full fibre to public

buildings - starting with primary schools - which will act as hubs in rural areas,

alongside vouchers for funding gigabit-capable connectivity to homes and businesses

across the UK.

These programmes address hard to reach areas and meet the needs of the

challenging connectivity issues experienced by small rural businesses.

To ensure no-one is left behind, we are introducing a broadband Universal Service

Obligation to give everyone a clear, enforceable right to request high-speed

broadband by 2020.

Charities: Finance


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

assessment of the potential merits of (a) a maximum level of funding for the

administration and (b) guidance on the pay structure of charitable organisations to ensure

that an adequate level of funding is allocated to their charitable causes.

Mims Davies:

Under charity law, a charity’s trustees have a legal duty to act in the best interests of

the charity and its beneficiaries. This is a cornerstone of charities' independence.

Charity trustees need to consider a number of factors, including securing value for

money for the charity, and the impact of their decisions on public trust.

Charities should be transparent about their administration costs, including executive

pay, so that members of the public can decide whether or not they want to support

the charity.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: [230038]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings

he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28

February 2019.

Margot James:

The Chief Scientific Adviser attends meetings with Ministers on a regular basis.



Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: [229740]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many

consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government

response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Margot James:

A total of 73 consultations have been initiated since 2016. These consultations have

collected responses from stakeholders and the public. Of these 73 consultations, 4

are currently open to stakeholders and the public and 13 have closed and now await

a government response .

Electronic Commerce: EU Law

Liam Byrne: [231922]

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

publish proposals for modernising the eCommerce Directive.

Margot James:

Any revision to the eCommerce Directive is the sole initiative of the European

Commission. We are not aware of any plans to revise this Directive at this point. The

UK is subject to EU law whilst it remains a Member State of the European Union.

During the implementation period agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement, the

UK will no longer be a Member State yet to give businesses and citizens certainty,

common rules will remain in place until the end of the period meaning businesses will

be able to trade on the same terms as now up until the end of 2020. This includes the

eCommerce Directive.

Garden Bridge Trust

Mr Steve Reed: [229176]

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

Department plans to undertake an inquiry into the Garden Bridge Trust; and if he will

make a statement.

Mims Davies:

The Charity Commission have scrutinised the Garden Bridge Trust trustees’ conduct

and the management of the charity carefully and continue to monitor the charity’s

progress in winding up. The Charity Commission intends to publish a concluding

report on the running of the Garden Bridge Trust. This is to set out wider lessons

policy makers and others can draw from it.

It is important to note the Charity Commission has a specific role to look at the extent

to which trustees are meeting their legal duties and whether charities are complying

with charity law. It is not in the regulatory remit of the Commission to examine other

issues such as the merits of a project or how it is funded.




Radicalism


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

Department is taking to ensure the definition of extremism used by OFCOM is aligned

with the definition used by his Department.

Margot James:

As an independent regulatory body, Ofcom’s duties and powers are set out by

Parliament in legislation. This does not include a definition of extremism but sets

Ofcom a wider duty to protect the public from harmful and offensive material, and

directs Ofcom to set content standards, through a code, for television and radio.

Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets out standards around harmful and offensive

broadcast material; incitement of crime, disorder, hatred or abuse; and responsible

religious programming.

Telecoms Supply Chain Review

Mr Bob Seely: [232110]

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

for the conclusion and response to the Telcoms Supply Chain Review.

Margot James:

The Telecoms Supply Chain Review is progressing to schedule and due to be

completed by spring 2019.

Tourism


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

his Department has made of the total net economic effect of foreign tourists visiting (a)

Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK in each year since 2010.

Michael Ellis:

The Office for National Statistics only holds data on the Gross Value Added (GVA) to

the UK’s economy in 2013 at a regional level. They also document the UK’s GVA

every year at a national level (shown in the table below). They do not hold GVA

information at a city level. In 2013, the GVA for tourism in the West Midlands was

3.76bn.

Direct Tourism GVA in the UK:

YEAR UK

2009 £44.6bn

2010 £49bn

2011 £53bn




YEAR UK

2012 £57.3bn

2013 £59bn

2014 £60.4bn

2015 £64.6bn

2016 £68.3bn

2017 £67.7bn (Provisional)

2018 Not available yet

The following table outlines the international visitor spend in the locations requested:

YEAR WEST MIDLANDS UK

2009 £594.5m £16.5bn

2010 £549.2m £16.8bn

2011 £570.6m £17.9bn

2012 £577.9m £18.5bn

2013 £843.2m £21.1bn

2014 £761.3m £21.7bn

2015 £816.2m £21.9bn

2016 £854.7m £22.4bn

2017 £806.9m £24.4bn

2018 Not available yet Not available yet

EDUCATION

Arts: Teachers

Mike Kane: [230808]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools have specialist

arts teachers.

Nick Gibb:

The information requested is not held centrally.


Children in Care: Missing People

Ann Coffey: [229650]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of

looked after children in children’s homes inside and outside the borough who were

reported missing by a) duration of missing incident and (b) age of child at the start of

missing incident and (c) went missing more than once during the year for each year since

2015.

Nadhim Zahawi:

[Holding answer 15 March 2019]: The department publishes information on looked

after children who go missing from care in Tables G1 and LAG1 statistical release,

available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.

A further breakdown of data regarding looked-after children who go missing in

children’s homes is available in the attached tables. The data in the attached tables

are experimental statistics and are not comparable between years as changes may

be due to improved data recording. Local councils have improved their reporting of

missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and

carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve

understanding of reporting processes.

Attachments:

1. 229650_229651_Missing_incidents_from children's_ho

[229650_229651_Missing_incidents_from children's_homes_tables.pdf]

Ann Coffey: [229651]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children placed in

children’s homes (a) inside the local authority responsible and (b) outside the local

authority responsible were reported missing in each year since 2015.

Nadhim Zahawi:

[Holding answer 15 March 2019]: The department publishes information on looked

after children who go missing from care in Tables G1 and LAG1 statistical release,

available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.

A further breakdown of data regarding looked-after children who go missing in

children’s homes is available in the attached tables. The data in the attached tables

are experimental statistics and are not comparable between years as changes may

be due to improved data recording. Local councils have improved their reporting of

missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and

carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve

understanding of reporting processes.


https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children





Attachments:

1. 229650_229651_Missing_incidents_from_children's_ho

[229650_229651_Missing_incidents_from children's_homes_tables.pdf]

Children: Social Services

Teresa Pearce: [230051]

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

correlation between funding for children’s services between 2010-11 and 2017-18 and

the number of (a) referrals to children’s services, (b) referrals to children's services within

12 months, (c) children in need, (d) child protection enquiries, (e) child protection plans

and (f) looked after children over that period.

Nadhim Zahawi:

Funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government

Finance Settlement (LGFS) which gives local authorities flexibility to target spending

according to local needs and to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including services

for children and families. Since 2010, the responsibilities of local authorities and the

makeup of their funding streams have changed significantly, including the move for

local authorities to retain locally raised business rates. Therefore, wider spending

power measures are not directly comparable over this period.

Over the 5 year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20, councils have access, through the

LGFS, to over £200 billion to deliver local services, including children’s services. Core

spending power increased from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20. In

addition to this the Autumn Budget announced a further £410 million in 2019-20 for

local authorities to invest in adult and children’s social care services. It also

announced £84 million of extra funding, over the next 5 years, to support local

authorities to invest in initiatives that improve social work practice and decision

making.

Due to discontinuity in methods used for some of the data collected, we only look at

trends in these numbers from 2013. The department’s data shows that since 2013,

the number of referrals, children in need, child protection enquiries, children on child

protection plans and looked after children at 31 March have risen by 10.5%, 7.1%,

50.9%, 24.5% and 10.7% respectively.

The most common factors recorded in children’s social care assessments are

domestic abuse and mental health. These have been consistently the top 2 factors

for the years during which we have collected this data and have risen in line with

trends in demand.

Department for Education: Chief Scientific Advisers


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings he held with his

Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.



Anne Milton:

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any one-to-one

meetings with the Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28

February 2019. However, during this time, the Chief Scientific Adviser has been

present at two meetings my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education

has held with officials, and regularly provides written advice.

Education and Skills Funding Agency: Applications

Ian Mearns: [229144]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason gender is a mandatory field

on funding applications to the Education and Skills Funding Agency; and whether he

plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of that agency's funding application form.

Nick Gibb:

[Holding answer 15 March 2019]: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)

does not collect ‘gender’ on funding applications to the ESFA – it collects data on

‘sex’. This is in order to ensure that the ESFA has an awareness of whether

applications are coming from men or women. The Department regularly reviews

policies to ensure they are relevant and up to date.

However, there is no statutory or policy requirement at this time to collect additional

information from providers on gender. Amendments and additions to individual

learner record data collections also incur costs to the sector and as such, the

Department has no right to request it. The responsibility for this level of monitoring

sits with the sector and with employers to ensure they are following the law.

Education: Standards

Layla Moran: [232099]

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

implications for his policies of the UK's tenth place rating in the Worldwide Educating for

the Future Index 2018 produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Anne Milton:

We are delighted that the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index 2018 highlights

that the UK is a high performer, 10th out of 50 countries. In particular, it shows that

the UK is a top destination for international students, with almost 1 in 5 students

studying at UK universities coming from abroad.

Standards are rising in our schools, with 84% of pupils now attending good or

outstanding schools, compared to 66% in 2010. We look towards the best education

systems in the world to help propel our reforms and consolidate our performance as

we strive for a truly world class education for everyone.



English Language: Immigration

Dan Carden: [232096]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the White Paper entitled

The UK’s future skills-based immigration system, published in December 2018, what

additional funding his Department plans to make available to support their English

language strategy beyond the current English Language Co-ordination Fund; and on

what basis those funds will be allocated.

Anne Milton:

As part of the government’s response to the Integrated Communities Strategy green

paper, the government has committed to developing a new strategy for English for

speakers of other languages in 2019.

We are currently in the process of developing the strategy. Funding for all

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

needed, will be set during the upcoming Spending Review, which we expect to take

place later this year.

Pre-school Education: Children in Care

Tim Farron: [230721]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of children in each

reception class intake in each of the last 20 years have been in care.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate

cost.

The number of schools and pupils in England, including the total number of pupils in

reception, is published at the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’

statistical release, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-

january-2018.

The number of children looked after in England is published in the annual ‘Children

looked after in England including adoption’ statistical release, which is available at the

following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-

adoption-2017-to-2018.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Angela Rayner: [232028]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Spring Statement 2019,

when he plans to publish details of the funding announced for the provision of free

sanitary products in schools and colleges.



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018




Nadhim Zahawi:

No one should be held back from reaching their potential because of their gender or

background. That is why my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer

announced in his Spring Statement on 13 March 2019 that the Department for

Education will lead a scheme to provide access to free sanitary products in all

secondary schools and colleges in England. The annual cost of this provision will

depend on the specific nature of the delivery approach and we will refine costs as

part of our policy development. Precise funding arrangements will be confirmed as

part of the 2019 Spending Review.

Schools: Finance

Peter Kyle: [232064]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to engage with head

teachers who have expressed concerns with respect to reductions in school funding.

Nick Gibb:

Ministers and officials from the Department regularly meet head teachers and

representatives of head teachers, including the National Association of Head

Teachers (NAHT), the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the

primary head teacher reference group, and the secondary head teacher reference

group. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education attended NAHT’s

annual conference in May 2018, ASCL’s national conference in March 2018 and

again last week. Department officials meet all the head teacher unions every month.

School funding is frequently discussed as part of these meetings. Additionally, all

education ministers regularly visit schools and spend time with head teachers and

staff.

The Department recognises the pressures that parts of the school system are facing.

The Government continues to invest in the school system, with school funding at a

record high. The Department is also providing the sector with more than half a billion

pounds to fund teacher pay increases. Alongside this, the Department will be putting

a strong case to Her Majesty's Treasury for the next spending review.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare Act 2006


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

taken to (a) change the maximum penalty for offences under section 32(1) of the Animal

Welfare Act 2006 and (b) make it easier to prosecute attacks on service animals.

David Rutley:

The Government has already announced that it will increase the custodial maximum

penalty for animal cruelty from 6 months’ imprisonment to 5 years’ imprisonment.



In addition, the Government is supporting Sir Oliver Heald’s Animal Welfare (Service

Animals) Bill which will make it easier to prosecute someone for attacking a service

animal.

Coastal Areas: Sea Level

Mr Gregory Campbell: [231927]

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

he has made of the risk to those coastal areas likely to be worst affected by rising sea

levels.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

The Government has strong national policies on coastal management that actively

integrate adaptation to climate change. We defend the coast where it is sustainable

and affordable to do so, and let it function naturally in areas where it is not.

UK Climate Predictions 2018 (UKCP18) published in November show that sea levels

around the UK will continue to rise to the year 2100 under all emission pathways, with

increases generally greater in the south than in the north. We can continue to expect

increases in extreme coastal water levels driven mainly by increases in mean sea

level rise. Over the next six months, the Environment Agency (EA) will be undertaking

work to better understand the implications of UKCP18 for flood and coastal erosion

activities.

In England, coastal authorities have developed a network of Shoreline Management

Plans covering the entire coast of England. These plans provide a high level, long

term policy framework to manage coastal change over three time horizons: 20, 50

and 100 years. The EA is now working with those coastal authorities to refresh the

plans, to ensure that they are up to date and using the latest evidence.

Litter: Fines

Justin Madders: [230828]

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

have been issued for littering in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.


Data collection of fixed penalty notices was discontinued in 2009.

REPORTING YEAR (APRIL TO MARCH) NUMBER

2008-09 35,465

2007-08 33,693

The number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering between 2007 and 2009 in

England is presented in the table above. These are the most recent years for which

records are available.



Livestock: Exports


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

Answer of 25 June 2018 to Question 155669 on Livestock: Exports, whether he has plans

to include a ban on live animal exports for fattening.

David Rutley:

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

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

Further to the reply to Question 155669, we asked the Farm Animal Welfare

Committee to look at what animal welfare improvements could be made to the

transport regulatory regime for all animals and for all purposes; their report is

expected shortly. Once we have received that report, we will consider how best to

take forward our manifesto commitment. All options, including a possible ban, remain

on the table.

Livestock: Transport


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

Animal Welfare Committee has completed its review of standards for animal welfare

during transport.

David Rutley:

The Farm Animal Welfare Committee has not yet submitted its report of the review it

has carried out into standards of animal welfare in transport. We expect to receive the

report soon.

National Parks Authorities: Finance


To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money

has been allocated from the public purse to the National Park Authorities in each year

since 2010.


Funding allocated to England’s National Park Authorities[1] each year since 2010

through Defra core grant is as follows:




FINANCIAL YEAR

MONEY ALLOCATED TO NATIONAL PARK

AUTHORITIES AND THE BROADS AUTHORITY

THROUGH DEFRA CORE GRANT

2010/11 £53,824,076

2011/12 £55,216,568

2012/13 £52,334,090

2013/14 £49,451,587

2014/15 £46,569,083

2015/16 £44,729,610

2016/17 £45,875,395

2017/18 £47,127,283

2018/19 £47,937,871

National Park Authorities may also access other sources of public funding in addition

to the Defra core grant.

[1] Includes the Broads Authority.

Organic Farming

Caroline Lucas: [230680]

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

in place to (a) expedite agri-environment funding (i) applications and (ii) claims and (b)

review rates of reward for the production of public goods to tackle the effect on the cash

flow of organic farmers of leaving the EU without a deal.

Mr Robert Goodwill:

Having taken over responsibility for this task in October 2018, the Rural Payments

Agency is working to process outstanding agri-environment payments and

agreements as soon as possible. We know how important these payments are to

customers, which is why for Countryside Stewardship claimants, we will be making

bridging payments worth 75% of their current claim value to farmers who have not

received their advance payments in April.

While our priority remains to deliver a negotiated deal, we fully recognise the

concerns of the organics sector and are working hard to mitigate the impact of a no

deal on organic operators.

We have already confirmed that food and feed products that are certified as organic

in the EU will be recognised after 29 March at the UK’s discretion. We are working to


secure a reciprocal agreement so our operators can continue to export their organic

produce to the EU.

We currently have no plans to review rates of reward for organic farmers.

Pet Travel Scheme

Kerry McCarthy: [230727]

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

steps to seek an exemption for those travelling to the EU with a guide dog in the event

that the UK leaves the EU without a deal and is treated as an unlisted or third country for

the purposes of travelling with a pet.

David Rutley:

Recognised Assistance Dogs (RADs) are currently able to travel to and from the EU

provided they meet the requirements of the EU Pet Travel Scheme. Whatever the

outcome of negotiations, under EU rules RADs will have to continue meeting the

same requirements as pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) once we have left the EU. This

means there would be no exemption for those travelling with a guide dog in the event

we leave without a deal.

The Government submitted its application for the UK to become a Part 1 listed third

country under the Pet Travel Scheme after leaving the EU. We will continue to press

the Commission to discuss this option with us. This would mean that the travel

requirements for all pet owners, including people with RADs, would be less onerous.

On 6 November, Defra published guidance on ‘ Pet Travel to Europe after Brexit’ in

preparation for the possibility of leaving the EU without a deal. RAD owners are

advised to contact their vet at least 4 months before travel to ensure they can

continue travelling to the EU in any scenario. The Department has made these

communications accessible to blind and partially sighted people and will continue to

keep this guidance updated. We are working closely with stakeholders such as Guide

dogs UK, Dogs for Good, Eurotunnel, airlines and ferry companies to share

communications information and guidance about pet travel after the UK’s departure

from the EU.

Solid Fuels: Heating

Philip Davies: [230687]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when (a) he or (b)

one of his Ministers give evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on heritage rail

for its inquiry into the potential effect on UK heritage railways of the proposals in the

Government consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if

he will make a statement.


I have agreed with the RHM for Loughborough to speak to the APPG, though this is

not about giving evidence to an inquiry. We have yet to agree a date.


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit


The proposals in the consultation on domestic burning would not prevent heritage

railways purchasing the fuels they need, including coal.

Wood-burning Stoves

Thangam Debbonaire: [231514]

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

Department uses to classify wood-burning stoves as a smoke exempt appliance.


An appliance exemption shows that fuel-burning appliances, for example stoves,

ovens or boilers, emit smoke below the acceptable limits.

Applicants must be able to prove that their appliance meets the necessary

requirements and has been tested using acceptable methods at an accredited test

centre.

The emission limits applicable to appliances are dependent on the size of the

appliance. Further details are provided in Hetas’ guidance which can be viewed at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm

ent_data/file/761622/hetas-appliance-exemption-application-pack-181130.pdf

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Commonwealth: LGBT People


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to which

Commonwealth states the Government is providing assistance on changes to LGBT law.

Alistair Burt:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 November 2018 (PQ 186948). The UK-

funded Equality & Justice Alliance (EJA) programme is working to create a fairer,

more equal and inclusive Commonwealth for the LGBT community by supporting

those countries seeking to reform legislation that discriminates on the grounds of

gender identity or sexual orientation.

Several countries have expressed interest in the EJA's offer of technical assistance

for legislative change. Due to the highly sensitive and sometimes dangerous nature

of this work, it would not be appropriate to name specific member states.

Confucius Institutes

Fiona Bruce: [231982]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to

the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission's report of 18 February 2019, what

assessment he has made of the validity of concerns that China’s Confucius Institutes

may represent a threat to academic freedoms and freedom of expression.


https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761622/hetas-appliance-exemption-application-pack-181130.pdf





Mark Field:

We have read the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission’s report with

interest and note its conclusions.

The UK values its relationship with China, and recognises that education has an

important role to play in providing opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration

and partnerships between the two countries. Universities are autonomous institutions

and can choose who they cooperate with, including whether to partner with Chinese

Higher Education Institutions or Confucius Institutes.

We encourage UK Higher education providers to work with international partners,

including from China. However, providers have duties to ensure that in doing so,

freedom of expression is protected for students and staff, and that the academic

freedoms of their staff are protected, by taking reasonable steps to ensure debates

and discussions can go ahead.

The government, with the support of key stakeholders in the higher education sector,

has worked alongside the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to produce new

guidance ‘Freedom of Expression: A Guide for Higher Education Providers and

Students’ Unions in England and Wales’.

Educational Institutions


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government

will bring forward legislative proposals to require transparency from and ensure that

Confucius Institutes and other foreign institutions are not able to hold undue influence,

whether political, ideological or religious, on the curriculum and teaching practices of

British institutions.

Mark Field:

We have read the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission’s report with

interest and note its conclusion.

The UK values its relationship with China, and recognises that education has an

important role to play in providing opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration

and partnerships between the two countries. Universities are autonomous institutions

and can choose who they cooperate with, including whether to partner with Chinese

Higher Education Institutions or Confucius Institutes.

We encourage UK Higher education providers to work with international partners,

including from China. However, providers have duties to ensure that in doing so,

freedom of expression is protected for students and staff, and that the academic

freedoms of their staff are protected, by taking reasonable steps to ensure debates

and discussions can go ahead.

The government, with the support of key stakeholders in the higher education sector,

has worked alongside the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to produce new


guidance ‘Freedom of Expression: A Guide for Higher Education Providers and

Students’ Unions in England and Wales’.

Farouk Hamadalla

Dawn Butler: [232536]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps they will

take to escalate engagement with the Libyan authorities on securing justice for the

descendents of Major Farouk Hamadalla who was forced off the British Overseas

Airways Corporation VC10 en route from London to Khartoum on the 22nd July 1971.

Alistair Burt:

The British Government has raised this case with the Libyan Government on a

number of occasions, and stressed the need to address the events of 1971, and the

complex issues involving the Libyan and Sudanese Governments. I raised the case

with the Libyan Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs during my visit to Tripoli in

April 2018 and followed up with letters to the Ministers on the subject, hand delivered

by our Ambassador.

Raising legacy cases with the Libyan Government is challenging in the context of the

ongoing political and security situation. However, we continue to raise this case with

the Libyan authorities when there is an opportunity to do so and to provide regular

updates to Major Hamadalla's family.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings

Helen Goodman: [231949]


the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216183 on Foreign and Commonwealth

Office: Buildings, for what reasons his Department owns two properties with an asset

value of over £5 million in Buenos Aires.

Alistair Burt:

The two properties each with an asset value of over £5 million in Buenos Aires are

the British Embassy and the Ambassador's Residence (acquired in 1945). These

buildings provide a dedicated base from which diplomats can promote UK interests in

Argentina.




Office: Buildings, for what reasons his Department owns two properties with an asset

value of over £5 million in Kampala.

Alistair Burt:

The main High Commission offices and the contiguous Consular Visa Office in

Kampala have both been valued for accounting purposes as specialised assets




above £5 million. Market value of each of these buildings is below £5 million. We

have no plans to dispose of either of these offices.




Office: Buildings, for what reasons his Department owns four properties with an asset

value of over £5 million in Paris.

Alistair Burt:

The four properties in Paris with an asset value over £5 million are the Embassy

building (purchased in 1947), the Ambassador’s Residence and its Gatehouse, and

the Consulate site in Rue d’Anjou (all three purchased in 1814). These buildings

provide a dedicated base from which diplomats can promote British interests.

Journalism: Safety


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment

he has made of the security and safety of journalists throughout the world.

Mark Field:

Media freedom is under attack across the world. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

reported that 80 journalists and media workers were killed in 2018. An additional 300

are currently in detention and 60 are being held hostage. We are very concerned

about the high number of countries using restrictive laws to stifle freedom of

expression and prevent the functioning of an independent media.

The UK believes that access to fair and accurate information is the lifeblood of

democracy. As such we are committed to the promotion of media freedom and the

protection of journalists, which is why we have launched a global Media Freedom

Campaign for 2019. Our aim is to shine a spotlight on media freedom, and in so

doing to raise the cost to those abusing it. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office

also funds a number of programmes promoting media freedom overseas through the

Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy.

Saudi Arabia: Prisons


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent

discussions he has held with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on conditions in Saudi

Arabian prisons for women's rights activists.

Alistair Burt:

We regularly raise our concerns with the Saudi authorities about the women’s rights

activists in detention. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary raised these concerns with

his Saudi counterparts on 2 March. We consistently and unreservedly condemn




torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority

for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs.

South Sudan: Sexual Offences

Emily Thornberry: [230071]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent

representations he has made to his counterpart in South Sudan of sexual violence

committed by that country's armed and security forces against displaced persons.

Harriett Baldwin:

The prevalence of conflict-related sexual violence, including that directed at South

Sudan’s displaced population, remains a long standing and serious concern. Most

recently, following incidents of widespread rape near Bentiu, including by armed

groups, we have repeatedly called for the Government of South Sudan to ensure that

these, and all incidents of sexual violence, are fully investigated and perpetrators

brought to justice, support provided for survivors, and action taken to prevent such

attacks. The UK Defence Secretary visited South Sudan in January 2019, when he

discussed our concerns at the highest levels, and urged action to bring an end to

sexual and gender-based violence.

Turkey: Elections

Tom Brake: [230021]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his

Department is taking to help ensure a free and fair election in Turkey.

Sir Alan Duncan:

We have consistently encouraged Turkey to invite international election monitors to

the forthcoming local elections. We are pleased that a delegation from the Congress

of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has been invited to do so.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have engaged with the head of the

delegation in advance of his visit. We will continue to urge Turkey to act upon the

recommendations made by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

and the Council of Europe following the Presidential elections in June 2018, and will

consider any further recommendations the Council of Europe may produce following

the local elections.

Turkey: Politics and Government

Tom Brake: [230020]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment

the Government has made of the effect on security and democracy of the appointment of

unelected governors who are members of the AKP in towns and cities in Turkey with

predominant Kurdish populations.




Sir Alan Duncan:

The decision to temporarily appoint state trustees in local municipalities is a decision

for the Turkish Government. Nevertheless, we expect Turkey to undertake any legal

processes against locally elected representatives fairly, transparently and with full

respect for the rule of law. It is important for Turkish democracy, as it would be for

any country, that the results of upcoming local elections accurately reflect the wishes

of the Turkish people.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Mr Virendra Sharma: [231971]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is

taking to implement the Government’s Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan

2019-2024; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine:

The Department will continue to coordinate work across government and its agencies

to implement nationally agreed policies on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Arrangements for implementation of ‘Tackling antimicrobial resistance (2019-2024):

The UK’s five-year national action plan’ are being finalised in discussion with key

partners including Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the National

Health Service, United Kingdom Research and Innovation and the devolved

administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, made the commitment to

implement the UK’s five-year national action plan on AMR. NHS England is currently

working with NHS Improvement to develop detailed plans for implementation of the

human health aspects of the national action plan.

Barbeques: Health Hazards

Alex Cunningham: [232007]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is

taking to promote public awareness of the risk to health of using barbeques in enclosed

spaces; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine:

Public Health England published advice and guidance on social media to remind

campers about the dangers of using barbeques inside tents and other enclosed

spaces. An example of this can be viewed at the following link:

https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2015/12/15/carbon-monoxide-the-silent-killer/





Cancer: Health Services


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his

Department has made of the number of NHS trusts in England that have outsourced

cancer treatment services, in part or in whole, to private sector providers.

Steve Brine:

NHS England does not hold information on the number of National Health Service

trusts in England that have outsourced cancer treatment services.

Diabetes: Pregnancy

Tom Watson: [231937]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been

diagnosed with gestational diabetes in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine:

The information requested is not centrally held.

Eating Disorders

Paul Farrelly: [231929]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that

on medicine courses the effect of eating disorders on mental health is given parity of

esteem with their effect on physical health; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond:

Undergraduate medical schools determine the content of their own curricula but are

required to integrate the General Medical Council’s ‘Outcomes for Graduates’. These

Outcomes include the knowledge, skills and behaviour that graduates must be able to

demonstrate before gaining a licence to practise medicine.

The Outcomes were updated in 2018, with the integration of mental and social health

care and caring for people with multiple morbidities, including mental health

conditions, being key drivers for the update.

The new Outcomes specify that newly qualified doctors must explain and illustrate by

professional experience the principles for the identification, safe management and

referral of patients with mental health conditions. They must also take action in

response to factors suggesting patient vulnerability, including assessing the needs of,

and support required, for people with mental health conditions. Newly qualified

doctors must be able to explain the relationship between psychological and medical

conditions and how psychological factors impact on risk and treatment outcome.

Finally the Outcomes take into account multi-professional working, noting that newly

qualified doctors must work effectively within a multi-professional and multi-

disciplinary team and across multiple care settings.




Medical schools have to design their curricula and assessments in order for their

students to be able to meet all of the Outcomes by the time they complete their

course. Schools have until summer 2020 to make sure their curriculum meets the

new outcomes.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Tom Watson: [231936]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26

February 2019 to Question 224304 on Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements, how

many European Health Insurance Cards have been issued to people over the age of 70

in each of the nations and regions of the UK.

Stephen Hammond:

The number of active European Health Insurance Cards issued to people over 70 is

as follows:

NORTHERN IRELAND 60,132

England 2,391,876

Scotland 219,675

Wales 140,439

The data by region is not available.

Health: Students


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is

taking to reduce the prevelance of (a) stress, (b) loneliness, (c) anxiety, and (d)

substance misuse among undergraduate students.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for

Education to improve the mental health of undergraduate students. Our joint

document, ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a

green paper’, includes a commitment to build a new national strategic partnership

with key stakeholders to improve the mental health of 16 to 25 year olds in schools,

colleges and universities, by facilitating coordinated action, experimentation and

robust evaluation on leadership, prevention and improved data collection.

To support this, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to a comprehensive expansion of

mental health services, including a new approach to mental health services for

people aged 18-25, supporting transitions to college and to adulthood, with services

being adapted to create a comprehensive offer for 0-25-year olds.



NHS England is working closely with Universities UK through the Mental Health in

Higher Education programme to build the capability and capacity of universities to

improve student welfare services and improve access to mental health services for

the student population, including focusing on suicide reduction, and improving access

to psychological therapies to support treat students suffering from stress and anxiety.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: [231998]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether immigration detainees

have access to free independent interpreting services during appointments with medical

staff in immigration removal centres.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

All those detained in Immigration Removal Centres have access to independent

interpreting services. These services are commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and

are available to all staff in Immigration Removal Centres, including the healthcare

staff, as required.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are taken to ensure

that people in immigration removal centres have uninterrupted access to prescribed

medication.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

NHS England’s focus on improving the physical needs of this patient population have

resulted in the development of a dedicated medicine improvement programme for

those in an immigration removal centre (IRC).

The programme aims to improve the optimisation of medicines for people in

immigration removal centres and has been underpinned by specific professional

medicines optimisation standards published in partnership with the Royal

Pharmaceutical Society (2017).

The programme aims to improve the optimisation of medicines for people in IRCs to

deliver:

- A clear understanding of current provision of pharmacy services, including on-site

services, and medicines handling and use in IRCs;

- An audit of the medicines standards in all IRCs to support quality improvement in

pharmacy services and medicines optimisation;

- Identification of key improvement priorities for each IRC based on the gap analysis

between provision and expected standards;

- Introduction by providers of policies and an IT-based risk assessment tools to

enable as many detainees as possible to self-administer their medicines;

- Provide medicines in an environment where people can maintain confidentiality and

access support from pharmacy staff about their medicines; and



- Improve continuity of medicines on admission through more effective electronic

recording during their period of detention in IRCs as well as on their release and

transfer or deportation.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Bridget Phillipson: [231996]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his

Department has made of the merits of including the category of veterans in the Mental

Health Services Data Set.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

An indicator for ex British Armed Forces was added to the Mental Health Services

Data Set in 2017/18.

However, data is still in its infancy and indicator completion rates are currently only at

13%. NHS England is investigating ways to improve this. The expansion of NHS

England’s general practitioner veteran friendly accreditation service and Veterans

Covenant Hospital Alliance are expected to be helpful in improving the situations.

Mental Illness: Gambling

Jo Stevens: [232039]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his

Department has made of the effect of problem gambling on mental ill health.

Steve Brine:

The Government is committed to supporting all those identified as suffering from

problems with gambling and specific aims have been laid out in the NHS Long Term

Plan to invest in expanding additional specialist clinics. At present, people who

experience problems with gambling can access services in primary care and

secondary care including specialised mental health and addiction services. There are

a range of services available details of which can be found on the NHS website.

NHS: Redundancy Pay


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS employees

received exit payments in excess of £95,000 in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Stephen Hammond:

Information on the numbers of National Health Service employees in receipt of exit

payments in excess of £95,000 in 2017 and 2018 is not collected centrally.

Tomography: Procurement



March 2019 to Question 229815 on Tomography: Procurement, what estimate he has





made of the change in cost to the NHS of scanning services as a result of the

procurement of PET-CT scanning provision.



March 2019 to Question 229815 on Tomography: Procurement, through what methods

NHS England drew attention to the public engagement process to test the phase II

procurement approach for PET-CT scanning services.



March 2019 to Question 229815 on Tomography: Procurement, whether NHS England

has sought any further public engagement on the procurement of PET-CT scanning

services since 2017.

Steve Brine:

NHS England completed a 30 day public engagement about the Phase II

procurement proposals between January – February 2016. This was publicised on

both NHS England’s website and its Engage portal. Further details of public

engagement can be found at the following link:

https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/pet-ct-services/

This was a public engagement exercise open to all stakeholders, including patients

and members of the public. There were three webinars held as well as focus groups

to further inform this engagement process. All of the relevant Clinical Reference

Group registered stakeholders were notified of the engagement process via email.

The feedback received as part of this public engagement process led to further work

being undertaken in 2016 on the procurement approach, before a public engagement

report was published in 2017. There was no subsequent public engagement while the

procurement process was underway, as this could have affected or been seen to

affect the impartiality of the process. The Government and NHS England are

committed to ensuring that the public are involved in decision making and where new

service proposals would result in substantial development or variation, such as

location change, further public involvement activities will be undertaken.

NHS England has secured, on average, approximately 10% savings on the national

cost of PET-CT provision as a result of procurement activity. Alongside this, the

National Health Service has benefited from significant investment in new equipment

and scanning locations.





HOME OFFICE

Construction: Undocumented Workers


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26

April 2018 to Question 137044 on Undocumented Workers: Construction, how many of

the 85 potential victims of trafficking identified during Operation Magnify who were

arrested prior to being identified were subsequently detained; and for which offences the

detention took place.

Caroline Nokes:

Of the 85 persons identified during Operation Magnify as Potential Victims of Modern

Slavery or Human Trafficking (PVoTs), 77 were detained. The Home Office is unable

to provide information on the offences for which the detention took place as the

information requested is not recorded in a reportable format.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against

Women and Domestic Violence



January 2019 to Question 211250, on Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and

Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, what new protective tools

have been introduced.



January 2019 to Question 211250, on the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing

and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, if he will publish the

guidance and support for frontline professionals.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which criterion the Government

does not meet in order to ratify Istanbul Convention.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government signed the Istanbul Convention to signal the UK’s strong

commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). We reaffirmed our

commitment to this with the refreshed VAWG strategy which we published on 6th

March.

We introduced domestic violence protection orders from 2014 and female genital

mutilation protection orders, sexual harm prevention orders and sexual risk orders in

2015.

We have published a range of guidance and support for frontline professionals,

including: • Statutory guidance on the offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in





an intimate or family relationship:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-guidance-framework-

controlling-or-coercive-behaviour-in-an-intimate-or-family-relationship • Multi-agency

statutory guidance for the conduct of domestic homicide reviews:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-statutory-guidance-for-the-

conduct-of-domestic-homicide-reviews • Multi-agency statutory guidance on female

genital mutilation (FGM): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multi-agency-

statutory-guidance-on-female-genital-mutilation • A resource pack on FGM:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-genital-mutilation-resource-pack

• Multi-agency practice guidelines on handling cases of forced marriage:


ent_data/file/322307/HMG_MULTI_AGENCY_PRACTICE_GUIDELINES_v1_180614

_FINAL.pdf ; and • Guidance on the role of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-role-of-the-independent-sexual-

violence-adviser-isva We are currently running nine day-long events across England

and Wales to train around 1,400 professionals in the correct use of forced marriage

protection orders and FGM protection orders.

The areas of the Convention with which England and Wales are compliant were set

out in the report published on 30 October 2018, in line with the requirements of the

Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence

(Ratification of Convention) Act 2017. As the criminal law and the majority of the

areas covered by the Convention are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland, the

Devolved Administrations are considering what legislative or other changes are

necessary for compliance with the Convention in their territories.

Deportation: Zimbabwe


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he made of

Zimbabwe's human rights record prior to sharing sensitive personal information with the

Government of Zimbabwe on potential deportees to that country.

Caroline Nokes:

The UK has a long and proud history of granting asylum to those who need our

protection. But when a decision has been made that a person does not require

international protection, the Home Office will take steps to remove that person.

Removal is only enforced when the Home Office and the courts conclude that it is

safe to do so, with a safe route of return.

Re-documentation interviews with officials from receiving countries are a standard

part of the Home Office returns process.

Once an individual no longer has the right to remain in the UK and a travel document

is required to facilitate return, interviews are conducted by officials from diplomatic

missions to establish nationality and identity to enable a travel document to be

produced. Basic personal information and supporting evidence such as a copy of a

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-guidance-framework-controlling-or-coercive-behaviour-in-an-intimate-or-family-relationship



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-statutory-guidance-for-the-conduct-of-domestic-homicide-reviews



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multi-agency-statutory-guidance-on-female-genital-mutilation





https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/322307/HMG_MULTI_AGENCY_PRACTICE_GUIDELINES_v1_180614_FINAL.pdf%20;%20and




https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-role-of-the-independent-sexual-violence-adviser-isva




passport or birth certificate (if available), are provided to officials to support this

process.

Detention Centres

Tulip Siddiq: [232066]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has visited an

immigration removal centre since his appointment as Home Secretary.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Secretary and Home Office Ministers conduct visits, and host meetings,

on the whole spectrum of Home Office business regularly. It is our policy not to

provide details of such visits.

Information on ministers’ meetings is released quarterly as part of Government

transparency and accountability data and is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-

travel-and-meetings-july-to-september-2018

Detention Centres: Training


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether immigration removal

centre staff receive training on indicators of trafficking and modern slavery; and what

information is covered in that training.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Immigration Removal

Centre staff receive training on identifying vulnerable adults based on his Department's

adults at risk in immigration detention policy.

Caroline Nokes:

Home Office staff working in all immigration removal centres receive training on

identifying vulnerable adults, and to act as first responders to identify and refer

potential victims of trafficking or modern slavery to the National Referral Mechanism.

Home Office supplier staff have a duty to highlight to the Home Office any detainee

who they consider to be an adult at risk, including potential victims of trafficking or

modern slavery, so that appropriate action can be taken.

Training on the adults at risk in immigration detention policy has been provided to

IRC staff, including healthcare staff and other staff who come into contact with

detainees.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-july-to-september-2018





Firearms and Knives: Crime


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department

has made of the proportion of violent crimes that involved the use of a (a) firearm and (b)

knife in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) the UK in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects data on the number of offences involving firearms or knives

/ sharp instruments recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force

Area level only.

Forced Labour: Construction

Stephen Crabb: [230062]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle

forced labour in the construction industry.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure

that any future changes to immigration policy do not lead to a rise in forced labour.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery in all sectors, including

construction, which is why is we reformed the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse

Authority (GLAA), giving it a wider remit and police powers to investigate labour

market offences across all sectors of the economy.

The construction sector has been the focus of increased enforcement activity by the

GLAA and other agencies over the last 12 months, with over 20 investigations

resulting in several arrests. The GLAA has also established a Construction Protocol

in partnership with the industry to protect vulnerable workers and raise awareness of

modern slavery.

The Government is also using other levers to tackle modern slavery in the sector.

Businesses operating in the UK with a turnover above £36m are required to publish

annual transparency statements detailing the steps they are taking to address

modern slavery in their supply chains.

The Home Office is hosting a conference on 27 March to share good practice on

tackling modern slavery in public procurement, focussing on high-risk sectors for

public sector buyers, including construction.

The protection of all persons from forced labour and modern slavery offences

remains a key priority for the Government and will of course be taken into account in

the development of future immigration policy through engagement with key

representative and law enforcement bodies, the Director of Labour Market

Enforcement, consultations and impact assessments.




Those with lawful immigration status permitting them to work in the UK enjoy full

protection under labour market legislation when they engage in employment.

Immigration Enforcement will take action against rogue businesses who exploit illegal

workers under powers provided in the Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006

and Immigration Act 2016.

Home Office: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: [229751]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many consultations by his

Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have

been initiated since 2016.

Victoria Atkins:

All consultations published by the Home Office and their status, including responses,

are available on GOV.UK at this page: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations

Immigration: Construction


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made

of the effect on the construction industry of only allowing skilled visas for roles at RQF

Level 3 or above; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing

that requirement to RQF Level 2.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made

of the potential effect of the proposals in the Immigration White Paper on the construction

industry.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what engagement he has had

with representatives of the construction industry on the Immigration White Paper.

Caroline Nokes:

The Government is committed to developing a future borders and immigration system

that will cater for all sectors of the UK, including for those who make a very valuable

contribution to our construction sector

The Migration Advisory Committee recommended reducing the level required for

those coming to the UK as skilled workers to include those at RQF level 3 and above.

They did not recommend a route for low skilled workers. However, the White Paper

does propose a temporary short-term workers route which will be open to people at

any level.

Our proposals in the immigration White Paper, the UK’s Future Skills-Based

Immigration System, were accompanied by a full economic appraisal. As the

Government has been clear, we are launching a twelve month engagement process





in order to listen to businesses and organisations. As part of this, there has already

been engagement with the construction sector. We will consider the feedback from

this process before making a final decision.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Preet Kaur Gill: [232082]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department

has made of the number of EU citizens with a criminal record eligible to apply for (a) pre-

settled status and (b) settled status.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an applicant for (a) pre-

settled and (b) settled status whose application has been refused on criminal records

grounds is entitled to appeal that decision in the event that the UK leaves the EU (i) with

and (ii) without a deal.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at what stage an applicant for (a)

pre-settled and (b) settled status whose application is denied on criminal records grounds

would become an unlawful resident.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office does not hold estimates of the number of EU citizens with a criminal

record who are eligible to apply for immigration status under the EU Settlement

Scheme.

If the draft Withdrawal Agreement is agreed, the Government will implement that

agreement, including a right of appeal in respect of citizens’ rights immigration

decisions, through the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

If there is no deal, a person who is refused status under the EU Settlement Scheme

on criminality grounds and who is therefore liable to be deported will, in respect of

pre-exit conduct, have a right of appeal under the Immigration (European Economic

Area) Regulations 2016. In respect of post-exit conduct, they will be able to make a

human rights claim in relation to any deportation decision and, if that claim is refused,

they will have a right of appeal under section 82 of the Nationality, Immigration and

Asylum Act 2002.

An EU citizen who is refused leave under the EU Settlement Scheme on the basis of

their criminal conduct will not have a right to reside in the UK once a decision is made

to deport them on criminality grounds.

Knives: Crime

Vernon Coaker: [231907]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the additional funds for

tackling knife crime announced in the Spring Statement will be allocated to (a) the seven





police forces with the highest rise in knife crime, (b) Nottinghamshire Police Force and (c)

other police forces.

Victoria Atkins:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 13 March that an additional £100

million funding in 19/20 will help in the police’s immediate response to the rise in

serious knife crime, enabling priority forces to immediately begin planning to put in

place the additional capacity they need. The funding will also be invested in Violence

Reduction Units, bringing together a range of agencies including health, education,

social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach in preventing serious

violence altogether. It is important that we recognise that greater law enforcement on

its own will not reduce serious violence and that we must continue to focus on

prevention.

The majority of the investment will go towards supporting police forces where violent

crime is impacting the most, to take immediate action to sup-press the violence we

are seeing, to make our streets safer. We are engaging with partners including the

National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime

Commissioners and we are developing the criteria by which forces will receive this

funding

Metropolitan Police: Finance

Catherine West: [232073]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £100 million

fund to tackle knife crime announced in the Spring Statement will be allocated to the

Metropolitan Police.

Victoria Atkins:









prevention.


crime is impacting the most, to take immediate action to suppress the violence we are

seeing, to make our streets safer. We are engaging with partners including the



funding.


Migrant Workers: Self-employed


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has

plans to allow self-employed migrants to enter the UK under the proposed future skills-

based immigration system.

Caroline Nokes:

As we set out in the immigration system White Paper, those wishing to base

themselves in the UK to work on a self-employed or freelance basis will continue to

able to do so where they are able to qualify under the exceptional talent and business

start-up routes. Skilled professionals who are technically self-employed, but

effectively filling a position with a UK-based business (for example, barristers) will

continue to be able to be sponsored under the new route for skilled and highly skilled

workers.

We are currently engaging with businesses, employers and other stake-holders on

the proposals set out in the White Paper

Police


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the change has been in the

total number of full time equivalent police officers in each year since 2009.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers

employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These

data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.

Data on the number of police officers in England and Wales, by Police Force Area, as

at 31 March each year and going back to March 2007, can be found in the

accompanying Open Data Table:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362

/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods

The latest published figures, representing the picture as at 30 September 2018, can

be accessed in ‘Table 1’ of the accompanying data tables here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-

september-2018

Police: Finance

Zac Goldsmith: [232003]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the £100m in additional

funding for 2019-20 to tackle serious violence announced in the Spring Statement will be

allocated to each police force.



https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2018




Zac Goldsmith: [232004]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £100m

additional funding in 2019-20 to tackle serious violence will be allocated to the

Metropolitan Police.

Victoria Atkins:









prevention.


crime is impacting the most, to take immediate action to suppress the violence we are

seeing, to make our streets safer. We are engaging with partners including the



funding.

Radicalism: Young People


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is

taking to stop the far right radicalising young people online.

Mr Ben Wallace:

This Government has been clear there should be no safe spaces online for terrorists

and extremists to operate. This includes those engaged in far right radicalisation, as

demonstrated by the measures we have taken against National Action and its

aliases.

We are taking robust action to tackle radicalisation online, by securing the removal of

terrorist content. Our approach involves working closely with industry, including

through the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, to encourage them to

proactively respond and to develop innovative solutions to tackle this problem.

But there is still more to do. A White Paper will be published in the coming weeks,

setting out measures to tackle online harms, including terrorist and extremist content.



Refugees: Housing


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his

Department to announce plans for future refugee resettlement programmes ahead of the

conclusion of the Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme in 2020.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is

taking to support local authorities to maintain their current capacity to resettle refugees.

Caroline Nokes:

Work has begun with key stakeholders and international partners on our future

Asylum and Resettlement Strategy, which includes consideration of the UK’s

resettlement offer beyond 2020.

Delivery of the Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) has relied strongly

on the principles of collaboration and co-design between central and local

government and other partners and it is likely that any future resettlement offer would

seek to build on that model.

We are grateful to the 300+ local authorities who came forward to participate in the

VPRS. Through the collective goodwill and efforts of all involved over 14,900

vulnerable refugees fleeing the brutal conflict have now found safety in the UK to

rebuild their lives.

Road Traffic Offences: Prosecutions


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions for

motoring offences were pursued by the police (a) overall and (b) in each police force area

in each year since 2009.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office collects and publishes data on police recorded motoring offences

and how they have been resolved by the police. These data are broken down by

offences which led to a Fixed Penalty Notice and/or financial penalty; attend a driver

retraining course; or face court action which may lead to prosecution. These statistics

do not provide the outcome of those summoned to court and therefore do not provide

the number of individuals prosecuted for motoring offences.

Data on prosecutions for motoring offences are held by the Ministry of Justice and

are published in their quarterly ‘Criminal Justice Statistics’ bulletin. The Ministry of

Justice has published data on the number of prosecutions for motoring offences, by

Police Force Area, up to December 2017, and can be found here:


ent_data/file/733991/motoring-tool-2017-update.xlsx




https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733991/motoring-tool-2017-update.xlsx



UK Visas and Immigration: Training


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether UK Visas and

Immigration staff receive mandatory training on (a) identifying signs of exploitation and (b)

what actions to take if exploitation is identified; and what information is covered in this

training.

Caroline Nokes:

“UK Visas and Immigration takes the protection of vulnerable applicants seriously and

expects staff to complete mandatory e-learning courses on modern slavery. The

courses, which cover human trafficking and slavery, servitude and forced or

compulsory labour provide important information on indicators of vulnerability and the

actions to be taken in the event that these indicators are identified during interaction

with applicants.

Additionally, as part of the package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism,

the UK’s system for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human

trafficking, the Home Office is leading a multi-agency review to determine how to

strengthen training on identifying and supporting victims for all First Responders,

including those at UK Visas and immigration”.

Visas: Pakistan

Patrick Grady: [232042]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the refusal rate has been

for applications for visitor visas from Pakistan in (a) each of the last (a) three years and

(b) three months.

Caroline Nokes:

Applications for visit visas are considered against Appendix V of the Immigration

Rules and on a case by case basis. Detailed information on how UK Visas and

Immigration makes decisions on visitor cases is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-guidance

Information on total entry clearance visas (the majority of which are visitor visas)

broken down by nationality and outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is

published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_02_q at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-

december-2018/list-of-tables

Young Offenders

Louise Haigh: [232050]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department last

surveyed the characteristics of children and young people involved in crime.





https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2018/list-of-tables




Louise Haigh: [232051]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department last made

an assessment of the effect of poverty on youth crime.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The last survey carried out by the Home Office into the characteristics of children and

young people involved in crime was the Offending, Crime and Justice Survey in 2006

which was a self-report survey of a sample of young people aged 10 to 25 asking

about their involvement in offending, drug use and anti-social behaviour.

However, the Home Office makes use of a wide range of survey, academic and

administrative data to inform government’s understanding of the risk factors for

children and young people becoming involved in crime. This evidence has been

drawn upon to inform the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy (2016) and, more

recently, the Serious Violence Strategy (2018). Deprivation has been identified as

one a wide range of risk factors associated with involvement in offending. However,

these risks interact in complex ways to make some people more prone to

involvement in crime than others. The evidence also shows that not all those who

grow up in poverty go on to become offenders, and not all offenders come from

deprived backgrounds.

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Birds: Conservation

Sir Hugo Swire: [231924]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) effectiveness of nets used by

developers to prevent birds nesting in trees.

Kit Malthouse:

My Department does not hold this information. The Government is committed to the

protection of birds and trees and recognises their significant value. The revised

National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions

should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by minimising the

impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity. All wild birds are protected by

provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Buildings: Insulation


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant

to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229147 on Buildings: Insulation, whether in

the event that that test results in failure his Department will advise that all buildings with

that combination of materials be stripped of combustible cladding.






to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229147 on Buildings: Insulation, whether in

the event that that combination of materials passes that test his Department will conduct

further large-scale tests with high-pressure laminate panels and combustible insulation

materials as took place with aluminum composite material cladding in summer 2017.

Kit Malthouse:

The Department will consider, with the advice of the Independent Expert Panel, the

results of this test and other available information, whether any further action is

necessary.



to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229147 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his

Department has estimated the number of buildings with high-pressure laminate cladding

and stone wool insulation.

Kit Malthouse:

The Department does not hold data on whether buildings are clad with high-pressure

laminate and stone wool insulation, and therefore, we cannot provide an estimate.

The Department issued updated advice in December 2017 to assist buildings owners

to manage any non-Aluminium Composite Material related risks to their buildings.



to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229147 on Buildings: Insulation if he will

inform the House before that test is conducted.

Kit Malthouse:

I advised the House of our intention to carry out this test on 4 February in my answer

of to the Honourable Member’s question (UIN214563). I will ensure that the House is

kept informed.

Empty Property

Theresa Villiers: [231954]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

steps he is taking to bring unoccupied properties back into use.

Kit Malthouse:

The Government has given strong powers and incentives to local authorities to tackle

empty homes. From 1 April 2019, they will have discretion to increase the maximum

level of premium charged on properties that have been empty for more than two

years, from 50 per cent to 100 per cent extra council tax, through new powers

afforded by the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty

Dwellings) Act 2018. In addition, the New Homes Bonus allows local authorities to





earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building

a new one.

Under certain circumstances, local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling

Management Order (EDMO) to temporarily take over the management of a property

that has been empty for more than two years in order to bring it back into use. They

must provide evidence that the property represents a nuisance, and that there is

community support for their proposal.

First Time Buyers

John Healey: [226539]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how

many starter homes have been completed to date.

James Brokenshire:

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July last year, brought

starter homes within the definition of affordable housing, as per our Housing White

Paper commitment. We intend to lay the secondary legislation to enable the delivery

of starter homes before Parliament later in the Spring.

In the meantime we are supporting people's aspirations to buy through a range of

initiatives including Help to Buy, Right to Buy and greater funding for Shared

Ownership. Since Spring 2010 Government-backed schemes have helped over half a

million households to buy a home and the number of first-time buyers is at a twelve-

year annual high.

Funerals



many public health funerals there have been since 2010; and what the cost to the public

purse has been of those funerals.

Rishi Sunak:

The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Justin Madders: [230826]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether

he has made an estimate of the number of new properties that could be built if the

housing revenue account borrowing cap was removed.

Kit Malthouse:

On 29 October 2018, we confirmed that the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap

had been abolished in full with immediate effect. Local authorities are now free to

borrow to build new council homes in accordance with the Prudential Code and will




not need to apply to the Government for permission to borrow. We expect councils to

double delivery to around 10,000 new homes a year by 2021/22.

Housing: Standards

John Healey: [231911]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will

publish further detail on the proposed Future Homes Standard.

James Brokenshire:

The Future Homes Standard will be implemented through an uplift to the Building

Regulations, subject to consultation. We will expand on the technical detail of these

proposals during the 2019 consultation.

Local Government: Redundancy Pay



many local government employees have received exit payments in excess of £95,000

since 1 January 2017.

Rishi Sunak:

The Department does not collect this data. Local authorities are independent

employers and, as such, Government has a limited role in local government

workforce matters. Data from the Government Actuaries Department, which looked at

36,232 redundancies covering 2013-2016 (the most recent data available) suggested

that 7.7 per cent would have had exit payments in excess of £95,000, including any

pensions strain cost that may have been payable to their pension fund. HM Treasury

is leading on reforms to public sector pay and will be consulting on how the cap will

work in practice shortly. MHCLG will be responsible for implementing those

arrangements for local government.

Planning Permission: Urban Areas


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will

make an assessment of the potential effect of changes to permitted development rights

on the long-term viability of high streets and town centres.

Kit Malthouse:

Through our consultation Planning Reform: Supporting the high street and increasing

the delivery of new homes which closed on 14 January 2019, we have consulted a

range of proposals and considered the responses received.

As announced in the written ministerial statement made on 13 March 2019,

HCWS1408, it is now our intention to bring forward a range of reforms. To support the

high street we intend to introduce additional flexibilities for businesses. These include

new permitted development rights to allow change between high street uses.




INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Department for International Development: Brexit

Stephen Twigg: [231879]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many members of staff

of her Department have been seconded to other government departments or agencies to

work on preparations for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in each month since those

secondments first commenced by (a) civil service grade and (b) destination department.

Alistair Burt:

In line with its commitment to support other government departments with their

immediate resourcing needs DFID has deployed 74 employees on short term loan to

support essential work related to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

The tables below outline the number of staff seconded to other government

departments or agencies, by grade and by destination department, as at 14 March.

CS GRADE

EXISTING

LOAN PRE

DEC-18 DEC-18 JAN-19 FEB-19 MAR-19 TOTAL

SCS

1 1

G6 1

1

2

G7 2

2 7 19 30

SEO

2 3

5

HEO

1 5 6 11 23

EO

1 1

ETP

11 1

12

Total 3 12 11 16 32 74

OTHER

GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENT

EXISTING

LOAN PRE


B.I.G

2 13 15

BEIS 1

1

CO

2

2

DCMS

1 1


OTHER

GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENT

EXISTING

LOAN PRE


DEFRA

12 10 1

23

DExEU

7 7

DIT 2

1 8 5 16

DIT (TfD)

1

1

FCO

2 5 7

NIO

1 1

Total 3 12 11 16 32 74


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has

had with (a) trade unions and (b) other associations representing staff of her Department

on secondments of her Department's staff to work on matters relating to the UK's

withdrawal from the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt:

DFID HR officials met with representatives of the FDA trade union on 17 December

2018 to discuss the proposed response to requests for DFID to support other

government departments with their preparation for EU exit. The group discussed the

prioritisation exercise that had been commissioned by DFID’s Executive Committee

in order to understand the extent of resource that could be deployed, whilst still

protecting DFID’s essential business and 0.7% commitment. They also discussed the

support that would be available to staff, including the key principle of protecting

wellbeing during this time and invited feedback from members to help inform this

approach.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has

made of the effect on her Department's performance against its aims and objectives of

the secondment of staff of her Department to other government departments to work on

matters relating to the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Alistair Burt:

Essential DFID business must continue to ensure that we meet the 0.7%

commitment, with impact and value for money. EU exit will also not prevent us from

continuing the lifesaving humanitarian work that we carry out around the world. In

order to protect this core work, senior leaders in DFID have undertaken a

prioritisation exercise to effectively manage the impact of deployments across

business areas.



Developing Countries: Education


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an

assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendation to use

international meetings and events including the UN High Level Political Forum to press

other governments and international organisations to take action on intersecting

inequalities in education in the Send My Friend to School report, Unlock education for

everyone: delivering the pledge to leave no one behind in education published on 11

February 2019.

Harriett Baldwin:

DFID’s 2018 education policy ‘Get Children Learning’ commits the UK to tackling

multiple sources of disadvantage simultaneously in our contribution to Sustainable

Development Goal (SDG) 4. Building on the advances made at previous international

events such as the UK-hosted Global Disability Summit in 2018, we will continue to

press other governments and international organisations to address intersecting

inequalities to ensure marginalised children can access the quality education they

deserve. We will do this through UK representation throughout the United Nations

High-Level Political Forum, including at side events, making links to the Leave No

One Behind agenda and SDG 4, which is one of the SDGs in focus this year.

Land Mines: Bomb Disposal


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department

has spent since 2017 on landmine clearance; how many landmines have been cleared

with that funding; and what proportion of those landmines were (a) manufactured

landmines and (b) improved explosive devices.

Penny Mordaunt:

Since 2017 my Department has spent over £49million on programmes that reduce

the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). As set out in the UK’s

policy document on mine action, this includes abandoned improvised explosive

devices.

My Department measures the impact of mine action programmes by the amount of

land released and available for productive use, rather than the number of devices

removed, and through the number of beneficiaries of mine risk education.

Programmes deliver life-saving mine risk education sessions to ensure communities

living in some of the most heavily contaminated places in the world understand the

dangers of landmines and ERW. Since 2017, we have supported over 17,000 mine

risk education sessions benefitting nearly 400,000 boys, girls, men and women.

The mine action programme releases land in some of the most heavily contaminated

countries in the world, ensuring communities can to return to their homes, travel

safely to school and work, and farm their own land. In Iraq the removal of mines and

improvised devices is enabling the return of displaced people to areas liberated from



Daesh, where civilians are returning voluntarily to find their homes and public facilities

significantly contaminated by abandoned improvised explosive devices.

The UK also supports national mine action authorities to manage their clearance of

their own contamination more efficiently including training staff on quality assurance

techniques and improving national mine action databases to make the most effective

use of resources and ensure the most vulnerable communities have their land

cleared.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department

has to ensure that its work on landmines will be updated to include appropriate responses

to the rise in the global use of improvised explosive devices.

Penny Mordaunt:

The DFID Global Mine Action Programme tackles the threat of landmines and

explosive remnants of war (ERW) in 14 of the most heavily contaminated countries in

the world, including those contaminated by abandoned improvised explosive devices.

As set out in the UK’s policy document on mine action, ERW includes abandoned

improvised explosive devices.

Tanzania: Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: [231385]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to

help the Government of Tanzania to host 335,000 refugees.

Harriett Baldwin:

DFID is one of the largest donors to humanitarian work in Tanzania. We have

provided support such as food, shelter and protection to over 328,000 Burundian and

Congolese refugees and asylum seekers since 2015, and funded reintegration

assistance for over 3,600 refugees who chose to return to Burundi, as well as

providing additional support to host communities.

Yemen: Migration

Keith Vaz: [R] [230626]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her

Department has made of the number of Yemenis who have migrated from Saudi Arabia

to Yemen in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019 to date.

Alistair Burt:

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that 73,190 Yemenis

returned to Yemen from Saudi Arabia in 2018.

Data was not collected by IOM in 2017 and they are yet to release data for 2019.




INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Arms Trade: Exports

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: [R] [232089]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish the (a) white list of

countries to which UK companies can ship Category C military goods under OGTC

licences, (b) number of licences granted each year since 2010 and (c) names of the

countries in which the end user for those licences is based.

Graham Stuart:

The Open General Trade Control Licence (Category C Goods) is published online at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-general-trade-control-licence-

category-c-goods

The destinations to which Category C goods may be shipped under the licence are

specified in paragraph 1 and schedule 2 of the licence itself.

Traders do not apply for general licences; instead they register via DIT’s online

licensing system known as SPIRE. The number of registrations in each quarter for

each open general licence are published as Official Statistics, as part of the

Government’s quarterly licensing data and is available on gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.

Department for International Trade: Chief Scientific Advisers


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he held with

his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February

2019.

Graham Stuart:

My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary for State and Chief Scientific Adviser met for a one-

to-one meeting on 19th December 2019. The Secretary of State and Chief Scientific

Adviser also led a delegation of 100 to the annual CES in the USA from the 7th to 10th

of January 2019.

The Chief Scientific Adviser contributes fully to policy development, including through

frequent meetings with the Permanent Secretary, Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser

and other members of the Department for International Trade’s Executive Committee;

as well as engaging more broadly with policy development such as through the Chief

Scientific Advisers’ Network.

Motor Vehicles: Import Duties


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had

with representatives of the automotive sector on the potential economic effect of the

imposition of tariffs in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.






George Hollingbery:

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK will implement a temporary tariff for up

to 12 months. The Government held informal conversations specifically in relation to

tariff policy throughout the summer of 2018 with businesses, including the automotive

sector. The market sensitivities around the policy and ongoing EU negotiations have

meant a formal consultation with business was not possible. However, a full

consultation and review on a permanent approach would be undertaken during the 12

months.

Trade Agreements

Seema Malhotra: [231476]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps he has taken to

prepare companies that trade with countries under EU free trade agreements (FTA)

where the provisions of those FTAs have not been replicated.

George Hollingbery:

Our priority is securing a deal with the European Union as this will avoid disruption to

our global trading relationships. However, we must prepare for all eventualities.

The Government has published advice to businesses on trade continuity in a no deal,

including a highly cautious list of those agreements that will not be in place, in order

that businesses and individuals ensure that they are prepared for every eventuality.

Should replacement agreements not be ready in time for 29 March 2019, the

Government is considering a range of options to ensure that its continuity

agreements can be brought into force as soon as possible.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Andy Slaughter: [231955]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reason (a) article 4 of the

Trade and Partnership Agreement between the UK Government and the Government of

Israel describes the territoriality of only the UK and (b) the territoriality of Israel is referred

to only in the explanatory memorandum; what legal force the explanatory memorandum

has; and what assurances the Government has given to the state of Israel on accepting

the territorial limitation of that UK-Israel agreement.

George Hollingbery:

With regard to Israel, the EU-Israel Trade Agreements apply to the State of Israel and

this same territorial application is incorporated into the UK-Israel agreement, without

change. The UK has been clear that it does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian

Territories (OPTs), including the settlements, as part of the State of Israel and that

the OPTs are not covered by the UK-Israel Agreement.

The incorporated territorial application of the EU-Israel agreements has had to

change with regard to the UK, to reflect our departure from the EU. The UK-Israel

agreement, therefore, makes clear that it applies to the UK and the territories for

whose international relations it is responsible.



The Explanatory Memorandum is laid before Parliament to assist parliamentary

scrutiny of the UK-Israel agreement.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Trade and

Partnership Agreement between UK Government and the Government of the State of

Israel presented to Parliament in February 2019, what steps the Government is taking to

ensure that the provisions of the UK-Israel Agreement are not applied to Israeli

settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

George Hollingbery:

The UK does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), including

the settlements, as part of the State of Israel. The OPTs are not covered by the

current EU-Israel Trade Agreements, nor by the UK-Israel Agreement.

Products produced in the Israeli settlements, located within the territories brought

under Israeli administration since June 1967, are not entitled to benefit from

preferential tariff treatment under the EU-Israel Trade Agreements. These areas are

set out in a list of postcodes, which will be hosted on gov.uk, alongside a notice to

importers. Tariff preferences will be implemented by UK customs authorities.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what provisions there are in the

Trade and Partnership Agreement between the UK Government and the Government of

Israel for monitoring the adherence by both parties to duties to respect democratic

principles and human rights; how respect for democratic principles and human rights is

defined; whether those rights are based on (a) international and (b) European law;

whether respect for democratic principles and human rights (i) is limited to the territories

of each party or (ii) includes territories annexed or under the control of each party; and

what the effect on the agreement is of one party not respecting democratic principles and

human rights.

George Hollingbery:

The provisions of the EU-Israel Trade Agreements concerning human rights are

incorporated into the UK-Israel Agreement, without modification. Accordingly, the UK-

Israel Agreement provides that respect for democratic principles and human rights

constitute an essential element of the Agreement. This is based on international

obligations applicable to both parties.

The UK has long supported the promotion of our values globally and this will continue

as we leave the EU. We are committed to upholding the UK’s high standards and will

consider the full range of mechanisms available to us in doing so.

We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and

have a regular dialogue with Israel on human rights and legal issues relating to the

occupation, including settlements and the treatment of Palestinian children in military

custody.



Trade Agreements: NHS

Mr Virendra Sharma: [231970]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with

the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the needs of the NHS in negotiating

future trade deals.

George Hollingbery:

The Department for International Trade works with the Department of Health and

Social Care to ensure a clear cross-Government position on the protection of the

NHS in future trade agreements. Protecting the UK’s right to regulate in the public

interest and protect public services, including the NHS, is of the utmost importance.

The Government has been consistently clear that we are committed to the

fundamental principles of the NHS - that it is universal and free at the point of need.

We will ensure that no trade agreements alter these fundamental facts.

Trade Agreements: Public Sector

Luke Graham: [232631]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will take steps to ensure that

contracts for the delivery of (a) NHS and (b) other public services will be excluded from

future trade deals.

George Hollingbery:

I refer my Hon. Friend for Ochil and South Perthshire to the answer I gave to the Hon.

Member for Midlothian on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

UK Trade in Numbers


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the

cost to the public purse of the publication entitled UK Trade in Numbers, published on 26

February 2019.

George Hollingbery:

The Official Statistics publication “UK Trade in Numbers” was made freely available

on GOV.UK on 26 February as the primary means of access.

The cost of printing the 1,200 hard copies of this publication was £1,256.32. Or just

over a £1 per pocketbook.

This publication provides a substantial source of information to help inform how the

UK meets the challenges of trade policy and promotion.




JUSTICE

Courts: Closures

Yasmin Qureshi: [230664]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2019 to

Question 214022 on Courts: Closures, for how many years do staff who move their work

location to an alternative court as part of the Estates Rationalisation Programme have

access to the Excess Fares Allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer:

Staff who incur additional travel costs as a result of a permanent compulsory transfer

from their current work location to an alternative location, as part of the Estates

Rationalisation Programme, will have access to Excess Fares Allowance for a period

of 3 years. In certain exceptional circumstances the period of Excess Fares

Allowance may be extended by an additional year.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has commissioned any

research into changes to journey times to courts for (a) witnesses, (b) victims of crime

and (c) court staff in areas where courts have closed as a result of the Estate

Rationalisation Programme.

Lucy Frazer:

The decision to close a court is never taken lightly. In the case of each court closure,

we undertook a public consultation exercise and considered the responses we

received very carefully. The Lord Chancellor has only agreed to close courts when

satisfied that effective access to justice would be maintained.

Research and analysis of changes to journey times for those who attend court is

conducted and published as part of the consultation process. The analysis is further

reviewed based on responses to the consultation and is carefully considered by the

Lord Chancellor before final decisions are made regarding the future of a court.

Crown Courts: ICT


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Crown Court Digital Case System

is operated by HM Courts and Tribunals Service or contracted to a third-party supplier.

Lucy Frazer:

Digital Case System (DCS) is operated by a third-party supplier, Netmaster Solutions

LTD (NSL).

Legal Aid Scheme


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when criminal legal aid remuneration rates were

last raised in real terms for legal professionals.





Lucy Frazer:

Criminal defence lawyers play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and the

Government greatly values their contribution.

Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid. In

addition, following consultation with the profession, we increased overall funding of

the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) by £23m and brought forward a 1%

increase in fees which came into effect along with the new scheme on 31 December

2018. This represents a 10% increase on AGFS spend in 2016-17.

In addition, we are conducting a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fee

schemes, which will report back by the end of Summer 2020. This will go far beyond

our previous proposals, including pre-charge advice at the police station, advice and

advocacy services in the Magistrates’ Court, and litigation and advocacy services in

the Crown Court.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of

low remuneration rates for criminal solicitors on recruitment to the profession.

Lucy Frazer:

Defence solicitors carry out valuable work and we are determined to ensure publicly-

funded criminal defence work remains a sustainable and attractive profession.

That is why a fundamental review of criminal legal aid fee schemes is currently

underway. This will go far beyond our previous proposals, including pre-charge

advice at the police station, advice and advocacy services in the Magistrates’ Court,

and litigation and advocacy services in the Crown Court, and will report back by the

end of Summer 2020.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on

a regular basis and takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal

legal advice for the public. Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, with more than

half on criminal legal aid.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who his Department is consulting with as part of

its review into criminal legal aid fees.

Lucy Frazer:

We will be working with a range of agencies and stakeholders – and the criminal

defence profession in particular – to gather the necessary evidence to ensure this

review is as robust and wide-ranging as possible.

We are currently scoping the review and are already working with the professions to

determine the specific issues that the review should consider. A defence practitioner

advisory panel has been established to ensure practitioners’ views are carefully

considered as part of the review.

This includes representatives from the:



• Bar Council

• Bar Council Young Barristers' Committee

• Big Firms’ Group

• Chartered Institute of Legal Executives

• Bar Circuit Leaders

• Criminal Bar Association

• Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association

• Law Society

• Law Society Junior Lawyers Division

• Legal Aid Practitioners Group

• London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association

• Public Defender Service

• Solicitors’ Association of Higher Court Advocates

• Young Legal Aid Lawyers

We will also engage with wider stakeholders, including relevant experts and user

engagement groups.


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

the continued viability of the criminal legal aid sector while his review of criminal legal aid

fees is ongoing.

Lucy Frazer:

The Government is clear that there are sufficient solicitors and barristers to undertake

criminal legal aid-funded cases and will make sure this continues to be the case. The

Legal Aid Agency monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing

basis. Where issues are identified, the LAA takes action to ensure there is ongoing

availability of criminal legal advice for the public. Last year we spent £1.6bn on legal

aid, with more than half on criminal legal aid.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on

justice of the limit on what can be paid through the Legal Aid Agency for experts’ reports

in criminal cases.

Lucy Frazer:

We must continue to ensure that every aspect of fee remuneration represents value

for money for the taxpayer. This includes the fees currently paid to experts.

However, we recognise that in some specific areas, it is necessary to pay a particular

level of rates to secure the necessary expertise. Therefore, the rates for some

specific expert types vary, based on the nature of the expertise. Furthermore,



solicitors can apply for higher expert fees under exceptional circumstances in cases

where an expert’s evidence is key to the client’s case, and where either an expert

with a high degree of seniority is required due to the complexity of the material, or the

material is of a specialised and unusual nature that only very few experts are

available to provide the necessary evidence.

Ministry of Justice: Chief Scientific Advisers


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many meetings he held with his


Edward Argar:

The responsibilities of a Chief Scientific Advisor are performed by the Director of

Analysis in the Ministry of Justice. The Director of Analysis attended meetings with

the Secretary of State on one occasion between 1 December 2018 and 28 February

2019.

Probation: Private Sector

Bill Esterson: [232002]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the

Minister of State for Justice of 4 March 2019, Official Report, column 698 on the

Privatised Probation System, when he plans to meet with the hon. Member for Sefton and

the family of Sam Cook.

Rory Stewart:

My private office has contacted the hon. Member’s office and will arrange a meeting

in due course.

Women's Centres: Greater London

Imran Hussain: [230758]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what services will be provided at the women’s

centre to be built on the former site of HMP Holloway.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department expects the women’s

centre to be built on the former site of HMP Holloway to be opened.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women his Department expects the

women’s centre to be built on the former site of HMP Holloway will provide services for

(a) each month and (b) each year.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has identified an

operator for the women’s centre to be built on the former site of HMP Holloway.








To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the money from the sale of the former

site of HMP Holloway will be paid to his Department in a single instalment.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding the Government expects to

make available each year to the women’s centre to be opened on the former site of HMP

Holloway.


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the profits from the sale of

the former site of HMP Holloway will be invested by the Government in (a) existing

women’s centres, (b) expanding the number of women’s centres, (c) existing female

prisons, (d) existing male prisons, (e) new female prisons, (f) new male prisons, (g) other

services operated by HMPPS, (h) other services operated by his Department and (i) other

areas of expenditure.

Edward Argar:

On 8 March the sale of the former Holloway prison site to social housing group

Peabody in partnership with London Square Ltd was announced. The sale will help

drive forward the Government’s commitment to invest in our prison estate, including

to replace ageing prisons with modern, purpose-built establishments, which improve

rehabilitation and create safe and secure environments. We have worked closely with

the local authority to ensure the amount of affordable housing on the site meets the

planning requirement and we are pleased that the proposed development will achieve

this aim, while also giving best value to the taxpayer. The money, which was received

as a single payment, from this sale forms part of the Department’s overall budget and

so is supporting our initiatives to deliver safer prisons which better support

resettlement and ultimately reduce reoffending.

The plans for the women’s centre were set out in the proposals for the site

announced by Peabody and London Square who are leading on this important

initiative and the development of the site.

TRANSPORT

Airports: Scotland

Lesley Laird: [231562]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the scope of EU Regulation

598/2014 relating to noise-related operating restrictions at Scottish Airports to include

management of aircraft noise for communities who currently within the area of the

proposed competent authorities but are badly affected by noise from the two main

Scottish airports.





Jesse Norman:

EU Regulation 598/2014 establishes rules and procedures with regard to the

introduction of noise-related operating restrictions at EU airports. This includes the

appointment of a competent authority in relation to the operating restrictions.

A competent authority’s role relates to the operating restriction itself and is not bound

by geography. The Government’s implementation of this Regulation for Scotland, The

Airports (Noise-Related Operating Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2019, laid

before Parliament has been brought forward by the UK Government because this is a

reserved matter in relation to Scotland. The Regulations designate Scottish Ministers

as the competent authority for Scottish airports within the scope of the regulation.

Department for Transport: Carbon Budgets

Andy McDonald: [230843]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what carbon budget his Department has set

for this year and each of the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years.

Jesse Norman:

Carbon budgets are not set by individual departments.

Department for Transport: Chief Scientific Advisers


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he held with his


Jesse Norman:

The Secretary of State for Transport has had no meetings with the Department’s

Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.

As Minister of State, I meet with the Department’s Chief Scientific Advisor regularly

and have had multiple meetings with him since December 2018 to discuss topics

including the Department’s evidence and analysis strategy, the Future of Mobility

Grand Challenge and the Government Office for Science’s Foresight Report on the

Future of Mobility.

Driving: Diabetes

Alan Brown: [231523]

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

potential merits of (a) continuous glucose monitor sensors and (b) flash glucose

monitoring to (i) assess glucose levels and (ii) validate a diabetic’s fitness to drive.

Jesse Norman:

The guidance on the use of new monitoring technologies for people with diabetes

was updated on 15 February and is available online at:

www.gov.uk/guidance/diabetes-mellitus-assessing-fitness-to-drive#diabetes-mellitus.

It was decided that the testing of interstitial fluid can be permitted for driving licensing




purposes for people with diabetes who drive cars or motorcycles. Drivers of goods

vehicles and buses must continue to monitor blood glucose levels as stipulated in EU

and GB law.

Motorways

Sir Mike Penning: [230686]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative risk

assessment of the safety of a vehicle stopping in a running lane during off peak times on

(a) an all lane running motorway and (b) a traditional motorway with a hard shoulder.

Jesse Norman:

The original safety assessment of All Lane Running (ALR) included the safety of a

vehicle stopping in a running lane during peak and off-peak periods. It also identified

a range of measures, such as the provision of traffic management technology and

emergency areas, designed to ensure that overall ALR safety levels would be at least

as safe as those of a traditional motorway with a hard shoulder.

The smart motorway schemes between junctions 5-7 and 23-27 of the M25 were the

first to be designed to the ALR standard, and were completed in 2014. The

performance of both schemes was monitored, and reports were published after one,

two and three years of operation, which included an assessment of safety and

performance data.

M25 three-year evaluation reports:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m25-junction-5-to-7-third-year-

evaluation-report

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m25-junction-23-to-27-third-year-

evaluation-report

The reviews show that the All Lane Running sections are performing in line with

expectations, successfully increasing capacity and improving journeys for motorists.

These reviews also found that the M25 schemes delivered a 27% safety

improvement overall.

Road Traffic Offences: Motorways

Sir Mike Penning: [230682]

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

of trends in the level of red-X non-compliance on smart motorways for each of the last

two years for which data is available.

Jesse Norman:

Highways England published comprehensive evaluation reports for the first three

years of operation of the M25 junctions 5-7 and 23-27 all lane running schemes on 16

July 2018. These included information on non-compliance and on a programme of

work designed to improve Red X compliance.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m25-junction-5-to-7-third-year-evaluation-report







The evidence indicates an overall improvement in the Red-X compliance rate on both

schemes between the three-year and one-year reports. The majority of drivers obey

Red-X signals. Highways England continue to work closely with the Police to issue

warning letters to drivers who fail to comply with a Red-X signal, as well as running a

range of driver information campaigns.

Roads: Accidents

Martyn Day: [232053]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019

to Question 221797 on Roads: Accidents, if his Department will make an assessment of

the merits of recording the number of road accidents attributed to glare from (a) LED and

(b) halogen bulbs in car headlights; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman:

The Department periodically reviews the data collection on personal injury road

accidents reported to the police, in a process called Stats19 reviews. A Stats19

review started in autumn 2018 and is currently considering what amendments need

to be made to the collection.

In making recommendations for change, the review considers evidence on the

burden this would impose on the police to collect it, the practicality and likely quality

of the data collected and potential benefits in building the road safety evidence base

to save lives. We aim to consult on potential changes to the collection in 2020

following detailed engagement with the police and road safety organisations in 2019.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

James Morris: [232556]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new pieces of rolling stock have

been ordered by Train Operating Companies or their suppliers in each year between

1997 and 2019.

Andrew Jones:

The number of new carriages ordered by Train Operating Companies in each

complete year between 1997 and 2018 is:

YEAR CARRIAGES

1997 458

1998 937

1999 550

2000 145

2001 1014

2002 1012



YEAR CARRIAGES

2003 329

2004 120

2005 180

2006 220

2007 303

2008 332

2009 120

2010 0

2011 130

2012 716

2013 1583

2014 1077

2015 582

2016 1875

2017 1431

2018 379

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: [231391]

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

the effect of toxic fumes from shipping.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

The Government has been engaging internationally and domestically in order to

reduce pollutant emissions from shipping.

For the most part, the international nature of the shipping industry means that

regulatory solutions to curb environmental impacts from this sector need to be

delivered globally. In this regard, the UK strongly supports the reduction in the

sulphur content of marine fuel which will apply to shipping globally from 2020. In UK

waters, a strict 0.1 per cent sulphur limit has applied to ships operating in the English

Channel and North Sea since 2015; and from 2021 these waters will also be

designated as a nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions control area.


The Government highlighted opportunities to reduce emissions from domestic

shipping and ports activities, when it published its Clean Air Strategy (CAS) on 14

January this year. Commitments include consulting on options for increasing

domestic regulations and extending the current emission control area to other UK

waters.

To help drive the uptake of cleaner technologies and greener fuels, I am chairing a

new Government-led Clean Maritime Council, which brings together experts from the

maritime sector. Along with the CAS and the Clean Maritime Council, the Department

is working with stakeholders to develop a Clean Maritime Plan by Spring 2019. This

plan will set out a number of domestic policies to reduce emissions from shipping

while maximising the potential economic benefit for the UK from global transition to

zero emission shipping.

Train Operating Companies: Standards

Tony Lloyd: [231366]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the penalties are for train operators that

have not provided the level of service that they are contracted to deliver; what

compensation is available to passengers of Northern Rail that have not met contractual

obligations services; what steps he is taking to improve the provision of rail services in

Rochdale; and whether he plans to withdraw the franchise of operators which have not

fulfilled their contractual obligations.

Andrew Jones:

Under the terms of the Franchise Agreement there is a performance regime which

deals with poor performance in the areas of cancellations, delays and reduced

capacity. Under the Delay Repay scheme, Northern passengers are entitled to

compensation if a delay to their train journey means they are delayed in reaching

their destination by 15mins or more. Delay Repay for those journeys delayed 15mins

or more was announced by the Secretary of State later last year and introduced by

Northern on 16 December 2018. As part of this, the Secretary of State has tasked

Richard George, an independent industry expert, to assist with railway industry

performance improvement in the region covered by TfN. The Secretary of State has

no hesitation in enforcing that any of his rights under the Franchise Agreement for

operators not fulfilling their contractual obligations.

Transport

Mark Menzies: [231434]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government’s Inclusive

Transport Strategy published in July 2018, what progress he has made towards the target

of making the UK’s transport network fully inclusive by 2030; what his policy is on the

inclusion of people with dementia on the UK's transport network; and if he will make a

statement.



Ms Nusrat Ghani:

Good progress continues to be made in delivering the commitments set out in the

Inclusive Transport Strategy. A monitoring and evaluation framework was published

on 19 December setting out how the Government will measure the impact that the

Strategy is having on the lives of disabled people including those with non-visible

disabilities such as dementia and the progress that is being made towards its 2030

goal. The Department will also report annually to Parliament on the delivery of the

Inclusive Transport Strategy, with the first such report due in the summer.

TREASURY

British Business Bank


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase funding for the

British Business Bank to match the £2.1 billion invested by the European Investment

Bank in the UK in 2017.

Elizabeth Truss:

Businesses and infrastructure projects raise finance from the private market, with

important UK government support.

The European Investment Bank Group provides finance alongside other market

participants. In 2017, the European Investment Bank, which predominantly invests in

infrastructure projects, invested EUR 1.84bn in the UK. Its SME risk-finance focused

subsidiary, the European Investment Fund, invested EUR 61.05m in UK operations in

2017.

As we leave the EU, we continue to actively explore options for a future relationship

with the European Investment Bank Group, and the government has a range of

existing tools in place to support infrastructure and SME finance, including the £40

billion UK Guarantees Scheme for infrastructure projects. At Spring Statement, the

government published a consultation on its existing tools for supporting infrastructure

finance and the way they are delivered.

The British Business Bank supports access to finance for smaller businesses. Its

programmes are supporting more than £5.9bn of finance to over 82,000 businesses.

The British Business Bank has capacity to make venture capital commitments this

year exceeding the combined average annual commitments from the European

Investment Fund and British Business Bank in the three years preceding the

referendum. In addition, at Budget 2018, the Chancellor announced if no future

relationship with the EIB Group is in place when the UK leaves the EU, the

government will provide the British Business Bank with new resources to enable it to

make up to £200m additional investment in venture capital and growth finance in

2019/20. The government stands ready to deliver its commitment in all

circumstances.


Business: West Midlands


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential

economic effect on businesses in the West Midlands of the proposals set out in the Tax

Information and Impact Note for the UK Tariff 2019.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential

economic effect on businesses in the West Midlands of the provisions in the Tax

Information and Impact Note for the UK Tariff 2019.

Mel Stride:

The temporary tariff regime has been designed with the aim of minimising disruption

across the UK. The Government believes the policy strikes the right balance between

avoiding high adjustment costs and protecting businesses from unfair trade in some

sectors, and liberalising tariffs to maintain current supply chains and to avoid an

increase in consumer prices.

The impacts on businesses in the West Midlands stemming from this policy will

depend on firms’ reliance on imports from the EU and the extent to which they are

already exposed to competition from the rest of the world. For some businesses,

there will be potential benefits in terms of not having tariffs imposed on imports from

the EU (as is currently the case), particularly where businesses rely on EU goods as

inputs or as final goods for sale. However, for other businesses, lowering the UK’s

tariffs could expose them to greater levels of competition from the rest of the world,

which may create adjustment costs for these firms.

This is a temporary policy that will apply for up to 12 months in the event of no deal.

During this temporary period, a full review, including a public consultation, would be

undertaken in order to develop a permanent tariff regime.

European Bioinformatics Institute: Finance


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Spring Statement 2019,

whether NPIF funding to the European Bioinformatics Institute refers to the Northern

Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Elizabeth Truss:

The £45m investment in the European Bioinformatics Institute is funded from the

additional £7bn committed for research and innovation from the National Productivity

Investment Fund. This will deliver a 20% uplift to government R&D investment

between 2017 and 2022 – the largest increase for 40 years.




Joint European Torus: Finance


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for how long he plans to fund the JET nuclear

fusion reactor.

Elizabeth Truss:

At the 2019 Spring Statement, government reiterated its existing commitment to

paying the UK’s share of the ongoing costs for the JET nuclear fusion facility until the

end of 2020, should the EU extend the operational contract. The Chancellor also

went further, by confirming that if the EU do not extend the contract beyond 29

March, the UK Government will provide JET with the resource it needs to continue

operations in 19/20, until a new arrangement can be reached with the EU, giving the

world-leading experts at the facility the certainty they need to continue their ground-

breaking research.

As with all budgets, subsequent years beyond 19/20 will be considered at the

Spending Review.

Local Growth Deals: Borderlands

Alison Thewliss: [232041]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been allocated from the

Borderlands Growth Deal to (a) Carlisle City Council, (b) Cumbria County Council, (c)

Dumfries and Galloway Council, (d) Northumberland County Council and (e) Scottish

Borders Council.

Elizabeth Truss:

The Chancellor announced up to £260 million for the Borderlands Deal at Spring

Statement to strengthen the deep ties that bind these communities within the United

Kingdom. This innovative deal covers all areas in the Borderlands – Carlisle,

Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, Northumberland, and Scottish Borders. On top of

the £102 million announced recently for the Carlisle Southern Link Road from the

Housing Infrastructure Fund, this means up to £362 million of UK government

investment into the Borderlands area.

Marine Protected Areas: Ascension Island

Luke Pollard: [232111]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding he is making available to enforce

the Marine Protection Area around Ascension Island announced in the Spring Statement.

Elizabeth Truss:

Funding to establish a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) around Ascension Island

will be made available under the Blue Belt programme, and will be consistent with

funding for other MPAs. Funding for ongoing costs associated with the Ascension

Island MPA will be delivered at the forthcoming Spending Review.




Optical Fibres: Non-domestic Rates

Liam Byrne: [231921]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the

public purse of extending full fibre relief from five years to (a) 10 years, (b) 15 years and

(c) 20 years by financial year.

Mel Stride:

Estimates of the Exchequer effect of extending full fibre relief are not available.

PAYE


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.25 of the Office

for Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2019, if he

will publish the most recent data by (a) percentile and (b) decile relating to mean total

pay.

Mel Stride:

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes information on income and tax by

percentile groupings in Table 2.4 of their Income Tax statistics and distributions

publication, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/shares-of-total-

income-before-and-after-tax-and-income-tax-for-percentile-groups.

HMRC also releases a publication containing quarterly statistics about pay earnings

derived from Real Time Information. These statistics are relatively new and their

content is under development.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Angela Rayner: [R] [232030]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Spring Statement, how much

additional funding he has allocated for the provision of free sanitary products in

secondary schools and colleges in the 2019-20 academic year.

Elizabeth Truss:

The Government is committed to tackling period poverty in schools, and the

damaging impact it can have on girls’ education. At the Spring Statement the

Chancellor announced that the Department for Education will lead work to develop a

national scheme in England to provide free sanitary products in schools and colleges.

The government will fully fund this commitment and precise funding arrangements

will be confirmed as part of the 2019 Spending Review.

Research: Finance


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2017 to

Question 191916 on research: finance, how the Government plans to protect R&D

funding after the end of the implementation period.





Elizabeth Truss:

Under the Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities would continue to participate in EU

programmes as if the UK were an EU Member State for the remainder of this Multi-

Year Financial Framework (MFF). This means that UK organisations will be able to

continue to secure EU research funding during the implementation period, including

funding beyond the end of 2020 where projects stretch beyond this period. If we

leave the EU without a deal, HMG has guaranteed payment of awards where: UK

entities have successfully bid into EU programmes whilst we remain in the EU, for the

lifetime of the project; and where UK entities successfully bid as a third country entity

until the end of 2020, for the lifetime of the project. This includes the tail of funding

where projects stretch beyond the end of 2020.

Participation in programmes post-2020, and domestic R&D budgets post 19/20 will

be considered at the Spending Review.

Social Services: Children

Rosie Cooper: [231963]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of

the effect of changes in the level of funding for children’s services on (a) schools, (b) the

police and (c) the NHS.

Elizabeth Truss:

Local authorities have access to over £200bn to deliver services, including children’s

services, between 2015 and 2020. Local government core spending power will

increase in real terms next year.

At Budget 2018 we announced an additional £410m next year for adults and

children’s social care, and £84m to support local authorities to expand programmes

for children and families that have shown reduced costs to the police and the NHS.

We expect local authorities to continue to work closely with partner agencies to

support and protect children in their area.

Treasury: Chief Scientific Advisers


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he held with his


Elizabeth Truss:

Between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019, the Chancellor of the Exchequer

met with the Chief Scientific Adviser/Director of the Enterprise and Growth Unit at HM

Treasury, on five occasions.



WALES

Trade Unions: Wales


To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many times he has met with trade unions in

Wales since July 2016.

Alun Cairns:

I have held two specific official trade union roundtable meetings since July 2016.

I have also regularly engaged with the farming unions in Wales including through my

Expert Panel, which has met 11 times since it was established in September 2017.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Down's Syndrome


To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, following the Answer to 18 February 2019

to Question 217546 on Down's Syndrome: Abortion, what steps the Government

Equalities Office is taking to ensure that women have a complete picture of all the options

available to them.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government Equality Office does not provide advice on sexual and reproductive

rights and options, which is a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care.

Government Equalities Office: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: [230881]

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the guidance entitled,

Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were

allocated contracts by her Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more

than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.

Victoria Atkins:

GEO have reviewed their relevant contracts and no contracts have been awarded to

supplier in which the mitigating circumstances, with regards to tax compliance, apply.

Sexual Harassment


To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment her Department

has made of the adequacy of the legislation on sexual harassment in the workplace.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government strongly condemns sexual harassment in the workplace, and is

committed to seeing it end.





The UK has some of the strongest workplace protections in the world. These include

explicit protections against sexual harassment in the workplace under the Equality

Act 2010, and the Government will be consulting this summer on whether these

should be further strengthened.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Department for Work and Pensions: Chief Scientific Advisers


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings she had with

her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February

2019.

Justin Tomlinson:

The Secretary of State had no meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific

Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019; however, she did meet

the Chief Scientific Adviser on 27th November 2018 as one of her first meetings in the

Department. Baroness Buscombe meets with the Chief Scientific Adviser on a regular

basis in her role as Minister in Charge of Research and Trialling.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Bradford East


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job seeker's allowance

claimants in Bradford East who were subjected to sanctions in each year from 2010

successfully overturned the sanction decision.

Alok Sharma:

The number of job seeker's allowance claimants who have been sanctioned,

including information on mandatory reconsiderations and appeals by parliamentary

constituency is published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance for users is available at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: [230074]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer 1 February

2019 to Question 209777 on Personal Independence Payment, what the medical

conditions were of personal independence payment claimants who applied under normal

rules and died after registering but prior to her Department making a decision on their

claim.








Justin Tomlinson:

Over 3.5 million applications to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were made

under Normal Rules between April 2013 and 30th April 2018. Of these claimants,

11,790 died after registering but prior to the DWP making a decision on their claim.

The table below shows the high level category of the main disabling condition, where

one is available, of the 11,790 Normal Rules claimants who died after registration but

before clearance. The Department only records a claimant’s disability at assessment

so does not hold this information where a claimant was disallowed prior to attending

an assessment.

The cause of death of claimants to PIP is not collated centrally by the Department

and the recorded disabling condition may not have been the cause of death of the

claimant.

DISABILITY CATEGORY NUMBER OF CLAIMANTS

Autoimmune disease (connective tissue

disorders)

30

Cardiovascular disease 260

Diseases of the immune system #

Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract 250

Endocrine disease 60

Gastrointestinal disease 30

Genitourinary disease 100

Haematological Disease 10

Hearing disorders #

Infectious disease 10

Malignant disease 630

Metabolic disease 10

Multisystem and extremes of age #

Musculoskeletal disease (general) 170

Musculoskeletal disease (regional) 160

Neurological disease 340

Psychiatric disorders 690

Respiratory disease 410

DISABILITY CATEGORY NUMBER OF CLAIMANTS

Skin disease 30

Unknown or missing 8,590

Visual disease 20

Total 11,790

Source: PIP ADS

Notes:

• These figures include new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP

reassessment claims.

• Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP and DLA

computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon

which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these

statistics.

• SRTI indicator is taken at the point of registration. It is possible for claims to

transition between normal rules and special rules for terminally ill people during the

claimant journey.

• The point of application is taken as the day the claimant registered a claim to PIP

as recorded on the PIP computer system.

• This is unpublished data from the PIP computer system’s (PIP CS) management

information. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

• Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

• ‘#’ indicates were fewer than 5 cases.

• Figures cover claims made up to and including 30 th April 2018.

• GB only.

Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of

Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department

for all registered deaths. Additionally, next of kin also provide information on the date

of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the

administration of Departmental benefits.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1

February 2019 to Question 209777 on Personal Independence Payment, after how many

days on average the 5,290 claimants who applied for personal Independence payment

under special rules for terminally ill people died after registering but prior to her

Department making a decision.


Justin Tomlinson:

Between April 2013 and 30th April 2018, 109,000 applications to Personal

Independence Payment (PIP) were made under Special Rules for Terminal Illness

(SRTI).

5,290 of these 109,000 claimants died after registering but prior to the DWP making a

decision on their claim. The median time between a PIP registration under SRTI and

the death of a claimant whilst waiting for an initial decision was 6 working days.

Notes:



• Special rules indicator is taken at the point of registration. It is possible for claims to

transition between normal rules and special rules for terminally ill people during the

claimant journey.





• The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the

distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here

instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases

(e.g. cases were the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison,

hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)


• GB only.

Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and S125 of







February 2019 to Question 209778 on Personal Independence Payment, how many of

the 7,990 personal independence payment claimants who died within six months of their

claim being registered and had their claim disallowed applied under normal rules; what

conditions such claimants had; and what reasons were given for their claims being

disallowed.



February 2019 to Question 209778 on Personal Independence Payment, how many of



the 7,990 personal independence payment claimants who died within six months of their

claim being registered and had their claim disallowed applied under special rules for

terminal illness; what conditions such claimants had; and what reasons were given for

their claim being disallowed.

Justin Tomlinson:


between April 2013 and 30th April 2018. Of these, 73,800 claimants died within 6

months of their claim being registered. Prior to any Mandatory Reconsideration or

Appeal action, 7,990 of these claimants had their claims disallowed.

Table 1A, shows the main disabling conditions of the 7,990 claimants who were

disallowed and died within 6 months of their claim being registered, split by whether

the claim was lodged under Normal Rules or Special Rules for Terminal Illness

(SRTI). The Department only records a claimant’s disability at assessment so does

not hold this information where a claimant was disallowed prior to attending an

assessment.


and the recorded condition may not have been the cause of death of the claimant.

Table 1A: Disability Category of claimants who were disallowed and died within

6 months of registration: Registrations to 30 th April 2018 and Clearances to 31 st October 2018.

DISABILITY CATEGORY NORMAL RULES

SPECIAL RULES FOR

THE TERMINALLY ILL TOTAL

Autoimmune disease

(connective tissue

disorders)

20 # 20

Cardiovascular

disease

140 10 140

Diseases of the

immune system

# # #

Diseases of the liver,

gallbladder, biliary tract

110 20 140

Endocrine disease 60 # 60

Gastrointestinal

disease

30 # 30

Genitourinary disease 40 10 40

Haematological

Disease

10 # 10

DISABILITY CATEGORY NORMAL RULES

SPECIAL RULES FOR


Hearing disorders 10 # 10

Infectious disease 10 # 10

Malignant disease 200 790 980

Metabolic disease # # #

Musculoskeletal

disease (general)

130 # 130

Musculoskeletal

disease (regional)

130 # 130

Neurological disease 170 10 180

Psychiatric disorders 520 # 520

Respiratory disease 160 10 160

Skin disease 10 # 10

Unknown or missing 5,190 210 5,400

Visual disease 10 # 10

Total 6,930 1,060 7,990

Source: PIP ADS

Table 1B shows the outcomes at the initial assessment of the 7,990 claimants who

were disallowed and died within 6 months of their claim being registered, split by

whether the claim was lodged under Normal Rules or SRTI.

Table 1B: Outcome of claimants who died 6 months after registration split by

Normal Rules and Special Rules: Registrations to 30 th April 2018 and

Clearances to 31 st October 2018.

OUTCOME NORMAL RULES

SPECIAL RULES FOR


Disallowed pre-referral

to the Assessment

Provider

960 570 1,530

Disallowed due to non-

return of Part 2 within

the time limit

3,910 310 4,220

OUTCOME NORMAL RULES

SPECIAL RULES FOR


Disallowed - Failed

Assessment

1,320 140 1,460

Disallowed - Failed to

Attend Assessment

750 30 780

Total 6,930 1,060 7,990

Source: PIP ADS

Notes:

• These figures include claims made under both Normal Rules and SRTI and include

new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.

• The Normal Rules and Special Rules indicator is taken at the point of registration.

It’s possible during the claim to move between Normal Rules and Special Rules

and vice- versa as the claim progresses. This may mean that someone who

registers under Special Rules moves to Normal Rules during the process and is

invited to an assessment but is marked as Special Rules here.

• Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP and DLA

computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon

which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these

statistics.



• The outcome is the first DWP decision recorded on the PIP Computer system. This

does not take into account any mandatory reconsideration or Appeal action so

some of these claimants may have subsequently been awarded PIP. Some cases

do not have a decision recorded.




• Components may not sum to the whole.

• Figures cover claims made up to and including 30th April 2018 and clearances up

to and including 31st October 2018.

• “#” indicates fewer than 5 cases

• GB only.







To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 1

February 2019 to Question 209780 on Personal Independence Payment, how many

personal independence payment claimants who died within three months of their initial

application being disallowed applied under normal rules; and what conditions those

claimants had.



February 2019 to Question 209780 on Personal Independence Payment, how many

personal independence payment claimants who died within three months of their initial

application being disallowed had made previous claims that were refused.

Justin Tomlinson:


between April 2013 and 30th April 2018 under Normal Rules. Of these, 3,590

claimants died within three months of their initial application being disallowed.

The table below shows the number of PIP claimants who died within three months of

their application under normal rules being disallowed and these claimants’ disabilities.

The Department only records a claimant’s disability at assessment so does not hold

this information where a claimant was disallowed prior to attending an assessment.

Table: PIP claimants under normal rules who died within three months of their

application being disallowed, by category of disability (where available)

DISABILITY CATEGORY NO. CLAIMANTS WITH THIS DISABILITY

Autoimmune disease (connective tissue

disorders)

10

Cardiovascular disease 90

Diseases of the immune system #

Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract 70

Endocrine disease 50

Gastrointestinal disease 20

Genitourinary disease 30

Haematological Disease #

Hearing disorders 10



DISABILITY CATEGORY NO. CLAIMANTS WITH THIS DISABILITY

Infectious disease 10

Malignant disease 120

Metabolic disease #

Musculoskeletal disease (general) 120

Musculoskeletal disease (regional) 110

Neurological disease 120

Psychiatric disorders 400

Respiratory disease 110

Skin disease 10

Unknown or missing 2,310

Visual disease 10

Total 3,590

Source: PIP ADS

630 of these claimants had previously been disallowed at least once in their initial

application for PIP.

In addition, 90 claimants who applied under Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI)

died within three months of their initial application being disallowed. Of these, 10 had

previously been disallowed at least once in their initial application for PIP.


and the recorded condition may not have been the cause of death of the claimant.

Notes:

• These figures include claimants whose initial claim was disallowed after

assessment, for failing to attend assessment, for failing to return the PIP2 form or

for failing lay rules. This does not take into account any mandatory reconsideration

or appeal action so some of these claimants may have subsequently been

awarded PIP.

• Figures include both New Claims and reassessments from Disability Living

Allowance (DLA).

• The point of initial decision on the application to PIP is taken as the day the DWP

decision maker made a decision and recorded it on the PIP computer system.



• Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, “#” indicates a total of less than 5 and “three

months” has been taken to be 93 days or less.


• GB only.








February 2019 to Question 209781 on Personal Independence Payment, what the

recorded reasons for claimants being disallowed at initial decision under normal rules.

Justin Tomlinson:

With reference to Answer 209781, between April 2013 and October 2018, 5,630

Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claims were registered under Special Rules

for Terminally Ill people (SRTI) by claimants who had previously been disallowed at

initial decision under normal rules prior to 30th April 2018. To put this into context,

over 4 million applications to PIP were made between April 2013 and 31st October

2018.

Of these 5,630 initial claims under normal rules, 3,160 (56%) had been disallowed at

assessment, 310 (6%) had been disallowed for failing to attend assessment, 2,000

(36%) had been disallowed for failing to return a PIP2 form and 160 (3%) had been

disallowed for other reasons prior to an assessment taking place.

Notes:



• It is possible for claims to transition between Normal Rules and SRTI during the

claimant journey. Included in these figures are claimants assessed under normal

rules at the point of initial decision whose subsequent claim was treated as SRTI at

the point of registration.

• These figures include claimants whose case was disallowed at initial decision after

assessment, for failing to attend assessment, for failing to return the PIP2 form or

for failing lay rules. This does not take into account any mandatory reconsideration

or Appeal action so some of these claimants may have subsequently been

awarded PIP.

• Only the most recent initial clearance is counted. For example, a claimant may

have had multiple disallowances under Normal Rules for different claims. In such a


case, only the most recent initial disallowance to the subsequent registration is

counted in this data.

• Only the closest subsequent registration to the initial clearance as outlined above is

counted. For example, a claimant may have made more than one subsequent

claim under SRTI. In such a case, only the closest subsequent registration is

counted in this data.






• Figures cover disallowances up to and including 30 th April 2018 and subsequent

registrations made up to and including 31 st October 2018.

• There has been a slight adjustment to the figures as presented in Answer 209781

to account for claimants who made multiple applications under both Normal Rules

and SRTI.

• GB only.






Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Sir Mark Hendrick: [230644]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is

taking to to reduce the number of claimants' successful claims that go through the tribunal

appeal process.

Justin Tomlinson:

Our intention is to work with stakeholders to review the mandatory reconsideration

process, including exploring what might help us to gather any further evidence earlier

in the process so that we can revise decisions before they reach tribunal, where

appropriate. It is a complex area and we want to get it right, so our first priority will be

to listen so that we can identify what changes might have the greatest impact.

At the tribunals themselves, we know the claimant’s oral evidence is often decisive

with new written evidence also having an impact. In order to further understand this,

we have recruited 150 Presenting Officers, for ESA and PIP appeals, who, aside from

helping tribunals reach the right decision, are feeding back their observations to

decision makers and assessment providers. These valuable insights will help inform

future decision making.


Social Security Benefits: Bradford East


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many successful appeals

there have been against decisions on (a) employment and support allowance and (b)

personal independence payment claims in Bradford East in each year from 2010.

Justin Tomlinson:

Employment and Support Allowance

Information on appeal outcomes in relation to Employment and Support Allowance

(ESA) Work Capability Assessments by several geographical areas is available on

Stat-Xplore.


Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

The mandatory reconsideration process was introduced in 2013. The latest available

information for Great Britain on the number of mandatory reconsiderations can be

found in the ESA Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics

published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-

outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

It is the intention to produce further geographical breakdowns of these statistics in the

future.

Between April 2014 and June 2018, 3.7m ESA (post WCA) decisions have been

made in Great Britain, of these 8% have been appealed and 4% have been

overturned.


The information requested for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Appeals in

Bradford East is shown in the table below, by year of appeal clearance.

Since PIP was introduced 3.7m decisions have been made in Great Britain up to

September 2018, of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 (JAN – SEP)

Decision

Overturned at

Appeal

10 30 130 130 120

Decision

Maintained

10 40 120 80 40






https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment



2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 (JAN – SEP)

Appeal

Overturn Rate

56% 45% 52% 61% 74%

From 2014 through to September 2018 in Bradford East, of the 720 appeals, 430

(59%) saw the decision overturned. Since PIP was introduced up to September 2018

9,650 initial decisions have been made in Bradford East and 4% have been

overturned at appeal.

The information requested for PIP Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR) in Bradford

East is shown in the table below, by year of MR clearance.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018(JAN - OCT)

New Decision –

Award Changed

at MR

20 80 130 170 150

Decision

Unchanged/Not

Revised at MR

90 400 610 780 630

Percentage of

MRs where the

Decision was

Changed

15% 16% 17% 18% 19%

Note:

Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

PIP Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management

information. Therefore this data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and

Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other

methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

PIP was introduced in 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance for working age

people.

The geography relates to the origin of the claim (i.e. derived from claimant’s

postcode) rather than the location of where the tribunal was held.

Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been

lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but

before it was heard at Tribunal).

Some decisions which are changed at MR, and where the claimant continues to

appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore

the number of people who had a decision changed at MR and the number of people

who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many successful mandatory

reconsiderations against decisions there were for (a) employment and support allowance

and (b) personal independence payment claimants in Bradford East in each year from

2010.

Justin Tomlinson:

Employment and Support Allowance

Information on appeal outcomes in relation to Employment and Support Allowance

(ESA) Work Capability Assessments by several geographical areas is available on

Stat-Xplore.


Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:


The mandatory reconsideration process was introduced in 2013. The latest available

information for Great Britain on the number of mandatory reconsiderations can be

found in the ESA Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics

published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-

outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

It is the intention to produce further geographical breakdowns of these statistics in the

future.

Between April 2014 and June 2018, 3.7m ESA (post WCA) decisions have been

made in Great Britain, of these 8% have been appealed and 4% have been

overturned.


The information requested for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Appeals in

Bradford East is shown in the table below, by year of appeal clearance.

Since PIP was introduced 3.7m decisions have been made in Great Britain up to

September 2018, of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 (JAN – SEP)

Decision

Overturned at

10 30 130 130 120









2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 (JAN – SEP)

Appeal

Decision

Maintained

10 40 120 80 40

Appeal

Overturn Rate

56% 45% 52% 61% 74%

From 2014 through to September 2018 in Bradford East, of the 720 appeals, 430

(59%) saw the decision overturned. Since PIP was introduced up to September 2018

9,650 initial decisions have been made in Bradford East and 4% have been

overturned at appeal.

The information requested for PIP Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR) in Bradford

East is shown in the table below, by year of MR clearance.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018(JAN - OCT)

New Decision –

Award Changed

at MR

20 80 130 170 150

Decision

Unchanged/Not

Revised at MR

90 400 610 780 630

Percentage of

MRs where the

Decision was

Changed

15% 16% 17% 18% 19%

Note:

Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

PIP Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management

information. Therefore this data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and

Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other

methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

PIP was introduced in 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance for working age

people.

The geography relates to the origin of the claim (i.e. derived from claimant’s

postcode) rather than the location of where the tribunal was held.

Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been

lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but

before it was heard at Tribunal).

Some decisions which are changed at MR, and where the claimant continues to

appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore

the number of people who had a decision changed at MR and the number of people

who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Patrick Grady: [219485]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the potential merits of co-ordinating re-assessments for disabled claimants in receipt of

employment support allowance and personal independence payments to avoid people

having to undergoing multiple re-assessments.

Justin Tomlinson:

We are committed to assessing people with health conditions and disabilities fairly

and accurately, helping people to access the right support. We have already

introduced the Severe Conditions Criteria for Employment and Support Allowance

(ESA)/Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have the most severe and lifelong health

conditions. As well as providing ongoing awards with light touch review at ten years

for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with the highest needs, where

those needs will not improve.

I do consider there are potential merits, and the Department recently announced our

intention to create an integrated service for PIP and Work Capability Assessments to

join up processes around the assessments. This will streamline the customer journey,

enabling more user-friendly and joined-up benefit systems. Going further we will also

test the feasibility of using a single assessment to determine eligibility for PIP or

capability for work within UC/ESA where claims are initially made for both benefits.

This should inform our approach to reassessments.

Martyn Day: [232052]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department

has made of the average waiting time at assessment centres in the most recent period for

which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson:

All claimants of Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support

Allowance should expect to be seen within 30 minutes of their scheduled assessment

appointment time.

The Department does not monitor the average waiting time at the assessment

centres for claims to Personal Independence Payment.

The average waiting time at assessment centres for Work Capability Assessments in

February 2019, was 17.1 minutes. We continue to work closely with the supplier to



improve the waiting times whilst maintaining the high level of customer satisfaction

assessment.

Marsha De Cordova: [232105]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written

Statement of 5 March 2019, Health and Disability Announcement, HCWS1376 and the

extension of the contract for the Health and Disability Assessment Service, (a) what the

value of that contract extension is, (b) what the terms of that contract extension are and

(c) what performance targets have been set out in that contract extension.

Justin Tomlinson:

On 5th March 2019, the Secretary of State announced in a Written Ministerial

Statement that we intend to extend the HDAS Contract to enable the move to an

integrated assessment service.

Contract extension negotiations are now underway with the Incumbent provider, the

Centre for Health and Disability Assessments, a subsidiary of Maximus. The value,

terms and performance targets of the extension period are still to be determined.

We do not intend to make material changes to the contracts. Our intention is to

protect service delivery to allow for ongoing continuous improvement, and to ensure a

safe transition to the new integrated assessment service.

Marsha De Cordova: [232106]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, reference to the Written Statement

of 5 March 2019, Health and Disability Announcement, HCWS1376, whether there will be

a pilot of the integration of assessment services due to be implemented from 2021.

Justin Tomlinson:

The Health Transformation Programme within DWP has been established to

transform the currently separate Work Capability Assessment service for ESA and

UC, and the PIP assessment service, into an integrated service from 2021. As with

any major change, this will take time to design, and it will be rolled out carefully –

learning as we go. We will be considering how we test elements of the new service

and the end to end customer journey to understand what works in order to ensure the

quality of the new service.

Social Security Benefits: West Yorkshire


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children in households

affected by the two-child limit on welfare payments are in (a) Bradford East and (b) West

Yorkshire.

Alok Sharma:

Data published in June 2018, broken down by country can be accessed at:




https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-

claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-

children-april-2018.

The information on the level requested was not captured in the reporting database

and therefore is not available. This was due to the small numbers of Universal Credit

cases recorded as being affected by this policy, meaning it is not possible to break

down these totals by smaller geographic areas without the risk of identifying

individual claimants.

State Retirement Pensions

Siobhain McDonagh: [230024]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of

the effect of increasing the state pension age on access to benefits; and if she will make

a statement.

Guy Opperman:

The Labour Government 1997-2010, the Coalition 2010-2015 and the Conservative

Government of 1992-1997 have taken a similar approach to raising State Pension

age. Successive Governments have taken care to give proper consideration to the

impact of the proposals made in the Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007 and 2011, which

each made changes to the State Pension age. The exact form of the assessments

has changed over time as the requirements on Government to carry out standardised

impact assessments have changed.

The Pensions Act 1995 legislated to equalise men and women’s State Pension age

at 65, over a 10 year period between 2010 and 2020. Standardised impact

assessments had not been introduced at the time, but an overview of the options and

evidence considered when developing the policy is provided in the 1993 white paper

‘Equality in State Pension age’. (See attached)

The Pensions Act 2007 legislated to introduce a timetable for the increase of State

Pension age to 66, 67 and 68.

The impact assessment for the Pensions Act 2007 can be found here:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121204130650/http://www.dwp.gov.uk/d

ocs/pensions-bill-ria.pdf

The Pensions Act 2011 brought forward the equalisation of the male and female

State Pension age at 65 by 18 months, so that it had taken place by November 2018

rather than April 2020. It also brought forward the increase from 65 to 66 by five and

a half years, so that it takes place by October 2020 rather than March 2026.

The impact assessment for the Pensions Act 2011 can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462

/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018





http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121204130650/http:/www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pensions-bill-ria.pdf



https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdf



Attachments:

1. Equality in State Pension age [Equality in State Pension age 1993.pdf]

Universal Credit

Hywel Williams: [229665]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total number and

proportion of universal credit claimants who have applied for advance payments is in

each of the past five years; and what number and proportion of such applications have

been approved.

Alok Sharma:

Applications for a Universal Credit advance can be made in a number of ways: in

person, by telephone and also online. To identify and collate the total number of

applications made would incur disproportionate cost. Consequently, we do not hold

the information requested.

Universal Credit claimants may be eligible for an advance payment, in order to

provide extra financial support for those who need it most. The Department has

increased the maximum advance a claimant may receive at the start of their claim to

100 per cent of their indicative award and has extended the repayment period to 12

months. From October 2021, this maximum repayment period will be extended

further to 16 months.

Around 60% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit received an advance in

January 2019. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and that

our advance system is being utilised so people receive help when they need it.

Hywel Williams: [229667]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long it takes on average to

process an advance payment application for universal credit.

Alok Sharma:

If a claimant meets the conditions for an advance we aim to make the payment within

72 hours. However, an advance can be paid on the same day the claimant applies if

they or their household would suffer genuine hardship if they had to wait 72 hours for

the payment.

Applications for a Universal Credit advance payment can be made in person, by

telephone or online depending on the claimant’s circumstances. Depending on the

type of advance payment application, we will consider whether the claimant satisfies

the eligibility conditions for receiving the advance. If the claimant is eligible we will

agree the amount of the advance and the period over which the advance will be

recovered from their future Universal Credit payments. The outcome of the

application is explained to the claimant and their online journal updated.




To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce

length of time it takes for a claimant to receive their first universal credit payment after the

claimant’s first assessment period has ended.

Alok Sharma:

The Department has implemented a range of measures to support claimants during

the transition to Universal Credit. New claimants can apply for a Universal Credit

advance within 72 hours and can receive payment within a day if needed. We have

previously increased the maximum amount available for advances from 50 per cent

to 100 per cent of the claimant’s total indicative award, and have increased the

repayment period from 6 months to 12 months.

Since April 2018 Housing Benefit claimants moving on to Universal Credit are also

provided with a ‘transition to Universal Credit housing payment’, equivalent to 2

weeks of housing costs. Additionally, Autumn Budget 2018 announced plans to

introduce, from July 2020, a two-week run-on of Employment Support Allowance

Income Related (ESA IR), income based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support

(IS) which provides an extra two weeks of benefits for people moved onto Universal

Credit from those benefits. These run-on payments are intended to help claimants

during their first assessment period, as they wait for their first monthly payment, and

do not need to be repaid.

Stephen Timms: [231353]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what methods universal credit

claimants can use to confirm their identity other than face-to-face at a jobcentre or using

GOV.UK Verify.

Alok Sharma:

Claimants can verify their identity by one or more of the following:

• GOV.UK Verify

• documentary evidence

• biographical test

• biographical check

• gather and confirm

• know and recognise

If a claimant is unable to confirm their identity at a Jobcentre or using our Verify

system, a home visit can be arranged.

Universal Credit: Disability

Dr Lisa Cameron: [232035]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will extend the provisions of

the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (SDP Gateway) Amendment Regulations




2019 to claimants in receipt of (a) disability premiums and (b) enhanced disability

premiums.

Justin Tomlinson:

The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions)(SDP Gateway) Amendment

Regulations 2019 prevents legacy claimants who are in receipt of the Severe

Disability Premium from moving to Universal Credit if they experience a change in

circumstances, until they are moved by the Department. This ensures that these

claimants will not be moved onto Universal Credit until transitional protections are

available.

The SDP group has very specific characteristics including substantial care needs,

with most having severe disabilities that would limit their ability to work quite

significantly. They are also likely to see the greatest financial impact were they to

move to Universal Credit following a change in their circumstances.

Universal Credit does not replicate the Severe Disability Premium and other disability

premiums, which has allowed us to target additional support to a wider group and

create a more streamlined system. The Universal Credit rate for the most severely

disabled people, the limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA)

addition is £328.32 per month, much higher than the equivalent rate for the

Employment and Support Allowance support group which is £163.15 per month, and

will result in many more people being better off on Universal Credit.

The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments)

Regulations 2019 provide for transitional protections for claimants who are moved

onto Universal Credit by the Department, without experiencing a change in

circumstances, ensuring no-one loses out at the point of transition.

Universal Credit: Refugees


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment has been

made of the ability of refugees arriving through the resettlement programmes to access

universal credit on the day of their arrival.

Alok Sharma:

A resettled refugee can make a claim to Universal Credit on the day of arrival into the

UK. They can make their claim via several channels, including the online service, by

telephone, by a home visit or in person at their local Jobcentre Plus office.


MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

European Research Council: British Nationals Abroad


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

event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal principal investigators in receipt of

European Research Council funding who are based outside the UK will qualify for the

Government's Horizon 2020 underwrite if they move their research base to the UK (a)

before or (b) after the date of EU exit.

An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 March 2019. The

correct answer should have been:

Chris Skidmore:

In the event of a no deal, the Government underwrite will cover the payment of

awards to UK beneficiaries for all successful bids to Horizon 2020, including the

European Research Council, for the lifetime of projects.

Further guidance on how the underwrite will work in practice will be published in due

course.

This includes Horizon 2020 grants that have been transferred to the UK before

the date of EU exit. We will seek to publish further guidance in due course on

how the underwrite will apply to Horizon 2020 grantees based outside of the UK

that are planning to move their research base to the UK.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Emily Thornberry: [196150]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many children

had their private school fees paid by his Department at (a) schools in the UK and (b)

schools overseas in the most recent year for which figures are available.

An error has been identified in the written answer given on 3 December 2018. The

correct answer should have been:

Sir Alan Duncan:

In Financial Year 2016/2017, the FCO funded the private school fees for the following

number of children:

(a) At schools in the UK: 541 393

(b) At schools overseas: 1074



WRITTEN STATEMENTS

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

High Streets update

Secretary of State for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

(James Brokenshire): [HCWS1423]

On Saturday I announced the national High Streets Community Clean-Up Programme.

This £9.75 million programme will provide every local authority in England with grant

funding to work with community groups to carry out locally-led spring cleans on their high

streets and town centres.

Our ambition is to build strong, resilient and empowered communities where local citizens

feel proud of the place in which they live – and this money will empower local authorities

to support residents to take control over their high streets and town centres.

Events are scheduled across the country to take place in March to coincide with clean-up

campaigns, including the Great British Spring Clean beginning on 22 March. This funding

reflects commitments given in the Litter Strategy and will increase the reach and impact

of such events.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Collective Defined Contribution Pension Schemes

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Amber Rudd): [HCWS1422]

Today the Government publishes our response to the consultation on Delivering

Collective Defined Contribution Schemes.

The UK has a world-class occupational pension system. But there is always opportunity

for further innovation and improvement to ensure pensions work for their members, who

deserve security in retirement. The Government believes that Collective Defined

Contribution (CDC) pension schemes can be a key part of this.

CDC schemes are a new type of pension scheme. In a CDC scheme, like Defined

Contribution (DC), contributions are paid into a fund. Unlike DC, these funds are pooled,

and at retirement, individual members receive a regular pension income from the fund.

This income will be based on the value of their contributions and savers will save towards

a ‘target’ benefit whose value will depend on the fund’s performance.

The CDC approach increases investment leverage for savers, and helps members

secure a regular income in retirement at lower cost. For employers, CDC, like DC,

provides stability and predictability in their obligations to the pension scheme. Therefore,

CDC helps improve retirement outcomes for members whilst also benefitting employers.

In that spirit, Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union have proposed a CDC

pension scheme in the belief that this will be advantageous to both the employees and

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-03-18/HCWS1423/

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-03-18/HCWS1422/

the business. This is a start and will provide a firm footing for further innovation in

pensions.

We set out our proposed approach for providing for CDC schemes in our consultation

document Delivering Collective Defined Contribution Pension Schemes, including

requirements for CDC schemes to operate with systems and approaches that ensure

sustainability, transparency and effective communication. Intergenerational fairness must

be at the heart of CDC schemes. All this will be underpinned by a requirement for CDC

schemes to be authorised by the Pensions Regulator. Government is grateful for the

constructive comments and broad support our proposals received. Also, many

responses, from trade unions, master trusts, and other pension providers, expressed a

desire to see more people benefiting from the advantages that CDC can bring. They

urged us, in time, to extend CDC to other parts of the pensions market.

Pension reforms in recent years have transformed pension saving in this country,

whether it is auto-enrolment or the new state pension. The creation of CDC schemes is

part of an ambitious reform of private pensions schemes, the pensions regulator and the

way that savers interact with their savings through improved information and guidance.

This means people can prepare for retirement with confidence. We will provide more

options for employers to ensure that scheme members can adequately save for

retirement and to better protect their income in later life.

As part of these reforms we intend to bring forward legislation to facilitate single and

associated employer CDC provision as soon as Parliamentary time allows, and consider

further what other provision would be appropriate for the future.

Documents

Daily Report Monday, 18 March 2019 CONTENTS · 3/18/2019 · Daily Report Monday, 18 March 2019 This report shows written answers and statements provided on 18 March 2019 and the